When Is It Time to Give Up on a Project?

When is it time to give up on a knitting project?

That's actually a hard question for me to answer because I think it's highly personal. I don't have a set of guidelines that tells me when a project has reached the end of the road.

Sometimes you just know.

If I'm working on something and don't like the way the pattern is working up, I'll rip it out.

If I don't like the way the yarn is working with the pattern, I'll rip it out.

If the color isn't showing off the pattern the way I thought it would, I'll rip it out.

And sometimes?

I just don't like the pattern anymore.

There are so many reasons a project might not work, and I don't feel guilty about any of them.

Not Every Yarn and Pattern Belong Together

A beautiful yarn can still be the wrong yarn for a particular pattern.

The color might hide all that beautiful stitch work you were excited about. The yarn might not have the drape the pattern needs. Or maybe you put the two together and it simply doesn't look anything like what you had pictured in your head.

That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the yarn.

It doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with the pattern.

They just might not belong together.

I'd much rather rip out a project and use that yarn for something else than put the whole thing into a bag and let it sit for a year or two.

Don't get me wrong.

I've done that too.

Somewhere there is probably a project bag that would like to have a word with me. 😄

Project Time-Out Is Different

There are also projects I set aside simply because something more pressing comes along.

That doesn't mean I've given up on them. I fully intend to go back and finish them.

Unless, of course, they get lost in a closet and I find them a couple of years later.

But that's another story.

Then there are the projects that I simply lose interest in.

I'll put one aside for a while and eventually I'll have to move the project bag to clean. I'll peek inside and think...

Do I really still want to make this?

Sometimes the answer is yes.

And sometimes the answer is a very definite no.

That's when it's off to the pond I go.

Rip it, rip it, rip it! 🐸

Once I've ripped everything out, I give the yarn a good soak and let it dry. Then it's ready for another chance at becoming something I actually want to make.

There's something rather satisfying about that.

Instead of an unfinished project sitting around making me feel like I should finish it, I have beautiful yarn again—and a whole new possibility.

But Sometimes I Keep Going

There have also been projects where I've gotten close to the end and started thinking...

I'm not sure I like this.

Sometimes I'll push through and finish those.

A few have surprised me. After blocking, I ended up being really happy with them.

Others?

Not so much.

I've finished a few things, looked at them and realized they just weren't for me. So I gave them away.

Someone else got a handmade gift, and I still got something out of making it.

Maybe I learned a new technique.

Maybe I learned something about yarn choice.

Maybe I learned what I don't want to knit again.

And at the very least, I enjoyed most of the knitting along the way.

That counts for something.

This Is Supposed to Be Fun

I think that's really what it comes down to for me.

Knitting is a hobby. We're supposed to enjoy our time doing it.

We don't need to give ourselves a guilt trip because a project didn't go according to plan.

There's no prize for forcing yourself through something you hate simply because you cast it on six months ago.

There's also nothing wrong with finishing a project you're unsure about because you want to see what happens after blocking.

Neither choice is wrong.

You have to decide for yourself what feels right.

Maybe that project needs a little time-out.

Maybe you need to push through the last few inches.

Or maybe it's time to head to the pond, reclaim that yarn and let it become something completely different.

Rip it, rip it, rip it.

Sometimes ending one project is exactly how the next one begins.

So I'm curious...

Do you have a project sitting somewhere that you know you're never going to finish?

Maybe it's time to open that bag and decide what you really want to do with it.

And if the answer is frog it?

I'll meet you at the pond. 🐸🧶

Happy knitting!

Betty Jo