One down

Knit Night last night.  The special December event.  Most of the two hours was spent on the gift exchange.  Drawing numbers, oooing as each gift was unwrapped, waiting for your turn to select a new wrapped gift from the table or stealing from another. . .   All in good fiber fun, of course.

But I was able to get some knitting in there.  And I finished one Christmas gift.  The mitts, for Bugaboo's kindergarten teacher.  Finished, except for the finishing.  I didn't bring a tapestry needle with me.

I also made a little dent in Spring Haven.  Just shy of four feet completed.  Two to go.  Opposite for the other scarf.  Six feet to go in total.

Oh, this doesn't look good.  Ten more knitting days til Christmas.

That is an average of 10 inches a day,  This REALLY doesn't look good.

Today, it is all about the futility.

 

Question from the Bench

Judge: Isn't it a bit late to start Christmas gifts?

What I thought:  Stop talking to me; I am counting.

What I said:  (smiling) yes.

I love this Judge.  He actually notices when I am knitting something new, or knitting the same thing for months in his courtroom.  His wife has him well trained.

I started Monday morning with less than an inch completed on the second mitt. After knitting a row here and there at the courthouse, and Knittervention Monday night, plus some late night after-the-kids-go-to-bed-and-the-kitchen-is-clean knitting, I have five inches of progress, and have started the thumb increases.

I am starting to feel confident that the mitts will be done with weeks to spare, leaving only the scarves to finish.

This is usually the point when the floor drops from under my feet.

Today, it is all about the confidence.        

Start the Countdown

24 knitting days until Christmas.

This is the first time that I really have Christmas knitting gift deadlines.  I am not sure I like it.  I like the idea of giving knitted gifts, but I don't like knitting against a looming deadline.  Knitting is supposed to be fun, not work.

 That said, I am making decent progress.  Even with this shopping-packed  family-packed weekend, I finished the first mitt.  It turned out to be considerably larger than planned.  I increased every third stitch for the thumb gusset, which turned out to be much longer than initially visualized, and therefore larger overall length.  If I didn't have a looming deadline, I might rip back to increase on alternating rows, but I don't have that kinda time to waste.  Just because it was larger than I had planned doesn't mean that it doesn't look pretty and useful.  Though it does mean that the second one will take a wee bit longer.

 The scarves are progressing nicely.  Spring Haven is over half done, and -- Oh, I haven't named the blue one yet-- it is about one-third finished.

They are very different scarves.  I had originally planned to make the same scarf for both mothers, in different colors.  But when it came time to buy Mom's yarn, another called out to me, which meant finding a textured pattern, instead of lace.  

I am not sure if this is a reaction to the gift knitting thing, but I have been fighting a serious case of startitis.   I have been browsing around Ravelry (always a dangerous pastime), and everything is jumping out and saying "Knit me!" at once.  Shawlettes, mittens, lace,  color stranded. . . .I am trying to resist, and maybe finish one or two things in the overflowing WIP bag first.

Trying doesn't necessarily mean succeeding.  I am safe as long as I have gifts to finish, but if I receive new yarn for Christmas, it just might push me over the edge.

Today, is it all about the countdown.  

Third Time is the Charm

Over the weekend, I dug into the stash, and started the Teacher gift, some fingerless mitts.

I did about an inch, then I decided that they were way too big.

I started again and did about an inch, then realized that there was an error, 4 knits in one of my two by two ribs.

I started again, and have almost finished an inch.  Hopefully, the third time is the charm.  .

I don't have time to waste two days knitting the same inch over and over again.

30 days til Christmas.  (26 days until school ends and the mitts have to be done.)

This is starting to look grim.  I need whoever does the Yarn Harlot's Christmas gift knitting scheduling.

Today, it is all about the wasted time.    

Do I Need to Add to the Christmas knitting?

No unsurprisingly, Christmas gift knitting was the hot topic of conversation at Knittervention this week.  I was happily zooming along one of my scarves.  Then someone mentioned that now that her kids have five teachers and that was a lot of Christmas presents to knit.

My ears perked up.  My youngest just started kindergarten.  I hadn't even thought about a gift for his teacher!

Thirty four days until Christmas. Thirty days until school ends.  2 1/2 feet to go on one scarf.  4 feet to go on the other.  Mitts!  DO I have time to throw some mitts in there too?  I already knot her favorite color.  I think I may have some yarn that will work.  Oh, why didn't I think of this sooner?

Today, it is all about the growing holiday list of things to knit.  

And the Race is On

My two Christmas gifts scarves are racing each other to Christmas.

My Mother-in-law's scarf had a head start.  I finished the first three feet in the summer, then took a hiatus when I ran out of yarn.  Now I have more yarn, and 42 inches completed.  I just plan on knitting until I run out of yarn.  Or six feet, whichever comes first.

Mom's scarf was just started a couple weeks ago, so it definitely has some catching up to do.    19 inches completed.  Same plan: knit until I run out of yarn, or approximately six feet.

I don't want a repeat of the Aurora Borealis 9 foot shawl incident, so I am trying to remember to measure once in a while.

39 days til Christmas. 84 inches of scarf to knit.  Oh, when I put it like that, it doesn't sound as realstitically doable.    Excuse me while I knit a bit before bed.

Today, it is all about the holiday.

For Want of a Babysitter

No Knittervention this past week.  I assume that everyone else was there, but I wasn't.  My babysitter had to cancel.  The transmission blew out on her car.  Knit Night this coming Monday doesn't look good either.

Apparently, transmissions don't understand the concept of Christmas gift knitting.  I have two scarves to finish before Christmas.  Roughly twelve feet of knitting. Four feet down. Eight to go.  Six weeks remaining.

Totally doable.

If I can make it to Knit Night or Knittervention once in a while, I would probably finish early.  Any volunteers to watch two rough and tumble little boys for a couple hours?

Today, it is all about the holiday deadline.