How'd we do and what's ahead

In the interest of fair and objective reporting, here is the 2008 Resolutions list I published last January and how I did on them:


1. Settle on a blogland term of endearment for my husband. (DONE. THOMY: the husband of my youth. I've called him this for years already in cards and notes, even when I could still claim to be youthful.)

2. Knit THOMY a sweater. (DONE)

3. Quilt Lumberjack Butterflies. (NOT EVEN...but I did finish another quilting UFO.)

4. Dad's house: Finish renovations and place it on the market. (DONE and DONE.)

5. At every meal, except on Fridays, have more vegetables/fruit than meat and carbs on the plate. Why not Fridays, too? Cuz. (EVERY DAY TURNED OUT TO BE A FRIDAY...Well, most days anyhow.)

6. And, for crying out loud, finish reading at least 4 books that I've already begun, one per season. (This one is tricky because I can't remember when I began reading a few of the books I completed this year. I read ten books, mostly fiction. Mostly to do with romance...mostly romance for the vampiric, time-traveling, extra terrestrial, or the angelic set. lol. But I did squeeze in a book of poetry and a spin off, historical thriller about a Dickens literary character, Tiny Tim.)

7. Place one handmade thing for sale each month on etsy. (I decided to do a lump make-and-sell during the fall. At least twelve items were added to the shop. And a few even sold!)

8. Make and send my Pay-It-Forward gifts. (DONE)

9. Walk or ride bike each week day, unless I'm sick. (I guess I was sick A LOT. No. I was just on my tush making a kajillion things.)


So, six and half accomplishments out of nine...not so bad.

This year, I'm making only one resolution: For every two yards of yarn I use up from my stash, I am allowed to buy one yard in replacement.

That's it. That's the resolution. Some terminology definitions might be in order, though.

• What do I mean by "stash"? The whole sum of yarn I have acquired and NOT USED IN A COMPLETED PROJECT by December 31, 2008. This includes thrift store sweaters I have yet to unravel and recycle. This also includes yarn that has been knitted in a project that isn't done yet.


• What do I mean by "use up"? That I knit or crochet it, ideally, into a completed project. But selling, giving, or trading it away count, too. (Trading yardage for something other than someone else's yardage, of course, unless that someone else's yardage is half the yardage of my yardage. Capiche?)


• And, "buy"? You know. With money. Or conch shells.

I'm tracking the yardage through the Stash feature in Ravelry. Yay, Ravelry!

And now, for other things I'd like to accomplish this year but will not promise anyone anything:

1. My first vegetable garden. I hate summer. I hate, despise, loathe, recoil from, and otherwise detest heat. Wet heat, especially. I sunburn in April on a cloudy day, for land sakes. My very atoms can't stand anything approaching summer. But...I love home-grown tomatoes. I love them more than I hate summer. So, we're going to try to grow some 'maters this year. Any suggestions for good varieties to grow in containers?

2. Work up to 10,000 steps a day by the end of April.

That should keep me busy, I think.