April, come she will

I haven't actually posted progress reports or goals yet this year. So--checking in on my end-of-the-year posting:

Goals from 2007 for 2008:

• Finish brother sweater (Jan) Done!
  
• Lengthen husband sweater (Jan) Done!
  
• Lengthen perfect sweater #1 (Jan) Not even looked at.
  
• Ramona (Jan) Done, and I love, love, love this sweater. The yarn (Classic AL) pills like mad, which is to be expected out of a merino/alpaca blend, but I love it anyway.

• Husband sweater #2 (Feb/Mar) Swatched, but that's it.
  
• Tangled yoke cardigan hmm. . . I may use the yarn I had earmarked for this for a different sweater. Still in the imagining stages.
  
• Baby nephew blanket w/cables (Feb/Mar—he’s due in April, and while we’re worried he’ll come early, like his big brother, I don’t want him to not have a blanket. I’m aiming for done in mid-March, which will put him at 35 or 36 weeks) Well, he came early (March 8), and his blanket's still not done. But I"m getting there--I've done 28 out of 30 repeats, so--two more repeats and the border, so I need about 3 more hours to finish the knitting part.
  
• Orange socks for T (done soon, but maybe given to him when his baby brother gets his blanket) Done, gifted, and frequently worn.
  
• Honeybee stole or another large lace project, w/camel yarn Still in the imagining stage, but I have finished some lace this year.

Other things accomplished so far this year:

• Flowerbasket Shawl
• Swallowtail Shawl
• Malabrigo scarf, neither blogged nor Raveled. It was for the third, and only male member, of my committee.
  
• Blue socks, also for T
• 1 sock in Lorna's Laces Georgetown, a little too long for me (I got distracted and forget to start the toe), so once the second one is done I'll mail them to L.

Not too too much knitting, although I've done a fair amount on the cabled nephew blanket, as well. And, considering that I finished and defended my dissertation--my largest FO to date, and my longest-lasting WIP--I'm going to say the first three months have been pretty successful!

Which raises the question: What do I want to accomplish in April? April will be a month of grading; next week I have a lot of papers coming in and a short time to turn them around before I have more papers coming in that I'll need to turn around quickly, because then it will be the end of the semester and I'll have final portfolios to grade. Teaching would be so much more fun if it weren't for grading jail. My goals, in other words, need to be reasonable.

• Finish the cable blanket and mail it to little nephew. (totally reasonable; even with 35 papers to grade this weekend, I think I should be able to mail it by the time he turns 1 month old.)
• Finish the second G'town sock so I can bring them with me when I go visit L the first weekend in May. (mindless and portable knitting is good, especially with papers to grade)
• Swallowtail shawl #2 in Posh yarn: I need to decide which yarn. The Posh Knitters group on Ravelry is having a KAL and I thought I'd play along.
• Work on green socks for T, which I started and then frogged, since I wasn't happy with them.
• Wash the swatches for the husband sweater and get started. We have made a pattern decision (hence the swatching): Cambridge Jacket by Ann Budd, from IK Summer 2006.

That seems like a reasonable amount to try and accomplish. I have a million plans in my head, but I know this month will be crazy, work-wise. May will be lighter work-wise, but crazy with graduations and birthdays and conferences; June will be much lighter, though (and then July and August crazy again with a summer class!).

I haven't really been buying yarn, or notions, or anything, really, but instead mostly knitting from my stash. I think I'll be tempted, though, as Webs' anniversary sale is coming up in April, and they always have such amazing prices!