Cravings

All I want right now is some more Chinese chicken salad. And perhaps some caramel corn. Oh, and definitely to work on something else!
I remember there was a period in my knitting life when I was at peace when working on one project at a time. There would be satisfaction in busily striving toward completion and the thrill of achievement when the piece was finished. The reward would be the knitted object itself, but also the excitement of starting something new. Having more than one WIP would actually stress me out.
Now, of course, I know that was a bunch of silly nonsense. Having more than one project on the needles (that you are allowed to work on anytime you feel like it) is an approach with many benefits. There is always something small that can travel with you to the optometrist, and there is always something large that will keep you warm while you knit at home. Most importantly, you never get BORED. When I first found out that my friend Rebecca was going to participate in the Knitting Olympics by finishing all her WIPs, I thought that was sort of a lame way of getting out of picking a challenging new pattern to work on. (Sorry about that!) But, now I see the genius behind her plan. Not only is she not getting bored out of her mind, but she is actually making serious progress finishing pieces that she knew she would enjoy having completed. As I've been working on my shawl, it occurred to me that I'm not ever going to wear this. Most likely it will hang on my wall as a testimony of the agony it took to finish it. It's starting to get too big to tote around, yet it refuses to provide warmth when I'm knitting it on the couch. It's beautiful and delicate, and finicky and fiddly. It's a thrilling challenge, but the progress is slow and torturous. I desperately want to bow out and say "Forget it," but part of me wants to endure a few more days until the flame goes out. Then I can say I gave it a go. I tried. I failed. But, I didn't give up. So, I guess I'll still be working on leaf lace while I watch the skating tonight. :)