I'm a bad gift knitter

Before I get into the ugliness, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I had planned to post a "happy holidays" entry, but last minute preparations for everything got in the way. I'm lucky I managed to have clean underwear to pack for my Christmas trip north.

OK... so you remember all those mysterious Christmas Gift knits I had listed on the side there? There were, like, six things listed. I started pretty much everything earlier this year. Yeah, well, out of the six things I got two done--the girls' sweaters. That's it. Nothin' else. The other items? Here's a status report:

• Christmas gift #1"Watchcap" -- started the earliest for my mother's boyfriend. Status: my attempt to alter the pattern from worsted to DK weight yarn resulted in a bigger hat than I wanted. However, my mother really wanted it for herself, so I started a new one (in worsted weight) for him and have not yet finished this one for her.
• Christmas gift #1a"Watchcap--redoux" -- Status: about an inch of knitting done.
• Christmas Gift #3"Bluefoot" -- socks for my youngest sister. Status: Gusset stitches picked up for one sock. Other one still waiting. I really thought that I'd get these done, but
• Christmas Gift #5 -- socks for my mother to match the sweater she's working on. Status: yarn bought, no pattern, no swatching, no nothin' but skeins of yarn.
• Christmas Gift #6 -- headband or hat for my other sister. Status: yarn bought for both options. Headband in mid-swatch; nothing on the hat.

See, I told you. I suck.

I don't know what happened. Everything was planned out well in advance. But coming down the homestretch, I collapsed like an old nag. Seriously, though, I think the combination of work, the transit strike (with its 2+ hour commute each way), last minute Christmas shopping, and scrambling to finish the girls' sweaters a week earlier than planned did me in. (Plus my thumbs hurt. I think it from the intense hotel knitting.) It all burned me out. I last touched the socks on the train home on Thursday night (the only ride last week where I managed to stay conscious that whole way). Until last night, I hadn't picked up the needles since then, and even at that I knit 12 stitches of Jim's armsock and called it a night.

Maybe the deadline thing just doesn't work for me. I'm thinking that maybe I should just start and finish the items whenever I do, and people will just get random gifts of knitting. Whenever it's done, it's done. Maybe I just need some time off to rest and regroup.

This weekend I'll be heading back up to Vermont for a week off. Maybe a little quiet time with some Malabrigo will help me relax.

In the meantime, here's the picture of the peaceful holiday village that I was going to post for Christmas. Hope you enjoy it, even if it's a little late.