Knitting Panic Time

There are some who can plan ahead for deadlines and meet them. In fact in my work life I am one who generally is much more comfortable completing a project well in advance of the deadline so that I have time to review it again and again before it is due.

Then there is my personal life and in particular for this post, my attention to knitting projects. I have in my head the things I'd like to get done as Xmas gifts. The list is developed with more than enough time to complete everything. This year I even finished projects in the summer for holiday giving. But then something happens. I seem to develop attention deficit disorder for knitting projects. A small or new interesting project (or as some of us call it--the next new shiny thing) calls to me and I don't control myself. I take it on and of course it takes far longer than I expected and then it is the end of November! In fact I shocked myself this year because I had started to create a list of those things I wouldn't get done and then got a couple done anyway thanks to snowfall in Minneapolis during my holiday.

So it is now December 9 leaving only 16 days before Christmas. I still have some finishing to do on a few items. I'm unfortunately the type of person who believes if something is almost done it is as good as done. Now I know you purest who would prefer that strings aren't dangling or that sides are actually stitched together won't agree, but to me these shortcomings to being done are merely trifles. If I'm visiting Mom, she often helps by finishing projects for me. But this year I'm on my own.

It is becoming abundantly clear that some of the items on my knitting to do list will become gifts later in the year. The recipients generally don't know the gifts they get were meant to be holiday presents because, of course, I don't reveal that information on December 25 or whenever the gift is actually delivered either. But inside, right now I am experiencing a knitting panic. I am feeling the strong pull to move on to the next new shiny project and leave these other projects until later. But I probably won't just leave them. Perhaps I need some sort of medication, I know maybe a glass of wine will cure it. (Not so great for knitting but so comforting to the mind.)

So if you see me around in a sort of a funk, know it is likely nothing more than the knitting panic or too much of the medication.

Comments

Anatomy of a Sock

I've been knitting socks for a relatively short time. One of the disconcerting things for me as I started following patterns for socks is the pattern designer assumes the knitter (in this case that would be me) knows all the parts of a sock. So I thought I'd devote a post to improve my own knowledge about the anatomy of a sock and maybe some of you will learn something about the humble yet necessary sock as well. Here's the names of the parts of the foot as I know them. #49 ankle, #50 heel, #51, instep, #52 ball, #53 big toe, #54 toe, #55 little toe, #56 toenail. There are some parts more important for this discussion; first the heel of a foot is generally used to refer to the entire C-shape from the ankle to the instep. Speaking of the instep, it refers to that curve near the bottom of the foot. And what seems to be missing in the design above is the sole which generally refers to the bottom of the foot in total or plantar aspect in more technical terms...

Ode to the Cat

It has been six months since Mike, the cat's, passing. I think of him every day and miss him especially when Paul is away. Mike was a being in the house with me and we were close. Grieving his death has been muddled with my Dad's passing and sometimes I feel guilty about that happening. As time passes the ache becomes less hurtful for both and I am starting to get mostly good memories in its place. Recently I helped celebrate Pablo Neruda's birthday with Jami, my poet and overall very creative friend. Guests were asked to select one poem written by Neruda to read to the small group who gathered for the celebration. I picked this one: Ode To The Cat -- Pablo Neruda There was something wrong with the animals: their tails were too long, and they had unfortunate heads. Then they started coming together, little by little fitting together to make a landscape, developing birthmarks, grace, flight. But the cat, only the cat turned ou...

Knitting-Related Guinness World Records

I had to share some of the Guinness World Records connected with knitting. It is amazing to me the type of skill, stamina and unique characteristics these record holders have in common. How about trying to knit with these SPNs?? Ingrid Wagner and her large needles and knitted swatch The largest knitting needles measured 3.5 m (11 ft 5.8 in) long and had a diameter of 8 cm (3.15 in). Ingrid Wagner, a rug and art creation artist, from the UK used the needles to knit a tension square of ten stitches by ten rows at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, on March, 10 2008. (And I complained about getting certain SPNs stuck in my clothes.) See how this swatch was done with merely 5 people managing the needles. And what about the yarn? It is truly ex-bulky. It looks like they're knitting in a warehouse, but with a wingspan of almost 24 feet or 7 m, you'd need all that space. Or h...

Flagel Knitting Files

Search This Blog