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It’s getting close to the end of the year and many of us are thinking about resolutions for the new year. Around this time of year, I like to take a review the goals I had made for the year, celebrate my triumphs and review any goals I hadn’t met, looking for growth opportunities. While thinking about this the other day I started to consider what new goals I wanted to set for myself next year, both personal and professional.
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Many of us crochet as a hobby and/or a way to relax and destress but that doesn’t mean that you can’t set some goals as a way to challenge yourself, expand your skills and have some fun. It’s important to make these goals fun and not to beat yourself up if you don’t meet them or struggle with them. Look at goals you aren’t able to meet as opportunities for learning and growth, rather than failure to use them as positive stepping stones to moving forward with your goals.
To begin goal setting, you’ll need to initially think about what kind of goal you want to set. Do you want to increase your skills by learning new stitches? Tackle a project that you have been intimidated by in the past? Maybe you want to make a certain number of hats/scarves/blankets etc. for next year’s market season? Whatever your goal is, make sure that it is important and meaningful for you. If you think that you want to crochet 50 of the same beanies by next fall but you know deep down that you dislike doing the same pattern over and over again, maybe you should rethink your goals.
If you’re stuck and need some ideas to get the ball rolling, here are some crochet goals you could consider:
- Finish all WIPs (work’s in progress)
- Learn a new crochet technique/stitch
- Tackle a pattern that you’ve been wanting to try but were too intimidated to start/didn’t have time for
- Sell one of your crochet projects/start an Etsy shop (if you sign-up through this link, we both get 40 free listings!)
- Complete a Crochet Along (CAL)
- Finish “insert number” of projects every month
- Crochet more for charity
- Save up for a certain crochet accessory or yarn
- Use up more yarn in my stash and buy less new yarn unless I need it
How to Get Started:
When you have got your ideas ready, now you need to write it down. It’s so easy to forget the goals you set in December/January when April rolls around. If you’re like me, you’ve forgotten exactly what you planned 10 minutes after you thought it unless you wrote it down. So write it down and commit to your goals. While you’re writing it down, quantify your goals to make them measurable. When a goal is measurable, it’s easier for you to assess whether you’re meeting your goals. i.e. I want to crochet 30 hats for charity or I want to complete 3 WIPs each month.
Break Each Goal Down Into Steps:
Set the steps that you will take to achieve your goals. It’s up to you how detailed you want to get in this step. If I use the example goal of crocheting 30 hats for charity I would break that down into the following steps:
- Decide which charity to crochet for
- Research requirements (if any) for donations
- Purchase necessary materials
- Complete 1 hat per (insert time frame)
- Donate hats by (insert deadline)
Once you have those set out, it’s important to review your goals regularly. You may decide 3 months down the line that you want to change or refine your goals even further. You can do that! Nothing is set in stone. Reviewing your goals will help keep you on track and remind you of what you were wanting to achieve.
Post Your Goals Somewhere Obvious
Putting your goals in a place where you will regularly see them can help keep them fresh in your mind. Going through all this trouble just to put the goals in a drawer somewhere to be forgotten isn’t doing yourself any favours. I like to put mine on the fridge or in my crochet hook case.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments
Celebrate every little win, no matter how small. Setting yourself a little reward system for meeting your goals can help keep you motivated and more likely to stay on track if your rewards are something you really want. Some example rewards could be:
- Buy new yarn/crochet hook
- Start a new project (if your goal is to finish more WIPs)
- Buy a new pattern
What are your crochet goals for next year? Let me know in the comments below and share your achievements with me! I want to celebrate your wins with you!
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While you’re here, check out these great how-to articles: How to Organize Your Yarn Stash, How to Get your Crojo Back and How to Read a Yarn Label.
