Sometimes stalling out on one project is a great way to finish up a bunch of other things. While the sweater has been in limbo, there have been lots of other projects springing unexpectedly off the needles.

I started this scarf months ago, and it’s been my bag knitting all semester. I was puttering along on it, and it was looking like it would take forever and a day to finish. Turns out that all it needed was a couple of days of undivided attention.

I knit the scarf expecting it to be for me, but when I laid it out to block it told me that it wanted to belong to someone else. So, it will probably be packaged up and mailed off tomorrow for a holiday surprise.

When the scarf was finished, I needed something else to work on, so I asked Branden what he might want. He is always happy to get another pair of handwarmers, so we picked some nice grays and greens and browns from the stash and one of these sprung off the needles too. (Yes, it still needs a thumb.)

The second has been a bit slower to spring, but it’s coming.

I finished a quick project on the small loom; a stashbusting waffle weave scarf (also for Branden).

And, since that one’s done, I wound another warp for the loom. I’m also planning this one for me, but I have a feeling that it may go to an aunt. I think I probably have enough warp on there for two, though, so we may end up being twins.

And last weekend, I went over to my friend Heidi’s house and spent the whole day crafting. (We thought we were going to spend a couple of hours, and it turned into more like 12.) She had purchased some felt bags, and I brought my dye scraps, and we needle felted the day away. Here’s my (completely unplanned) bag. Not bad, considering that the final design has absolutely nothing to do with where I thought I’d end up when I started out. Sometimes you have to go where serendipity takes you.

I’m only barely started on the first sweater sleeve, but taking a break has made me feel like I’m getting lots done! (Now let’s see if I can manage to finish the last minute Christmas knitting and spinning that I’m tossing on the pile, in the rush of madness that follows a bunch of quick finishes!)