The year has just about come to a close. Did you get everything done that you intended to do in 2009? How about those resolutions you made back in January – completed? (Or have you given up on resolutions completely?) I went back to my last blog of 2008, to see how I had done on mine. (I figured I had blogged it. I was right.)
The quick synopsis is: I completely avoided lima beans and creamed corn in 2009. I did frog several UFO’s, and I finished several as well. I spent more time keeping up with friends and found a better balance at work. I bought more knitting bags. I did make some progress on the back room in the basement, I stayed on top of my Christmas knitting list and I’m positive that I continued to bug my two kids on a regular basis. I may or may not have exercised more, eaten more vegetables and knitted all of the yarns that I wanted to get to. I also may or may not have worried less, but I’m sure I prayed more. And I didn’t do as many RAKS throughout the year as I wanted to.
I’m thinking about what I want on my 2010 list. I like having three sections – the completely do-able (buy more knitting bags, and significantly increase my stash in case of future economic woes), as well as the challenging (increase the number of days a week that I exercise and learn to cook with more vegetables), and the nearly impossible (give up knitting and learn to play the bagpipes instead). It keeps things interesting. And no, I’m not doing the last thing. That’s why it’s on the “impossible” list. That’s an easy list to make. Actually, the completely do-able list is also very easy to make. It’s that darned challenging list in the middle….
So do you have a “completely do-able” or a “challenging” or a “nearly impossible” resolution that you’d like to share for 2010?
Sheri lookingforwardtosharing2010withallofyou!
I am going to keep working on my 101 in 1001. There are some new things that I need to add to the list for 2010 but they are still undecided as of this morning. Good luck with your list and I know I’m looking forward to 2010 with TLE too!
I intend to eat more cookie dough. I want to finish a project before starting a new project — although there are several caveats to that already. I would like to learn to enjoy exercise. The cookie dough one I think I can keep……
Sheri, first of all HAPPY AND AWESOME NEW YEAR to YOU!!
Lima beans, creamed corn and bag pipes – wow! That’s some trio on a knitting blog and I feel confident I could well avoid all three – even though I DO like each of them – at the right time.
My only daughter surprised (shocked) me by eloping (what no wedding for Mom to cry at!) BUT my resolution is to be the best Mom to my new son in law. His parents still live in their home country and he hasn’t seen them in 4 yrs. And – get this – when he was in boarding school – “back home” he had to learn to crochet – all the guys did. And now he sees my knitting and is especially interested in how I do circular knitting and knit cables (He liked my fingerless mitts! Again THANK YOU so much for that pattern Sheri) I too frogged several UFOs and felt good about not feeling “guilty” about not finishing them – I figure those yarns were meant to be knit into something else. My other resolution is to stop “emotional eating” – If I could only transfer that to “emotional knitting” I would be fine – but I cannot take my knitting to work where it is most stressful 🙂
Will look for more resolution ideas from the other posters.
Sheri – I for one am much looking forward to another year of your wonderful blogs, knitting and project ideas, and your recipes, and of course the Monday evening sneak ups – I always take a peek before I leave work 🙂
May 2010 be filled with wonderful things, knitting happiness, good times and much joy and laughter for everyone here 😀
Completely Doable – Knit more for myself
Challenging – Start cooking again instead of eating boxed food and eating out
Nearly Impossible – Stop smoking. For real.
Did I ever tell you that I’m a bagpiper? You don’t have to give up knitting to do it, but it’s not easy 🙂 I took a little break from them when I learned to spin, but I’ll be playing a LOT more in 2010 🙂
Happy New Year 🙂
I didn’t do resolutions last year, but I did in 2007 and that list isn’t exactly pretty. It’s not so much that I didn’t make them, but more that I broke some of them spectacularly.
I’m hoping to 1) (so doable that it is virtually on the calendar) get a doggie, 2) (harder) be more consistent in my exercise, and 3) (impossible) finish more knitting projects than I start. Hey, it’s why we have WIPs and UFOs, right?
Completly Do-Able: GRADUATE COLLEGE! WOOOO!
Challenging: Goto England as well as pay off debt, but I can do it!
Happy New Year!
My main goal of 2010 is to raise a happy and healthy puppy. He comes home to live with us on January 31st! I can hardly wait. That’d be the do-able one.
The challenging one – get into a regular dye schedule for my shop and stick to it. I’d like at least four pounds of fiber a month (2 lbs per update), and I’d really like to have some repeatable colorways. I’d like 2010 to be the year Highland Handmades becomes known as a terrific fiber shop!
The impossible goal is to give up my day jobs completely and stay home each day to knit, play with the puppy, and run the online shop. This will have to wait at least another year or five before becoming possible. It’s something to shoot for, anyway!
I’m going to teach myself how to write “2010” on checks BEFORE it gets to be … oh … November or December of the year!
Based on previous year’s accomplishments, that’s pretty nigh “un-doable.” Just last week, I wrote a check that for some reason I dated “2003.”
Go figger …
I did not get everything accomplished that I wanted to do. This year I’m going
to avoid stressful situations (impossible) and try to knit what I want and then
decide who I want to gift it to. Possibly early in the year, I will have to make
a decision about my health. I’m going to try to be more loving when I talk to
people and I don’t feel well. Try to stop worrying about my children. What is going
to be will be anyway. I don’t think I can stop worrying about my children. Maybe
I should learn to play the bagpipes. I would like to stop complaining about
the weather, but I know I won’t. I have a lot more impossibles than possibles. You
did a good job on your resolutions.
Happy New Year everyone!
This year I’m going to find more balance and less stress. I’m going to knit more and vacuum less. I’m going to find more time for the people I love and make an effort every day to find an opportunity to do a RAK no matter how small. I’m finally going to lose this 15 pounds that keeps coming back.
Thanks for a great year, Sherri.
I usually stay away from making resolutions, but some that I definitely would like to see happen is:
Get more knitting time in
Learn some new techniques(Cables, lace)
Enhance my stash
All completely do-able!
Happy New Year Sheri! Thanks so much for providing such awesome yarns and customer service!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, SHERI! 🙂 And pass it along to all the Elves, too!
I’ve only got two, though I may see about adding a third. I’m declaring 2010 “The Year of Taking Back the Knitting Bags.” (In other words, finish up those WIPs.) I have a bazillion swell knitting bags, and they’ve all got at least one project in them. Some of them are home to two smaller projects. Need to get that figured out. I’ll also frog a few things that I’m never going to finish, and move along. And the second one is to get my finances fixed. They got a little away from me this past year due to some poor decision making, but it’s beginning to even out. (And don’t fret, there’s still TLE as a line-item in the budget!!)
Unlikely, but will try –
knit things for myself , and cut back on agreeing to knit for others.most of o9’s knitting was for everyone else, and the requests list is a mile high already.
not raise my voice as much at my toddler, even when she does exasperating things like climb the fridge and empty out the bag of flour.
not sweat the little things
likely –
lose 20 pounds
knit more from my stash
replace more of my socks with knit ones
find a better drive band solution for my spinning wheel. (my grandfather built it eons ago)
pay down more on the principal on my home.
Happy New Year knitters, Sheri and the Elves!
Thank you for your wonderful shop and blog.
do-able: find more me-time
challenging: knit a sweater
impossible: worry less
My only resolution at this point is in the likely category. That is to stick to my Sunday gift knitting?weaving guns! I slacked off this year and am still knitting Christmas gifts which I have learned will not be late until Epiphany. Happy New Year Sheri and elves!
Thank you for such a great blog, I really enjoy reading it.
doable – Cook 1 recipe a month that is new and healthy
– Learn Fair Isle
more challenging – do not raise my voice when communicating with my teenagers
I’m going to try and knit my way through all of the yarn I have purchased in 2009.
I’m going to try and be less … I need to do a certain thing and more I have gotten to it.
We will see
Happy New Year
I am a certified yoga instructor, but my own yoga practice really slipped this last year. So this year, I resolve to honor my own practice at least twice a week (I teach once a week). It makes me healthier AND happier! 🙂
It’s too funny you should put bagpipes on your “impossible” list; learning to play has been on my list of desiderata for years (I even bought a chanter and a book, but it turns out to be very difficult to learn to play bagpipes from a book). Maybe this year I’ll put it on my “difficult but doable” list. I’ll tell you what’s definitely going on there, though — losing this last 15 pounds. And I won’t be giving up knitting for the bagpipes, either, that’s impossible! 🙂
Doable – knit my stash down
Challenging – knit my stash down
Probably impossible – buy less yarn? Nah, never gonna happen.
No lima beans or creamed corn?!! I love those! No resolutions for me – just keep going forward. Happy New Year to you and your family. May we all find peace in the coming year.
Well, my list is short and managable- eat less- exercise more- but still I can’t do it! I did knit and quilt more and finished more objects- my goal is no new UFO’s.
I hate creamed corn except in corn casserole- if you need a recipe let me know and I’ll email it- easy to take along for pot lucks- never any leftovers and yummy with chili or with vegetable soup in winter.
Happy new Year
i didn’t make a list last year, i usually don’t really make any resolutions. I have a mental list of “to do”s though, this winters goals are to master my spinning wheel better, master artisan bread baking on my pizza stone, improve on my lap dulcimer as well as continue to make life changes with getting back into shape and healthier eating, 40# more to go! Last year i did get the joy of getting to retire at the age of 39, so have more time to work on the fun things life has to offer!
Happy New Year!!
I do like lima beans…
Would like to learn to do socks..toe up…(didn’t do it in ’09)
Decrease some of my fabric stash.
Find more time to knit, last year we sold our house & moved..took up most of the summer.
Looking forward to a fantastic ’10
not one you probably want to hear, but knit from stash more (though that probably won’t stop me from your amazing sneak ups, at least not yet), but my yarn is getting to be like the tribbles in star trek – they just keep multiplying
Happy 2010!!!!!
Sheri, I’m not quite ready to share my resolutions yet, but I did want to share a change we made in 2009 – we switched to using as much organic food as possible. It has been one of the best changes we’ve made in our lives – we feel better, have lost weight and unfortuntely we’ve spent more money on groceries!
The best changes are in milk,fruit and meat. I’ve been told for years that I’m lactose intolerant. When I use the organic milk and eggs I don’t have any problems!
We now get eggs tbat are free range eggs – they are DELICIOUS!! They taste like eggs did when I was small (about 40 years ago). And the yolks are bright yellow!
Lastly, the fresh fruit and vegetables are wonderful, especially the bananas and apples.
If nothing else, it’s worth trying a few organic items and see what best suits you.
May you and your family and the Elves have a wonderful start to 2010!
Carol
I had said I would get my Ravelry stash updated this year, but….I didn’t. So…….this year, rather than the nearly impossible task of updating all that I already have, I am going to be more realistic and update as I purchase more yarn, and as I begin new projects. I Love the Ravelry tool and feel I should take FULL advantage of it. More exercising and veggies too!
Happy New Year Sheri…thank you for a wonderful blog, glorious yarn and yummy recipes!
Let’s see:
Do-able: Live and eat healthier. Maybe I can lose some x-tra poundage!
Challenging: Finish the projects I start
Impossible: Try to use up all of my beautiful yarn. My husband thinks I should open a yarn shop. He just doesn’t understand how much I love to look at all the gorgeous colors, and dream….tnanks to Sheri and her elves!!
A blessed and prosperous 2010 to everyone!
I play the bagpipes and flourishing tenor drum, if the rest of you get going we could have The Loopy Ewe Pipes & Drum band. One of the main problems with playing bagpipes is all the music is memorized.
Happy New Year Everyone!
I’m one of the ones who doesn’t make resolutions or goals – i am always disappointed when I don’t meet them. I do have hopes and dreams and I will always follow those. I am already working to reduce my stash – being a lifelong knitter – I have more yarn than 10 people could knit up in a lifetime – most of it I love but some of it was in my fru fru period – great for scarf knitting but now I’m into a way more classic look so that is one “hope” that I will see to fruition this year. A dream is to learn to love sock knitting – I’ve tried every scenario – toe up – magic loop – dp’s from every company on the planet (because it must be the needles – right?) – I have a fair amount of nice sock yarn stashed but I always run off the track when I get to the heel – my sock knitting friends all say for some reason I just don’t want it bad enough to see it thru – I definitely have the ability – just not the desire – so maybe in my dreams I will find the desire to become accomplished.
Sheri – I love your blog, it’s inspiring and exciting – good to be a loopy groupie!
Have a very peaceful and happy new year and many happy stitches – Melody
I’m not sure if these are challenging or completely impossible, but I’d like to declutter and organize. Organize the knitting and other crafts, the filing, and declutter the stuff I’ll never use.
Happy New Year!
Completely do-able: knit irtfa’a in time for the county fair in August.
Challenging: knit irtfa’a in time for the Fling.
Nearly impossible: knit irtfa’a in the January KAL.
Wish me luck.
Happy New Year Sheri, Loopy family and Elves. I enjoy your blog, shopping with you – all the wonderful yarns and patterns, and your great customer service. See you again in 2010. 🙂
Happy New Year to all of you. I’m not ready to make New Year’s resolutions. But I am ready to wish us all a very happy 2010!
I’m not quite ready to call these resolutions, but I have a goal and a hope. My goal is to eat only in response to hunger and nutritional needs at least one day each week. No emotional eating, no situational eating, no social eating. It would be great to do this more than one day each week in 2010, but I think one day each week is an achievable goal for me.
My 2010 hope is to learn to spin! I have a drop spindle now, and received _Start Spinning_ for Christmas, so one of these days I hope to tackle the small but daunting bag of BFL hiding in my stash. (I don’t even know whether it is roving or top or something else!)
Happy 2010, everyone!
Happy New Year TLE! I have much to be thankful for this past year, but most of I was the recipent of… my DH battled a sensitive personal situation that I won’t disclose here, but he was victorious and I’m so thankful…AND he quit smoking in November. I quit 10 years ago when HE had triple bypass surgery, and it’s been a sore spot between us for several years. He finally did it and I couldn’t be prouder of him for it…
As for me, the DOable, has become a habit–several years ago, I decided that before I went to work for someone else each day, I would spend 1 hours each day doing something for me. This past year that has been an obsession (a good one!!) with knitting. The bad news is that I rise 1 hour earlier everyday to do this, which makes me a very early riser!! I’m used to it now, and I love my knitting time.
Challenging will be weight loss…I must do it this year. I just have to make up my mind that I want it more than I want to eat. I won’t say impossible, but it will be hard.
I can do it!
I try to avoid New Year’s resolutions, that way I don’t disappoint myself too much! But, I really like the way my husband framed it – he has chosen some things to be more deliberate about this year. That, I can do! I am going to be more deliberate about staying in touch with friends, exercising more and being more intentional with my time [i.e. not wasting so much goofing around on the internet! – and no, reading knitting blogs isn’t goofing around 🙂 ]. Happy New Year to you and yours, Sheri – and to all of your readers!
Well, I have quite a few plans for the upcoming year but two of the biggies are:
1. I am going to frog all projects that I haven’t worked on in a year or more. I know that statement will make some knitters shutter, but I need to do this. I am obviously not going to finish them, and they are occupying needles and bags. I think it will be liberating.
2. I am going to work out at a gym. I have a treadmill at home, but I never use it. So I joined a gym this week, and I am planning on going at least 3 times per week. It is on my way home from work so I am hoping that I can stick to it. 🙂
Sheri, thanks for such a great year of wonderful yarns, inspirational challenges, and welcoming posts. I hope the new year brings you and your family many moments of joy.
Shannon
“completely do-able”: Buy yarn throughout the year. I think I can definitely cover that one.
“challenging” I’ve committed to finishing 12 projects this year. I am hoping I can do that without resorting to 11 ipod cases out of bulky weight and a pair of fingerless mitts for an 18″ doll out of worsted weight but even that might prove to be a challenge.
“nearly impossible” Get all the extraneous stuff out of my house before the end of the year. I think this is gonna take more like 5 years but I would be so happy if it was all gone before next New Years Eve.
Doable – I resolve to buy more yarn.
Plausible Challenge – Lose 10 pounds and get to zero projects on the needles before I cast-on another.
nearly impossible – switch to decaf and I like Ronni’s comment about stuff… I am going to call mine clutter.
Doable – Knit more for myself, especially socks!
Challenge – Learn a new technique, like knitting toe-up socks and using charts!
Nearly Impossible – Knitting completely from stash…this will help keep Sheri in business too! It’s a win-win! 🙂
My resolutions are do-able but but I will agonize over them constantly.
1. To accept the fact that I have limitations and can no longer do everything I think I can do.
2. To try not to get too far ahead in my knitting, leaving a wake of wips behind me
will try and finish what I start.
3. Here’s a really hard one. When people hurt me, offend me, or just plain make me angry, instead of confrontation, holding resentment or grudges, I will say a prayer for the offender and give it up to God. I so want to do this one and I will say the first prayer for myself that I succeed. If everyone could, imagine the world we could live in.
My knitting goals for the year are:
1. For every item I make for myself or as a gift, I have to knit something for charity. They don’t have to be the same number (I can knit myself socks and make a hat for charity) nor do they have to be similar items, but they need to be warm. I think this is doable :).
2. Clean out my stash (unless I need yarn for a specific project: pattern and recipient already chosen and I absolutely do not have the yarn). I think this one will be challenging :).
Non-knitting goals:
1. Work on my language skills: two German post-docs and a Spanish student work in my lab. I want to improve my German and Spanish. This will be challenging.
2. Cook more and eat less frozen pizza and veggie burgers. This is probably nearly impossible 🙂
3. Eat less eggs and dairy-try to make one or two vegan dinners a week. This will be challenging to nearly impossible, but healthy!