Resoluted in 2013

I have had such a good year.  The biggest and most important thing about my year is I changed jobs (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2013/04/tempest-in-hoosegow.html)!  My new life away from my previous job has been so much better.  I feel again like there may be hope for me yet, that I found this hope while working for a jail is a little surprising.  Yet, working behind bars is so much better than working with books.  My new job has come with challenges, but as I face each one and work towards solutions I like my job even more.  Now when I pass out on my futon at night it is from exhaustion, not depression.  Epic win on that one.

On the epic fail list is a change in my social circle.  This change has been painful, but it has allowed me to throw myself into succeeding at my new job.  These two changes have also given me back my evenings and allowed me more time to spend with my beautiful wife.

Speaking of my beautiful wife, we are married in way more states then we were last year.  The end of DOMA has opened so many doors for our relationship to be legally recognized as what it is, a marriage.  Also both of our jobs recognizes us as married.  Epic win again!  I am expecting next year to be more epic wins for equality.

I reviewed my resolutions from last year (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2013/01/resolute.html) and find on this point I am going to give myself a sort of win. I did write this year.  In fact I took the NaBloPoMo challenge to blog everyday in the month of November.  I decided to write about falling in love with Natalie back in the day.  So many of you said so many nice things about our story, thank you.  However, I wish I would have written more this year. 

But I did knit a sweater! Okay, it was a pullover, but I am calling it a sweater.  Epic win on the sweater for me.  I have even worn the sweater out in the public and been complimented on how great it looks (thank you everyone for being so polite). At first I failed on the sweater but I added some ribbon to the neckline and saved all that knitting, so yay me http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2013/10/first-sweater-first-sweater-failure.html).

My year was so good I think I will forego making any resolutions for 2014.  Okay, maybe I will resolve to make another sweater, that sounds like a great resolution.  Have a Happy New Years my friends.

First Sweater, First Sweater Failure

I made a resolution to knit a sweater this year(http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2013/01/resolute.html).  And I did knit a sweater.  Resolution complete.  I just wish I had said I was going to knit a sweater I could wear.  Sadly, I did not.

I found a pattern I really liked which looked within my knit-abilities.  The pattern was called, saddle shoulder color block top, straightforward title, straightforward knitting.  Because I am a proud, plus-size woman I knit the larger size.  I did not want a tight fitting garment, but tired to not over knit the size.  I had done a gauge swatch and everything was going well, or so I thought.

It was the sleeves that got me.  I have small shoulders. I did knit the sleeves to a smaller size, I have been to this rodeo before and knew to be careful.  Apparently, I was not careful enough.  I sewed the in set sleeves and recognized fairly quickly there was a problem.  A big problem, too much sleeve. 

Though I am the boss of my knitting, I did take the problem to my knit group.  One of my friends did an internal crochet seamed to help with the problem.  With the help of another friend I added a few rows of a crochet edge to give me more fabric to work with.  In the end, it was not enough.  The top is just too big, my shoulders too small, and I can't keep the sweater from falling down my arms.  Epic knitting fail, but at least I can say I knit my sweater.

Resolute

For the past couple of years I have been trying to focus on a personal goal for the upcoming year.  Last year my resolution was to try to enjoy my journey.  I will not lie, sometimes that is very hard.  I, like most people, want to get there NOW ((http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2012/01/trying-to-enjoy-journey-tested.html).  Last year I did focus on my journey through life as well as the drive to work in the morning.  I discovered a Tesla electric sports car in the next lane as well as many OBAMA/BIDEN bumper stickers on the cars in front of me.  I recognized that sometimes yelling at the sea of humanity making different driving choices than I would have does not improve my journey.  I also discovered after driving 100,000 miles in a hybrid car, I would and did buy a second hybrid (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2012/08/things-change-or-my-new-car.html).  I went to Florida to see family.  I also went to Nashville to see a group that altered my musical tastes from the first time I heard one of their songs (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2012/09/dead-can-dance-in-nashville.html ).  Not every mile was appreciated, but in the end the journeys were.  I leave 2012 with a greater understanding of what it takes to get from one point in my life to another.  Thank you 2012.

I reflected on my idea of what I want to focus myself on in 2013.  I want to write more in the upcoming year.  After taking a month off from blogging last year, I realized how much I really do like to express myself on the page.  I need an outlet for my brain to wander and poke around in, and the written word is an excellent form of expression for me.  Also the more I write, the more confident I am about writing and myself.  Resolution done.

Or is it?  I want to stick to a single thing, I do, but maybe this year I will add something else.  The last 2 years I have secretly said, "I will knit a sweater this year."  Epic knitting fail.  I have no sweaters to photograph and brag about to date.  I figure if I say it here ,now, I will shame myself into knitting this sweater.  It is not like I don't have the yarn or a few patterns to achieve this goal.  You heard it here, Tempesttea will knit herself a sweater in 2013. Hold me to it folks.  Now I am going to go cast on...a shawl, I know not a sweater, but it will happen.  I swear.