The Master of Last Minute Gifts

Beware! Long rambliness ahead! You have been warned!

Maybe I'll make that my new title. If I've learned nothing else from this year of scarves (and believe me, I've learned a lot about knitting and crocheting and myself and my habits) It's how to meet a deadline and how to prioritize.

Very rarely does yarncraft ever have a deadline in the first place, but the most important one I can think of is giving a handmade gift. Sure there are plenty of times when you want to give a gift to someone you love for no reason at all except that you think they deserve one, but mostly I'm thinking about Christmas, Chanukah, birthdays, other holidays, and showers.

I used to be a champion at giving an "IOU" gift instead of the actual gift. I'd plan to make a baby blanket for a baby shower, get started and have a LOT of it done. Then when the deadline loomed, I'd lose steam and make a quick little amigurumi crocheted toy that only takes a single evening and gift it with a card saying "Something bigger is on the way but I didn't finish." Frankly, it's embarrassing. After this year, I don't foresee it happening again. Not only do I recognize how long a project will take, but I suspect that I'm faster than I was this time last year.

Yet, I also have learned to prioritize better. As much as I would like to sit and craft for an entire day when I have a day off from work and get a day or two ahead on my 365 Scarf Project, I do recognize that there are other things that need to be done. Interestingly, even though I have less time in which to do it, I seem to get more done since I've started this project. It's particularly noticeable in the last couple of months. It's like I've found a stride in which I can craft and get things done and have free time AND work and still be on top of things and not feel stressed.

What does this mean? I'm going to have the gifts that I plan done in time with no IOU necessary and I won't overlook all the more important things that have to be done to keep a household running smoothly. Basically it means I'm proud of myself. I'm generally pretty humble, but I'm right now feeling proud of myself and happy to admit it.

Good job Amanda. Go Me! Way to be a total grown up! ;D It's pretty awesome how having a goal that's seemingly unrelated to one's faults have a way of lining things up.