Being Delusional Helps

I did it. I knit seven Christmas presents and one birthday present in six and a half weeks, and I did not go crazy. (Or crazier, if you prefer.) Five of the eight came in pairs, and any sock or mitten knitter will tell you that one half of a pair counts as a finished item, so I could claim thirteen finished items. But I won't because a little bit of glory is enough, and I got all the glory I needed last night when my stepmom looked at my sister's Snuggle-Licious Snow Day Socks and said, "You made those? You've come a long way in a year." Then my brother-in-law generously offered to set me up in my very own Ebay sweatshop in which, if I understand correctly, I would do all the knitting and he would take all the profits. When I write my own knitting book, I'm going to ask him to write the blurb for the back cover because you just can't buy that kind of praise.

 

From left to right:

• Brother-in-law's Cowboys scarf (Yes, it's still on the needles in this picture, which was taken Christmas Eve; I cast off Christmas Day afternoon in time to give it to him that night.)
• Sister's Snuggle-Licious Snow Day Socks (That's my name for them. The Paton's pattern just calls them "Fair Isle Socks." Boooooooring.)
• Cousin Lily's Christmas stocking (Mom made a coordinating stocking for Lily's sister Georgia.)
• Mom's Snuggle-Licious Snow Day Socks
• Miles the Boxer's Christmas stocking (I forgot to put the hanger on, but luckily noticed when I was wrapping it and took yarn and needles to Christmas dinner. I added the hanger while everyone else was opening presents. Whoops.)

At the top of the picture:

• Stepmom's red and gray slippers
• Dad's light brown and dark brown slippers

These slippers are what made the impressive knitted gift item total possible. They're in bulky and from cast-on to seaming and blocking, including 20 minutes of soak time, each slipper takes three hours. I did one slipper per evening every night between Tuesday and Friday of last week and only stayed up past midnight once. They are completely simple yet completely awesome slippers.

And last but not least, Mom's birthday socks:

 

Of which I am not a little proud.

But next year? No knitted presents. This time I'm serious.