It's that time of year.

It is that time of year again where some of us break out the holiday gift knitting. I try to be a good gift knitter and finish a few projects throughout the year. But lets be honest, major gift knitting doesn't happen until the autumn. It's not until the pressure of an actual deadline starts creeping in and Christmas starts looming that I really think it's time to start.

Now, let me begin by stating that I actually do enjoy holiday gift knitting for my friends and family. My reasons are very simple. First, I am very unfortunate in that pleased that most people I know are wonderful recipients of handmade objects and I think that they actually look forward to receiving something each year. The second advantage, I don't like malls at the best of times. I hate malls during the lead up to the holiday. (Though my Husband claims that the key is to shop before the first snow fall. Until those first snow flakes drift to the ground, people don't seem to feel the need to rush to the malls and spend their hard earned cash on much of anything holiday related.) I hate the crowds and the pushy sales people and the potential for a nasty credit card bill in January. My actual shopping is limited to just a few places and I am more than happy to keep it that way. And finally, some of my best gift memories include receiving handmade gifts. It makes sense that I would want to pass that on.

I think it's important that I put that all on paper before I start explaining the next bit. There reaches a point in the process where I just don't want to do it anymore. It happens every single year. I want to knit anything, and I do mean anything else. Projects that have been buried in the bottom of my knitting basket for months start calling to me. Projects that I have lined up in my stash closet are always on my mind. Those damn socks by Gleena C have been taunting me since they arrived in my Smart-Ass Knitters package.

I can't fully explain why this happens. I am happy to give away my knitting to people that I know are going to appreciate it. I have no trouble parting with my knitted objects, (well expect for the Lizard Ridge Blanket. I did think seriously about giving it to my Mother in Law because she gushed over it in a way that nothing I have made before has been gushed over. In the end, I kept mine and made one for her. I'm looking forward to her reaction when she opens it.) I am happy to knit for myself and equally enjoy knitting for others. I already have gifts for next year planned out . I really like doing this.

I do have two theories about this. First, I always seem to underestimate the time a project is going to take. I firmly believe that I am either the worlds fastest knitter, or that I have way more time in a day to knit than I actually do. Secondly, it's the “wanting what you can't have” syndrome. I stated loudly to my Husband back in September that “I was not casting on anything new unless it was gift knitting until all the gifts were finished.” (I did include that working on items already on the needles, whither gift knitting or not would still be permitted.) It's worked so far, but really want everything else. I'm actually starting to go a little nuts right now.

Love the buttons

 So, in order to maintain my sanity I will sew the buttons on my Sister in Law's cowl and complete one side of the duplicate stitches that need to be done on a friend's scarf and I am going to spend the rest of today and tomorrow knitting something completely different. It's a guilty pleasure that won't go right to my hips or make me feel like I have to add more time on the treadmill to make up for it. Hmmm......knitting as a healthy lifestyle aid. I like it.