Let’s look back at 2017 and celebrate some of our accomplishments (including the fact that we somehow made it through the year).

2017 started out with the Women’s March, and I’m not going to lie: it was absolutely thrilling to knit a bunch of pink hats and carry signs and march in support of women. Did our march or our pink pussy hats change the world? It’s still too soon to tell. But thousands of knitters working together with a million miles of pink yarn made a difference. We sent a visible message of support to women all over the world, showing them that their voices matter. We also worked to create a welcoming environment for people who’d never participated in politics before, and that’s not a small thing.

By making our own signs and hats when we marched, we also realized that we don’t have to be part of a corporate consumption model. Crafters can create change with their own skills. (That’s actually one of the themes of my new novel, in which a knitter miraculously saves the day, using sticks and string and her bare hands.)

On a personal note, I should add that the 2017 Women’s March was the subject of the last email I received from my friend Mike Levy before he went into hospice. I’d written to let him know that I was thinking of him, and that I would be marching with the special two-dollar bill he gave me in my wallet, and he wrote back to say he loved me.

So the Women’s March was uplifting and deeply meaningful, and memories of our nation’s collective resolve helped me remain hopeful during a difficult year.
Unfortunately, this year’s March was derailed by the flu virus that came into our household by way of Brazil, and I’m going to blame a bunch of engineers in Sao Paulo for the fact that my fierce kitty sign [shown above] went unused last weekend.

2017 was a year of making things and sending them out into the world. On the quilting front, I created “Sol Invictus,” which is currently on display in the “How New Is Modern?” exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.

Sol Invictus. Photo by S. Skumanich

Here’s my artist’s statement for the quilt.

Sol Invictus was created to honor Solveig Haugland (1967-2015), an exuberant textile artist and cherished friend. I took as my starting point the stacked columns, irregular piecing, and luxurious fabrics of Victorian crazy quilts and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum’s Red Velvet Carriage Robe.

Scraps of silk from Solveig’s stash, glass beadwork, and rustic embroidery supply this quilt with saturated color and tangible texture. Floating blocks of needle-turn appliqué are both fluid and boxy. Vibrant yet fragile, this jewel-toned quilt is enhanced by glittering embellishments, but also punctuated by visible mending. The name Solveig suggests the sun’s path, a radiant image in tension with the linear, grid-like quality that typifies a Chinese Coin quilt. Joyous and unconstrained, Solveig illuminated my world. I miss her still.

Since I’m by no means an expert quilter, it was a great honor for me to have my work hanging in the “How New is Modern?” exhibit, and I’m grateful to my guild and the museum for the opportunity.

Another thing I created: Arcanos Unraveled! If you’ve ever wanted to read a comic fantasy novel about scheming academics at a magical university, with knitters & coders & punch cards & werewolves & enchanted sheep, then this is the book for you. Dulcinea certainly enjoyed it.

2017 involved a fair amount of travel, and in early summer Steve and I enjoyed a belated honeymoon in Iceland, which was utterly magical, filled with mountains and glaciers and ponies and yarn and enchanted sheep. Honeymoon: Achievement Unlocked!

I made a strong effort to improve myself in 2017, reading over 70 books, becoming involved in several charities, and learning some new skills, such as screen-printing…

…and spinning!

[That’s Spinzilla champion Jaime Jennings next to the fireplace, literally showing me the ropes.]

2018 is going to be a hectic, crazy year, but I hope I’ll learn something new every day. I also hope I’ll remember what my priorities are. Most of all, I want to spend time with loved ones and do meaningful work. Let’s get started.