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Writer's pictureKat Zimmermann

Crafting 2023: Resolutions & Reflections

Updated: Jul 22


A pregnant white woman with purple hair and a white man with brown hair and a beard standing in front of a Christmas tree.

🎉 2022 is finally over and it's time to ring in the new year! 🎉


The end of the year and beginning of the new year is celebrated in many ways by many different people. For myself and my husband, it typically looks like having some cocktails, maybe watching a movie, and me attempting to stay up until midnight but usually falling asleep on the couch. This is the last year it will be just the two of us so the coming of 2023 feels extra special!


If you're feeling a bit of déjà vu, yes, I did write a reflection post last year. We don't have a lot of New Years traditions so I've decided to make reflecting on my year in crafts one of them.


 

Reflections on 2022

2022, oof what a year. When I think back to January, it feels like a lifetime ago. In the past year, I've completely redecorated and reorganized my office/craft space, the nursery, and the basement which can now be used as a guest room. I celebrated my 30th birthday by getting my family to help paint said craft space and eating WAY too much Chinese food. I went to my first ever estate sale, "built" a piece of custom furniture, restored a sewing machine, and learned even more about baking bread. I've carried my son, prepared for his birth, and managed to accidentally take bump pictures courtesy of all the maternity sewing.



A seam ripper being used to pick apart a seam on floral fabric.

I went viral on TikTok twice, going from something like 15 followers to over 15,000 (which is insane to think about) and recorded more of my life than ever before to share it with all of you. I also lost my seam ripper which has vanished into the ether as of August 20th - see, I know that date exactly because it's IN A PICTURE I TOOK and I haven't been able to find it since.


Overall, it's been a bit of a whirlwind year, filled with far more positives than negatives I'm happy to say. A significant improvement on 2021.


 

A fun crafting round-up that I plan to do every year, let's look at some stats!




A small tan dog looks over a bed covered in a very large crocheted blanket made up of zodiac star charts and symbols.

Blog posts written: 25, including this one

Patterns written and launched: 6, not including sewing tutorials

Crochet projects completed: 6

Knitting projects completed: 2

Sewing projects completed: 16

Skeins of yarn spun: <1 (guess how comfortable it is to sit on a stool when pregnant)

Time spent doing crochet/knitting: ~124 hours

Time spent sewing: ??? So much. So much time.


A knit baby blanket with a gentle wave pattern in yellow, light green, dark teal, lilac, and rose pink stripes is draped over a black iron fence.


Longest project completed: Gentle Waves Knit Baby Blanket

Started stitching March 26, 2022

Completed May 13, 2022


Time to complete: 33 hours 10 minutes


Number of stitches: 39,690





A white woman with purple hair models a circle cape made with a tan plaid fabric with a peaked hood.



Proudest crafting project completed: Plaid Circle Cape

Started September 28, 2022

Completed October 14, 2022


Time to complete: estimated 15 hours

Bias tape used: 36 feet







A restored 1920 Singer red eye sewing machine.

New things learned:


Mistakes made: so, so many. Like, just so many.

Mistakes fixed: most of them



 


Resolution

In writing the goals below, I've used the SMART structure (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely). If you're not familiar, the basic concept is you should be able to hand the goal to a complete and total stranger who has zero context for the goal and they should be able to understand what the goal is and how you'll know when it's been completed.



A crocheted baby swaddle cocoon and matching cap. The cocoon has two smiling peas on it and the cap makes the baby the third pea in the pod.

First, let's see how I did with my goals for 2022:

  • ✅ Write and publish at least 5 patterns

  • ✅ Write and publish a new Craftematics blog post every 2 weeks, excepting major holidays

  • ❌ Hand spin a skein of yarn with a fiber other than wool

  • ❌ Dye a skein of yarn using a historical method and plant-based dye

  • ❌ Knit or crochet at least one project using handspun yarn

  • ✅❌ Restore my Antique 1920 Singer 66-1 Sewing Machine to working order

    • This is both a yes and no because the machine is in working order but the cabinet is not, meaning I can't actually sew with it yet. I was waiting for the summer so I could do the woodworking in the garage for ventilation, but the chemicals needed are not safe for pregnancy, so we wait!

  • ❌Sew one project on my antique sewing machine

  • ❌Write, film, and publish to YouTube at least 2 videos teaching the basics of crochet

    • Even though I didn't meet this goal as written, I still feel like I met this goal in spirit as I'm now 7 episodes deep in my How to Crochet series on TikTok

  • ✅ Complete at least one current Work in Progress



A crocheted baby blanket made in a chevron pattern with rainbow and cream stripes draped over a white crib.

I'm counting that as 4.5 out of 9 which seems like a poor percentage but I'm actually pretty happy with it. Most of what got put aside this year was because of the pregnancy and I have zero regrets about that.


Also because of the impending baby, my resolutions for 2023 are a bit more modest. By December 31, 2023, I will:

  • Complete at least 5 projects, either of my own design or following an existing pattern

  • Finish the blanket I started for my cousin's baby

  • Restore my 1949 Singer to working order (a Christmas gift from this year! Stay tuned for more info)

  • Write and publish a new Craftematics blog post every 2 weeks, excepting while on maternity leave or if my child is sick

  • Complete at least one current work in progress OR one of the projects I've already purchased supplies for but put aside


What are your resolutions for the new year? How did you do for last year's resolutions? Let me know in the comments!




 


A very tired and very good small tan dog, snuggled up in a blanket.

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cre8majic
Dec 30, 2022

What a lovely Xmas picture of the three of you (one is hiding under your shirt)!! Didn't you also restore/improve your spinning wheels this year? I found those very interesting in addition to all of your other fiber-related posts. I'm glad you haven't put any resolutions to be 'the best mom ever' kind of hyperbole. The best thing about being a new mom is that you learn as you go, like on-the-job training. There's no one-size-fits-all advice out there; so much depends on your child's personality, your own schedule/energy needs, etc. I think the best advice is just to trust yourself to always do your possible best! Happy New Year! Thank you for all of your Craftematics posts-- I love…

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Kat Zimmermann
Kat Zimmermann
Dec 30, 2022
Replying to

Spinning wheel restoration was 2021 although I did buy another wheel in January 2022 which I hope to get up and working at some point! It's in rough shape and needs delicate work so I'm hoping to do more research before starting restoration. Appreciate the advice, we're definitely going to end up learning a lot as we go!

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