Pausing after Christmas

I'm joining the online world of knitting reflections, reflectors, not knowing what shape this journal will take, but, having valued connecting with others through their blogs and having just posted a couple dozen "projects" onto my ravelry.com community ("lyndabogel"), I'm using these subdued post-Christmas days to egg myself on to greater technological literacy. (I'm still battling this blog's desire to translate everything I type into question marks (???), as though this virtual alter-ego questions whether I have anything to say: "Just keep knitting, Nemo, keep on knitting. The over-examined life is not worth living." But am perhaps on a winning track this second day of trying.)

My second pre-Christmas season of knitting had as many exacting deadlines as the first, particularly the pressures to knit three Judy's Colors' Xmas stockings as well as the Braided Blues sweater for my son in a two-week space, punctuated as well with entrelac scarf, Kid Silk Night scarf, Dragon Skin sweater for one of my granddaughters, a "warm Rauma hat" for my daughter, Elizabeth, a few extra moebious (pronounced "muhrbious," folks) baskets, and a few pairs of mittens. Yikes, no wonder I can hardly stay awake sitting here at the computer. That million-stitch marathon culminated in four days of family Christmas visiting. Now all have departed, all needles lie silent, I have read a book (Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia (which I can't figure out how to italicize)), and slept many hours.

Instead of looking back or inward at finished knittings, I'm thinking that I'll tumble forward into knitting socks, socks (or at least socks). A year ago, still quite a novice, I tried Magic Loop socks, knit one sock, semi colon or full stop. What's the attraction when it's so awkward for a beginner? Now, having knit the Christmas stockings and one pair of socks on double points, I'm ready for the more minute scale of socks. Will start with some green colorway self-striping Collinette Jitterbug, that I won at a KnittingEtc. open house, and have just found already wound into a ball. Off I go--oops, I have to find a pattern.