It is such a beautiful day in Seattle today! Sunny and in the 50s, no rain or clouds even in sight. Now let's just hope this continues.. even though it won't. Ah, optimism. I had a really interesting 2009 in the knitting world. I learned a lot of new things, including learning how to knit socks (!!!), which was a 3 time broken Knitting Year Resolution. I have a lot more confidence in my abilities these days, but have to remind myself to be patient and not rush things along, this is something I still fail at regularly. Anyway, let's review my 2009 knitting goals:
1) Knit myself a scarf, hat and gloves before winter
So.. this one is complicated. I did indeed make myself a pair of gloves and a cowl this year, no hat.. but the gloves weren't even made until December, after our record low cold snap. We can call it even.
2) Knit 10000 yds of yarn
I fully believe I WOULD have hit this goal if it werent for the move this year. But alas, I ended up the year with a wee bit under 8000 yards this year (more on that later).
3) Do not buy yarn "just to buy yarn". If I make a purchase, it needs to have a project lined up.
This is in conjunction with the cold sheeping goal, just amended. At first I said no new yarn at all! But then realized that forcing myself into that box of restraint was making me want to buy stuff all the time out of rebellion. So I said, I can buy yarn, but it needs to have a project in mind. Sure enough, since I amended that goal, I only made one yarn purchase (in 9 months). That one yarn purchase was for my gloves that I knit in December, and literally the day I got the yarn, I started work on them. Now, let's look at knit totals.
January: 1230 yards
February: 1070 yards
March: 1120 yards
April: 1695 yards
November: 744 yards
December: 1984 yards
2009: 7843 yards, or 22449 feet OR a little over 4.3 miles!
Like I said, not the 10,000 yards I was going for, but normal knitting months September and October were ruined due to the move.. so we'll try that goal this year again. Either way, I'm really proud of how much I knit because over 4.3 miles is quite a feat in one year! BTW, as it stands, 3300 yards of that is tied up in the Log Cabin Afghan of DOOM. I don't know whether that makes me happy or want to punch myself in the face. Overall, I'd say that 2009 was a successful year in knitting. There are certainly things I would have liked to do better, but that's what THIS year is for, right? I've given it a lot of thought and here are my 2010 knitting goals...
2010 Year Long Goals:
- Knit myself a hat before winter.
- Knit a pair of socks every month (every month that I'm actively knitting, that is -- I do tend to take summers off).
- Knit 10,000 yards.
- Continue to not buy yarn "just to buy yarn". If I make a purchase, it needs to have an intended project.
A small thing regarding the last goal, I recently organized every last bit of yarn that I have and realized I have next to no cotton. I do have several market bags lined up as projects in the next few months, so I have been actively looking for the right kind of cotton to purchase for them. I've been looking for nearly 3 weeks and haven't found anything that I like.. so I feel like this may be a long, on-going process. LOL. I also try to set myself small monthly goals, and have a few for this month already.
January 2010 Goals:
- Finish afghan of DOOM (note: I have somewhere between 800-1500 yards left on this, soooo.. this may be a lofty goal)
- Knit wine bottle cozy for dinner party
- Make myself a hat
- Finish Spring Socks that I started last month
Hopefully in a few days I'll have some progress photos or something to share!
