IS SELF-CARE ON YOUR TO DO LIST?

Pre-S: The Back-to-School K/CAL ends in just a couple days. Make sure to get your finished photo and project page in Ravelry by Oct 15, 2016 and enter the giveaway. (Open to subscribers of The Weekly Yarn)


Lately, I've been thinking about self-care, A LOT, and how to be a better human being. There is so much craziness going on in the news that I've been feeling devalued and rundown. I can't very well just close myself from the world. So, how do I take of myself? Everywhere we're seeing the self-care movement. Everyone is talking about it. All the podcasts it seems, lately. But the questions is, what does self-care even mean?

Sure, knitting and crochet is the perfect stress relieving therapy. But since I knit and crochet full-time, at times this craft I love IS a job and not as much fun.

So, with the holidays quickly approaching and everyone is talking about gift knitting and crocheting, and the air tinged with the stress and anxiety that comes along with the holidays, I am taking things easy and going in the complete opposite direction.

It's not gonna happen. Not this year! The only gift knitting and crocheting I will be doing this year is for moi. Me.

I know. This is totally selfish and not at all in line with what we are taught women, mothers, wives ought to be, but sometimes, I matter. YOU matter. And in order for me and you to take care of others, the people around us that we love most, then we have to be healthy and well, right? It is not selfish!

Forget about expectations. For once, let it be about me. Let it just be about you.

So, as the days get cooler and we get ready to settle in for the deep freeze here in Massachusetts, I will be having lots of lazy Sundays with a book. Hey, did I mention I am back to reading, actual, books, again. <sigh> And it feels amazing.

What will you do to take care of yourself. How do you self-care? Or, is self-care even on your priority? Why or why not? I'm still figuring out this adult-thing and learning from others on how to live a life of joy and abundance.

Leave a comment below. Share how you self-care. We all can learn from each other.


Hot off the presses!!! I have a new shawl design in Knit Picks' new Under 200 Collection. Say hello to my Astral Shawl.

ASTRAL SHAWL

Wrap yourself up in this beautiful and elegant shawl, whether you’re cozying up on the couch with a good book or dressing up a simple t-shirt and jeans for a night out. The Astral Shawl is a versatile additional to any wardrobe.

Photos by Knit Picks

I am so proud of this collection and my contribution. Please head over to look at all the beautiful designs. Make sure you are subscribed to The Weekly Yarn (see sign-up below) to be notified of an upcoming GIVEAWAY.




Until next time... Stitch On!
Tian
"A rising tide lifts all boats"

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How do you celebrate?

The other day I was having a casual conversation with my mother, like you do. She off-handed mentioned a concert her church choir will be performing in, which was not unusual. We talked about a few other things and just by chance at the end of the conversation, just out of curiosity, I asked who would be singing the lead during the concerts because it's usually the same few special individuals that get chosen. And being nosey, I wanted to know which special snowflakes were chosen. But she surprised me by saying that she, my mother, would be in fact be singing the lead for one of the songs.

WHAT?! This is big.

Why do we do this? Why do we down play these achievements? Let’s celebrate these accomplishments, regardless of how relatively minor. Push out our chest. Be proud.

One of the things I've learned over the past few years as I've transitioned to a full-time designer and tech-editor, no longer in the corporate environment where I get a bonus for meeting goals at the end of the year or a raise, it is important, more so than ever before, to celebrate milestones for myself, regardless of how small the achievement might seem.

As a freelancer, I don't have a boss looking over my shoulder checking up on me and patting me on the back when I do something right. I have to do that for myself. It took me a while to get to this point, but it has made a huge impact on the work I produce and put out into the world and how I show up in this space. And that is something I want you to do for yourself.

Sure, the things you do might not go viral on the internet. Your new design that you felt like you total hit out of the park did not hit the top 20 on Revelry's Hot Right Now. Or, you modified a pattern, completely changing it and the designer doesn't take notice. So what? The fact that you did this thing that millions of people cannot, is reason enough to celebrate. So please celebrate ALL your achievement.

The truth is, your family members, while they love you and want the best for you, they will not get it and understand. Your accomplishments in this space might make no sense to them. After all this time, my parents still don't understand what I do really. But that doesn't matter. Find your inner circle. My husband and son gets its. They know what that trip to Webs mean. Did I mention I went to Webs this weekend? I'll share my haul next week.

The bottom line is that your accomplishments deserve to be acknowledged. The way you celebrate doesn't have to be huge or expensive. So, you submitted a proposal to your favorite publication for their recent Call for Submission. Celebrate. Go get your nails done. You get a response back from a yarn company you bit the bullet and sent an email seeking yarn support. Celebrate with a new project bag.

Those seemingly small accomplishments lead to greater and bigger things; a rung on the step up. See them for what they want. Celebrate.

P.S. Did you see what's new, Unlock your Inner Designer_Journal?

This Journal is the perfect way for knit and crochet designers to keep track of their designs, sketch and note all in the same notebook.

It can be so easy to jot something down on a piece of paper, but scrap papers get lost. Keep all your ideas, notes and sketches all in one place in your Unlock your Inner Designer_Journal. And the best part is, when you see a Call for Submission from your favorite publication in Ravelry, you don't have to scramble to create something from scratch. You can go to your journal, flip through your library of ideas for one that might easily fit the call or can be modified.

Stay organize.

Be ready with sketches and notes for Call for Submissions.

Get more details and grab your journal at the introductory price PLUS free shipping here

Until next time... Stitch On!

Tian
"A rising tide lifts all boats"

Want a 20% OFF COUPON to my Ravelry Shop 

and subscriber-exclusives?  

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Unlock your Inner Designer Journal

I have been working on something big and it's a journal. Kinda seem random, right?! But not really. It is so me. I must have 10+ journals of every kind stashed around my house for various types of notes and writing. But the Unlock your Inner Designer_Journal is different than those journals.

Unlock your Inner Designer_Journal is the journal perfectly designed for the knit and crochet designer in mind. I use mine for designing, notes, and everything relating to designing.

Unlock your Inner Designer_Journal is for knit and crochet designers, whether you are a newbie or experienced designer. It is a bi-fold journal with blank pages on one side for sketching and a lined side for notes. Cool, right? I am so in love with mine and want to share it you.

Why am I doing this? Well, I get a lot of questions from newbie and some experience designers asking how do I get all my designing done? What I do with all the ideas in my head? How am I able to submit to so many different publication. Easy. I have a journal for sketching and taking notes. This is my #1 design tool.

My designing journal sits on my desk when I'm home or in my bag when I am out and about, because you never know when inspiration will strike. You can be taking a walk or window shopping at the mall, and bam! An idea for a stitch pattern or a silhouette strikes. Of course you can't knit or crochet up those ideas as they come, so you write it down.

It can be so easy to jot something down on a piece of paper, but scrap papers get lost. Keep all your ideas, notes and sketches all in one place in your Unlock your Inner Designer_Journal. And the best part is, when you see a Call for Submission from your favorite publication in Ravelry, you don't have to scramble to create something from scratch. You can go to your journal, flip through your library of ideas for one that might easily fit the call or can be modified.


Dimensions: 8" H x 0.4" L x 6.25" W
Double-sided notebook
40 pages ruled
40 pages blank

IMPORTANT: Unlock your Inner Designer_Journal is available for pre-order October 3-8th for $17 (plus FREE shipping and handling). Pre-order will be shipped on October 23rd.

If there are any journals remaining after pre-orders close, on October 23th, Unlock your Inner Designer_Journals will be available in my Etsy shop and the price will go to $20 (plus $5.50 shipping & handling, continental USA).

Just remember, You Got This!

Until next time... Stitch On!

Tian
"A rising tide lifts all boats"

Want a 20% OFF COUPON to my Ravelry Shop 

and subscriber-exclusives?  

Subscribe to

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Unlock your Inner Designer Course and Workbook

With the end of Unlock your Inner Designer_FREE 6-part mini e-course, I've been thinking about the students that went through it and the results they achieved in only 6 short weeks.

To make this information more accessible to more knitters and crocheters seeking out information, to help you get all those amazing design ideas out of your head and at least on paper, sketched out, even if you don't have time to focus on stitching up the idea right now.

With that in mind, I am pulling together the lessons from Unlock your Inner Designer_FREE 6-part mini e-course in a printable PDF format that is easy to download to mark up, filled with examples and detailed samples.

Some of the questions I received throughout the course were for sample sketches and more details on how to draw up a schematic. So, here it is. Built on the foundation of that free e-course, Unlock your Inner Designer_Course + Workbook will give you even more resources and examples.

  As of October 3, 2016, this is a works in progress that I hope to have Unlock your Inner Designer_Course + Workbook ready to share by Thanksgiving January 2017. The time between now and then will give me the time to collect more resources, but most importantly, will make the information available to give you plenty of time to go through the course + workbook and create one or more designs before the end of the year.

Print and reuse over and over.

IMPORTANT: Unlock your Inner Designer _ Course + Workbook will be available for pre-order stating October 3rd to November 27th for $11. PDF of the Course + Workbook will be emailed on November 28th.


After Thanksgiving weekend (November 28th), the price will go to $19 and Unlock your Inner Designer_Course + Workbook will be delivered January 1, 2017.

Interested in learning How to Start Designing? Subscribe to the Weekly Yarn for detail to purchase. Click here.

Here is a sample page from the workbook:

FAQ:

Q. Why the heck am I charging for this product instead of making it free like the course? Simple.

#1 A lot of time and energy went into creating Unlock your Inner Designer_FREE 6-part mini e-course. I've had feedback from many of you that you wanted to participated in my courses but the price was out of reach. So, I created this free mini e-course, which wasn't quite so mini, to help you get started. But what I discovered with this free e-course was what led to reason #2.

#2 I've found that when you have some skin in the game, i.e. when you put your hard earned money down to pay for something, you are more likely to take action to complete the course to get the results and transformation you are seeking. The exchange of money makes you more invested in seeing it through. Registration for this free e-course far exceeded my paid Pattern Writing 101 e-course, which I expected, but the results and the conversation from the paid e-course was exponentially more than the free e-course. Why? When people put money on the table, they do the work. Make sense? This is not a huge output of money, but it's enough to make you show up and take action.

Q. Can I just wait for the free mini-course to launch again? Yes.

I do plan on running the free version of this course Unlock your Inner Designer_FREE 6-part mini e-course again in 2017. At this time, I have not determined the dates, but will let you know (be sure you are subscribed to The Weekly Yarn to get the details when available.

So, if you are thinking about it and not quite sure, be sure to jump on The Weekly Yarn email list to get the information.

Q. Why should I buy the course + workbook? What is the difference from the free course? Maybe.

The free version is chock full of information that will help you go from ideas and concepts to a fully fleshed out design and pattern. One difference between the free and paid version is your access to me to ask your questions, whether you are stuck in a design or have a general question on the industry. Also, beyond unlimited access to me with your individual questions the free version will not include the printable worksheet. Those are the only difference between the paid and free versions, and well worth the fee.

Q. Is Unlock your Inner Designer Course + Workbook for me? Maybe. If you are a seasoned designer that has a strategy for creating patterns from your ideas, then this course is not for you.

If you are an aspiring designer at the very beginning stages of designing or you have been designing for a little while but need a solid foundation to go from idea to pattern, help with sketching and creating a schematic to test if you design idea will work, this course + workbook can help.

I walk you through step-by-step to think about critical elements in a design as well as tons of tips and best practices to help you make that idea come alive.

Beyond all that knowledge, you get access to me (a seasoned knit and crochet designer and technical editor) to ask your specific questions, regardless of the stage you are.

Q. What exactly do I get when I purchase Unlock your Inner Designer Course + Workbook?
When you purchase Unlock your Inner Designer: How to start designing (course + workbook) you will receive a PDF file chock-full of information on how to get the ideas out of your head and into a pattern; from sketching, swatching, to schematic, and finally creating the final sample. Also, the course material will include a workbook with areas you can fill in as you go through each lesson. *Print out as many as you need. Mark up the pages. Repeat from * for each new design idea.

So, there you have it. I am super proud of this course and the results knitters and crocheter have been getting. You too can achieve your goal and Unlock your Inner Designer _ Course + Workbook can help.

Until next time... Stitch On!
Tian

"A rising tide lifts all boats"

Want a 20% OFF COUPON to my Ravelry Shop 

and subscriber-exclusives?  

Subscribe to

{The Weekly Yarn} from KnitDesigns by Tian

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I am interested in Crochet and Knit...

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• Both

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