There is a moment in the year, usually between December and January, when the house seems to breathe more slowly. The projects you started sit there on the couch, like silent guests waiting to be picked up again. The balls of yarn line up, each with its own story never fully told. And we, with fingers that already know what to do before the mind even thinks it, feel that question rising — the one that always comes at the end of a cycle:

“What do I carry with me… and what do I let go of?”

And here they are, the habits that have accompanied a whole year of stitches, mistakes, fresh starts, tutorials watched while having dinner, questions asked in the Facebook group, and those messages that always begin with “Girls, I have to show you something!”.

A year of Tessiland Crochet and Creativity, of YouTube tutorials opened more than once, of articles saved and saved again, of mystery boxes bought during the VipRoom, of orders, of content shared across social platforms… in short, a year of you. Of us.

And now, let’s make space — gently, intentionally, with that kind of care only those who create with their hands can truly understand.

5 CREATIVE HABITS TO CARRY INTO THE NEW YEAR

1. Learn a little every day (even when life is a mess)

The truth is that creativity doesn’t need hours — it needs presence. It doesn’t wait for the perfect Sunday afternoon, the tidy desk, the ideal light. It’s satisfied with 10 minutes stolen from the laundry, with a few stitches while the pasta boils, with a tutorial opened right before going to bed. And how many times this year has someone in the group written: “I thought I couldn’t do it… then I did two rounds last night and my smile came back”. That’s it. Take this with you: creativity as daily micro-self-care, not as an endless project.

One stitch a day, like a thread of breath.

2. Experiment with new materials (even the ones that scare you a little)

There are yarns you welcome like old friends, and yarns you look at like newly met colleagues: beautiful, but “I don’t know if we’ll get along”. And yet, this year, who knows how many of you discovered that raffia can turn into poetry. That a fluffy yarn can give a bag a soul. That a thick cord can tell a totally different story. Try. Touch. Change. Don’t stay where you are just because it feels comfortable.

Materials are journeys: carry with you this desire to set off, even without knowing the destination.

3. Share (without shame, without filters, without “it’s not enough”)

We’ve understood something: when you share a project in the Facebook group, you’re not saying “look how good I am”.

You’re saying: “This is me, today. And maybe someone needs to see it.”

And it’s incredible how it works: you share, and someone on the other side of the phone feels less alone. Someone gets inspired. Someone finds courage. Someone learns.

This year, bring this with you: sharing as an act of generosity, not as performance.

Because truly, creations grow when they can breathe through the eyes of others.

4. Build a small, tender, imperfect creative routine

You don’t need to do a lot. You need to do it often. A creative routine isn’t a schedule — it’s a gesture:

opening the drawer, touching a yarn, finishing a round, watching a tutorial on our YouTube channel while your tea warms up.

It’s a rhythm. A music that returns. A promise you make to yourself: “I’m giving myself this space”.

Carry it with you like a light blanket on a cool evening: it doesn’t weigh anything, but it warms you.

5. Plan (it’s not rigidity, it’s love)

Planning doesn’t take away the magic. It gives it a place to live.

Writing a project on a page, choosing the right yarn, understanding what you can finish before starting something else: none of this limits you — it frees you. It’s like telling your creative dreams: “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. There’s room for everyone.”

And we know it, don’t we?

When a creative person feels in order, everything else becomes easier.

5 HABITS TO LET GO OF IN THE NEW YEAR

1. The mythical “I’ll do it when I have more time”

If we wait for that quiet week… well, we’ll see each other again at age 92.

Creativity is a bit like a cat: it arrives when it wants, not when it appears on the calendar.

Say goodbye to the idea of the “perfect moment”. The perfect moment is the one when you decide to start.

2. The perfectionism that traps you

How many creations were never born because of “it will never be good enough”?

How many photos didn’t you post because “you can see a flaw”?

How many projects didn’t you finish because “it’s not like Maria’s in the group”? ENOUGH!

Perfectionism is an elegant thief: it steals your joy without you even noticing.

This year, let go of the idea of being flawless. Choose the idea of being alive while you create.

3. Not writing down the dye lot… and then regretting it bitterly

We’ve all done it at least once.

That moment when you open the yarn, start your project with enthusiasm, pick up the pace, single crochets flowing one after the other… and in your head, only one certainty:

“I won’t finish this colour, I have enough.”

And yet… no. There’s always that moment, usually five rounds before finishing the bag, when you look at the shrinking yarn and think:

“Oh no. Maybe… maybe I should have written down the dye lot.”

And then begins the race against time: you go on the website, search for the same item, add it to the cart, feel safe. Then the parcel arrives. You open it happily. And bam: two colours that look at each other but don’t speak.

One warmer, one cooler, one more saturated, one duller.

And you, asking yourself how you could forget those tiny but essential numbers.

This year let’s say it clearly: the dye lot is an act of love toward ourselves.

It’s a mental post-it that says: “I want to spare you a creative heart attack later.” It’s care, order, respect for your time and your work.

Let’s carry this habit into the new year, so we never again sabotage a perfect project because of… three numbers we didn’t write down.

4. Closing yourself off when you create

Creative solitude is beautiful, but if it becomes a habit it risks extinguishing the spark.

And how many sparks, this year, were born in the Facebook group, in the comments under YouTube videos, in shared photos, in questions asked, in the “who can help me?” that turn into virtual hugs.

The new year deserves connection, deserves your voice in the community, deserves your “I’m here”.

5. Ignoring your small successes (which are actually huge)

You finished a bag.

You learned a new stitch.

You gifted something handmade.

You tried a new technique.

You picked up a project you abandoned a year ago.

These are not “small things”, they are the map of your creative journey.

This year, celebrate everything: every stitch, every small miracle made of yarn and patience.

A new year of threads, care and rebirth

And here we are, almost standing before a new year that isn’t a blank page but a ball of yarn still to be worked, with its knots, its surprises, its low stitches and its very high ones. Carry with you what does you good, let go of what weighs you down.

And get ready for a year that will smell like new yarns, tutorials watched late at night, laughter in the Facebook group, “wow” under the photos, and that strange happiness that appears when something takes shape in your hands.

We are here, every day. With the blog, with YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, our VipRoom and the most wonderful community there is.

Ready to start a new creative year? WE ARE. And you already are too.

Rosaria Tessiland®