2019: Year In Review
Happy New Yeeeear!
Can’t even deal with the fact that it’s 2020. I remember writing 1999 on my school papers in grade 1. Time is going by too quickly and it needs to slow down plz!
It’s fun to look back on an entire year and celebrate the good. I think people would be better off if they celebrated more of their wins.. don’t you? While I don’t see New Year’s as an excuse to pick apart all the things I wish I did better or to reinvent myself.. I do see it as a great opportunity to celebrate what went well!
I like having a blog to be able to be real with you guys. A place where I can share a little more freely than an Instagram caption allows. So here it goessss – my honest recap of what 2019 was like for me!
2019 was a transitional year for me, moving from physical product to digital products, which is kind of a big deal because these are 2 completely separate audiences. I gave myself 1 year to figure it out and make it work. It was pretty hard the first part of the year, trying to figure out what types of patterns I liked to write and what types of projects my audience wanted me to write. The last quarter was where I really started to shine and my business really flourished in to what I was hoping it would become!
Background
For a quick background for context, in 2017 and 2018 I was selling finished product full-time. I had a downtown studio space that people could visit to shop, I wholesaled to other retail stores and I did the whole market thing, and it was great. I had developed a lot of good business relationships and was in a great place financially, but I was getting bored of it. To be honest, I don’t particularly enjoy shipping things, and seeing the notification “must be shipped within 2 days” stressed me out. I don’t like when my work involves being reactive, where my workday is dictated by the orders I’m receiving. I’d much prefer to be proactive and structure my day how I wanted. Maybe that sounds crazy to you, but after a couple years of doing it this way, I just realized it wasn’t for me and I was no longer enjoying it.
What I really wanted was to get more into was pattern designing. That’s where I felt I really excelled and I wanted to dive further into the design world. I gave myself the entire year of 2019 to figure my shit out; to start writing patterns, to get comfortable with it and find my writing style, and to form business relationships.
2019
2019 was a big year for me. I feel like it’s the year I really found my groove and made a name for myself in the pattern world. I discovered that designing size-inclusive garments was kind of my thing, as well as making crochet garments that have the sophistication of knit ones. My audience really seemed to like the garments over anything else, so that’s where I focused most of my energy in the last quarter and it really paid off.
Some highlights from 2019:
- Decided to transition to patterns + completely shift to the digital space (scary)
- Moved across the country to Alberta
- Went to my 3rd Our Maker Life event in Calgary
- Designed commissioned patterns for Darn Good Yarn + Lion Brand
- Learned top-down crochet
- Worked with an incredible photographer Stephanie Penner (@stefunny on Instagram) which really changed the game for me
- Monetized my blog + starting blogging regularly
- Designed the Rosebud Raglan which was the big star of 2019 for me
- Was asked to contribute a story to a book (out in 2021)
- 3 patterns are now available as crochet kits on Lion Brand website
- Designed a 5-piece summer 2020 collection for WeCrochet
- 2 wraps, 1 tank top, 1 sleeveless top, 1 maxi dress
- Hired a tech editor (Emily from Fiat Fiber Arts)
- Worked with a grader for a few patterns (Melissa from That Metzbower Girl)
- Designed a total of 44 patterns (8 of which are to be released in 2020)
- Knit + designed my first top-down sweater (pattern coming this year)
- I used Lion Brand Hand Dyed Heaven
- Knit my first fingering weight sweater with Brooklyn Tweed Peerie (writing a review asap for Fiber Friday because this yarn was freaking incredible)
- Formed some really great business relationships + signed 3 separate contracts for design work in 2020
- Became a freelance designer for Lion Brand
- Signed a contract with We Crochet to be an ambassador in addition to my summer collection
- Being flown to Portland, Oregon in April 2020 to style the shoot + promote it (a definite pinch-me moment)
- Commissioned a bunch of projects with another company for 2020 work (I actually did some 2019 work for them for very little money, but proved my worth when I submitted my final designs + photography. In this new deal, I was able to set my own fees and that felt oh-so-good!) Sometimes you gotta work for free to prove yourself + build working relationships. In this case, it really worked in my favour!
Overview
So this year, now that it’s 2020, I feel like I’ve set myself up for success. I’m in a really good place and luckily have formed some great relationships + signed contracts for the upcoming year that will bring in some guaranteed income each month, which is nice – especially when my income fluctuates every week. I spent the first half of 2019 trying to find my groove, and it was tough. All the exciting things in this list were all in the last 3-ish months. The other 9 months of the year were significantly slower. In the beginning of the year I felt sort of directionless, not knowing which types of projects people wanted to see. It was especially challenging when this awkward time in my business coincided with our move across the country + all the new expenses that come with moving out. Then, with the Rosebud Raglan and Chainette Turtleneck, I really found my place in the design world. The Rosebud Raglan really took off in a way I wasn’t expecting, and this pattern outperforms every other pattern of mine by a landslide. It was exactly what my business needed. So thank you very much if you purchased this sweater pattern from me – it really changed the whole game for me! Top-down garments were also a highlight of 2019. I released 5 top-down pieces: Rosebud Raglan, Chainette Turtleneck, Granite Yoke Tee, DC All Day Raglan, Fuzzy Raglan, Autumn Stripes Raglan.
What’s coming in 2020..
In 2020, I’m really leaning into the fashion aspect and pulling away from the DIY/crafting aspect. I also have a really major independent collection planned for next fall and it is literally taking all of my will-power not to spill the details to you. I haven’t seen anyone do anything like this before, so I’m really hoping I’m able to execute it the way I see it in my head. I’m trying to do a lot more planning and being more intentional with the patterns I put out. I’ve had certain ideas in my head for literally years, and I don’t want them to just sit there in the back of my mind any longer.. it’s time to put them out there into the world!
You can also expect a medley of crochet + knitting!! For some reason, knitting really clicked with me lately and I’ve become insanely inspired to work on some knit projects I’ve had in mind for a while. I’m going to work with Stephanie (@stefunny) more, and fly back every couple months to Winnipeg to book a studio session with her. I’m going to go into these shoots with more of a plan to make the photos a little more artsy and visually interesting and really experiment at these photoshoots! I’m also going to be flying to Portland in April to the We Crochet offices to style + model in my own collection and do some promo work for that!
Matt and I are actually going to be moving again this year, because his work project wraps up in a couple months but we don’t know where we’re moving to yet! We will also be doing a lot of traveling since we’ve got a lot of weddings + socials + events to go to this year, which will be exciting!
Personal
In my personal life, this year I’m going to be focusing a lot on myself. I’ll be continuing to eat healthy and moving my body in some way everyday. I’m going to be making visits the chiropractor, meditating, getting massages and facials, and really taking care of my skin. I’m 100% done with buying cheap skin products and instead I am choosing to splurge for the more pricey items that I know are safe on my skin. I’m also 100% done with buying clothes from places like H&M and am going to splurge for the items that I know will last, and are ethically and sustainably made by companies who pay their employees appropriately. I’ve started following a lot of small businesses or sustainable businesses on Instagram who really care about their business practices; these are the types of companies I want to support. More sleep, more reading, less clutter, more oragnization, more planning, more positivity, less time wasted. These are all things I’ve been striving include in my daily life, so it’s not like 2020 is any different than 2019 except for I’ve learned more about myself and what I find important.
Working for yourself can be a bit of a rollercoaster of really hard, really amazing, and everything in between. Thanks so much for following along and supporting my businesses, my brand, and me. I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings!
Happy New Year,
Janine xx
