The Joys of Monogamy

I am a serial bigamist. When it comes to yarn and knitting projects that is. Anyone who knows me knows that I always have multiple projects going at the same time. I just can never seem to resist the lure of a new project and I have absolutely never been able to wait on a project once I’ve fallen in love. Sometimes, when I’ve had to finish something for the store I have put pedal to the metal on a particular something but I always resent it. I want to knit what I want when I want it! (I guess you could say I have a toddler mentality when it comes to knitting).

But lately I have changed my ways, at least temporarily. Some of you might remember a blog post that I wrote about a fisherman’s sweater that my 6’ 4” son had requested (affectionately dubbed “the sweater that ate Connecticut”). I was bound and determined to finish this sweater before the cool weather hits his area (luckily he’s in Virginia so the cool weather stays away slightly longer). And so, I made a plan where I mapped out how much of the sweater had to be knit by the time he went back to college to check fit (it’s top down so I knew I had to finish at least through the arms because he has inherited his mother’s orangutan arms). And then I plotted out how much of the body had to be knit each day in order for it to be finished by September 1st, my self-imposed finish date.

"Requested Sweater"

Now you might be thinking “But it’s not cold in Virginia by September 1st” and you would be right. But I then have to go full steam on my “Stonecutter” sweater for the class I’m teaching starting in October. I will be living, breathing and dreaming of cables for the next few months!

But here’s the real point of this (what is the point Julie?). Monogamy works. I have been loyal! Steadfast! True! Plugging away at this one project, and only this one project has been a revelation in terms of what you can accomplish in a short amount of time. I can’t say that my eye hasn’t wandered and I haven’t fantasized about other yarn, other projects, but I haven’t strayed.

3 weeks work...

The thing that worries me is that since monogamy is not my usual knitting state, I feel that the universal knitting equilibrium is out of sync. No matter, once I am through with these massive projects I’ll just start 20 new projects, ignoring the 20 (or more) projects currently languishing in my knitting baskets. And all will be right with the world once again.