There's Still Time

The holidays are right around the corner and once again I find myself marveling at the weird and wacky mindset that surfaces this time of year.

Granted, this probably doesn’t happen to you, but it certainly happens to me:

My logical brain looks at the calendar and notes Christmas is 2.5 weeks away.
My knitter’s brain looks at the calendar and whispers, “There’s still time!”

Time for what? Good question. It’s different each year, but in this particular instance, it occurred to me there might be time to …

• Finish the cashmere scarf above. (I’m in the home stretch.)
• Design a pair of last-minute mitts to match the cashmere scarf.
• Knit the mitts and have them ready for Christmas. (Hohoho!)
• Start (and finish) at least one small knitted item for each of my four godkids.
• Start (and finish) a few holiday decorations to add to the collection.
• Start (and finish) a holiday tea towel and cloth set.
• Finish the shawl that’s on the needles. (About 35% complete.)
• Finalize the Breidan reversible afghan pattern and get it to the tech editor.
• Cast on a new afghan. 

And that list captures only what I'd like to do before Christmas. Clearly I’ve succumbed to a delusional state fueled by fiber fumes and the tantalizing temptation secretly spun into every strand of yarn.

In this state, it's easy to glibly gloss over many other things that must be done. Pesky things like work. And more work. (This is a busy time of year in my non-knitting world.) Decorating. Cleaning. Holiday cards. Cooking. More cleaning, cooking and decorating. Plus time with family, friends and colleagues.

My logical brain says, “Save your sanity! Trim the list!” 

My knitter's brain warbles, “There’s still time!”