knitting projects galore!

     I for one am a knit-a-holic. I love knitting and I do it every possible second. When I am not knitting, I am probably thinking about knitting. When I am too tired to knit (yes, it happens), I read about knitting or dream up new designs. Lately my obsession has triggered me to start what may turn out to be too many knitting projects at once.
     But can you really ever have TOO many?! :) Nah... but while I was reading through a pattern of this sweater thing I want to make (see my advice on how to read patterns for why you should always read through a pattern before starting) I realized that I may not want to start that particular project until I wrap up a few others. Reason being that it is somewhat complex, and if I'm bouncing around too many other projects, I'm likely to make more mistakes.
     We shall see how long I can resist, that yummy yarn sitting there all balled up, just teasing me. In all 5 delicious colors. But alas, I should really finish this awesome sweater for the class I am teaching. And although it is only June, the baby blanket for my friend due in September is only barely started. And I really should wrap up this other sweater whose sleeve I recently frogged to make another attempt. I'm still decoding the pattern on that one. Went back over it and realized that the instructions leave a few things to be desired for me, and lots is left up to interpretation. How did those people on Ravelry make such beautiful sweaters without comment on difficulties?
     I do recommend having several projects going at once to break up the difficult or the monotonous.  Some projects need too much concentration to really be portable and others are too boring to just chug all the way through. But if you are going to have several projects going at once, I recommend the following:

• Keep each project in its own bag, with the pattern and yarn all there together. 
• Make sure you leave yourself plenty of notes and clues as to where you are in your pattern when you put it down. If you go off and work on another project, you might forget those little details when you come back to it, and you never know how long it will be when you do come back.
• If it has been awhile since you've picked up the project, re-read over the pattern to make sure you know what you are doing and where you are.