Hello and welcome! I’m Holly Chayes

I help makers, thinkers, builders, operators, creators, etc. implement solid containers for creative chaos, and functional systems for sustainable momentum, all in aid of making a life or business you love. 

Right now I’m working with people and businesses in a couple capacities… 

Business

Business coaching and consulting for small businesses ready to dig into the practicalities of what’s next.

When you’ve graduated from mindset-only to mindset+ 

When you’ve built something that functions but doesn’t flow yet.

When you’ve outgrown and overrun what used to work.

Whatever you’re stuck on, we can get you moving to what’s next.

Get in touch here

Individual

Life and clothing magic for individuals who thought they would be more prepared for this moment.

Personal or professional.

Once in a lifetime or every day.

A surprise or something you’ve been working towards for years.

Whatever this moment is, we can get you ready for it.

Discover more here

Projects

Keep Reading

Two very old projects make an unexpected re-appearance

Each Wednesday, I post a snapshot of the projects I’m working on, and where my brain is at.

Shawl Geometry knit swatches and weaving

70s Floral Maxi Dress + Granny Square Cardigan 2-2

They’re back…

If you’ve been following along for awhile, you’ll know these sorts of lime green swatches very well. Very, very well.

They’re the style of swatches in the updated Shawl Geometry books and there have been a TON of them on the blog over the last year or so. And each time I finish a batch, I think it’ll be the last, but then it’s not.

So, I’m not going to say this is the last of them – but I very much hope it is, and it kind of needs to be. I’m shooting the final photos for book three on Friday, before I head to Maine for a couple days, and then this project goes to the technical editor at the end of the month, so there’s really no time for more swatches (thankfully).

Other than that, I’m still loving the simplicity of weaving squares on the zoom loom. I can just keep making squares, and then figure out what they’re going to be later.

But I’m wondering what project I want to take with me on my trip. Do I want to start something new? Pick up something old? Just throw some fiber in my bag? Who knows.

Over on Who Wears Who – I wrote about a look that includes the gigantic grey & white granny square cardigan I crocheted back in 2015. A lot of you were asking how a gigantic square was going to turn into a cardigan, but I finished it right before I packed it away into storage for months, so I never got finished photos of it. But it’s back! And it’s even larger than I remember. To see more photos of and read about wearing this cardigan, check out Who Wears Who.

writing, editing, weaving, and a skirt fit for a pirate queen

Each Wednesday, I post a snapshot of the projects I’m working on, and where my brain is at.

weaving squares and reading through shawl geometry

After the last round of Shawl Geometry Book Three edits took an age and a half, typing up all the edits seemed to simply fly by. I’m reading through the whole thing now (not in one sitting, that was a nice fantasy!) and I’m slightly shocked but thoroughly grateful that the whole thing doesn’t suck!

I’ve trusted through the whole editing process that the final thing would be excellent (otherwise I would have stopped!) but it’s really nice to get some perspective, and have that trust confirmed in the read through!!

Next steps are notes, and edits, and then to the technical editor.

I’m still weaving piles upon piles of squares on the zoom loom, still haven’t set the handspun yarn I finished last week, and am contemplating a next spinning project.

On Who Wears Who? – after the summer 10×10 wardrobe challenge I’ve found myself reaching for tee shirts far more often than I used to, and clothes from my Self-Made Wardrobe project are still in heavy rotation. I wrote this morning about the qualities that one of my favorite skirts invoked – it’s been fantastic being able to think and write more about the pieces I made for that project, but this time from a style perspective rather than a technical one. You can read that piece right here.

finishing and starting: edits, spinning, weaving, and style challenges

Each Wednesday, I post a snapshot of the projects I’m working on, and where my brain is at.

weaving squares and shawl geometry edits

spinning yarn and editing

It would seem that this week was the week of finishing and starting things!

I finished this round of edits/rewrites of Shawl Geometry Book Three, and started typing them up!
Then I finished the spinning project I was working on, and started playing around with a zoom loom!
The summer 10×10 wardrobe challenge has wrapped up, and I’m starting planning posts for next week on Who Wears Who!

This current round of edits/rewrites on the third Shawl Geometry book feels like it’s been going on for absolutely ever. And I have to say, I’m thrill that this round is over. Compared to the snails pace of rewriting, typing everything up seems like it’s happening lightning speed (even though there is a TON to write up).

My quickie spinning project is all plyed together – now it just needs a nice bath and a project to use it for.

But of course I wanted another low-key fiber project to work on, so I (rather impulsively) picked up a Zoom Loom and started playing around on it with some handspun that I’ve had sitting around forever, waiting for the right project. It’s been highly satisfying, and each square is pretty much instant gratification.

And over on Who Wears Who, the last day of the summer 10×10 wardrobe challenge was Friday! The whole whole challenge was a ton of fun, and I can’t wait to experiment more with clothing & style over on that blog – so if that’s of interest to you, come check it out!