cuffs of temptation

I've spent the past couple of days knitting cuffs. The cuff on the left is for a Komi mitten. I decided to go with regular k2p2 ribbing instead of corrugated ribbing for a few reasons. Okay, the main reason is because the corrugated ribbing was just more fiddly than I wanted to deal with, on super skinny, super slippery needles. The needles are fine to work with now, but were a pain the first row or two after the looser cast on edge. Plus, they're so heavy that it takes longer for the knitting to become stable, compared to working with light, sticky bamboo DPNs. And if I want to make believe it wasn't just me being lazy, regular ribbing is more practical, since it draws in. And the mittens themselves will be busy enough, without the cuff being all stripey.

The cuff on the right is obviously a Vertical Stripes cuff. I made it longer than the hem, with 27 rounds instead of 18. I'm quite pleased that my estimates for circumference and length worked out so well. I decreased from 82 stitches to 72 for circumference, and estimated how many rounds I'd need based on how much length I wanted to gain.

I'm being tempted by so many other projects, now that Vertical Stripes is almost done. I started the mitten cuff so I'd have something to work on while VS was blocking. I really should felt my hat swatch this afternoon, so I can write and knit that pattern next. And then I need to knit another Komi-ish bag. My design wasn't accepted for the new Stitch 'n Bitch book, but they want it for their 2008 calendar, and I'm just waiting for a confirmation that my new chart is okay with them before I cast on for that. I wasn't sure at first whether I was going to do the design for the calendar, because I'll have to really pare down the detailed pattern instructions I'd like to write, to fit on a little pattern-a-day calendar page. But I'll still be able to publish the pattern on my own, so I've decided to do the pared down version for them, and in the meantime self-publish a much more information-rich version of the pattern, with 3 or 4 different colorwork options, lots of photos, etc. I've even found a couple of test knitters, so hopefully that project will be done and ready for purchase in a few months. (It doesn't hurt that the woman I've been communicating with about the calendar pattern has been incredibly supportive and enthusiastic. It's hard to turn down an opportunity to work with someone like that.)

So should I be good and start on the second VS cuff, or be naughty and start on the fun part of the mitten? I think I'll be good, because as much fun as it would be to start on the mitten, I'll feel restless and uneasy until VS is done. All casting on and no finishing makes Bowerbird a frantic woman.