Some things I've learned about knitting

I'm in a navel-gazing mood, and all my photos are on another computer. But here are some thoughts I've been having about my knitting.

• Knitting is no longer a chore in this day and age. If it feels like one, perhaps I should be making something else.
• I am the boss of my knitting, not the other way around. (I've talked about this one before, but it bears repeating!)
• Some days I want lace, some days I want garter stitch. It's a good idea to have a range of projects available to suit my moods.
• Breaks are as good for the spirit as they are for the hands, wrists and elbows.
• Decorative stitch-markers are cool, but I rarely use stitch-markers. On the rare occasions that I do, I favour a loop of yarn or a removable plastic number that won't snag my yarn.
• In fact, the existence of a tool for a job doesn't mean I have to use that tool if I'm happy without. Sometimes hands and ingenuity are better solutions than spending money.
• There is such a thing as too much yarn. I am at that point right now.
• Even though I admit to having too much yarn, I still think about buying more. I'm getting pretty good at resisting.
• Even though I loathe knitting to a deadline, I generally have at least one project on the go that is time-sensitive. I should work on not doing this.
• I like learning new techniques, but most of the time I don't feel the need to keep them in my active technique repertoire. Once is enough!
• I won't knit a gift unless I'm certain it will be appreciated.