First, thanks everybody for the well wishes with our newest family member. Jellybean, or Jelly is settling in and slowly we’re figuring it all out. In just a few short days we’ve already done a lot AND added bonus I discovered she knows how to do her business on an indoor potty patch! YAY! Now I don’t have to worry about her needing a midday potty break. I’ve never been so happy to see a yellow pee stain (of course in the correct place) in my life. LOL And she has decided that next to Cher is where she has to be during the day. I check on them on the security camera and when she isn’t walking around and exploring she’s right underneath Cher. Check out the view from the security camera, that’s Jelly on the left and Cher on the right.
Okay, back to the knitting talk…
As you all know, I love knitting. I really do. It’s the thing that helps all the other stuff buzzing in my brain quiet down. I am aware that I’m a fast knitter and I think I’m a good knitter and pick good patterns and even better yarn to compliment the projects. I was browsing through my Ravelry project page the other day and started looking at my numbers. In 2015 I had 45 finished objects. 45! That’s a lot of knitting to accomplish in a year.
So far this year? 35 finished objects!
I was a little shocked because I have a long list of what I want to finish between now and the end of the year and it includes a couple of adult sized sweaters (about 6) and lots of kids stuff for godchildren and new babies on the way. I thought I was definitely lagging behind in terms of what I could produce, clearly I’m not paying enough attention and yes, I am apparently a knitting machine. And yet I still feel like I won’t get everything finished that I want to, especially this month since I’ve got two dogs I’m attempting to bond with and that’s clearly a bigger priority. And let’s not forget all my GRE studying either, no matter how much I’d like to forget about having to study. I bring all this up because I don’t want to be overwhelmed by knitting, it’s supposed to be the thing that calms me when I’m stressed. Or perhaps I’m always stressed and that’s why I knit so much? I’m not really sure. So I’m curious, what do you do to manage your projects?
My Ravelry queue changes every day. I’ve had a sweater in my queue for a good year that is probably a quick knit and just hasn’t made it onto my needles yet. I keep pushing it aside for other projects and then I keep finding great patterns I want to make next! It’s like I have knitting ADD. So how do you determine what will or won’t get knit? I’m curious and looking for a way to keep what I love in order.
Yards of Happiness 
Sleep on it. Sometimes the answers come when we’ve ‘shut down’ for the day. 🙂
No sleep! Must knit.
I have a response and a cautionary tale! For years, knitting was a great way to pamper those I loved. It still is, but lately I’ve looked at the holes in my own wardrobe and realized I could have become a better knitter by having an in-house model — myself! Not to mention having years of enjoyment out of garments I’ve made. So you’re already on the right track about balancing making for others and making for yourself. I’d say at least a third ought to be for yourself, trying out new things and taking your time to get them finished to your satisfaction.
Now, about being a knitting machine: I’m also a fast knitter, but now that I’m in my granny years, I wish I’d been a bit more careful about it. My whole professional life has had me “twiddling my fingers,” as my mother puts it (keyboarding long hours at a mid-management job in addition to knitting), and I’m now showing signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. Some days I get up with numb hands and have to take breaks and wear splints and generally baby myself till it passes over. Not fun. So… I’d say, examine your knitting style, put the least stress you can on your wrists while you’re setting speed records, and make sure you’re not doing any damage you’ll regret later. Knitting is too much fun to have to stop!
You know I’ve taken 6 week knitting breaks to just give my wrists a chance to rest. And I’m doing longer pauses now as I’m studying. It’s hard to find balance.
With your taste for shape and colour, you should soon start thinking of creating your own stuff ! Your projects page is impressive and your love of knitting and enthusiasm are like a mirror of my own addiction. I started to knit really seriously in my student days over a decade ago, it helped me calm down after a hectic day of endless pages of reading and writing in University back then and it’s still my favourite stress vent. I knit a lot and fast too, and like you, the more I knit, the more I want to knit.
I organize my knitting queue by the level of challenge, when I want to try something new that I’ve never tried before. But mostly I prefer to create stuff by colour mood and creative instinct just by picking up some yarn I have in my “stash”, the way our grannies used to do in times when there was no Ravelry and no written patterns to follow.
XOXO to both girls plus a big warm hello to Jelly ! Cheers & happy knitting to you Dana ~
Thank you 😊