No goal left unbroken

I have one sacred rule when it comes to knitting. Every other project must be for me. I made this rule a few years ago, when I found myself getting less pleasure out of knitting, and realized it was because I hadn't made anything for myself to enjoy in quite a while. Knitting gifts is great, but there's got to be something in there for me on a regular basis. So I made a rule.

I just realized this morning that I am completely breaking that rule right now. Apparently, it wasn't so sacred after all. How did this happen?

Progress on the Icarus Shawl.

1) Good intentions toward my stepmother. My stepmother is also a crafter, and in recent years, she's found her happy place with quilting. Her quilts are incredible. She has the patience to cut tiny pieces of fabric and piece them together for a queen-size quilt. She's given me two. I started feeling guilty. I asked my dad, is there something I could make that she would like to wear? (Mind you, I was thinking maybe a hat). He suggested a traditional shawl would be nice.

I'm not sure what either of them would picture as a "traditional shawl" so I took a flying leap and landed on the Icarus Shawl by Miriam L. Felton. I mentioned this shawl back in July, when I was struggling to get in a groove with it. Back then, I had switched to bamboo needles. They were okay for a little while, but that catch at the join often encountered with inexpensive needles started to try my patience, and I ended up buying yet another pair. Knitter's Pride Cubics finally won out, and now I'm in a pretty good place with this project. But it still took me a long time to settle into the rhythm of the pattern, and I don't want to risk making mistakes.

Progress on Cindy's Blanket.

Because of this, I found I needed something else to work on in those evenings after work when I am just too exhausted to pay close attention. And so I turned to my friend Cindy's gift of yarn.

2) Ah yes. Cindy's gift of yarn. This gift was a bag full of different yarns she bought with the intention of making a blanket. Figuring she'd never get around to the blanket, she gave me the yarn.

I'm always grateful for free yarn, but... I don't really like most of these yarns. A lot of it is chenille. Not too crazy about chenille. So I got the idea to make her a blanket (The Boulevard Blanket, by Fifty Four Ten Studio) to give to her this fall. I'm in the middle of it now. It's one crazy-looking blanket but hey, she's the one who picked the yarn!

Progress on the baby blanket.

3) Babies! Babies babies babies! My coworker friend is due in December. Of course she needs a baby blanket -- Lion Brand's super-easy Diagonal Comfort Blanket. And a hat (not yet started). And, if there's enough yarn left, booties. This is actually the first time I've been reasonably close to a pregnant person since I was 14 and my older sister was pregnant with her first. (All I remember about that was her morning sickness. Makes quite an impression on a 14-year-old). So I'm pretty excited for my friend, and excited to knit baby things.

And so... my queue continues to fill with things I'd love to make for me. Perhaps my Christmas present to myself will be finishing all these gifts!

In the meantime, I also realize I've missed a couple other goals. Like keeping up this blog. (My goal was to post every other Friday). And getting my butt back in the gym. (I'm always a happier person when I go. And it's easier to hike when I work out regularly. This year was not a good hiking year). My mental health is suffering for all of this.

I'll admit -- I'll give this gift to myself -- that my work has demanded a lot of me for the past month or so. But, that rush of crazy is now over, and I can settle back into a routine. So. No more crazy. Back to my goals.

That's the great thing about goals. Even after a miss, we can always get up and try again.