I’m writing this week’s Friday Five from a motel room in Wytheville, VA, our regular stop on our two-day drive home from Christmas with family. It’s a bit more chaotic this year than normal with the dog and the 6-month-old, so I’m betting I’ll surprise a few of the ESK ladies by actually remembering to make this post!

By the time Christmas rolls around, I am usually feeling like a slave to knits of necessity – gifts, shop models, special requests – so nothing is more fun than casting on for a new project when I get home. A project for fun, a project meant to please no one but me. Which usually means either worsted weight, or colorwork, or both! Here are some options I’ve been pondering:

Green Memories. A sweet colorwork hat that looks fabulous in every project I see, whether the knitter chose a dark or light background color. This one takes six colors of fingering weight yarn; I’m sure I’ve got more than 6 coordinates in my stash, and I love how quickly hats knit up!

I’m partial to the green palette, but should mention this is the project that is really selling me even more on this hat!

Lamina. It’s worsted weight! It’s striped! It’s got a cowl collar and a fun shoulder construction!

How have more people not knit this yet? Dare I be one of the first?

Goodness knows I’ve got plenty of worsted weight yarn to choose from, and I am sadly lacking in sweaters that fit me these days. Hrm, possibilities…

Horatio and Oren. These are just fun. I don’t need them, I’m not into owls or anything, but these are adorable and they look fun to knit, and I love that the pattern designer took the time to make charts for TWO kinds of owls.

And who can’t use a new pair of cute mittens?

Anders. Again, this is all about the fun of knitting it. My child is pretty hot-blooded, we live in Georgia, and since he’s not really independently mobile yet, sweaters mostly just get in my way so far. He doesn’t need a fair isle cardigan, at all, but he might get one.

Two colors, calls for Malabrigo Arroyo or any comparable sportweight, and kids’ sweaters knit up sooo quickly!

Clarity Cardigan. Looks warm, looks cozy, looks like a relatively mindless, chill out sort of knit. Bonus points for not having a million buttons, and using sportweight which is sort of the perfect weight for a wrap sweater in Georgia.

This is probably the most useful of the bunch (for me), which sometimes means it will be the one I choose, and sometimes means it will be last on my list – we’ll see what kind of mood I’m in when I get home! (And if I finish this shop model by then…)