I used to not be this way. Going 'heads down' on a task was easy. Projects were finished within a reasonable amount of time. I used to quilt. I would make 2 or 3 quilts a year for a now defunct service organization called ABC Quilts. I also made a quilt every year for Christmas to give to a member of my family. One year I even made 4 for Christmas!! Not sure what mental disorder I was suffering from at that time, but I was like a woman possessed. But as the kids got involved in activities, my time by my sewing machine ended and I returned to knitting since it is more portable. Slowly I would cast on and knit while at soccer practices, dance lessons or volleyball matches. My projects were small pieces like scarves or hats. Then I discovered the Internet and blogs offered all kinds of new things to try. Shiny objects started popping up everywhere. I became friends with another knitter at work and she and I would trade project ideas. That's when it all fell apart for me. I jumped at the latest trend. Casting on became a frequent occurrence. My problem was following through to the end. Finishing is just not in my vocabulary.
Just to prove I have a serious problem, here is a pile of fiber that has my attention at the moment. In there is a sweater, afghan, stole, scarf, and a pair of socks. Trust me, it's true.
The sweater is the Go Live Minimalist Cardigan. I am making progress on it. I'm almost finished with the second front panel. That leaves the sleeves. There is a knitting group at work that meets Wednesdays at lunchtime. I have started joining them and this is my project. At least 30 minutes a week is devoted to getting this sweater done.
The Great American Aran Afghan is going to be my ADD project. I figure whenever I need a little diversion from other projects, I can work on a square for that. I have no timeline for it. This is the first block, designed by a lady from Cincinnati. Chosen because that is my hometown.
The stole is the Taize stole I started a year and a half ago. It is about 1/3 finished. Again, no timeline. I work on it whenever it piques my interest.
Last but not least are the silk hankies. Yes, I fell 'hook, line, and sinker' for that little craze a couple months ago. I bought 2 sets in 2 different colors. The blue is going to become socks for Trisha to wear at night. She has Reinold's Syndrome and needs to keep her feet and hands warm. The cream colored silk is going to be a helix scarf for me. I've altered the pattern slightly to make it a bit wider. It will have a little more ruffle to it since I'm doing 3 short rows per side instead of just 2, as the pattern states.
There! Now that I've admitted my problem, it is time to make some resolutions for action. Being realistic, I can't go cold-turkey and say that I won't start another project until these are finished. I will, however, vow to not start a new scarf until the helix scarf is done. And I won't start a new stole until Taize is finished. Another sweater will not be cast on until Go Live is off the needles. I will not begin another block of the aran afghan until the current one is bound off.
With that resolve, I need to get cranking on the Go Live sweater. Yarn is being delivered next week to make sweaters for the girls. Told you I had a problem!!
