18 Days - project me - recapping

Yesterday I realized there are 18 days left until the year is over.  Not just the year but the decade as well.  It seems like just a year or two ago everyone was freaking out about Y2K. The Angie was 8 almost 9. Totally obsessed with dance - at that time she was @ the studio almost 20 hours a week.  She had just become an altar server at church. I think time goes faster when you have a kid.


Don't worry,  I'm not going to rehash the whole decade - my memory isn't all that good!  But I'm in that looking back on the year, deciding if it was worth the carbon footprint I left , and thinking about plans and goals for next year sort of mood.


Parenting wise - since we already did a double take on the Angie, I would say 2010 was definitely a hit out of the park.  Angie had a great senior year,  a good summer, and moving her into Temple went relatively (relatively being the key word) smoothly.  She absolutely loves Temple, loves her dorm, loves her classes, likes her classmates, is fencing very well.  She really enjoys being in Philly, although after mid-October stopped having the time to head into the city.  We'll be picking her up on Thursday for Christmas break. She goes back the day after her birthday in January, assuming we don't kill her in the month.  It will definitely be interesting to reincorporate her into day to day household life.


Marriage wise - we've been in this for 20 years later this winter.  Not shabby for someone who categorically dumped a guy after 90 days for most of her dating career.  We've had some issues this year, mostly because of communication style and because there is our married life, and our outside of marriage life, and the outside part includes a lot of important stuff, and we just usually just don't talk about it.  Also Curt hates conflict at home, so just side steps it, and because of that I don't bother anymore and just bitch to my friends alot.  But we came to a new truce and moved forward.   I was a little bit apprehensive as to how we would deal with Angie being gone.  We really haven't had any issues, probably because Angie had such a full plate through High School that she wasn't home a lot, and because we are still great friends and can have a lot of fun just hanging out together.

Now the hard part. the me part.  I had a bunch of false starts at trying to take better care of my health and my body.  I really need to make a better attempt here, as I am really starting to feel not just my age, but all the abuse I threw at my body over the years as well.  I just need to figure out how to motivate myself here.  


I posted earlier in the fall that I was going to make a concerted effort to start reading, because my brain was turning to mush.  Although I am not entirely happy with my accomplishments here, I must say I have read 3 books each month.  the book of the month for my 1001 Books To Read Before You Die group and 2 others.   I really want to get that up to 4 books a month - except that the book for Jan & Feb together is War and Peace. I  wasn't going to read this book, I mean I will never logistically be able to read the whole list since they keep updating it, and I don't plan on taking 10 years off to just read, so there will be books I don't hit.  I just want to read a bigger chunk of the list.  But since that was the book voted on, and I suppose it will have a sort of sense of satisfaction to accomplish it, I am going to give it a try.  And I'm not going to feel bad if I quit!  


I made a goal last January to create 52 knitting/crochet projects in 52 weeks this year.  I had one month, July, in which I really barely knit, and didn't finish anything that month.  As of yesterday i am at 45 projects started in 2010 completed.  I am knitting the second fingerless glove of a pair at lunch ar work.  I am working on a second slightly different lit Christmas tree- this one with smaller LED lights and beads knit into the tree as "ornaments".  I should be getting 3 or 4 (I slightly lost track) mini-sock kits this week.  I also have a couple more Christmas ornaments I want to knit.  So although it isn't a guaranteed "give me"  I have a good shot at reaching this goal.


I also had a goal of trying new types of projects this year.   I think I was true to this one.  I did not one but 2 beaded shawls.  ( I am currently using that beaded technique on the tree I'm knitting)  I made a slip stitch felted bag.  (not 100% thrilled with the bag but the colorwork came out great).  I have done more lacework this year.  ( i am usually more of a cables than lace knitter) As a matter of fact the gloves I am working on have a lace inset.  I am doing miniature projects, thanks to my Creepy Cute swaps and these Murphy mini-socks.


I finished one afghan for the Victory Junction camp.  I fixed another one so it would comply with the camps guidelines.  I crocheted some cat beds, and knit several hats  for charity.  I definitely am going to do charity knitting this coming year.  I am not sure other than an afghan or two for VJ in which direction that will go.  


So other than charity knitting, I think I am going to look at creating one Christmas decoration/ornament project a month, so I can decorate for next Christmas with more knit items.  I think in January I am going to make a real effort to dig out some of my UFOs and actually finish them ( I think I said this last year also,  but the 52 new projects sort of pushed this one aside)  I am definitely after Christmas going to cast on for my Tappan Zee Cardi.  I usually avoid sweaters ( I have made 3 all for the Angie since I learned to knit) because of the large project/short attention issue and also because I really A. hate seaming and B. am bad at seaming.  But I want to beat this, and while I don't picture them becoming the mainstay of my knitting, I want to make one for me.  


A goal I completely failed at this year, is I told myself after Angie went off to college and I wasn't running to her meets and booster club meetings and parents groups, and other volunteer stuff at her school, I would work on organizing.  I have a lot to organize.  I want to get my stash list updated.  I know people who can pull up their stashes on their smartphones in a LYS and determine if they have what they need for a project.   Probably 30% of what I had listed was yarn from when I first started knitting, when I thought AC Moore was the bomb because they had better yarn choices than Rag Shop (now gone) Michaels, Jo-Anns or Walmart.  I was never going to knit with it. SO I gave it away to a teacher that runs a knitting club at her school.  And probably 25% has been used.  AND Most of what I have acquired in the last year and  a half is not listed.   I need to file all the paper patterns I have accumulated.  I need to deal with all the paper and stuff in this place.  SO after Angie goes back in January, I will address this.


I did a much better job following through on my garden to the end.  And this year I actually got all, the pots emptied and cleaned up before Thanksgiving.  SO it will be easier to deal with in the spring.  I tried a bunch of new plants,  and while some failed some succeeded so I learned for the future.


These are just my thoughts right now.  Nothing concrete yet.  Just a mental perusal.  In other words you may be subjected to more in the near future.