My Favourite Purchases in 2023
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I made a few awesome purchases in 2023 that have made my business as well as my knitting and crocheting time easier and more fun. Business is a serious thing, but if there is a way to bring ease and a little fun and whimsy to it, I'm all for it. Some of these items may not be essential, but they make things easier, and business owners deserve a wee treat once in a while.
One of my top sites for purchasing items is Amazon. It's the place you can get pretty much anything, and usually at a fairly decent price. Due to decent pricing, quick delivery and wide range it is a fantastic site for small business owners, whether a new business owner or one more established to get a lot of what you will need.
In no particular order, here are my favourite purchases from 2023:
Beanbag:
In late 2023 I was able to get a dedicated space for my business where I can have a business area and a knitting/crochet area. It's been fantastic for my productivity as well as my mental wellbeing as I now have one room for work and a separate bedroom for sleeping. Total game changer.
When I was planning and organising my new craft room/office I realised I needed somewhere comfy to sit to knit and crochet. The only chair in the space was my office chair, which is great for sitting working at my computer, but not good for long stints of knitting and crocheting, as well as my least favourite activity of stitching and weaving in ends. I needed somewhere comfy where I could be happy sitting for a few hours, and also that didn't take up an enormous amount of space.
After a lot of searching on a lot of sites, I found it on Amazon. Introducing one of the comfiest chairs I have ever sat in - my bean bag. It's a stunning shade of teal, although it does come in a range of colours if you fancy something that works with your decor.
It's a corduroy material, and comes stuffed with big beans which allow you to get very comfy. It's a good big size, and it's easy to move around as I don't always get into the right position for knitting and crocheting on the first try.
One of my favourite things about it is the high back. My brother had a regular bean bag when we were kids, and I loved it, but I remember my neck would get sore sometimes as there was nowhere to rest it when I was sitting in the bean bag for a long while. With the high back that isn't an issue anymore.
I got it through Amazon, and since I'm a Prime member it didn't cost me a penny for shipping. Always love that.
I've had it for a few months now and it looks as awesome now as it did when I first purchased it. It's also a decent price. Some of the ones I was looking at were around the £100 mark, and more. I wanted good quality, but was not prepared to spend that much.
If you are looking for a good quality bean bag at a decent price I can't recommend this enough. Check out the link below to have a look.
Notebook:
I am a total stationery nerd, and always on the lookout for new notebooks, pens, etc. I discovered my favourite range of notebooks and stationery at the end of 2023. It all started when I walked past a local shop and spotted this stunning cushion with the cutest dog artwork on the front. I instantly fell in love with this cushion, and had to stop to look at it everytime I walked past it. Thankfully, I was gifted it for Christmas 2023 and it now has pride of place sitting on my bed.
In the same store I noticed that the dog design (named Murphy) was also on a notebook. Obviously, I had to grab one. I had no idea what I wanted to do with the notebook, but it quickly became my design notebook and so now it goes with me everywhere.
After checking out the design companies Instagram page I was delighted to find that they have a wide range of products available, from cards, memo pads, mugs, drinks bottles to gift bags.
As if they aren't cute enough I also found out that they are designed and made in the UK. I know where I'll be getting gifts and cards this year.
The cards can be purchased via their website. The stationery can be purchased here. If you live in Northern Ireland they are available in Wyse Byse stores.
Keyboard & Mouse:
I have a laptop, which I love using, but when I am sitting at my desk I prefer using a regular computer keyboard and a mouse. I like having a laptop so that I can work anywhere - when it's sunny and warm outside I love working outside in the backyard, if I am dog sitting and in another house I can take my laptop with me and continue to work as normal.
When I was looking for a keyboard and mouse the one requisite I had was that they both had to be wireless. I have enough cables around my desk, I don't want two more.
The mouse is just a standard mouse, although it's a nice shape and size for my small hands.
The keyboard is amazing. It has the chunky keys on standard keyboards as I wanted something different from my laptop keys, which is flat. These chunky keys are still very easy to use, but they do take a little more effort.
My favourite aspect of the keyboard lies on the far right and left hand sides of the main keys. On the right hand side are small buttons you can use when watching something on the laptop, such as YouTube or on some streaming site. I don't really watch things on my laptop so I don't use these buttons much.
The ones I use, and adore, are on the left hand side. These are the editing buttons. They make cutting, copying and pasting so much easier than ctrl + c, etc. It's literally one tap of the button and the edit is done. I use these buttons numerous times a day and it is such a welcome addition.
KnitPro Interchangeable Knitting Needles:
Thanks to a fantastic woman in my Knit and Natter group I discovered the pure awesomeness of interchangeable needles. Before this I had always used straight needles, or fixed circular needles if I was knitting a sweater or cardigan. I wasn't always struck on fixed circular needles. They always seemed a bit scary for some reason, and therefore I didn't use them unless I absolutely had to.
I had received an order for a sweater and had to use circular needles for it. When I mentioned it to a friend in my Knit and Natter group she recommended interchangeable needles and taught me how to use them. She was fantastic, helping me by going through my pattern and getting me started. Her help was invaluable, and it was a fantastic introduction to the wonderfulness of interchangeable knitting needles.
I knit the sweater, and my love for interchangeable knitting needles was born. They are so fun and easy to use.
There are a few different makes to choose from, but I use the KnitPro Symfonie interchangeable needles. They are the ones I was first introduced to, and the only ones I have used so I can't speak on the quality of the others, but if you want to start on a high, check out the KnitPro needles. They are smooth and the yarn glides easily along the needles and cables.
One of the biggest advantages to using interchangeables over fixed circular needles is a financial one. With interchangeable needles you buy the parts separately, so the needle tips are separate from the cable. With fixed needles you have to buy the whole thing. With interchangeable you can also purchase standard size, or short needle tips, which are perfect for making small circumference projects, such as gloves, socks, etc.
Therefore if you want to make something with 5mm needles and 60mm cable then you purchase each of those with interchangeables. With fixed needles you buy a single set to those measurements. Then you want to make something with 5mm needles but 100mm cable. With interchangeable you just have to purchase the cable as you already have the needles. With fixed you have to buy the whole thing. The initial purchases may add up a bit, but once you have the needle and cable sizes you use the most you are saving yourself money. With fixed you have to buy a brand new set of needles each time you need a new needle and/or cable size.
One tip I have when using interchangeable needles is to make sure you check the connection between the tips and the cable is tight regularly. There's nothing worse when you are knitting away on a project and one of the needles comes loose from the cable. I ensure they are tight after every five rows, and when I pick up my needles each day.
Pouch for Interchangeable Knitting Needles:
Now that I have tempted you with interchangeable knitting needles, you will need somewhere to store them. I got the cutest pouch for mine from a store on Etsy called Mimi Emmett Homeware. They are fantastic quality, very strong zipper, and gorgeous designs.
I needed a good and strong pouch bag for my needles as I use them regularly and so I am in and out of the pouch throughout the day. The pouches are the perfect size for all of my needle tips, cables and the small range of fixed needles that I have, and there's space to grow when I add more needles and wires to the collection.
Plus, the design is adorable. It's so bright and colourful.
KnitPro Rainbow Blocking Pins:
These are amazing, and well worth the investment. I had purchased one set of blockers a few months before and quickly realised that I needed more, especially for large projects like sweaters and cardigans. I have seen some crocheters and knitters who don't use as many blockers as I do, but I prefer to block pretty much the entire way around the piece.
They work beautifully with the blocking boards that I have, and they are sharp enough that they hold everything tightly against the boards.
I also love that the blocking pins come in two different sizes - large and small. This is handy when I am blocking a small project as I can use the small pins, and when I am blocking larger projects, such as a sweater or cardigan as the small ones work perfectly against collars and sleeves.
I also love the bright colours of the pins. The pins are sharp though, so be careful when using them.
Wireless Phone Charging Stand:
I love my iPhone. It is constantly with me, and I use it throughout the day for business and personal reasons. But the one thing that irks me about iPhone's are the fragility of the charging port at the bottom of the iPhone. I have had a couple of iPhones now that end up having charging issues when using the charging port and cable. It ends up not charging fully as the charging will stop and start.
Because of the issues I was having I decided to look into purchasing a wireless phone charger. I thought they would be pricey and totally out of my budget, but they ended up being pretty reasonably priced. There are many that are silly expensive, but I got the one that I thought was a decent price, and it works perfectly.
Another benefit to having a charging stand is that I can place the charger in a place so that I can see my phone screen from my desk while it charges. This way I can keep up to date with my notifications when needed, all while my phone is charging. Best of both worlds.
Link to the charger that I bought.
iPhone Pop Socket:
I started using pop sockets with my last phone, and loved it, and so when I upgraded in early 2023 I knew I had to get another one. I got a bigger phone with my upgrade so I had to get a new cover and new pop socket, as the pop socket is attached to the cover, which is phone specific.
Thankfully they are fairly inexpensive, and there is a wide variety to chose from. As I'm a knitter and crocheter I wanted something to reflect my love for knitting, crochet and yarn, but was cute as well. It's a pop socket that I am going to be using for the life of my iPhone so I needed something I was going to be happy to use for a few years.
After a lot of searching and going back and forth I decided on this one from Amazon. I went for a clear cover and this adorable pop socket. It brings together my love for crochet and my love for gonks.
Link for my Crochet with my Gnomies Pop Socket on Amazon
So that's my favourite purchases from 2023. Have I mentioned a product or two that you love as well? Do you have a favourite purchase of your own that you would like to recommend for 2024? Let me know in the comments.
Until next time.....