The state of my knitting projects is in direct correlation to my state of mind. Maybe it’s spring or maybe it’s just a phase, but I seem to have no attention span when it comes to knitting lately. Knowing this, I’ve knocked out several small projects that I can finish in one or two sittings. Our church is a forty-five minute drive from the farm. I have it down to where I can knit a hat on the way to and from church. So far this year I’ve made at least five hats, a scarf for Mia, a sweater vest for my French press, a pair of socks with a heat pocket for my friend Jamie, a poncho for myself, and I’ve taken on one big project–perhaps too late in the season to enjoy.

I’ve started a sweater that I’m now two thirds of the way through. It’s short sleeved, so it will come in handy on cool summer nights and then into the fall. (I’m trying to tell myself that I have plenty of time to get some use out of it this year, can you tell?)

I have an extensive yarn stash and each skein has an interesting back story. The yarn I’m using for this sweater is one of several that I bought out of the garage of a lady I met on Craigslist about ten years ago. Does that make this a vintage sweater? I was able to get 10-12 skeins in this color, which is why I’ve held onto it for so long. I didn’t want to waste it on small projects, only I never found a big project that I liked that also required this size of yarn.

The search is over! Mia has been very interested in my knitting lately. Every time she sees me with needles she asks, “Mommy, what are you making me?” She loves looking through knitting magazines. We found this pattern in a Knit ‘n’ Style magazine from 2009. She approved, so I decided this was the project for the special yarn.

I’ve found that each project I have on the needles takes up a certain amount of mental space. When I get several projects going like I have now, I start to feel pressure instead of relaxation. It’s time to stop starting and start finishing, so I can free up my brain. I’ve got one front side, the sleeves, and some finishing work to go, then it will be off my needles and off my mind.