Multiple WIPs vs. Monogamous Knitting – Does It Matter?

Knitters often talk about being monogamous knitters (knitters who knit one project at a time) or having start-itis (knitters who can’t stop casting on new projects even though they already have several underway). We even sometimes use it as a silly personality test or self-categorization mechanism.

In reality, there are perfectly good reasons to use either approach towards your knitting. Often, though, I see people talking about having multiple WIPs going at once as if it were a problem.

Sometimes it is a problem, but often, it’s just a sign that you work differently. Today, let’s take a look at some questions I use when I find myself casting on for another project even though I have six others currently on the needles.

Sometimes, It’s Helpful to Have Multiple WIPs

First, let’s clear something up. Sometimes, having multiple works in progress, also known as WIPs, is an objectively good thing. Different types of projects suit different kinds of contexts.

For example, I am currently two years deep on a mitered square blanket project. It’s massive. It has several dozen loose balls of yarn in a basket that is the size of a small laundry hamper. It’s not a portable project. It is, however, a great TV knitting project, because it’s almost entirely garter stitch.

When I want a portable project, I love a pair of socks. They’re small, and I can throw them in my purse easily. On the flip side, some of my sock projects are pretty complicated. They’re not great for working on when I’m tired or when I can’t look at my project too often.

Which is exactly what happened over this past weekend. I went to a show, and I needed to keep my hands busy so I wouldn’t pick at my fingertips until I hurt myself. It’s a show, though, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to see my project in the dark. I also knew I shouldn’t lift it up high enough for me to look at it. What I needed was a simple, stockinette project that I could hold down in my lap where nobody would see it. So I cast on a new shawl with a stockinette body that will eventually have a lace trim.

And then, of course, I have this beautiful T-shirt that I’m working on. It’s extraordinarily complex. In fact, it’s so complex that I’m not sure I’m ever going to turn it into a pattern for anybody else to use. That being said, it’s awfully fun to work on, and it’s perfect for when my brain is in a very fresh state.

All of this is to say that different projects serve different needs at different times and in different places. There are very good reasons for having each of these projects in progress at the same time.

Are You Starting a New WIP Because You’re Dissatisfied With Your Current WIP?

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about some questions that I ask myself before I cast on for a new project. The first question asks why exactly I am starting that new project. If there’s already a project on my needles, I need to ask myself whether that existing project is not making me happy.

That’s different from an existing project that does not serve my current needs! I might love a project and look forward to finishing it but not be in a place where I can work on it right now. Sometimes, a project needs to sit in time out for a little bit. That’s fine.

But if a project is not giving me joy to the point that I’m avoiding it, then that’s a different story. Before I cast on a new project, I need to ask myself whether it’s time to frog the existing project. If the answer is yes, then I should at least frog that project first before starting a new one.

That’s especially true if it turns out I’m going to need the needles from that first project to start the second one!

Are You Starting a New WIP Because You’re Dissatisfied With Something Else?

The next thing I ask myself is whether I’m starting a project because I’m dissatisfied with something else in my life. You know how it goes. Sometimes, you are frustrated at work or having conflict with a friend or bored with your everyday routines.

You can’t immediately fix those problems, usually. Sometimes, though, it can be easy to think that starting a new knitting project will do exactly that.

I usually find that when I’m starting a project for this reason, it’s accompanied by some feelings. Usually they’re feelings of restlessness and frustration. A good way to figure out what’s driving the new project is to ask myself how I really feel about it. Am I actually excited about the new project I’m casting on? Or am I avoiding dealing with some other problem that has nothing to do with my knitting?

Do You Have Trouble Keeping Track of Your WIPs?

Finally, I stop to ask myself whether I have so many WIPs that I can no longer keep track of them. If I no longer know how many ongoing projects I have? If I can’t identify what purpose each project serves that none of the other projects do? Then I know it’s time to finish some stuff on my needles before starting something new.

For example, that’s what I did last December. I realized I had a bunch of unfinished stuff on my needles, and it was almost the end of the year. I made a concerted effort that month to move things along and free up my needles for new projects.

If, after going through this little self examination, I still find that I want to start the new project, have a good reason to start the new project, and am not starting the new project to avoid something else, then I let myself go for it. It’s okay to have multiple projects happening at once.

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