Reality check

With less than 60 days to Christmas, I decided I better start getting organized. So on Monday, I sat down, wrote out a list of who I needed gifts for, and what I wanted those gifts to be.

Because of a tight budget (read $0) it was decided that this year, all my gifts will be handmade with materials I already have.

I'm a lucky girl in that respect. I have a multitude of talents (knitting, sewing, drawing, painting, photography etc.) and a studio filled with supplies that I've gathered over the years. I have everything I need... everything but time.

I try to knit every night, but realistically, most of my knitting is done on the weekends. And there only eight weekends left until Christmas. Fortunately, my Christmas list is not long - immediate family and a few close friends. And some will be getting artwork, or sewn projects, which are considerably quicker than knit gifts.

However, as you know, I also have three babies left to knit - all due before Christmas. For the sake of expediency, the Serenity blanket has been set aside, and will be gifted to a baby who's not due until March. All the pre-Christmas babies will be getting cardigans.

So, the Lore hoodie and Aeoloan have been set aside.

And the baby knits have begun...The pattern is Splash. A pattern from a Jaeger leaflet mom had in her vast pattern library (that was on the other side of the wool room, and wasn't in the photo - but it's two Ikea Billy bookcases full!). The yarn is Sirdar Snuggly DK (lifted from Mom's stash about a month ago - have I mentioned what a lucky daughter I am?).

Now a little side note - I completely respect the parents-to-be's decisions to keep the coming babies' genders a surprise - it's their baby and they have every right to - but as a knitter, it's a complete and utter annoyance. I have skipped over so many beautiful pattern because they were too "girly".

I'll admit it, I am totally biased when it comes to knitting for baby girls - I much prefer it over knitting for boys. I'd love to be knitting lacy cardis, flouncy pinafores and oh-so-adorable bonnets - instead, I spent hours looking for gender-neutral patterns that are just, well... boring to knit. I think I've just knit too many lace shawls - good ol' garter just doesn't compare any more.

But I've just got to suck it up - I can make the pattern fun with fabulous buttons. And button shopping will be my reward for plowing through a boring knit - the dangling carrot so to speak. I guess I better get back to it - those stitches aren't going to knit themselves!