how I keep myself motivated to work on knitting projects (8 simple tips!)

[@Ladeedi73]

These are all great tips! The crafter from Idaho has her own podcast called Karma’s a stitch! It is fun to watch her, Roll the dice and work on different projects every week💛

[@KnittyNatty]

THANK YOU!! That's right, Tonya!! Linking her channel: www.youtube.com/@karmasastitch76

[@Zanthia494]

Honestly I feel like the #1 tip would be, "Whatever you do, don't cast on another new project" 😅

[@debraeaton5184]

Oh my, this has helped me get a scarf out and finally finish it, so I can wear and enjoy it!

[@KnittyNatty]

Congrats!!!

[@Sophscraftcorner]

I have been doing a November fundraiser for bone cancer where i knit or crochet for 30 mins everyday in November and it has really helped me learn to knit my sock and im excited to do more of it rather than be intimidated by it, i have also started knitting on my lunch break at work :)

[@KnittyNatty]

That is incredible!!

[@samweavermakes5679]

I love these tips! I do rotation with the washing machine. Every time it’s finished a cycle (just over an hour) I’ll take it out, pop it on the line or in the dryer, pop in the next load and then change my WIP. It certainly helps with making sure I’m taking regular breaks!

[@KnittyNatty]

omg what a great idea!!

[@sarawormewoole9284]

Thanks for the tips, Natalie! I like to have "Finish it Fridays" where I'm not allowed to work on a current project right away, but to pull out a neglected project to work on for awhile first. I have finished up quite a few lingering projects this way, and find once I get them out on a Friday and get re-familiarized with them, I am actually motivated to finish them up and enjoy them (or gift them).

[@KnittyNatty]

I love this!! I'm always into a theme!

[@alecsgirl]

I was thinking of your methodical approach to knitting a couple of weeks ago (“What would Natalie do???”) when I was working on Clue 3 of the Westknits MKAL. I really wasn’t enjoying the technique. I timed myself how long it took to complete one section, then calculated how many sections I needed to complete per day to finish the clue “on time”. It totally worked! Once I realized, “Oh, each section really only takes 15 minutes, I can do that!” When I was done with that amount of work for the day, I gave myself permission to knit on my new sweater! You’ve taught me so much over the years, thank you Natalie!

[@KnittyNatty]

Ooh yes!!! I love this method too. Great job on getting through the Clue on time!!!

[@heathertucker7056]

This was really interesting and informative and several new strategies to try! I also reward my self by not starting anything new until I have either finished a project or get to a certain point! Thank you Natalie x

[@annmarie9780]

Natalie, you are brilliant - and maybe psychic! Your 1st 3 questions - one of which is always the problem. And your tips make so much sense - I’m going to try all of them! Thank you for this great idea video!

[@sharbear1968]

Hey there! Great tips! I was having a mental block on a pair of gift socks. Those I just had to suck it up and push through. What I really wanted was to finish the last 17 rows of lace on my Reyna shawl that’s been hibernating since September. Casting on my first TAAT socks for a roadtrip. Once they’re set up and ready to hit the road, I’m going to give Reyna the attention she deserves. I love these tips.

[@rockinstrawberries]

Oh hey! I went on KZbin at the perfect time! Edit: I have a WIP from February... honestly even after watching this, I still think I'm gonna frog it

[@KnittyNatty]

Hey!! Happy Tuesday!!

[@sarahashley13]

All great ideas. So interesting to hear/see how different folks feel about their craft. I do whatever brings me joy because that's why I knit. So to **ll with not casting on a new project, frog something even of it's one row from completion, and let it linger in my WIP basket for five years (yep that's the longest running wip that im not interested in frogging but don't seem to want to knit on either). I love how with knitting we can all do us!!!! Leave the deadlines and pressures to other parts of life. 😊

[@KnittyNatty]

Sometimes I feel this way too! I love that we can all do what works for us 😁

[@jessicanw]

Thank you for sharing these ideas! There are at least a few I plan to try. I usually work on whichever project I will enjoy, but I currently have "Face it Fridays" which is when I work on a project that is stalled because I'm nervous about, or don't know how to do, the next step. "Weave in Wednesdays" is for... ya know. :) I don't do these every Wed/Fri, but they have motivated me get a number projects done that would have otherwise lingered near completion for much longer.

[@katelynrader4592]

Love these! So different than the ones I've heard in the past! I also love utilizing mal and Kal! If I can find one that aligns with a deadline I have for a sweater, it gives me more motivation to finish that sweater! Especially when I can check social media for others progress!

[@janice4892]

These are all great tips Natalie! Thank you.

[@4nnn4]

Great tips. I do the association with a time or place, and also bring ends to weave to knit nights. Another idea with roll the dice could be to roll the dice and knit that number of rows for that day. I also recently gave away most of my knitting needles, so I have only one of most sizes, I don't allow myself to take the needles off a wip, which will motivate me to finish that wip if I want to start a new project that uses that needle size 😅

[@kristinahill3708]

This was terrific!! Great ideas.

[@angiemcdermid4845]

I find if the bag or needles are awkward, it has a big impact on my knitting. If I am doing colourwork or using dpns, I like a basket. A new skill may mean an intentional learning time when I am open to beginner m8 d and mistakes. And at knit night we get to talk about our projects and help each other with them. Last night a ripped back most of a yoke of a sweater for a friend.

[@cathynewkirk6807]

These were great ideas! One that I’ve used, which is similar to yours, is called the Gideon Method. I read about it in a blog written by my LYS, Wool & Honey. You select a number of wips that you want to make progress on and work each one for a set amount of time. I think Gideon says 20 hours or so. Once the 20 hours is up, you move to the next one and spend 20 hours on it. It can work, but it doesn’t address the issue of lost interest in a project. It’s best when you have a number of things that you really want to finish. Thanks for a fun episode!

[@paulamcmellon6171]

Thank you for this…..great tips !

[@janetjroberson2581]

Hello from Swansea, Illinois. ❤❤❤❤

[@jatraveler1277]

I bought color pooling yarn for a shawl/ bandana. Fun knit, but sooo long. I started everyday, one row, and increased to 30 minutes and was loving the color pooling so much that some days it was an hour. Finished and will probably never do another shawl... but it is gorgeous .❤ Nice ideas amd tips... thanks

[@claremcmahon4555]

I do what you said many moons ago in an old podcast I do so many lines a day on each project to stop me getting bored if I definitely want to get them finished 😊

[@KnittyNatty]

That is awesome!

[@annettewiggins2220]

So helpful, as always!! I suffer from castonitis. These strategies help destigmatize having too many WIPs :-) I try to prioritize what I'm likely to wear or gift in the next month or so.

[@reganstandlick7520]

Love this! I have learned a lot about when it's okay to just call projects quit or take a break.

[@KnittyNatty]

100% it gets easier the more you do it!

[@michellekitson5405]

Hi Natalie. I think some of these tips might actually help me with wanting to start to knit a sweater though it is coming into summer here. I keep getting put off by it though I love the look of the Salty Days sweater or the Artic one I really want to do. I love knitting socks so I am trying to get as many pairs done as I can before Christmas as gifts. as well. I am put off the sweater knitting due to many years ago attempting one and it turned out way to large even with me doing a swatch. I am learning now I can block as I go and try it own as I do it each section which I think will help heaps. Thankyou. It was a fun and informative podcast. Take care.

[@KnittyNatty]

Yay!!! Blocking as you go is super helpful. It also gives you a nice break while you wait for it to dry haha

[@flaxline]

Option 4 is now what I do for sewing in ends. We have a knit night at work once a month, and the last few times I've brought projects that mostly required me sewing in the ends. In yesterday's instance I've spent 3 hours sewing in the ends of a colorwork sweater. I doubt I'd have kept going after 2 ends if it wasn't my main project for the knit night (I always bring backups, but start with the sewing so I can't just put it away before I'm done xD)

[@sallysmethy4556]

Just watched the Q&A video... if you're still in PA and if you haven't been before... Kent needs to get to Beaver Stadium at Penn State 😉😊

[@chococat178]

Great tips! I will definitely be trying some of these because I have A LOT of WIPs that I need to address 😳

[@thecreativeknitrovert]

great tips Natalie!😊

[@theminimalknitter]

I only work on one project at a time so I don’t get stressed out from having too many WIPs. Scrappy blankets are long term and require other projects to be completed first, but otherwise I stick with one project. It works for me; it may not work for everyone. 😊

[@stephaniewilliams8687]

Great ideas.

[@ruthdennisKnits]

🧶 I have 2 knitted sweater WIPs and 2 crochet sweater WIPs along with 2 pairs of sock WIPs. When I get bored I just switch between them all🧶🧶

[@jenniferbuczynski8995]

These are great suggestions! I wonder if they could work for reading books too! I just have some many to read and a few I’m in right now. It can be hard to decide which one to use! And I have decision fatigue constantly 😂

[@KnittyNatty]

Ooh 100%!! I think 30 minutes of reading especially. Books I find need to match my mood even more than knitting, so don't be afraid to DNF a book if you're not into it.

[@AndreaSnow21]

All excellent ideas! What is the pattern for the blanket behind you?? It is beautiful!

[@rhubarbburble5368]

I like the dice idea. However you could only have 11 WIPs because you can’t roll a 1 with two dice!! Thanks for the ideas, this was a really useful video. 😍

[@KnittyNatty]

ooh I didn't think of that! I guess you could roll one dice on occasion??

[@the_busy_beaver_brooke]

So im a test knitter through and through... I thrive on deadlines. For people like me and that love to gift knit (this may be passed for this year) start early... I've done test knits for a good chunk of my gift knits however now that the season of gift knitting is here test knits seem to be fewer especially the gift knitting type patterns

[@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR]

These are great tips! Here’s a question: when you make a video, do you talk as smoothly as you seem to in this video, or do you occasionally mess up and do over a section or part of a section? It seems in this video like you just talked smoothly the whole time, without making any mistakes or having any bloopers. One of my challenges with making videos is I tend to stutter when I’m focusing on getting the wording right. I have Hydrocephalus, and there are frequent pauses in my speech, especially if I’m nervous or have been having Hydrocephalus complications recently.

[@KnittyNatty]

Hey! It depends on the video! For videos like this, I take a lot of time to plan how I want to say things. So some parts have multiple takes so I can include everything. Between each tip, I stop and read over my notes, then start the camera again. I usually have less takes the further into the video I get because my brain is all warmed up! But for podcasts, I just work off of bullet points and let things flow from beginning to end. 😁

[@KnittyNatty]

Don't give up! It gets easier the more you do it and it doesn't need to be perfect to be awesome. 💕

[@ErynnMann]

I saw your filming location and you broke my brain because you are in LWK’s house. 😊

[@KnittyNatty]

hahaha I am!!

[@lorrainekrahn4498]

I currently have 6 projects started and it feels overwhelming and that is discouraging. I can see that I have too many projects to be enjoying knitting. It’s my fault for putting myself into a time crunch for Christmas gifts. My solution is to prioritize what needs to be done first, finish one at a time, and then take a bit of a break.

[@KnittyNatty]

I completely understand this! I feel the same way when I get more than three wips. Are there any projects you can set aside for the week? Then you can just focus on a few and feel more progress.

[@lorrainekrahn4498]

@ yes, I just looked at the big picture and it was too big. Putting it into chunks will help.

[@jacquelynsmith2351]

I leave for my honeymoon Dec 9, so my motivation is a deadline. I do NOT recommend. I wanted to knit up 7 sweaters. I finished a cardigan I was REALLY looking forward to wearing... the pattern wasn't scaled correctly - only the XS and S fit. Anything larger requires American football shoulder pads, and I made the large. Otherwise, I'm on track to finish 4 - 1 is blocking, another is waiting for the blocking mats. Number 3 is on my lap (sleeves are done and waiting for the body), and number 4 is a bulky weight stockinette. I'll bring the 5th on the trip and make the 6th when we get back. I'll frog the cardigan when I'm up to it since it's depressing.

[@KnittyNatty]

7 sweaters?!?!! Phew! I'm sending you all the good vibes for those four! And happy honeymooning!

[@eivetjafrasenja]

Do you know that purple is the advent color? So keep doing the socks and you have advent socks.

[@KnittyNatty]

haha there you go!

[@debrakeyes955]

Are you at Briana ( Little Wolf's) house?

[@KnittyNatty]

Yup!!

[@sandrakastel633]

This background looks familar......😂

[@KnittyNatty]

hehehe

[@Ladeedi73]

These are all great tips! The crafter from Idaho has her own podcast called Karma’s a stitch! It is fun to watch her, Roll the dice and work on different projects every week💛