It’s time I told you about my mountain of wips. A while ago I was inspired to do something about this after watching Jilly of the Knitting Broomstick talking about how she tackled hers.
I keep a part of my stash in my bedroom and that’s also where my Mountain of Wips has been formed. It wasn’t on purpose, it just sort of happened with time.
I’m constantly working on a million projects at the same time and constantly giving in to the urge for a new cast on. Then there are projects that must be done or maybe there is a deadline and so other things are put aside for a few days which then turn into weeks and even months. Little by little the pile grows and grows until it has taken on a life of its own it would seem.
My pile had just taken on this ugly image of a pile of bags of all kinds and just looked messy and unorganised…which it totally was. I also knew that I might not want to knit everything that was in there. And I also new that some of the bags did not contain wips but projects to be – a skein of yarn, a pattern and a needle. Ready for me to cast on. But somehow I just hadn’t gotten to do so.
The plastic boxes on the right house part of my stash and as you can see there are a number of project bags all over!
There was no method to this madness so I just took one bag at a time and looked at its content. If it was an actual work in progress I then decided if I wanted to finish it or rip it out. I admit I only ripped out very few wips.
All the bags containing “to be knit” projects were emptied. I put the yarn back into the stash box and put the pattern aside for future use and the needles back in my bag of needles.
I wanted my pile of wips to be just that, no piles of ready to go knits. I don’t need those. I just get everything ready when and if I want to cast something on.
So after going through all the project bags this is what I ended up with.
It’s not a very good picture but at least you see there is now only one project bag on the floor. The rest fits in my bin. (since the picture was taken I have added one big “to be knit” bag but it doesn’t count because it is a necessity for Sock Madness).
As for the contents of the remaining project bags, here’s the list:
2 cowls
3 shawls
2 pairs of gloves – one is fingerless and it is my oldest wip ever!
2 cardigans
1 pull over – which is sooo close to being done!
1 scrap blanket – the Pinwheel blanket by Mina Philipp – I have a few squares done
10 pairs of socks! Yep that’s right, 10! Most of those are half done, that is one sock done and the other only just started.
I have decided that I now need to work on a wip at all times. I’m allowed to cast on for new stuff BUT I also have to choose a wip and work on concurrently. This way my Mountain which is now back to being a pile will slowly turn into just an extra project bag or two. (It’s ok to dream).
It may not look like much of an improvement when you compare the two pictures, but it actually is! I now know what I have waiting and getting all this done is no longer overwhelming. I know I can and want to do it. It’s just going to take time but that’s ok. Knitting is supposed to be fun and that’s how I like it.
As I’m writing this Sock Madness 11th edition has just launched which means that my knitting time will be concentrated on that and nothing else will be worked on except in between rounds but when that is done, I’ll be back to working on my pile of wips.
So you also have a mountain/pile of wips that needs sorting and working on? Or have you maybe already gone through it and come out a winner? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter and how you organise yourself. Please share by leaving a comment below.
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend and until next time, Happy Knitting!
First, good luck with Sock Madness!! I’ll be watching all the craziness:)
Second, I just went through my WIPs and ripped a few I knew I wouldn’t get back to any time soon. Mine are kept in a plastic container with my stash.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I’d like to have more plastic containers for both stash and wips but my problem is lack of space and also the husband finds them to be ugly…It does feel good though to go through the wips and clear things off the needles
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha and I thought I was bad!! But I totally relate to this post. I have a cupboard upstairs that contains a lot of my yarn stash and my WIPS – out of sight, out of mind… But I like the idea of having a new and old project on the go at once. And I love your knitting bags, especially the fox/snowman one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I think working on an old one alongside a new will keep me on track. And as I say this I realise that, that will not happen this month probably because of Sock Madness and a new test knit I accepted.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well there’s always next month!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always do my socks two at a time to avoid having that huge gap in time between getting each one done. Once I’ve finished the pattern once it’s just so hard to do it again – I want to move on to something else!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that is my problem too. Once I have finished a sock I often want to do something else rather than repeat the process. My “problem” is that I don’t so much enjoy doing taat socks but maybe I should try to at least from time to time and so avoid ending up with tons of half done pairs.
LikeLike
wow–you have done some work on that pile! I admire your tenacity and the fact that you have 10 socks cast on! Whoa. Go get em!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you for that! I just hope I’ll stick to it! I want to because all the socks are beautiful and I really want them to be off the needles. With Sock Madness now in full swing I will probably be delayed but I’m hoping to attack those head on once Sock Madness is over or I have been disqualified; whichever comes first.
LikeLike
If only we could knit more time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh Yes wouldn’t that be the best!
LikeLike
How are your twisted madness socks going? I’ve JUST managed to finish them and am looking forward to the next round!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry for the late reply. I did finish! and so now I’m super excited to hear in which team I’ll end up in. Maybe we’ll be in the same team. I’m happy to hear that you made the deadline too:) I look forward to cheering you on!
LikeLiked by 1 person