Ravelry Double Dare

I have taken on a Ravelry double-dare. Mission Possible and Stash Down 2008.

Flashing Stash at Knitty was fun. Entering it on Ravelry was illuminating. Shocking. Revealing. Humbling. Embarrassing.

Has been, that is, not just was. I'm not quite done.

Decided that I rather liked the notion of tackling my own personal 12 missions for 12 months (or forfeit the yarn). Socks, I said. I have more yarn than fits into the sock boxes. And there used to be one sock yarn box. I liked even the progress of counting socks (witness the outdated challenge button I still keep updating), but last year I seemed to have fallen short. Upwards and onwards, I say!

Having taken some time to document sock stash more candidly, and having taken a severe look at the whole, I have outlined my list of 12 pairs of socks I MUST KNIT. Options for forfeit are to discard the unfinished item, have a bonfire, give it to a friend, etc. I decided that the penalty needed to be more generous donation than ritual discard. I hesitate to make my semi-finished project someone else's problem, so I landed here: I’ll have to give away the comparable yarn - especially since I do have some multiples. (Some. Sheesh. I should be smacked.)

Here's the list of monthly challenges.
1. January - a pair of second socks Have finished one (Yarrow Rib) and am past the heel on the second (Elfine)
2. Feb. - STR Petrified
3. Mar. - CTH Green Mtn. whatever
4. April - Trekking pastel
5. May - Red Jawoll
6. June - LL Jeans
7. July - Solid CTH
8. Aug. - Knitter’s Choice (can’t decide EVERYTHING now)
9. Sept. - Claudia Handpaint (any color)
10. Oct. - KPPM (any color)
11. Nov. - Bearfoot (any color)
12. Dec. - Mountain Feat (Really, it’s spelled that way.)

I’ll decide patterns as I sort out gauge. That’s the list. Sticking to it.

This mission coincides with the Stash Down. All the above have been in the stash long enough to be in the QUIT IGNORING ME category. Not to mention that most have been acquired because of some lovely gifting or some sale venture or out-of-town yarnsex. Stash Down goals will always include the Mission socks. Beyond that, I can add up my own monthly goals AND look to the group for some of their ongoing ideas. (I'm still not much of a chatterer at Ravelry. Knitty's got that spot in my heart, for all that I'm not exactly Chatty Kathy there, either.) Stash Down goals for (where was I?) for January were largely finishing. No penalty box here. I've packaged up the niece and nephew goodies, and I'll get that Tuscany blocked by Friday (as there are other things happening on the cutting tables at the moment). But mercy me! There's some work to be done.

I need to knit up and stitch up at a rate higher than my acquisition habits have been going. I'll have more to say on that another day. There are stories to tell, some habits to face up to. Today there are a few other things to do, not to mention this perfectly lovely sock I'm within days of finishing - and within days of a deadline FOR finishing. Three and half 16 row repeats and then some cuff.....sounds like a dare I can safely double and even double dog dare myself to finish.