Deadlines Shmeadlines

I have a love hate relationship with deadlines. The part of me that loves a good deadline knows well the part of me that is an ace at procrastination. Nothing like a little stress to get the job done. I have had this monkey on my back for several weeks now: That would be the free sock pattern Monkey from Knitty done in the limited edition Cherries Jubilee from Lorna's Laces. You can find limited edition Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn at Jimmy Beans Wools (see link on sidebar). Only 100 skeins of this yarn in a different colorway are released each month. When I started this project, I thought 4 WEEKS was huge. No problem. I'll whip these puppies out in one weekend then she'll get the gift early. Hah. These socks are now due in a few short days and must include time to ship. Yikes. I took the above picture one week ago. Since then, I have finished 1 full sock (which would help if my sister in law was one legged), and half of the other. I don't think she has lost any toes since I saw her a month ago.

My sticks haven't been idle though because I've made another pair of socks for my friend to wear while in labor. Well, I can't say pair because it would help if Kim were one legged too, but she isn't. I also made some washcloths for the baby out of the leftover Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton. It was leftover from making this EZ Baby Surprise Jacket:

That is the proud first time mom to be showing off my labor of love. The tiny buttons are little tugboats. You can probably guess it is a boy she is cooking. She too is giving me a bit of a deadline as she is due in roughly a month.

Then, there is my sister and brother in law's secret anniversary gift. It started as a housewarming gift but due to a screw up in shipping, became a Christmas gift and then due to time contraints of last minute Christmas knitting has finally become The Anniversay Gift. Although they are celebrating silver this year, I have gone many, many shades of green. It will blend nicely in their new mountain home. Much of this yarn has very special meaning. Unfortunately, they are way too smart to tell you what these yarns are without giving away the meaning so I'll only let you have a look see:I am so thankful that while their anniversary is in May, they won't be back to the country until July. I have tried mightily to work a wee bit on this secret project every day, and it is growing. The problem is that now that 2 deadlines have passed, I don't feel enough pressure to finish. Knowing me, I won't be addressing the finishing until well into June and maybe even July. I do know one thing though, it will eventually be completed. I just hope it beats the deadline and doesn't become this year's Christmas gift.