Knitting Content! (no pics, though)

My friend Amanda has just started knitting and blown me away by finishing like... four or five FOs in like, a couple weeks. I can't even finish Annika's God-forsaken legwarmers, so what's up with THAT?

So I did something kinda nuts today. I frogged about six WIPs and decided I was going to BUCKLE DOWN and finish these few first before making ANY more-- and that includes my beloved Scotland Mission Shawl, which I am desperately in love with.

I'm not yet a very GOOD lace knitter, although it's my favorite thing TO knit, and I'm not sure why.
It seems like every time I 'm doing lace repeats, my rows get shorter or longer, but I can't find a single mistake in them! its' the wierdest thing.
So I panic and add a few stitches, only to find out that the next row has me with MORE than I'm supposed to. And even with all this madness, the pattern itself comes out flawless. What is going on??

Also, I'm almost to the short row heel on Interweave last spring's toe up ribbed socks which I'm doing in a crisp kinda beige superwash now. Last time, this was the definitive cause of hair pulling on my part-- lets' pray I get it right this time around.