Won't be doing that again

Ever feel the burden of too many WIP's? I do, and I really meant to get it cleaned up, to clear things out, to put time in on them in January or put the yarn back into stash. Here it is, the end of January and I have not done with January tasks, which was, to clean up my bag to prepare for new spring knitting. Instead, I started and knit 4 small fan neckwarmers, started and knit on wristwarmers, and baby things and even 2 new pairs of socks (which are very close to complete).

Starting new projects with good yarn like hearing a sirens song and becoming as a sailor, shipwrecked upon the rocky shore. Starting is easy, seductive, fun. Who doesn't love a project when it is new.

I could handle it when I had two pairs of socks on the go, and one big project. That kind of amount is the sort of thing that I have always done. 2 or three of whatever I was working on, embroidery or crochet, or tatting, and so on. I think I could handle two socks, one big project and a scarf in knitting without a problem.

What I can't handle, what really is starting to bug me, to overwhelm me, is this amorphous pile of unfinished stuff. I forgot some of the things I found when I cleaned out the big workbag this morning and let me tell you, it's a crying shame.

So, my vow to me, as of this minute is to draw a line in the sand, and keep to two pairs of socks, and one other project at any given time. I will finish one before I start another. I will stick to big thing till it is done, I will stick to the socks till they are done. Heck I might even go down to one sock at a time.

Too many things on the needles at once can becoming a burden. When things become a burden, it becomes easy to avoid them. It is only the blink of an eye, till avoiding things is all that is happening even when there is a lot of pride taken in accomplishment. While you are so busy avoiding, you loose your start, you loose your finish and heaven help me, sometimes you even lose yourself. I've been there before, and I am not going back there, not even in simplest smallest way.

First, I have to rip back these various projects in various fine yarns, and put them back into stash, OR decide if they are going on the finish me pile. If they are going to the finish pile, then I really ought to finish them, oldest to newest. So today I started on SS sweater. Should not take more than a day or two and I have a lot of time scheduled for pure unadulterated knitting. I am going to find a place where they will keep the coffee coming so I can just knit.

Then, I will attack the things in my bag that are not socks. The wristwarmer set is going to be completed. The baby sweater is going to be completed, maybe not in time for the shower, but in time for the baby to fit into it. (I can only work on it a few hours at a time. Those colours are sucking the eyeballs right out of my head)

And the dreaded black socks which are so close to being done it hurts, are going to be finished before I pick up a single new piece of yarn.

Things were getting just a bit frenetic, and I'm just not going to put up with that no matter how much I want, maybe even need to move forward to the stranded colour work.

I will focus on how it feels to start a project in a clean 'house' with a clean slate of projects, and a clear conscience. It might take me a bit, but I have a feeling, I am going to love yarny things all the more.