Past, Present, and Future

So let's wrap up the 2011 knitting goals:

1) 12 in 2011:  Objective was to knit 12 projects in 2011 from stash yarn.  Accomplished. 

2) Operation Conquer WIPs:  I started November with 7 WIPs and ended December with 1.  I may not have totally prevailed (cursed Vivian sweater), but both the WIP drawer and my stress level over languishing projects are much more under control.

3) Sock Yarn Stashdown:  Objective was to end 2011 with less sock yarn than I started with.  My calculations put me at five fewer skeins.  Not great but nevertheless, victory.

On the whole, 2011 was the year of low knitting productivity, especially when compared to what I finished in 2010.  In 2010, I knit 7 sweaters, and in 2011, only 3 (2 of which were vests).  But 2011 was the year I really started spinning. In 2010, I spun only a few ounces of fiber.  In 2011, over 5 pounds and somewhere around 26 skeins.

DAMN!

The wheel was an expensive purchase, but at least I know I'm putting it to good use.

And my goals for 2012? I've written this section several times now, and it changes significantly with each revision. Despite my tendency to plan and create to-do lists, I'm determined that in 2012, there will be no goals to knit a certain number of socks, sweaters, or any other projects.  No inventorying amount of stash used or number of skeins that enter the house.  No knitting or spinning quotas.  And no deadlines.  In 2012, knitting will not be work.  I am going to spin and knit what I feel like, when I feel like it.  If I see some pretty sock yarn, I am going to buy it (wow, I'm being really tough on myself with these resolutions).  In short, I'm going to relax about my crafting and use it for the escape a hobby should provide.  At least I'm going to try.

Of course, I still have plans.
1) Knit another 12 projects with stash yarn, a few of which should use handspun.  Hmmm, that sounds rather like a quota.  Correction:  Knit some projects with stash yarn.
2) Finish Vivian by the end of March  Um, that's a deadline. Maybe just finish Vivian at some point this year. Still a deadline, but a little easier to think about.
3) Knit some of the sweaters and socks I've had queued forever and have been waiting to start until the WIPs were under control.  Seems appropriately vague even if I do have 3 specific sweater lots of yarn in mind that I want to use up.
4) Continue spinning and knitting the Epic Handspun Afghan.  Ideally, I'd love to have all the spinning finished and at least 12-15 squares finished by the end of the year.  Uh, that's another quota...I better stop with this list right now.

Clearly, "relax about crafting" is going to be a little tougher for me than I thought.  At least there's no yarn diet listed in there...although I'm really trying to knit down the stash enough to give Mike another drawer.  Oh, I give up.  Maybe I should just resolve to not stress about the goals I will inevitably set?