As 2014 comes to an end it’s only natural to take a step back and assess the year. It’s been a crazy one, not bad, just exhausting. It feels like every day is a marathon of kid wrangling, commuting, work emails, and then more commuting and kid wrangling. It’s left me and NA Slacker physically and emotionally wrung out. We have some big plans for the next few years, and it starts with us scaling back and reassessing our lives this next year. Trying to spend less, save more, destress, and simplify.

There are many strategies we’ll be using to achieve these goals, but one of my personal ones it to spin as many skeins of yarn as possible. I’m the kind of person who spends a lot of time in her head, and the resulting anxiety manifests itself in jaw pain and cracked teeth. Numerous articles have been floating around about the benefits of crafting the past few months, but I’ve experienced the phenomenon first hand for years.

Coils and Bobbles class project

We spent 5 days in the Hudson Vally this last fall and aside from being able to check attending the New York Sheep and Wool Festival off my bucket list, the time I spent in workshops and classes reaffirmed that I am a happier and calmer person when I have this creative outlet. Spinning is hypnotic, tactile, and an immensely creative process. It makes for a happier Sara, so my goal is to make as many skeins as I can this year. I’d like to say that I’ll get one done every week, but I also know that life has a way of interrupting the best made plans, so I’m just shooting for the vague goal of “as many as I can”.