A clear sky. Low 57F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

A clear sky. Low 57F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

I’ve been working on finishing a lot of almost-done craft projects. It’s nice to see things completed to the point where you hide yarn ends, attach buttons, block your project and it’s ready to wear. Even though my recently finished wool/silk sweater isn’t one to wear in July, I’m sure I’ll appreciate wearing it come December.

I then come across a different knit pattern. Knitting needles and yarn follow. I work on getting gauge (the number of stitches and rows in 4 inches of knitted stitches/rows) and next thing you know, I’m casting on stitches to begin making a new project.

I look at the table in my craft room and realize I have the new knit project in my hands along with three other knit projects staring back at me from the corner of the same table.

So, just what is it that makes crafters start a new craft project? Notice I didn’t say finish the project. (However, by the time you read this column, I should have two of the four projects completed, thus clearing those two projects off my craft table.)

Part of it, for me, is the excitement of a new item to craft. Sometimes, I find a yarn that is so unique or beautiful, I have to scroll or search through several patterns and websites to find the perfect pattern. The yarn may rest on a shelf in my craft room for several months before I find just the right pattern. As one of my dear knitting friends told me, you’ll put the same amount of work into a craft project whether you use cheap yarn or expensive yarn. So, I want to make sure the pattern is the right one.

I find a perfect pattern, begin the project and find the pattern isn’t what I thought would work for that yarn. Many times, I will combine different sections of other patterns into one craft project. I have an original sweater pattern which includes an intricate cable design I saw on a different sweater pattern. I made it about a year ago and haven’t finished weaving yarn ends or adding buttons to the sweater. I’m just not sure I like the design. So, do I frog it out for a different sweater pattern? Frogging (unraveling the project and rolling the yarn into a ball) is probably what I will end up doing. You see, I’d rather have yarn reclaimed than to have a half-done sweater (or other knit project) sitting on the shelf until who knows when. Especially, the alpaca yarn used to make the first sweater.

I figure no matter how much I knit and frog, I get to still spend time making my favorite craft and work on new stitch skills. Happy crafting!

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