goals

I've always loved goals. Even as a kid, I loved setting and acheiving them. Even if I wasn't successful, I was always trying. Whether knitting or chores, I'm forever making lists of what I want to have done, and become angry at myself if I am not successful.

Too bad I didn't fully reach them this time.

My goals this month were fairly simple. I had four:

1. Use up all 8 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky
2. Use up my one skein of Bernat Baby Softee
3. Make eight squares for the Warm Up America campaign
4. Send out another 'knitting angel' package to my friend

It all sounded so simple when I wrote the list. I had 30 days; certainly I could finish it all by then. Yet here I am, lamenting that I did not. Where did it all go wrong? Perhaps a breakdown is in order.

1. Use up all 8 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky? YES
You know when a knitter loves a type of yarn by how much is in their stash. While not my favorite, the Bernat brand does rank high up there. The problem was, I had no real use for it. Being really soft though, I thought that making it all into scarves might be a good idea.

I had thought originally to send them to a local shelter, yet none of the ones I spoke to needed scarves this time of year. I emailed the Scarves with a Purpose charity hoping they could use them, yet no one replied. I then turned to my fellow members of Crafting for a Cause, who suggested the Dulaan Project. After reading over the information, this seemed the best choice. They will be sent sometime next week.

2. Use up my one skein of Bernat Baby Softee? NO
I was so close on this one. I told myself that I would use my one skein of Bernat Baby Softee to make preemie baby bonnets. A friend of mine who is an intern at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati suggested sending them there. I contacted the women in charge of donations, and she agreed that they could use them. I thought that I could easily use up my one skein; it is one skein after all.

Except, the Baby Softee yarn is what's known as fingering weight. There's about 333 yards to a skein. After making 12 bonnets, I still have enough left over to make at least one more. I now have a new goal for May.

3. Make eight squares for the Warm Up America campaign? NO
Once again, I was so close. Warm Up America is an organization that collects blankets for various shelters. They also collect 7x9 inch squares which volunteers then make into blankets. A member at Crafting for a Cause offered to sew together any squares that fellow members make this year.

Once again, having two skeins of yarn for the project, I thought I could do it. Once again though, it just didn't happen. I suppose I will just have to up next month's total.

4. Send out another 'knitting angel' package to my friend? YES
When you talk about something long enough, eventually you attract some attention. Such is the case with knitting and various friends of mine. Over the past few months, there have been a growing few who have shown interest in learning.

To help, I've been sending what these friends now dub 'the knitting angel packages.' Inside is the knitting book I learned from, a binder of patterns and tips I've collected through the past year or so, and as many skeins of yarn and needles I can manage to shove into the box.

My latest 'victim' was a friend of mine who lives in Washington. I'm still waiting for the responce.

With that is my full list of goals for the month. Not a complete success, but a start I suppose. As the eve of another month comes and goes, it brings with it the dawn of yet another. What sort of goals will I set for May, and will I succeed in finishing them? Who really even knows.