Curiously indecisive

I have so many plans swirling around in my head for what to knit next. Some plans are quite clear, but with others I seem to be stuck, unable to come to a decision.

I've been feeling the need for a larger project than my usual socks & washcloths. I decided sometime back on this vest (w/o the felt embellishments), and I finally decided on the yarn--Sierra Aran from elann.com in a nice, deep red. It was a struggle for me to buy something other than my usual blue or purple, but I finally convinced myself that I already had a lot of blue & purple in my wardrobe, and the red would be a nice change. I also picked up a little sock yarn while I was shopping (wonder of wonders, not blue or purple). It's varying shades of gray; the idea was to have something to wear with my work clothes, but I don't remember now what I thought this would go with. I would just buy some gray pants, but I really hate to shop for clothes; it's just torture. Besides, I'd much rather spend the money on more yarn.

On a recent work-related trip, I found time to visit a yarn shop, and encountered Trekking XXL for the first time. Over and over, I've read about this stuff; knitters claiming, "This is my new favorite sock yarn!" This is where buying yarn online falls short; it really doesn't look any different from a dozen other sock yarns available. But as soon as I reached out to touch it, I understood. I couldn't stop squooshing that skein of yarn; it's amazingly soft and springy. Somehow, I managed to guide my hand past the blues and purples, and picked up the skein you see. Finally, something to go with my khakis! Finally, a beige yarn I can knit without going mad with boredom! The self-striping action, combined with the intoxicating feel of this yarn, is guaranteed to prevent getting stalled in the doldrums. As soon as I finish up my alpaca/wool socks (look! blue! what a surprise!), the Trekking is going on the needles.

So, where's the indecision, you ask? I just can't seem to make up my mind on two projects. One is the Princess Blankie; I haven't touched it for weeks. I can't decide what sock yarn to use next! It's so silly; I have boatloads of yarn to choose from (thank you, Shelly!), but whenever I spread out all the little balls of yarn and try to pick one, or even pick four or five, my brain just gets vapor locked or something. I pick up yarn and put it back down for an unknown amount of time, until I decide I can't decide right now, bundle everything up and set it aside to think about later.

The other place where I'm stuck is deciding on my next project for CIC. The current challenge is to knit socks for the bigger kids, and I'm eager to get going. I have a stitch pattern in mind that I want to try, but again, I'm getting stuck on yarn selection. I reach for this, and realize I probably don't have enough; I reach for that, and realize it's probably not heavy enough. Maybe I should go with my first choice, and add contrasting heels and toes, to make it go further? Shoot, nothing seems to go together! AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Then I get disgusted with my inability to pick out some freakin' yarn, so I go knit on my alpaca socks for a while to make myself feel better. They're soft, and I enjoy knitting in garter rib. And they're blue. I like blue.