PlanetJune Craft Blog

Latest news and updates from June

happy birthday PlanetJune

Hot on the heels of last week’s Folding Trees blogiversary, it’s now my own blogiversary (it was a total coincidence that both launched at the same time, 2 years apart).

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by so quickly! It’s now three years since I started the PlanetJune blog! Three years ago, I had never designed a crochet pattern; I thought that starting a craft blog was probably a silly idea and that nobody would ever read it – I really just started it as a record for myself of what I was making, and to push myself to keep creating things. I never dreamed it would evolve into the PlanetJune empire of today 🙂

Year in Review

Okay, let’s see the breakdown this year:

PlanetJune year 3 - new patterns (selection)

Patterns: 17 new crochet patterns in the PlanetJune store, plus 4 new free (donationware) patterns

Eyes: Added a line of animal (safety) eyes to the shop

Tutorials: New tutorials on Crochet Basics, Sizing Up (and Down) and the wonderful Invisible Decrease

Folding Trees: Started up Folding Trees with my lovely friend Eve

Book: Wrote a papercraft book, Paper Chains & Garlands (which should be out late summer or early autumn)

And of course, the biggie this year was making the decision at Christmas time to try self-employment and see what happens…

What’s Next?

I have about a million ideas for what to do in the coming year, ranging from small projects (e.g. redesign the website a bit – I think it could be a bit more user-friendly) to more ambitious ideas (e.g. my huge in-progress secret project – c’mon, you didn’t really think I’d leak my idea until it’s ready to go, did you?!).

I think my biggest challenge is going to be prioritizing and deciding which ideas to pursue and which to put on the “maybe, one day…” list. If I’m running this as a real business, I need to try to make good business decisions and balance the risks against the potential opportunities. It’s all a bit scary because of the financial side of things – much as I’d like to do whatever I want to do, creatively, I’m going to have to try to make choices that will help to support me financially.

Hey, where’s the contest?!

I do have a contest planned, but the prizes aren’t ready yet, so I’m going to hold off until they are. Watch this space…

Thank you!

I am so, so grateful to all the wonderful people who I’ve met on this journey so far… To everyone who reads my blog, who leaves a comment, e-mails me, or follows me on Twitter, thank you for your encouragement in this crazy adventure! And of course to everyone who has helped to support me by buying my patterns or sending me donations, I am more grateful than I can say.

Here’s to year 4!
June xxx

18 Comments »

  1. mk said

    nice work. i like it very much.

  2. Howie Woo said

    Congratulations on the triple anniversaries: Folding Trees, Planetjune, and your marriage! All three accomplishments will continue to multiply in greatness!

  3. jessica said

    enjoy reading your blog. looking forward to upcomings.
    congratulations!!

  4. val said

    congrats! I also look forward to seeing what you come up with next 🙂

  5. futuregirl said

    Happy Birthday, PlanetJune! I can’t wait to see what sort of magic lies ahead for year 5! ox!

  6. Jessica said

    Congratulations on 3 years of fantastic crochet and craft related blogging – you’ve made a big difference to the crochet world in that time with some of the loveliest crochet patterns I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much for all the patterns that you publish, especially the ones you are good enough to publish for free. I’m certain that the next year will be another great one for you 🙂

  7. Kari said

    I’m so proud of how far you’ve come! I can hardly believe how much you’ve accomplished in such a small amount of time! Happy bloggiversary, and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings for us both! Hugs!

  8. Amanda said

    WOW! Another year already? That’s awesome.

    Happy Birthday PlanetJune!

  9. Happy Birthday Planet June!

  10. Alina said

    Happy Birthday PlanetJune!!!!

  11. Jossan said

    Hi June, and congrats! 😀
    What a great achievment! 🙂 Im so glad for you! And Im really looking forward all your new patterns and things!
    I dont crochet that much at the moment, but its always fun to read your blog! Keep it going! 😀

  12. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 🙂

  13. Jana said

    Wow! you have done all this in just THREE years!? You deserve a medal!! as soon as i can crochet again i plan to add any and all planet june patterns to my pattern stash! Since i found your tutorial on the magic ring i have been along for the ride! You are a wonderful designer and a super friend! i have NO doubt you will become a financial success too one day!
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

  14. Walden said

    Happy blogiversary!

  15. Puglette said

    congratulations on both anniversaries, June. you are very deserving of all the accolades, you are creative, friendly and take the time to personally answer questions. job well done!
    hugs,
    puglette
    :o)

  16. Blue said

    Happy Birthday!!

    You make it a pleasure to come back time and time again.

  17. Jessica said

    Congrats, June! I have no doubt that you’ll have another great year!

  18. DianaG said

    Congratulations! I found this place by accident and now I am hooked, I appreciate the help you give out and the free patterns are lovely,and I have a 3 year old screaming in my ear right now ‘ can you make me that pumpkin for halloween??!?!’ hehe so you will see me around in years to come, thanks again for all the tutorials and the free pattern, when you are just starting out like me, it’s very risky to buy just any pattern since you might not be able to finish it 😉

    I love the name as a Gemini girl with a Gemini little girl 😉

RSS feed for comments on this post

Leave a Reply to Jessica Cancel reply

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment here! I read and appreciate every comment. I only respond to questions here on the blog, so please return to this page to see my reply, or check the box below to subscribe to new comments by email.

Please note that I can only answer questions related to PlanetJune patterns and tutorials (see details), and I can only respond to questions or comments written in English. Thank you :) - June

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Quick Links: Crochet

    navigation: arrow

    buy crochet patterns and accessories from my online store

    'Everyday Crochet' and 'The Essential Guide to Amigurumi' crochet books by June Gilbank

    Crochet video tutorials and step-by-step photo tutorials

    Free PlanetJune crochet patterns

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Quick Links: Crafts

    navigation: arrow

    Punchneedle Embroidery information, ebook & patterns

    Papercraft ebook & tutorials

    Free PlanetJune craft projects & tutorials

  • Blog Post Categories

  • Blog Archives

  • Welcome to PlanetJune!

    June Gilbank

    Hi, I'm June. Welcome to my world of nature-inspired crochet and crafting. I hope you enjoy your visit!

    If you'd like to get in touch, you can contact me here.
    crocheted Canadian flag by PlanetJune
  • A fanned-out pile of the books Everyday Crochet and The Essential Guide to Amigurumi, with text 'The answers to all your crochet questions at your fingertips - find out more'
  • Support PlanetJune!

    Want to say thanks? You can send me money in seconds at paypal.me/planetjune (over $20) or paypal.me/planetjune2 (under $20) or send me a donation through my shop.

    Or simply click through from my links before you shop at Amazon, Etsy, KnitPicks, LoveCrafts or Crochet.com, and I'll make a small commission on your purchase, at no cost to you! Start here:

    ♥ Support PlanetJune ♥

    Tip: This link is also in the footer of every page!

    Thank you so much for your support!