I’m pleased to say that the knitting has continued apace this week - there’s nothing like a fun, quick, project or two to keep the crafting motivation high.
These super fingerless mitts are made with two strands of sock yarn held double - a plain yarn held together with a brightly coloured one. They are speedy, entertaining and use up leftover stash yarn which is always a bonus.
Working on these mitts over the last few days it got me thinking about what makes a successful pattern - by which I mean one that I enjoy knitting and that really fires me up. And I had to come to the conclusion that I don’t think there is such a thing as the perfect pattern. I’m a fickle creature - aren’t we all - and what I’m looking for in a knitting project might not be the same as what I’m looking for in a week or a months time.
It’s one of the reasons (ahem… excuses) why I like to have a few different projects on the go at once. My knitting mood changes frequently and I like variety - and choice. To be confined to just one project would feel very stifling. To me there is a difference between working on one project exclusively, because I want to rather than because I have to.
Tracking my knitting
One thing that I have found helpful though is tracking my knitting. I’m a huge fan of habit tracking in general and I often use a simple tracker in my bullet journal to keep me on track with daily habits. At the minute I am focusing on keeping things simple and my daily habit tracker this week includes:
Drink 2L water
Walk outside in nature for at least 10 minutes
Read for at least 10 minutes
Write something
Funnily enough I always seem to manage 3 out of 4. I’m yet to manage a day where I manage all 4 but I remain optimistic.
I’ve also started using a simple knitting tracker, mainly as proof to myself that I can commit to a goal and see it through - something I am notoriously bad at. Setting goals is something I am good at, really good at. Sticking with them after the first few days of novelty have worn off is much harder for me and I’m easily lured away by the promise of a shiny, distracting new thing.
And it’s not just me. There is real, provable science to back up the effectiveness of habit tracking. James Clear, he of Atomic Habits fame, has written at length on this and having devoured his book a while ago I am now going back through it and taking notes this time.
There is a lot of psychology behind habit tracking but in essence it gives you a visual cue that you are meeting your habit and making progress. And our brains love visual cues.
If you want to try it for yourself I have created a free download, with a simple 30 day tracker you can use as you wish. I also have a set of 10 printable PDF trackers, all of which I have used for various projects this year and found to be really helpful.
What’s making me smile this week:
A brand new podcast from
and Virginia Sole-Smith
The Deep Fall edition of Knitty.com. Always my favourite issue, it’s packed with free knitting patterns and a few surprises.
The Calloo Collective - brilliant crafty writing from Francine, including her fabulous ‘5 things for the weekend’ updates. I always find something fun and inspiring here.
I am also a polygamous knitter and can't imagine working on a single project at a time. I'm also ADD. My sister is OCD and strictly monogamous with her knitting. I've never been successful at tracking my knitting and never know what to say when someone asks how long it took me to knit something. Maybe I should try your method!
I've just finished a TCK Harvest cardigan in double quick time! I surprised myself.