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Progress Over Perfection: Why I'm Choosing to Move Forward Anyway

 

Hey yarny friends,

Today, I want to talk about something that’s been on my heart lately: the idea of progress over perfection.

It started with a conversation I had at work. A woman was opening up to me about how her grown children and teens give her a hard time for never finishing things 100%. She told me about painting the living room, everything done except a tiny strip of trim at the ceiling. And she just… couldn’t bring herself to finish that last little bit.

My first instinct was compassion. Because, hello, relatable. I asked her if she’d ever heard the phrase “progress over perfection,” and she hadn’t! I first heard it from Kimmy at She’s In Her Apron years ago, and it stuck with me. It’s been following me around ever since, especially this past weekend.

A Studio in Progres

I’ve officially got a Shannon Talks Yarn Studio! It sounds fancier than it is. We took the bed out of the guest room, lol. But hey, it’s a big step, and I’m excited. One corner is done. The lighting isn’t perfect. My setup’s not quite dialed in. I even filmed this video using the selfie camera (not my usual), which means my eyes might be looking in the wrong place.(if I know myself!)

But I’m not waiting until it’s “just right” to share it with you. This space is already helping me feel more creative and focused, and I’ll be doing a full tour once I finish.

Facing Black-and-White Thinking

One thing I’ve struggled with is all-or-nothing thinking. If I can’t do A, I think I shouldn’t bother with B. If I can’t do it perfectly, I tell myself I shouldn’t even try.

But I’ve been pushing back on that. One way is by trying something new: participating in a local craft market this November. I’ve wanted to do this forever, but I kept telling myself I couldn’t do it “right”, not like Ashley from A Crafty Concept, who’s an expert at teaching crocheters and knitters to sell finished pieces.

But this week, I decided: I’m doing it anyway.

Market Prep: Keeping It Simple

I’m starting small with just one pattern: the Virus Shawl. It’s beautiful, deceptively simple, and I can make several versions with yarn I already have. My plan is to offer:

  • Large, boho-style shawls

  • Smaller triangle scarf versions

  • Possibly even head-kerchief sizes

I’ll use coordinating neutrals from my stash instead of stressing about brand colors. My goal is a cohesive, intentional booth, not a jumble of randomness. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be done. And that’s what matters.

What Else I'm Working On

I’ve got a few more exciting things in the works too:

Sunflower Granny Square Patterns: Dropping this Saturday during my monthly livestream with my yarny BFF, Cydney from Sweetpea Cyd's Inspirations. We’re doing a whole sunflower-themed morning full of fun and yarny goodness.

Boho Crojo: A Free Quarterly Digital Magazine  Yep, it’s happening! It’ll be a downloadable PDF packed with project ideas, inspiration, and creative goodness. No ads (for now), just joy. I’ll share the sign-up link HERE if you want to get the first issue.

A Shoutout to Cyd: Cydney is doing a huge channel rebrand, and I just have to say how proud I am of her. Changing direction takes guts. She’s leaning into something that feels more true to who she is, and it’s inspiring the heck out of me.

To My Fellow WIPs

So yeah, it’s all been a big reminder that we’re all works in progress. Whether you’ve been following me since the beginning or just found my channel (and are binge-watching my older videos, thank you and also 😳), I appreciate you so much!

Thank you for sticking with me even when the lighting isn’t right or the trim isn’t finished. I'm learning to let go of perfect, and I hope you can too.

I’d love to know: Is there something you’ve been putting off because it’s not “perfect”? Let me know in the comments. Let’s cheer each other on.

And don’t forget to join Cyd and me this Saturday at 10AM Central for a fun live chat filled with sunflowers, sneak peeks, and lots of yarn talk.

Until next time,
💛 Shannon

Watch the YouTube video here!



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