resolutions

2013: Craft Resolutions

As we are getting well into December, I have begun thinking about my craft resolutions for 2013. I wrote a post last year about what I had been doing throughout the year and what I hoped to do in 2012. I'll do a review of my year in knitting soon, but today I want to think about the year ahead of us. I think it is going to be an exciting one! I asked on Twitter what craft resolutions people were making for 2013. Quite a few people wanted to focus on wearable garments rather than "fun-to-knit garments" or quick accessories. There was also a lot of determination to finish things that had been languishing for far too long and to re-ignite the crafting bug. Finally, some of you wanted to improve your skill sets or switch from one type of crafting to another. I got quite fired up by reading about people's resolutions!

These are some of my own thoughts about crafting in 2013:

  • Do more dress-making. I have a "sizeable" stash of dress fabric and some very cool patterns lying about. Dress making is less portable than knitting or crocheting (which is why I do less of it, I guess. I do a lot of my crafting whilst on-the-go) so I will need to schedule it in: "This week I'll sew some cool stuff!"
  • Be adventurous. I think 2013 will be the perfect year to try out some new techniques and new crafts. I've been thinking about screen printing for some time now and I'd also like to  knit/crochet some things that are avant-garde/way out there rather than practical.
  • Think about my personal style when crafting. This ties into the previous point about being adventurous. I always have silly hang-ups about what I can wear and what I cannot. Time to push myself out of my comfort zone and make myself some awesome pieces. Also: stop making things that look great but which I'd never wear.
  • Talk about crafting! I want to share my enthusiasm about knitting, crochet and dress-making! I want to write more about what it means to make things and I want people to feel confident about making things for themselves and their loved ones.
  • Be mindful about my crafting. I read an article the other day about how to speed up your knitting. I thought about it for some time afterwards and concluded that while I understand that people want to KNIT ALL THINGS (and do so quickly), part of knitting's appeal is the thoughtfulness it engenders in the knitter. I  am not always able to appreciate every single stitch I knit, but I would like to become more mindful of what it is I am doing whilst I am making things.

I have more to say about the last point but that is (also) for another blog post.

What are your crafting resolutions? Are you planning to conquer a particular project? Do you want to try out a new craft? Are you planning on knitting from stash only (oh honey: we've all tried that one!)? Or wil 2013 be the year you knit 12 jumpers in one year?

Share your craft resolutions with the rest of us!