Over to the right on the pages of this blog is my list of needlepoint resolutions. I make them every year (and have for ages) and rarely do I keep them well. my usual way of operating is to do just enough to feel as if the process is worth keeping up.
Right about now, I go into panic mode about needlepoint. I always have something to panic about. One year it’s that the Christmas ornaments I give to my family are not done. Another year it’s that I haven’t done enough UFO’s for my guild challenge.
Predictably enough I panicked over the weekend because I still have 11 projects to finish before the end of the year. To allay my fears, let’s take a moment to look at what I said I would do and where I am.
My resolutions were:
- Finish 5 UFO’s
- Finish 1 big project
- Finish 1 CyberPointers project
- Open Napa Needlepoint on-line store
- Stitch 60 new projects
- Publish 2 ebooks
- Publish 2 print books
- 1 print book in progress
Let’s look at them one by one and see where I am:
5 UFO’s: I have finished five, mostly early in the year. I have two I’m working on right now that will be finished later this week.
1 Big Project: I really needed to do one of these, but not only have I worked on none of them, I have added more. On the plus side however, I sold one of them when I realized I wasn’t going to do it, to someone who really wanted it. But that is not a completed resolution. It isn’t even a started one!
1 CyberPointers Project: I had hoped this would be one of the two large workshop projects I have or the new one I just got, but it wasn’t. I did finish a project from one of the chapter meetings, so that’s a completion!
open eCommerce site: With the opening of the Etsy store and the opening of my on-line classroom, I have accomplished this by September and with far less work and worry than I anticipated. A completion for me that would not have happened otherwise.
60 new Projects: I’m up to 49 and this caused the panic. Some years I am so bad at forecasting I’ve reached my goal by August. So you can see why I am upset. But with more Mindys, Shiny & Bright ornaments, and Scrap Bag projects to stitch for clubs and the pattern darning sampler to do, I think I will make it.
Book Publishing: This one has done amazingly well, better than I had hoped. I wanted 2 ebooks published, 2 print books published, and 1 print book in progress. Because I decided to make 3 ebooks available in print this year I have 5 print books out and 1 in final proofing this week. I have published 2 new ebooks and a new edition of a third. Plus I have 2 more books in progress, one of which will be print and one an ebook. At least one of those should be out by year’s end.
Resolutions – What’s in It for You?
Going over this is not just ego or patting myself on the back. Rarely have I ever done so well. But setting and achieving goals is important, even if we don’t do it for New Year’s. Socrates, through Plato, said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Setting goals in the form of resolutions forces you to examine that life. Importantly, looking at these goals and whether you achieve them helps you know where you need to improve in your stitching life.
I can see I’m good when I hunker down and do the stuff. That shows in the books and the eCommerce stuff. But I am a disaster at making time for big stitching projects. That needs to change. I hear the siren’s call of big projects (I just bought one last week) but I get no where in finishing them.
I can see that I’m good at finishing things but I had no goals this year to whittle down the stash. That is not good because it grew too much this year. I need to do something about that. Maybe finish more stash projects.
Aso I left off anything about learning new stuff and improving techniques this year. I have three areas: beading, ribbons, and turkeywork where I have projects. Those should also be priorities.
Making your List
Looking at the idea of examining your stitching life, you can create your own set of resolutions by considering three things:
- What am I not good at finishing?
- What things do I want to learn?
- Is any part of my stitching life out of control from my stash to my UFO’s?
Do this, keep track of your progress and give yourself a pat on the back for accomplishing your goals!
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
J lynn says
Janet, I only have 1 large to finish and 1 large to start. I have several Christmas ornaments I haven’t even started on for this Christmas. What sends me into shivers is the stash of yarn, silks and fibers. I plan this year is to finish what I have. Year 2018 will be for me working from my stash. I’m looking forward to using some of your stash patterns on my blank canvases. Thanks for the post, it really got me thinking.
Janet M Perry says
I know that feeling about threads. And what’s worse is that, forme, all too often I do’t have the thread I need. This happened to me just this morning.
How can I have so many threads and none of the correct ones?
Keep stitching,
Janet
Phyllis Hall says
Thank you so much for a fantastic blog. I am just getting back into needlepoint after 30 years and am so amazed at how much needlepoint has changed. I love reading your posts daily. Thanks for the inspiration!!!