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

puttering, percolating, steeping and brewing

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

Last week I wrote this Wednesday morning with every intention of posting it. But then never got around to it:

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

That’s the beginning explanation of what I posted each Wednesday for about five years (more sporadically at the beginning), and I’ve missed a couple here and there, but it’s been fairly consistent.

But, I stopped around the New Year, posted once a couple weeks into the new year, and haven’t posted again for a couple more weeks.

At the moment when I read this my immediate reaction is, what am I working on?!

I’m always working on ongoing client work.
I’ve finished knitting the sweater I started a couple months ago, and it’s just waiting for the ends to be woven in.
I’m slowly spinning up a couple batts from a friend.
I’m reading a lot.
I’m writing and talking about the Shawl Geometry Books to introduce them to a wider audience.
I’m working on background things for Who Wears Who. Talking to people about their wardrobe aggravations. (How do you feel about your wardrobe? If we waved a magic wand and your wardrobe was now your dream wardrobe, what would it look like? That sort of thing!)

But after two years of consistently working on a REALLY BIG PROJECT, that feels like nothing.

That list feels like puttering, and housekeeping.

Which is totally valuable!

And also doesn’t feel interesting/desirable/exciting enough to be blogged each week.

And also, also, I know the value in teeny, tiny, seemingly inconsequential steps (after all, a sweater is knit one teeny tiny stitch at a time).

So, I guess the project I’m working on is puttering, and I think I’ll keep puttering until I find a new “big project” to dive headlong into.

But I realized right now that “puttering” isn’t exactly the right word. It’s more like “percolating” or “steeping” or “brewing.” And those tiny gwish-projects are asking for space.

Tiny gwish-projects are brewing. That feels like a FAR more accurate statement.


In the meantime! (While the gwishes percolate).

Penny wrote a lovely review of the Shawl Geometry Series, which you can read here.

And she asked me to write a bit about the driving idea behind the update for the Shawl Geometry Series, so I wrote about how the series has grown and evolved, but always been a place where math didn’t need to be intimidating, or overwhelming, or unapproachable. You can read that piece right here.

I wrote about what is possibly the world’s oldest tee-shirt hack over on Who Wears Who.

And finally, I’ve (slowly) started adding all of the patterns & shapes that are in Shawl Geometry Books to Ravelry! Book One is taking shape right here, if you’ve ever wanted to queue or favorite your go-to shapes.