Resolutions

Ah, the time of review and thinking about how to improve on...everything! My list of resolutions is always too long and daunting, and this year's is no different. Then I read Heloise's column in the paper this morning and she talked about setting goals instead of resolutions. Goals can be a bit broader and give you some leeway in your accomplishments, to my way of thinking. So, I'm setting goals instead of resolutions.

Knitting Goal: Work on those UFO's (unfinished objects for non-knitters). While I did request and receive yarn for Christmas (including a surprise gift of Sundara silk lace weight that thrilled me down to my toes!), my focus this year will be on finishing projects instead of starting new ones and using yarn I already own for anything new I do start.

Health Goal: Reduce anxiety. Or, at least manage it better - maybe with exercise? yoga on a regular basis?

Financial Goal: Maintain my financial sanity in the face of at least one son living off-campus next fall. Don't exactly know how this will play out, but will try not to be anxious about it (see above).

House Goal: Make real strides on reducing the "stuff" we have. More about that later, but it will involve a combination of getting rid of things and finding better ways to store what we keep.

Other Goals: Make quilts for Nate and my mother. Blog at least once a week (noting that my last blog entry was a year ago!). Make more effort to have a social life instead of hibernating when not at work or with family.

That seems like enough!

Overall, I find myself relieved to have 2009 in the past, though I hadn't been thinking that much about how true that would be. The last decade has had some significant rough spots in it for me and my family and I can see how it has all worn me down in some ways. Starting a new decade seems like an opportunity to start with a clean slate and I hope I can take advantage of that in some positive ways. And, how appropriate is it to have a blanket of fresh snow to make the world look tidy and clean.

ON/RECENTLY OFF MY NEEDLES:
I'm working on a Slouchy Cardi (from Knit Cafe) in Knit Picks Merino Style in Storm (a teal blue). The yarn was my birthday present, so I'm forcing myself to finish this before starting my Christmas yarn sweater. I've got the fronts and back done, am halfway up the sleeves (knitting both at once as there are some pattern issues and this will allow me to make them the same as I adjust the pattern), and then will have a hood to make. I'll need to seam it together, but there are no buttons or bands to add on, so it will be a quick finish.

I picked up a skein of Malabrigo Sock yarn in a denim-blue kettle dyed color at Thanksgiving and used it to make a pair of fingerless mitts (Delicato - I got the pattern from Dye Dreams at Spa Knit and Spin last spring along with some of their yarn and my aunt admired while I was knitting them) for my Aunt Alice. I actually got two pair done before Christmas and still have some left, from which I hope to get two "Cité" neckwarmers - Ann Hanson's latest KnitSpot pattern.

Cascade sock yarn in a dusky blue ended up in a prayer shawl for my friend Elisabeth using another Ann Hanson pattern "Cluaranach," and a scarf for my friend Lizzie, "Tudor Grace," another KnitSpot pattern. Ann's blog is one I follow regularly too -- that woman is an incredibly productive designer and it is an inspiration to follow her progress.

On Christmas Day I cast on for a pair of fingerless mitts for Don in the Knitty "Dashing" pattern and then knit a hat to match from the "Hurricane Hat" pattern that was one of the holiday links on Purl Diva's page. I used purple tweed Galway yarn. On New Year's Eve I knit another hat in blue tweed for Zeben from the same pattern. Maybe I'll make him a pair of mitts sometime too. But the leftovers will also make good mittens for next year's Mitten Tree at church. After knitting with sock and lace weight yarn for so much of the past year, knitting something in worsted weight goes so fast!

And, Nate requested a pair of socks last summer and I found a self-patterning sock yarn in reds, orange, maroon, and brown and finished them two days ago. I basically knit them twice as the first time through they were too big. I was working on them a lot over Thanksgiving because I had his feet readily available to test them on. I finally got the sizing worked out and finished one of them while sitting at the repair shop the other day, getting new tires on the car.

So, the only projects really on my needles at the moment are the neckwarmer and the Slouchy. I need to cast on another neckwarmer to use up some mink and cashmere yarn I got before Christmas. I managed to knit a neckwarmer for my Mom in time for Christmas but think I can get another one out of the skein. This is yarn that comes from a small company in East Orleans, MA called Great Northern Yarns. They shear the mink once a year and blend it with cashmere for a lovely soft yarn. It wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be when I took it out of the package (though I was very impressed with the hand-written thank you note the owner included!), but when I soaked it and blocked it, it "bloomed" and was just luscious!

On to a new year and decade!