Knitting Psychology

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

Can't believe it's been almost a month since my last entry but, as ever, I haven't been sitting around twiddling my thumbs!

I am still doing battle with Tom's University Blanket but am pleased to say that the end is definitely in sight - just 9 more squares a ton of ends to weave in and an applied i-cord edge and I'll be done!! - which has got me to thinking about the psychology of knitting:

We decide we want a new project so we trundle off to our local yarn shop (if we're lucky enough to have one) and we trawl through their collection of hundreds of patterns and, in time, we find the perfect pattern and the perfect yarn.  We are excited - this project is going to be GREAT - we can't wait to get home and get started.

We cast on and get cracking and it's great - all is well - we've made the perfect choice - the yarn is great, the pattern is great - we show it to our partners (repeatedly) - they grunt and feign interest and we rave about the wonders of our latest project.

For a few days (or possibly weeks) we continue to enthuse about this project.

And then something happens.  At some indeterminate point our enthusiasm begins to wane - if we're knitting socks it may be half way through the second one, for a garment it could be the second sleeve - but, whatever it is we're knitting, we (almost) always reach this point. 

If - at this point - we re-visit our yarn shop then it's entirely likely that our previous, much loved project is doomed.  Doomed forever to be that wip (work in progress), doomed to be shoved in a bag whilst the next, best, most exciting project in the world is cast on.  Doomed to be shoved in the back of a cupboard and forgotten about for a very long time.

If we're good and don't stray our project becomes a labour of love and loyalty.  We stick with it because we really do want to wear it at some point.  We do still really like the picture on the pattern but, oh boy, the knitting part is becoming tedious and boring and, really, we JUST WANT IT DONE!!

And, then, when the knitting's all finished we realise that - really - there's still a long way to go - the edgings, the sewing up, the finishing touches - they seem to go on ... and on ... and on......

But, then, we finish!  Hoorah!!  All done!  We try it on.  We show our partner (who feigns interest again).  We wear it out.  People comment.  We say (proudly) "oh, yeah, I made it".

And, then, we forget the days when we really found it a drag and we go back to the yarn shop and we do it all over again ...... and we find the next, best, most amazing pattern and yarn and it's going to be the best bit of knitting ever and we're going to finish it in record time and it's never going to get boring.  Yup, this next project is going to be GREAT!


If I EVER mention knitting another blanket would someone please remind me about the point where it becomes a boring and tedious labour of love.  I won't listen to you (obviously) but at least you can say "I told you so" when I get there!