new year crafting goals

Happy New Year!  And so begins another year of me posting to the blogosphere - which for my regular readers, you know I haven't really been posting too much in the past month or so.

But the good news is that I'm feeling better and plan to get back into this writing thing.  Plus, I no longer have school to worry about.  We all know what that means: more time for crafting!

With all the crafting I plan to do, I thought I'd compile a list of what I'll learn this year.  These are by no means resolutions; I've stopped believing in those.  Instead, I think it's more productive to set goals for yourself or try something new.  And that's what I'll be doing this year, starting with:

1. Learning to sew.  I've wanted to use my sewing machine year after year and just haven't been able to.  But now that I have a plan to rearrange my craft room and actually set up the machine, I may actually find the time and ambition.  It's time to make use of a Craftsy class and a book that Hubby bought me for Christmas last year.  And some YouTube tutorials, of course.
2. Using my pattern books.  My library keeps expanding.  It's obscene.  Yet I rarely dip into the patterns I already have, choosing to find new ones on Ravelry.  Meanwhile, years of impulse buying and pattern magazines have built up on two shelves of my bookcase.  So this year, I plan to make at least one pattern a month from one of my books.  If nothing else, it'll re-familiarize myself with why I bought the books in the first place.  And, I'll have new stuff to post PLUS be able to write a book review.  How's that for killing two birds with one stone?
3. Conquering entrelac. I have a Craftsy class to review and I'm so excited to start.  I love the look of entrelac and have wanted to create any project using this technique for such a long time.  Now that I have 20 more hours in my weeks, I'm going dive in head first.
4. Finishing the unfinished.  I have a lot of UFOs.  There, I said it.  After cleaning my craft room last month, I realized just how lazy I've become; I placed them each in a bag and sat them beside my crafting chair.  Let's just say there's not much room to move anymore.  I'm going to sit down, go through the projects, frog whatever I don't want, and finish what's left.  They need to go away.

And if none of these things keep me busy, then perhaps this year's big Christmas present will:

Yup, that's a dog, my Hubby's present to me.  We named him Fritzy, he's a schnoodle, and he's awesome.  He's adopted from a local shelter and is one of the friendliest puppies you'll ever meet.  I'm so glad for this new addition to our family and can't wait to introduce him to his mommy's craft obsession :)

What are your goals in the new year?  What do you plan on learning?