Stitch and Unwind

  • About
    • Find Us Online
  • Knitting
  • Crochet
    • Afghans
  • Full Patterns
  • Videos
  • Newsletters
  • Giveaways

Ten Tips for Dealing with the Knitting Doldrums

May 31, 2012 by AllFreeKnitting

This is a guest post by Stacy Lee of GoldenBirdKnits.com.

We all experience the knitting doldrums once in a while—those times when you temporarily lose your enthusiasm for needles and fiber. Here are ten tips for reigniting your creative mojo.

 

1. Spend an afternoon browsing the local yarn shops in your neck of the woods with no particular goal in mind. Look at store samples, glance through patterns, and touch everything.  Be open to inspiration, but don’t try too hard to find it. (Tip: To avoid impulse shopping, write down the items that catch your eye so you can think about buying them at a later time.)

2. Allow yourself to frog some of your UFO’s. Let them go without guilt. This will create physical and mental space for starting fresh new projects.

3. Collect the yarn from your stash that you secretly hate and donate it. Again, this creates space for new, more exciting yarn to arrive in your life (see number four).

4. Splurge on a skein of luxury yarn in a fiber you have never knit with before, like cashmere, sugar, milk, silk, or qiviut. Select a one-skein pattern before you buy the yarn so you have a plan in place to use it.

5. Invent a creative way to reorganize your stash. For example, display the prettiest skeins in baskets or bowls around the house. Or, sort yarn by color palette rather than fiber.

6. Make a date with the latest of issue of your favorite knitting magazine. Take it out to lunch or curl up on the couch with it. Don’t worry about picking out a project or trying to understand the patterns, just let yourself enjoy the articles and photos of hand knits.

7. Surf knitting websites and blogs. One way to do this is to go to Ravelry, click on the search magnifying glass, and then click “sources.” In the Pattern Source type box, click the “Website” check box. You’ll get a list of thousands of knitting sites.

8. Read a knitting-themed novel or collection of essays. The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood and Knitting Heaven and Earth by Susan Gordon Lydon are excellent books. You may find something interesting at a secondhand bookstore or the library.

9. Watch knitting videos on the Internet. Knit Picks has a great selection and there are an endless number on YouTube. You can learn a new technique or simply listen to tips, techniques, and design ideas from other knitters.

10. Take a break from all things knitting. Forget about it for a while. It will be there when you return.

 

For more patterns and tips from Stacy, don’t miss her designer profile on AllFreeKnitting!

 

 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Follow Us
AllFreeKnitting
Editor at AllFreeKnitting
AllFreeKnitting is dedicated to the best free knitting patterns, tutorials, tips and articles on knitting. From easy knitted afghan patterns to complex lace knitting patterns, we find and deliver the best free knitting patterns from all over the web. Plus, we feature free product reviews and giveaways of all the latest and greatest products including yarn, knitting books, totes, and more. AllFreeKnitting is a wonderful online resource for knitters of all skill levels.
Follow Us
Latest posts by AllFreeKnitting (see all)
  • Seriously Sweet Valentine’s Knitting Patterns - January 26, 2023
  • Blissful Blankets: 11 Knit Afghan Patterns - January 19, 2023
  • How to Knit a Baby Blanket for Any Nursery - January 11, 2023

Filed Under: Knitting Tutorials Tagged With: allfreeknitting.com, knitting, tips and techniques

Subscribe Email Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube RSS

Subscribe to the Stitch and Unwind Newsletter.

Categories

Knit & Crochet Magazines

I Like Crochet: Five Glam Projects that Dazzle

How to Crochet a Bavarian Rectangle from I Like Crochet

Free eBook Download

Homemade Mother's Day Gifts eBook

Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts: Free eBook!

The weather is starting to get consistently warmer, the birds are chirping more and more, and the flowers are starting to bloom - spring has sprung, … [Read More...]

Tutorials

Seriously Sweet Valentine’s Knitting Patterns

This Valentine's Day, I have decided that I want to give the special people in my life something truly special.  Something more than just … [Read More...]

Archives

Afghan Tutorials

Your Perfect Plaid: 8 Crochet Afghan Patterns

Crochet Tutorials

The Cutest Kitchen: 12 Kitchen Crochet Patterns

Knitting Tutorials

Blissful Blankets: 11 Knit Afghan Patterns

Holiday Projects

17 Easy Crochet Patterns for Last-Minute Valentine's Day Gifts

17 Easy Crochet Patterns for Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gifts

Yarn Stash Organization

Get Organized: Tips to Sort Your Stash

Free Full Patterns

Free Pattern Friday: Sugarplum Cables Afghan from Yarnspirations!

Prime Publishing Craft Group
Copyright © 2023 · Stitch & Unwind - A Prime Publishing LLC property. All rights reserved.

About Us Advertise Contact Us FAQs Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Subscribe Terms of Service Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2023 · Tidy Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in