Sustenance

My goals for 2018 were:

I hope to read new books, both fiction and non-fiction.
I hope to see new movies & TV shows and not just rely on re-watching things that I’m comfortable with (but don’t think this means I won’t binge The Office or Dawson’s Creek again – because that is ALWAYS an option).
I hope to continue to grow my yoga practice.
I hope to find new ways to bond with Karma since it’s just us two most afternoons now.
I hope to continue journaling and using my version of the bullet journal system.
I hope to continue to be a maker.

My making goals this year are simple:

• 20K yards in FOs again
• Knit/weave/spin from :
• stash
• library
• queue
• handspun
• Spin for large projects (fleeces!)
• Continue to sew
• Finish a blanket (or 2)

my ‘top 9’ from Instagram sums it up pretty well

How did I do?  Not too shabby.

Reading: I read 14 new books, 6 fiction and 8 non-fiction.  My favorite fiction read was Krysten Ritter’s Bonfire.  You may know her as Jessica Jones and I know her as a fellow knitter.  This fiction/suspense book was a REALLY enjoyable read. My favorite non-fiction read was Dodging Energy Vampires by Christiane Northrup.  It gives practical advice about how to identify the power drains (or spoon thieves) in your life and how to sidestep their efforts and stop fueling them.

Movies: I saw 34 new (or new-to-me) movies.  Love, Simon was a winner.  I really liked ‘Live.  Die.  Repeat’ or Edge of Tomorrow.  It was a unique concept, with lots of crazy action, so you have to think AND things go ‘splody.  And as always, the new installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were included and appreciated (even if they did kill off half of the planet…).

TV: I finally watched FRIENDS.  All of it.  Whew.  While the world is definitely a different place 20 years later, it’s got a lot of comedy value still!  We watched ALL of Orphan Black – SO GOOD.  If you have Amazon Prime, stream it.  I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment of WestWorld – I wanna see how they move this into our world!
If you have ANY interest in Scientology (from afar, not interest in the religion), you have to check out Scientology and the Aftermath.  So compelling and oh, those poor people.  It breaks your heart, but is inspiring to see people speaking out.

Yoga has continued, even though the Center for Wholeness closed in the late spring.  We’ve created our own pug yoga class with Dr. Holt & her co-teacher, Winston Churchill, Yoga Pug.  It’s as amazing as it sounds.

Karma Bonding:  We did pretty well with this, but we have a new phase of bonding as blind dog/seeing eye person.  This will have to continue, sadly.

Journaling: ON IT.  Fully converted.  Undoubtedly.

Making:  I definitely have continued to make!  And I entered the Ohio State Fair for the first time,  even winning a few ribbons.

FOs: I didn’t quite make my FO yardage goal, but I did make a dent!  I ended up with 17,671 yards in finished projects: 12,693 in knitting, 3,262 in spinning, and 1,716 in weaving. 
I finished 4 adult and 2 baby sweaters, 10 pairs of adult socks, 10 hats, 8 cowls, 5 towels and 1 shawl.  I spun 10 braids of fiber into yarn.  Most surprisingly, I did all of that from stash or prize yarn.  Other than some sock yarn specifically for the hubs, I didn’t buy a single skein all year.  I really enjoy getting yarn out of my stash and into my wardrobe!  6 of my FOs were made from handspun yarn and 1 is yarn I dyed myself.  Several things were patterns that I had wanted to make for a long time, and now I have them; that’s always more satisfying.  18 things were made as gifts for other people, which may be a new record for me!  Finding knitworthy people is fantastic! Rav members: check out my finished projects here and my handspun here.

Spinning: I didn’t spin for any large projects this year; I just wasn’t feeling it.  But the good news is, I have fleece anytime I decide I need to spin for a sweater!  I did pick up a tiny Turkish spindle and I’m truly enjoying learning to spin on it!  Maybe I can spin on a spindle yet!

Sewing: I sewed up a few more garments for myself this year and I enjoy wearing them very much.  I have more fabric in that stash & I will be shopping it, too!  I sewed some household things this year and I find that really enjoyable; I have a few more ideas, so I’ll share those as I make them a reality.

Blankets: I did knit on a blanket, but I didn’t finish it.  That goal will roll over to 2019 with a purpose!

My intention for 2018 was ‘sustain’.  It feels like we did just that.  And even though I felt some frustration that we didn’t get traction on anything this year, I guess it’s better than losing footing.  Actually, that feeling of not getting traction is just a feeling.  Once I sat down to actually reflect, we did a lot to make things more sustainable and found healthy, productive routines for a lot of things in our life this year.  Those choices allowed more time and space for new people and things to spend time with and love;  I would call that a solid win.

A few of the new things that came into our life this year:

• I developed a small succulent obsession, which I have mostly under control now. 
• We dug out and redid the landscaping in our front and side beds, as well as rehomed some plants from the front to the back, where they will get more sun.
• We adopted a cuddly guinea pig named Tia.
• Sound healing/chakra work 
• New traditions: Friendsmas meal, Game Day/Night & Yoga Dinner