Say Hello to Yampa!

The Yampa Beanie

I'm so excited to introduce this pattern to you. The Yampa River flows through my town and is one of the last free flowing rivers in the US. Thinking of how to write a cabled pattern always seemed daunting to me, but I was determined to try. I had so much fun writing this pattern, and these Celtic style cables reminded me of the gentle flowing waters of the Yampa river.

chunky Celtic cable knit beanie Yampa Beanie

The Story Behind Yampa:

A Healing Journey

The Yampa beanie was such a challenge for me. I definitely don’t consider myself a pattern designer, but I’ve released four beanie patterns this year and each has meant something different to me and has had its own story behind it.

Creativity is strange and such an ever-changing thing inside of us. It ebbs and flows, has great power, and can’t be forced. I’ve touched on burnout in several “How I Built My Maker Biz” episodes and it is still something that draws up deep emotion in me.

For those who don’t know, I’m a chef and worked in restaurants for 10 years before taking the leap to work on a small farm. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had reached major burnout. Now, it’s been over two years and I’m still feeling its effects. It’s something that I struggle with immensely and has been a constant battle of head vs. heart, imposter syndrome, feelings of failure and unrealized potential, but also of happiness, relief, pride, and hope. I still have a deep love and passion for food and cooking, but the burnout is definitely still there.

Putting my creative energy into knitting and Smeeny Beanie Knits has been a saving grace and has helped me heal in more ways than I even know. It has tapped into a different side of my creativity and allowed me to pursue a totally new and different path that I am absolutely loving. The maker community has also been a huge support system and something that has definitely brought me a lot of joy

So going back to my favorite make? The Yampa beanie somehow feels like a milestone in my creative journey and a result of my path towards healing from creative burnout in my chef life. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for being here on this journey.