We made it.

Not all of us did - so many people dead from COVID variants, or traffic crashes (and vehicles running into or over pedestrians and bicyclists and otherwise) or other illnesses or old age.  But if you are reading these words you are one of the ones who made it, and I salute you.

Once again I am celebrating alone, and at a timezone of my choosing.  I was up late last night finishing a project, which was not either of the remaining UFOs, which will carry into 2022 unless I finish a mitten tonight.  It's not likely.  If I hadn't been able to visit family over the Christmas week, I might have gotten more knitting and such done, but I did and that was important.  I hadn't seen some of them since Christmas of 2019, except for a couple of zoom calls, and it was good to be together.

I made a cheese soufflé for my parents and they loved it.  I now have to make one every time I visit.

Final Resolution Update 

Checking my list from the beginning of this year:

• One of three specific UFOs done, but progress made on the other two.
• Fourteen books read or finished.
• I decided that instead of the cardigan, I would make a pullover with the same yoke design from the yarn I'd planned for the cardigan.  I might make the cardigan of different yarn some time in the future.  I have not finished the pullover, but I finished the yoke and am on the body.
• I made another cheese soufflé, and it was delicious.

So not 100%, and I am OK with it.  I had goals, and I made some of them, and I did other things.  I kept track of the things I made this year, and if you could pairs of mittens or socks as a single thing, as of right now I have finished sixty-six items.  That includes a pair of mittens that I knit, then partially unraveled and reworked into two other pairs.  It does not include frogging a couple items and starting over.  Most of the items went to charity; the last box of the year went out shortly before my local post office closed today.  I have others waiting their opportunity, as I try to send a full box.

Maybe one of next year's resolutions will be to knit less for others and more for me.  Find out tomorrow.

And In Addition

An unofficial resolution, because I didn't announce it, was to have at least one week where I hit all the milestones on my tracker:  steps per hour, steps per day, minimum of 8K, daily meditation, etc.  I wasn't sure I could do it, but I did it once, and came close other weeks.

Another was to Get Rid Of Stuff, and I totaled how many items I'd have to get rid of if I played The Minimalism Game every month.  I thought it would be easier to restart each month than try to play it straight through for a year, as I doubted I'd have 365 items at the end of it.  If you played every month starting with one item on the first day, the total is 5,738 items gone by the end of the year.  I didn't count getting rid of things that I originally received when a local makerspace closed, or individual alligator clips or pens and such especially when I donated them to other organizations.  I probably would have made it if I counted those individually instead of "box of".  My official total of items gone is 3,639 which is both surprising and not a bad total.  It includes the items I made for charity, but not the individual balls of yarn I used to make those items.

I completed a number of 5K virtual runs (usually walking), a few of which provided medals and other swag.  I usually did them to contribute to a cause I support, or a friend supports, or to raise awareness of a charity.  A friend of mine does them for the medals, and when I heard her mention this one I knew I had to participate:

As you can see from my bib numbers, the Wonder Woman option was by far the most popular.  In fact, my friend said she did just that one.  Being a lifelong DC fan, I couldn't resist doing the set, so received the bonus medal.  The date on the bibs is the start date, and we had until yearend to complete them.  I decided to do the 10K, as I've been known to walk 11-12K on a weekend, but decided that if I counted two 5K walks as the required 10K, it's just between me and my conscience.

Midmonth - UFO Completed

The Omega Shawl is complete!  I didn't do the lace at the bottom - I tried it and really didn't like it.  So the bottom is just three ridges of garter stitch, to blend with the borders.  It's light and large and two inches longer (because I did extra of the stockinette part) than the pattern indicated, so I think it's just fine and I have a UFO converted to a FO.

I decided to celebrate by trying a new pattern:  Fae Elf Mitts.  I used oddments of wool yarns:

 

Since they are very long on me, and I am not a fingerless mitts kind of person, and I did these just for fun, I asked if anybody in my circle wanted them.  A fellow knitter, somebody I met in the group I joined when I first moved to Connecticut, spoke up first.  I dropped them by her house this afternoon, and she's quite happy with them.

Last night I did a flurry of holiday baking and this afternoon a round of deliveries, all surprises, to friends in the area.  I made Caramel Latte Muffins and Apple Cider Muffins (subbing fizzy cider for the beer), both from Pampered Chef mixes that I purchased during a friend's online party.  I don't need more gadgets and things, and figured the mixes would work well as food gifts and potluck contributions.  I also made Peanut Butter Wreaths (think peanut blossom cookies but rolled in red, white, and green mixed sugars, and with a white chocolate disc in the middle instead of a kiss) and Grinch Cookies which are just tinted sugar cookies (I made mine from scratch because I don't have cake mix on hand) with a red heart on top.  I forgot to take pictures but one of the giftees posted one with her thanks:

Apparently some sampling occurred pre-photo.

I've also done some reading.  I've gotten into the habit that after Thanksgiving I shift to some light holiday fare, and it was the same this year, so they were all quick, inconsequential reads.  I did a few more chapters of The Agony and the Ecstasy before setting it aside for seasonal tales, and then I found Tuesdays with Morrie which had fallen behind the laundry sorter that's on the other side of my headboard.  I am almost done with it and decided to save the last bit to finish on Tuesday, so it's packed for my trip.  My parents lent it to me so I'll return it as soon as I read the last chapters.

Mid-Month Resolutions Report

As noted, one UFO finished!  The other two are packed to go with me to visit family over the next couple of weeks.  Hopefully one, if not both, will be done before I return.

The cardigan is now a pullover, and I am on Round 25 of 26 of the yoke.  I probably won't pack it for the trip, due to size (and to focus on the UFOs) but I should be on the stockinette before I leave and that will go quickly once I return.

That will just leave the cheese soufflé to make, and my parents sounded interested, so I might make it for them.

The final month of the year

I know that I should do a review of last month (this post was started on December 2nd, not the first as I try to do with the beginning-of-month posts) and have new resolutions for December, but I really cannot think of anything other than "more of the same".

I forgot to take a photograph of my grandmother's shawl before mailing it as part of her Channukah gifts package, so I don't have that to show.

It's a good thought.

I've been doing my usual posting of Hanukah songs on social media, so maybe once the holiday is finished I'll add the list here.

Resolutions Report

I've decided that since I really don't like the border on the Omega Shawl, I'm going to pull it out and simply do some garter stitch and call it done.  It's long enough, since I'm short, and the yarn is at a black band which I think will be good for the bottom.  Otherwise I'll have to go through the shades and I'm not that interested in hundreds of stitches in stockinette, over and over.  Therefore this UFO should become a FO before the end of the year.

My one resolution to the KnitTalk group was to do the Falling Leaves Cardigan by end of year.  I've had the yarn for a while, I found some great buttons in my stash, now time to cast on.  Of course, I keep getting distracted by other things.   Thirty days and counting down....