Well, hello June!

I started May fresh, and with a short list of things I wanted to accomplish. One thing I learnt is that short lists aren’t necessarily easy lists. And while I haven’t checked everything off, I feel pretty good about May.

Goal #1. Release two new collections.

This one specifically may have been too ambitious. I did two back to back updates within a week from each other. And because natural dyeing is such a laborious and lengthy process, dyeing close to 120 skeins in two weeks from a small kitchen and a full time toddler at my feet was both mentally and physically exhausting. So unless something changes with my current setup (which I don’t foresee changing anytime soon), this will probably not happen again.

I would also like to be totally honest and transparent for a moment. Despite the excitement on social media, neither of these updates did very well. In an effort to not stress and/or get discouraged by this, I am blaming it largely on the season. The thinking behind it is that maybe people are buying more summery yarns at the moment. But, in truth, I haven’t figured out the cause behind this trend yet.

Goal #2. Work on sourcing local yarn during the #getshitdonechallenge.

My goal for this project was to reach out to at least five farms/mills each week and to schedule at least five farm/mill visits by the end of four weeks.

While I didn’t reach out to as many as I had set out to do, and I have no farm visits scheduled, I did request and receive yarn samples from several farms and spinneries. Some of them were not even on my initial radar. And I’m excited to say that I may have found the farm I was looking for!

Goal #3. Organize a knit night.

Does a knit picnic with prosecco count as knit night? I finally did it! I reached out and arranged a lovely picnic in my local park. A few knitters joined Anya and I for an afternoon of knitting, chatting, drinking, and enjoying the weather! I’m definitely thinking of doing these more often, although it may have to wait until my family leaves.

Goal #4. Cast on a new project.

I may have even cast on two if we count the half sock that I knit for Anya! Socks and bloomers for Anya, and lots and lots of swatching this month. [More exciting news related to those swatches coming soon!]

Goal #5. Do more Live Q&A’s on Instagram.

I even mentioned this in one on my stories on Instagram, but I never actually got around to doing it. Could this explain why the shop updates didn’t do as well, perhaps?

Goal #6. Restructure the website and blog more!

I made a few small changes, and wrote a blog post, but I don’t feel like I really addressed this task to the extent I had hoped I would.

The blog post I wrote was a success though, and many people left comments both on the website and on Instagram sharing their own thoughts and advice on the subject matter.

June is going to be the month of taking it easy, spending lots of time with family, exploring the outdoors (if either spring or summer actually cooperates), and creating!

After a long knitting hiatus, I was on such a creative kick I couldn’t stop swatching for new designs. So this month I really want to see where all that bottled up creativity takes me! And since the shop is still stocked with lots of yarn, I don’t have to worry too much about promptly launching the next collection.

Besides, it’s my birthday and we have family and friends visiting, my husband will be off for the summer soon (perks of being a teacher), and I feel like I deserve the freedom to do what I feel like doing, without the weight of my to-do lists hanging over me.

June goals are simple, then!

Create
Celebrate
Spend time with family and friends
Spend time outdoors
Run
Read
Explore

I’ll let you know how this plan of no plans works out for me! Until then, friends!