There are those who can love only one project at a time. They are the monogamous knitters. They don’t have huge stashes of projects begun but not yet done.

Not me. I am a knitting polygamist. Did you ever wonder why there are so many different sized needles? The monogamist knitter would say that this is to allow for the possibilities of knitting in different gauges. The polygamist knitter knows that this is to allow for having twelve projects on needles at the same time.

I saw this amazing cover project by Tanis Knits in last winter’s Vogue Knitting Magazine but did not immediately purchase the wool for it because:

• my many other projects waiting to be completed were glaring at me
• the wool for this project is very expensive
• ever since the eighties, when all my knitting was done with yarn that should be glad I don’t play with matches, I must must must use the real, designer yarn for my projects

In a moment of weakness (and due to the fall yarn sale at Webs) I succumbed to the lure of the Alpaca, pulled out my MasterCard and ordered the yarn. Two weeks of both instant and delayed regret followed as I waited for my pricey purchase to arrive. First to show up on the doorstep were the size 19 rosewood needles. What a tease! How cruel of them to send the needles and then tell me the yarn is back-ordered!

Soon enough a very large and heavy box with 20 skeins of yarn arrived (and more guilt). Once I laid hands on the first skein freed from the plastic packaging all regrets faded away. Have you ever held baby angora bunny mixed with downy chick fuzz and a little bit of fluffy cloud in your hands? The Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky wool is amazing, decadent, and all-around fantabulous. I gave serious thought to replacing my pillow with 8 or so balls of this heavenly stuff. Only the thought of having to hand-wash this wonder on a weekly basis prevented me.

I’ve made it through the first pattern repeat and figure that due to the enormous gauge, I should have this baby completed in a couple of weeks. The finished measurements have this scarf at over 11 feet long. I’m going to see how it goes – can’t have my precious dragging on the ground.

Note to my currently passed-over projects, I’ll be back for you soon!