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2022-01-03

How to get inspired for new projects in Crochet/Knitting -DO’s and DON’TS

How to get inspired for new projects CrochetKnitting.jpg
Motivation vs Inspiration

In my view losing your motivation is not the same as losing your inspiration. I see not being motivated as not wanting to crochet altogether while not having inspiration while you want to feel your hook between your fingers like you never wanted anything else…

“Crojo” (crochet mojo) is a real thing and if you’re struggling with finding some, best to do is take a sabbatical/break from it and deal with what is REALY going on. Most of the time there is an underlying thing going on. Stress can be relieved with crocheting/knitting but it can also lead us to not wanting to do it or not to have concentration enough to actually crochet well. So searching into yourself to find the cause and do something about it, in order to find joy and motivation to be creative and to create, is essential.

Not having inspiration can be solved in multiple ways, as I have found out last year. I never struggled with creativity and finding inspiration all around me, but suddenly I found myself with fingers silently screaming at me to find something to make, to pick and choose something to either make, test or design, just so that I can have a hook in my hands and yarn next to me.

I found a few ways of getting inspiration which could help you too if you ever find yourself in such situation.
First of all, by now you should be a part of a few FB groups and following your favorite IG accounts. This can help but it can also be a huge time consuming street, because, if you’re not careful and limiting yourself you might spend hours and hours looking at all the beautiful makes out there instead of making something yourself… So try to time limit yourself when you’re online…

DO:
1) Look online (Pinterest/FB/IG/Raverly/Etsy) for inspiration but don’t get obsessed- I find looking at work of others sometimes inspiring for designing but most of the time distracting as it gives me more ideas and more stimulation than I actually need. The steps below are the ones I try first, but I know most of you will go online first as sometimes it’s the fastest and easiest.

2) Check what will be the season two months from the moment you start looking for inspiration- This is important as I don’t want to be making something for summer in middle of winter unless it is a gift. Or making something for Xmas while Easter approaches. So I check the coming season as it can kick off my mind in the way to which I should go.

3) Depending on your niche you might want to check the upcoming holidays as well- Same as above. It helps knowing if a holiday approaches as it can guide your mind and give ideas on what could be a new challenge or if you want to go a route you already are familiar with.

4) Go to a yarn store (don’t look online unless you’re getting something you already have experience with, but you just want different color), touch, smell, squish, roll between your fingers- This is my usually most successful way to get inspired. I must admit that I can fall in love with yarn just by touching it. Imagine what it would be good for and thinking way ahead even before purchasing it…

5) Check the pile of the WIPs you hid from yourself when you started the latest finished project- This is usually my last source of inspiration as a designer, cause it usually the reason why it is old WIP is tied to a frustration I couldn’t get over it. But when I was a maker, this was a stash of projects I stopped either because the season was over or I found something to test or I found a yarn that called my name louder. And I always felt guilty for not finishing the WIP before starting another… Chances are, you might  start feeling the attraction again…

6) Go to your fav crochet club, group, café, check out your fav magazine while drinking coffee etc.- In my neighborhood they have a club and a café in a communal space. I only found out about it during the Corona and since then I’ve been a couple of times. I really want to do that more, but constant changing of the rules makes this difficult. But the idea of it and the vibe I have when I am there are so good for my motivation and my inspiration. I love talking to likeminded people and not feeling like a crazy crochet lady when I talk about the joys of new yarn, my stash and new hooks!

7) Ask your family and friends who might have upcoming birthdays, on what would they like to have- This helped me so many times and also made me so happy to see their faces when they receive it.

8) Rearrange or make inventory of your stash!- I find that when I start cleaning up/clearing up my stash I get excited about all the yarn I forgot I had, so half of my struggle is already won…

9) Try to learn a new stitch- I find that just by learning new stitches, even just by doing a small swatch so I can already see how it will look like, helps tremendously. I keep those swatches for any future design or projects I want to do. Going through them sometimes is a big boost of motivation…

10) Check out your favorite brands for anything knitted or crocheted that you might like to wear- I don’t suggest to copy by any means but sometimes looking at styles/colors/shapes that are currently in, I get an idea on what I could be making/designing.

DON’T:
1) stash up on yarn you don’t know what you want to use it for, just because it is on sale
2) stash up on free patterns (or as I would call it hoarding the patterns), cause it just adds to your plate instead of focus you. 
3) spend hours on IG/FB looking and envying people on what they made/designed
4) sit and stress about why you’re not making anything if you can take a walk outside, look at people and look at nature and try to be uplifted by what you see…
5) treat inspiration as something magical… It can be magical once you’re on a roll, but it is actually work as anything else…

I hope this helps! And as a bit of a help take a look at my Printables page on my website, as I made a FREE PDF yearly calendar for 2022, with suggested times for prep and advertising of your work for various seasons and holidays (most important ones).

Let me know in the comments if this helped you in any way! Subscribe to my newsletter for any updates on new blog posts, new designs, freebies, etc. You have the links to my social media accounts on the blog, in case you would like to follow me as well I urge you to pin the content on my blog as you never know to whom it might help!

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