I've never been very good at being a selfish knitter. Family and friends are kept warm by my sweaters, scarfs, gloves, hats, and the hand knit socks they beg for. I've kept very little for myself, and it's been several years since anything new graced my closet. Everything seems to go from my needles to the post office without any stops in between.

Knitting on deadlines (a.k.a. submitting and getting lucky) is actually a little worse. You pour your heart and soul into an item, mail it off to someone you probably don't know, and hope they like it as much as they did the proposal.

Either of these is enough to take the joy out of knitting. The combination sucks the life out of you quicker than a vampire after a hundred year fast.

Instead of making yet another pair of hideous socks for a recipient who asked for yarn that looks eerily like the oak tree in my back yard, I want to make something for me. I want a project that recaptures the joy I used to feel when I picked up my needles. A yarn that slides through my fingers and has just the right combination of softness and squish. Something that is me.

A project with no deadlines that moves at my pace, however slow that pace may be. There were a few problems.

1. I spent almost the entire yarn budget on yarn for Christmas gifts.
2. What little is left is barely enough to buy a slice of pizza. It certainly won't cover the luscious yarn I have in mind.
3. I want lace. About 20 inches wide by 68 inches long. In other words, a stole.
4. I want light weight, yards of fluffy goodness because Georgia isn't exactly the place for worsted wool.
5. I want simple, but fun and unique. I want something I can knit on both good and bad days.

I sketched out a pattern and worked up a few quick swatches to see if I liked the effect.  Starlight lace with a simple, geometric border. It works for me. Now I need to find something that suits it.

To be continued...