Looking For Handwork

Once a month I meet with a bunch of quilting girlfriends. We go to one of the gals' home. It used to be that we would start out chatting, have dinner, and then work on our respective hand projects. Within the last year it has changed to chatting, dinner and more chatting, with no work getting accomplished. All of us talked about it and we have decided to get back to working on projects. So, that means I need to come up with something to do by hand, since we don't take our sewing machines. Since ufo's are at the top of my list, I didn't have to look far. Here is what I came up with. I have 6 blocks with dogs buttonhole stitched on them. All they need is embroidery to complete some facial features. I also have a Christmas stocking that I started a few years ago. It is crazy pieced with hand embroidered stitches along each seam. I have a few more seams to complete, beading to do, silk ribbon work and charms to add. That one will take more than a few meetings to complete. Then there is a pillow that I want to make. It has embroidered flowers on the top 1/3 and the bottom 2/3 is made up of half square triangles. Also on the to do list is a reindeer table runner. The reindeer are embroidered and then bordered with a scrappy arrangement of half square triangles. Lastly is a crocheted baby set. I know, it's not quilting, but it still counts as handwork. Now the question is, what do I want to start with? For me the answer is easy. Whichever project can be completed in the shortest amount of time is the one that I will work on. There is nothing like the quick gratification of finishing a project to lift the spirits!