My deadline looms and I'm nowhere near done. Not even close. I've even moved to mocking up with yarns other than the one provided because I won't have enough to finish the project otherwise.

I have a tricky shape to create prior to fulling. I've tried knitting flat with end row increases/decreases. I've tried short-rowing to build my contours. Neither worked well. I'm now in the middle of trying to knit a flat medallion, center-out, differing the increase points and rate of increase, plus adding short rows (rounds actually) to deform the thing into the configuration I want. So far this last method is producing the most shapely results, but I fear that the written directions will be complicated to follow. Here's one sample round:

*K1, M1, K19, M1, K1*; slip marker; K1, M1, K4, M1, K28, M1, K4, M1, K1; slip marker; repeat ** once

No two rounds are alike, increase points migrate all over the place, and the logic of the increase progression changes several times over the course of the piece.

To top it off, I haven't gotten up to the fulling step yet. I have no idea whether or not my complex shape will full into a nice flat piece, or whether it will crumple up like a head of Boston lettuce.

Frustration, frustration.

Maxim number one, repeat as necessary: If you knit for relaxation, as an enjoyable way to escape a high pressure, deadline-driven career, taking on a commission that's also deadline-bounded is a Bad Idea. Especially if unforeseen events and multiple major work-related responsibilities wolf down the majority of what you thought was discretionary time at the outset of the assignment.

Kim's Corollary:? Nothing knit under extreme time pressure ever turns out well.

AAARGH.