In the interest of transparency...

I shall try to enumerate the knitting I would like to accomplish between now and the end of the calendar year (yeah, Christmas, but I'm trying not to think about it). Perhaps this will encourage our elected officials to invest in some of the same.

1. I will finish the Monkey socks this morning. I finished the Monkey socks! Yay! Then I will make more Monkey socks. Too fun and now I have it totally memorized!

2. Since there is no word yet from my fashion designer, I will ply my laceweight (also today) and start a lace shawl. Or spin some more. Depends on what yardage I got, but I would like to knit a shawl from handspun for the County Fair this year (if I have time).

3. I bought yarn for DH for Father's Day last year. Wasn't that nice of me? Did I knit it up yet? Guess. Must find out what he wants (scarf or gloves).

4. DS needs a new hoodie. Seriously. I knit him a Wallaby when he was two to fit him till he was 4. He's almost 6. I would lengthen it, but the yarn didn't hold up all that well (pilling) and I don't want to deal with that for another year. Plus he wants one the same color and yarn as my green cardigan, which will knit up SO quickly!! Yay for Bulky yarns!

5. My dear, dear mother has FINALLY requested a SWEATER. This won't get finished in the summer as I want to yarn shop with her for the perfect everything, but will be started as soon as we get back in September so as not to cause undue stress near the holidays. Not to mention, I don't know the answers to: zipper/pullover/cables/gauge/texture/colorwork, etc. I want this one to be a real winner!

6. More socks. I know, I know, I have enough socks to go over a week in handknits. But they are so fun, so quick, so easy to wear, so inexpensive to knit (relatively). But here's the thing: I have 7 pairs in progress (I started at 5; keep remembering more...), some for longer than others. So it's not so much that I will knit new socks as I will try to finish the ones I have started. Except for the white ones from Favorite Socks. I don't like the yarn, I'm not sure I like the pattern, even. They should be in a cotton blend, not in a singles, the first one is too short and since I don't like it, I don't even want to rip out the toe and make it longer.

So the sock list includes: blue socks from Loribird's handspun; purple/green socks from my handspun a la Twisted Sisters; boring blue Jacquard socks from years ago (literally I cast these on one day when DS was 3); Jaywalkers (need to be fixed first); chevron stripes from swimming lessons last summer; white lace (never mind). Oh, man, now I can't even remember them all from the last paragraph. And don't forget I want some more Monkeys...

7. My church knitting group is making an afghan to raffle off at our annual picnic and I need to contribute at least 2 more squares in the next few weeks.

8. I also SOLEMNLY SWEAR that I will finish DD's [expletive deleted] poncho before we go on vacation. This will take about three hours. SO no big deal, will be such a relief to be done. Just need to think of it more often.

Thank goodness teacher socks are long finished and there's no other gift knitting this spring. I will go for books for the classroom once again, which I think is appreciated. I may regift my Starbucks gift card to the kindergarten teacher, though; she's a single mother these days and deserves it more than I do! I will be presenting DD's teacher with her socks the day before school gets out (so I can see her open them!). The last day of school is too crazy.

Three more days of houseguest!!!!

Have a great weekend!