I was thinking about, you know, about the next few weeks, which include the new year. And I was thinking about New Year's resolutions, and I don't really have strong feelings for or against resolutions. I think the New Year offers a intentional time to think about how you spend your days. And I always think it's a good idea to maybe reevaluate some things, but I also don't think it's required if it's not something that motivates you or whatever. So for me, like I said, I do like to reflect and think about how I might wanna shift in the New Year. And for me, one of the things that I want to do is change my relationship to knitting, which is my main hobby and how I spend a significant part of my life. I was thinking back over the last few years of knitting and I rarely, if ever, make myself anything. I make hats -- a lot -- for people as gifts and for my partner and things like that. And I finally, just yesterday, cast off on a hat for myself, but that's the first one that I made for myself in years. And I needed one. I've needed one for a while. But I'm always prioritizing other people's, you know, things or gifts, whatever. Every now and then, very rarely, I'll take a commission but more often than not, I'm knitting for a gift for someone that I'm giving them. And I realized I kind of feel guilty when I knit for myself. Like I shouldn't, I don't know, hoard this gift. And I'm making myself sound like I'm this exceptionally talented knitter. I'm a good knitter. I'm not, you know, anything too special so -- um, but I do have a skill that not a ton of people I know have and so sometimes I feel like, "Oh, I have to do this for them 'cause they can't do it for themselves and I can do it for myself and I'll, I'll get to it someday." But, I'm finding that someday isn't coming very often. So in 2025, I'd like to shift and become a more selfish knitter.

The pants that I planned to wear to Christmas and, like, left out and all of this and I'm still gonna wear tonight -- I have ink stains all over them! As is the sweater I wanted to wear, and that one I'm not gonna wear, because I just can't make it through an entire calendar year without washing a pen in a load of laundry. I so thought I was gonna make it this year. I was within a week, within a week of being -- making it a calendar year without washing a pen and I didn't do it. And it's just truly -- it doesn't ruin the clothes, I still wear them and I can put more effort into figuring out how to get ink stains out. But it makes me so sad. Ugh! And it's not like it's one stain, there's like 10 tiny stains scattered throughout the clothes. It's terrible. Terrible.