Earlier this year, when I lacked the brain space to blog, I was able to keep up with my blog reading. This provided a certain vicarious pleasure, but I found my comments falling into a rut.
“I’ve always wanted to make that!”
“I bought the yarn for this project years ago!”
I’ve always wanted to knit an Owls sweater, get better at spinning, sew my own clothes, and on and on and on. After a while, I started wondering what was keeping me from making all these projects. There are no holidays in sight, so certainly not gift knitting. In the case of sewing, it might be fear of the unknown (or fear of ruining lots of fabric). But that certainly doesn’t hold for knitting. I took a gander at my Ravelry queue, and I’m pretty sure everything there is within my capabilities as a knitter. I think the projects there just became like wallpaper–always there, until it was hard to imagine them as anything else.
But what if I was to just start these projects? Not just one, but all of them. What if that was my year, making all the things I’ve always wanted?
My inner librarian had a bit of a moment when confronted with the though of such unbridled, unbounded hedonism, so I quickly came up with some guidelines.
1. The knitting projects should use stash yarn wherever possible
2. There is no limit on how many projects I start but I have to finish one project per quarter
So far, this plan is going pretty well. I am so excited about ALL the projects that I would love to give each its own post, but for the time being, here are the highlights: My first-quarter FO was the the Peaks Island Hood that I have wanted since Whimsical Little Knits 2 first came out–in 2009!–and it turned out lovely and warm. I have an O w l s sweater on the needles now, another 2009 pattern. My spinning wheel came out of its hibernation behind my knitting chair and I spun up some yarn that might be a passable DK. We’ll see when it dries. Last and certainly not least, a trip to the mall gave me the kick in the pants I needed to buy the Flora dress pattern from By Hand London and give that a whirl. I am eternally grateful to my mother for teaching me how to sew, but certain important pieces of knowledge are only coming back after the scissors have done something irreversible. This is why you always make a muslin.
What about you, dear readers? How do you motivate yourselves to try new things?
Anti-Quotidian 
7 responses to “The Bucket List”
Love the remark about your “inner librarian” – mine came up with a gigantic digitisation project last week so I’ve had to set it the task of devising a method of doing that and knitting at the same time. Hasn’t worked so far…
Thanks Glenis! I hope your digitization project goes well. Interference with knitting may be a contributor to my slow progress on other crafts too!
I have a similar problem, that of having many projects that I would like to complete in many genres, but then not making time to do them. This year I decided to convince myself that it is not selfish to make things for myself. Nor is it a bad idea to polish my skills in any genre I want. Tatting? Sure! Oil painting? Why not! Quilting? Okay! Thankfully I have my solid skills (knitting and crocheting) to fall back on should other endeavors prove frustrating. I enjoy your writings, btw. I rather recently found this blog and will look forward to further posts. nice relaxing reading.
Thanks Carlaannie! Getting over the “selfish” factor can be a surprisingly large block!
Hmm…I wonder if this will post. I wanted to thank you for the interesting read first of all as I have only recently discovered your blog. I find myself in a similar place as you in that I also have a long list of many projects I would like to start/finish in many crafty genres. This year I have decided to convince my inner self that it is not selfish to make things for myself or to try new things. We will see if I succeed. Thanks for the interesting thoughts you share.
Great idea! My hubby and I declared this to be The Year Of Doing Things, so once a month (roughly) we are doing something – Shakespeare in the Gardens, the French Film Festival opening night, new and different camping adventures…
I would love to cast on All The Things, but fear I’d run out of needles, so I’m trying to go with the tried-and-true: finish something, start something!
Hooray! I look forward to seeing your projects 🙂