After my wrap-up post I debated setting knitting goals for 2017, and so far I don't think I'm going to. I got tons of knitting done in 2016, and I love all my projects, but they didn't really line up with the goals I had set for myself. And it turns out that I kinda like being able to change up my knitting at will, and work on things as I feel the drive and desire to. Knitting is my calm, and setting goals (for me, at least) takes some of that calm away and turns it into a task. And yes, sometimes I have projects that feel like tasks (gifts, samples, sleeves), but there's a difference between plowing through a huge sweater to give to my mother because I love her and knitting eight pairs of socks in a row because "my goal says I need to."
I'm still trying to find my balance here between knitting and fun stuff and political stuff, but 2016 was a really rough year for most of us. And as much as I can't wait to see 2016 vanish in the rear view mirror, I know 2017 is probably going to be rough as well. I hope that 2016 was a wakeup call, not a harbinger, but in light of all the pain and despair and uncertainty that we have surrounding us, I want my goals for 2017 to be less about how many hats I can knit and more about how kind I can be, how much I can give, and how loud I can make my voice.
This is kind of a meandering post to end the year on, but it feels fitting. I'm still trying to make sense of a lot of things, and part of my response is to stop trying to shove knitting into a checklist of accomplishments. Knitting doesn't make everything better, but it makes a lot of things easier to process and cope with, and it can't be that for me if I try to force it too much. So here's to a 2017 filled with love and light. Peace to you all <3
This is great! Excellent goals for the year - we should all take part!
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