The winter hobgoblins have been visiting lately. Perhaps you know the ones I mean? The ones that pounce on the back of your shoulders come mid-January, and then hang on with their kitten-sharp claws until, oh, ’round about May, whispering in your ears with their dreadful papery voices as to how whatever you are doing isn’t…enough. Good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, productive enough…just plain Not Enough.
Bright Sherbet Socks
The particular group of hobgoblins who visit my inner landscape do not mind if it is snowy January, sunny July, or even bright September. They just love to drop in and stay awhile, whenever I leave the door open a crack for them to slither in.
Warm Cherries with Cream
I believe that the goblins’ favourite time of year is January, when so many of us make well-meaning, but perhaps unrealistic resolutions for the new year. This year, the goblins howled with delight when I posted on my other blog that I was going to Finish Some Sweaters By Gum. Oh, how the goblins loved that one. It gave them all kinds of hammers with which to bang on me–for you see, in my heart of hearts, I somehow believe that I don’t finish anything, that in fact, I am a notorious Not Finisher of Projects.
An Unoriginal Pink Hat
In my head (the place where the goblins love to play), I am a capricious knitter who loves to cast on, but hasn’t the whatever-it-taketh to see a project through to its bitter bind-off.
Boo the Bat
Admittedly, I do have an absolute passion for casting on. I love casting on. I love that feeling of excitement, of possibilities, of wanting to learn a new stitch. I crave the tingle of a new yarn on the needles, or the adventure of an interesting bit of shaping as it takes life under my fingers.
But finishing projects? The goblins say I’m bad at that, and you know, it’s so easy to believe them. It’s so easy to think that those little voices are the voices of my muse telling me I am no good.
Gail Nightwing
However, I know better, and goblins hate the truth more than they hate just about anything. And frankly, it’s not even the middle of January yet, and already I am just plain tired of hearing what their sandpapery voices have to say.
So I went off to arm myself with a bit of the truth regarding my project-finishing habits. I spent some time rummaging around my project bins, and updating my Ravelry projects page, and tagging last year’s efforts with “start2009” if I started the project in 2009 and “end2009” if I finished it last year.
The results are in, and the truth is pretty swell: I finished 12 projects in 2009, one on average for each month of the year.
Thrummed Mittens
Take THAT, ye moldy old goblinfolk!
Mini Estonian Shawl
In honour of this achievement, I have decorated this post with photos of all the projects I have finished in 2009.
In fact, there are so many 2009 Finished Objects d’Sandita that I still have a few photos left to show you:
Rachel's Hockey Socks
Rockstar Socks
Go Play Outside Socks
Pretty Pink Thing (my own handspun silk/alpaca)
Fearless Fake Isle Hat
Fearless Fake Isle Hat (top)
Sandi: 12
Goblins of Winter: 0
wiseheart knits 
Send those globlins to conventry, you’ve done very well at one project per month.
Love reading the blog, makes me smile.
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And those are just your finished knitting projects – what about spinning? Or (maybe) weaving? Or projects you started only a couple of months ago and haven’t finished yet – coughsomethingfarmingrelatedcough?
But I hear you – the goblins visited me in December, but I was lucky – they flew away the afternoon of New Year’s Eve and haven’t been back since (well, except when the blue silk warp wouldn’t beam on smoothly)(or when the never-ending fleece is STILL not completely spun up)(or – well, never mind, you know what I mean).
Anyhoo, it’s a new year – onward!
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Ah – so they went to your house after leaving mine! BTW – Lynn is correct – spinning/dyeing/weaving/etc all count as projects, so I think your count is upwards of twelve…
I did what you did. I started updating Ravelry in December. I felt miles better. I realized that I give so many projects away, that I soon forget how much I have made. That finished projects list helps bunches.
Good for you, you productive person you.
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Question…
How did your handspun work out on the Pretty Pink Thing? Did the lace work provide enough memory since the fiber didn’t have so much?
It is certainly beautiful regardless. Just curious.
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Hi Danyelle!
As it turns out the fabric doesn’t bounce back very well. The yarn has no memory, and the particular lace piece doesn’t make up for it enough. I’ve been thinking of frogging this and using the entire ball of yarn to make a lace shawl. We’ll see! And thanks for your comments; I appreciate seeing you here each post.
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Hooray for you! That’s a lot of finished projects, especially considering you didn’t count other crafts and consider the many changes in your life in 2009. Well done Sandi!
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Blogging is better than Ravelry because: Better pictures, those of you who want to exercise the writing muscles can, and you don’t have to wade through all the “How pretty” posts. Loved your cats together picture.
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sandi, what pattern in the blue shawl that is pictured just below boo the bat? It says Gail Nightwing below, but I could not find a pattern by that name on Ravelry. Thanks, Carol
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I feel more like I’m in limbo. I can’t seem to settle on a project. I have a man’s sweater otn and that’s only in the beginning stages so it needs a lot of attention. I have some bayerische socks, some other socks and some thrummed mittens. Hopefully, this will pass soon and I’ll be able to concentrate on something.
You finished some nice stuff there!
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Congratulations on all of your FOs!
I believe your hobgoblins visited me in the Bronx – and I’m way far from Canada!
Too bad for them that I doubled my resolve and cast on a shawl with no mistakes (so far). Yay!
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Amen Sister. (lol) I was feeling all the weight of those goblins sitting on me just a couple days ago while I was also seeing all the household chores that haven’t gotten done lately, and all the decorations still up that should have come down 11 days ago. I blame Christmas. How am I supposed to finish all the undone projects, the baking, the cooking, the cleaning, the shopping, the decorating, the wrapping, the cards, the visiting, the . . . oh well, you know. And NOW, I’m supposed to catch up on everything I didn’t get done while I undo all the decorating I did for Christmas??? I now have several projects that will have to sleep for awhile because my little baby granddaughter will never wear them. She outgrew them before they were finished. They will become gifts to someone else’s baby girl. Well, at least when I hear someone is going to have a baby girl, I will be able to pick up one of the projects, and they are already 1/2 way started!! I also finished a project or two in 2009, (40 – most of them only took a couple hours to make, but still) one that was 30 years in the making. Ha! take that goblins!!!
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I just had a spate of finishing things. But I still asked my husband if he could think of anything I needed to complete (why he would know, I’m not sure!) Must be those durn goblins.
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Love the fair isle fake LOVE IT!!!
I hear those horrid little voices too. I think I need to take a lesson from you and do the same FO posting.
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So I was going to ask if you’re coming to Stitches West but as you are in Canada, guess not. Bummer. (also love the thrum mittens!)
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Sandi, I cannot tell you how much I miss you on knitting daily. So glad I found this blog. Happy knitting!!!!
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I love the warm cherries with cream. So much so I made my own version but with a different fruit – blackberries. It looks yummy!
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