2017 Highlights and Focus for the New Year Ahead

I wish you all the very best for the Christmas and holiday season and send my sincere thanks to all my customers and well wishers over the past months as a new yarn store owner. 

As the year is coming to a close and I am wondering where on Earth 2017 went, it's obligatory to give a round-up of the highs and lows. Actually, stuff the lows...let's just get on with the highs.

The Best Highlight...ta dah...

You.  All of you lovely people who support and make this enterprise worth doing, whether you spend a little or a lot, I'm glad to have such cheerful people to serve. 

Yes, of course I love the yarns, the patterns, the nifty tools, the bling, the bags and caddies, the infinite possible ways to store, stash and even hide the yarn purchases, but without you, the Makers, well, I'd just be talking to myself and my family would be screaming "Why do we have to climb over all these boxes in the hallway" and "Can I have my bedroom back!". Yada yada...

Working from home has challenges - constantly cleaning up the front entrance, stressing over the state of the bathroom that customers may want to use, and strangely, being late for work on a regular basis - for Pete's sake I live where I work.  Anyway, I found some comfort when I read the latest Yarn Harlot blog post about lying to yourself and others that you are the perfect person on all fronts especially the home front - there's a knitting aspect to the post so don't skip these words of wisdom. 

My next highlight is...

All the things I have learnt, much of which has been determined from the needs of my customers but also from my own desire to gain at least competency in my chosen crafts.  I'll be working on mastery in 2019!  

I've decided that 2018 will be a year of Focus for me to make this "Making" business a winner for us all. To Celebrate the good things which are Plentiful and often go unacknowledged by ourselves and, secondly, to rise to the challenge of improving the other things which never seem to meet my expectations such as fit, style and quality of workmanship - that old chestnut of looking "homemade"!

A lovely customer, Kerryn, said yesterday that her 2018 was to be the "Year of Sweaters & Socks"  I agree that this is a worthy focus and I challenge you all to pick one (or more) things to improve on in your creative journey.  If you want a sounding board, an opinion or some external validation for your chosen focus, pop in or make contact via email, telephone or Facebook.  I'd love to be part of your process so feel free to Share your work and thoughts and I'll be working hard to do the same.

Anyway, enjoy your friends and families, your gardens, your beaches, your food and of course, your knitting, crochet, felting, weaving, sewing, and stitching.

May you find peace in your craft and joy in your people.

Best wishes, 

Beth