When It Just Isn't Fun

I've been rather dissatisfied with my knitting lately.

My Tree Of Life socks (as you know) have annoyed me, none of the other projects currently on the needles have been appealing, and I haven't wanted to start anything new. The end of summer lethargy and back to school stress haven't helped as both have left me with little desire to actually sit down and knit.

The last time I felt this way, I wound up crying on my BKB's shoulder about the fact that I felt my knitting life was coming to an end. As it would turn out, my heart and soul at the time was rebelling against my crazy knitting lists and plans. (I seriously had enough projects listed to keep me busy for probably five years.) I tore up the lists, separated any yarns and patterns that had been paired already, and got back to the business of knitting whatever seemed interesting in the moment. Within less than a week my knitting mojo was back.

I'm not entirely sure if I have figured out what's going on this time....or if I simply need a break from my needles for a while. Perhaps having so few WIPs at a time isn't as good for me as I had thought it would be? Who knows.

At any rate, I did figure out one wee problem this morning. I had a fairly decent block of time to sit and knit before some planned activities, and I wanted to work on something other than socks. As there were only two other projects in my knitting bag, I chose the lace shawl pictured above...mostly because I adore working silk.

So I pulled out pattern and project, set myself up in my bedroom,

and then just stared at it for a few minutes.

I hated the portion of the pattern I was working on. It had taken me weeks to get through a mere five rows because it was so dull....five rows of a 20 row chart which needed to be repeated three times in the size I had selected. I didn't want to do it. I was trying because I had loved that pattern for so long, but I really, really didn't want to knit that pattern. I've been here before....and ultimately there was only one decision.

Off the needles it came!

I knew I had made the right decision when my only thought as the last stitches slid off the needles was, 'huh...this thing would have been pretty big.'

A little while later the entire thing was frogged, the copy of the pattern was in the recycling bin and the needles and yarn were tucked back into their homes in my craft corner. I didn't exactly feel happy...but I was satisfied with my decision.

I know my non-knitting friends have trouble understanding why it is so easy for me to take apart a project that may have hours and hours invested in it. If it's not right, though, it's just not right. There's no sense in continuing to bang my head on a brick wall..and I think that's what this project was starting to feel like.

Besides, as my wonderful friends at the guild always say, knitting is supposed to be fun.