I'm Fighting Cast-On-Itis

I've been having a lovely time knitting my Mohn Cardigan, and I've managed to stay completely monogamous while knitting it, which has made this project just fly by. As I near the end of this sweater though, I am entertaining what to start next, and let me tell you ... I just want to cast on all the things. After being a good girl and working through specific projects to completion before starting anything new for months and months now, I have quite the back up list of things I would really like to have in my life. I've done quite a few project planning posts since July when I started blogging again last spring (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here - goodness), and out of those planning posts with my knitting I have only made 3 of those things, lol. I'm a big believer that planning projects and acquiring the materials for them are a separate hobby from actually making things. And that's not even factoring in my sewing plans! This is just for knitting!

Anyway, I currently have a major internal struggle. I want to make all the things. I have yarn pulled out and paired with patterns in projects bags ready to go. I have swatches I made 8 months ago for a sweater that need to be redone. I have new projects I'm also excited about that I really want to cast on. In spite of all of this going on though, I have really enjoyed the speed with which I've been able to finish things lately because I was focusing on just that one project. I love efficiency, and the most efficient way to complete a project is definitely to not work on anything else until you finish the first one, you know? So the "responsible mom" side of me is not allowing my inner child to be wild and free, lol. I am going to allow myself to start more than one project because there are times when you can't carry around a sweater, but what to cast on? 

The one definite project I will be starting is the Rose Street Cardigan from Squid's School of Vintage Knitting. I've been wanting to cast this on since last April, but I was being responsible and finishing my Susan Shaw Cardigan and then my 3 worsted weight sweaters from the end of the year. Now it is finally time, but I am having a quandary on my planned yarn. I still love my original plan of Knit Picks Stroll in the Duchess Heather colorway, but I was cleaning out my sewing room last weekend and came across my sweater quantity of Knit Picks Felici (now discontinued) in the Dragonfruit colorway and it got the gears a'turning. I have always loved the yarn Sydney used for her example cardigan, but every time I look up that yarn she used (even on sale), I just can't justify spending $100 or more on yarn when I have so much. This yarn is very close in color though, so it would fill that gap in my mind. But I also love the duchess heather! lol I've been planning on the duchess heather so long that I don't know if I can abandon the idea now. I'm trying to look at my sweaters I have on hand that I still fit in so that I can decide which color would work best in my wardrobe.

I have some socks I really want to make, but the responsible part of me says I have to finish the socks I cast on over a year ago first. Realistically that means I would not get to use the socks I currently want to start until next year because we have such a short window of cold days here. This project came about because I realized that all my hand knit socks are crazy bright colors and I now have a pair of boots that would expose them. I grabbed the most neutral colored yarn in my stash - Morning Bright Organic Merino in the Moonlit colorway - and matched it with the Chrysanthemum frutesens pattern by Hunter Hammersen, but I still have just one leg done on my dragon fruit socks that I really should finish first.

I inexplicably love this one skein of sock yarn I was given - I have no idea what it is because there was no label, which is a bummer - but the color is just lovely. I can't even decide if this is a "good" color to be so close to my face, but I just really want to make the Ishbel shawl with this. Almost all of my shawls have been made in variegated yarns, and while I enjoyed the projects and I love the yarn and everything, it 1) doesn't really make the patterns on a shawl stand out and 2) limits what the shawl can be worn with. I had a very hard time making an outfit for my Haruni shawl on a cold day a few weeks ago and I was pretty bummed. I started pulling out all of my hand knit shawls to see if another would work with my outfit and I didn't feel that any of them did. I don't mind them not matching when I'm outside and it's more of an outerwear item, but I was trying to wear it indoors with a black shirt. Anyway, I really want to use this yarn and I've been wanting to make up this pattern, so it seems like the perfect combo.

I also really want to make the Queen Anne's Lace Scarf but make it in a thinner yarn and use it as a belt with my New England Dress to jazz it up at the waist. I've made the dress in plain black linen, which is great, but I fell like it's a nice opportunity to make a fun accessory. This would likely be a pretty quick project, so this may get started soon if I can just decide what yarn to use. 

I very much have the itch to make a stuffed animal. It's been a long time since I made one just because I wanted to and not as a gift, so of course I printed out like 8 patterns to pick from, lol. I think I want to crochet something cute, which will be a very quick project, but I also really want to make the Woolly Mammoth by Barbara Prime. But looking at Barbara's newer patterns, I absolutely love this chubby bee, lol. I would have to buy the newest Knit Now Magazine to make him though, so I'm trying to decide. I also have promised my kids I will make our Elf Doll some clothes, lol. I made the elf in 2016 and always intended to make him Christmasy.

And I am always wondering when I should start my epic colorwork project - Carivel Colorwork Sweater. I have all the yarn ready and waiting. I just need to be mentally ready to get this going, lol. 

So that's the state of my head right now - craziness as you can see. This is also just the short list - I have so many plans circulating in my head all the time that I would like to make up. *sigh* I just need to focus and make some real time decisions. Anyone else find themselves in this type of pickle?