That T. Swift song took up residence in my head this past year, so it seems appropriate to designate it gourdgeous knits’ theme song for 2022.
Thinking back to where gourdgeous knits started out in January vs where it is right now as we close out the year, I’m astonished of how much it progressed the way it has. I’ve been designing officially for nearly three years and this is the first year I really and truly feel successful. Not that I hadn’t felt successful in 2020 and 2021 because I certainly had. But at the close of those years, I still felt like a newbie designer. Still trying to figure out a game plan; still trying to get my small biz out there and make a name for itself. Still trying to figure out my audience and what I could do differently than the other designers in our craft community; what would make my designs unique?
gourdgeous knits has grown a lot in 2022. This was a year of making valuable connections in fellow designers and makers–of getting to know designers from around the world and becoming friends, learning their design processes and marketing and social media strategies, and collaborating on new projects I would have never otherwise considered for gourdgeous knits; and of meeting other makers that actually like knitting my designs and look forward to new pattern releases, growing my test knit group and even having repeat testers, and getting to know other makers that are just as passionate about their yarn craft as I am.
This was also a year of stepping out of my comfort zone to try new design techniques, like colorwork. Again something I would have never considered right now, but maybe down the road when I had more experience designing. I also discovered that I love knitting lacework, and that I don’t really enjoy writing crochet patterns (at least not right now).
2022 was a year of strategizing and marketing gourdgeous knits in a better, more productive (but still fun) way, like posting more Instagram Reels of pattern photo montages and yarn unboxings, and starting up a seasonal newsletter (subscribe at the bottom of the page if you’d like).
When I first thought of the idea to write a reflection post, I was going to go into greater detail of things that happened throughout the year, like my sample knitting opportunity for Originally Lovely Yarn, my collaboration with the Pattern Design Circle for inTANDEM, and the five patterns I released this year… But reflecting back, what really resonated with me were the choices I made, the plans I carried out, the people I connected with to flesh out gourdgeous knits and make it something more. It was the extra work and dedication that I put into things to ensure that 2022 would be a great year for gourdgeous knits. And it certainly was!
I look forward to seeing what 2023 has to offer, and I can’t wait to share my design plans with you as the year unfolds. I hope you have a Happy, Healthy New Year! And thanks for sticking with me on my whimsical knitting journey. Let’s keep dancing like it’s ’22.
-Kristin