I have finally resumed the gathering, collating, and indexing of the project queue and I have passed that momentary phase of stash panic that came over me last week. I am pretty happy with my stash, and pretty happy with my queue in fact. As I start looking through everything again, and setting up to photograph and list things so I can post them to Ravelry, I am really happy, and I still want to knit every single project. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, I feel satisfied.
As for the deep green Cascade 220, I realized that I had intended to knit a sweater from the fall/winter Anny Blatt book, but I didn't get around to pulling the book and looking it up until today. I think it will be just perfect.
There had been another momentary bit of panic when I feared that I was planning a long cabled sweater when I also have some dark green Louet Gems Merino set aside for a cabled sweater. That would not have been acceptable, but this pattern is perfect for the yarn, or at least I think it is perfect for the yarn.
As for the current projects, Linden and the socks, they are both poking along slowly. I am almost finished with the first sleeve on Linden, and I intend to block it and assemble half the sweater before I knit the second sleeve, just to be sure I like the fit and everything. I am in no hurry but I do want it to be just right. I may have knit fewer sweaters last year, but I was happy with most of them and even the problem sweaters were minor problems (with one exception).
Some years ago I somehow gave up on obsessively carrying my knitting everywhere. It seemed I hit a point where I felt guilty if I wasn't knitting and it had become a crutch of sorts. I realized that I didn't want my knitting to define me, and it came as quite a relief to allow myself to knit only when I felt like knitting. Sometimes I knit a lot, other times less although usually at least a little bit most days.
There are however too many UFOs and they weigh heavily. I have amassed them all in one corner and I have subsequently managed to go out of my way to avoid them. I really don't like having so many things in process at the same time. Once I finish one of the two current projects, I will move on to assessing and cataloging the UFOs. Those that I still want will get finished and those that have passed their prime will simply go to UFO heaven, I can't be bothered with finishing something just because it is there.
After that, I will finally catalog the remainder of the stash in all its glory. I really do want a stash catalog. It is really no burden to me, but I would like to know it all, and I do think I forget things. Out of sight really is out of mind, and a photo record would help. And I will probably order some yarn for those planned mittens because I was out shoveling snow this morning and really wishing I had those mittens. But other than that I don't feel any great needs for yarn, or any great urge to move more quickly with my projects, just satisfaction and an urge to relax and enjoy the process.