2019 Sweater School

During Christmas break, when my husband was off of school (he’s a science teacher AND getting his Masters in Education) and the kids were on a break from homeschool, I indulged in movie watching.

Loads of movie watching.

For Christmas, the kids got video games and more controllers for the PS4. So daddy played with them all day.

All day… for days.

And I was finally able to relax.

All day…. for days.

One movie I watched was Julie and Julia. I’ve seen the movie before, and I remembered liking it and Meryl Streep’s performance. But I was surprised to see Amy Adams! Totally forgot she was in it. Not that it was a forgettable performance or anything, I think I just saw it in the middle of having babies and never sleeping.

When the movie was over, I was so struck by Julie’s simple plan: make every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook. A tall order. But not impossible. This simple plan woke something up inside of Julie. It grew and stretched her, it challenged her and almost broke her. But she did it. It takes a different kind of creativity to follow in the footsteps of someone else’s artistry.

I love goals like that. So I made my own goals for the year. These goals have shifted the course of our life already. (I know, I know… drama much? But read on – it’s true.)

I like to make goals and quick decisions, then work, work, work to get it done. I have learned I need people to act as my “string” to my “kite” or I may just fly away (or crash and burn).

But everyone needs a kite you guys! Don’t just sit and talk about it. DO IT. Try. Fall. Fail. If you don’t, you’ll never succeed… except at doing the predictable.

That said, I sought the advice of my strings. My two besties and my husband.

Husband listened to my dreams and said: Do you want to send the kids to school?

Huh?

But we’ve been talking about the need for me to work more on my business – designing and teaching. The kids’ educational needs have been growing (no more preschool or kindergarten here… *sniff*). We’ve always had peace about sending the kids to school when they were about 10 years old.

My oldest just had his 10th birthday.

So my crazy list of goals for 2019 sparked a conversation which lead to the decision to send our oldest to school and homeschool the younger two for one more school year (then we will decide what to do).

Life-shift.

Okay, at this point you want to see my crazy list of goals.

Here’s the original:

1. Create 52 new crochet designs
2. Host 24 crochet-a-longs
3. Create 24 new YouTube videos
4. Crochet my way through 2 of Dora Ohrenstein’s crochet garment books

Husband said (besides the school thing): It’s difficult to learn something new, while trying to create something new.

True. Working through the crochet garment book will stretch my skills and use up a part of my creative reserve. There are 24 designs in the two books, but one book has 7 designs with 2 versions of each pattern (an open and closed sweater) for a total of 14. So I could make one of each variation cutting the total down to 17. I also have a head start – I’ve completed 4 sweaters with the 5th in the works. I’m also making them for my daughter, so they go much faster!

Photographer bestie said: Let’s meet once a quarter for a shoot. Keep the design goal flexible: 5 – 10 new designs each quarter so you can keep better pace.

I am super excited about this one. The Firefly Hook will have a collection of designs released each season. Keep your eyes out for Spring 2019!

Editor bestie said: Go for it all, you wild woman! If she wasn’t so afraid of cliches, she would have said something about aiming for the moon and landing among the stars and all that.

Maybe she’s a kite too.

Revised 2019 goals:

1. 20 – 40 new crochet designs (5 – 10 each quarter)
2. 20 crochet-a-longs
3. 12 new YouTube videos
4. Crochet through the garment books, completing at least 17 sweaters

So there it is. You can watch the progress and countdown throughout the year, cheer me on (or wait for me to fail, weep, and wail!), and hopefully you will be inspired to make goals, consult your strings (or your kites), take risks, and create!

I am excited to walk in Julie’s footsteps – to take on a big, challenging adventure that will hopefully stretch me and take equal parts creativity and discipline. That’s the beauty of the school of apprenticeship that is as old as the day is long (the idea that we learn from an expert then make our own rules after we’ve perfected the master’s rules). It took courage to live like those of old who once left all they had to learn something new, but now, today in this modern age of computers with all its gifts, I can learn all this in my own home and share it with you with just a click of a button (or two).

Here’s to a wonderfully creative 2019! I pray many blessings on your year, dear readers!

Cheers,

Abbey

Photo above: My dear friend’s daughter modeling the first sweater I made… More on that later.

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