Temptation

Knitting is a funny thing, and striking the right balance can be a challenge.

When there are too many projects on the needles, I get twitchy. I feel as if I should be knitting more and certainly much faster, but the quantity becomes distracting and interferes with my ability to focus, so I'm even less productive than I might be otherwise.

Oddly, I have a very similar reaction if there are no projects on the needles and no urgent ones waiting in the pipeline. When that happens I have severe withdrawal symptoms. I'm generally unsettled, I feel cranky and out of sorts, and my fingers itch to see productive action.

That's when swatching comes to the rescue, providing precisely the fibery fix I crave.

This means, sometimes I swatch to test new stitches.

Easy slip stitch (front):

Sometimes I swatch to see how different stitches handle color.

Easy slip stitch (front):

Sometimes I swatch to test reversibility.

Easy slip stitch (back):

Sometimes I swatch to see how different yarn weights and needle sizes affect gauge and scale.

Lucben | Worsted weight (grey) vs. sport weight (cream):

And sometimes I do what normal knitters do and swatch as a prelude to a specific project. 

Tikkyn | Front & back:

Here's my dilemma. I have one project in the finishing stages (Tikkyn Flagstone) and two on the needles (a shawl and this Valere afghan), all of which are progressing at a decent pace. 

There's also a new design in the works, which I'm eager to get underway. After several false starts, however, one thing has become painfully clear: The core concept works, but I've not yet landed on the right stitch. 

Since my top priorities this year are to focus and finish, we all know what I should be doing. Instead, I'm succumbing to temptation and indulging in some swatching. 

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