Resolutions...more like 'guidelines' than actual rules

(By the way, I just want to point out, the title of this post is based on a quote from the first 'Pirates of the  Caribbean' movie.  Sometimes I just want to make sure my inside jokes get 'got'.)

Well, it's that time of year.  You know Christmas is over when, instead of a flurry of romantic perfume ads, your commercial time is suddenly dominated by weight loss.  The time for celebration is over, people, it's time to resolve!  And I'm happy to oblige.  I've even published the standard article on Examiner with ideas for knitters making resolutions.

Since I've already done the weight loss resolution thing, I prefer to pick and choose a few things that I'd like to focus my new year's energy on and tackle those.  For this year, most of the resolutions are more, um, mood pieces than actual plots for living the year right.  Things like 'read more' and 'keep blogging regularly' come naturally.

I'm also hoping to collect writerly thoughts in a notebook.  I've already taken the hardest first steps of choosing a blank journal from my collection and staining the opening pages with ink.  I always hate starting new notebooks, because I have a terrifying sense of unworthiness of the things I will write in them.  So far I've started off with four haikus and a story idea about Mrs. Claus.  I've decided that her first name is Mildred and that she's going to try and start her own cookie business.  This will clearly strain her relationship with Santa, who is under a lot of stress and, if he's honest, is a little jealous that Mildred even has the choice to 'opt out' of Christmas at all.

I've also resolved to do a little more selfish knitting this year.  I think 2012 was a great swapping year, and I really do have a lot of fun spoiling others and coming up with things that will make them smile.  But I also feel like I did a lot of knitting and didn't end up with much to show for it in terms of finished objects of my own.  I have a long queue of things I want to make, so I want to tackle that.  Still planning on a few swaps, I can't stay away, but I'm hoping that I can finish my first cardigan as well as some other projects that have patterns, yarn, and everything but the time all set aside and ready to go.  I should also probably refrain from adding to my stash of yarn or fiber, but I make no promises there.

That's enough, isn't it?  To go along with working 9-to-5, baking treats for co-workers and just generally getting by?  I think so, now back to watching college football.  Happy New Year!