Progress

In Which Our Heroine Is Bad At Taking Progress Photos, But Manages To Show Her Progress Regardless

Welcome to the New Year, Dear Reader!

This would normally be the part where I talk about how I have Resolved To Blog More Often, Honest, I Really Mean It This Time.

I do mean it, every time. But I’m turning over a new leaf and blogging when I feel like it, not when I feel like I should. I do hope it’s more often than it was in 2024.

I do like to set Goals for each year. However, I watched a really great video from Ryder Carroll about how he’s setting up his 2025 Bullet Journal, and he talked about setting Intentions instead of Goals. Intentions guide what Goals you set, as each Goal lines up with your big Intentions. So, rather than “I’ll exercise three times a week every day this year,” one might write “I will improve my physical health.” Then, you can say “I want to exercise three times this week” and start there.

I really liked this idea. It made sense to me to think about why I’m doing what I’m doing before assigning myself a Goal or a Task.

And I think it’s important to remember that the reason for doing something can be “because it makes me happy.”

With that in mind, I’ve started a long-term project that is making me very, very happy. It starts with a swatch:

This represents the first block of the blanket. (I absolutely meant to take a photo of the first block of the actual project, but I got too excited.) At this point, this is what I have:

The pattern is Domino Baby Blanket (that’s a Ravelry link), and the construction is so clever and not something I’ve done before. The yarn is my favourite Bugga! from Canon Hand Dyes in the “Tainted Love” Advent Set. I wanted to use every bit of this scrumptious yarn. I love that there’s no seaming to be done when the blanket is finished (though there are many, many ends to weave in).

There are many advantages to this project:

1. It is a long-term project that will require some dedication to finish. This shows hope for the future.
2. It is easy to make and track progress.
3. Every little square puts something positive into the world as an act of creation.
4. When it’s finished, I will have something useful and warm that will remind me every day that there is still light and joy in this world.

This may seem a bit over-philosophical when talking about a knitting project, but knitting is magical. I can take pretty string and a pair of needles and turn it into an object that, if cared for properly, will last for years and years and possibly bring joy to someone else after I’m gone. And while I’m making it, I’m making my happiness a priority. I’m trying hard this year not to say to myself, “I really should finish all of these other Responsible Adult Tasks before I allow myself to do something fun.” There are times (often) when doing something nice for yourself can be the priority, when it’s good for you to make that a priority.

I hope that, whether you prefer to Make Resolutions or Set Goals or Set Intentions, one of yours for this year is “Be Kind To Myself.”

More Soon!