Each year we make New Year's resolutions and each year we break them - leaving us feeling guilty and depressed. Oh sure, we could, of course, choose not to break our resolutions and then it would be a positive thing, but hey, sometimes we don't even have enough energy to empty the dishwasher, much less lose weight, exercise more, recycle everything, organize our lives, finish all those UFOs, de-clutter our houses, and solve the world's hunger problems. So, for this contest, instead of telling me what your New Year's Resolutions for 2009 are, post a comment telling me about the good things you did accomplish in 2008. You know, like you never once lost your car at the mall in 2008 (well, okay, only once). Or maybe you can actually walk into your craft room without tripping (that's one I can't claim), or, since this is a knitting blog, maybe you learned a new stitch, or finally mastered the art of knitting lace (can't claim that one either), or knit your first pair of socks (or a sock). You get the idea. A comment here gets you one entry in the contest. A link to my contest (grab my contest button) on your blog gets you two entries. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on January 15 and gets to choose.........Behind door #1.........
Knit One Felt Too, plus two skeins of my favorite felting wool -Paton's Classic or........
Behind Door #2...........
Knitted Flowers by Nicky Epstein plus one skein of Plymouth Indiecita Baby Alpaca Worsted or.......
Behind door #3.....
A Tote bag with a surprise inside.
So tell me what you did right in 2008!
48 comments:
What did I do right? Kept my mouth shut around my daughter's inlaws? I dont know if it can be under right - but the most thankful thing was surviving the stereotopic breast biopsy (the most painful thing ever - even on top of 3 natural births and one of those a 10 lber! - but to have it all come out benign....that was a GOOD thing!
I continued to be the best father I can be to my 2 little girls.
Love your contests! Posted it on my blog just now too!1 woot
Hugs Patt
Oh I think I've been taking care of my wrist and shoulder issues pretty well. And also knitting what I really want to knit and nothing more!
I almost completed my goal of reading 100 books. What it's done is reminded me of how much I love reading! It seems I went many years without reading, to speak of, but that won't happen again!
It's on my blog!
Came from LizzieK8's post. :)
What a great positive idea this is. I LOVE it.
What did I do right? I started my Holiday knits in July. I had a pretty knitstress free December. The gift knits were already finsihed. :)
Well Jane my friend, I did a lot of things right this year...
I joined WhoDuKnit for one, {{{smile}}}
I lost over 100 pounds this year and started exercising
I knitted my first pair of socks on DPN's
I blogged everyday for a whole year
Of course I will also link to your contest on my blog... when I blog later today.
I love the prize selections.
Love your contest :-))
I have read all books which were suggested in whoduknit.
I have knitted every day.
Hugs from Irene
I made new friends , I kept the old, and I prayed for all of them every day. Warm hugs and wishes for a wonderful 2009. JoyB
I started a blog. I learned to knit socks by magic loop, only one though -going to try double points next. I knitted a sweater for the first time and can wear it. I prayed every day.
I started knitting! I knit my first project on Martin Luther King Day - a pair of baby mitts, complete with color changes.
In February I knit my first dishcloth and market bag
In March I knit my second Market Bag and first Calorimetry
In April, I knit my first pair of socks
In May I knit my first baby blanket
In June I knit more dishcloths
In September I knit my first hats
In Ocotober and November I knit a Reader's Wrap for my Aunt for Christmas
In December I knit my first scarf, a hat, two dishcloths, my first baby hat and booties and another calorimetry
I can't wait to see what I do in 2009!
I came out of my shell a little to start blogging, albeit for the purely selfish reason of getting more contest entries. It's fleshed out since then, but that was my original motive. Sigh. I'll be posting your contest to my blog, but figuring out the button thing may be my second accomplishment for the year.
I set a deadline to get my Christmas and Charity knitting done by December 31 2008 and I did it:)And donated to several charities.I blogged about the contest and linked back.Hugs Darcy
http://darcyknottyknitter.blogspot.com/2008/12/things-i-did-right-in-2008-contest-on.html
I turned my knitting compulsion into knitting 30 mini sweaters, 30 mini hats and made 30 mini origami paper ornaments to give our during the holidays. Nothing makes a waiter smile like an ornament to go with the standard tip on the table!
With the remainers I let my family choose their favorites to their heart's desire. Even the kids who live with my nasty-almost-ex-SIL got to take some home! See? Knitting success! Character development success! Enough Karma to last me into 2009.
Oh wait -- it's already 2009?
Time to strike up the needles and ponder the stash! Nothing breeds success like success.
Thanks for asking.
i had to giggle at the comment "kept my mouth shut around my daughters in laws", lol > Sorry i can't even relate as my in laws get along great with my mom. and congrats to aunt kathy on her weight loss and healthy living changes!
Nice twist on a contest!!
I smartly moved my business and it has been for the better (plus saves miles on my car vs life length and gas cost) , tried new things i wanted to : knitting, gardening, canning, soapmaking, etc. Still lots i want to try though!
In 2008 I think I'm proudest of my coaching of a new employee that joined my staff in late 2007. When I moved to a new role a few months back he really stepped into the void and has been widely recognized. This is akin to watching your own kid grow up (which mine already have).
On the knitting front I knit my first lace shawl (Swallowtail) followed by a large circular Feather and Fan --I'm proud of them both.
In 2008, I put all my education to work and started a new position at the same company. In doing so, I learned a variety of new things, developed what I hope will be long lasting relationships (with the co-workers in my new department and with vendors) and learned to not let people push me around.
I did clean and organize my yarn (I did, however, discover this week that my 14 year old has been stash diving). We will be having a discussion about that!
I learned to bite my tongue with said 14 year old (we did, however, have a relapse this week -- two weeks together is pushing it, I guess).
I learned to let go of my older daughter (I am going to post on the old blog about that one).
I fell in love with my husband again. He is a darling saint and very solid guy. He does so very much for me and encourages me with his sense of humor and patience. I have learned from him to let go of anger and sadness and move on.
I have played more with my 7 year old. We play games, read books, play on the WII and laugh. A lot!
This is a great idea, makes me think over the year to decide if I would ever possible want to live it over again.
1. Thanks to you I started my Christmas knitting in July. . . but then misplaced half of it when we moved, grrrr.
2. I made the wise choice to move to Littleton CO from GA.
3. I completed a baby layette that turned out well and on time (on time is the key).
4. I stepped up my blogging.
08 was a wonderful year, let’s all hope that 09 surpasses it.
What a great idea - to think of what you did right! I love it!
In 2008 I...
1. Finished or frogged a lot of my UFO's rather than letting them sit
2. I found a new job that I really like
3. I supported my husband in his new school year
4. I signed up to volunteer to teach knitting lessons at the woman's shelter like I've been wanting to do all year!
Thanks for having us reflect on the good things ;)
what i did right - knitting aside
i told my kids i loved them each and every day
i took the time to enjoy them at this age -
i let them sit with me when i knit
At 39 I had 2 heart attacks so surviving those is something I did right and to celebrate doing that I taught myself to crochet for surviving the 1st and then loom knitting for the 2nd so all in all that's 4 things I did right!!
The best thing I did this past yr was (with the help of Dr. Rob and God), we saved Lucys life and she is growing bigger and stronger all the time, all the knitting and everything I've made doesn't even come close to that.
Good Contest Jane...
Happy New Year
Dandy (Purple is A Fruit) sent me-
I stopped (mostly) taking afternoon naps- at least compulsively anyway.
I had to get a dog that wanted walking to do it but that's a good thing.
2008- I mansged to concieve and deliver my greatest gift.... my baby girl. I survived labour in the car and delivered au natural.. no meds....
As far as crafting... I still managed to home craft all my gifts on time!
I came from To Knit and Write.
Great things I did in 2008:
-Vastly increased my knitting knowledge and skill and learned to crochet (I just started knitting seriously late 2007).
-Successfully completed an internship with Walgreens and got a management job offer. I start after graduating in May.
I actually did many things right in 2008, but the best thing happened in December: I got sick! And that meant that I had time to think. And that is a good thing. ecause I had time to think about my 52 year life. And suddenly I remembered all the wonderful things I was grateful for. And in the end of December, still sick, I had difficulties remembering all the bad things! The good things had taken their place. So now, in 2009, I feel like there is no pressure on my, I really only have to be ME :-) And I do love it. It feels so right to be just ME :-) Love you!
I was feeling bad about my lack of accomplishments in 2008 until I sat down and made a list of what I did. It was very gratifying!!
I was most proud of starting up a website, Green Knitter, that spreads the word about eco-friendly knitting. It was a real labor of love for me!
p.s. I posted about your contest on WiKnit, my knitting contest blog
In 2008, I struggled to balance work and family demands. I think that overall, family won, which is something I did right.
One thing I did right was to reduce my stash by about half. Now I just need to reorganize my craft closet.
I sat down and decided I wasn't only going to be a crochet gal. I've never liked kitting, but I decided to learn because I really never gave it a fair try. Knitting still isn't my favorite, but I'm getting better at it. That I think is a thing I did right!
Lets see what I think I did right this year.....
Kept a positive attitude when losing my home and considered it a great opportunity to downsize, minimize, reorganize and give give give to charity. It was a refreshing experience.
In mid-summer, I insisted that we move my daughter's college fund money out of mutual funds and into a safe bank account. About a month later the economy tanked. It's the best financial decision I've ever made.
I babysat whenever I was asked. I didn't faint dead away when I learned my husband was going to have to retire!
I decided to go back to school full time for a teaching credential. I have finished two semesters and two summer session classes with straight As! (I'm very proud of myself.)
I worked hard enough on our day-job website to convince my husband that we'll be fine, and now he lets me play with yarn and fiber without freaking out !! :-)
What a lovely idea! And people did some really great things in 2008 - I loved reading them all!
What I did right in 2008:
* Joined a book club to 1) be more social, 2) inspire me to read more and 3) read things I wouldn't normally choose.
* Took time to listen to myself.
* Haven't lost my mind (yet) due to DH's loss of job in June!
* Spent quality time with my folks.
* Laughed more.
* Cleaned out the closet in my second bedroom... the one I couldn't walk into... the one that scared me. Now I can find things!
* Kept things simple.
Cheers! Here's to a fine 2009!
1) got marriage counselling - now our relationship is better than ever and we are ultra-happy
2) treated a lot of people for free, mostly to help them quit smoking
3) joined Paperbackswap.com and started reading good history books again
4) built my acupuncture clinic into a sucessful business from scratch! Very proud of this one. :)
Thanks for such a positive contest!
I am glad you said what I did right, because I can always think of things I did wrong. Here's my list:
I learned intarsia
I learned fair isle
I made 4 pairs socks
I met some awesome folks through
Blog Land!
I decided that I'd been thinking about vet school for too long and that it was time to take action. I toured the vet school that I want to attend, spoke to admissions, figured out what additional classes I need to take, got an A in my first one, and shadowed at a vet clinic.
I've learned from my mistakes. I given honest advice and tried to follow some of my own!
I've also realized that I have to live life for me and the rest will follow.
I have learned to go my own way in 2008. My husband told me I was pleasing too many people, and that took way too much energy from me. I might not be successful every time, but it made me happy and content. So I am going to try and continue that in 2009
Hi Jane.
1. I learned magic loop knitting and finished sock #1 in Dec. Sock #2 is half done.
2.Started my Christmas knitting in Jan 008 and finished most of what I wanted to do.
3. Started spending more time with my 82--now 83 yo mom and am really enjoying it We try to go to a knitting group once a week.
4.Am working less and spent more time with my retired hubby.
5.Trying to see more of my 3 daughters and my 10 grandkids--realize the value of family relationships.
2009? Why I am running to post this on my blog of course. happy New Year
What I did last year is I learned how to dye my own yarn. I dyed a Knit Picks sock blank then for the first time, knitted a pair two at a time on the magic loop. It was quite a learning process and I love how they turned out. I put them on Ravelry. My ID there is gussek. thanks for the contest. Debbie
I went to a going out of business sale at a LYS and spent within $1 of all the cash I brought with me! No regrets!!
I think that one thing I did right in 2008 was to yell less at my family, and to tell the I loved them more. You never know when will be the last time you see some one, and you always want them to know you love them.
2008 was a year of making peace for me. With my self (turning 40) and my family of origin I was able to reconnect in a positive way.
Also a year for letting go - my youngest in school and my father moving.
Bravo to everyone for their accomplishments and good luck in the contest and in 2009!
What a great contest!
As far as things I did right, well, I got pregnant! Totally intentionally, and yet completely unexpectedly. I know I had not much control over it, but still, I did it right, darnit!
I listened to AK and joined Whoduknit. No kidding.
Have you drawn the winners?Hugs Darcy
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