True Confessions

I know I'm not the only one who does this, but my favorite procrastination technique right now is to troll through the recently added patterns to Ravelry and add projects to my queue with wanton abandon. My main motivation for doing homework these days is the promise of a few rows of knitting squeezed in afterwards, which sort of makes this procrastination nothing but self-masochistic cruelty. The longer I day dream, the less time I have for knitting!

That said, I love seeing the trends in knitting come and go (though I have to admit to a recoil upon seeing an ad for ponchos on TV). Remember when the big thing was novelty yarn (I was never much for eyelash, but I loved ribbon yarn and cushy, velvety yarn)? Or what about when Stitch 'n' Bitch came out and it was all about intarsia skulls and devil hats? It seems like the current big rush is for cute cowls and slouchy hats. Personally, I love both! I'm a little nervous about my ability to pull off a slouchy hat (won't it be constantly slipping off?), I'm making serious eyes at the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret. Other contenders in the queue: Trinity Stitch Hat by BreadnButter, and the Meret by Woolly Wormhead.

Cowls are great because there are no ends to flip around like a scarf, and they don't make that big hump in the front of your coat. With the recent spate of cool weather we've been having in Boston (finally!), I've been craving the simplicity of a cowl. I love The Birthday Cowl by Nova Seals, Good Luck Cowl by Christianne Gerstner, and (especially) Crofter's Cowl by Gudrun Johnston.

Of course, you could also have the best of both worlds with Super Cupcake by ChicKnits!

I want to finish my vest before I cast on for anything else. I'm having a hard enough time juggling required and pleasure reading, let alone keeping track of multiple projects! I'm thinking I really need that slouchy beret though! Now to choose a color....