Hello! It’s been a couple weeks, but I’m back in the craft saddle after a much-needed break. I was able to take a breather, clean my craft studio, watch far too much national news, knock out most of a knit sweater, and refocus on what the heck I want to do with Hands Occupied now that I’ve crossed off some major career goals.
On my break, I made 2 short, intentional lists for myself.
Things I’m good at:
- craft design, especially:
- intarsia knitting patterns
- modern latch hook pieces
- photography
- teaching craft technique
Things I’m working on:
- editing (& I don’t mean my Final Cut Pro skills)
- work/life balance
- prioritizing my health
- getting paid for my work, setting boundaries, not spreading myself too thin, avoiding perfectionism
- audio & video skills
- communication
Communication with y’all
A big priority for me right now is figuring out how to keep up with your technical questions about knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé, as well as content (tutorial) requests. Things like, “I haven’t latch hooked since 1993, plz send help!” or, “I love your teaching style! Could you do a video on how to do a Russian Join for yarn?”
I’m very grateful to get these requests because that means you like my style. However, as this blog has grown over the past decade, I have been getting them in an increasing number of places: blog comments, emails , Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, phone calls, and that’s just Hands Occupied. I want to ensure no one falls through the cracks, but sometimes it’s not realistic for me to get to a request right away (or even for awhile depending on if I’m, y’know writing a book).
Here’s the snag: I need to be able to set a boundary when I’m on serious design deadlines, some of which require a great deal of my time and attention for a fixed amount of time. Maybe this is a good time to be clear. I’m here, and have been doing this for ten years, to become a professional Craft Designer.* Teaching and sharing information that I firmly believe should not be gate-kept is fulfilling. I just can’t be available 24/7/365.
* And I did:
I care a great deal about this whole crafting world and want to find a way to share it with people not unlike the public librarian I used to be. Taking on design work or a book project** is how I continue to improve, develop new concepts, and stay positive and passionate about what I do. But the question remains: How do I ensure that questions don’t get lost? Right now I’m leaning spreadsheet, but if you have any ideas, I’m all ears!
**Which I also did:
New Plans & Updating Old Content
2020 changed a lot of things for a lot of people. I want to start sharing more of the yarn craft technique content I wish existed online, beginning with a series of videos on modern latch hook technique and vintage sweater knitting construction. I’ll have more details on upcoming YouTube & blog content plans for you Friday.
What I wanted to mention today was that in the background this year, I’ll be going through older blog content to update it, particularly items that are from early on in my blogging career! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ve been doing this crafty internet thing for 10 years, so there’s a lot to sift through. I’m happiest when I work alone, so I’ll keep you posted when noteworthy content gets a tszuj.
..
SPEAKING OF SELF-CARE & releasing perfectionism, I just noticed it’s getting rather late, so I best call it on this blog post that I’ve already edited for far too long. I’ll post again soon. 
Yours in yarn,
Heidi
