New Year, New Knits, New Blogs, New...

I never imagined that two months would pass without my having written a single word on my blog.  I suppose that happened, however, because these past two months also found me having to force myself to knit.

It happens every year: A couple of weeks into my summer break, I start knitting like a fiend.  I'm able to keep the pace up (mostly) even after work starts again in August, but then, around the end of October, I get research paper rough drafts from my junior English students.  All other pursuits come to a full stop.  And about two weeks after I grade those and return them to their owners, I get the buggers back again, in final draft form.  All the while, in the back of my mind is the following thought: "You know, Christmas is going to be here soon, and you have to finish knitting this... and that... and you wanted to start this... and that..."  Suddenly, it all seems like too much, and I don't want to knit at all, much less to think about it.  It no longer feels relaxing or fun.

I managed to get all but one knitting project finished in time for Christmas, but as usual, I've lost the joy for the time being.  And because I'll be starting the research paper process all over again with my sophomore English students, I'm not likely to get my mojo back any time soon.  Not to mention, the wips which are waiting for me to pick them back up again are projects I'm not terribly excited about; nonetheless, I'm committed to finishing at least two of them.  What's more, one of them is kind of in a rush.  It's the striped scarf I started back in September for the Special Olympics.  It's working up nicely, but the pattern is rather boring: 16 rows of garter stitch in red, followed by 8 rows of stockinette stitch in navy blue, over and over again.  The worst part of the scarf, and what has been making me reluctant to work on it, is weaving in all the ends of the yarn from each time I change colors.  But, I will persevere!  And hopefully, it will get done sooner than later, so that I can once again move onto a project I will adore.  Life's too short to knit things I don't love...  And once that happens, I no doubt will find my writing mojo once again as well.

Here's to the blank slate each new year brings, for my knitting, for my blogging, and for whatever else life brings my way.