Dan washed his favorite hat in the washing machine (by accident) for the second time and it was finally too small to continue wearing. Pattern: Rafa’s Hat by Joji Locatelli. He gifted it to our niece so she can enjoy it!
Crafty Adventures
Off the Wall in Abington, MA. I attended a wooden sign painting party with girlfriends and had a blast! Highly recommend
January 1- March 31 –sQuelch the Queue Knit any projects you had in your queue (prior to January 1). Knit as many as you can. You will receive extra entries for any patterns that have been sitting in your queue for over 5 years. Fine print* NO WIPS are allowed for these quests. Cast on the first day of the quest and whatever is finished by the last day will count. Quarter 1- Sponsors
Anne Beady Designs
KnitCompanion
Fibernymph Dye Works
Knitters Brewing Company
Don’t forget to post on Instagram #QuarterlyQuests you can also add one for the Quarter:
#sQuelchtheQueue
#FreetheFavorites
#LessentheLibrary
#SlaytheStash
You can always add #downcellarstudiopodcast
Pigskin Party Wrap up
Tune in to hear if you won a participation prize, the January Interception and/or one of the 10 Amazing GRAND Prizes.
Life in Focus
Mom & chatted about goals for 2020, working in new habits and routines in our lives and doing the things we’re tempted to put off.
If you’d like to join Diane’s Massachusetts eBay & eCommerce Online Sellers Meet Up Group on Facebook- click here.
Ask Me (Us) Anything
Tune in to hear how Jen gets over loss of knitting mojo, how BostonJensMom met Boston Jen’s Dad, and a few other fun questions.
Boston Jen’s Dad & Mom (and baby Boston Jen)
On a Happy Note
Mom’s Birthday Lunch
Hattie’s 2nd Birthday Dinner
Silly things the kids say
Hiking with Dan
Movies we’ve seen recently
Quote of the Week
Edith Wharton on being a positive force: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
Yarn: Barnyard Knits Merino Nylon Fingering in the Pickly Pear Colorway (gray with multicolors). Fuse Fiber Studio Merino Sock in the Mercury Glass (gray) and Radical Acceptance Colorway (pinky)
Bought 2 skeins of DK from Dachinger Wool. It was so fun to see a sample of my Ice Time hat in the booth!
Jen & Mara
Jen & Monique
Ice Time Hat
Dachinger Wool
KAL News
New for 2020: Quarterly Quests!Get all of the details here. January 1- March 31 – sQuelch the Queue Knit any projects you had in your queue (prior to January 1). Knit as many as you can. You will receive extra entries for any patterns that have been sitting in your queue for over 5 years. Fine print* NO WIPS are allowed for these quests. Cast on the first day of the quest and whatever is finished by the last day will count.
Quarter 1 Sponsors: Anne Beady Designs, KnitCompanion, Fibernymph Dye Works & Knitters Brewing Company
We are looking for Prizes for this KAL. If you’re interested- please let me know! I’m also offering a discount on ads if you sponsor this KAL, Splash Pad or Pigskin. Emails went out to those on my newsletter this week. Sign up for my email newsletter to be informed about sponsor options.
Pigskin Party ’19! Not familiar? It’s a ridiculously fun make-a-long that runs all through the NFL football season. We typically have a couple hundred participants each year. For each FO you finish, you earn touchdown & field goal points. You also earn points for using sponsor products & fulfilling other challenges. For every 100 points earned, you get an entry into our Grand Prize drawing. We also have lots of prizes reserved for participation on Ravelry and Instagram to keep it fun and light.
Tune in to hear a question on how I use Evernote to organize my life. Are you interested in hearing more about my organizing, habit tracking, goal settings etc? I think Patreon might be a good option for that. Comes over to the Episode 178 Chat thread in our Ravelry Group to talk more if you’re interested in that idea.
On a Happy Note
90 min massage
Dan and I visited a new to us brewery- Stellwagen.
Planning a kitchen renovation and we are able to buy a large cabinet that matches our existing cabinets (but painted) to give us more storage.
Dan and I went on our first hike together at home.
I went to speak at the MA eBay and Resellers Meet-up group that my mom organizes.
I got a new iPhone 11 Pro Max. The camera is epic.
Quote of the Week
“The purpose of fear is to raise your awareness not to stop your progress.”― Steve Maraboli
Pattern: Front Loop Newborn Hat by Cream of the Crop Crochet (free)
Yarn: leftover fingering weight in a light blue
Hook: D (3.25 mm)
I’m also knitting on a new design- the details of which I can’t share yet.
Brainstorming
I’d like to make a sweater with DK weight mustard yarn I bought during yarn haul in Sept. My plan is to swatch to get a gauge I like and then use the advanced Search on Ravelry to find a sweater that’s knit at that gauge.
Hat for my brother for his birthday.
Monkey for Millie’s 8th birthday- leaning towards the Chinese New Year Monkey by Stephanie Jessica Lau.
I need to repair a pair of Mom’s socks & Jeff’s Ice Time hat.
Knitwise09 asked what I thought of Paintbox yarn. So far I’m really liking my socks with this yarn. Keep in mind, socks are usually knit at a tighter gauge which can help prevent pilling.
KAL News
I announced the winner for the last of the Slay the Stash KAL months. Tune in to see if you won!
New for 2020: Quarterly Quests!Get all of the details here. January 1- March 31 – sQuelch the Queue Knit any projects you had in your queue (prior to January 1). Knit as many as you can. You will receive extra entries for any patterns that have been sitting in your queue for over 5 years. Fine print* NO WIPS are allowed for these quests. Cast on the first day of the quest and whatever is finished by the last day will count.
We are looking for Prizes for this KAL. If you’re interested- please let me know! I’m also offering a discount on ads if you sponsor this KAL, Splash Pad or Pigskin. Emails went out to those on my newsletter this week. Sign up for my email newsletter to be informed about sponsor options.
Pigskin Party ’19! Not familiar? It’s a ridiculously fun make-a-long that runs all through the NFL football season. We typically have a couple hundred participants each year. For each FO you finish, you earn touchdown & field goal points. You also earn points for using sponsor products & fulfilling other challenges. For every 100 points earned, you get an entry into our Grand Prize drawing. We also have lots of prizes reserved for participation on Ravelry and Instagram to keep it fun and light.
Knitwise09- Would you please share more details on the Christmas Open House? Is food offered? Gifts?
Adoreknitsteph: your plans for 2020, knitting wise, travel, events, health plan. Design process. And why crochet over knitting.
Tune in to hear my answers.
Life in Focus
Tune in to hear how I do my 2019 personal year in review.
Design/Podcast/Knit
Most Proud of- exceeding my goal of 10 patterns for the year. Yarn bombing project. Really cool fun project and event. $337 National Alliance on Mental Illness Massachusetts for 103 hat sales. World of Difference Campaign in February – Sold 49 copies & donated $100 to The World of Difference Institute. I designed 2 crochet patterns. GoodReader Tutorial FINALLY published. Hosted 3 successful KALs- Slay the Stash, Splash Pad and Pigskin Parties. Participation better than ever. Growing Ravelry Group. So much engagement.
New skills or knowledge. Learned crochet cables and how to make crocheted hats. Made my first top down triangular crochet shawl. Learned how to use newer version of Garageband on my laptop. First experience yarn bombing. Had to figure out how to make it big but still light and workable. My friend Beverly taught me some basic embroidery.
New habits I incorporated: Keeping better track of designs. Kept things organized in Evernote with Folders for notes about: Active Designs, Design Ideas and Stitches, Next Designs I want to work on etc. Then I also created checklists or workflows for what I always need to do when I open up a design to test, steps for publishing, steps for promoting a pattern so I can check things off as I go (or choose not to do things but if I don’t do it, its not because I forget).
New experiences– being part of collaboration with Christy Houghton. December of Designers. So honored to be asked to be a part of that!
Wish I did more of: garment knitting for me. I’m loving my handknit sweaters this winter. I’d be happy to have another in the rotation.
Wish I spent less on this year: I can’t think of any regrets in how I spent my time. You could argue I spent too much money on yarn but I usually end up loving my stash and making beautiful things.
Lessons Learned. I really enjoy designing even when it is a lot of work and a lot of math which typically I don’t enjoy. When I began my year with 10 pattern goal I wasn’t sure I’d love it but I knew designing consistently would force me into good habits and give me that chance to see how I felt.
Events & Milestones. Participated in the 1st Annual Cape & South Shore Yarn Haul and hosted a cast on party at Yarns End. Went to Rhinebeck. Needles Up and Indie Untangled. In November- I attended Lady Dye’s 2020 Tour kick off at Gather Here! I got a spinning wheel!!
Results: More email subscribers. More Instagram followers. Sold 1916 patterns in 2019 doesn’t include free pattern- Ball Band Cozy.
3 times a week (average) exercise of 20 min or more (focus on strength training)= 156 workouts
7 published patterns on Ravelry
10% more sales of designs compared to 2019
Equals 20- for 2020
20 in 2020 (Gretchen Rubin)– these are more of a bucket-list type list of things I think will enrich my life.
Use up 5 gift cards
Visit 2 new cities
Kayak at Jacob’s pond
Kayak at one other new place
Get car detailed
Take 4 classes/lectures (ideas: spinning, knitting, embroidery, sewing, painting)
Learn to spin
Pay off my car
Visit the Museum of Fine Arts Boston at least once
Submit a pattern to at least 1 publication
Go camping
Do 1 in-store class or event at a local yarn shop
Do Plastic Free July Challenge again
Finish 2018 photo album & print
Purge at least 40 things from the house
Maintain my weight range
Take a yoga class
Go to at least 4 musicals/plays
Go to the library at least twice
At least 12 massages
My word of the Year for 2020: FLOURISH. This year is a year of building on the progress and successes from 2019. I will design more. I will lift more. I will be stronger. I will truly flourish.
Flourish:Verb: (of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment. Noun: an instance of suddenly performing or developing in an impressively successful way.
Questions from Listeners:
ZTphotos asked about new designs for 2020.
TaraT580: New stuff you want to try your hand at designing- new stitches/combinations etc?
Phoenixknitter3 & Anna.lenzmeier- Your knitting goals for the year!
Binging the Australian tv show Wentworth on Netflix.
My friend Laura visited over New Year’s. I brought her to the shore in my town for the first time in countless visits! We hiked together at my local state park.
My favorite Zumba teacher is back teaching twice a month so made a point to get there the first Saturday of the year.
I just had my annual physical and my doctor was very happy. All blood work even better than last year.
I saw the new Star Wars movie with Dan
I visited my best friend who was home sick. caught up with her and brought lunch and then got to hang out with my niece Aila for the afternoon. We worked on her science project and had a monster drawing challenge.
It was 66 degrees on Sunday! We opened up the house. Cleaned & organized together.
Quote of the Week
Doing great work is not about never making mistakes or failing. It’s about making sure those mistakes have the minimum impact on those you serve, and that your failures inspire and inform new strategies in the future.”
