Some of the designs created in 2025
Every new year starts the same way. Bold declarations are made. Bad habits are banished. Someone, somewhere, buys a planner.
And suddenly, 2026 is here. How did that even happen? I feel like I only just turned around after celebrating the Millennium, wondering whether the Y2K bug would destroy life as we know it or not. That slightly unhinged, end-of-the-world-but-make-it-digital vibe. And yet… here we are. 2026, somehow still standing.
It really makes no difference what declaration I make on New Year’s Eve — I know I am not going to change. I won’t use that planner purchased with intent. I won’t complete every crochet project I begin. The one shoved in the corner and glaring at me every time I enter the room will continue to judge me in silence. I won’t resist the urge to purchase that really nice yarn I don’t need but absolutely might need later. And the one thing I am absolutely certain of is that, as a designer, I won’t please everyone — no matter how much effort, experience, or care goes into the work.
My year ended with a four-star review on Etsy from a buyer who loved the pattern but, for some reason, found the written instructions in this much-loved design (with dozens of five-star reviews) hurt their head. The graph, however, was great. Just as well I spent hours upon hours not only writing the “offending” words, but also painstakingly drawing a usable chart. A progress photo was included, and the project looked like it was coming along nicely. Short of offering to crochet the piece myself for the buyer — in their chosen yarn, size, and preferred tension — there really was no point worrying about it.
I know the pattern is well written and clearly marked as intermediate level. So what can a person do? I looked at that review — which wasn’t awful, but… meh, it could certainly have been better — and realised it summed up 2025 rather well. A year of effort, learning, persistence, and the occasional quiet sigh. It could have been better.
Do I expect 2026 to be better, stronger, kinder? One can only hope — but it would be unwise to hold one’s breath. Experience suggests optimism is best served with a side of realism and a good cup of tea.
As I head into 2026, I will do my best to continue creating usable patterns of unique pieces. They will, no doubt, remain intermediate level — because that’s where I enjoy designing, and where creativity still feels like a challenge rather than a checklist. I will savour the kind reviews people leave and, just as surely, feel a little miserable over the lesser ones that pop up from time to time, even though I know better.
The biggest thing to remember is this: while a new year may have begun, renewal does not require becoming a completely different person. And in crochet terms, not every project needs to be finished. Some are lessons. Some are experiments. Some are simply there to remind us where we were at the time. If others do not appreciate the skill, time, and effort that go into crochet — whether as a gift or as a design — that does not make me less.
Crochet is different for every individual. Some people love fast projects and instant gratification. Others enjoy charts, challenges, and complexity. Neither is wrong.
For me, I enjoy creating more complex designs, while also finding that the repetition of crochet helps focus the mind on other things. The quiet counting, the reworking of a design, the problem-solving when something doesn’t quite sit right — it’s a challenge I love to immerse myself in, even when it tests my patience.
My hopes for 2026
To create some amazing designs.
That people will be courteous and thoughtful when leaving reviews.
That there will be some appreciation for the many hours spent creating workable patterns.
And mostly, that people remember that behind every pattern is a real person — thinking, adjusting, counting, frogging, and doing their best.
Designed with care, tested with love, and unmistakably me — 100% Auburncraft.
