My stitching confession?

Not that I leave messy backs or tie knots or don't worry much about whether or not every last little bit of color is in the spot the chart indicates (at least not if I'm working on a section of grass or mud or sky.) Since I don't try to hide any of those questionable little habits, it wouldn't be much of a confession.

My deep dark secret is that I hate starting new projects. I love planning them and shopping for patterns and yarn, charts and floss, fabric... anything bright and pretty and fiber-y.

But I have a hard time actually starting new projects. With cross-stitch, it takes so long to grid the fabric and get all the right colors of floss in one place. I'm too scared that I'll make a mistake on the grid and doom the entire project (and stitching without a grid is just out of the question, so please don't suggest that!) With knitting, there's the hurdle of casting on and doing those first couple of rows (not to mention swatching.) Most of my projects never get past that point.

We won't even talk about the fabric and sewing machine and whatever it is they're supposed to combine and create.

It's abnormal. Everyone else has lots of things on the needles and scroll frames, and I never seem to get more than a handful of things going. I want lots of projects, because hate that awful lost feeling that comes right after finishing something big and not knowing what's next.

Last night, I cast on for a spiral rib baby hat and did just enough rows to be sure that I'll be able to keep going later, then cast on for the Cathedral Window Shawl. That one's not going as well. I've frogged row 7 of the lace pattern twice and still can't get it right. But I can always go work on the baby hat, or the pink sweater, or the Knot a Knitted Paper Bag!

Now I've just got to make sure I start something else before I finish them.

Michelle