Journal

Following on from last week's article, I received a lovely email from a customer who wanted to know how to manage multiple WIPs.  She said she would love to have a few projects on the go, but finds herself getting lost or losing interest in projects when working in multiples.  So, this week I thought it might be useful to share how I manage multiple WIPs, and my secret to keeping everything manageable and under control.

Right off the bat, I'll tell you my secret... it's organisation.  You really need to be organised or, at least, have some sort of system when working on a lot of WIPs.  This prevents you from losing track of where you are in a pattern, forgetting what projects you've cast on, and keeps you focused and motivated.  So here are my tips; I hope you find them useful!

• Make Sure You Have Enough Yarn - Pretty self explanatory, but very important.  Nothing stalls a WIP faster than running out of yarn.  So, when you order/buy yarn or if you are stash diving, make sure you have enough yardage to finish your project.
• Create a Dedicated Project Bag For Each WIP - I find this very helpful and much better than putting everything in a basket all together.  In my project bag, I put a copy of the pattern (I like to print it - but I'll talk about this later), the needles/cables I'll need for the project, and any other bits and bobs required (i.e. stitch markers, extra cables, waste yarn etc.).  Then, when I want to work on my project, I know I can grab my bag and everything I need will be contained within it.  I don't have to search for patterns or needles; everything is nicely organised and ready to go.
• Write Notes On Your Patterns - I usually print patterns and store them in my bags along with my projects.  As I go, I write notes on the pattern to indicate any modifications I might have done, the size I am knitting, the needle sizes I am using and where I am in the pattern (I tick off each section as I go or, if I'm working on a chart, I make a note on what row I'm up to before I put my project away).  I think this is one of the most helpful things to do when working in multiples.  Coming back to a project and trying to work out where you are in the pattern/what size you are knitting etc. can deter a lot of people from working on the project or even finishing it.  So, make sure you keep notes!  Of course you can do this on your phone, on digital patterns, in a note book or on a scrap piece of paper that you put in your project bag.  Just make sure you take notes in some form and keep them up to date - it's so incredibly helpful.
• Use a Project Tracker To Account For/Keep Track Of Your WIPs - For this, I use Ravelry, but you can also use another system that suits you better.  As soon as I cast on, I create a project page and enter all the major details (i.e. yarn/yardage, size, needle size etc.).  I can then revisit my project page and easily see the number of WIPs that I currently have on the go.  This helps me to keep track of things: I can see if my WIPs are piling up and, if so, it gets me motivated to finish a few (so I can cast on more!).
• Having A Good Variety Of Complexity - I spoke about this last week, but make sure your WIPs vary in complexity. Having a variety of easy, moderate and difficult projects means you'll have a good selection of projects to work on, depending on mood/energy levels and time constraints.  Feeling tired? Knit socks. Feeling like a challenge? Work on the cabled sweater.  So, when you're planning your next project, think about what you're already working on and decide if it will fit in well with what you've already got.  This also might help motivate you to finish a WIP in order to make room for the next cast on!
• Try To Work A Bit On Each Project As Often As You Can But Don't Make Knitting Feel Like A Chore - Keep all your projects together in a place you like to knit and, depending on mood, grab a project that will feel good to work on.  If one project has got you excited and you want to keep working on it, do it!  You might power through and finish it. Whatever you do, don't make knitting a chore.  It's OK to let projects marinate for a little while.  But, if you can, try to work on each project at least once a week.
• If  You're Not Feeling It, Frog It - Knitting is meant to be an enjoyable and relaxing hobby; it shouldn't be a weight around our necks.  If there's a project that just doesn't feel fun to knit, or you've lost all interest in it, then frog it and free your needles and yarn for something that you'll love.  Don't hesitate, just move on: knit happens!

I would love to hear how you manage your WIPs.  Do you have a system in place or organise your WIPs in any particular way?  Or, do you just cast on and knit!  I would love to know; please comment below.

Also, is there anything you would like me to write about?  It's always helpful to get suggestions.  Feel free to message me!

Next week, I'll be sharing my tips on how to get all those languishing WIPs off the needles.

Happy Knitting,

Kristen xx

When I first started knitting, I could only manage one project at a time. This makes sense because the learning curve is steep, and working on too many projects would have been overwhelming. But, as my experience grew, so did my pile of WIPs! I've come to realise that having multiple WIPs is actually quite beneficial, and I thought that this week I would share my musings with you.

• Projects For All Occasions
  Having multiple WIPs gives us the freedom to choose a project that matches our current mood/energy level or time constraints. I know that at the end of the day, I'm more likely to reach for something simple (a sock project or working on sleeves), while knitting during a lunch break is great for more complicated things like colourwork, lace and cables. If you are a multi-WIP knitter, you probably have a project or two that you can grab as you walk out the door. Something portable and easy you can work on during appointments, school pick ups, meetings etc.... a project you can easily pick up and put down. No matter where we are or what we're doing, having multiple WIPs ensure we always have a suitable project to work on.

• Sampling An Array Of Complexity 
  This ties in well with the above idea. Let's say I was only allowed to work on one project at a time. I would probably choose something simple, mainly because, no matter the circumstance, I could work on it. Would this become boring? For me, yes it would. Having multiple WIPs means I have a nice variety of complexity. Some simple, some intermediate and some hard. So, no matter what mood/situation I find myself in, I always have a project I can work on. Sprinkling in some challenging projects also helps us to learn more/maintain our knitting skills too!

• Process vs Product
  Some knitters enjoy the process of knitting itself, finding satisfaction in the creation of the fabric rather than solely focusing on the finished object. Personally I am a product knitter, but I can see why a process knitter would find a lot of joy in having a variety of WIPs focusing on, let's say, different stitch patterns or interesting constructions.

•  Increased Sense of Accomplishment
  I don't know about you but I find when I'm working in multiples, I tend to finish a stack of things at the same time. It seems once I get one project off the needles, I'm spurred on to finish the next and then the next: it's like a domino effect. I find that sense of accomplishment is a big motivator for me to get those languishing WIPs done.

• Maintaining our Interest and Feeding Creativity 
  I know that there are times that I suddenly crave certain projects.  I'll see a Colourwork sweater and instantly want to cast it on. Or a pattern has been released and I really want to knit it now! Or maybe even a certain colour or yarn catches my eye and I urgently want to work with it! Allowing ourselves to give in to these urges keeps our knitting mojo high, keeps us interested in our hobby, and is great for feeding/fuelling our creativity.

There are many more benefits to having multiple WIPs. I could have actually kept on writing but I want to keep this short(ish). On the flip side, though, there are a few downsides, too. I think the biggest one is when the WIP pile morphs into a hibernation pile and things just languish. So, I thought it would be fun to make August the month of finishing, which ultimately frees up needles and project bags for more things! I'm going to run a ....KAL/CAL over on Ravelry, Instagram and Discord so we can all work on finishing things and, at the same time, encourage each other with new patterns to cast on. I hope you can join me! Details below.

Ultimately, the number of WIPs a knitter has is a personal preference. I would love to know if you embrace the idea of lots of WIPs, or do you prefer just having one or two? Feel free to let me know by commenting below!

WIP It KAL/CAL

Let's crack those WIPs and get them under control this August! 

• We are hosting our WIP IT KAL/CAL via Ravelry, Discord and Instagram (#wipitkalcal).
•  All you have to do is grab a WIP (or two or three) and work on finishing it. 
• All WIPs are welcome; they don't need to be knit in our yarn. 
• The KAL/CAL runs from 1-31st August.