Making a list, checking it twice

As most many some knitters know, the holidays are a great time to give hand knitted gifties. Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, New Years -- they all are suitable for gifting. Yesterday I created my Xcel spreadsheet for who is getting what. So far one of the gifts is finished, and a second is more than half way there. I've been consulting patterns, yarn stocks, and needles to figure out what's what this holiday season. Ravelry is my new best friend.

I keep thinking I'm going to get it all done in time, even though I know I'm not. I need to keep in mind that some things need to be there by Christmas morning, and others not until January, when some friends will celebrate a reunion (these aren't really Christmas gifts, I'm just calling them that, so I can avoid lengthy explanations). I keep telling myself I'm the Little Engine Who Could -- "I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!" I only hope I don't end up like the Engine in Mr Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Tales (cf. Saturday Night Live, ca. 1977), who, upon trying to go up the big hill, says, "I think I can! I think I can! Heart attack! Heart attack!" Or some such equally macbre ending.

So this year, I'm making the following:
7 scarves
2 handbags
3 lacy scarfy thingies
4 hats
1 lace shawl
1 heavy shawl

It's times like these that I wish I knew how to make socks and mittens. The rest of the scarves should be easy to make, since they'll all be one colour (I think), and just textured. Follow the pattern and voila! a textured scarf! Easy and eventually one memorises the pattern. I will admit I'm a bit stonkered by the handbags. They will be felted, and I've done precious little felting in my day (just some pot holders, to which I'd assign a grade of B+), but with Cascade 220, one can never go wrong. And the colours! So hip! So modenne! So now! Purple and Green. Who wouldn't want a felted bag in purple and green?

I've got about 11 weeks to get it all done. Let's see, if I quit my part time job, learn to live on air, and don't sleep for the next 10 weeks, I should be able to just about finish it. Oh, and I'm not including the double knitted scarf that I started in March. I don't think that will be done til next March.

*sigh*