In which I prepare to get ready to start

To paraphrase an old boating saying: "The two best moments of a knitting project are when you cast on and when you cast off."

The steps to planning the next major sweater undertaking:

1. Which comes first, the pattern or the yarn?
2. Endless hours on Ravelry clicking through search parameters, individual projects, pattern comments, yarns, yardage, weight, modifications, blog posts, forum discussions, etc.
3. Debating choices: back and forth, dreams of fit and drape, maybe even buying a few patterns or skeins...
4. Enough! a decision is made.
5. Gauge wars: fitting yarn to pattern to needle by "swatching," an incredibly boring process of trying needle sizes, washing and drying little swatch squares, counting stitches, fudging a bit, then, finally:
6. Casting on! Oops. Casting on again! Oh, hell. One more time!  And we're off...

So, I've now picked a pattern and yarn, bought yet another needle (because I clearly don't have enough) and am preparing to start.

Summer Solstice pattern

However, I first have to finish the last damn Skew sock, which has inexplicably taken me two more months after finishing the first one in two weeks. If I cast on the new project without finishing it, I'll never pick it up again and will have forgotten the whole pattern and rhythm of it. Ask me how I know. For an ADD multitasking pro like myself, this is where discipline really counts.

Skew you, sock!