Clearing the Way

Spring time has often been thought of as a time for renewal and growth.  For refreshing and restarting.  I have to admit that this idea seems to have taken over my thoughts over the last weekend as I rethink my amount of possessions, my spending habits, and my knitting projects.

I'll start with the possessions and spending habits first.  I recently became a fan of Cuyana, a San Francisco based company that touts the philosophy: "Fewer, better things".  There were a couple reasons why I so quickly fell in love with Cuyana's products and philosophy:

• First, they have a very simplistic design in all of their products.  Their focus is on classic, timeless styling - not following a trend.

• Second, they focus on quality over quantity.  This is evident in the amount of items they currently offer.  There's really not too many.  What they do offer, however, is really lovely because it's designed so well and made with such quality material.  Items are made to last.

So what does this have to do with my "re-thinking" weekend?

Well, it got me thinking about how much stuff I have.  How much of it do I actually use?  How much of it isn't all that great in quality and probably hasn't lasted as long as I would've liked?

Now, I'm not trying to say that you have to spend an arm and a leg on everything you own.  There are definitely some staples that are totally fine to spend less on.  I love Target for undershirts and basics like that.  But maybe when shopping for some of my more long-term items (sweaters, jackets, shoes, luggage, purses, etc.), I need to think of putting a little more money into a few items that will last a long time.

I've already been doing that with my shoes.  A foot injury well over 6 months ago has convinced me of the importance of quality shoes.  Unfortunately, those usually mean more expensive shoes.  So... I've learned to make the most out of my smaller shoe collection.  It also means I've started clearing out my shoe collection.  This has translated into clearing out my clothing, bags, etc.

I feel like my life over the last 6 months has been somewhat of a long-term yard sale of my life.  I've sold items I no longer use at work and on eBay.  I've given away more clothes and shoes to Goodwill than I can even remember.

There's something freeing about clearing out the junk and making room for space.  Literally, space. Space free from clutter, so I can clear my environment and my mind.  Now, as I start to buy new items, I ask myself more clearly, "Do I really need this?  Can I wait to buy this?  Is this something of quality that will last?"

Spring has sprung with pretty flowers and pretty knits

Finally, all this thinking of quality over quantity has made me think about my upcoming ideas for this year's knit sales.  Right now, I've been enjoying focusing on a blanket for myself.  What do I love about this blanket?  Well, the pattern is lovely, clean and simple.  It's color is classic and versatile.

So why don't I make something like this blanket to sell this fall?  Well, unfortunately, it takes too long to make and requires too much material.  The price for something hand-made like this would certainly be at least $1000 if not more.  That's just not my market and I know that.

But I'd like to find a way to translate the feeling I have making this blanket into some of the projects I sell.  I definitely have felt that way about several of my past projects, but this year, I really want to feel that way about everything.

It's one of the reasons why I created my second shop, Elise Knit Designs.  That shop allows me the freedom to work with higher quality, natural fibers, without sacrificing myself and my goals.  Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck with marketing those items at those price points, but I suppose over time, they might find an audience.  I'd like to eventually sell clothing, even.  But that would definitely have to fall within the Elise Knit Designs price ranges, just because of the time requirement.

Feeling inspired by this classic design and clean color

Knitting by hand is hard.  It requires time and skill.  But, then, that's also what's so great about hand-knit items.  They are made in the simplest form, they are made with quality and care, and since it takes so long to make anything good, it won't clutter up your closet, haha.

I realize this is a lot of words to write, and there doesn't seem to be a real focus or real point, but maybe this particular blog post has just been a clearing of my brain.  Like the clearing of my closet, and my clearing the way for new projects and new goals.

Hope everyone is having a great start to spring!  Happy knitting!

Projects, Patterns and Philanthrophy

I found this pattern while wandering around Pinterest.  Could be pretty cool.  I'm not sure how good it would look on the body type, though...  But who knows, maybe it'd be cool, or a good gift or something... Not sure yet if I'll try this one.

Source: the purl bee

Since I haven't written here in a while, I thought I might write about what's going on.  I'm currently working on a blanket with a weave pattern.  Really liking how it's turning out, but it's definitely a larger project.

I'm also donating some hats to my work's Sweet Iris auction.  If you haven't heard about Sweet Iris, it's run by some friends of mine whose daughter has a degenerative neurological disorder called GM1 Gangliosidosis.  There are currently no human treatments and we're trying to raise money to fund clinical trials through research being conducted at Auburn University.  Here's a short video my friend put together about her daughter and what they're facing:



If you would like to donate, please visit their GoFundMe page.  They are over halfway to their $500,000 goal but there's still a long way to go.

Happy Spring! :)