I have been reading The Yarn Harlot’s blog – about her annual January “Startitis.”  Interesting.  Heaven knows, I have bouts of “Startitis” (the keen desire to start new projects) from time to time.  But not in January.

In January, I am consumed by the idea of finishing projects.  “Finishing Fantasies”? “Finishing Fetish”?  I don’t really know what to call it, but I just want to get some of these projects done!

Maybe it is the pendulum swing away from the excesses and frivolities of the Holidays to a more virtuous and wholesome way of life.  Like how store shelves that held mountains of tinsel and cashmere and chocolate in December are now stacked with exercise gear and storage containers and finance computer programs.  It could be a little bit about guilt.  But I prefer to think that I am craving the deeper satisfaction of a job well done.

Could be that I am just tired, too.  Chugging away at a sweater’s worth of stockinette suits my energy level.  I am not feeling too inspired just now – my creativity was at full throttle for weeks and maybe it is time to let it rest.  Even though I received some wonderful yarn for Christmas, I am not ready to embark on anything new (okay, I made a couple of sketches, but have not even had the urge to swatch).

Could be that I am just in a “finishing” mood.  Today, for example, I have been putting away our Christmas linens and dishes – something I just want to get finished.  George and I are planning to give the house a thorough cleaning – something else I am eager to get finished even though we haven’t actually started yet (I have been fantasizing so much about cleaning the house that I feel like I am half-way done – we are not even going to discuss the fact that I am fantasizing about cleaning the house!).

Could be that the return of daily demands, exercise, meetings, household work, all the things I put off until “after Christmas” are eclipsing my knitting activities.  And I admit it irks me that these things are slowing down my progress — making me even for persistent in my drive to finish projects! Call it Finnish (pardon the pun!) stubbornness! 

Grandchildren do that too.  Today, all three grandbabies were here and I did not finish anything – not even a sentence!  But that I don’t mind so much.  I really wish that come winter we could just shut everything down and quietly get caught up, finish some things before spring starts whistling to us around the corner and the returning sun gets us energized and inspired to start something new.