2024 crochet goals
As I’ve gotten older and reflected on the New Year’s tradition of making resolutions, I’ve concluded that the normal format does not work for me. I fall into the trap of making 10 or so really broad, unrelated goals that I cannot keep up with sustainably. Rather than setting myself up for inevitable failure and creating a million ways I want to better myself with no plan, I’m zeroing in on health, work, and hobbies and creating goals based on what I want to achieve in those specific areas.
My goals related to crochet while being categorized under hobby are made particularly to drive building my own crochet/fiber arts business. I have a vision and so many ideas for {technoloops} which is awesome, but I need to also set aside time and organize my hobby and workflow as much as possible to be conducive to growing this project.
And with that, here are my 2024 crochet goals! I would love to hear if anyone has any of their own fiber arts goals this year or any thoughts on New Year resolutions overall in the comments section below.
Don’t completely abandon WIP’s (works in progress)
While reflecting on the projects I’ve completed since I began crocheting, I realized that I hadn’t completed as many projects as I thought. I rather had started and shelved the majority of what I had worked on. While it is okay and valid to set down projects that I’m not vibing with at that moment, it isn’t sustainable to do that continuously. It feels infinitely better to have one finished project over several half-finished ones!
To combat abandoning WIPs, I am planning on setting aside time every week to work on a shelved project. By setting aside time to work on these WIPs weekly, I can also assess which projects I might just want to abandon altogether, which is completely okay. Scrapping projects that I’m not feeling will free up yarn and my capacity to continue or start working on something that resonates with me more. With this goal, I am overall trying to be more mindful when selecting and starting projects and committing to seeing them through.
Keep documenting and sketching ideas, even if they don’t seem “worth it”
I consistently get stuck in the thinking trap that my ideas aren’t unique enough, or that there is no way I could pull them off. This coupled with the fact that I cannot draw or sketch at all demotivates me from attempting or even writing down so many of the ideas that I come up with. So this year I plan on challenging myself to push through those mental blocks and just try to create anyway. The only way to improve as a fiber artist, or anything for that matter, is to practice and iterate on what I’ve learned.
By documenting my (rudimentary) creative process, I might also be able to empower others who feel stuck in a similar creative rut. I would love to have my ideas inspire others and create a fiber arts community with an open culture of collaboration.
Deep dive into crochet technique/fundamentals
Being a self-taught crocheter, I have spent the first years crocheting simply trying to get projects done. With trying to get as many projects as possible under my belt, I haven’t paid as much attention to details, technique, and fundamentals. Investing time into learning proper sewing/joining techniques, differences between stitches and their compositions, how to design clothes and garments, etc. will only help me improve as a fiber artist.
As I expand my crochet knowledge base and fundamental skills, one of my goals with {technoloops} is to document, accumulate, and share my understanding of these concepts in an easily navigable resource bank. I want to build a platform where I can share the skills I have learned and the creations that come from them, and encourage others to begin or continue learning new techniques on their fiber arts journey.
Make more gifts for others and donate works
While thinking of the projects I have completed over the past 3 years, I realized I have barely gifted any of my works. I find that I worry after investing so much time into a project that the person receiving it may not appreciate my gift as much as I thought. To begin a habit of making things for others, I want to challenge myself to donate works such as baby hats or scarves, especially if I find myself with excess yarn or a lack of project inspiration.
Organize my fiber arts hobby
Sometimes I have caught myself not wanting to crochet or start a new project because everything related to my yarn hobby is disorganized. I don’t have a clear view as to what yarn I have, what projects I’ve started, or even one spot for all my hooks, needles, and notions. The mere thought of looking for yarn in my stash or untangling an improperly stored project is enough to keep me from creating at all.
To prevent stress associated with context switching to and within my hobby, it’s time to get organized! One thing I want to stick to throughout the year and in the future is to use my yarn stash before purchasing more yarn. Using the yarn I have for prototyping, making and donating gifts, or even scrap projects will help cut down on the physical space this hobby takes.
Along with physically organizing my yarn and project storage, I will be digitizing my current project info to keep track of the yarn I use, patterns, and hook size for when I inevitably shelve projects. I have used Notion in the past for life organization and my second brain, so I have decided that I will be logging my current WIPs and all things {technoloops} in a Notion workspace. Stay tuned for my digital organization process and custom crochet project Notion template in my next blog post!!
Branch into other fiber arts
Through crocheting, I’ve discovered that I want to learn more about different fibers and yarn as a whole. I believe that having a deeper understanding of the medium will help me take my ideas and projects even further. Learning about different fibers and how they behave will also ultimately aid in the process of learning how to create yarn (spinning, dyeing) and other forms of fiber arts such as knitting.
I hope that these goals can help you create your own fiber arts-related goals or even motivate you to zero in on the aspects of your life where you want to grow this year. If you want some inspiration for 2024 makes, check out my Lace Crochet Choker Pattern on my website or Etsy store, and stay tuned for more fiber arts-related blog posts!