Some people stash yarn. They buy hoards of beautiful yarn and into the closet collection it goes. This is useful so that if you want to start a project at like 2 am; or maybe it’s Christmas Eve and you suddenly realize you forgot somebody. Then, you dig into the stash and decide which yarn is worthy of the recipient (or vice versa) and come away with a hat or something quick. Also, when you don’t have time or money for the yarn store and you just want some inspiration, you check the stash to see if anything kindles your creative fire.

 

 

So stash is useful... Yah, I stash. But whenever I buy yarn I always have a project in mind for the yarn. Sometimes my intentions change, but usually the yarn is has a specific pattern and, at the very least, an intended recipient in mind.

 

But here’s my issue: I can’t keep my hands off the stuff. All the lovely yarn is just waiting to be knit into something. I touch it, I wind a ball and then I swatch. It’s just a swatch! You know, just to see if the yarn will work for what I want. Then, it happens. I realize, “Hey, this works great for cables! Honey, look, isn’t it gorgeous and so soft?”

 

“I might as well start while the idea is fresh in my head,” I reason. “The planning of a pattern is the hardest,” I say, “I’ll just get that out of the way.” Then, “Well, I might as well cast on, that is always the most tedious part. Then it will be started and I can just pick this up when I’m ready.” Before I know it, I’ve got another project started.

 

 

That’s why I have like 12 projects going right now. I blame this all on my tailoring teacher who told us to only buy fabric if we knew exactly what we would make and when. Well, my knitterly answer to this question is thus: I know exactly what I want to make and I want to make it now.

Do I have too much going on? I've shown you all the pics of my LIST. Well, just so you know, I've been chipping away at it. And, yes, I finally took pictures. Here are the blue Magic Stripes socks:

 

 

I like this yarn. It's by Lion Brand and is superwash wool with 25% nylon. I've started another pair in the purple colorway for a friend. I've misplaced that project. I need to get them done by the first week of September. Yes, knitting is an adventure indeed.

 

Somewhere in between I have been working on another pair of socks for me too, out of a cotton blend yarn.

This one may get shoved down the LIST as Christmas and winter near. But no pressure yet - it's only August and it's 95 degrees today. I bet my friend won't be missing those purple socks until at least mid-October!

This sweater flew off my needles! I started it about a month and a half ago. Then I made a Teddy Bear sweater, worked on the sock, learned a stretchy cast-on by experimenting on the baby sweater, did a bunch of swatching for a double-knit wool-ease hat and before I knew it, the sweater was almost complete! I tried it on night before last when the shoulder were finally defined enough that I could do so. Even over my nightgown it looked fabulous! I’m so enamored that I can have a sweater that fits me!

 

In the past, I’ve worn men’s sweaters that were too big around, too long in the torso and sleeves, but at least they were plain and inexpensive. Even women’s sweaters when I found those that fit, were too long in the sleeves and torso. (Like my arms grew along with my tummy!) And trying to find a decent natural-fiber sweater in women’s? Why is this so hard?

 

I have literally never seen a sweater on me that fit. I just assumed I would always look sloppy in sweaters. Well, no more! Good thing I ordered that Knit Picks clearance yarn. It came yesterday and I can already see myself in a perfect-fitting, decent-enough-to-wear-to-work, cotton-blend, cabled sweater.