3 down, 1 to go

Christmas is almost here, and I finally feel like I can breathe easier.

Of the four gifts I made, three are finished and two have been given to their recipients.

First, I gave My So-Called Scarf to one of my coworkers.  I was going to wait until Thursday (the last day we both worked before the holidays) but I decided to give it to her on Wednesday.  I kept almost slipping up and inadvertently mentioning the scarf to her, so I thought it best to just give it to her as soon as possible.  On Tuesday we were talking and she asked how my holiday knitting was coming along, and I almost told her that I had finished her scarf!  Anyway, she seemed very pleased with it, and I was happy to see that she wore it to work on Thursday.

As far as Cobblestone goes, I have a few ends to weave in and I need to sew together a hole I left in one of the underarms.  I would also like to wash it.  Other than that, I’m done.  Yay!  Tim and I exchanged gifts on Friday (his idea) so he tried it on already and it fits.  I would like to have it completely finished and washed before I take any pictures of it.  He seemed happy with the design, as well as my choice of color.  I am happy about that.

I finished knitting the Cabled Pocket Shawl last night.  That was a miracle.  I had 10 cable repeats to do yesterday, and I decided to break it into chunks.  Do one repeat.  Go to the bank.  Do another repeat.  Make breakfast.  Do another repeat.  Make cookie dough.  You get the idea.  I thought that would keep me from burning out on the knitting while still getting other things done.  I’m surprised my hands didn’t fall off, with all the knitting and sifting I did yesterday.  Anyway.  This morning I sewed up the pockets, added the ribbing to the pockets, and wove in the ends.  I will wash it in the morning, in time to give it to its recipient tomorrow afternoon.

Finally, Branching Out.  I’ve just about had it with this project.  It’s not difficult, but I haven’t had the patience to work on it with all of the other stuff going on.  Besides gift knitting I’ve been busy at work, baking, shopping, doing dissertation stuff.  Really I just need a day to chill, but I don’t know when I will get that.  Enough whining.   I would really like to start this project again, but it just isn’t realistic in time for Christmas.  Admitting that I had bitten off more than I could chew was difficult, but in the end I decided to do a simpler project and do it right.  I switched to the Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and I hope to finish that tomorrow.