I need a knitting attitude adjustment

I've had this affliction for as long as I can remember. If I HAVE to do it (whether it's self inflicted or something external forcing me), I don't WANT to, and I will drag my feet.

It will happen every time. EVERY single time.

And I thought knitting would be exempt from that rule, however, it is not.

If anything, it's worse. Because not only am I slow at finishing whatever I HAVE to finish, but then I make stupid mistakes and end up tinking and re-knitting whatever the UFO is atleast twice. Now, not only have I told myself that I must get the project done, making me hate said project, but then I've frogged it more than once for an error that is clearly my own, and I have now have less than no desire to work on it ever again. And that's where I'm at with as the bazillion Christmas presents that need to get done between now and the 22. I've got 1/2 of Mom's, Matt's, and Lindsay's presents left to do. Then I have to re-do the one present I've finished (which is for Dad) as it's clearly too big, and I just don't feel good about giving it to him. Maybe I'll wash it and see what it does. Only by the grace of God would a washing save it, but either way, unless it fixes it, I'll have to re-knit it. Sniff....sniff.

I think I'm just going to start Knitting Christmas presents ath the beginning of the year in 2009. That way, if I screw it up, I can set it aside and come back to it a couple of months later and save the gift. Or, I can just take my sweet old time with it and get it to turn out correctly the FIRST time.

To be fair, I started all these gifts in September, but I still don't think that was enough time for me...I've only been knitting for 4 years, and only seriously knitting things that aren't scarves for about 1 1/2. So I feel that expecting myself to complete 2-4 presents each for 5 people and only starting 2 mos ago may have been a tad overzealous. Just maybe.

So, now, as I sit and look at all the things left to do, I feel I need a nap, and a clear head, and an attitude adjustment so I can actually give gifts that make people feel the love I have for them in knitting them these things. At this point I fear they'll feel like I feel OBLIGATED, and I don't, I'm just not in a nice....knitting.....place.