The art of starting and finishing (knitting) projects - Part 1
On embracing the realities of knitting, Design news and other updates.
It is the first week of January. The mojo for starting new things is still high in the air. I thought it was the right time of the year to look closely into my most common struggle as a knitter - to start and finish projects like I intend to. 🧶 This remains a challenge through years of knitting. I have seen both beginner and experienced knitters go through the struggle.
Although I titled today's essay as the art of starting and finishing projects, I can safely say that starting and finishing are the relatively easier bits. However, it is the middle that gets us.
Do you feel the same way too? Let me know your thoughts.
Starting feels easy because it is full of possibilities and it is so easy to start dreaming.
A beautiful new cabled sweater?
A shawl that is huge and cozy enough to substitute a sweater?
Why haven't I knit a couch blanket yet?
Sounds familiar? Fueled by this energy of dizzying possibilities, it is easy to get started on one or more projects quickly.
Let's also take a brief look at finishing.When we are about to finish a project we are again in the magical realm of possibilities.
Wearing a finished handknit 🧣
Putting a smile on a recipient's face
Crossing an item off your to-do list 📋
Putting a dent in the ever-growing stash
are some of many reasons to finish projects. Not to mention, the possibility of starting a brand new project. 🤩
That's right, every finish line is indeed a starting line in disguise. 🏁
And yet, the path from start to finish is never a straight line. What exactly happens in the middle that we get so bored and therefore abandon projects? How many of us start things and never finish them?
Let's face it. It is boring. Once we have a few rows of knitting on our needles, the project of our fantasies fades away and the truth literally stares into our faces. There are a gazillion stitches that need to be worked before we can wear or use the item.
Other things could happen too to drain us of our initial enthusiasm - wrong choice of yarn, the stitches look funny, a gauge accident.😣
It is precisely at this point, newer knits look safer, shinier and fantastical. ✨ As a result, we might jump from one to another.
In my next few letters, I will share practices that have made things better for me. Over the years I have experimented with this and that. Some worked, some didn’t. I will try and share my best learnings with you. 🤗 I hope you’ll find something interesting or useful.
CRAFTDOODLING DESIGNS UPDATE
I’m happy how these socks are looking on my needles. Does anyone recognize the stitch pattern from one of my earlier patterns? 😊
Thank you to everyone who signed up for Matte Hood test. I hope to be able to release the pattern later this month or early February.
OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE
I loved reading these beautiful & inspirational posts here on Substack. 💖
Books I Just finished reading 📖
Vacation - T.M.Logan.
Real Self-care - Pooja Lakshmin
Books I’m Currently Reading 📚
Watchmen - Alan Moore
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
Until next time,
Kavitha. ♡
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Isn't it confounding how we can be totally in love with a new pattern and yarn, and then fall totally out of love and wish to forget the project all together!?!? We humans are a mystery! LOL It has taken a while for me to come to terms with knitting in this regard. I love knitting but I see now that there is an appetite involved. A very finicky appetite. As well as a budget of both time and money. Knowing this helps me to go a little more cautiously into starting a new project. Unlike the current fad of having oodles of items on knitting needles at the same time, I try to stick to one piece until it is finished. I can hear the groaning! LOL But it is a way of getting out of the problem of having to face down and cower from the many projects that are not yet finished. To appease the need to just do some knitting that comes over all lovers of knitting, I grab some needles and a ball of yarn and try some stitch or other that I have never done before or practice a bit of fair isle or some style of knitting. That can usually get me through a bit of knitting fever.
Lessons in Chemistry is a fab book
I am determined to finish both my knitting projects (2 pairs of socks) before I cast on the next!! I also have a scrappy crochet blanket on the go, but I’m not in a rush to finish that as it’s easy crafting when you just want something easy to relax with x