WIP it into Shape

When I first started crocheting over a decade ago, one of my favorite things about it was the absence of a “block.” Unlike writing or drawing, I never ran out of ideas for things I wanted to make. What a simpler time.

I’m sad to report that I am in a yarncraft “block,” which is different from a writer’s block. Instead of blaming the Muses, I can only blame myself.

As I’ve said, the problem isn’t an absence of ideas, I still have too many ideas. I had all these big ideas for crafting in the new year, and then I wouldn’t let myself work on them until I finished some Work[s]-In-Progress, or WIP, from last year.

And now I’m so bored of them.

I shouldn’t be right? Knitting is knitting, crocheting is crocheting, spinning is spinning. But alas, I’m so bored of them that I haven’t been able to bring myself work on them at all since Monday. Instead my time is spent looking at crafting stuff on the internet, spending 30 minutes a day on Aroha Knit‘s 5 shawls, 5 days challenge, and getting other big ideas that I still won’t allow myself to work on.

Part of me feels like the offending projects should just go away for a while. What harm would be done other than my mom still not having Christmas socks and my sister’s birthday blanket being pushed off one more year? After all, this is only the fourth year I have tried to get that stupid thing finished on time.

The other part recognizes that is the problem. I used to give into these whims all the time (as opposed to just sometimes). I was crafting constantly, sure, but the time flies and then I still have a half-finished shawl I haven’s touched in seven or eight years. So now I have to be a little more disciplined, which in my current state means crafting less.

I looked on the internet for possible solutions (again, instead of actually working on the WIPs), Selfish Knitters and Crocheters on Ravelry had my favorite solution:

• Pick four WIPs, put them in their own bags, and make sure EVERYTHING you need for them is in their bag.
• Label them a, b, c, and d.
• Monday through Saturday of week 1, work on WIP a. Monday through Saturday of week 2, work on WIP b. You’ll keep rotating the projects, so week 5 you’ll go back to WIP a, and so on.
• Sundays are free, you can work on whatever you want. A travel project is also allowed if your weekly WIP is too large to do so.
• KEEP NOTES ON YOUR PROJECT so you can pick it up three weeks later and know what you’re doing.
• Finished your WIP? Pick up another one or start a new project. Whichever you pick, it takes that same place in the rotation as your completed project.

The idea is you’re finishing those in-progress projects without getting burned out, and I love that. I’m not totally on board yet, with the past-due deadlines on my current projects, but I’m hoping to hop on this system soon.

How do you manage your WIPs, especially when they bore you? Are you a one project at a time person or do you have a pile like me? Let me know in the comments!