New Year's Resolutions

While I find the celebration of an arbitrary calendar event somewhat odd, I readily concede that the event itself is a necessary one and can be quite useful.

For celebrating, I had one of the best New Year's Eves I've ever had. I knit, I watched Pride and Prejudice, and I went to bed early. It may have been untraditional and possibly anti-social, but it was fun. :-)

The knitting: I recently acquired some of the most fantastic yarn I've ever had the pleasure of fondling. The yarn is Grace - Silk&Wool by Louisa Harding. It's half silk, half merino wool, is delightfully soft and smooth and has a wonderful sheen. When I saw it in a wonderful dark royal blue shade, I was done for. I knew as soon as I saw it that I would be getting it and making myself a scarf. I give you (in progress) Miss Darcy:


The pattern is of my own design, assembled (so far) with help from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, The New Knitting Stitch Library, and Victorian Lace Today. The only problem is that I'm not sure I like the edging, so I may frog it and try something else.

One of the useful things about New Year's is that it clearly marks the end of something and the beginning of something else. Even if it is an arbitrary calendar event, it's a useful way to mark changes, not just in the calendar but in other places. And of course, when it comes to resolutions, there's the peer pressure aspect of things. So here are my resolutions:

1) I will blog more frequently. Specifically I will try to blog at least twice a week, and I will blog enough that I will have at least 8 posts every month.

2) I will have actual fiber content (knitting, spinning, crochet, sewing, and quilting are all fair game) in every post.

3) I will comment more frequently. Any time I come across a recent blog entry (one of the three most recent for that blog) with fewer than twenty comments, I will leave a comment. I will also leave a comment (no matter how many have been left before me) every time I read a post that is particularly funny, touching, or useful.

4) I will finish my WIPs. With the exception of the blanket, I will complete or abandon (that is, frog, and reclaim the yarn) every WIP I currently have (they are, for the record, Miss Darcy, Monkey Socks, Hawaii Jaywalkers, Mystery Stole 3, blackwatch washcloths, Picovoli, Print o' the Wave stole, Bayerische Socken, and the silk corset).

I hope your 2008 is filled with joy, blessings, and fiber!