Tackling the great project stash!
Hi there! I hope everyone likes the mitten flap tutorial I posted yesterday! If you haven't seen it, you can check it out under my tutorials page!
Beginning next week I will attempt to tackle the monster that is my Pinterest page devoted to knitting. (I also have a monster of a Ravelry library, but that is going to have to wait.) I cannot tell you how many beautiful projects I have pinned that I have yet to start. I'm sure I am not alone in this, so to help everyone out (including myself) I have created a Tackle your Stash plan for everyone!! This can also be applied to your Ravelry library or any stash of patterns you have made anywhere. I have pinterest, ravelry, nook, books, binders... *sigh*
Anyway, here is my plan for tackling that "stash", one project at a time.
First and foremost:
(1) Understand that you will not finish all of the projects you have saved!!
In all reality, doing all of the 200+ projects I have pinned to my knitting/crocheting board is just plain crazy! Plan on choosing a few (I'm going to choose around 15) that you really like and want to knit for yourself or others. Make some of them Christmas presents for next year, birthday presents, mothers day presents, fathers day presents, etc. This will give you a time frame to complete each project, which will help keep you on track! This leads me to the second part of my plan...
(2) Plan Ahead!!!
This is crucial! Without proper planning, you may not even realize that the scarf and hat you wanted to make for your aunt for her birthday is due to be mailed in two days! Whoops!! In order to make sure you get through all of the projects you want to, get a calendar and use it to plan for each project. Look at who is going to receive each project and when, and plan it out! Actually write it down so it's more permanent to you! This will also give you a reference to look at throughout the year to keep you on track. Keep in mind things like a vacation, parties around the holidays, or visiting family when planning out your projects. These things may take time away from knitting or give you more time to finish a project! Also, plan ahead financially. Set money aside to purchase the items you need in order to finish each project. Knitting can get expensive, so make sure you can afford to begin each one when you need to!
Going along with this idea, make sure you remember to...
(3) Set small goals with appropriate time frames!
If I don't have a set finish date, then I usually get distracted and start another project while I'm in the middle of one, and I don't think I'm alone in this, either! So set a goal of finishing each project, one at a time, in a doable time frame. For instance, don't give yourself two weeks to finish a sweater for your dad for father's day. Despite what the pattern says, if you are a person who lives in the real world where working, eating, showering, and sleeping are necessities, a sweater for a full grown man will probably take you longer than two weeks! Give yourself plenty of time to complete the project you begin. If it is your first time knitting/crocheting this item, give yourself a few extra days to fix mistakes that you may make. I cannot tell you how many sleepless nights I've had, struggling to finish a gift by Christmas morning!! This part will help you with the next part, which is...
(4) Don't stress yourself out!
This is something that I need to work on. If something goes wrong, if I make a major mistake, if I am really far behind on a project, I get super stressed out over it. DON'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF!!! Knitting is supposed to be a fun, relaxing pastime away from your stressful daily life! Don't let it become a burden! If you realize you've made a mistake, take a break! Walk away from it and come back to it later when you realize that it's not as big of a deal as you thought it was! Remember, most mistakes are completely fixable. (YouTube is a great tool to find how to fix knitting mistakes!) If you have to rip out a few rows, no big deal! Remember part three?? You have plenty of time to redo those rows! The best way I have found to distract myself from my stressful project is to...
(5) Have a backup project!
I always like to have an easy, mindless project to work on when my more complicated one makes me stress. I know, I know, I said only one project at a time, but this mindless project is one that shouldn't have a set finish date. It should be something that doesn't require much thought on your part; one that you have done before or that is super easy to do. I like to make my mindless project a hat. I love to knit hats and have made several, so I know how they should work. I can easily change a hat pattern to fit what I like and can catch mistakes in patterns easily. This is the type of project you need to find! One that you can do without too much thought! I suggest something like a scarf or cowl if you are not as familiar with any specific type of project.
and last but not least...
(6) Have Fun!
This goes along with not stressing out. Always remember to have fun while knitting! Sometimes I get bogged down while knitting for someone else. It suddenly becomes like work rather than my pastime of choice. Keep in mind that this is fun for you! If you find that you just don't have time to make that scarf your neighbor was asking for, don't make it! This is your stress reliever, your hobby, your fun! Don't feel like just because you knit, you have to knit for everyone!
I hope this helps someone else tackle the endless amounts of projects they have also saved! I'll post updates with my progress!!
What suggestions do you have for tackling your stash of knitting projects? Where do you keep your "stash"? Let me know in a comment below!!!
Happy Knitting!
Beginning next week I will attempt to tackle the monster that is my Pinterest page devoted to knitting. (I also have a monster of a Ravelry library, but that is going to have to wait.) I cannot tell you how many beautiful projects I have pinned that I have yet to start. I'm sure I am not alone in this, so to help everyone out (including myself) I have created a Tackle your Stash plan for everyone!! This can also be applied to your Ravelry library or any stash of patterns you have made anywhere. I have pinterest, ravelry, nook, books, binders... *sigh*
Anyway, here is my plan for tackling that "stash", one project at a time.
First and foremost:
(1) Understand that you will not finish all of the projects you have saved!!
In all reality, doing all of the 200+ projects I have pinned to my knitting/crocheting board is just plain crazy! Plan on choosing a few (I'm going to choose around 15) that you really like and want to knit for yourself or others. Make some of them Christmas presents for next year, birthday presents, mothers day presents, fathers day presents, etc. This will give you a time frame to complete each project, which will help keep you on track! This leads me to the second part of my plan...
(2) Plan Ahead!!!
This is crucial! Without proper planning, you may not even realize that the scarf and hat you wanted to make for your aunt for her birthday is due to be mailed in two days! Whoops!! In order to make sure you get through all of the projects you want to, get a calendar and use it to plan for each project. Look at who is going to receive each project and when, and plan it out! Actually write it down so it's more permanent to you! This will also give you a reference to look at throughout the year to keep you on track. Keep in mind things like a vacation, parties around the holidays, or visiting family when planning out your projects. These things may take time away from knitting or give you more time to finish a project! Also, plan ahead financially. Set money aside to purchase the items you need in order to finish each project. Knitting can get expensive, so make sure you can afford to begin each one when you need to!Going along with this idea, make sure you remember to...
 |
| My current calendar of projects! |
If I don't have a set finish date, then I usually get distracted and start another project while I'm in the middle of one, and I don't think I'm alone in this, either! So set a goal of finishing each project, one at a time, in a doable time frame. For instance, don't give yourself two weeks to finish a sweater for your dad for father's day. Despite what the pattern says, if you are a person who lives in the real world where working, eating, showering, and sleeping are necessities, a sweater for a full grown man will probably take you longer than two weeks! Give yourself plenty of time to complete the project you begin. If it is your first time knitting/crocheting this item, give yourself a few extra days to fix mistakes that you may make. I cannot tell you how many sleepless nights I've had, struggling to finish a gift by Christmas morning!! This part will help you with the next part, which is...
(4) Don't stress yourself out!
This is something that I need to work on. If something goes wrong, if I make a major mistake, if I am really far behind on a project, I get super stressed out over it. DON'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF!!! Knitting is supposed to be a fun, relaxing pastime away from your stressful daily life! Don't let it become a burden! If you realize you've made a mistake, take a break! Walk away from it and come back to it later when you realize that it's not as big of a deal as you thought it was! Remember, most mistakes are completely fixable. (YouTube is a great tool to find how to fix knitting mistakes!) If you have to rip out a few rows, no big deal! Remember part three?? You have plenty of time to redo those rows! The best way I have found to distract myself from my stressful project is to...
 |
| Mom's Cabled Hat and matching Mittens |
I always like to have an easy, mindless project to work on when my more complicated one makes me stress. I know, I know, I said only one project at a time, but this mindless project is one that shouldn't have a set finish date. It should be something that doesn't require much thought on your part; one that you have done before or that is super easy to do. I like to make my mindless project a hat. I love to knit hats and have made several, so I know how they should work. I can easily change a hat pattern to fit what I like and can catch mistakes in patterns easily. This is the type of project you need to find! One that you can do without too much thought! I suggest something like a scarf or cowl if you are not as familiar with any specific type of project.
and last but not least...
(6) Have Fun!
This goes along with not stressing out. Always remember to have fun while knitting! Sometimes I get bogged down while knitting for someone else. It suddenly becomes like work rather than my pastime of choice. Keep in mind that this is fun for you! If you find that you just don't have time to make that scarf your neighbor was asking for, don't make it! This is your stress reliever, your hobby, your fun! Don't feel like just because you knit, you have to knit for everyone!
I hope this helps someone else tackle the endless amounts of projects they have also saved! I'll post updates with my progress!!
What suggestions do you have for tackling your stash of knitting projects? Where do you keep your "stash"? Let me know in a comment below!!!
Happy Knitting!
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