The first day of the year is typically a time where people resolve to do things differently; it is a perfect ending point for closed chapters, and a starting point for new beginnings. In addition to general life resolutions, knitters often set goals for their yarn crafts for the coming year as well.
Some people use New Year's Day as a day to start a new project, or even learn a new craft or hobby. Chicagoan Michelle Klein signed up for a Scarf Pattern of the Month series on handmade-craft site Etsy.com, even though she did not know how to knit. Her hope in the year 2012 was to learn how to knit, and then make scarves for all of her friends by the end of the coming year. She has already taken her first knitting lesson. Sherrell Armstrong, predominantly a crocheter from Washington, has also resolved to improve her knitting in addition to finishing a crochet project or two.
Some knitters are just trying to set time-related goals. Pennsylvanian Regina Wydner says simply that she wants to finish deadline projects by year's end, and Lion Brand Yarn fan Fabienne Beauroy just wants to be inspired and finish all of her "UFO's," or unfinished objects. Debra Emanon, a southern transplant to the Eastern Seaboard, has taken it a step further: her goal is to knit her husband a pair of socks every month because "he's a great guy, and he deserves it."
Knitting gifts for others is not that uncommon; some yarn crafters love to make items for others, very rarely knitting for themselves. Loretta O'Brien, a mathematics teacher in Katy, Texas has resolved to make something for herself thies year after spending the majority of her time knitting scarves and baby hats for others. The social media manager for the Plymouth Yarn Company has even joined the fun, resolving to knit a sweater for herself made of the home-company's Baby Alpaca Ampato. Nancy, owner of Shaggy Chic Petz in Arizona, is hoping to get ahead, start knitting gifts for Christmas right away, and get her stock up so her Etsy store is prepared to handle the demand of her customers.
On the other hand, Sharon Stewart from San Anselmo, California has set a goal to make something for another person on every fifth project or so throughout the year. Stewart has also resolved to become more organized, and this includes her knitting supplies. Getting organized also includes a proactive look at yarn purchases, knitting through what already exists in the never-ending stash. Lynn Crasci, a knitter from Fort Lee, New Jersey, wants to enjoy knitting finds with her friends, including one-of-a kind yarns she hopes to purchase with a project already in mind.
Whatever your personal resolutions may be, the New Year is the time to change whatever you want to change. As a knitter, however, even if you shoot for a lofty resolution and miss, you still have a mass of beautiful projects completed by the end of 2012, and 2013 can be the time to just resolve your knitting projects again.
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