I am a process knitter. That means that when I knit, I do so for the enjoyment of the project. It also means that I end up with a few unfinished objects or works in progress that end up languishing in a project bag or my yarn dresser for a long period of time, some never to be finished. I’ve just lost the motivation, or the joy, or whatever it was that made me start knitting that project to begin with.

I’d like to change that. I’d like to either finish the project or free the yarn and needles so I can use them for something else. My husband, Technicooldad, and I have differing opinions on this — he thinks that I should just finish it so I can move on to the next thing. After all, I can always buy more yarn. I struggle with this. I want my knitting experiences to be fun, relaxing, and engaging. If I’m bored, frustrated, stressed out, or not having fun, then why am I even doing it?

My goal here is not to force myself to finish projects. Instead, I’m hoping to remember why it was that I cast on that project to begin with. Each month, I’ll select a project from my pile of WIPS and decide what to do with it. Some of them will be easy. I have a couple of pairs of socks that literally just need to have the ends woven in. Some just need photos so I can feel like my Ravelry page is complete. But some will take more work. (Here’s looking at you, Hue Shift Afghan!)

Things I’ll consider:

• How much of the project is complete vs. not complete?
• Am I able to finish the project? Do I still have the materials required for it? Does the project even live with me anymore?
• What will I do with it once I’m finished?
• Why did I start the project to begin with? What did I love about it?
• Why did I stop? Was I frustrated with it, or did I get distracted?

For January, I’m pulled out my Bicycle Socks. I started on these August 1, 2018 as part of the 2018 Tour De Sock, which is hosted on Ravelry. The Tour raises money for Doctors Without Borders. Designers donate patterns, knitters pay an entry fee, and everyone has a blast in the competition. My socks were over 75% complete. The first one was done, and the heel had already been turned and gusset decreased on the second.

I still had all of the materials, Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock in Cian that I had purchased from my LYS, Eat.Sleep.Knit. I’m planning to gift these socks to an aunt whose favorite color is yellow for her birthday. I love the cable details in the pattern. So why did I stop? Well, I didn’t finish them in time for that stage of the tour, and the next stage was starting, so I needed to move on to another project. That’s ok, because I picked them back up this month on January 21, 2019.

It didn’t take me long to finish these (January 24, 2019), and I’m so glad that I did. Aren’t these so cool? You can find the Bicycle Race socks by Heidi Nick pattern on Ravelry. This is definitely a focus-and-pay-attention type of knit, but the end product is worth it!

My Chiaogoo 2.25 mm 40″ fixed circulars and my green ESK bag have officially been released back into the wild! Will you join me in choosing to Frog or Finish? Do you have any languishing WIPs that need to be finished? Next month, I’ll be working on my Lagertha Socks (pattern by Melissa Beyer) and freeing up my blue ESK bag!