Closing Out the Month

Okay, it’s cliché, but I can’t believe January is almost over. Let’s check in on my goals for the month. Grab  your pillow and get comfortable, because there’s a very good chance you will fall asleep.

Goal 1: Yarn

I have not bought any yarn this month. I bought accoutrements, but no yarn. Okay, that’s not 100% true. I bought yarn for Yarnkettle from knit picks so my order would get free shipping. The yarn stayed in the box, hidden with my knitting books, and then went directly to Yarnkettle where she paid me for the yarn. Wow, when I read that back, that seems extreme–I mean, it sounds like I hid the box lest I gaze upon the yarny goodness and run out to buy more, more, more! Really I was simply trying to get it out of the way. No, really.

I finished Skew, but sadly that yarn was never put in my stash so stash busting for the month is at 0. I am almost done with a full skein of both colors for the Husband’s scarf so maybe by the end of the evening I’ll be onto another skein. Sadly, that doesn’t remove stash items from Ravelry because there’s a couple more skeins of that yarn left.

I do think I need a secondary project since the scarf requires so much focus and I’m going to need some breaks. I’m thinking either a felted purse, a cowl, or a shawlette. Oh, maybe all 3! Apparently, I’m starting to revert back to an ADHD knitter. What are your favorite patterns for those items?

Goal 2: Exercise Consistently

I started off very good this month, hitting the gym 5-6 days a week which is what I want. Then I got sick and exercised like 3 times in 2 weeks. However, I’m very happy with my exercise overall for 2012. Sometimes illness gets in the way and you just need to stop and rest. It doesn’t make you a bad person nor does it make you lazy, worthless, or *insert the word you use in your head here (you know the word you use when you miss a goal)* I did not feel guilty for missing most of the two weeks and you shouldn’t either if it happens to you. We  simply pick ourselves back up and start again. No harm no foul. February will be better. Heck, today will be better and that’s the most important day.

Wow, I must be tired because that was all sugary and cheerleader-y. Rah rah!

Goal 3: Post at least once a week

I met this one, hopefully to my lovely readers’ delight. I even got multiple entries in a week. Woo-hoo! I think of the 3 goals, this is the hardest. I’m a rather dull person and slow knitter, so there’s not too much to write about. In an effort to start building content, ask me something you want to know. It can be knitting-related or life-related. I don’t promise to answer every question, but I’ll answer some. Hopefully. Either leave a comment or ask at Formspring.

So that’s it for January! Not a bad month. Send me your questions and any patterns you recommend. If you don’t, then I may have to buy yarn just so I have something to write about and then it’ll be all angsty with the “why did I buy yarn!” and I’ll have to write bad poetry or something and you will regret it.

Goal Check: Week 1

I’ve decided to add a third goal to my 2012 list. For those who have no memory or just skim what I write (because really, I do go on, don’t I?), my goals for 2012 are more consistent exercise (because I was less than stellar) and basically stash bust this year (get through the yarn I own and don’t buy yarn unless I have a project in mind).

After reading that paragraph, one might think my third goal should be to use less parenthesis, but it’s actually to try to post at least once a week in my blog. I tend to be very inconsistent. I’ll have tons to say, but then go quiet for months. That’s no way to treat my blog. It’s like I’m only interested in it when I have no one else to write on. There’s a word for that, but I can’t remember it and am too tired to look it up.

While I’m on goals, let’s run a highlight on how I’m doing with my 2012 goals. This probably won’t be a weekly post. Although it would help fulfill my newest addition, I suspect it would generally be more boring than not.

Goal 1: Less Yarn!!!!

I’ve been knitting away on my Skew socks and the Husband’s scarf. I have finished cataloging every usable yarn in my stash. That is, everything not in my bag of “What the Heck is This and Why do I have Only 3 Yards of it” yarn that I’m afraid to throw out, but don’t know if it’s worth keeping. When I started cataloging, I had 70 items. I’m now at 67. I’m getting there, right? I do have a lot of yarn, but to be fair about 14 items were gifts and at least 20 are project leftovers. That’s over half!!! Why yes, I am rationalizing.

Goal 2: More Consistent Exercise

6 of 7 days with workouts. I struggled with a few because I’ve been feeling like crap, but, unlike last year, I made myself go. Yay!! I also started a profile at active.com to track my workouts. I just need to do something so I can give myself accountability when I my back hurts or I’m tired or I have too much work to do whine whine whine.

Goal 3: Blog at least once a week

Score!

Goal kiss!

Happy 2012

I’m so tired. I did weights and ran today, and it’s just hitting me hard. While I did push and run a 5k in 30:06 with about 30 seconds of walking to fix my iPod, I’m most likely tired because I’ve been very inconsistent with exercise lately. Actually, through most of 2011. I let too many things get in the way–work, baby, illness, laziness–and I just kept putting it off. I have too much cholesterol and cancer in my family to do that, so I’ve decided that I will work to be more consistent with exercise this year.

With that decree out there, I have to say that I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. I do admit to making goals at the start of the new year, so I guess while I say I’m not a fan of resolutions, I do do them. At least I try to make them realistic. Last year I decided I wasn’t going to buy any yarn in 2011, unless I had a specific project in mind and no yarn in the stash. I met that goal with flying colors. I also planned to get my photography in a show. Sadly, I did not have time to build a strong portfolio, and I realized that I don’t think my work is that good. You can’t pimp yourself if you think you’re sub-par. On a positive note, I did get my work in a show at the Y. That’s something.

So if I’m setting goals and consistent exercise is one, I will continue my yarn limitations. I’m at 51yarn items on Ravelry (down from 53!!!) , but I still have more to add in. And the Husband bought Cookie A’s 2012 sock club so I’m getting 6 skeins throughout the year. I need to spend 2012 stash busting, cataloging the last of my yarn yarn, and knitting knitting knitting! Even if it drives me crazy, which it will. The Husband’s scarf will slow me down, but it will be so pretty when it’s done.

2012 is going to be a crazy year. Now through June, work will be insane. We’ll be rolling out new designs, a new content management system, and new apps. Plus I’ll be taking a class and doing homework for a grade. Do we all remember how crazy I went in my sweater class last year and there was no grade? Yeah, I’m doomed. At least I only have 2 goals to contend with and my class on exercise science may help with my fitness goals.

Okay, my chai is kicking in. Time to do some dishes. What are your resolutions this year?

And you thought I was crazy before…(Soapbox edition)

The Husband recently completed his first Ironman! Of course, I braved the heat to watch him do amazingly well throughout the day.

Minutes after the Ironman and he's not falling over!

We all have a visual of what someone competing in an Ironman looks like, right? He or she is either cut with rather impressive (not necessarily big) muscles or just a skinny runner type (like the Husband). That’s not always the case. I was amazed by people competing who looked like normal, albeit pudgy, people. One gentleman I met was a second-time competitor at this Ironman and had at least four more lined up for the year. If you didn’t know he was a finisher, you would think that he might have a heart attack going up the stairs too vigorously.

The following week, the Husband did a short race. I know, I know. Why, if he just spent a little over 13 hours swimming, biking, and running 140.6 miles, would he do a 5k within a week? Wouldn’t he just want to take a couple weeks off to rest? Well, in fact he did take the week off by only doing the 5k and not the 15k on Sunday. As we watched the 9k racers cross the line, I saw someone who was overweight cross the finish line. Let me rephrase that. I watched someone, who society feels is lazy and can’t sit up from eating fried chicken, french fries, and chocolate in front of the TV without getting winded, cross the finish line (not last) after running 9 miles and looking quite good after.

Now, I could tell you that this is an excellent reason why you should never judge a book by its cover. I could tell you that it’s not about size, it’s about health and that so long as you are exercising the size doesn’t matter. I could tell you that stereotypes are stupid and you should try your best not to buy into them. I’m not going to tell you any of that because you are smart enough to realize that on your own. What I am going to tell you is that it was inspiring. All these people you would stereotypically consider to be unfit were doing things that most people in this country would never ever do, no matter how fit. All I’ve ever done is a 5k and a tiny sprint tri and I had rationalized not doing any more because I have bad knees. I felt very wimpy.

Don’t get me wrong. I have had bad knees ever since 6th grade where the joints were apparently overtaxed during a massive growth spurt. At least, that’s what my parents said the doctor said. Ever since then, my knees just never quite were as good as they should be. In high school I tore a ligament in my knee and surgery seemed to make a lot of it worse. But, are my knees really that bad or are they an excuse to get out of doing more? Am I just intrinsically lazy and have an excellent excuse built into my joints? I decided to test it out and challenge myself to a 10k race (that’s 6 miles). Originally, I was going to do the 10k next year, but we found one in November that not only is in my town but goes around my neighborhood. It can’t get any perfect than that, and I’m going to aim for it.

If I can’t do it, then I can’t. At least I’ll know that I made the attempt. Do I see myself doing more? I honestly don’t know. Yesterday I would have said that this was it, but now I’m thinking, if I can do 6 miles, why not 9 or 13? Or even *gasp* 26.2? Yeah, maybe not a marathon. It just sounds boring. I do blame the Husband though.

A Christmas Miracle

It’s like a Christmas miracle around these parts for my loyal 3 readers. After barely posting for the last couple years, this is the fourth post for December AND I have a billion more project posts to add! Of course, if you don’t like project posts, then I’m sorry you were naughty this year and this is your coal.

In the beginning was OBSESSED with knitting. Anyplace I went I bought yarn because it was so very pretty. If I walked into a yarn store I turned into Gollum surrounded by precious rings made from every fiber and color you could possibly imagine. How could I not leave with yarn. Then I hit a point where I fell out of knitting. I still did it, but I didn’t live and breath the stuff. I still bought yarn because it was beautiful, but even that began to taper off eventually.

Now that I have a baby, you would think that I would be knitting even less than I was during my least interested point. Apparently not. I have knit more this year with a baby drooling underfoot than the last two years combined, if you can believe Ravelry and you can.

I don’t know what happened, but the odd thing is even though my knitting rate is increasing, I currently have no interest in buying yarn! I know! It very well may be a sign of the apocolypse, but I’m tired of having enough yarn to knit sweaters for the entire population of Rhode Island. I like using up what I have. I actually want to get rid of my enormous stash, and have a small manageable stash of one or two skeins. What’s wrong with me? I must be ill.

That said, I have bought yarn this year, but for specific patterns and oddly enough I’m using it almost as soon as I buy it. Between you and me, I like not having the yarn hang around too long. There’s much less pressure. Better still, I’ve gone through old yarn in various projects and it feels great! There’s a sort of relief to having the yarn stash decrease.

In the spirit of yarn decluttering, I’ve decided that for 2011, I can’t buy any yarn until our local yarn festival in September and Rhinebeck in October UNLESS I HAVE A SPECIFIC PROJECT I NEED YARN FOR, and I can only buy a specified amount of yarn that I determine in advance of the fests. For example, I can buy yarn for 2 pairs of socks or X skeins of yarn for a sweater with a pattern selected. No more buying sock yarn because it’s pretty or a yarn for a shawl or sweater I want to make some day. I will go in and buy something specific or not at all.

Of course, I am making the Husband come this year so he can help me (and he owes me for all the races I watch). I mean, you can’t expect a former yarn addict to walk into yarnvana and not fall off the wagon a little bit. I just want to continue this yarn purging. It feels good. I think maybe the next step is to inventory what I already own and get it figured out. Hmmmm…I may need spotters. Maybe this time next year I’ll have only 10 skeins of yarn total! Wait, I have a lot of yarn. Maybe this time in 15 years, I’ll have only 10 skeins of yarn total. A girl can dream.