Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a reasonable festive season. We certainly did – just the right balance of time spent with close family, extended family and friends. No arguments (other than friendly discussions), much eating and more walking than I am used to doing at this time of year. Despite all that, I was pretty much ready to go back to work on 2 January. I am lucky that I enjoy being in my space so much, spending time with my customers, surrounded by gorgeous yarn, what more could a person want?
This year, in my personal life, I have made no resolutions nor have I set any goals. This feels quite liberating. I cannot really get away with this approach in respect of the business and Mandy and I will be setting our goals for 2026 at a meeting next week. We already have the outlines in place of some of the bigger things we are doing, such as the East Anglia Yarn Festival in March and our Retreat in June. Our workshops are planned and are on the website. But there are other, smaller things, in the pipeline as well – events in the shop, new stock and so on. Now is the time to make suggestions to us about things you might want to see us do. For example someone asked me about the possibility of a weaving workshop last week, which I will look into. If you have any requests, let us know.
This is also the optimal time to look back over last year’s knitting projects and to plan next year’s. Mandy and I set our Make 9 goals last year, and I believe Mandy completed all hers and then some. I only completed five of the proposed nine projects – the Stephen West MKAL, the Halibut Sweater, Olive’s Vest, the Shetland Wool Week hat and some socks. The Glittering Snowscape Shawl has been a WIP since last March, because I had to pull it back almost to the beginning being unhappy with all the mistakes I had made. The Shetland Lace Shawl has been postponed for a while as I am beginning to think that lace knitting might not be my strong point. Of course I completed other projects than those on my Make 9 List. I focussed on brioche stitch and made a cowl. I knitted a couple of sample garments for the shop, some felted slippers and a Ranunculus for my daughter. It seems that 9 projects is about my limit. Currently I am knitting the Lento Sweater, but this is a very quick knit and will soon be done. I am pleased to be using some yarn I purchased a while ago.
This year, my main project will be to knit a Gansey for my husband. I have acquired a book and the Frangipani 5ply yarn (Falmouth Navy) which we now stock and now I just need to measure him, think about the schematics and knit a swatch. Then I can plan patterns and take the leap forward. I think this will occupy me all the way up to his birthday in October. I have also promised my daughter a rather lovely sweater from the Laine Book The Art of the Sea – her birthday is in May so that might take priority over the Gansey. We are starting a knitalong of the Sunday Cardigan on 24 January as well. There will always be things to knit for the shop. And the next Stephen West MKAL of course. I certainly will be busy. It does make me smile to think that before I opened the shop I considered it impressive if I knitted one garment a year.
Do let me know what your crafting plans (if any) are for 2026 and then we can review whether you have completed them by this time next year!