A Change in Direction

           

Have you ever started off in one direction, sure of where you are headed, only to find that you take an alternate path?  Well that is exactly what happened at Bebeknits! A customer a few years ago asked if I would be willing to sell a pattern for one of my designs. So I gathered my notes and began writing.

Knitting patterns can look like a foreign language of abbreviations written in paragraph form. They can be hard to read and as you knit it can be difficult to keep track of your progress. My goal was to make knitting enjoyable and patterns easy to read and understand!  Patterns were written in a row by row fashion in a large and simple font. Through my Etsy shop messaging, questions could be answered online. It seemed like a pretty good idea and it was!

What started out as a favor for a customer has turned into the publishing and listing of over 100 knitting patterns. Even last week a customer requested a specific sized baby romper, and with her description, a test knit was completed and my latest pattern was written!

The creative process of writing, test knitting, editing, photographing and listing patterns challenges me. When I began Bebeknits I had no idea that my time would be spent dreaming up and creating new patterns for babies and toddlers. Knitting is my passion and I always look forward to some daily time with my needles.

So regardless of the direction in which you are currently heading and the destination you expect to arrive at,  an unexpected event can change your path. Like me, your new path may lead you to an even better destination! Don't hesitate to make a change!

Let it Snow!

A huge lake effect snowstorm over the last few days has kept me pretty close to home and given me plenty of quality time to add the finishing touches to this new collection of toddler slippers!

A pot of freshly brewed coffee and the snowflakes outside my window were just what was needed to wrap up a month long project to modify the Bebeknits Normandy Toddler Slipper Pattern. The basic pattern was created this summer while touring the Normandy countryside during a family trip to France. It was toddler tested on my 3 year old niece upon our return and was found to have wonderful "stay on"powers!

Having completed all of the test knitting,  finishing, photo editing, and pattern writing feels terrific!  
                                                                         
As with any overwhelmingly large task, it helps to take just a few small steps towards completion at a time. Even though a project is large and time consuming, doing just a little at a time adds up and then one day, like today, it will all come together! Knitting is like that and in many ways so is life. It is the small, but regular activities and attention that we give them that add up. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, eating well, and being grateful can add up to a healthy life. Taking the stairs, parking farther away, using hand weights for 5 minutes, skipping dessert on occasion, getting a good night's sleep tonight, eating a new veggie, giving a hug, thanking someone; all small activities that add up over time.

Don't let the magnitude of your life's projects overwhelm you. Just take small manageable steps towards your goals and before you know it, it will all come together! Good Luck!

New Beginnings

By the posting date it is obvious that someone has been neglecting their blogging! A year ago in January I forecasted that 2012 was going to be a year of change. What an understatement!

We built a home, sold a home (finally), moved to a new town, left two jobs, started a new one, and graduated both children from college. Thankfully both found great jobs, but one had to move across the country.

While all of these changes are positive and have made us happy,  it has been unsettling. Acclimating to a new town, new home, and new life is a process; a new beginning.

New beginnings can be scary and uncertain. Finding new places, new routines, and new friends brings both excitement and trepidation. But a chance for a new start, to change your view, to get out of old habits and ruts, is such an opportunity.

So here's to 2013, a year of new beginnings!

Change In the Air

Well the new year is underway and with it lots of changes for me, my family, and bebeknits! Graduations, job changes, moving family, children leaving and children returning, a growing business, new priorities....
It is all so exciting and yet stressful at the same time!
Deepak Chopra said,"All great changes are preceded by chaos". So true! The calm and thoughtfulness that comes from knitting may help to counter the chaos that I feel as so many changes occur.

We all need activities that calm and center us. Knitting and walking do it for me, but not at the same time!

Happy New Year!

The new year has arrived and with it the feeling of hope and anticipation of good things to come. It is a new start, with plans for fitness and organization and time better spent! The new year always make me pause to remember what is most important and reflect on whether my actions match up with my goals.

So as 2012 begins and I organize and exercise and think about how I am spending my precious days, I know that this year will be a year of change in my life. Jim Rohn said " Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change". Here's to spending more of my time doing what I love and being with those I love!

As Bebeknits grows the need to keep yarn and needles, buttons and ribbons, finished and unfinished projects, packaging and paperwork organized is a challenge! The creative process can be messy! One of my favorite organizers are beautiful baskets that temporarily store my little bebeknits until I add the finishing touches.

Cowl Girl

I enjoy making gifts for those I love at Christmas!
I will be a busy cowl girl this month, planning to complete at least six cowls in a variety of yarns and patterns by the holiday! The peacock blue cowl (pictured) was a quick and easy knit pattern from French Press Knits. The second one is spiraling rib pattern in a red raspberry wool found on Ravelry. My mother chose a variegated lavender chunky and a silver metallic fingering weight yarn for hers. My daughter opted for a winter white bulky wool blend and will choose a second yarn when she returns home. Wish me luck!