I'm not selfish, just picky

My friend Cierra and I went Swing Dancing on Tuesday. She came over my house so we could car-pool to the ballroom and she spotted my Felted Slippers. "So when am I going to get a pair?" she asked as soon as she put them on her feet, wiggling her toes around and strutting back and forth in my bedroom. "Whenever I get around to it," I replied as I rummaged around for the Odessa hat I had made for her (it was my beaded projects for the ravelympics). When I gave it to her she did a happy little squeal, jammed it over her head and walked around my house petting the hat every few minutes. And that is when I knew that I had found someone (besides my Mom) who would appreciate and actually wear anything knitted that I would present to them.

I have my own little one-time-your-out rule when it comes to knitting. I will knit everyone at least one thing; a hat, a scarf, socks, slippers, something that doesn't take a ton of time or money to make. If I don't see them using it a few times I will not knit for them again. Not because I don't love them, or because I wouldn't enjoy knitting for them, but I don't see the point in spending hours knitting for someone only to see the item sit in some drawer for the rest of forever.

I wouldn't say that I am selfish in my knitting, I'm just picky, very picky.

Ravelympics, part 1

The ravelympics are going on at Ravelry right now. Basically knitters and crocheters try to get as many self picked projects done in the 17 days that the regular Olympics take place. Each project can be tagged under one or more "events" and you can even join teams if you want, or be a lone wolf. This is my first time take part in the ravelympics and I am a proud member of Team S.P.E.W. The first project that I am trying to get done in record time is the Lily of the Valley sock pattern, in a very pretty blue colorway called Mermaid. Here is how that sock is going so far:

Day one: Cast on...wrong number of stitches.
Cast on yet again, take sip of wine, start knitting.
Get to the first part of the billion and two lace instructions (the cuff).
Finish the cuff in record time, get another glass of wine.
Switch back to first page to read up on "Horizontal Braid" instruction.
Get confused, drink wine, complain to mother, attempt to find help on Ravelry, set knitting down with a frustrated huff and go to bed.

Day two: Stretch and pick knitting back up.
Follow Horizontal Braid direction carefully, smacking self in forehead when realizing that the instructions are super simple.
Start on the leg instruction, feeling incredibly optimistic.
Realize that I forgot 2 rows on the cuff instructions.
Tink (unknit) while grumbling to self.
Finish the cuff this time all the way.
Work on leg instructions, again.
Mess up on row 3 of leg, unknit.
Mess up again on row 3, unknit yet again, glaring at yarn the whole time.
Start on row 4, realize I've lost 3 stitches along the way, and frog the whole f-ing thing.
Grab glass of wine, and cast on to the whole thing again on DPN's this time around.

I'm hope that this will make everything easier. Since the pattern, erm, called for DPN's in the first place. But hey, I looked at it figuring that if I just place markers I could pretend I'm working with 5 DPN's instead of one circ and call it a day. After all, how hard could that be?