I finished enough UFO's over the last couple of days that I can almost justify to myself why on earth I have started a project for myself. If you saw the list of items that need to be finished for Christmas, you would be laughing at me right now. A project for myself this close to the Holidays????? I had to! All of my projects for the last couple of months have been for someone else, especially with the Knit-A-Thon. This goes against my natural tendency to be a very selfish knitter. I love knitting things for me! I am not a shopper. I do not go to the mall. I own clothes that are older than my twins- and they will be 11 in January. Knitting myself a garment is my trip to the boutique. With this in mind, I now sit with my work in progress 'Falling Leaves Shawl' in my lap. To make myself work as fast as humanly possible on this new project, so that I can get back to my regularly scheduled holiday knitting, I have worked out a plan.

I am a knitter who counts her rows not by a row counter, or writing the rows down, but by eating something. If the pattern tells me to knit 10 rows, I will take ten peanuts or raisins or skittles or other small food item and eat one after the end of every row. When I am finished with my pile of food, the 10 rows are finished and I can proceed with my pattern. For my work in progress I have chosen to use peanuts. Not just any peanuts mind you. These peanuts have an expiration date of Nov. 11, 2006. This is my inspiration to knit faster! If I can finish my project this week, I do not have to eat expired peanuts.

Here's hoping I make it...