72. Christmas

Once I've recovered from Christmas, I will post some photos of the things I wrought this Christmas season: 3 afghans, a table runner, placemats, a circular quilt, minky dot pants, doll clothes, fleece blanket, 2 magnet boards, an embroidered picture of the book cover for 21 Balloons. But for now, I am simply reflecting on the insanity of doing all of this in December.

I had a stressful autumn, and I kept putting off Christmas until later. I made little bargains in my head: I don't have to make Advent banners this year, so I'll have more time...Fiona's older and can help on some of the tasks...and other total BS that we tell ourselves to keep us from screaming every moment of the day.

Thanksgiving came with an inflamed masseter jaw muscle and no ambition to do anything. December began. December ticked away. I had doll clothes done, and two afghans ready to seam, but really? Nothing. And then it was December 16.

I made a nice little list. I am never happier than when I'm making a nice little list. I had it all worked out. I would get it done. Of course, this didn't account for visits from friends or sisters (both of whom I very much wanted to sit and chat with, and did so, knowing I would pay for it later). It didn't account for showering or cooking meals or running to the pharmacy at the last moment or any of those things. It was solid sewing from start to finish. And a little spray painting.

But I got it done, all but one of the afghans, and that I finished at my leisure on the 26th and handed to the recipient (Jake's brother Sam and his wife Michelle).

I knew I had lost my mind when I had the prep work done for a set of placemats for my mother-in-law, and I looked at it and thought, "this should be a quilt. A round quilt." And I went for it. Wha?

So this year, for Christmas 2012, it is getting underway in February. Because it really only took me a few hours to make that round quilt. And it's insane that I waited until the morning of the 24th to start it. Insane. I could spend a week in February and get 4 quilts done and feel better about myself and about life and my jaw muscles and all that. Wouldn't it be nice to sit still the last week before Christmas?

I get better at Christmas every year. I adjust and learn how to make things better for myself and folks around me (Jake, kids, our families, friends). This one, however, came at great expense to my sleep schedule and mental stability. And that's just crazy. Like the whole semester has been.

But things are looking up in many directions, finally, and I have to start this in February. No more denial, no more superhuman feats of sewing.

2010 was the year of the quilt. 2011 was more generalized. I do better when I have a focus. 2012 will be the year of the traditional quilt. I need to go back to the basics of quilting. I need to go to Luckenbach, Texas. If you understand that, good for you.

11. My Goals for 2011

These aren't resolutions. These are a few goals in the realm of things related to this blog that I want to accomplish this year. And we'll see how I go as the year progresses. I know this blog will take longer than December 31 but "2011" sounds better in the title than "for however long this blog winds up taking me to finish an arbitrary 365 entries".

1. It's quilts for Christmas again, although this year I'm going to try to not be seasonal--not everyone received seasonal quilts but many did. I don't want people to wind up with a closet full of Christmas quilts. But I also don't want to impose my style on others and so seasonal always sounds good to me. It's a tightrope. Maybe some will get fall-themed. I want these to be the sort of thing that people grab to sit under when they're watching TV and it's chilly. Or they're on the phone on the porch and it's chilly. I don't want them to be museum pieces and I don't want people to feel like I'm expecting them to redecorate their bedrooms (except for my sister Bevin and the double knit of course...). So I'm doing some thinking about this.

2. This year I will finish my knitting UFOs (unfinished objects). I'm working on my Kauni sweater right now; my pink cabled sweater needs a new collar and a longer hemline or I will never wear it (it's an FO, made into a UFO). I have a baby hat in beautiful earth tones that maybe is waiting for good news from Texas.

3. I'd love to learn how to make divinity just so I can say I can.

4. I want to make pickles again if I have the surplus cucumbers. And skip the jalapeno jelly (I still have plenty from last summer). Teach the girl scouts how to make jam, mostly to spite GSUSA.

5. I'm going to plant potatoes this year. I'm thinking right now about what I will plant them in. Urban Homestead...sigh. It will ruin me.

6. I will do something with that big bulky made in the Andes wool sweater that is taunting me to do something crafty with it. Felt it and make it into something else? Cut it down into a kid's sweater (scratchy)? Hmm.

7. I will not spend the summer and early fall being ashamed of my front yard. Ugh. The little strip of land on the west side is lovely (my grandmother planted it). The rest...needs a lot of work.

8. I will paint my front porch. I will also paint my upper back porch off my room.

9. Mostly Jake and the girls, but me too: rebuild the swingset. Rebuild and improve.

10. I will varnish the cabinet my dad made us so many years ago. Perhaps convince him to make new doors for it. Put glass in the doors. Really. I WILL DO IT THIS YEAR.

11. Paint the dining room. Medium gray. I just need to get off my duff and get it done. This spring. Tired of the red. Tired.

12. Finish the braided wool rag rug that is, again, taunting me in the guest room.

13. Finally, I will convince Jake to finish the trim in the attic with my help, and rehab the downstairs bathroom off the kitchen.