Update 1 | Year of Projects 2013

It's good to have goals. But they're only meaningful if periodically we take time to measure progress against those goals.

In general, I'd like to end this year with less yarn in the stash and more FOs in closets and drawers. I'd also like my home, office and knitting space to be tidy, organized and functional, which means I have to keep plugging away on those tasks. (For the opposite of "tidy and organized," see Invaders from Planet Yarn.)

I set and track goals on an annual (calendar) basis for all sorts of reasons, including the fact that it's simply more convenient. Instead of monthly updates, I do them quarterly, so it's once again time to evaluate whether I'm on track and making progress in the right areas. The list below shows progress to date, and because I'm a person who loves to check things off,  completed tasks are crossed out.

What about you? Do you set knitting goals? What do you do to make sure you don't just set goals, you meet them? Share your tips and hints, and perhaps together, we can all have a successful, productive 2013.

Primary Goals: 2013

·     Knit primarily from stash: 100% So far

·     Destash yarn that no longer suits: Underway

·     Donate select surplus yarn: Done? Ongoing

·     Organize ALL yarn, patterns, etc: DONE for now

·     Blog at least 1x/week: 2013 Average = 2x/week

·     Focus on top priorities: Needs work

·     Keep it simple: Also needs work

Stashbuster Sweaters

·     Cash Vero: Searching for right pattern

·     Cotton Chenille: Added

·     Korall: Fiery Nimbus WIP 70%

·     Tajmahal: ZZZzzz

Stashbuster Projects

·     Cotton Fleece: Afghan 3 TBD

·     Four Seasons: Afghan 2 WIP; Dish & spa cloths

·     Lorna’s Laces

·     Richesse et Soie

·     Touch Me: WIP 40%

Other

·     Special projects

·     Charity: Prayer Squares for Newtown 2013

·     UFOs to FOs: Color Check Afghan (aka Swafghan)

·     Work on photography skills: Underway

Sigma 13 

·     13 Skeins from pre-2013: 15 Knit/donated

·     12 Swatches organized and labeled

·     11 Stitch/project swatches: 4 Done

·     10 FOs: 11 FOs (prayer squares, mitts, Swafghan, dishcloths, etc.)

·     9 Yarn bins organized: Done for now

·     8 Small items (hats, mitts, dishcloths, etc.): 4 Mitts; 4 Dish/Spa cloths

·     7 Patterns from library: 3 WIPs

·     6 Rooms de-yarned and organized: Done for now

·     5 New techniques: Done
       (double knitting; felted join; new slipped edge; inc/dec; weave)

·     4 Items for charity: Newtown Squares 2013

·     3 Sweaters from stash: 1 WIP (Nimbus)

·     2 Languishing UFOs: 1 FO (Swafghan); 1 WIP (Nimbus)

·     1 Afghan/throw: Done

Get & Stay Organized
Organize remaining stash: Reorganized again as part of Flash Your Stash
Organize/label swatches: Underway 
Organize printed patterns: Done for now
Organize/capture project notes: Done for now
(Added) Assign stash yarn to patterns/projects: 60% Done
(Added) Find home for gear (swift, wires, etc.): Done 
(Added) Stow all yarn except for WIPs: Done for now