Oh yes, I have produced many rather large afghan’s (yes, the ubiquitous granny-ghans!), shawls, baby blankets and throws in the past with no trouble even though the timeline for completion is hugely increased with these projects. And I have two big afghan’s on the go, one for Afghans for Afghans, and the other for myself.
What confounds me is that when I start knitting a wearable item, like a vest or sweater, I get bogged down, and progress stalls and that’s when my WIP projects list grows and grows. It happens with a wicked case of “startitis”, where I cast on for everything in my path. I’m not sure what it is that makes this happen, since I am picking items to make within my skill level, and I understand the instructions with little difficulty and I am not afraid to ask for help when I need it, and the items do make up just fine if I stick to it.
It’s the sticking to it part that is causing some trouble. I seem to lose interest in these items as I go along, yet the word boredom doesn’t quite explain the lack of interest. I love them in the book, or wherever they come from, and I love choosing the yarn, examining the pattern to ensure I understand the construction and fit. All these things do interest and excite me and I knit along at top speed. These items are not too lengthy in duration, and I get about 80% of the way through and then, bam! Apathy hits. I don’t care any more, and I’m drawn on to the next thing I can find.
To compound the issue, I find myself excusing my smaller, simpler knitting choices to other knitters, when they ask me what I’m working on. As in please excuse me, it’s only a ribbed sock, or a plain mitten, or a hat, scarf or whatever. Like it is somehow shameful that I can’t keep count of some wickedly complex 12-color Fair Isle garment while watching the latest episode of House, and simultaneously holding life or death conversation with a family member, all the while baking a cake and organizing some massive theme party. Now what’s up with that? It’s a ridiculous feeling to have, and yet there it is, creeping in when I’m happily ensconced in my chair at knitting guild, or hanging around my LYS, or even when knitting in the wild, making me stop and compare my creation to that of the next knitter that happens near me.
Knitting is all about personal choice and I know that I am choosing the kinds of items that I like to make right now, so why would I feel a little less than, when sitting next to the knitter who is working on a more complex garment piece. Why should the complexity, or the lack of, cause me any concern what so ever? After I am a still a relatively new knitter amongst my knitting peers, and therefore my skill level is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I think I done rather well, considering some curve balls that were thrown in over the last 6 months that caused me to have to relearn many of my knitting, crocheting and sewing skills.
So here is my “ahhh” moment. Knitting is also about personal expression and is generally a fairly good reflection of the knitters self in the moment. So perhaps what I am knitting is trying sending my thick head a simple message. And if that is the case, the fact that I am purposefully choosing to create simplistic items is definitely a reflection of what I want my life to be right now. Easy. Straightforward. Simple. Pleasant. Comfortable. Which in fact, it has been anything but in the last 6 months, with no promise of a reprieve any time soon. So perhaps this is my knittings’ way of reducing the internal stresses even further; that just the zen of knitting itself is not enough to bring about tranquility, so that the knittings’ message has progressed to influencing what I am knitting too, in order to achieve some sense of balance, control, and accomplishment at just the most basic of levels. Yup – that’s a message for sure. Back to basics.
It feels good, I tell you, very good.
Knit on…
Kate
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