Knit Goals for 2017

I'm going to take my friend Laura's advice about knitting, which is: knit whatever I want during the school year (includes starting as many projects as I'd like) and use the summer to focus on finishing knits. I think it's great advice, so that's what I'm going to do. I have enough sock yarn stashed that I can attempt to knit a pair each month. I've been thinking of alternating my variegated with solid yarn, so that I can do a simple vanilla pair one month, and a pattern the next. But I'm not going to hold myself to that. If I want to knit vanilla socks for the rest of this school year, that's fine too.

These are the knits that are either currently on the needles, or close to starting soon:

• folded sweater top
• bonney top (need to bind off and seam shoulders)
• color affection shawl
• cypress top
• entangled vines cardigan (washed and blocked - needs buttons)
• twigs & willows cardigan (need to restart sleeves with correct measurements)
• lambing mitts - have yarn, not started
• very close talking hat - ordered yarn, not started
• force awakens hat - have yarn, not started
• baable hat - have yarn, not started

By the end of the summer break, I hope to have at least 6 of those knits finished.

So, to sum up, my goals are:

1. knit 12 pairs of socks in 2017
2. finish at least 6 in-progress knits during the summer break

Book Goals for 2017

In the spirit of this post, I'd like to be more thoughtful as I plan my reading year. Here's what I have so far:

January (a book about immigration)

• In The Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero

February (a book about Jewish people)

• The Two Family House: A Novel by Lynda Cohen Loigman

March (speculative fiction by a writer of color)

• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

April (a book by a trans author)

• A Queer and Pleasant Danger by Kate Bornstein

May (a book translated to English)

• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

June (a feminist book by a woman of color)

• Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy

July (a narrative around #BlackLivesMatter by a black author)

• They Can't Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America's Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery

August (a book about Islam)

• Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

September (a book about Latinx people)

• Oye What I'm Gonna Tell You by Cecilia Rodríguez Milanés

October (American history from the perspective of a marginalized group)

• Homegoing: A Novel by Yaa Gyasi

November (policing and incarceration)

• Incarceration Nations: A Journey to Justice in Prisons Around the World by Baz Dreisinger

December (a book set in the Middle East)

• Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson

I'm also planning on finishing as many of my school's "Bulldogs Read" books as I can. I read two over winter break, bringing my total to nine so far this school year. I love being able to talk to kids about books, and since many kids at my school read at least one Bulldogs Read book, it opens up conversations.

Summer Plans

Go Outside

:: pick berries & make jam

:: road trip to Yellowstone, Glacier, and DIG

:: garden

:: hike at Mt Rainier

Simplify Inside

:: organize storage room

:: sell or donate kitchen table, old desk, & loveseat

:: shampoo carpet (again)

Finish Projects

:: re-start Wood Hollow Vest

:: knit for new nephew Xander

:: turn fabric into shirts

Write

:: send Mom's journal

:: postcards to Daniel

Take Care of Self

:: make dentist appt

:: get yearly eye exam

:: walk with Kristi

hello 2015

West Seattle sunset, December 30th 2014

With every new year comes reflection, goal-setting, and intention. It's a natural thing to do, even when those intentions get waylaid throughout the year. My hopes for 2015 are almost identical to my hopes for 2014, which makes perfect sense. It often takes more than a year to work on something personal, especially when it involves changing habits. Here are my hopes and intentions for 2015:

Simplify Inside

• purge!
• organize craft supplies

I started this over winter break, and every time I get something out of the house (either to the recycling bin, or to Goodwill) it feels liberating. I have a natural tendency to be a pack-rat, but I find that when I have fewer things I feel better. Freer, almost.


Finish Some Projects

• fingerless gloves for Joe
• wallpaper the bookcase done!
• winter bunting
• spring/summer photos in the living room frames
• felt double-point needle cases

I have so many projects around the house in various states of completeness. This year I want to corral them all into one location so I don't lose track of them, and either finish them or donate the supplies.


Go Outside

• weekly walks with Kristi, even when it's cold

A year ago, I bought a deck of cards called 50 City Walks Seattle with the intention of using them to motivate me to walk and to explore my city. So far they've sat on my shelf unused. I'm challenging myself to use them in 2015 - let's see how many I can do before the year's out.

Write

• in my journal
• to my mother, nephew, aunt, etc

I love getting real mail, but of course that doesn't happen much these days. I keep telling myself that instead of sending an email, I'll write a card or a letter. And then I get bogged down and let it slip by. I've bought myself some new notecards in the hopes that it'll help motivate me to write more to those I care about.

Pacific Northwest bucket list

There are many things I'd like to experience while I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I've been here for about 10 years, but I don't feel that I've taken full advantage of the opportunities around me. I'm making this bucket list as inspiration.

Museums

• Seattle Art Museum - it's been years since we've been
• Burke Museum - Joe and I went after I got back from the DIG School
• EMP / Sci-Fi Museum Joe & I enjoyed a membership this past year, and we've seen many fascinating exhibits including Icons of Science Fiction, Horror, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate
• Pacific Science Center I've taken students, and Joe & I have gone on our own. We saw the traveling exhibit with Lucy's bones when it was there.

Hikes

• Mt. St. Helens
• Mt. Rainier
• Ape Caves - Summer 2013 we went hiking in the Ape Caves with Kristi and Tyler
• San Juan Islands
• Deception Pass - Joe & I have gone camping at Deception Pass, but it's been a few years
• Dungeness Spit - we went last Spring but only made it halfway to the lighthouse
• Hoh Rainforest
• Quinalt Rainforest - it's been years since we've been
• hike the Wonderland Trail
• hike the Enchantments

Other

• visit Bellingham - I've driven through on my way to Canada, but never really stopped and explored
• visit the State Capitol
• Starbucks in the Columbia Center tower (for the view)
• ride the Great Wheel
• visit the Seattle Aquarium - it's been years since we've been
• visit the Woodland Park Zoo - it's been years since we've been
• low tide at Golden Gardens - it's been awhile
• low tide at Alki beach
• kayak in Elliott Bay - we went last summer with Joe's parents, but we need to go again this summer
• canoe around the Arboretum - it's been years since we've been
• Skagit Tulip Festival
• Lavender Festival
• Space Needle restaurant - I went with my family for dinner when I got my bachelor's degree
• visit Leavenworth
• Ski at Snoqualmie - Joe and I went Nordic skiing, and I went with ski bus
• Prosser Balloon Rally

checking in: celebrate the seasons

We're halfway through 2014, and I need to check in on the goals I set for myself. I decided I wanted to work on three things this year: go outside, simplify inside, and celebrate the seasons. I intended to set mini-goals and check in monthly. For January, February, March and April that system worked pretty well, but once May hit it all fell apart. As a public school teacher, this makes complete sense. May is when state testing, science fair, modified schedules (thanks to state testing), evaluations, and general spring fever hit all at the same time. It's like tax season for accountants.

So, in the interest of personal accountability, I need to check in with myself. Here we go...

In January Joe and I finished our Game of Thrones inspired snowflake art, but it didn't make it up on the walls until May. In February I finished a quilt for my nephew, March saw me dying spring eggs, and in April I learned embroidery.

Now that summer is fast approaching, I want to work on berry jams, berry shrubs and my small garden.

I realized after beginning that most of my seasonal celebrations center around autumn and winter. Autumn is my favorite season and there are many things I do to celebrate the turn towards colder and darker days. This year, after my big job change, I struggled to have the time and/or energy to do those simple things that bring me so much joy, and so I set this goal as a way of making sure that didn't happen again. I hope this coming autumn finds me making applesauce, visiting the fair, diving back into soup recipes, knitting and wearing sweaters, listening to Muse, decorating with changing leaves, eating pumpkin, and everything else that helps me savor autumn.

checking in: go outside

We're halfway through 2014, and I need to check in on the goals I set for myself. I decided I wanted to work on three things this year: go outside, simplify inside, and celebrate the seasons. I intended to set mini-goals and check in monthly. For January, February, March and April that system worked pretty well, but once May hit it all fell apart. As a public school teacher, this makes complete sense. May is when state testing, science fair, modified schedules (thanks to state testing), evaluations, and general spring fever hit all at the same time. It's like tax season for accountants.

So, in the interest of personal accountability, I need to check in with myself. Here we go...

I walked to and from the bus stop in January, went with my school's ski bus as a chaperone in February, and in late March I started a somewhat weekly walking ritual with my friend Kristi. We have plans to continue our weekly walks this summer, possibly even twice a week.

I struggled with getting outside in the winter, and in retrospect I probably should have started this change in spring or summer. Starting in winter was just silly. Who wants to go outside when it's pouring rain, chilly, and gray? Maybe it's okay to spend much more time outside in the short span of time when the weather is beautiful (here in Seattle that's roughly June through September) and focus on other ways of keeping my body healthy during the gray months.

April goals

My goals for 2014 are pretty simple: go outside, simplify inside, and celebrate the seasons.

In January I wanted to take a walk each week, clean out the ottoman, and finish our snowflake project. I cleaned out the ottoman the first week, and Joe and I together finished cutting and gluing the snowflake project. We still need to buy some inexpensive frames for the snowflakes.

In February I wanted to reacquaint myself with yoga, clean off the top of both dressers, and finish Mason's long-overdue quilt. I finished Mason's quilt, and Joe & I cleaned out the top shelves of two closets instead of the dressers. I didn't do any yoga, but I went skiing twice.

In March I wanted to do yoga at least once each week, clean out and organize the dresser drawers & the bedroom closet, and dye spring eggs. I did some yoga and went on long walks, organized my side of the closet, and dyed eggs.

In April I hope to:

• continue my weekly walks
• 4/6 - 3 mile walk with Kristi
• 4/13 - 4 mile walk with Kristi

• clean out and organize storage

• start an embroidery project
• working on a modified fox using this pattern from Urban Threads

March goals

My goals for 2014 are pretty simple: go outside, simplify inside, and celebrate the seasons.

In January I wanted to take a walk each week, clean out the ottoman, and finish our snowflake project. I cleaned out the ottoman the first week, and Joe and I together finished cutting and gluing the snowflake project. We still need to buy some inexpensive frames for the snowflakes.

In February I wanted to reacquaint myself with yoga, clean off the top of both dressers, and finish Mason's long-overdue quilt. I finished Mason's quilt, and Joe & I cleaned out the top shelves of two closets instead of the dressers. I didn't do any yoga, but I went skiing twice.

In March I hope to:

• do yoga at least once each week
• I didn't reach this goal, but got outside and got myself moving. On 3/7 I played in a staff v student basketball game. On 3/9 & 3/23 I did AM yoga. On 3/23 I went on a 4.5 mile walk with Kristi. On 3/30 I went on a 4 mile walk with Kristi & Blea.
• clean off the tops of the dressers, and organize the dresser drawers
• The tops of the dressers are still a mess, but I made other progress in the clothing department. On 3/8 I cleaned out and organized my side of the closet, installing new shelves in the process. I also reorganized my dresser drawers and now have a bag of clothes to donate.
• dye spring eggs using natural dyes
• I accomplished this goal using red cabbage (my favorite natural dye) to make blue eggs.

February goals

My goals for 2014 are pretty simple: go outside, simplify inside, and celebrate the seasons.

In January I wanted to take a walk each week, clean out the ottoman, and finish our snowflake project. 

I was able to clean out the ottoman the first week, and Joe and I together finished cutting and gluing the snowflake project. We still need to buy some inexpensive frames for the snowflakes.

I was not able to get myself outside for walks - our weather this past month was just terrible. I decided to keep track of the number of days I took the bus instead. When I take the bus I walk much more than when I drive my car, so I think it makes sense. Out of 18 work days, I rode the bus 11 days. Not bad considering all of the before and after school meetings and other commitments. 

In February I hope to:

• reacquaint myself with yoga (an inside activity, but activity nonetheless)
• The "go outside and get off your bottom" part of my goals has been very hard for me thus far. I did not do yoga at all in February. However, I did chaperone ski bus twice. I haven't gone skiing in 4 years, so I consider that a huge accomplishment.

• clean off the top of both dressers
• This didn't happen. Instead, we cleaned out both of the closets. I had originally thought to leave the closets for a later date, since they have been so overwhelming, but my husband wanted to clean them out so I said yes. I figure it's best to go along when your other half has the urge to clean. And now that they are done, I feel like a weight has been lifted. We now have organized shelves in both closets, and many bags of items to donate. I found a few things I've been looking for, and many things that I haven't seen or thought about in years. Why hold on to all of that?

• finish Mason's long-overdue quilt
• Complete! I made an embroidered label and shipped this to Virginia.

January goals

My goals for 2014 are pretty simple: go outside, simplify inside, and celebrate the seasons.

I know that, like many, I often start with exciting goals at the beginning of the year, and then after a few months my excitement wanes. I think that keeping my goals simple will let me see how to best accomplish them each month. I plan on tracking my progress in this space, as a way of keeping myself accountable.

In January I hope to:

• take a walk each week (even when it's cold)
• 1/18/14 - This one is proving harder than I thought. It's just so gross outside (cold, rainy, air advisories, etc) that I can't bring myself to go for a walk. However, I am doing a lot of walking outside due to the fact that I take the bus. So I'm going to report on that. The first week back I took the bus 4/5 days, the second week 3/5 days. The days I drove were due to early morning meetings. This next week I expect to take the bus 3/4 days.
• clean out the ottoman
• 1/4/13 - I now have two bags to donate to Goodwill, and those fancy embroidered pillowcases from Far-Far's are in the laundry so that they will actually be used.
• finish our Game of Thrones house sigil snowflake project
• 1/18/14 - We have all of the snowflakes cut except for the Tully one (we're modifying the design). We still need to attach them to the backing pieces and decide how to display them.

this past year

 

 I found myself, as people often do, ruminating about 2013 and thinking wistfully about 2014. What did 2013 mean for me? What do I want 2014 to bring? Looking through my posts, reading through my journal (so sparse! I need to write more) and remembering brought me this short, but full list.

In 2013 I...

• got over my fears and agreed to take on a student-teacher
• became pen-pals with my 5 year-old (now 6!) nephew
• hiked the ape caves
• changed schools
• spent a week at Mt Rainier learning about volcanoes
• learned the joys and frustrations of commuting by bus

While that seems rather short, I know there was also gardening, jam-making, cooking, baking, berry-picking, book reading, knitting and much more.

So, what do I wish for 2014? A little more of the same, really. I want to continue to write to my nephew. I want to hike. When spring comes I will revive my garden. Summer will bring berries, jam and baking. I want to simplify and de-clutter (that seems an ongoing challenge). I want to continue to knit, and I think my focus this year will be using up scraps from other projects (this helps with simplifying and de-cluttering, so win-win). And through this all I want to see more of my friends.