Happy 2014!

I realize I’m a little late, but I’m still recovering from the holidays. No, I don’t mean wild parties. I’m recovering from holiday knitting.

But I’ll talk about that another time. Right now, I’m celebrating a new year! Resolutions have been made (and will still be stuck to for another week or so), and the future looks bright. This time last year, I shared my resolutions with you. Here’s a rundown on what I wanted to accomplish:

Knitting Resolutions:

1. Complete a Sweater. I completed two! One for my husband and one for me. 

2. Complete UFOs. The only residual 2012 UFO is my beekeeper’s quilt. I now have a bigger pile of 2013 UFOs.

3. Conquer my fear of cabling. Check mark! My first sweater was Hugo, a gorgeous cable sweater. All in all in 2013, I knit 12 cable projects.

4. Knit a whole blanket. Ish? Does the baby blanket for my niece count? (Who by the way turns 1 soon! Where does the time go?)

Non-Knitting Resolutions:

1. Lose Weight. That’s a fairly typical resolution, I think. While I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, I did do ok. I lost 40 pounds last year and dropped from a size 26 to a 22. Not too bad, if I do say so myself, even if it could’ve been better.

2. Eat Healthy Food. I actually forgot I had set this as a resolution. This has been accomplished! (most of the time) I eat a primarily plant-based diet, though I indulge now and then in cheese. I need to kick that habit yet. 

3. Exercise More. Meh. Sometimes. I started out the year really well, but gave up around March. I picked back up the past two months and am slowly increasing how often and how hard I work out.

4. Learn Something New. Ish? I’ve started studying German, although the most I can really say is “Ich esse einen Apfel” and “stricken,” the latter of which is supposed to me to knit. Don’t quote me on that, though. I might listen to more Knitmore Girls podcasts to help expand my vocabulary a bit.

5. Manage Stress. I think this is fairly well handled at this point. No, I don’t mean I’ve eliminated stress completely. Instead, I’ve learned to stop taking everything so seriously. I had a horrible 2012 and started 2013 just as badly. It’s taken a year to recover (if you can call it that), but I’ve learned something along the way. I could go at any second of any day. So why not relax and enjoy each second I’m granted?

I’ve also accomplished some things that weren’t on this list. While my knit meters on the right-hand side of your screen may show I haven’t knit anything yet, I did rack up quite the number last year. Excluding a couple of Christmas hats that I haven’t logged yet, I knit 18,777 yards and completed 66 projects. Not too bad for a girl who has only been knitting for about 2 years. 

So what’s next? Here’s what’s on my Resolution List:

1. Lose weight. Yep, it’s a repeat. Forty pounds was ok, but I have a long way to go. My goal this year is 100 pounds. Sounds ambitious, but I think I can do it (or at least come darn close).

2. Knit just for me. This doesn’t necessarily mean knitting items just for me. I mean knit because I want to and on whatever project I want to with no deadlines looming. Last year, I said yes once and that was it. Over half of my projects were for other people. It’s not that I didn’t love knitting for those people. I just burned myself out. 

3. Knit just from the stash. No purchases. As another one of my resolutions is to save money, I’m not buying any yarn this year unless I magically run out. Now, understand me here. I’m not withholding my support from any small businesses and indie dyers/spinners. I’m pausing to support them. I’ve purchased a lot of yarn from indie sellers this year, but I haven’t used any of it. I want to really enjoy what I’ve accumulated and then share my experiences (and maybe give some sellers some exposure at the same time) with you. 

I will add, though, that there are exceptions to this one. I just spent the entire year telling friends and family that if they want to get me any presents, go yarn all the time. I really hammered that one in. I can’t go back on that now. So (tee-hee), presents don’t count!

4. See snow. In person. We’ll talk about that one another time.

5. Knit the Beatnik Sweater by Norah Gaughan. I have been eyeing this baby since I first found Ravelry two years ago. I even bought the yarn for it, which is sitting proudly on my shelf right this second. So why haven’t I knit it yet? Well, I’ll tell you. This sweater is going to be my gift to me in Nakniswemo if I’m still on track with resolution number 1 by November. I bought enough yarn for one size 2XL sweater. Wouldn’t it be so much more fun to get 2 sweaters (even if one has to be short sleeved) instead?

How did your resolutions last year turn out? What do you hope for this year?