I sat down yesterday afternoon, new #3 bamboo circular in hand, to cast on for my mom’s sweater when I realized we hadn’t determined the appropriate size yet! So I left her a message and played around with the new yarn I bought for the girls’ school backpacks.

For the last week or so, I’ve been doing a lot of swatching for three different projects. I freely admit this. I will have it known, however, that I have not begun any of these projects, I have merely swatched for them. (And yes, I’m about to start a fourth). This bouncing around is very out of character for me. Usually, when I begin a new project, I faithfully stay with that project until it is completed, without venturing off to different things. I enjoy the sense of completion, the feeling of productivity. If I did not complete my projects, I would have much more difficulty justifying the expense of my knitting habit. In the case of the lily shawl, I simply can’t afford the yarn right now PLUS, I have more pressing, practical projects to work on. The Gayle socks are giving me a run for my money, trying to find a stupid pattern that I like in that colorway. (But four swatches later, you can’t say I didn’t try. Neither have I give up, for the record.) Mom’s sweater, also known as Cotton Cable, is waiting for sizing instructions. All of this is out of my hands, you see. It’s not my fault. There’s nothing I can do. We’re at a standoff of sorts. SO, what do I do?

This….

Ahem. These are beautiful, brightly colored skeins of yarn for the Back To School Backpacks! (Purchased at Columbine Yarns.) The first one is Abigail’s, Olivia’s is second. If the colors look a bit wacky on your screen, just trust me. They work very well together. (And I have an artist husband that can back me up.) I think there are going to be a few crossover colors, so this is just the beginning of the grouping. I am creating this pattern as I go, and I’ll make sure to keep very good notes. I’ll even make a stripe pattern so that hopefully, if any of you feel so inclined, you might have time to make one before school starts, too.

The good news? I have, in my possesion at this exact moment, everything I need to complete both of these backpacks! (Small print– barring some unforseen circumstance, or necessary design element that would give me every legal, moral, and ethical right to change my mind.)