Seed Stitch Möbius Cowl

A continuation of the chunky purple yarn, this one an unexpected Christmas gift for LMSS. She gave me the yarn and sweater reject because it didn't turn out like she thought and she was tired of looking at it. I frogged the whole thing and figured she needed something out of her purple.

89 stitches CO. Join in round, intentionally twisting stitches if want a möbius cowl. Seed stitch till 8" wise. BO in seed stitch. Wish I could say it was my pattern. It was adapted from a free one on Ravelry.

Purple People Eater

Nutso about knitting again. Look at this beauty. Good thing the knitting bug is revived; both kids have put in orders for immediate production for one (1) fair isle hat and one (1) pair of socks.

Yarn Diving

I think the knitting hiatus might be coming to an end. Since the stockings I've been piddling with dishcloth patterns and a pair of socks but not really getting anything done. There have been no deadlines so I've taken advantage of the no stress crafting. Only problem is when I don't have a deadline I seem to think nothing needs to be worked on. On second thought, that really isn't a problem, just nothing new to post!

However, two days ago I suddenly was inspired to knit a teacher gift for Little Guy's teacher: a lovely purple chunky scarf with cables. Yum. She taught in Guam for 6 years, has only just moved back to the states, and has little to no warm clothing. Definite need and inspiration there. I casted on, started knitting away, and it has been bliss. A lovely break, new zest for knitting and knitting projects, and loving the chunky yarn because it means it won't take forever to knit. I'm giving it to her Friday so it needs to knit up quick anyway.Speaking of the knitting break, I spent the time quilting, i.e. cutting out pieces, planning, piecing, quilting, sandwiching (when you stack the layers), quilting some more, cutting binding, binding, some embroidery thrown in somewhere, and finishing. For some reason I decided in the midst of cleaning out Mom's stash, mine needed cleaning out too and stuff used or moved on, operating with a realistic mind set: I can't keep it all and will I really use this? It was exhausting at times but I have several finished, some almost, and some in progress. Hopefully will have those posted soon. Mom and I also did a raffle quilt for the church's Christmas Bazaar that they went nuts over. It was so cute and I'm glad they liked it so much. I'm taking a deep breath and preparing myself for us being asked again. Mom pieces and I quilt and finish it. It uses up more of her stash and we get to try out new patterns. I'll be ready for it again in oh, maybe two years. :) I have a king-size quilt being pieced for Crochet Queen.

Christmas in July

The one with the green reindeer was the original, knitted and decorated back in the early 70s.

The one with the wreath I did for the mom of the family to match the original tree (the dad's from the time he was little).

The blue with the snowman was for the son and the pink for the daughter.

A view of what finally got finished!  I was so pleased with it and had a great time visiting with the two friends of mine that had done more "embellishing" than I ever would dream.  I'd never had a thing for sequins or other shiny things but this was the perfect project to try them out.

Now finally...

My socks!

The Schlep backpack!

I finally got the pictures taken.  I finally got two more projects out of the "To Do" stage and they are now "Done."  Rah rah ree, kick them in the knee!

Socks are out of the yummy yarn I got when LMSS's little one was on the way and the backpack was my tutoring child's inspiration and request.  I carry a bag in that pattern but it has regular bag straps.  She asked if it could be made into a backpack and that's all she wrote!  She picked out the fabrics from my slowly shrinking stash (HAPPY DAY!!!) and here it is!

Beginners luck

Car pool is back to being my personal/sock knitting/phone call catch up time, sometimes one of the above, sometimes all of the above.  This has given me lots of time to work on the socks for me (no pics yet, alas) using the lace pattern the Bee picked out.  Totally loving using a pattern in the foot/leg of the sock; it makes the foot go so much quicker and the lace pattern I'm using is stretching out the yarn just right.  I might get 3 inches on the leg which is ideal.  I was expecting something close to ankle socks but am glad they aren't as extreme ankle as I thought they might be.  I'm a size 10 foot so there is lots of yarn going that length before even thinking about turning the heel!

The other day I had realized I had the foot long enough and was trying to figure out where in the yarn pattern to stop or do a little extra without having complications when the short row heel was finished and it was time to join the heel stitches back to the top of the foot.  I've never done this before and wasn't really thinking about the complications about the lace pattern exactly, more the past experience of not realizing how short a short row heel is and not doing the foot long enough, thus having a sock an inch too short with a heel finished and me chewing nails because I don't want to frog a heel.  (Don't ask me why frogging heels can be so daunting; I think it has something to do with the magical way some unseen force suddenly transforms the questionable tube into a sock , the knitter being only a pawn in this game of love and war, and to undo the miracle would be sacrilege.  Or at least make the knitting gods mad at your insolence and consider striking you down.)  Well, Harriet (my knitting muse) was on my side this time.  I quickly looked over everything, thought "ho hum, I'll finish this 6 row slant, stop before the knit only row so I have that knit only row to collect my sanity after doing the heel and before starting the pattern all the way round and do my heel."  Gave me a little extra length just in case and seemed to make sense. 

That evening I knitted the heel (DID forget to put the extra stitch I had on the pattern side back on the heel side so I was working with 29 sts instead of 30.  Oh well, just one little stitch) and was looking at starting the leg when I realized that not only thank the good Lord I had that "knit only" row to get everything even, I did not even think about the way things were slanting and needed to slant when starting the pattern.  I don't have much experience with lace.  Things go every which way.  I was having to start the pattern on a no pattern side and for the zig-zag to look right it needed to go left, not right, and I was so lucky to have stopped on the beginning of a "go left" slant. After some prayers of thanks (I really didn't need any progress in my life halted) I continued on and I'm almost an inch into the leg and everything is looking great.  I've been tempted to try it on but haven't.  Partially I'm concerned about stretching the lace pattern when the leg is still in it's infancy but the other is worried I've done socks too short, yet again, and I don't want to give these away.  As you can see from above, frogging is not an option, and I don't want any more fictional divine characters mad at me, vowing to wreck havoc on my mudane existance.  Or at least not just yet.

Slow but steady wins the race

AAnt's afghan is actually being worked on.  I'm using up all my old acrylics for it in a queen sized bedspread/blanket.  The yarn skeins are nice and wonderful colors, especially for him, and I'm thrilled to have the excuse to use them all up (that whole "moved on/destashing" kind of thing) and I'm crocheting them one line at a time, either single or double crochet depending on how wide I want the stripe.  It takes a while to do one stripe so I think he'll get it birthday of next year.  It was supposed to be his birthday gift last year with this year as an alternate but I've since gotten realistic and discovered how much fun reading is.  Thus, I'm doing a line whatever night I feel like doing it and enjoying watching the skeins slooowly disappear.

There's also been a sock-in-progress traveling around with me and I'm very excited about it.  It had started as another plain toe-up sock in a lovely skein I had picked up a year ago while visiting LMSS.  The yarn was so expensive I split one skein to make a pair of ankle socks but have since realized that if I throw a lace pattern on the top of the sock foot and leg I can spread the yarn out more.  The Bee (SuperGirl) picked out the lace pattern she liked and I got to work.  It's turning out beautiful and works wonderful with how the yarn's colors are placed. 

Socks in the dead of summer

 (Bear with me here.  I'm not quite sure why this is sideways but I don't feel like spending the time to try and fix it so just work with me.  :)  )

My lovely m-i-l's socks that I, somehow, finished in a whirlwind of joy at midnight last night.  I was certain I was still going to be knitting on them today, finish and rush home to wash and get after them with a hairdryer (wait, we don't even own one!) to get them ready but no.  I actually finished on my set deadline, washed them last night and they were drying on the dryer damp this morning.  They are a little crinkly (the yarn) but they turned out cute and so totally my m-i-l.  I can't wait to gift them tonight.

I hope she doesn't read this blog.  Does she?

Black cabled wrap

The pics as promised.  It's knitted in Debbie Bliss' Rialta which is merino superwash wool in whatever color number black is.  It held the cable shape superbly, making the wrap have more body than drape which is what the pattern calls for out of linen.  The wrap I own in this pattern that Mom did is out of bamboo.  I love all the varieties and this one totally fit my sis-in-law.

Something old, something new

Life has settled into a high paced, but at least consistent, schedule.  I am at Mom's helping her rehab her knee, cook for the FabFam, and clean house while potty-training Little Guy.  (That's going great by the way; only a few minor accidents when he gets tired in the evening or too busy playing to go.  No sweat because I had kids that still did that in Kindergarten and 1st grade.  I totally got this!)  We are borrowing Mom's car to keep it active;  she can't drive anyway so I'm her chauffeur.  HaHa! City @ the Port, look out!  Hubby has our car and we aren't having to dash about getting everyone everywhere so that has been a nice change.  The Bee (who is also SuperGirl, that name just fits her better now) is almost finished with school so that's one less errand to do.  Also having her around more to play will be a nice change for both Little Guy and me.  We've missed her during the day.

While cleaning and passing the time at Mom's I have been knitting away at a s-i-l's birthday present.  It's a wrap and a lovely one at that.  I don't care to knit wraps (or scarves for that matter) because they are hideously boring to me so this has been a special labor of love, especially since she wanted black.  Why, do you ask?  Um, you can't see it.  At all.  Like the yarn totally disappears except under bright lights.  And this is a wrap with cables which kinda ups the excitement factor a bit when there is a mistake, which I tend to do because I'm usually knitting this while watching some movie or show ("Fantastic Mr. Fox" was truly fantastic but I had to rip half a row out because I forgot to cable) that I find more exciting.  At the moment it's Sgt. Cribb and I've managed to avoid disaster so far (knock on wood).  

I'm nearly halfway through it and I highly recommend the pattern if you like, or don't like!, knitting wraps/scarves.  The gauge is large enough you can see a quick growth but not so big it's a bulky piece.  The cable row is easy and happens every fifth row so just when you get stuck establishing a k-p switch pattern there's the cable to make it pretty and change it up.  Pics and a link (if I can find it) to the pattern/pattern name will be posted once it's gifted.

While making myself knit on this I've been cleaning out things at Mom's like closets and drawers.  I'm boxing up things for Snakeman (congrats on your latest addition!) and trying to work through all that's still here that's accumulated through the last 30+ years.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.   This has earned me weekly trips to Goodwill and a local used book store and some rare gems of finds, some I get excited about, some not so excited.  I won't go into details on the latter.  :)  In the fabric boxes I found some pajamas that I had cut out to sew back in '99 and a little doll dress that I wasn't sure who made it but all it needed was a hem and snaps to finish.  I took them home and am proud to say they are finished.  I wore the pajamas last night and the Bee now has another not-naked doll (4 down, too many to go).  I couldn't imagine why I never sewed up those pajamas and had wondered where the fabric pieces had gone for years.  While sewing it up and trying to figure out what needed to go where (the pattern itself I'm sure was donated years ago) I realized why I had discarded it.  I had gotten too industrious on sewing shirttail hems and had hemmed the sleeves too soon which meant they would take some extra figuring to fit them on the shirt.  I apparently didn't feel like doing the figuring or ripping the hems out (knitting I don't mind so much but sewing I HATE ripping) so I dropped it like it was hot and went on my merry way.  11 years later it took me maybe 3 minutes to figure out the difference, make it look right, and sew that puppy up in under an hour.  I make myself laugh.

Sweater!!

...and now, the sweater!  It was perfect, if not a little more roomy than expected.  I actually ended up shortening the pattern by 3-4 inches because it was starting to look huge.  I simulated the folding by safety pinning what I had already done, accounting for the 2" ribbing I needed to do and tried it on.  Crikey, I did need to stop!  It was nearly too long!  It's still roomy enough to pin in the front when it gets cooler but totally breezy enough to wear in case I get caught in a too-well air-conditioned building.  It's cotton so it's heavier than normal but I like a little weight.  It sometimes tries to slip off my shoulders but that's a minor element of design flaw.

2 shoe day

The sweater is coming along nicely (10" left!), I finished the alterations and will be mailing them today, SuperGirl is a little sick so I have 2 kiddos to keep me company, I actually feel like sewing my kitchen curtains (doing this allows the old blue makeshift curtains that have been there for 4 years to retire and be made into a back for Hubby's and my t-shirt quilt), and I found my saddleshoes.

http://www.amazon.com/John-Fluevog-Erika-Spectator-Cappuccino/dp/B001B2IZH6/ref=sr_1_3/184-4241859-6511710?ie=UTF8&s=shoes&qid=1274880847&sr=1-3

Any takers to buy these for me?  Who cares that I have really picky feet and have gone to Vibram 5 fingers (which are awesome by the way, especially if you like being barefoot; I call them my frog feet because I do look a bit flipper-y in my size 10 feet).  I've been dying for saddleshoes for years.  Might possibly have to find some high end store to try them on...  but buying them is out of the question.  I can admire, though!

cozy-ing up...

Knitting away and it feels grand.  That's about 13" in the picture, enjoying it's time with Little Guy's foam block building.

The link to the pattern is below.  You'll probably have to join Lion Brand to view it but it's free and they have great patterns.

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90687AD.html?noImages=&service=801&letterId=55418

Everything's not lost

It's all go at our place.  The house is being re-plumbed, I did NOT have to baby-sit a friend's kids at 8 am (It's in another week; got the dates wrong.  Good thing I called her first while heading to her house; she was a little confused as it was and had a house full of out of town family so two more people showing up might have been a little much at breakfast time), I did have to call another friend to make sure she could watch Little Guy later in the morning (get to clean-out classroom at new job!  Exciting!) and in exchange I'm watching her two kids while she runs to the bank, I have alterations to do but not possible due to needing to steam iron and there is no water but yes plumber in the middle of my kitchen, and I've suddenly rediscovered knitting.  This afternoon is still watching all the extra kids so we'll see how that goes if I still have no water.  Lucky thing the in-laws live across the street; we'll still get showers tonight without crashing Mom and Dad's house even though I know they wouldn't mind!

But about the rediscovered knitting thing.  It came as a slow, but sudden, surprise.  I was worried I had burned myself out totally but I couldn't bring myself to "get rid" of anything.  The knitting stuff didn't want to be ridded-of.  It bore me not ill will.  The yarn, the needles, the two WIPs left were sitting there tucked away, not feeling neglected, just patiently waiting for Harriet to visit me again and show me what they wanted to be made in to.  I had to take a breather.  In the end I've come out better.  I'm not tempted by new yarn like before.  That's a REALLY good thing for a person on a budget.

But I digress...

I had frogged that cotton cardigan and put it away but it stayed on my mind.  I wasn't sure why, especially since I had had such relief when I frogged those other projects months ago.  This one wouldn't go away.  It sat there wimpering, wanting desperately to be made.  A few days later I had some time on the computer and started going through Ravelry's shrug pattern index.  I had thought maybe there was a free pattern somewhere that just might work and it was worth a look; I wasn't losing anything if I didn't find it.  They have a great selection, by the way.  Totally worth joining Ravelry.  They also list right off if the pattern is free so you don't have to go to the pattern to check.  We need free.  We like free a lot.  Paying for a pattern means waiting till the truck sells and that's driving me batty enough as is.  I was amused with myself because lots of the patterns I liked from the pictures ended up being free anyway and a majority of them were from Lion Brand.  I didn't think I liked Lion Brand's stuff that much.  I ended up finding 2 patterns that were perfect in the first 12 pages of the list.  I printed out both, figured the yardage I had and what I would need, one worked and one didn't, and I got to work.  It's a simple, slightly loose shrug, knitted in a 32" by 38" rectangle, 4 sts=1" gauge, 2" of 1x1 ribbing on CO and BO edges, and 2 seams to sew when finished (fold it in half matching rib so is continuous, exclude 7" on fold side for sleeves, and sew up!).  It's cool enough to carry around this summer if I get caught in a cold office, washable so I can wear it to teach school, and warm enough (and big enough) to wrap up in and layer in the winter.  I thought the 34" of stockinette in the middle would wear me out but I find it nice and zen-like this time around.  The yarn is happy, the needles are happy, the pattern is following deminsions perfectly, and I feel like a cat purring making biscuits when I'm knitting it.  I already have 7" knitted after 2 days.  Crazy!  2 days!  And one of those days was half occupied doing those alterations I needed to do.

I am still thinking about selling/giving away some of my books and magazines though.  I've moved on and would like them to go to good home.  Any of you who are interested and remember something I have you would like, email me and let me know.  The only things not going are Elizabeth Zimmermann's books and a few of the sock knitting books.  Just let me know!

Open up your eyes

Well, the sweater didn't even make it to the final stages.  The pattern called for picking up only 60 sts on the whole left front side and there was no way that would happen even if it was the length the pattern called for.  I tried the Ravelry thing and no one posted any problems so that meant 1) I was the problem or 2) the pattern was one that everyone could spot the issues to begin with and didn't attempt it in the first place.  I washed the pieces as they were and the darn thing didn't even shrink (better quality dishcloth cotton than I thought!) so it's going in the frog pile and will make a nice cotton cardigan sometime.  Just not now.  And I'll need a completely different pattern.

So everyone, when your project looks like it will fit an elephant and it's not supposed to, don't rely on the shrinking/blocking theory.  Quit and start over.

The fabric of our lives?

I've been taking a break from knitting which means there is only 2 things in the works:  a sock for M-i-l's birthday and a light, cotton, mostly sleeveless sweater for me.  It's knitted in 3 parts (back, left front, right front) and I've finished all but the right front.  For some reason, it's taking me the time equivalency to do that one than the back and the other front.  I have several theories why:  I've actually burned myself out on knitting (the horror!), I have other things to do that are more important (the HORROR!), and when I sit down in the evening or go somewhere I don't want to be carrying yet another thing I have to finish (YE GODS!  WHO IS THIS WOMAN!!!)

So anyway, LSU is playing baseball badly, we are at the I-Ls (in-laws), and I am determined to finish this thing and sew it up within the next week at most.  Why?  Because I really need to wash it and make sure it's going to shrink as much as I thought it would.  If it doesn't, I got another too-big sweater to give away and I'm sure there are several readers of this blog who would love it.  Me?  I might just cry.

One day we'll forgive you, Georgia Nicholson

I have turned a new corner in my knitting.  I say new corner because I'm not a new knitter anymore, I've knitted the heck out of anything that would sit still long enough to let me for a while now (thus able to read and produce most patterns), and what I'm doing is nothing like what I've usually done.  Hubby calls it "burn out," I call it "re-prioritizing."

Everyone knows of the "Knitted Christmas" that just passed in which, thankfully, everyone appreciated what they got.  Everyone knows how that carried into January and February, trying to catch up on other gifts I said I would do or just thought they were a good idea.  Then there was the frogging of the sweater and baby blanket that not only liberated knitting needles and supplies, but my personal sense of accomplishment.  In the past month I have been knitting on one pair of socks (that's it.  No new sweater, no nothing (um, anything), and I wasn't getting any inspiration and enjoying it) and I was getting sick of it.  Not just sick of the project, but sick of knitting.  I was (finally) looking at the stack of books at my side of the bed thinking "those look interesting."  I was gazing outside thinking "Playground.  That sounds like fun."  Those things have never happened.  So here it is.  I am actually playing outside with the kids again.  I still carry a sock or knitting project to car pool and various appoinments but not to the playground.  Gosh-durnit the kids are only little once and they love that Mommy goes down the slide and plays chase.  I haven't quite caught up to the reading but I'm working on that.  The regular schedule still isn't allowing sit-down time longer than 5-10 minutes but it should soon.  Hopefully the stressors then continue to be eliminated and we aren't running everywhere hauling everyone at all times.

But I digress.  To sum it all up, I discovered that I'm addicted to stress and I'm going to cut that out.  I know it won't be easy, especially since I do get a sadistic thrill of piling on the projects and responsibilities, but I've decided I've had enough.  I'm saying no to anything new and only sticking to the few things left that I can't get out of.  Anything new isn't limited to knitting, it involves lots of parts of my life and the great thing is everyone understands, even if they are a little curious to what all really is going on.  I just say it's nothing that no one hasn't been through before, no one's hurt, nothing serious, just lots of little things piled on at once and I've hit my breaking point.  I don't like going into all of it because compared to most everyone else's problems, mine sound like a whiny little pig.  And I'm also trying to cut out the complaining.  :)

In all this, I also discovered that everything I knit I give away.  I like only a few knitted things.  Everyone else seems to enjoy my knitted stuff more than I do at times so, yes, I will finish my special, for-me-every-day-wear dark blue cardigan one day but the pattern hasn't shown up yet so I will wait until that prince comes.  I really do love knitting and I'm reclaiming it for myself by choosing NOT to do it all times just because I felt like I should be busy at something.

I also had a laugh but a thought while reading the last of the Georgia Nicholson books.  She was talking about one of the teachers she has who's single and a little out-of-touch with the "modern" life.  This teacher had been the one supervising after-school detention and walked with Georgia out to the gate of the school and Georgia was not just appalled to be seen talking to a teacher, but that this teacher was wearing a knitted hat with (of all horrors) BOBBLES!!!  She didn't want to be associated with "knitted people" ever!  I had a good giggle, thinking of all the knitted things I have, have knitted, and people adore but then paused when I realized I hadn't worn much of anything knitted in a while.  I have 2 wraps I wear on Sundays, sometimes as big scarves, and a short-sleeved cardigan I wear once in a while but the hats, the scarves, etc. only came out in the real cold we had this season because it was so darn freezing.  Otherwise, Hubby and the kids wore theirs all the time but me not so much.  Am I really a knitted person or do I just like making things?

Makes you think, especially with the kind of money it's easy to drop on certain hobbies.  Georgia Nicholson is by no means an authority on anything (but very entertaining series to read) but here she unintentionally exposed a personal possibility.  I'll keep contemplating but there's one thing I know no matter what, I love you knitted people.

SBJ camoflauged... with duckies!

 

And I am very happy to say the mommy was thrilled.  She's put in an order for knitted footie pajamas.  I said sure.  Next year.

Recycle day

There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to clean out the dirt in their lives.  Sometimes that's literally what is going on but sometimes it's in reference to the dysfunctional relationships hanging around like a grease ball at the prom.  Mine came in the form of those projects I started knitting nearly a year ago, knowing full well I was knitting enough as it was, and they were still sitting in their bags with all the supplies I had desperately needed for other projects (since finished, regardless) no where near completion.

Like the previously blogged conversation, this has been brewing for a while.  It came to a head last night when I was knitting away at the "Amazing Technicolor Dream Cardigan" while watching "Lost in Translation" (she was knitting a scarf in that, briefly!)  I looked at the WIP and started thinking, "you know, this looks way too small to fit an adult."  I slipped the sleeve stitches on ribbon and tried it on.  Guess what.  It was a little too small.  Getting it over my bust was literally a stretch and the bottom with all the cabling had drawn up so much it was barely seen from the front.  This led to me trying to bend my mind around any way to salvage the project (wider button bands...?), sleeping on it (not literally, of course), and an early morning phone call to LMSS to get the knitting shrink's opinion.  She said frog it, frog it, and don't look back, trust your mind and don't resist.  Stop before more time is wasted, time wasn't wasted because you learned so much from the project, rewind the yarn and use that knowledge to find the RIGHT pattern for it.

So I did.  And I feel so good about it.  I loved the cables but HATED the bobbles and the stripes were all off on my body lines that I wanted to accentuate.  Frogging that led to me taking the other long-a-waiting projects out (just 2 more, thank goodness) and looking at them without the rose-colored glasses.  The Calming Wrap was saved (good construction, good quality pattern) but the baby blanket that resembled a Muppet wig was laid to rest.  It took me an hour to frog that thing and rewind the colors (I considered just throwing it away) but I did it and I FEEL SO GOOD.  It's like finally cutting ties with that loser college boyfriend who was only dating you to cheat off your papers:  there's always hurt and regret but once the weight is let go you feel like you can fly.

My list is updated and it's holding less "to-do."  I'm almost finished with one of the paying "to-do"s and that will be crossed off today.  I have nothing to add to the "to-do" and I'm not letting myself find anything either.  Keep it simple, stupid, I keep telling myself.

And I feel so good about it.

Face-off...?

Had a conversation with myself today.  This occurred after the usual weekly rant to Dad about how I'm tired of certain unchangeable situations in my life followed by the universal question of "when can I have a break?!?!"  Dad, like the wonderful person he is, totally sympathized with me and reassured me like he always does, leading the conversation to me identifying what I can control and simplifying those things until the other situations pass.  That is what sparked this inner monologue that has been brewing for some time, I realize now.

My inner cool, calm, and collected self has been tapping me on the shoulder for the past few weeks, saying "ahem, ahem" (she wears a suit jacket, skirt, and glasses and the color hair I USED to have, looking suspiciously like my husband's sexy librarian fantasies) and pointing to a certain "to-do" list.  This list is a knitting to-do list and not only do I have everything written down in the order to be knitted I have it marked in my pocket calendar on the months it needs to be knitted by.  Not only that, I also carry a mental image of it everywhere I go.  Just as a reminder.

She is not liking this.  The conversation went something like this, Colbert-style, only the frazzled me never wears a suit:

Her:  What's that?

Me:  What's what?

Her: THAT.

Me: Oh, that?  That's my knitting to-do list.  Isn't it great?  It has everything I need to knit or sew for the next 10 months!  I know when the deadlines are and...

Her:  I...MEAN...THAT.  That.  That pair of socks for that person that's due next month.

Me:  Oh, those.  Yep.  Her birthday is next month.

Her:  So you are going to KNIT her SOCKS?

Me:  Yes.

Her:  That takes forever!

Me:  Well... yes.

Her: Why?  You've already volunteered to knit some old lady socks you hardly know, which you should be knitting right now instead of fooling with your daughter's quilt IF you are truly following this to-do list.  Why this one right after it?

Me:  'Cause I want to?

Her: Why?  Has she made you anything?

Me:  Um, no.

Her: Does she make anyone anything?

Me: Yes, all the time.

Her: Does she know you are going to knit her socks?

Me: No.

Her: Has she ASKED you to knit her socks?

Me: No.

Her: Do you even visit with her on a consistent basis?

Me:  Maybe see her 2 times a year...

Her: So let me get this straight:  you are going to spend 20+ hours knitting someone socks who has never made you a thing, has not asked for socks, does not even know you were going to knit her socks, and you see her about as often as you see the dentist, shoving you into the crazy zone when all these socks stack up, causing the things that people DO know about, are paying you for, and you said you would do to be rushed, cussed, and not be one ounce of pleasure to you at all.

Me:  [long pause with uncertainty and a hint of realization that comes with a cast-iron pan blow to the head] Yeess....

Her:  Let me ask you something else.  Who DOES make things for you?

Me:  SuperGirl.  Little Guy.  Hubby...

Her:  Who DO you see all the time?

Me:  Um, the same.  My family.  Some of my friends.

Her:  I only see a few of them on this list.  [sharp eye]

Me:  I think I get your point.

Her:  I hope so.  I'm getting enough gray hair it'll match yours.

Me:  Touche'.

So there you go.  The yarn is going back in the stash bin and it's being taken off the list.  I'll knit socks for her someday (she is a person dear to my heart) but this day isn't it.  Maybe next year or the year after when there truly is time.  I love making things for people but I need to be true to myself and not feel like I need to make something for EVERYONE.  Keep it simple.  And keep the inner self happy.  Simple as that.