My math skills fail me

So for the past week I've been thinking about how I was so far behind on my mini socks. I made myself a little schedule on my calendar of when I needed to finish each one in order to finish on time. Its been really helpful! However, the past few days I got very discouraged because I was about a week behind. Last night pretty much all I did was knit on mini socks and wind mini socks while watching knitting video casts (The Knit Girls and 90% Knitting) Today it was finally nice enough to get some decent pictures, so I was uploading to Ravelry when I made a discovery... I actually have 22 socks done, not the 20 I was thinking! This makes me only one day behind on my self imposed schedule, which I can totally catch up with.Without further adieu, here are the recently finished mini socks:

I also have finished a mittens ornament! The big deal about this is that is is crocheted, and if you know me at all you know that crochet and I have a love hate relationship. Mostly that I love to hate it when I can;t do it. Here are the mittens, which are on their way to California!

The last thing I have to show (I know, its very photo heavy today) is another crochet project. I have a small amount of mystery worsted-ish weight acrylic yarn that was given to me, so when the mood strikes me I make squares. Here's the second one (and it only took 2 tries!):

Knit Picks Love

If you haven't noticed from my projects, I knit with a lot of Knit Picks yarn. For me they're a great option because I don't have a ton of money to spend, so I get more bang for my buck. Also I enjoy working with them much more than the big box store yarns. They're running a contest to win $50 worth of items from your wish list, so I'm posting mine to enter myself to win!

Wish List

Go on over there and enter yourself!

Getting a handle on things

I've felt like my knitting life has been very rushed lately. I feel like I'm always down to a deadline and having to neglect projects to finish others, only to end up rushing on those neglected projects. I think part of this is due to bad planning, part of it due to me not managing my time well. I realized that this is starting to change. My mindset is changing and instead of casting on new things and making plans for who I can knit for next, I'm focused on finishing projects I've already started. I'm not knitting personalized Christmas gifts this year (though I may knit several of the same SMALL thing for a few people, undecided on that yet). I'm only knitting for people who I know will appreciate it and use what I am knitting for them.

I know a lot of this seems like common sense, but its taken me a while to get here. That said, here's what my knitting will look like through the end of the year. By this weekend I'll finish and gift a shawl to my Mother in Law (Bonnie's Shawl). That leaves me to finish my OWL (30 mini socks) and Zach's blanket by the end of the month, which I think I can do. I'll also be casting on and finishing a small baby item in that time (probably this) for a baby shower for my cousin in early December. As I finish these items I'll work on (in this order): my small Christmas items if I decide to do them, my brother's vest, a cowl for my brother's girlfriend (this I will have to start and finish, but its for her birthday in January), and the ever neglected invisibility scarf. If you're paying attention, that finishes all my current WIPs.

Its a big task, but I think I'm up for the challenge. All of these WIPs are at 20% or more, and I'm the type of knitter who needs to have a few things going at the same time, so I think its going to work!

Speaking of planning, I'm already making big plans for 2012. Stay tuned!

Odd Tuesday

Its been one of those days where you can't classify it as bad or good, just odd. Thankfully I've been knitting away and have some new progress to show for it.

Mini socks aren't the only thing I've been knitting. I'm working away on the shawl for my Mother in Law and I'm up to the lace portion. I'm really hoping to have it done by this weekend to give to her on her birthday, but she'll be ok if I have to show it to her and actually gift it a week later. Not too much else to report knitting wise. Hopefully i can knit like the wind for the rest of the week.

I'm still debating Christmas knitting plans... not sure what I'm going to do yet. More on that later :)

It has been a while

So long, in fact, that this is my first post in November. I don't have anything much to share knitting wise because I haven;t taken pictures lately. I can tell you that I'm still working on my mini socks, still working on the shawl for my mother in law, and that the only new thing I have done is crochet another unholey granny square. We had the Marine Corps birthday ball this weekend, which was pretty fun. Its a formal event, so we got all decked out. Hopefully I'll have a picture to share (but I might have to cut hubby out of it. He's funny about that).

Anyway, that's what's up. Hopefully later in the week I'll have pics and more interesting things to tell!