KOEL Magazine For Yarn + Decor Lovers

I'm thrilled to tell you about a beautiful new print magazine that my friend Irene Hoofs from Bloesem is about to launch for crafting with yarn for the home! Inspired by her love of yarn, she's given it a Dutch name, KOEL (pronounced cool), and will focus the content on beautiful projects and things for the home produced by and for yarn lovers. I find it particularly interesting that this project isn't one she's facing alone though. She took a leap of faith to put it out on a crowdfunding site - which takes a lot of courage - since she has great hope that her friends and fans will support this beautiful magazine due in stores globally in only four short months. You can learn all about KOEL and her project here.

I personally LOVE the idea of getting your audience to support you. Sure, things can all be funded by big business, corporate sponsors or by taking out a major loan and winging it but there is a lot to be said for asking those who love what you do to contribute to a project that will not only give them a chance to support you but a chance to have the product before anyone else. I think it's a bit sad that bloggers and stuff on the internet in general is always expected to be free because talented people burn out so easily when they're not seeing monetary gain from all of the hard work they're doing. If you plan to produce a tangible product that a person can hold, in this case a print magazine, why not go to your crew and ask for some financial backing? I believe that you have to ask for help.

You just gotta. So many try to be independent but we also need to balance this with being dependent. We need other people. In the case of the internet, we are all really quite interdependent too - don't you think? We need one another to grow. I support you, you support me, I need you, you need me. It's all done with a spirit of friendship but also with a strong will to thrive and become successful with what we're doing. Why not? I also think it's important to support women in business. Irene is a mother of two young boys who happens to be a successful business owner thanks to blogging and her friends online. That's the stuff dreams are made of. A self-made woman is a beautiful thing - to be able to make your dreams come true and work for yourself is really amazing. But you need people to help you along the way. Talent and drive aren't enough.

I was reading a funny quote this morning that my friend and fine artist, Sebastian Maria Otto, had posted on his Facebook page awhile back. I don't think he said it originally, but who cares, that's not the point. It's so good, look:

"We don't like money but realize it's the best way to get drinks at the bar". 

This is how I think a lot of creative people feel. We don't like to ask for money! We don't even like money! But it is the best way to get what we need.

Irene says, "With an audience of over 40 million yarn crafters in the United States and many more globally, the market for KOEL to tap into is very much alive and growing. Yarn crafting for the home has gained significant interest from crafters worldwide." Yes, for sure. In fact, I think when you combine yarn craft with a cool, clean aesthetic and layout you really can't go wrong. When I look at most knitting magazines, well... Not really ones I find super inspirational to look at.

I love these inspirational photos showing her vision for the magazine. Very contemporary and clean, a breath of fresh air since so many "craft" magazines are very colorful and packed with images, ads and overwhelming layouts. Irene's magazine will be the opposite - I've seen some spreads and it's a bit of a resting space, an escape - serene and soft. The exact way you expect to feel when you are knitting with beautiful wool.

As a bonus to anyone who supports her project, she is giving some incentives to backers depending on what you can donate. Some of you will get special kits for making pretty things for the home. However, Irene and her team will give away one grand prize to one lucky backer on 9 June, the final day of the campaign. They've gathered 50 of of their favorite design items from the Bloesem shop, a €1000 value, that you can win by simply backing their kickstarter campaign! Every pledge is illegible, whether it’s a €9 pledge or a €500 pledge.

I can't wait to see Irene meet her goal and I can't wait to hold an issue in my hands - wishing you lots of luck, Irene + Co.!

(Photography + Styling: Bloesem Studio)