Potholders

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Knitting, Wondering, and Wondering about Knitting

I knew this already, but after giving some careful consideration to my ravelry project page, I may be one of the world's slowest knitters. I don't knit anything especially large or complicated, so lately I've been wondering exactly why it takes me so long to complete projects. After looking at when I knit, how much I knit, and what happens when I knit, I think the answer is simply that I don't make it a priority. For me, knitting has turned into mainly a fill-in activity that I've relegated to when I have to spend time in hospital and doctor's office waiting rooms and maybe an hour at the end of the day. I counted and gathered data, and over the last week, I've only knit an average of ~500 stitches/evening because I've nodded off or paid too much attention to whatever I was watching on Netflix. There's not really anything wrong with this, but I really would like to knit and finish more. I love the process but product also matters.


I've identified the problem, and know that the solution lies in simply making knitting more important, but I haven't figured out the concrete answers yet. I'm busy working during the day, then there's grossery shopping, cooking, cleaning (not much, but still some!), laundry, mowing, weeding, gardening, walking, reading, weekends traveling and visiting with family, the above mentioned time spent in waiting rooms, etc... Every other knitter has these same responsibilities and commitments, and some people have many more, so I've begun to look at ways that I might be able to change. This may be simply a seasonal change; once the garden is done producing I anticipate having much more free time when I'm not weeding, harvesting, and preserving produce. I think I'll be reading less when I'm done with Book Bingo (one or two books at a time instead of three or four). I'm fairly sure that I'll feel more like knitting when the temperature and humidity wane with the approach of fall.


I don't want to make excuses, and certainly know that if I say I want to knit more and finish more, I have to make knitting a real priority and just do it. I'm going to try and make some changes over the next month, and would welcome any and all suggestions!



7 comments:

  1. I knit when I m waiting: at doctors offices, at cellphone shop, at apple store, in theaters, in the car those are my big knit times that make me move along. I never seem to knit until after dinner.....for some reason

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  2. There are no concrete answers. As I've been told by many friends, knitting time ebbs and flows. Cooler weather may help shift the priorities.

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  3. I don't know. Knitting isn't a job and I feel like it should be something we do because we want to not because we have to. I've been reading so much more than knitting lately and yes, that means my productivity is down but my mind is expanding and I'm enjoying the hell out of that!

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  4. You have so much going on - I'm surprised you find any time to knit outside of waiting rooms. When I worked, my job involved a fair number of conference calls; I'd have a special project for those - no counting, just straightforward stockinette/garter or really simple lace. I would definitely knit more on the weekends, but not every evening. (and I never had a garden or yard to tend). I would finish something every couple of months. So - my advice is not to worry - it will come when it comes.

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  5. My knitting ebbs and flows, too. I've become a more "situational knitter" over the years. I don't knit all that much in the summer because I'm too busy with other things (like my garden). I keep telling myself . . . it's not a race; it's not a job; it's not a competition. Life is full -- and knitting is just a little part of that. XO

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  6. I think slow knitting is just as fine as fast knitting. I love that you squeeze it into your busy life when you can and eventually you have finished object!! Sometimes the process is more important than the product.

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  7. Just take a look at my Ravelry completed projects page and you'll feel much better. I think we could compete for slowest knitter. Maybe it's in our genes! Wasn't there a grandmother of Mom's who always got blamed for deficiencies in the family? Anyway, you such an accomplished knitter, reader and all around accomplished person. As long as you're enjoying the knitting process, that's all that matters. We'll just be process knitted instead product knitters.

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