New Year's Intentions 2011

Last year, I called it reminders.  Intentions seems to be the word for 2011.  Both are more benign than calling them resolutions. 

I do initiate changes and plans on days other than January 1.  Old habits rarely die.  That means today's musings will fit the tradition (and be easier to find in future blog searches when I want to see how I am doing compared to what I thought I would do.)

Mr. E and I were foodshopping yesterday.  I threw the question out there.  What knitting intentions should I make for the New Year?  He had surprising ideas on the topic.

Mr. E:  Don't make scolding resolutions.

Etherknitter:  Example, please?

Mr. E:  "'I will not buy more yarn than I knit."  "I will learn some technique that I hate."  And sappy ones, like "enjoy the flow" or "enjoy each stitch of the WIP" are just scolding, one level removed.  Be bold. Give yourself license to do what tempts.  Make resolutions that allow you to make a big step that you haven't been able to justify.

Food for thought, indeed.

My summary for last year, and how I did:

1.  End the year with less yarn.

Fail.  I kept track of all yardage knitted.   Estimating what was used in current WIPs, deciding when there wasn't enough of a skein left to do another project, counting leftover yarn as used, there were lots of slippery endpoints.  I knit 9366 yards last year, or 5.32 miles.  Unintentionally, all but 128 yards were fingering or laceweight.  I was doing fine on this until the TKGA market and Miss Babs' booth.  After that, I gave up on keeping track of purchases, but did maintain reasonable control for the rest of the year.  (This knitter was in the Miss Babs' checkout line.  I did not buy quite that much.)

2.  Make things out of sock yarn other than socks.

Done.  Onerva shawl was sock yarn.  This is a nice solution to the dilemma of 100% merino skeins.

3.  Finish the Penny Straker vest/Grant Park pullover/Leilani cardigan.  Non-negotiable.  If these are not done by 12/31/2010, come flay me.

You are going to have to come flay me.  None were finished.

4.  Finish the organizational nightmare that is my life. 

Substantial progress was made this year.  There needs to be a finish on this, and that is actually within reach.  I am proud of this one.

5.  Lose the 8#/aerobic exercise at least 4 days per week/ yoga 2x per week. 

Sporadic progress.  Lost some, gained some back, net negative weight, net better on the exercise.  Yoga still only once per week.

6.  Stick to the anti-inflammatory diet 75-90%. 

Moderate success.  Probably hit 50%. 

7.  Play with origami this year.  I have the books, I have the paper.  Make a crane or two.

Yes!  Began making paper cranes.  I have done 11, with a goal of 1000 for luck.  But not all in one year.

8.  Find a place to throw pottery.

Looked into this, found a place, but need to do it in the summer, not the winter.  By the phrasing,  finding the place was enough to satisfy the reminder.

Intentions for 2011 are more difficult.  All of the above would be appropriate.  The difficulty lies in some huge changes happening in the workplace that will suck a great deal of emotional and physical energy over the next year.  I could make one intention for the entire year (survive the coming storms, and come out on the other side with an acceptable solution). 

So let's see where this leaves me.

1.  Survive the coming storms at work, and come out on the other side with an acceptable solution.

2.  Knit from stash.  One get-out-of-stash-jail-free card, the purchasing of yarn and casting on of a project this year for a coup de coeur.  Seems reasonable to allow at least one of those to happen.  Otherwise, this intention would only meet the definition of scolding.

3.  Lump these uglies together:  finish organization, get down to a happy weight, ramp up the exercise and yoga, continue to minimize high glycemic carbs.  Okay, more scolding, but with a purpose.

4.  Restart origami crane project.

5.  Cultivate curiosity.  I have realized that this is a driving force in everything I do.  I seek.  I learn.  I explore.  I perfect.  I leave behind.  All is in the name of satisfying that insatiable itch of curiosity.  It is a reason to live large and well.

Really?  That is all.  But it is a whole lot in five items.  I plan to do other things that won't make it to the intention list:  cook more recipes from my cookbooks that include vegetable proteins, do a bit more in the garden this year, take a XC skating technique lesson. 

The theme here is to enjoy life more, and make sure there is more healthy life to enjoy.  That is easy to remember, and worth putting energy into making it happen.

OH!  And here I forget the most important part.  Six years ago, on January 1, I started blogging.  Can I thank you yet again, for adding color, energy, enthusiasm, wisdom, knowledge, and love to my life? 

 

 

Comments

[DebbieB]

Hey, thank YOU. Reading your blog always makes me think, sometimes makes me laugh, and occasionally spurs me to action of my own. (I'm walking, I'm walking!)

Mr. E has a good point. Another blogger I read regularly made a list of "I want to" items. I like that. I'm going to make my own.

Happy 6th, Laurie. Thanks for being here.

[(Another) Joan]

Chiming in to wish you a Happy New Year and to thank you for blogging!

Congrats also for having almost reached your organizational goal-- that is my big "I want to" this year.

[Manise]

Happy Blogiversary and much luck on your list of intentions!

[Lynn]

Mr. E is so, SO sane. Follow his advice. In fact, allow yourself more than one purchase this year - maybe 1 purchase per event? And knitting more than 5 miles of yarn is a big accomplishment; give yourself lots of credit for that. And I love the "Cultivate curiosity" intention - that's a really good one!

[margene]

Mr E is so right (as usual) and it's his reasoning that stops me from making any list at all.
May your list be enjoyable to accomplish and may you have joy as you do so. Happy New Year and I can't express how happy I am we met in blogland and have a become friends.

[Ruth]

Mr. E is a Very Smart Man. I like his perspective.

Happy new year to you, my friend!

[Judy]

Thank you Mr. E! and lots of love to both of you. You have made my life richer.

[Kristen]

it's only been six years? I can't believe that because I remember when you started and it feels like it was longer ago. I like your list - it has a nice balance. Mr. E certainly is a keeper!

[kmkat]

Mr. E rocks, doesn't he? I am extremely impressed that you knit 5 miles of yarn this year. (Must add calculate my own mileage. Or yardage.) Curiosity is a great life- and mind-expander. Keep it fed!

[Amy]

I love Mr. E's perspective, *and* your intentions. Here's to 2011!

[Diane]

Your intentions are well thought out and are bound to bring much satisfaction. I like the not scolding, makes much sense. Like you I was calculating yardage and then lost track in the third quarter. But I think I ended the year with less than I started, which is all I wanted.

Congratulations on six years of blogging, you always enlighten me.

[Juno]

Your Mr. is Very wise. Also, jsut rip those WsIP. Sometimes its OK to walk away and then they won't hang over you. Smooch.

[Cheryl S.]

Cheers to Mr. E.!
I don't do resolutions, and my only "goal" for 2010 was to end the year with less yarn than I started, in which I was successful. I am repeating the same goal for 2011.
Happy Blogiversary!

[sarah]

U don't do RESOLUTIONS. I do intentions. Mr E is most definitely right. Resolutions should include as many good things, I-will-do-this!, as bad I-will-never-do-that-again. I've been noticing, the last few months, just how many people take almost every opportunity to beat themselves up about what they regard as their failures. It's truly beginning to bother me - we can be our own most relentless, unforgiving critics, and listening to that internal voice listing one's own is often just a way of setting yourself up to fail. Again. So. Make I make one small-r resolution: when I discover something I don't like, I promise I will try to change it - or change the way I feel about it.

What ever your resolutions and the outcome thereof, enjoy every minute of 2011 that you can, because it's the only one we'll ever have :-)

[Carole]

Wonderful post, Laurie. And it's smart to start out with positive things, just as Mr. E. suggested. Congrats on 6 years! Mine is at the end of the month.

[Kim]

I like your theme to enjoy life move....that is my intention for 2011 as well.

I agree with Juno. Give yourself permission to frog those projects that are weighing you down and donate the yarn to a senior home or something like that. You will feel so much better once they are gone. ;-)

[Anne]

Your Mr is a smart one. Keep him (that's probably an easy resolution, eh?).

I do like your goals. Reasonable, sensible, not cranky. All of that is very very good.

Wishing you nothing but good for 2011, with lots of excellent thrown in. :)

[Marcia]

Happy Blogiversary, and if you really want to pare down that yarn stash, get a little rigid heddle loom and start cranking out sock yarn scarves! They are addictive, fast, and take HUGE bites out of stash! And satisfy that curiosity. Unfortunately, a rigid heddle loom will lead to an 8-shaft floor loom and.....

Knowing you, there is more.

[Hillary]

Happy 6th! Funny that we both have January 1st anniversaries.

Mr E had a really good point about the scolding. It is tempting though to make pronouncements like that when the stash just keeps growing despite our best intentions and the WIPs refuse to knit thenselves.

[gayle]

Mr. E does indeed rock. Resolutions seem to equal scolding. (Maybe that's a reason I have always avoided resolutions. Or maybe it's just laziness...) Intentions are so much gentler on the user.
(On the other hand, isn't the road to hell paved with good intentions?)

Only 6 years? (My 3rd is coming up very soon, and it seems like only yesterday that I started.) Please carry on - I love the way you make me think.

[pat]

I'm taking Mr. Es advice to heart - tell him thanks :-)
AND Happy blog birthday!

[Caroline M]

Do what makes you happy. If buying yarn makes you feel guilty then don't. If it makes you joyful at the thought of new beginnings then why not? If the thought of knitting last year's item 3 makes you sad then end the project the other way and join the ruthless rippers club.

Happy blog birthday, six years is a long time in anyone's book.

[Cindy D]

Happy New Year and Blogiversary! I've made no resolutions except health and happiness in the new year. I think you've covered those areas rather well in your post.

[Donna]

I adored this list. "No scolding!" indeed!

[Lynn]

I found your blog about the time Mr. Etherknitter had his small skiing accent. Congrats on 6 years. If you like Origami, have you tried making Origami boxes? I love them and they come in handy for small gifts. They might add a little variety to a diet of cranes.

[Mary Lou]

I think it's brave of you to show how you did. Scolding once removed indeed. I resolve to knit. Done.

[claudia]

Cultivate curiousity is a wonderful intention. That sums up so much positive in such few words.

[Lorette]

I like your goals. I'm trying to think of them as "wants", not "shoulds". Happy blogiversary!

[Teyani]

I agree with Mr E. - no scolding. it's ridiculous, and no one ever makes change because they were 'wrong' - they make it because they want a new outcome.
so, my thought is look for the outcome you want, and anything that moves you that direction is a yipppeee... for example, one of my intentions is to "feel better" (this involves biking more than I already do, continuing to pursue the cause of my feeling icky, and doing things for myself that bring me joy... like knitting a happy pattern, or buying more yarn. yup!