Atlas Insider
Atlas Insider: Amazement
One of the drawbacks of having so much room to spread everything out at Atlas HQ is that you can bet items in every order will come from far-flung corners of the warehouse. If there are only two items to pack, one will be stored on a shelf in Eastern Time and the other will be on a shelf in Central Time. Approximately three thousand and eleven steps later, your order of a Field Guide and a coffee cup will be on its way to you. (It could be worse; I know an Amazon warehouse walker-arounder who says he walks about 25 miles a day on his warehouse floor and yes, he has zero percent body fat.)
It’s not ideal. We’ve struggled to come up with the best way to streamline the order picking process, but since we can’t exactly predict what combination of items will turn up (though we are pretty good at guessing correctly!), it’s been a hard puzzle to solve—and as MDK adds more things, those things get, well … spreadier.
Because it’s just not practical to rearrange the warehouse every time a new item gets added. No matter how popular we suspect it might become. It’s just always going to end up on the nearest empty shelf … even if that’s a mile away.
But there’s always a light bulb moment with these things … eventually.
During the early phases of the pandemic, I was doing all the grocery shopping for my parents. Once a week, Mom would text me her list and I would then re-write it in the order that my local grocery store is laid out—starting with produce and ending with drugs and ice cream (and yes, that’s pretty much a metaphor for LIFE if you ask me).
The goal was to go down each aisle once, no backtracking, so getting the order right really mattered. With the exception of the occasional curve ball (hello, pickled beets, which could have been with pickles or with beets and in fact turned out to be stocked in both areas, but also: Mom, why are you eating so many pickled beets?), this system minimized my time in the store and got me in and out in about ten minutes flat, no matter the length of the list. It worked perfectly (until they decided to rearrange the grocery store layout during a pandemic and yes, I wrote a sternly worded letter that began “Now you look here…”).
So that’s what we’re doing in the warehouse, starting next week. We finally got our automated magical pick-list machine to sort things in the order of the warehouse and in theory, we’ll be whizzing up each aisle exactly ONCE a day rather than running up and down the aisles trying to remember where the dang Dickie Pin is. The new way will tell us, “Start on aisle 1, dummy.” And that’s what we’ll do. And don’t @ us: we KNOW this is how bigtime warehouses do this already.
I’m not completely certain it’ll get anything out of here more quickly, but one thing it will do is allow other people to jump in and help—even if they’ve never picked before. We can just hand them the pick list and say, “Here you go, start at the beginning of the maze, little mouse, and we’ll see you in ninety minutes.”
Meanwhile, the rest of us will be enjoying a jar of pickled beets in the kitchen, giggling at the sucker pushing the cart around in the warehouse. Ssssshhhhhhhh.
A Giveaway
You do the picking this time! The prize: a set of any three MDK Field Guides from the Make Your Own Field Guide Bundle menu here.
How to enter?
Two steps:
Step 1: Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Snippets, right here. If you’re already subscribed, you’re set.
Step 2: What new system or tool or Word of the Year is going to make your 2022 amazing? Tell us in the comments.
Deadline for entries: Sunday, January 23, 11:59 PM Central time. We’ll draw a random winner from the entries. Winner will be notified by email.
Come Shop With Us
WOTY – 15 minutes of yoga each day
Focus
Word of the year
INTUITION
As is in, listen to my soft, wise, quiet voice first.
Editing – I’m focusing on what I love and use and letting go of the rest.
Patience: with myself and others (I teach and coach.)
Calm. As in stay calm as life presents changes
For 14 years I’ve edited our village magazine. Yesterday I realised that I could keep a diary of events instead of reading through all the back issues to see what was coming up
The agenda I purchase every year is the Passion Planner – and on New Year’s Eve, there was an automatic word spinner, where one could tap and get a randomly selected WOTY. I tried it twice, and both times got the word RADIANT. I’m going to go with that!!
WOTY – Courage
Courage to step out of my comfort zone in various aspects of my life.
My WOTY is POLITE. The word coveys the graciousness each of us would like to experience in our social interactions and in our inner interactions with that Little Voice in the Back of Your Head. Polite has everything to do with putting one’s best self forward.
Health/stickwithit. Because I lost 15 lbs and regained 13.5 in 2021
Finish… Close the circle on projects.
Aye!
Swarf!
WOTY= adjust. New job and new home in a new state. I’m going to adjust, adapt and embrace the new. I guess that’s several words of the year!
Health is my word this year
Breathe
My new bread drawer = more kitchen counter space. And, unlike the bread box, other people are using it.
It’s a DIY kit. Installation meant moving the dish towels/pot holders/aprons. Which are now much neater as well. And clearing out a junk drawer…which needed to happen.
It also involved a (strongly worded) letter to the manufacturer. Because cutting rigid plastic to size at home with an Exacto knife is an accident waiting to happen. Maybe this works if you have professional glass cutting experience. I am hoping the company that makes this product figures out a way to offer standard widths. Because it is a great idea.
Health
WOTY: menus, as in better advance meal planning. I like to cook and it’s a good thing since my husband and I never go out anymore but I find that unless I make weekly menus, my inspiration fades by the end of the week. With better advance planning, the task of coming up with a good home-cooked dinner isn’t a chore.
Outside, move, breathe.
Good one! 😉
WOTY=Balance
WOTY: f l o w
…as in
find the flow,
let it flow,
be the flow
Writing that one down in my brain!
Move – I have become too sedentary during this pandemic. It’s past time to starting moving, so daily walks are getting me moving again.
My WOTY is PRESENT. As in, put the phone down, get off social media, close the extra tabs and be present to the people and work in front of me.
“Over” as is “C**** is OVER”
More camping! With yarn and needles along, of course!!!
Exercise
AMEN!
two words… deep breaths
Walking
My WOTY is ADAPT. At work, at home, even at the newly laid out grocery store
Blessed – to be alive and well
Amen
Learn and make
WOTY: Sockathon! I’m making it a goal to knit at least one pair of socks per month, each involving a new-to-me toe or heel technique.
My daily “cope” list of things that includes things that need doing, self-care, exercise and learning new things. Checking off each item brings a sense of accomplishment.
One day at a time.
WsOTY: Find Joy!
Pickled beets.
My salads are going to so much more interesting!
REGAIN after the past 2 years we have had!
Grace.
Towards others, to myself
My WOTY is REST; I’ve been putting one foot in front of the other both at work and at home, and this year I will focus on rest for my body, my mind, and my spirit.
WOTY = Write
I have So Many Wips, so for me this is going to be The Year of the WIPs, and each time a wip is finished I will give myself a luxurious treat
My new system is an oldie, but goodie..with a personalized twist. Bullet Journal. But this year I’ve designed my own pages with the daily/weekly/monthly lists for my success in 2022.
Accomplish – it’s my year to finish a few UFOs and fill a sketchbook.
Garden! On my balcony, as a metaphor, as a way to connect with the beautiful broken world
SIMPLIFY
My word too 🙂
Color! I’ve been over sixteen years in widows’ weeds and this year I’ve donned the tie-dye sweatpants and TweetyBird sweatshirt. Fuchsia hair coming up, too!
I love this! Yes, be bright!
30 min of exercise each day.
W’sOTY: Learn something new and resume something once learned. I am looking into spinning yarn and resuming playing an instrument.
Joy – whatever task I have to do – find joy, appreciate all those who have contributed to your world as you do – those who made the stove, installed it, the gas that comes from the earths resources – the red cabbage soup that made this purple mess of the stove last night – now cleaning it this morning- I did sense joy, it works! Happy new year x
Embrace.
WOTY…Savor…life, projects, friends!
My word of the year is health
I think the new Word of the Year may be “Wordle”, the extremely addictive word game from England. And as for tool, I just discovered Purl Strings.
Wordle! Instantly addicted!
Have you tried Absurdle? It may use the same algorithm that defeats DG in picking.
WOTY – determined!
It’s so hard to just choose one word for the year! Every time I think I’ve got one, another comes to mind. I’ve finally settled on three – joy, kindness, and health.
WOTY(s) – fearless and trust. My system for 2022 is to become a more conscious consumer, emphasizing quality over quantity, and experiences over things (from Joshua Becker).
WOTY – patience!
Word: patience. Been working on this for years and will continue to do so. Mastered brioche knitting yesterday. Patience helped!
I’ve been baking bread for 12 years—grinding wheat berries in a beautiful wooden Komo grain mill and using dry yeast. This year, I’m going to learn to use sourdough starter for bread products. You have to start it 1-2 days before you plan to bake with it so I need to learn to coordinate it’s schedule of steps to fit around our schedule with three teenage sons.
If you figure out a schedule that works, let me know. Do sourdough bread bakers never sleep?!
Gratitude
Yes! Gratitude for what one has, every day. Sometimes thinking how lucky I am to have hot water changes everything.
My word of the year is “commit”, as in commit to finishing UFO’s. Just finished the first one and am now onto the second. I usually stall on a project because of getting stuck on a pattern or doubting some instruction. Things look very different after putting the project away for awhile and then bringing it out again
I’m a visual person, so analog calendars work best for me. With two kids with their own schedules now, my gift to myself was a big wall calendar with colors for each person. Now if only I could get around to hanging it.
Participate! And, I plan to venture forth into the land of cables, a previously uncharted territory in my world.
Your first cable is a magical experience that will make you feel so clever. You’ve got this!
My WOTY is ‘grateful’
Gratitude
The tool that will make my year amazing is a rental truck and my word of the year is move. It will be amazing.
Word of the year for me is FOCUS
Health, I really need to put my health in the forefront in 2022. Healthier eating, moving etc, etc, etc.
Focus and Finish
Hope is my word of the year. No acronyms here because I did both American Heart Association basic life support training and an acronym laden emergency freeze shelter training yesterday and I cannot hear or type another acronym today.
My 2022 new tool will be knitting in the continental style so I can attempt Fair Isle knitting.
Reactivate my dormant bullet journal.
Breathe
Minimal. Just keep it simple, don’t over complicate, don’t overthink
Create
Tool: I got some beautiful wooden boxes for organizing my circular needles!
Patience – not (only) with WIPs but with myself and others
WOTY…adventure…look for it, see it in unexpected places, help other people to find it, plan some
My word this year is appreciative joy!
WOTY – Breathe
My word…SIMPLIFY!
WOTY: completion.
My word is “minimize” because less is more, and there’s a house move in the not too distant future. I have to need, use, or love something to keep it. (So yarn stash will be gone through, but not as seriously as other items, like clothes, and kitchen utensils.) And I am using a Numbers (Mac woman here) checklist to keep me on track. And DJ, been using your grocery store method for years, and why did every grocery chain in the country change their layout in the last 5 months?
New tool for this year is magic loop. I want to teach myself to do socks with magic loop.
Yes, in the middle of a pandemic, when everyday is an unknown, let’s take a place where people feel like they know what they’re doing and mix it all up. Not great planning, store people. Unless confusion makes people buy more?
I believe that is exactly what they are doing! It’s a marketing ploy to make you search for what you need and hopefully do some impulse shopping in the interim. Totally maddening, isn’t it?
New system: BuJo.
“GROW”. Focusing on this brings in other words like ‘”health” and “healing”. Thank you for making me do this!
My word for the year is ‘mubble-fubbles’ (16th century): a sense of despondency and low spirits.This sets in on most Sundays, as my weekend draws to a close. But it’s fun to say, so starts to cheer me up when I say it!
Love it! I’m putting it on a post-it and will share with the family. Knowing there’s a 16th century word for this feeling makes one realize it will indeed pass.
Having a list and a full tank of gas, in case I toss the list and go
Strength! I’m in a year of many transitions as I move my 90 year old mom into my home, help my son find help with mental health and hold down a full time job. I find little time for self care and feel my mind and body getting weaker so…Strength.
I’m not entering, nor do I have a word—-I just want to thank your ongoing, very funny, writing style—— I love reading your writing. So thank you for the humor! Maybe I do have a word – Gratitude!!!!
My word of the year? FLOW – as in smooth and steady motion.
I’ve got a magnetic pattern holder. No more stiff cardboard and giant paper clips. Also, blocking mats. No more trying to stick pins into the mattress!
WOTY: Organize. I made one pass through my stash already (keep, donate, sell)!
Perservere
Words of the Year: ITS OVER lady, you can take off your mask now.
Seeing the paediatric patients who cannot be vaccinated coming into hospital with COVID infections and the adults without vaccinations, I know it’s not over. Keep your masks on please. We have to do the right thing, even when it’s hard.
Thank you.
Gratitude
I have 2 WOTY that I am going to try to use to help guide my 2022. Embrace – embrace the moments that are both comfortable and uncomfortable; Breathe – filling up my lungs as a reminder that I am still here, present, in hopes of also finding gratitude.
Going to write these down and remind myself to do same.
Yesterday I put together my very nice standing desk with all the bells and whistles (monitor arms with laptop mount! adjustable keyboard tray! preset heights with the push of a button!). Very nice desk chair is ordered, though that will take a couple months. I guess I finally accepted that working from home is the reality now, and I deserve to be comfortable.
My word/words of the year-Just relax.
Mine too – ‘Just Relax’ is what my mother always told me to do!
It’s not a word but I’m trying to be more in the moment. Multitasking can be great but it can also mean you never stop and enjoy. I don’t want life to just pass me by
TRUE …. with all it’s meanings to remind me….true to who i am and who i want to be (spiritual sense) … true and on course (construction-a true line or wall being straight) … true to others concerning me (honesty) …. True
Enjoy
Gizmo of the year – this week I got a Fraser rag cutter, for cutting cloth strips for weaving rugs etc. It’s so cool! Solid metal, heavy, you can tell it’ll last a lifetime. It’s like equipment from the ‘50s. It’s going to storm tomorrow so testing it out will be my project for the day. I’ve got a pile of denim and silk rags just waiting…
Simplify.
Jump in!
Now. I don’t know how long this will hold up in my world. I have a lot on my plate, and Covid restrictions and snow storms aren’t in my favour, but for now I’m jumping into all sorts of things! This monogamous knitter has THREE projects on the needles and 3 in queue!
Finish…as in all those WIP’s!
My word of the year is PEACE. I’m looking to God for his peace in this crazy world of ours.
Amen!
Knitting is going to make my 2022 amazing! It sure saved my 2021. I’ve used a MITTBACK trestle table leg from IKEA to build a winding station. It’s adjustable in height and has a shelf down below to hold yarn. Swift on one end, ball winder clamps to the other! Clever as the day is long. But what will really save me time (and give me more time for knitting) is that my mother considers winding yarn exercise and is willing to do as much I can set up. 🙂
Patience
my knit tool of the year is/are 9 in circs – they work for baby socks and for sleeves of top-down/bottom up sweaters
My word for this year is GENERALISM. A “generalist” is a person who has multiple areas of interest and talent. In the past I have felt unaccomplished because I have so many creative interests that I have never fully realized the potential of any of them. My goal now is to revel in the breadth of my creative endeavors–knitting, embroidering, sewing, clothing design, writing, and drawing.
My words of the year are going to be self-care
Forgiveness, don’t sweat the small stuff.
WOTY. – is kindness. Always a work in progress !!
COLOR.. our lives need more color, be it knitting or reading or jigsaw puzzles or …
Endurance
I’m going with CONTINUE. I improved my diet and have been walking five days a week. Sort of like ENDURANCE, but maybe less of a gritted teeth feel!
WOTY – ORGANIZE!!!
A system for picking out yarn from my stash!
Yoga and knit daily to keep the stress at bay
WOTY-Kindness, especially when it is not easy to practice. Runner-up is Reduce –> Use, Re-gift, Recycle.
I am reusing my planner from last year. This year I will be attempting to track my knitting but no promises. These grand plans usually pass by Valentine’s Day. My planner is refillable but the pages I like weren’t available so I’ve made my own. So, word for the year? Sustainable. Energywise, Earthwise, Carbonwise.
Declutter and get my personal warehouse in order!
My word is Novelty – I want to keep looking for new experiences to keep things interesting. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut especially right now in the winter when I can’t be outside
WOTY: Gratitude
Seeing life through the eyes of a puppy.
Intentional. I want to live on purpose. I want to intentionally choose….the businesses I support, the food I put in my mouth, the way I treat people, the activities I persue, etc.
My word of 2022 is patience…to accept what is and to enjoy the moment.
My friend (an episcopal priest) pulled a “star” word for me.
My star word is HEAL. I’m not particularly broken but it feels like a good concept to focus on this year
Living in New England, I’m taking the year in seasons and treating each season as it’s own distinct period. I do have a WOTY which is Move. My winter word is breathe and the new skill I’m working on is meditation.
What will I get that makes this year amazing? (BTW: LOVE DG!) Bobbins! 70 years ago I knit argyle socks, from a kit, for my boyfriend. He is now 88, sitting right here, and I intend to knit him some argyle socks. Why don’t you people put out a kit and restart the ancient fad?
DG, you most likely do not shop for your mom at Trader Joe’s! They move some things around every 2 or 3 months.
Declutter will be my 2022 motto: donate, recycle, toss, toss, toss…
It’s true, I do not…but I don’t shop there for me either. I did allow her to shop at CostCo herself, largely because 1) they were quite adamant about masking early on and 2) they rearrange things too much and frankly, it was too frustrating to find the barrel of coffee on her list.
Gratitude!
Civility
Stretch
I did yoga for 16 years and then my instructor retired and so did I (probably 16 years ago!). This is the year I get back to stretching (yoga), although I am still trying to find a spot and time of day to stretch everyday, I manage to knit everyday, but that is the opposite of stretching. Lol
FUN!
Looking forward to creating/making this year!
Hello! What fun to implement a new system. That’s always exciting. Best wishes and hope it doesn’t require too many tweaks. My WOTY is “forward.”
My word for the year is STEADY. Steady to be thoughtful about others, steady in love and steady in the midst of any storm.
I’m still looking for a new WOTY to replace the previous one, which is too profane to share.
Attention. As in pay attention! To everything.
Knitting from my stash only in 2022. Exception: yesterday’s purchase of yarn for a sweater despite a sign up over my computer that says, “no new yarn in 2022.”
Focus is my word of the year. Applies to many facets of life.
Just Knit…..everything will be better one day.
My 2022 word is explore. My mind. The outdoors. New activities. Strange foods and cooking. Maybe even a new way to organize the stash and needles and bits.
Simplify!
Patience
Loved to read everyone’s word for the year. Gave me food for thought. At the start of this pandemic I did some decluttering and while still in bed but awake this morning God’s message was there is still more to donate so I hopped out of bed and began to do just that. There is always someone who needs what I no longer need.
Strength!
My word this year is intentional. Also I plan to dive into color work knitting this year.
WsOTY are Stop Procrastinating. Procrastination is at the heart of most of what troubles me in life.
My WOTY is content.
Friends and Family. These past couple of years have been brutal. I miss everybody. I long for days when we can all gather for hours on end without worry, when we can hug and kiss without fear, when we can meet and greet new faces without anxiety.
My Nespresso machine, thank you very much.
Gratitude!!!
Health, life just continues as usual.
WOTY — invest. My time, talent, resources in making the world better.
Well, my word is CHANGE, oh I have no plans to change, but I’m going to be more receptive if the opportunity to change comes along
So excited to share my counterintuitive initiative- I rearranged stuff in my kitchen INEFFICIENTLY- so that I need to take more steps to get things done!
Words of the Year – Let it go
Hello Kristin,
Me too, kindred spirit!
Rebecca
My WOTD is Forward. Forward in all aspects of my life. As a beginning knitter, forward. As someone who just turned 70, forward…it’s just a number. As a human being, citizen and friend, forward. Don’t get caught up in the bad habits and ways of society. Remember the manners your grandmother taught you and lead by example…forward.
Hope…as an active verb, rather than wishful thinking. I see 2022 as the year of hope.
Embrace! After nearly 2 years of nearly NO hugging, I am ready to dive back into cheer up hugs, as well as embracing each day and moment with the giddy that I had as a child who just mastered knit AND purl!!!
Wordle!
My word of the year is RECOVER and I’m continuing my use of The Bullet Journal Method that I discovered last year and revisiting Flylady, a cleaning system that I found 20 years ago, but wish to recover use of in 2022!
The bond with my rescued cat-
She brings me peace, joy, love. What else is there to life?
Downsize and declutter: For a possible move to a lower maintenance home. I’m keeping my options and my mind open to the possibility of leaving my lovely but hard to age in home.
Word of the Year(s): GRACE
WOTY is follow-through. I have a large to do list of projects I should actually get done.
A sawmill. We bought a sawmill! We’ll make our own lumber.
WOTY is Finish. Always inspired to start something new. Have too many works in progress
Painfree. Hopefully after back surgery «
My WOTY is a phrase….Let It Be. I can’t change the world, or fix everything, so just Let It Be. So far, it is working. And, I have just discovered Wordle and love it.
Answer the dang emails the first time you open them.
The word for 2022 is obvs Wordle.
I’ve got a new house so I think my word of the year should be something subtle and deep. But at this moment I think it should simple be UNPACK….
Truth!!!
Clear
I think my word should be “No”. Especially to people who want to give me plastic grocery bags of Aunt Emily’s mystery yarns from 1960.
From an entry in last week’s contest… “do it now”. All those little things that only take a minute if you do them immediately, but add up to hours of time later. Not only is everyday life running smoother, but I’ve been inspired to sort out things that have languished since moving 18 months ago. Who knows? I may even get my stash better organized!
My word of the year is WHATEVER. It’s like playing dodgeball to get thru the day anymore, when you never know what’s coming from what direction. I’m just dealing with everything as it comes winging at me.
My word of the year is Ease. This is related both to ease enjoyed immediately, just by remembering it’s time, and ease enjoyed because you put in a little effort in advance, like doing yoga or rearranging a closet.
Words of the Year
Be Young at Heart
Block all the projects I’ve created over the past two years!
DG, your articles always make my day and give me a good laugh, much needed these days! Thanks for posting and giving a good idea on making my next shopping list more organized and the trip more efficient! Maybe MDK could get you folks trikes with carts on the back!
GOLF CARTS!
Delight in s my word. I want to daily remember the delights in my life
Words for the year: Radical acceptance and courage
Finish
Breathe. Because when all else feels like its failing, we can always go back to the basic breath to center, regroup, reevaluate, recharge.
Grace. Working to understand it and become it.
My WOTY, patience. With a new baby I’m learning all about the importance of patience, something I’m usually short on.
Kindness and activism.
Woty is Clarity. Focusing on making mindful choices on everything from how I spend my time to what I choose to knit that are in alignment with my preferences and values.
Adding pickled beets to my grocery list.
Move my body daily; focus on good health practices; pay attention to family and friends.
My Word of the year is doable. Breaking down large tasks into smaller easier to manage tasks. Making my life more doable and less stress inducing.
Gracious……everyone has a story. Be kind to each other!
My word of the year is JOY.. I am going to find JOY in my life every day… there is always something to be joyful about
Whatever system I can find or create to organize my stash will be mind blowing! Looking for ideas…
I’ve always thought I can’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Heck, I have a hard enough time keeping myself straight! My WOTY – Row Your Own Boat – came from a friend that was a elementary teacher. The teachers used this short sentence to explain to young children don’t worry about what other kids are doing just pay attention to what you’re supposed to be doing.
My WOTY’s MOVE. As in deliberately move my body more, primarily via more yoga and more walking!
BUILD – right in the middle of expanding my small business and realizing how much I have to learn!
N 95 Masks
These are going to help all of us stay healthy and avoid Covid!
I’m thinking a homemade beading tool made of wire so I can add the teeeniest of seed beads to my knitting. Maybe.
REPLENISH
WOTY = Breathe (as in take a pause). Don’t react before taking a moment. A little extra oxygen doesn’t hurt.
WOTY is kindness. Action word is simplify- donate, recycle, toss!
WOTY is socks. I have 4 brothers who I am pretty sure have never had a pair of hand knit socks. Now that we are all retired I think that time is now.
WOTY-FORWARD
Taking a lateral job transfer to FL. After 22 years of marriage, my husband finally cut the apron strings. Feels like we are newlyweds. Can’t wait. Start my new position on 2/1
My WOTY has got to be MOVE! Pre-pandemic, I took 3 classes a week at the pool in my gym. Now, it’s just too crowded to feel safe so I intend to focus on moving whenever and however I can. My body is reallymissing that, I just finished a 20 minute walk inside my house with music blasting. What a mood booster!
Consciousness.
One day at a time
Multiple words: Intention, Purpose, Decisive. (I had settled on these immediately after reading Max Daniel’s post.). These should be an antidote to the pandemic-imposed daily drift.
noteability app!
I plan to add WEAVE and QUILT to my textile arts this year
Move
Word of my year is TRUE in all its interpretations.
Mountweazle is my 2022 word…. looking for the made up or fake. Keeping me curious in this time.
My word of the year is KIND. To others and myself, and I tell you what, two weeks in and it’s harder than I thought.
strength
I have decided that I need to be able to make U Tube videos to keep up with my current crafts. Must keep up with technology. Cannot slide.
My organizational trick is to put all items back in my yarn bag as soon as I use them. Yesterday I spent half an hour running around looking for my small stitch markers. Emptied and searched yarn bag three times. No go. Found them sandwiched between some receipts for a mail-in wine rebate and a couple library books. Made perfect sense!!!!!
My word of the year is “balance”!
I already gave word but wanted to know if the warehouse aisles were like groceries ie signs at end saying FG, books, kits, Yarn GL, L&L etc. (Besides love, I think organize is a good one for this year so I can find things)
Minimize!!! Living in the same house (a 100 year old farm house with no storage) for 25 years with my husband who can’t part with anything and I’m running out of room! I go thru periods of weeding things out, but every time the kids come home who are of the generation of minimalists, they say we have too much stuff. You know what? They are right! So that’s the goal for this year-maybe a few yard sales to minimize and make money too!
Explore – new skills with each new project.
WsOty for me is BE NICE. I was sent into the work world with those words 40 years ago by my internship supervisor and over the last 2 years it seems like isolation has made many of us forget how to do that, including me. I can get back there, maybe that will help others get back there too.
Ps loved the zoom with Ann, Kay, Cecilia and friends from afar
WOTY – gratitude – appreciating every person, every project, every moment for what it teaches me, not dwelling on the past but bravely facing each new day with an open mind and heart
My (late) mother would make up supermarket lists by aisle. It’s a rare and good talent.
New tip – rewind a ball and suddenly it’s fatter … where was this my entire knitting life???
Tool – silly Susan Bates Handi-tool all of $1.99. I ‘dropped’ 2 somewhere in my chair and went out masked to get replacements. Handy indeed.
WOTY-Intention. It’s started well with my first finished object. Socks ta da!
I’ve decided to do Swedish death cleaning, hopefully giving me about three or so decades before I shuffle off this mortal coil.
Giving things away on my neighborhood’s incredible Buy Nothing group.
My WOTY is “Renaissance” as I’m focused on discovery, new beginnings and belonging. Learning Japanese stitch patterns,
Be Present and Go Slow. These words for this year will save me huge amounts of time, bumps and frustration. (Very distractible and try to go too fast.)
Steady!
Less is More, Need to declutter even more in 2022.
Balance – between what I have to do and what I want to do
What new tool will change my life? Two weeks before Christmas my old kiln broke down, ruining all the pots on it’s fully packed shelves. It was a cranky, temperamental and ancient thing, consistently requiring heroic repairs… In February a new Skutt kiln will arrive. It is set up in layers two people can pick up and stack! The settings are straightforward! We already have the electrical and venting planned! Right now the pots are stacking up, waiting for the day.
I’m just gonna white knuckle it through 2022.
WOTY-brioche.
My word of the year: Persistence.
“Tiny joy”
WOTY . . . Empathy
Patience
Challenge
Organize the STASH and journal it!
my cats teach me a lot about living in the moment, and they are a stress reducer- my pet therapy.
Funny you should ask…this morning we bought 3 of those reusable plastic bins that fit in the grocery cart (that other people have likely been using for decades). Now we have A New System for Getting Groceries which we hope will speed things up (I can’t believe you average only 10 min. DG) – we were 1.5 hrs today:(.
I had never heard of those, I just bought a set from Lotus. They look awesome!
POSSIBLE to learn
Finish what I start. And try once a month to finish something I started and didn’t finish.
LOVE. Start there and good things follow.
Be, be kind, be grateful, be patient, be loving, and most of all, be you.
I have 3 of the field guides. They are my go to, easy to understand and a perfect size. Wish I could have them all
Create. My goal this year is to create an outfit a month inspired by MDK And your article with Sonia Phillips. It will get me back into sewing and make my knitting more mindful and personal.
WOTY: Breathe (and finish a wip every month)
My WOTY is FIBER. All of it, in all forms, in all its glory. Whether it’s calling me from my local yarn shop shelves, running through my hands as I knit or weave, or yelling “visit ME” from my stash, it enriches my life.
A new printer
WOTY, Declutter!
Well, it’s more of an “un” word – can you say “unprocrastinate”? If do, that will be my word.
Compassion
My WOTY……Delight
May I take a moment (or three) each day to find wonder, joy, or delight in even the simplest of things. The lightbulb moment when something clicks for my first graders, the birds who grace my bird feeder each day, the sunset or moonrise, a knitted project, or feeling gratitude for accomplishing something I needed to.
Related: My best-ever New Year’s resolution was to toss all my ancient herbs and spices.
Still haven’t figured it out yet
Moving. THIS time when I unpack my worldly goods after not seeing them for 4 months, in a smaller house on the other side of the country, I WILL put things away in an organized fashion. But probably not.
I want to learn double knitting. Lucy Neatby has some amazing, beautiful designs and I am intrigued!
Follow-through is my phrase of the year for 2022. This relates to knitting, crochet, quilting, organizing. Move things to the next step, with a brief note defining the next process.
WOTY – NOW – live in the now not yesterday or tomorrow and finish those WIP’s NOW!!!!
Make beautiful things – with yarn or fabric or space…using color and wonderful textures.
Words of the year: embrace the change.
Abundance! I will be thankful for the abundant blessings that come my way and share them freely. This does mean that the corrugated shawl that I’ve wanted to make for years that came off me needles exactly when I was asked to charity knit isn’t meant for me, but even better to know that someone in need will be enjoying a truly beautiful item. I’ll make another for myself one day but sharing from abundance feels right ❤️
I read this post much earlier and have been thinking about it since. I came across a new word , or maybe just new to me. Liminality; the space between an old and new space. Interesting…
WOTY: direction
notice
My word is FOCUS.
Refillable
My word of the year is Radiance. For me and my knits. My bundle would be #10, #12 and # 17
First I want to say that whomever packed my (admittedly random) Christmas order gets a High Five for dimensional analysis and sitting on the box long enough to get the tape on it! BRILLIANT work . Thanks.
My WOTY: Notice…
Particularly the things that matter, and which are not related to my professional life.
Experiment!
My most fun year of knitting was allowing myself to try any pattern that intrigued me, without worrying about who I would gift it to. At the end of the year, I had a huge collection of mostly hats and some mittens/fingerless gloves. Took them to the family Thanksgiving (the last one BC -Before Covid) and let everyone choose what they liked and it was SO FUN AND SATISFYING!
Needing that again, so here I go!
Learn a new thig and pass it along to others!
My words are intention and joy. Focus and remember that even if it’s a chore or a have-to, like exercise, I get to do it. I’m healthy, I have what I need, and in that moment, everything is ok.
Gratitude for all I have and can give to others: my time, care and monetarily.
Fitness
My word for the year, (as it has been for several years) is KINDNESS. That means kindness to all, starting with me.
Colorwork! Bringing energy, hope and beauty to daily life,
My new “Mindful” swivel exchangeable needle cables from Knitter’s Pride are game changers!!!
I only want to use these cables from now on
New daily morning routine to wake-up my brain…knit 2 rows on temperature blanket, play Wordle, move to NYTimes spelling bee and aim to be Amazing (or more!).
I made a goal of start a new project do one pattern repeat (or so many rows) before starting a new project. Then do a pattern repeat of that one circle back and so on. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked yet.
DPN set for gnomes and socks
Improve
Accept: the way it was, the way it is and the way it will be….
I’m going to be honest here: I’ve got nothing. No word of the year, no snazzy time saving tool or method. Something that has stuck with me is this: there’s no way out but through. I’m trying to face the things I’m putting off or dreading head on. Also, I’m not afraid to rip out ufos and dnf books that aren’t doing it for me. I’m not afraid to put to rest or put in hibernation projects that need a break.
New tool: Butternut squash saw (keyhole saw) utilized for sawing plastic bottle to access the lotion at the bottom.
I used to use scissors to do the same thing! Then I found these zero waste bottle caps and they turn pump bottles into squeeze bottles and all the lotion gets used! https://www.containerstore.com/s/zero-waste-cap/d?q=bottle%20cap&productId=11009147
Action!
My word for the year is also Kindness. Starting with me. Sounds easy, right?!? And my new tool is new cables that swivel for my interchangeable needle set that are on their way to me. Hopefully that will end cussing at my needles and I will be kind to them too.
Two words: Courage and compassion. The courage to let go of obsolete ideas, responses, relationships and projects (maybe even stash). Compassion for my own imperfection as well as for others.
Asana for a to do list. Streamlining all my to dos and a narwhal on a rainbow flies across the screen when a to do turns into a Ta Daaaaah
My word this year is patience. We have been waiting months for major work on our house (siding, roof, windows) and siding MIGHT start this week. MIGHT.
When I use the Publix app to plan grocery shopping, it organizes my list in store order. Unfortunately it does not know when desired items are out of stock.
Kindness.
My WOTY is Contemplate, as in “think things through before acting.”
I started using a journal at the end of 2021 to record my soapmaking and knitting projects. This gives me hints and tips about what worked and what didn’t. It will be a big help going forward.
I have a new planner on the way with a week’s worth of spots on one page and a spot for notes on the page facing it. I think this will be a big help for easy access to the things I just need to get done at some point during the week.
My word and guiding light this year is curiosity. By embracing this word not only do I pledge to indulge my curiosity by regularly falling down rabbit holes of research (which, I’ll admit, I do often enough with and without prior planning), but to also to use that curiosity to bring me back to myself whenever I feel less than myself. 2021 was too much that way too often.
I’m also going to track my curiosity with an archive loop, knitting a row each day that I burrow down into something for the sake of plain old wanting to know more.
WOTY: LEGACY. We can no longer ignore that life is finite, maybe even more immediately than we told ourselves before. To me that means it’s time to get our stuff – photos, finances, so many things, my grandparents letters when they were sweethearts, endless documents – in order. My aim is that what we leave is less a scattered burden than a coherent family story and truly treasured items.
Grocery list: For years we used a pre-printed checklist of items we regularly buy, listed by AISLE in our local Market Basket. Then we switched from paper to a OneNote page with check-able boxes, so everyone in the family can check off from anywhere and has the list with them on every device. (Now we don’t go to stores anymore but I still keep the checklist going for online ordering.)
We use Google Keep for our grocery list for the same reason. Anyone in the family can add something to the list and, as long as you have your phone with you, you can view the list and check off items from anywhere. We also use it for family to-do lists and “Thank you cards to write.” So convenient.
Mindfulness
WOTY=blessings
“Committed”. To be kind, finish my WIPS, be healthy and enjoy life.
Compromise gracefully, something desperately needed right now.
Genuine
I have 3 words this year. Accept. Wonder. Rebuild. I will be grateful for what comes my way, be curious, and then rebuild my life the way that works for me.
Bujo – finally giving it a try! Let’s hope it organizes the aisles of my life enough to make picking easier.
My word—Expectation. As in, expectation of joy, of progress, of small good things happening every day. But also, Expectation…yes, that there will be big bumps, sorrows, hard things ahead. Expectation—I hope—will prepare me for the hard stuff while still reminding me to look for the happiness in being alive.
A 14-day fascia stretching program (hopefully on repeat)
My word for the year:
WEAR
Yes… actually two words! WEAR IT! I have a bin full of scarves, cowls and hats that I truly adore and forget to wear. So I am resolved to enjoy the fruits of my knitting labors and wear a piece daily. Or as often as our Okla weather allows. Even sitting at home, working on another project, I can wrap myself in self love and wear my beautiful yarn.
My WOTY, at least for now, is PATIENCE. For others and for myself!
Listen to audiobooks while I knit so I can “read” more.
My woty is engage.
My word of the year is Family, if I can’t be with them as much as I want I will make more effort to talk , text whatever to stay in touch. You never know how much time you have . And family is most important.
WOTY= move! As in, shake off the cobwebs and MOVE
Explore!
My new flat-edge scraper (I’m sure there’s a fancy word for the item but I don’t know what that word is). I’m learning to make homemade rolls and this tool with help me cut the dough in equal portion to place in the baking pan.
You might be talking about a “bench scraper”?
WsOTY are CREATE and ORGANIZE.
I’m going to eat more pickled beets too. I had almost forgotten about that once favorite food.
Strength. To confront and stand up against intolerance, inequality, and unkindness!
Family is my word because that is what is most important to me.
Don’t look back — you / me / we — are not going in that direction …. we can only change what we do next
Be kind (including my thoughts toward others AND myself).
The WYSE robot vacuum cleaner! It is too cute.
Received a new Apple Watch for my birthday this month. My WOTY is circles as I’ll be closing those health circles daily and knitting in between.
workbench — If I can convince my husband to give up his table so full of tools and who knows what that there is no room to do any work and I can never find the hammer.
My WOTY is actually a well known phrase: K.I.S.S. I’m facing some medical challenges and it would be much too easy to make things more complicated than they need to be.
My WOTY is Purge (as in household junk). I’ve already donated a boatload of items to the St. Vincent DePaul thrift store. It’s making me feel wonderfully liberated from the weight of old stuff.
WOTY-Kindness
Thankfulness. There is so much to be thankful for in the big and little things of life. You just have to look around and smile.
STASH!! I’m so trying to pick from my stash before by new…I’m thinking this might not work but I’ll try!!
I found that putting my stash in Ravelry really helped with that. It was easy to sort by weight whenever I found a pattern I wanted to knit! Yes, it is a chunk of time to add all the yarn to Ravelry if you haven’t done that, but it has been well worth it to me. I then made a personal rule that anytime I acquired new yarn, it didn’t get put with the stash unless I’d put it into Ravelry.
I am getting my other knee replaced this month and hope, after recovery, to have a better, more mobile 2022.
Believe- as in quiet the voices and believe you are a force
Kindness. We’re so often in the habit of being grumpy these days, just lightening up will make my year way more awesome.
Retirement will make 2022 the best year ever. I plan to knit all the things, learn to weave, and finish all my ufos. The tool making all this possible? Time!
I have decided this year I’m not going to make any more project bags as my WIP pile is of a nice depth. However, each project bag is in need of it’s own notions set so I’m not digging around through projects every time I need a scissors or a stitch marker or whatever. So my plan is to acquire the cute little tins I always ooh and aah over and fill them up with the appropriate goodies and have one for each project bag.
There’s an upcoming yarn crawl and I’m saving my money and telling myself not to buy any more yarn….. We’ll see how well that works!
My Word of the Year – “Commencement” I’m retiring this year and commencing a new stage of my life
Nothing very innovative here. My mantra of the year is “just try”. Just try to stand straighter, eat another vegetable, drink another glass of water, etc. In time I can build on this; just try woodworking, scuba diving, etc. We shall see
At the moment, my loome tools are pretty entertaining.
Health. Just going to focus on staying healthy and not worry about much of anything else for a year.
My WOTY is shalom” as completeness, safety, soundness (in body), welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment,.
My word of the year… LISTEN…
WOTY- flow. Because we could all use more dopaminergic reward.
I got a Norwegian knitting ring in my Christmas stocking – I’m hoping it helps even out my stranded color work
My WOTY is PATIENCE, which intrinsically comprises PAUSE and LISTEN as well. So many little bumps-in-the-road in my daily life can be more successfully mitigated if I just remind myself to have a little PATIENCE. Added bonus is that I become a more pleasant human to be around.
Edit.
After a year that included a cancer diagnosis, breakup of a 38-year marriage, evacuation from wildfires, the pandemic resurgence, etc., I’m hopeful about moving on to a lighter, if not amazing new year. Actually, how could it not be amazing in comparison to 2021? Or did I just jinx myself?
WOTYs: Courage, Healing, Growth
Word of the year: GRACE. Space and grace. For self and others
Use the mantra, “Try not to rant” while driving, grocery shopping, watching tv, reading political email, knitting brioche…
Grace, towards myself and everyone around me, (even strangers!)
I do this with my grocery list! Mama taught me well. Thanks for the chuckle
My phrase for 2022: an abundance of caution. That’s it. fits almost any situation.
My WOTY is Productive, and so far I am doing good.
Creative coping
Awareness — of the world around me and writing these in my journal.
Perservere
Wonderful to have you back! I’ve missed you, DG!
Stop.
Breathe.
Unclench jaw.
Make a better decision!
The system that is going to work for me to learn new things while enjoying what I already know how to do…. Use materials I have and make something new!
My WOTY needs to be Skip. Skip the TV news, Skip the doom-scrolling of online newspapers. Skip the Fwd: Fwd: Fwd emails people send me. Preserve my sanity. Hide behind my yarn!
CREATIVITY- I am going to study and work to be more creative in 2022!
Patience.
Because hopefully the pandemic will eventually end. Patience.
I’m taking advice from Roxanne Richardson from her youtube videos about setting up knitting spreadsheets! You can use them to calculate total stitches knitted and from there I’ve been able to estimate how much yarn I’ve been using for projects, which really comes in handy for knitting with handspun.
My WOTY is SHARE – Share joy, share love, share time, share attention.
RUN – signed up for three half marathons in 2022
Word: “Empathy.” as defined by Brene Brown (on youtube).
Staring contest.
Similar but subtly different from staying seated on my high horse. I have one staring contest I will win this year, and it will be epic.
Experience – in all its permutations.
Healthy! “What is the healthy choice?”
Gratitude for blessings instead of complaining
I’m getting back into bullet journaling!! Very excited for my life to be organized once more.
My WOTY: Wisdom. Seek it, recognize it, use it.
My WOTY is “Enjoy”. I want to spend more time enjoying my hobbies, especially knitting.
To complete knitting projects. I organized my To Do knitting projects in a list on my iPhone with pics and my yarn choices. This way I specific know what lovely projects I can look forward to making this year!
My two WOTY: love and patience…for myself and everyone in my sphere of influence!
WOTY – follow-through. Actually complete the things I plan or start.
Intentional…live life with purpose.
WOTY: Be kind.
I love pickled beets!
System: my bullet journal, constantly evolving in a quest for improvement. WOTY: explore, as in : try new things, but don’t feel you have to commit to any of them.
WOTY: Simplify!
I’m trying to stop emailing myself random reminders. If it’s important, I’ll remember it when I have time to actually add it to my to do list!
I have too many. Declutter, breathe, relax, give, thank, joy, share.. Mom used to tell me, “just live”,. She knew I always tried to fix, handle, improve or take care of everything. Hence my anxiety even before covid. I think I shall try to just live. Thanks Mom
PS. Grocery stores move items frequently, I think, they think by spending more time in store you will spend more money. Oh ha ha I give up and leave. I’ll pick it up elsewhere.
Favorite knitting gadget, a measuring tape and small crochet hook in every project bag.
Organize
Two words for this year: explore and enjoy. New knitting projects, new (mostly plant-based) recipes and new forms of exercise. Can’t wait to get started!
I don’t have a product or system but I have promised myself to swim at least 4 mornings a week. This keeps me pain free and is good for my head too!
WOTY: Delight!
my word of the year is “be kind”
Yarn winder is my tool for 2022. It was a gift and I hope to take it for a spin this year as I’m retiring in two weeks! Yeah, 2 weeks.
Word of Year Reliance.
WOTY is grace
Spiritually and knitting together!
I’m all about the spiral habit tracker this year.
My WOTY is Hope, which actually originated from Old English meaning faith and confidence in the future. So, not really “I hope I get to knit every day”, more sincerely knowing this WILL be a good year ahead. At least, I’m working on it.
My new tool: I was gifted a new gauge finder that I’m looking forward to putting to good use. Correct gauge can be elusive and this tool will make the pursuit much more enjoyable!
I have decided to order stainless steel reeds for my 40” loom since my attempt to remove the rust from the ones I brought from Colorado (where I could have them for a century and they would not rust) rusted almost immediately in this humid climate in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
I wish I knew how to journal.
My Word of the Year is Joy actually I have had it since 2019, #joy what is it that brings joy to others or even myself? Sunset, finishing a project, family, service just life itself we are a blessed people.
Gratitude
PRACTICE
As in, consider everything practice so as to enjoy the journey. Practice walking, practice knitting, practice yoga, practice eating well. I’m hoping it will set my mind in a different direction.
non-binary. Read the definition and I’m still confused, but I’m trying to keep up. Life can get confusing these days. All we can do is try and keep an open heart.
Sleep training my baby so I can have a consistent 6 hours of sleep a night aftet 13 months of complete chaos.
You will not regret it! Sending well wishes your way. The beginning is hard but well worth it.
Patience
Breathe and remain calm.
Swedish death cleaning (leave the stash till last though!)
Word of the year- Retirement ….now how does one DO that without stressing? Not doing vs doing nothing… reread Casteneda? (but the experts call that fictional now)
Health
Exercise! I know these dogs are too old for long hikes but exactly what is my problem? Will they divorce me if I walk without them?
Breathe. Take the first step.
For me the word will be “retirement”. My husband is retiring soon and I will be following him in the next 12 months So everything I do this year will be for the last time! And boy does it feel good to say this!
WOTY – CURIOSITY- to get me out of my comfort zone – to help me understand the other person’s point of view – to learn something new
My word for the year is Faithfulness
My word is celebrate! Each and every day,
My WOTY is “connect”, a gentle reminder to stop mindlessly scrolling; to be human at my colleagues (rather than just an efficient encyclopedia); and to consciously take time to call friends/family overseas.
P.S. As an Australian – yes to the picked beet! Put them in your burger for a peak food experience.
Compliment and encourage with love
organize! My knitting tote is organized with project bags and needles and instructions, and will stay that way all year!! Mmmphhh,.. maybe not…
Grace
WOTY = BE, and know it is enough. My tool of the year is Barber knitting cords – where have they been all my life? They make trying on sweaters as you go a breeze.
HOPE
WOTY = Reinvention I’m afraid I’m anticipating becoming a member of the
“great resignation,” and I will need to start afresh at 56 years old. I’m not terribly worried since I belong to the healthcare we-need-you-now club of nursing. We’ll see how it goes. Even if I stay where I am, I will need to formulate a ten-year plan.
I have already forgotten my WOTY. Why didn’t I write it down?
Gratitude; establishing gratitude practice. Great full for what you all bring to my life.
I bought a disc-bound planner that I’m using to write all of my ideas, lists, etc. It’s so easy to rearrange the pages if I decide to reorganize the sections and/or put pages in completely different books. It’s like the best combination of spiral and 3-ring notebooks.
My WOTY for 2022 is Mindfulness
I finally have pom-pon and tassel makers. My hats will be fab!
WOTY – Steady. I feel if I can just continue forward, eventually I’ll come out the other side of all of this. BTW -noticed in the bio that your sister has a rat terrier. We have three rat terriers. All rescues from Alabama!
Like you, I’ve decided to figure out a new way of making lists and keeping track of my schedule that I”m hoping will work better for me than my previous efforts. I need a list, but more than that, I need a list I will USE.
Instead of thinking how difficult something is going to be, think about easy you can make it be and enjoy it.This mode of thinking has it limits, but the idea is to minimize whining. There is much to enjoy in. life if you don’t throw up roadblocks;
My word of the year would be – Promise.
KISS – keep it simple, stupid. My mantra, and works for just about everything
My new tool will be a modified bullet journal, not as a way to keep track of tasks and how I may not be keeping up with them but as a holder for my plans and ideas. See a project I would like to knit – put it in the journal along with whatever yarn ideas, style notes etc. so that when I do get around to starting it, I’m not looking all over for what was that pattern. Same with my garden, write down those ideas of what to plant and where in the journal so that when the seeds come or I go to the garden center I know what goes where..
Word of the Year – PATIENCE!!!
New system: Getting items I’ve “decluttered” out of my house as soon as possible.
My goal for the first half of the year is organization: starting over my Christmas holiday, I’ve cleaned out/reorganized my closet, and a few kitchen cabinets. Lots more to do, especially since I only have until mid-July. At which point my twins are due, so my goal for the second half of the year is to minimize the chaos!
Last year was my first “Word of the Year.” I was amazed at how helpful it was. I am doing it again and my word is “Present.” As in – stay present. Be fully present to the task/person/situation/moment at hand. I am a dreamer. This is already helping me.
Simplify … I tend to over do and over think things.
WOTY = Chill
My WOTY is embrace. First, embrace ME, with all my faults and foibles! My sweet family….overlook the drama, the challenges and truly give in to the joy of their company. And finally accept and embrace the vanishing presence of my mother in her dementia.
So many inspirational thoughts here… I thought about ‘focus’ and ‘finish’ and ‘simplify’, among other great WsOTY, but I finally settled on “train”: As in: train my new puppy to be a good canine citizen, a good hunter (he’s a lab), and hopefully train him to help my husband who recently had hip revision surgery; and importantly, train myself to be a more disciplined housekeeper, to make more time for knitting, and to organize and reduce my stash and knit up my WIPs and queue projects. That knitting time will be my reward for success.
Woty
‘strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow’
Turns out to be a line from a hymn
Regain and positive. Since this wonderful global event called a pandemic my entire world flipped upside down and inside out. I have reevaluated my entire life for the better. I have slowed down had to my health made me, when I look around there is so much negativity that it shocked me so this year my goal is to focus on the good the wonderful and the amazing; put out only positive energy and regain my health wellbeing.
Removing hate from my vocabulary and life is important and I love all of these words of the year!!
Thank you for being my happy place during the last 2 years!!
Focus and Positive. The last two years have been brutal on the entire world. It has forced me to reevaluate what I thought was important to having the perfect life. BTW There is no such thing!!
I am focusing on my health, my craft and focusing on the positive! I am also going to focus on the small things in life that bring joy!
I am removing hate from my vocabulary as I agree it is overused and is a vile word. I also see how much it snowballs and turns good people into negative and grumpy people who hate everything and can’t see joy. So hate is out and positive is in!!
Thank you for the inspiration
My new motto « use my stash »!
Forward
My newest tool is a wooden yarn holder-I don’t know it’s official name, but it’s like a mini lazy-susan with a tapered dowel in the center, and I love it! I have several yarn bowls which look beautiful but do not really seem to keep my yarn contained (or the way the ball jumps around inside it is way too tempting to feline companions). This new tool works beautifully, whether I pull the yarn from the center or from the outside of the ball. I’m looking forward to usung it for years to come.
Purge!
WOTY Simplify I just want to make things easier and calmer by not tacking every thing that comes along, so it’s time to make some choices to eliminate and simplify things a lot!
I finally ordered a yarn swift and it is going to mean not taking an hour to hand-wind a ball from a skein draped oh-so-carefully over my knees going forward! Well, until the inevitable tangles happen… but then my P(hrase)OTY is “just go with it”, so that’s gonna be fine!
Peace. As in do not let …. disturb your peace.
My word…self-care.
WOTY: LISTEN
Because it has all been said before, but probably wasn’t heard. Cheers!
Danish Dough Whisk
“Today is going to be awesome!” (Repeat as needed)
yes,we can
My word of the year is sleep. I have a new baby and am hoping thinking about this will manifest some into my life.
I solemnly promise to carry a crochet hook in my purse AT ALL TIMES! Emergency knitting projects kept in the car may vary but the crochet hook will forever maintain it’s honorary hand bag status forever!
WOTY: Encourage….as in using my voice to purposefully encourage and uplift others.
This is very simple, but I think I’m going to get a new phone–my current one loses battery power much too quickly, and the quality of life improvement will be significant!
Be brave and knit with abandon!
Okay, my new tool, and I sure hope it makes my life easier, is an electric 16” chain saw. Using a pruning saw to reduce. Dead trees to lift-easy logs just doesn’t cut it. ♀️
PATIENCE enjoy the moment!
I am learning to find amusement right where I am! It can start when I pick my first word for today’s Wordle. Today I started with cutie; why did that make me happy? No idea! Yesterday, my coworker, Megan, found a post-it note on a document printed a year ago. I had written this was printed by Megan who is way smarter than I am. I’m sure I never expected her to see that! And I grinned all afternoon.
My system is going to be Finish it February to reduce my pile of UFOs!!!
Practice kindness & compassion.
Write more, walk more, finish some UFOs!
Tool of year: Coco Knit tools. A splurge to use with all the new yarn and kits I’ve purchased!
My WOTY is grace. I’ll be giving it to others and myself as much as I can ♥️
WOTY – Kind. There seems to be so much unkindness these days. My mantra is to stop and think before saying anything, listen more than talk and of course, do unto others.
Choices
Patience….. with others and myself
Hope.
WOTY- Confidence! Listen to others’ ideas, but trust my own as well:-)
Breathe!!!!
Enthusiasm is my word of the Year. I am here, in as much if my right mind as ever, and mobile. This is the Year to capitalize on the opportunity to be around the house…just in case that is the way it needs to be. I am enthusiastic about time at home to knit!
Amen
Retirement!
Wonder…be open to see it in the smallest of things
What a great challenge. I think my WOTY will be joy. Life is good but the bad makes it easy to forget sometimes.
My favorite new tool this year is the knitting barber – a thin silicone tube that is used to slip sts on to hold them (e.g. for holding sleeve sts or transferring body sts on to while trying on the garment. Practical and fabulous!
I’ve been doing word of the year for a few years now, since one DIL got me started. This yr is: PRACTICE (doesn’t have to be perfect_
Breathe.
Hockey! Playing ice hockey with a great group of folks 2 or 3 times a week! They’re awesome and it makes me so happy.
My word is charitable. I’m trying to be more charitable in my heart towards my fellow man.
“You can be bigger than this.” It has so many applications and besides, I’m already bigger . . .
Finish
Journal…this is the year I will record my progress as a knitter and a runner, my two favorite activities
Make do and mend
A handvac that my husband can use!
My WOTY is organization. Out with the old unused things I no longer need.
My new system for 2022 is Drink More Large Cosmos!
I just got some shorty interchangeable needles for sleeves and tried them out, oh my gosh, I love them!!
My WOTY is organization. Out with the things I no longer need and finding a new home for them.
Perseverance! This can be applied to every aspect of my life!
Breathe!
Slowly
I say down and figured out a system of project rotation for wips and new cast ons so I’ll finish up languishing projects I love and get the excitement of new ones
A sketchbook.
Loving-kindness
I’m going to try to plan and record in a bullet journal. I want this to stick.
Being ergonomically smarter with how I position my body to prevent aches and pains from marathon knitting sessions.
My phrase of the year? “Pay closer attention!”
Anticipating a move and beginning to think hard about what needs to go. Looking forward to streamlining and simplifying.
WOTY is Aware
WOTY is MOVEMENT. Movements to take action on my ideas. Movement if my body. All the dance moves!
Honestly, i just re-started knitting in November 2021- so I want to stick with this tool of relaxation and finish projects!
Retirement. Mine starts 1 February!
Word of the year: simplicity. Less of everything – complicated goals, recipes, stresses, stuff.
Sweater. Haven’t knit an adult size sweater in 40 years. Working on one now, for myself.
Finish…I started with a vague idea that I had a lot of WIPs that were hanging out taking up storage space. Then the new wood floors arrived and I had to empty every bedroom and my studio. The large number of WIPs is no longer vague and it is all fiber forms inclusive. Before the floors could be installed hubby came down with covid and then 4 days later so did I. Now we’re quarantined in our house with stuffed to the gills living areas and emptied bedrooms. As I sit among the mountain of bins “finish” is taking on a new sense of importance along with “purge” and “prioritize.”
I think I already have a good system so I’m going for spontaneity this year.
My word of the year is stretch
Balance
Patience
I’ve never steeked! I can’t wait to try it.
Gratitude
relax
Qi Jong
Acceptance is my word. It is what it is so just make the best of it!
Hope!
Word: Focus. Address the projects in progress before starting the new ones.
Word of the year: self-care
After all, if I don’t take care of myself, no one else will. I am working to stop giving away so much of myself that there’s nothing left to give to me, myself, and I.
This is the first year in a long time when I am not having a paper calendar on my wall. I already use an electronic calendar on my computer that syncs with my phone; I enjoyed seeing the pretty photos and a visual of each month on the wall, but keeping both updated was sometimes a drag. Hopefully this will simplify things.
Just love.
The word..and daily habit is wordle!
Companionship is my 2022 watchword. I always feel better after human contact with lovely people!
WOTY: Kindness. Towards myself and everyone else.
Word of the year – anti-diet! Applied beyond just food … meaning live joyfully in this moment and allow myself to experience pleasure. Doesn’t mean being selfish or indulgent all the time … but recognizing that the world sucks enough already and there is no need to pile guilt onto myself for enjoying the good parts sometimes.
I’m going to begin using a dot/ Grid notebook to sketch out projects and document them as I go!
Prayer and Family
Organization
Move
Breathe.
My word of the year is BREATHE! I can handle anything as long as I remember to breathe.
Yoga and not buying anything unless absolutely necessary.
WOTY: R.E.S.P.E.C.T !!!!
My organizational activity this year will be going through ALL.the.bins. of kids clothing and baby toys and children’s books that belonged to my three grown children and that I’ve been saving in hopes of grandchildren someday. I’ll pare them down to maybe one bin a piece and give the rest away to be USED by children who need them. I’m not giving up on grandchildren yet but I know when I finally DO get some I now realize that I’ll probably want to buy them NEW things. My husband will be most grateful to be able to walk through our basement again some day. It’s been a long time coming!
Intention. Try to live my life with more intention in my daily activities.
awakening!
Balance! On all levels – starting the day with meditation and working on my temperature blanket (thanks MDK!) will help!
My new tool is an electric kettle. I’m surprised how often I need really hot/boiling water.
Joy!
I’ve finally put seeing and took lots on each level of my house. The things I am always needing to go find somewhere else in the house.
I have joined a new wellness center and do senior fitness three times each week. Lots more energy . Also have joined a great knitting group that meets at the Irish ☘️ pub weekly.
EXPERIMENT! especially in knitting, I want to try new techniques.
Words of the year: No Fear-just go!
My word(s) is something my husband said to me recently that I’ve gotten away from…. Listen to your gut.
My WOTY is Finish. As in finish things that I start in a timely manner. It’s more of a goal than a hard rule but I tend to pick up and drop projects (for days, months, years) and it would make me feel happier, calmer, more accomplished if I could cross some of these projects off my list as finished.
I’m re-starting my journaling in a notebook that lets you move pages around…this is good because I won’t have have feeling of, “I *should* have put this back there, but now it’s too late, so I’ll just give up altogether.” I can re-oragnize as I go.
Calm down and enjoy what you have in life that is wonderful!
Friendship. Between retirement and Covid I’ve lost touch and this year I’m going to reconnect. Even if it’s just a phone call. But texting, email, and social media don’t count!
WOTY = Love. Love God, Love others, Love self, Love and learn from present circumstances.
Next steps. I know it’s 2 words but 1 idea.
Finish. Finish the what I’m working on. I have way too many projects that need to be finished. I can’t even find them! I can only imagine the joy I’ll feel when I’m holding my sweater, socks, blanket- finished!
Resilience. Because I can bounce back and move forward with grace and strength!
My word for the year is Unstuck.
Kind. As in “How can I be kind to another /to myself in this moment?”
My word of the year is HEALTH.
Patience
Winging It
WORDLE has forced my brain to wake up early in 2022. Just as necessary as a daily vitamin.
Different size needles on a circular!
Phrase for life: People first, as in “walk away from social media and look someone in the eyes when you talk.”
Patience is my word of the year. Thanks to Max for that lovely essay!
A plan to work through all my WIPs and my Word of the Year, “fearless”, could make 2022 a fabulous year!
WOTY is THRIVE….in all areas! Health, business, and relationships
Diligent
– To focus on my diet and exercise plan
– To finish my current whip (sweater)
– To focus and invest in my reading plan
WOTY: Respect.
For myself and my feelings, my family members and other people, and nature.
Practice a micro-habit such as: When I
find myself with a free hand, ask myself, “What can I bring with me?” Apply this to a certain
room, my office, or my car—any area of my life that can quickly become overwhelmed with clutter.
Color!
Knitalong (will be my first!)
Be Intentional — is my guidance for the year. So — really trying not to get seduced by all the beautiful yarns I see — and work with on the projects I have in my stash!
My 2022 WORD OF THE YEAR is SMILE.
WOTY = Flexibility. I am a planner who is realizing there are benefits to just going with the flow sometimes. And I am getting back to knitting this year. There’s been a pandemic pause with my knitting and I am determined to carve out the knitting time again!
WOTY: Onward!
My word is PEACE…. I need peace, I seek peace.
WOTY- boundaries. It speaks for itself.
My word is Tolerance (toward others)
Reorganize. Make more time for knitting and creating.
Lists! I make a list, draw my own little boxes and check them off as I complete tasks. During the day, I add to the list if I think I can get that done as well, and I always create a new list for tomorrow before I leave work for the day. I have separate lists for home and the top of every list is KNIT, followed by READ. Those two are no-brainers, but it’s nice to check something off even on the most relaxed days.
New tool – sparkling Benu fountain pen to bring joy and illuminate every day.
I’m loving the potholder loom “tool” I received as a holiday present. I’m about to start my 3rd pair. The throwback to my childhood has been such fun.
My WOTY is contentment.
Organization. As in I’m going to organize my stash by yarn gauge so when I want to knit a pair of socks I don’t have to look in 10 totes to find it.
Patience
Can I have 2 WsOTY? Patience and Kindness. Patience in hoping this (pandemic) too shall pass. And Kindness to make up for some of the people who have completely lost their manners with the way they treat others.
Today I read a post referring to the “Ome Minute Rule”. Which suggests nor putting doff until another time anything that will take a minute or less to complete. I’m trying it out!
Actually I have TWO words of the year, frugality, and practice (which refers to my ukulele.)
Walk. I hate to say it, but the rule that is working is: I have to walk before I can knit.
Retire
Balance!
Chill
Creative
4 gigantic wall calendars in my office. Being able to see and write on them has already been a tremendous help for keeping track of ALL the THINGS!
I have recently started to use my Wonder clips for many chores including trying on unfinished knitted things. They are great!
WOTY- ENERGY. Cultivating it. Focusing it. Sharing it.
Knit a little—or a lot!—every day.
Schedule…as in be more conscious of how the day plays out so I get more things done. Instead of getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle of the internet and social media.
M’y word of the year is endemic. May we all escape this pandemic. Stay health6 and take care of your self and those you love!
COURAGE – to go it alone next month and take our adventure van from Sonoma county to the Pacific Northwest to visit old friends, and keep going north to take a ferry to the San Juan islands…. (And take my cardigan knit along project with me!)
Generosity
word of the year release
WOTY. Focus
WOTY- sell. As in the house. As in, need to organize, redecorate, sell.
Civility and respect, this world needs more of it 🙂
More knitting!
Spinning. As in learning how to spin yarn.
Discovery
My husband of 48 years passed away in 2021. I’m using this year to discover who I am as a single person
Tool o’ the year for me is Wordle (https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/). I love a good word game, and this one gives me three to five minutes of hyper focus that also stimulates the ol’ grey matter. Six tries to figure out a five-letter word settles my mind and gets me ready for the next thing… gee, that kinda sounds like knitting, no?
My goals and words for this year are re-connect and organize.
Yes! Organize!
It feels good.
Same here! My studio is so out of control
My word of the year is: Healing. And that means absolutely anything that brings me in that direction… so, of course, all things yarn, color, creativity, and mindless happiness count!
I’m going with the Fs: Fun, Fitness, Focus, Finish. I’m mentally tagging activities with an F or a multiple of Fs and, often, I remind myself to find the Fun
Stand up for myself, my worth. (I deserve a raise at work!)
My word is CURE, since I have an incurable cancer!
My WOTY has got to be health. I spent last year at doctors and PT trying to resolve some minor and 1 not so minor health issues. It’s time to have a healthy year.
I am strong.
(Thank you Yoga with Adriene)
My WOTY: progress!
Reslilience…otherwise known as “making lemonaMyde out of lemons” or “rolling with the punches” In other words, I am trying to find a bright spot out of any difficulties. Pandemic numbers going up makes more time to find and finish projects that got put aside because something else bright and shiny came along. My husband likes this plan…I finally finished an afghan that I had gifted him several Christmases ago, short a couple of stripes and woven-in ends. And, it was just in time for this spell of cold, icy weather.
Praying
Does sleep training my infant count as a system? It’s definitely going to make my 2022 better!
WOTY : content. If I am content with myself and what I am able to accomplish then 2022 will be a good year. I do not have to make 12 pairs of socks, 8 sweaters, buy only indie dyed yarn, and attend (even virtually) every fiber festival in the world or buy every new pattern that is released, to be a true knitter. I just need to be content with what makes my heart sing.
CALM
WOTY – Organize
Health. Waiting for surgery.
Finish. Finish all the UFO’s in my house. I’m a knitter and a quilter, so I have twice as many UFOs.
Focus!
This year is my year to work down my credit card debt, then on to retirement and more time for knitting!
My word for the year is “inspiration”.
Kindness (my second choice would be a request “Hey DG please resurrect The Psychopedia!!”)
Knitting journal! Inspired by Andrea Mowry’s spinning journal, I’ve started a knitting one. No more trying to read scrawled notes on crumpled patterns about how I altered it or who I made it for, so satisfying to enter my 2 completed projects this year. And just for fun, I put calendar stickers in the front and am putting a colored dot over every day I knit.
changing iphone setting to allow charging via usb accessories
My word of the year is PATIENCE. Patience with myself and my knitting, in other words don’t fret about many WIPs, just pick one to work on and go. Remember that each time a knit a row, progress is made. Take the time to learn new skills along the way.
I’m calling it a tool but I recently discovered my city’s Buy Nothing group on Facebook. It has inspired me to start going through stuff and purging. It’s so easy! I’ve been talking about going through stuff for YEARS, and I’ve finally started.
The word of the year for me in 2022 is HOPE. Thank you for inspiring hope 🙂
Learning Double Knitting and stranded knitting!
I just got myself a *collapsible* bin for washing all my woolens and hand knits. More room than my bathroom sink! Collapses for easy storage! I am very excited.
Organization. These past 2 years have thrown all my old organization methods for a loop it is time to recreate or reimagine them– starting with the empty 5 drawer unit and project planner sitting next to me.
Balance. I am going to try to find balance between work, knitting, designing, and exercise. Hopefully I can find a good routine.
Mindfulness. I want to be present and focusing on the moment!
WOTY—Gratitude
WOTY – Clarity
Word of the Year–Finish. I resolved not to add to my UFO pile. Thanks for the giveaway!
I’m not sure I can sum it up in a word (or what the ‘system’ is called), but would like to do the ‘cleaning for 15 minutes per day’ to keep my place better organized. I think that’s all I really need to do (YMMV — your mileage may vary).
I have listened to a declutter/cleaning system book a few times and decided to assign a couple chores to the days of the week. Like Vacuum Wednesday, Bathroom Tuesday, Change beds Saturday. I know these tasks need done regularly but they never seem to happen. My house is slowly getting shiny and is so nice to hang out at.
I think year my guiding light will be GENTLENESS — both with myself and others. I feel like we are all a little raw and tender at this point, so gentleness will do a lot to make things go more smoothly.
Patience
Going to try using a bullet journal this year!
Word (Phrase) of the Year: It doesn’t MATTER! Really, that little thing? It doesn’t MATTER!
The tool I could use most are the Buddy? Cabinets from IKEA to store and organize my yarns and craft stuff.
Unveiling
COLOR! All the colors.
My word for 2022 is PRACTICE. It can apply to many aspects in life. So far I’ve practiced knitting colorwork with both hands.
My words of the year are “Let go!”. I need clear out my home to make it more comfortable and livable. First big job is cleaning my second bedroom to make it a useable office space and to do that I need to get rid of things. Just let them go, either to someone else or to the trash/recycling.
FOCUS
Lists!!!
Nurture. I’m not so good at listening to what I need, so I plan to nurture myself by listening. Knitting plays into that perfectly, so I signed up for the February KAL!
My brand-new Remarkable tablet is making my life so much better. Seriously, I design with a lot of sketches and changes and even as I start writing patterns things need to move and change. But I prefer to hand-write my notes. This tablet lets me do both. So much love.
System: Letting things go!
my word is Intentional.
I don’t know why I do this. Very poor odds.
Meditation. I won’t say it’s cured all of my ills, but after almost two years of daily meditation, I am a little better at putting things into perspective.
With my Addi FlexiFlips, I’m going to conquer my reluctance to use dpns and open myself up to new knitting adventures.
Just a little every single day (AKA put the iPad down for 5 minutes and get swept away by the crafting)
be kinder to others as well as myself
Adaptability = word of the year for 2022
Consistency
WOTY: Wander.
We are going to take a long road trip to visit my sister on the other coast. The destination is set but the route is not, so we will wander across the country and go where our whims take us.
My “thing” OTY is Habit. Not just Franklin, although of course he makes my life better, but creating and maintaining habits as a means of improving my quality of life. Because once something is a habit, much less effort and will are involved in Doing The Thing, even when you KNOW it’s good for you.
Word(s) of the year: Just keep going.
Instacart: enables me to order groceries for my parents no matter where I am or what time of day it is. So grateful for this!
Appreciation – not only for the people I love but the life I live.
Mindful
My word is “purge.”
KINDNESS IS EVERYTHING
My phrase of the year: let it go! I don’t have to do it all.
Fearless
I don’t do WOTY. I’m just trying to be better organized and more focused. It’s hard to distill a year down to a single focus word.
Hope. We have several family goals for the year and I feel like working towards them have given us something big to look forward to..much needed during the pandemic.
This will not be new to some knitters, but for me, this may be a game changer for sweater sleeves – ROW MARKERS!
I have been retired about a year and really enjoying time in my home with no where to go and no alarm clock! But I have not been doing a good job of staying in touch with my friends. So, this year, my favorite tool is going to be my phone, calling them on a regular schedule!
COMPLETION: Now, I’m not going to commit to completing one WIP at a time (I’m not mad ; ) but I am going to commit to completing all WIPs – or undoing and starting something I will finish. Wish me luck!
Simplicity!
SIMPLIFY! How on earth have I acquired this much stuff?? Time to let some go.
Word of the Year for 2022, gratitude.
I’m SO looking forward to the new programmable pump on my rain barrel. More time for knitting….less time moving a sprinkler.
well two words — because this came up in a flaming emergency email …..so I’m going to repeat this ALL year. EMMINENT PERIL — I really don’;t know if this is better or worse than Imminent peril. I am also going to declare imminent domain. this replaces setting a president — which we have said so many times — those of us in the know are forgetting the right phrase.
My word of the year is Less. My most exciting new toolL EatRightNow app.
space
Sketchbook – drawing every day.
pajama pilates. the end.
WOTY: Faith, and I’m not talking religion here (well, maybe a little), but faith in myself, in life, in the people around me, maybe I’ll even try to have a little faith in politicians, who knows…
My word of the year is FINISH. – thought , an idea, a project. Bring things to a close and move on even if it is to abandon.
WOTY: Awareness. Slowing down and paying attention to my body, my work, my friends, my life. From there all movement and action arises.
EXPERIMENT. I learned about dying with lichens and collected a bunch of windfall the first week of January. We will see somewhere between April and June how the dye baths are coming along!
LISTEN – to others, to myself, to nature and the world around me.
Focus is my word of the year!
My WoTY is BREATHE. With so many things out of my control, one thing I can do to manage my anxiety and set a good example for my kids is do some meditation, yoga breathing, whatever it takes to disrupt my parasympathetic nervous system!
WOTY -Complete- projects, deeds,thoughts! Squirrel!
The Cocoknits Maker’s Board should prove invaluable as I plan to knit more lace projects in 2022!
Gratefulness, every day is a gift to be uwrapped and lived to the fullest. my journal will be a document of discovery
Reprieve. Less stressful than the past, but able to breath and continue when able.
Oooh, good question! I think my word of the year should be LAUGHTER because I find that the more I laugh the more I can cope with everything that is happening in the world. Fortunately we have a couple of hilarious kittens that can always make me giggle.
Care— for myself and my family
Fierce
My daughter just told me about Purl Strings. Sounds like a game changer
Grace
WOTY: joy. Seek joy in looking at the sky, in feeling muscles I’ve used, in people and the things they say and do. Makes everything better.
My WOTY – Positive. Keeping a positive attitude for all aspects of life.
My word for 2022 is Challenge. I am challenging myself to learn a new fiber technique each month, whether it’s knitting, sewing, needlepoint of something new! January was mosaic knitting. What fun!
One of my words this year (I do intentions instead of just one word) is Balance. Not much explanation needed as I am sure this is fairly universal. Trying to balance need-to-do vs want-to-do vs creative endeavors. Our whole life is a balancing act but at times, life can lean too much one way. I want to try to find that sweet spot where life seems very balanced.
Finishing a project and call it decluttering.
The WOTY challenge really inspired me. Intentional will be it for me.
Thanks for everything!!
TRELLO (database..), a sister to Ravelry, for actually making an informed decision on what I want to sew in the same decade that I’d like to create it! Thanks as always for my Saturday morning smile (-;=