Coming Clean

There's nothing like posting your New Year's Resolutions on your blog to make you feel committed.  If you were reading this blog last year, you would remember that I posted my resolutions on this blog.  I also posted the fibre related ones on my Ravelry group 'Friends of Misty Haven Alpacas Yarn and Garment'.

Well, like many people, much of my resolutions for 2010 didn't get achieved (trying not to use the word 'failure' here).

Okay, I did spend a lot more time with my dyepot as planned. Probably spent more time with my carder than the previous year, but still not as much as I had hoped.

I also did make a point of buying less, but buying better (more local, less packaging, less frivolus consumer goods, etc.)

As I mentioned, I don't want to use the 'F-' word here (...Failure...not the other one!).  So I can be proud of many of the other things that I accomplished this year...things that I didn't consider part of my grand scheme on Dec 31, 2009.

I spent more time writing.
I read more.
I got rid of some debt.
I got rid of time commitments that didn't net me personal enjoyment.
I found a spot and made a great family getaway place to spend summer days.
I spent more time cheering and feeling Canadian pride - sparked by the incredible 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Spent more time with my camera.
Used less electricity and less gas for the car. (Yes, the environment is always on my mind, but the rising prices of electricity and gas force us all to be more mindful of how we do things.)

I caught comedian Ron James' New Years Eve special.  At the end, he was joined by Canadian musicians Kim Mitchell and Ed Robertson (Bare Naked Ladies) to sing a song called 'Why Pretend?'.  It's a funny song about the real outcomes of most of our well-intentioned New Year's resolutions.

So, in that spirit...I'm NOT making any resolutions for 2011.

My fortune cookie from New Years Day lunch says "Try everything once, even the things you don't think you will like".

Sounds like good advice to me.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 2010!

All the best in the new year to everyone!

I'm hoping to make it to midnight before crashing....(I'm writing this at 10:05pm, so it might actually happen!). We just got back from seeing Avatar at the theatre. Apparently, there are a lot of other people who don't do the party-thing on New Year's Eve, as the place was packed with couples and families. Everyone in my family absolutely loved this movie. I was blown away by the artistry and imagination in the scenery...I did find myself looking at a scene and trying to imagine how I might achieve those colours in my yarn dyes!

Last night, we drove into North Bay to watch the Olympic torch relay arrive. The torch was carried up to the stage by a special young friend of daughter Amy's named Nicholas. How exciting to see him run past the thousands of people who turned out to cheer the flame on. We tried to find Nicholas afterward to get his picture, but couldn't. North Bay has a population of about 50,000 and it's likely there were that many people on the streets of downtown last night.

I had a wonderful late present arrive yesterday in the mail.


This is from my wonderfully generous friend, Alice Groeneveld of Alpaca Plus, Inc in Alberta. It's knit from her aran weight 3 ply yarn of 80% alpaca and 20% merino with a thin metallic thread knit alongside. Alice and I met through our work with the Alpaca Canada Fibre Products committee a number of years ago and we really hit it off. I've been retailing her yarns here in Eastern Canada for the last few years...they are fab. Alice and her husband Lloyd were pioneers of the Canadian alpaca industry, and I daresay, Alice has a wealth of knowledge about alpaca fibre and yarn that is hard to match in North America. (She might shoot me for saying that...:) Anyway, I was quite pleased and touched by her thoughtful gift.

Speaking of scarves, I am knitting one out of some special handspun alpaca\merino blend. The pattern is called Autumn Days Scarf by Aimee Alexander. It's a fun knit and I'm anxious to see it blocked and finished.

So, New Year's is the time for resolutions. So here are mine...well, the ones that aren't too personal to publish on the web, anyway:

1. Buy less but buy better (better quality and locally if possible)
   
2. Spend more time with my carder
3. Spend more time with my electronic spinning wheel
4. Spend more time with my dyepot
5. Have less time without a warp on my loom.
6. Get down one jean size.

All the best everyone. 2010 is gonna be GREAT!