I am with you there on knitting for boys. Stuff gets wrecked and messed up so easily - or it itches so they won't wear it. When they were younger light weight vests were great, but now my 2 are older these garments are no longer cool so its the occasional denim knit or nothing. Good thing about denim is that it wears like iron and actually improves with washing unlike most other yarns. It was a sad day for me too when I realized that knitting for them wasn't going to be. I feel for you.

Alison, your posts have struck a responsive cord with me! Fairly recently Brainy Lady wrote about not knitting for charity any more because her knitting time is too limited to give everything she makes away. I am feeling a little bit that way also, though I have enjoyed the charity knitting I have done. I guess I want to be judicious in my charity knitting and do projects that I enjoy but would never wear/use, or learn from before giving the end result away. Also, I find myself to be more of a process than a product knitter so I need to make myself finish things after I've figured them out or I'll never have any wearable objects. and I agree about varigated yarns. I love them on the skein but not always in FOs. I have found that Feather and Fan patterns are good because the curving lines are accented by the stretches of different colors. I don't like most of the varigated endproducts I've seen but I do have enough Koigu KPPPM stashed to prove myself wrong with a blended sweater, something like those Kirsten has featured recently. thanks for making me think!

Alison, you are not alone in not feeling like sewing. I, too, am lagging behind big time. Besides, it's been so nice around here temperature wise, perfect for knitting with wool yarns at night. I am having such a difficult time forcing myself to set up machines and the like. I just made up two pairs of shorts of DD the other day as she needed them badly, and it was such an effort, took three nights plus, I don't know why it was.

Hiya! I'm not a knitter, but I just had to say that I admire the beauty in each and every stitch. Alison, your work is amazing! I absolutely love it. :-)

I was sewing myself needle holders and they are sitting around unfinished. I can't stand cleaning up enough to use my sewing machine. You said on my blog that you are afraid of lace. Maybe you should try it for a new challenge!

Alison, Since I turned 40 I've tried to be more realistic about the crafts in which I am interested and the amount of time I want to spend on them. I've decided that knitting is it. Since that decision, my knitting skills have blossomed. I still have to hold myself back from starting other craft projects, but in doing so I've set myself free. I'll bet you'll find the same.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, everyone.

May, I'm so relieved to hear that even you have trouble getting motivated to sew sometimes. It always seems like others are just whipping out projects in no time all the time.

I think you're right, Roseanne. The fact that I keep chosing to knit over sewing probably means that as much as I like the idea of sewing, I'd rather spend my time engaged in a craft that really makes me happy - knitting!

Oh Kate, I have lace issues. Another day perhaps....

I am the same way with sewing and painting, there is just too much stuff to set up. Also when I knit I can sit with the boyfriend and we can watch tv together or talk, if I'm painting or sewing I'm upstairs all alone :-( However I have to admit, seeing you do some sewing projects gives me some motivation.

Alison, Enjoyed your issues. I too have boys (and a girl). The boys see me knitting for girl and want some too so simplest of pullover shapes with intarsia or fair isle geometrics--think big square or circle over belly or a row of triangles across the chest. This way I can also coordinate sweaters (an impulse in dressing the twins I rarely give into). For her we create things together.

As far as variegateds--maybe color drift? Think Manos or Araucania. And definitely alternate skeins--I like knitting in the round so every single row decreases drift pretty well so does adjusting gauge (I can rarely follow recipes either--I go for the fabric then do the math). I once did reverse stockingette with the twist from alternation down the middle front.

Alison, I agree about the 'knitting for boys' though for me it is that i just haven't been motivated to knit for him. I am not that concerned about finished project getting messed up, because thats what little boys do (just don't knit something white) I am just more selfish about my knitting time. Perhaps we need to have a little boys knit along or something in the fall!

A yarn recommendation: Wildflower DK. It's splitty, but I love the finished objects. It comes out of the dryer looking nice and gets chosen to be worn by my kids. Cottonease is nice, too, but they find it kind of heavy. (And we live in Minnesota!)

I love to sew. It's just much harder to do with a kid than knitting, so I do more knitting. I love that too, fortunately. BTW, I'm on the sew-along list and I did finish my top. If I get a picture posted somewhere I'll let you know. It looks okay, but I'm not that impressed with the way the pattern is drafted. If I did it again, I'd redraft based on their pattern, but make it more to my taste.