Project Talk: I Love Deadlines

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
                                                                                                                    (Douglas Adams)

First and foremost, anyone who is unfamiliar with the genius of British writer Douglas Adams, go and pick up a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and read it.

Do it now. I'll wait.




Back? You're welcome.

Adam's quote above can be found in a lot of places. It seems to be human nature to ignore deadlines until the last possible minute, while doing other things. In my case, usually watching television, including my new found obsession with ESPN, playing on the Internet (thank you Ravelry, Pinterest, and Facebook to name a few) or good hearted attempts at organizing things. Everyone has their own list of things-to-do-when-you-really-don't-want-to-do-that-thing-you-know-you-really-should-be-doing and we do that list until the deadline can no longer be ignored, then complain about not having enough time to meet our deadlines.

I'm this way with knitting. My mother-in-law's birthday socks are still waiting to be photographed and presented to their rightful owner. Nevermind the fact that her birthday was almost two full months ago. That sweater I wanted to get done by the end of summer? Well, it's October and I've just started the second half.

Logically, the thing to do would be to photograph those socks and get them to my mother-in-law. Then to sit down and finish that sweater, so I can get started on some winter projects or finally finish that Tree of Life Afghan that has been sitting on the needles since Jesus was a baby. But do I do logical?

No.

Instead, the socks are still waiting to be photographed, and I've started on some hunting socks for my husband, creating another deadline. They need to be done by the start of hunting season, in mid-November. Then yesterday my sister calls. Could I make a ghost hat for my two year old niece's Halloween costume? And not for Halloween 2020, but this Halloween. Sure, why not. That adds another looming deadline, especially considering that it needs to be mailed and arrive in Seattle by Halloween (which, in case you were wondering, falls on October 31st this year).

Not that I mind. I do like making things for the people I love, provided they show the proper amount of appreciation (usually nominating me for sainthood is appropriate). But I seem to keep establishing deadlines for myself that I know I will ignore.

But for the time being, I have more time to work on the socks than the hat, so I'm going to get knitting on a ghost hat for my niece's Halloween costume. I'd hate to disappoint.