Adrift! -- Knitting Priorities

Reorganization is in order. It IS spring after all. Yes, yes. Spring for me usually involves much cursing of green plants and snuffling, shutting windows, grabbing at Kleenex, swallowing of allergy concoctions, etc. All that is still happening. Some forces of nature cannot be changed -- and "The Blooming of the Trees" has most certainly begun.

HOWEVER, I have a bigger problem. (stop laughing!) Having finished "the big sweater" AND having managed to get in a couple of wearings before the weather got too warm -- what to knit now?

Materials are not a problem. Projects are not a problem. Priorities and prospects -- THESE are the problems. The second red sock is keeping me busy for the moment -- but a crisis is immanent. I'm going to have to make a decision.

Items on the Needles

1. The orchid bobble-free "Bobble Blue" sweater from the cover of IK last spring. I finally managed to get the back completed all the way to the collar shaping with the pattern correct in all its parts. This took ALL SUMMER! I was frustrated and set it aside. I was new to cables, much less complex cable designs. It's lovely, and I'd like to get it finished to wear this summer. I've even found a skirt that matches!

2. The charcoal gray wool shawl from Folk Shawls. I've a significant chunk done, but now I wonder if I want to use the cream for this shawl, and use this lovely dark gray for a wool sweater -- maybe a cardigan with a shawl collar? A fitted pullover with a shawl collar? I've plenty of the cream for the shawl, and I'm more likely to wear the gray as a sweater than the cream. Hmmmm.

3. The long fiddled with Frog Tree cotton-silk camel-coloured leaf shawl (trailing vines I think, from Walker's Second Treasury) for which I plan to make the dangling leaves from Epstein's Knitting On the Edge in multiple fall colors. This is lovely to work with -- and seems to go on forever! It's been on the needles for two years now. [frown]

Projects on My Mind

4. Two or three summer/spring tops from Elizabeth Lavold's "Spring Breezes".

5. The bright orange Mandarin Petite cotton cable tank.

6. The Yoga mat bag from Inspired Cable Knits.

7. My purple alpaca sweater that "bloomed." Another IK pattern. This one is the Wear Everywhere sweater I think -- something like that. Anyway, a twisted rib pattern. Interesting and soothing to knit. AND it's the alpaca!

8. My tea cozy from the Noro. Lovely colours in that stuff!

Ah, the list could be endless. Now that I'm actually knitting from my stash -- I'm having a hard time picking and choosing. I'll start another pair of socks, of course. Gotta have socks going. But I'm taking votes on the others. Any ideas?

Oh -- my Hidcote Garden Shawl -- planned and the yarn chosen, but not yet started. There's another for the possibilities pile!