It's Stitchy Planning Week!

This is my favorite week of the year. The hustle and bustle of Christmas has quieted down, and everyone and everything seems to just draw a deep breath and exhale slowly. Christmas has passed, and we re-discover--as we do every year--that all the stuff we didn't get done didn't really matter too much. While there seems to be a headlong plunge toward Christmas, there is a casual stroll toward the New Year. We're looking forward to it, but there's no pressure to get anything done. The house is still (relatively) clean and decorated. The fridge is stocked with leftovers. The counter is (too) full of sweet treats that seem to materialize from everywhere. There is a lull in activity, and things around the house are in pretty good shape. It's the one week of the year where the domestic planets align and there is... not much to do. This opportunity must be seized. This is my week. Stitchy Planning Week.

Santa has been and gone, and left goodies in our stockings. Somehow, he knows how I feel about Caron Wildflowers and Bohin needles. Santa knows everything...

...he even knew Tiger Lily needed a new collar. 

I was able to get Mr. Wonderful's 2016 ornament stitched, but not finished. My rule is, as long as it's finished before I take down the Christmas tree (usually a few days after the New Year), it's not late. It's a good rule. This is from the 2016 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue, and it's stitched on 32 ct. Vintage Country Mocha.

Now I turn my attention to planning for 2017. (For my thoughts on the importance of planning and looking forward, see this post. 

For years and years, the week between Christmas and the New Year has been mine. Every year, during this week, I go through my entire stash--charts, magazines, kits--and look at everything. Now, my stash isn't nearly as large as some. I know there are a lot of stitchers with thousands of charts who keep a detailed inventory on the 'puter. Mine is pretty small. Magazine collection on the left, charts on the right. My charts are organized by subject, subjects in alphabetical order.

And here's my box of kits. I have a fox kit problem, but we'll talk about that later.

Last year when I went through my magazines, I was (finally) smart enough to make a list of all the designs I was interested in stitching someday, so that I don't have to page through every magazine each time. I still love to pull out magazines and look through them, but for Stitchy Planning Week purposes, it's easier to just consult my list. 

So during the week, I just leisurely play in my stash. I pull out all the things I think I really need to get stitched in the coming year. I let them lie all over my sewing room floor for a day or so... sleep on my decisions... look at the piles... make notes... refer to a calendar... plan, plan, plan. I just enjoy myself. (While I'm going through my stash, I also weed out whatever I don't want anymore. Since I do this every year, it's usually only a few things, but it does keep my stash pared down and manageable.) At some point, I come to my senses and re-file some of it. I know I'll never finish everything I've chosen for the year, but that's not the point (see the post I linked to above). When I think I'm happy with my choices, I divide my pile into stacks by months of the year. I like to stitch one season ahead, so for example, I like to stitch fall and Halloween in the summer. Then I file everything in a big three-ring binder that holds 12 folders with pockets, one for each month. And then I start working my way through my projects.

That's Stitchy Planning Week. I always start the New Year with a freshly purged stash and a notebook full of charts to stitch, all tidy and organized. Sometimes I stay on schedule all the way into the spring! Usually around July, I do a re-assessment of my notebook... add stuff, remove stuff, shuffle stuff around. Of course, there are always new must-have designs being released. Of course, things come up and I don't touch a needle for weeks. Of course, I change my mind. Of course. But what never changes is the fun I have during this week.

However you decide to start the Stitching New Year, I hope you find your happy place.