letting go.

Every year I write a New Years post looking back at the previous year and discussing my crafting goals for the coming year. I think I partly do it because ‘everyone else’ is writing about those things on their blogs but since blogging has decreased in popularity so much over the past couple of years, there aren’t as many of these posts out there this year!

Nevertheless, I find myself looking back at the highlights of 2014 and things I’m looking forward to in 2015. I thought I would reflect on a few of the things I’m particularly proud of from 2014 first.

Firstly, I am so thankful for re-connecting with my spinning wheel. This was a lifesaver for me this year when I was too tired to knit, needed a creative ‘break’ and felt the pull of wanting to create. I am most proud of those first skeins I finished back in the summer of fibre I had sitting in my stash from years ago:

Second, SOCKS! I managed to knit 4 pairs of socks this year and I really enjoyed doing that: They were mindless, quick and I finally found a heel that fits me well. I also participated in the Sweet Georgia Yarns’ Summer of Socks SAL/KAL and loved making my first pair of handspun & handknit socks for my husband for our SEVEN (?!) year wedding anniversary.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I opened my Etsy shop. As soon as I did this, I felt a pang of sadness that my knitting was to become ‘for profit’ rather than for joy. This is something I have continued to wrestle with over the past month but I feel I am slowly inching towards a solution. More on that in the coming months. But no promises!

While there were many personal things that happened in our family in 2014, I feel thankful for our beautiful children, our home and extended family, and the joy that we seem to have been able to create in our home regardless of what is happening around us.

What is in store for 2015, then? Well, lots.

I have many ideas and I am attempting to channel Truly Myrtle’s sentiment for 2015: Keep it Simple. I am going to go one step further and say that while these goals are something for me to work towards, I am also letting them go. If they aren’t right as the year goes on, that’s OK! There will be other opportunities that present themselves as the year unfolds. In the meantime, they are wonderful guides to start the year with a little bit of direction.

To summarize, they include:

1. A monthly spinning-related video cast,
2. Two – four breed specific wool studies, and
3. Smaller, wearable knitting projects.

First, because my spinning has definitely taken a front seat in terms of what I really love to do, I am going to start a monthly video post focusing specifically on Spinning. This will be to share the books and magazines I’m reading, works in progress on the wheel and miscellaneous spinning-related items that don’t lend themselves very well to a written blog post.

Current WIP: Combing out some medium unknown-Crossbreed roving full of junk. More on that in January’s Video post, coming later in the month.

Next is an idea that has been percolating for a while. This year, I plan to do 3-4 breed specific wool studies. This year will start with long wools: BFL (Jan – Mar) and Wensleydale (Apr – Jun). I don’t want to pigeonhole myself by choosing any more at this point because … I may hate doing it! And I’m not sure at this point how in-depth these studies will be other than my experience spinning and subsequently swatching the yarn I make. But regardless, I will keep you posted about this exciting adventure. I’m thinking that I would like to do one or maybe two local sheep studies … Clun Forest or Romney maybe? I’m overflowing with ideas but this will take some serious planning … hence letting this go. It will become what it is meant to be!

Mixed BFL from my stash: Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts, a Canadian-based dyer in Alberta

Lastly, Chrissy (who hosts the Snappy Stitches videocast) and I have talked endlessly together about the lack of need for sweaters here in Southern British Columbia … we just don’t get the weather for it! I find many of my sweaters end up in the closet rather than being worn. As a general and not particularly measureable goal, I would like to choose some knitting projects this year that focus on wearable objects: Fingerless mitts, shawls … that’s about it. Anything I knit out of handspun that I’m not going to wear, I think I will thrown in the November Artisan’s Sale through our local guild.

As I finished writing this post, I looked outside to see that it is snowing. This is probably going to be our one token snowfall for the year but it is a reminder to me that the Universe sometimes has other plans for us. While I love the idea that I can control all the things, I know in my heart that this is just not true. As 2015 unfolds, I hope you and yours find harmony, joy and laughter in life – particularly in your creating!

Happy New Year :)