Wednesday 10 August 2011

Knitting Doldrums

I have read about it everywhere this year, from Brooklyn Tweed to Frazzled Knitter.  I am surely going through it.  More correctly I am working my way through it.  I did finish those socks after all. That counts.  

I know that the doldrums come from what I have yet to do.  At the start of the year, my goal was to work on the overwhelming pile of works in progress.  They were eating the floor of my study and threatened to climb the walls (or send me there).  I cleared up a bunch of things and am pretty pleased with my progress so far, but what remains is a weight that is dragging me down.  

Two Icarus shawls, the River Valley shawl the Lehe shawl, my second go at something lovely from my Kiev yarn and the Watershed vest are still undone.  Don't get me wrong.  I have finished a lot.  The  backlog of socks has gone the way of the dodo.  I finished the great big Shetland shawl. I finished Mr. Needles long outstanding vest.  I finished or deleted a few things that weren't working out and the pile is down to just one big basket that fits rather tidily on a shelf.  (It's a high, deep shelf.  Don't be thinking bookshelf. )  

The number of new things has stayed just about right. The new things from this year waiting to be done are my gray sweater, which has one sleeve re-knit , the other soon to be.  Lilia Hyrna is waiting for another ball of black yarn but isn't going to take long to finish.  (I love knitting on it).  There is a blue top, still sitting out its sentence for misbehaviour, but once the gray sweater is done, that will be addressed, and a Clapotis that I work on at least once a week.  The only new project that has the potential for long term WIP-ness is a very sweet little Victorian Shoulder shawl and I might just change the lace to get past the things that bug me on it. 

I set myself the task of finishing as a goal because they were such a  weight and they are a weight still.  It isn't that I don't want to do them.  Oh no.  I do.  I just don't want to do them right now.   

Its just that 3 new shawls with lovely new yarn, and at least one more pair of socks and a dozen sweater patterns are calling my name.  Plus the yarn from the closet is shouting at me, knit..knit new, knit rust, knit blueberry, knit green.  

Sensible me, who knows I will just hate myself in the morning, really would rather just get some of these things done so they could be enjoyed and worn.  I just have to fight off the irresponsible me that got me into this mess in the first place.  
 
What I really need is a shot of fresh air.  Its a good thing that my beans and peas should be ready to pick today. I might just sneak a peek under some potatoes too.  A shot of dirt is good for the soul. My fingers will be busy till my head and heart are in a sensible place.  

But as soon as one more sensible thing is done, look out world.  I intend to fly. Well maybe two.  Sensible me is a pretty stern task master.

 

No comments: