It’s really common for knitters to have a pile of unfinished knitting projects. There’s no shame in that. I’ve got one, too.
But it does get challenging when the projects start to linger so long that they move from being a WIP to a UFO. Once you haven’t touched a project in a couple of years, well, it can be really hard to finish that project.
In today’s blog post, we’ll be talking about some tips and tricks for picking knitting projects that you will actually finish. There are no set criteria that will work for every single knitter, but these are the questions I like to ask before I embark on a new project.
Does It Match Your Skill Level?
Now, a project doesn’t have to perfectly align with your current skill level in order for it to match your skill level in a way that matters. What I mean is that a project can have some skills that are not currently in your knitting toolbox, but if you are comfortable learning on the fly, you’ll still be good to go.
Conversely, maybe a project is very easy compared to your current skill level, but that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong project.
The key here is to know yourself. If it’s too easy, will you get bored? If it’s too hard, will you get frustrated and give up?
Does It Match Your Interests?
The next question is to figure out whether the pattern matches your interests.
Some of these things are very easy to figure out. If you like knitting cables, and you find a pattern with cables, that’s a good sign. Likewise, if you like lace or color work and you find a pattern with lace or color work, again, that’s a good sign.
But some of these things are a little trickier. For example, the construction method matters a lot for me as a knitter. I do not enjoy knitting bottom-up sweaters. I also don’t like socks with a short-row heel.
If you have preferences for how your knit is constructed, it’s important to choose a pattern that matches those interests and preferences.
Does It Fit Your Lifestyle?
This is really a two-part question, because you need to think about whether the knit will fit your lifestyle as you work on it and whether it will fit your lifestyle as a finished object once you’re done. Here’s what I mean by that.
A knit will fit your lifestyle well while you’re working on it if it fits nicely into the circumstances where you usually do your knitting. For example, if you do most of your knitting in the carpool line while waiting to pick up a kid from school, knitting a giant blanket may not be terribly convenient for that environment. If you like to knit while camping, bringing a really delicate fiber like cashmere might not be the best choice.
And then, of course, it’s important to think about how the finished knit will fit into your overall lifestyle. Do you currently live a life where you wear a lot of chunky, oversized sweaters? Does your lifestyle leave room for handwashing delicate fibers?
These questions are important because sometimes, when we know that we’re not going to get much use out of a knit, we are reluctant to finish it.
Do You Have The Time?
Having the time to work on a given project is a different analysis for everybody. Obviously, if your knitting time is unlimited, you can fairly easily answer this question.
It gets trickier, though, when there are constraints on your knitting time. If you only have a little time in the evenings, you may not want to tackle a really large or really complicated project.
Of course, that’s not true for everybody. If you are the kind of person who only has about a half hour each evening to knit but doesn’t mind spending six months working on the same project, then tackling a lace-weight shawl seems like a reasonable plan.
Do You Like the Yarn?
There are few things I enjoy less than knitting a project with yarn that I don’t like. Unpleasant tactile experiences are not why I signed up for knitting.
If you’re like me, you may find that you tend not to finish knitting projects in yarn you don’t like. There’s no shame in that. It’s okay to give the yarn to somebody else who can use it.
Does the Project Fit Your Season of Life?
It’s a common misconception that knitters only knit during the cold weather, but that doesn’t mean there is zero seasonality in our knitting practices.
Seasons of life are just as important as weather seasons. If you are thinking about tackling a complex project, are you in a place in life where you can devote the concentration to it that you will need? If you are in a more hectic period of life, would a simpler project suit your needs better?
I also have to admit there is still some weather-related seasonality to our work. For most people, it’s not terribly fun working on a 3000-yard blanket in wool yarn in the middle of July. Likewise, I would not recommend knitting a massive mohair project in the summer heat.
Knitting with silk or linen in the middle of winter is a little more comfortable, but you’ll want to think about whether you are the kind of knitter who can finish a project and then put it away for warmer weather.
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