New Project Pressure

How do you choose what to cast on?

I recently finished two scarves—palate cleanser knits after tackling a more involved sweater—and with an upcoming trip on the horizon I realized with growing dread that I didn’t have a project on the needles for the long flight ahead. I don’t want to plan to cast on while en route (wrong needles brought or a frustrating pattern is no way to spend an 8 hour flight), so I needed to get something started STAT.

Off to my Ravelry queue and immediate overwhelm and distraction by all sorts of patterns I hadn’t seen before. Oh, and I hadn’t decided on my yarn choice yet either. Two days later, clock ticking to get something started, I was in dreaded “pattern paralysis.”

I found my way out from, of all places, a Pelton run. While I know guided coaching isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, sometimes the right words just jump out and stick. And, on in the middle of a very humid run, the instructor (Susie Chan, amazing) reminded us not to put so much pressure on our run that day. “It’s not that deep.” And it wasn’t: not the run, and certainly not the pattern I was going to bring to add more fun to my vacation!

Is there such a thing as casting on the “wrong” pattern? If it’s in your queue or favorites, or dog-eared in a magazine or book, surely there’s a reason you want to knit it? True, our knitting time is not infinite, but what is? So why not cast on and enjoy something rather than nothing!

I decided to cast on a sweater that has been in my queue for at least two years. It’s a new to me designer, and having just finished the collar I’ve already learned a new technique. I even broke out some the “precious” yarn. Choosing to work with and buy from small farms, I know that I’ll probably never get this again, but better to use it than stare at skeins!

So, consider this your permission slip to use that special yarn and just get knitting. After all, our knitting should bring us joy and, at the end of the day, it’s not that deep!