Funky

I've been in a finishing frenzy lately, trying to get my needles (and headspace) ready for Fall Knitting and the ubiquitious Holiday Knitting. I'm still trying to take a good picture of my newly finished sweater, so for now, we have the Funky Scarf:
First, the requirements: My partner wanted simple yarn in a funky pattern. She lives in a warm climate, but still wanted a scarf to give her some warmth. I tried to accomplish this by using a wool blend yarn (Rowan's Cork) in an open work pattern. It is super soft and long enough to double up for extra warmth, but just draped around the neck isn't hot at all. Her favorite colors were lime green and bright pink, and I think the combo really adds to the funkyness of it. The pattern is my own, made up in the heat of the moment (I cast on Saturday afternoon and cast off Sunday, maybe 3 hours of knitting!) I think I'm going to adapt it for some of BCB's funkier yarns.
I'm happy with the finished product, but boy! It stressed me out! I am hereby swearing to not join ANY more swaps that involve knitted pieces, it's just too much pressure to knit something for someone I don't know. I spend at least a month thinking and planning and rethinking Christmas gifts for the 2 people I always knit for and whom I love so much; why do I think I can knit something satsifying after reading a questionnaire? Ack! It's not that I don't like being part of these swaps, or that I've ever been dissapointed in my own item, but that I worry that I'm dissapointing others. Sounds incredibly insecure, no?
Well, back to knitting for myself and my loved ones!