I've been feeling kind of insecure about my work for the last... maybe 2.5 years.
There are MANY factors involved in this, and I am sure a lot of you reading this can relate. In my case, let's say that the three most important ones (among a sea of other) are social media blowing up in my face and me not really knowing how to handle anything, age, and building a second successful company in a business (retail) that I knew nothing about.
I am too stubborn to let go of the slightest bit of my dream job (designing knitting patterns), but the truth is I honestly don't have the same amount of time for it that I had 5 years ago.
I don't have the same stamina or the cool eye of a 30 year old. I doubt myself. I don't like some projects, some beginnings or some endings, and it all leads to a vicious circle that keeps me from publishing my beloved work. The work that allows me to connect with you all, reading this.
A while ago, as some finished patterns were lying around in my studio, me too scared to finish or photoshoot them, I realized I had the perfect FALL PATTERNS collection in my hands. There, already made, an opportunity to come out to the sunshine and show you all what I had been working on. The things I was so scared to show you, fearing the wouldn't be good enough any more.
I looked at my computer, checked the files: all but one pattern had been tested. It was all just waiting for me to take a closer look. My work was beautiful and I felt excited to share it again.
The next morning, I took a deep breath. Brushed my hair, wore a little makeup and asked my husband, Charly, if he'd help me take a few photos. We usually do my photography together. Charly doesn't know how to use a DLSR camera, but he's very good and patient at pointing, framing and shooting. So I checked the light, picked a quiet corner at an old house upstairs from Joji & Co and we took these photos.
Ready for Fall is a collection of 5 patterns with anything you may want to knit for the coming season. Somehow it was just waiting for me to realize these patterns were always meant to be together!
This is the Newspaper Pullover, and you can read all about the inspiration on the pattern page on Ravelry. It's available in sizes XS to 5XL and it's designed for Fingering Weight yarn.
Forever and Ever is an infinity cowl designed for 4 colors of mohair, double stranded. You can substitute with 2 strands of fingering weight, or 1 strand of DK weight yarn.
It's SO soft and divine!
Of course, when you learn how to knit your own socks, you want to make them perfect, every time. You want them to fit perfectly and comfortably, and you want the yarn to be durable, dreamy and gorgeous. Well, the Caramel Sauce socks my very well be my dream socks! Designed with a ribbed lace pattern, they always stay up.
The story of this hat is so funny... I wanted to make something absolutely simple and basic to knit and walk, or to knit while I was on my car, so I started this beanie as a basic ribbed one.
Of course, if you know me, I have the attention span of a fly and I LOVE stitch patterns, so I couldn't resist! Shortly after I was knitting away a beautiful lace body for this two-color beanie.
It is designed for fingering weight yarn and the name is, of course, the Change your Mind Beanie.
And last comes the beautiful shawl. I called it Some ME Time, because I started it just for myself. I needed to feel better, back in January. I had a bad case of the 'blues' and there were some things I really wanted to change for myself and this shawl helped me through it all. The repetitive and soothing movements while knitting it were like a song to me, and the yarn was a big hug. I couldn0t love this more.
My friend Ale helped me test it with her own yarn (a DK weight versus the original pattern in DK) wo I was able to photograph that sample in Pura Hilados as well.
I felt really proud sharing my work with you all today, and it's really revived my passion for what I do. I can't promise not to have dark feelings about it again, but I promise today was a really important breakthrough for me. Knitting does that for all of us, right? Somehow, in one way or another, it rescues us.
I hope you like these designs and they keep you warm.
Have you picked one to knit first? I'd love to hear from you. I really would!
Joji