Knitting Challenges

I can be a pretty competitive person. With knitting, a little competition always helps me to keep things moving.

A few years ago there was a "Summer of Socks" contest through an Australian knitter's blog and I joined that contest. I knit twenty pairs of socks in three months. I didn't mean to, but I left everyone else in the dust! I get so excited to prove my skill and my speed and I don't realize that not everyone is with me. One of the knitting podcasts I listen to, Stash and Burn, does a "Single Skein September" each year, where knitters are challenged to create as many small objects using just one skein of yarn as they can in the month of September. The idea is to use up some of those little balls of yarn that are sitting around not being used. I participated the first year. The same thing happened. I knit, I think it was 17 objects that month. Far, far more than anyone else!

I don't want people to hate me, so I don't sign up for too many contests now, but a fun new one just got started. I'm a member of the South Asian Crafters on Ravelry and they are doing a finishing challenge. You list all your Unfinished Objects and commit to not starting anything new until the contest is over. It goes from Nov. 7 to February. Each time you finish an object, you put up a post about it and the next person to finish an object sends you a little knitting related gift.

I've listed five UFOs to work on. It would be nice to get a bunch of things finished and clear out my workspace for new stuff. I reorganized my entire Ravelry queue yesterday and I'm anxious to start on the new things!