I’m just WIPing and FOing all over the place

Hey there, dear readers, I've had a real surge of crafty creativity lately and I thought it would be fun to post about what I've been up to, what I'm thinking about, and what's up next.

After unveiling the hat from my last post I somehow got myself involved in a whole ton of swaps for more of those. I've just about got the pattern completely memorized at this point, not to mention perfected. I've since finished two more of those and am almost done with the third. Exhibits A:

and B:

The gray one is cascade eco wool held double (sounds crazy, but it's a very lofty yarn, trust me!) and the maroon one is lamb's pride worsted. The third hat, also in lamb's pride worsted, is waiting until I can get together with the recipient and make it fit her. She's getting a custom fitting because when she tried on the original lumberjack hat the fit was, um, interesting. And by interesting I mean that a hat that normally hits the middle of my forehead was halfway down her face. I didn't think my head was that big, but, well, apparently it is.

As for what else I'm working on, I really need to get off my ass and finish this vest. I mean, really. The last time I took a picture of it was right before I started the neck and armhole decreases:

I swear there's more of it now. There is no good reason why I haven't just finished this up. Remember vestvember? As in - NOVEMBER? I started my vest about the same time Minty started hers, and I had big plans of finishing it during the month, which I completely could have done. To be fair, there was a design project that came up with a deadline, and that was initially why I set the vest aside. Listen to me and the BS excuses. I'm a huge fan of knitting colorwork, and I really, really want the finished vest. And I'm chomping at the bit to try steeking for the first time - sick, I know? I really want to knit this huge complicated thing and then cut it with scissors. What is wrong with me.

The real reason I haven't finished it is that I have total craft ADD. I just want to do everything all at once. I have big plans to make a Stripes (seriously, check it out - it's basically the perfect sweater), which, initially I thought I'd at least start for the knitting olympics, but it may be more reasonable to finish this vest first. But then there's the omnipresent temptation of colorwork mittens. I've had a kit for the Chevron Love Mittens hanging around for God only knows how long, and I really desperately need another pair of good cold weather mittens. Imagine those with a lining in laceweight - oh my.

Oh and just when I thought this post about my imminent cast-on frenzy was done, I remembered two other things I'm frothing at the mouth to try. The first is colorwork in crochet. The minute I saw these mittens I had to run out and buy the latest Interweave Crochet - which, I might has a ton of really cute, eminently wearable patterns in it. Then I saw their feature and patterns on Tunisian crochet, and oh mah gah. I tried this technique years and years and years ago when I first learned crochet, so it seems I need to re-learn. I'm planning on making a couple swatches and hopefully a quick scarf, and then moving up to this jacket. I'm pretty wary of bulky yarns for sweaters, because frankly I don't really need the extra bulk, but in a jacket it works. I love the feminine cut, and I imagine that jacket would stitch up pretty quickly and then provide me with endless hours of wooly warmth. That texturey stitch pattern would be great in a semi-solid yarn.

Now when am I going to find the time to do this? Well I was thinking those 10 or so hours I spend every day doing useless things like eating, sleeping, and bathing - those would be good.