In no particular order:
- Rip out the 3 sweaters I know I won't finish
- Finish or frog any WIP started before 2008
- Knit a pair of socks for each family member
- Knit a sweater for each kid
- Start AND finish L's baby blanket
- Sort through old magazines and destash any that aren't interesting
- Destash at swap or use up more stash
- Organize existing stash and needles
#1 will be hard, because it means having to admit that the sweaters were mistakes, or that I just don't have the skills/desire/patience to fix or finish them. One is a sweater I designed myself using the Sweater Workshop; it is in 2 shades of purple that really don't go together. One is a kit I bought at Stitches; I find the yarn very scratchy and I don't like doing the color work. The third sweater is Haiku that I started for E nearly 2 years ago. The cast-on was wonky and it was doomed from the start, but instead of re-doing it right away, I knit the entire body before deciding it was unworkable. Plus now it won't fit him anyway.
#2 shouldn't be too bad. I've got a hat to knit for my step-mother for Christmas; technically not a WIP since I haven't started it yet, but it would be nice to get her gift to her this year. I have a hat for E that needs some embroidery, a sweater for E that needs sleeves, and a felted bear that needs embroidery, stuffing, and stitching. I also nearly finished a Harry Potter bookscarf for my mom for her birthday, but it looks awful, so it'll get frogged or tossed soon.
#3, well, I'll think about that later. At least the kids' socks are small.
#4 works well with #2, since I have a sweater in the works for E. I might try to redo Haiku for L with the same yarn after I frog it (#1). Just need to work on the cast-on.
#5 is a bear. I bought the yarn for L's blanket last year, thinking I would start on it right after finishing L's blanket (and before she was born). But I was so burned out on the first blanket that I knit a bunch of washcloths instead and haven't gone back to the blanket. I have the pattern and yarn, I just need to wind it into balls, swatch, and get started. I'll be thrilled if I can get it finished before the end of the year, but just getting it started will be a terrific first step.
#6 I have already started! I've gone through half of one magazine box of Knitters and found a few that I can part with. My knitting group is having a swap later this winter, so my goal is to go through all the magazines before then. I don't have that many, maybe about 100. I'll be happy if I can get rid of 20. While I'm reading through them I am also marking patterns I'd like to try and articles that look useful.
#7 also needs to happen, at least in part, before the winter swap. In theory I have no problem parting with yarn, but when it actually comes time to give it away, I balk and think of some reason why I may need it. Using it up myself would be easier, definitely!
#8 needs to happen before Stitches, so I know what I have before shopping for more stuff. I find needles all over the house, in the oddest places. My hope is that if all the needles are in one place it'll be faster to start projects. Right now I sometimes avoid starting something because I know hunting for the right size needle will take a long time. And using up the existing stash, #7, will be much easier if it's organized.
Okay, it's not the end of the day yet, but I can't help wanting to blog! The Ravelympics 2008 officially started at 5am PDT, and I was up and knitting by 6. I am working on Washcloth #3, which uses the Tiny Cables Washcloth pattern by Nanette Blanchard, in a bright blue Sugar'n Cream cotton. This project qualifies for several events: Home Stuff Hammer Throw, Gift Knits Pentathalon, and the Cable Steeplechase. The pattern is pretty and very easy to memorize, and probably looks a little more complicated than it really is. The yarn, however, is very hard on my hands. I've found I can't really knit for more than 30-40 minutes at a time, which is probably just as well, as I've got other stuff to do. The last time I knit washcloths was over a year ago, and I don't remember it being this bad. I was pregnant at the time, though, so maybe being uncomfortable all over made my hands hurting seem negligible.