Happy Sunday!
Yarn~ Dyed in The Wool Co. in the color Macaroon Pattern~Hermione's Everyday socks
Hello loves! Sunday is here and honestly I am not ready for it to be Sunday. Greedily I wish it were Saturday so that I could be better prepared for a relaxing knit-worthy Sunday. Due to a bad cold (which it would seem everyone in the U.S. has), I haven't been able to do all the things I wanted to do this weekend. You know how that is. :)
Yarn~ Knitting a Love Song in Vintage Pattern~ Impossible Girl
Despite having a case of the icks, I was well enough to knit. Which has me thinking should I really complain? Now here is the problem, working on a test knit with a fast approaching deadline has me not being able to work on things that I want to work on, which is everything but the test knit. Don't get me wrong, the test knit is a wonderful knit and the yarn incredible to work with. It is just that the stubborn knitter in me wants to knit everything except for what I should be.
Yarn~ LittleBeanCrochet in the color Molly Weasley
The point I am crawling towards is that I need inspiration in order to stay focused on the test knit. Keeping me company and away from all the pretty yarns has come from a number of different areas.
Podcasts (my watch lists are ever changing depending on my mood). Now this may sound off but considering that the test knit I am working on uses organic wool, my choice is podcasts follows along that inspiration. Is that odd?
Then are the television shows. These too are determined on what helps me to focus on my wooly intention.
- Vikings (odd choice I know but within the blood and fighting there are glimpses of weaving and beautiful wools).
- Lord of The Rings
Then we have beautiful Instagram feeds, because for me seeing beautiful wools and knits in action ignites inspiration.
Then we have the music...always the music. :)
I adore, Indie Feed Music.
So the question of today, how do you keep yourself focused on a monogamous knit? I know there are many of you out there that have no issues avoiding the temptations that haunt non-monogamous knitters like me, but how about those of you who tend to feel the itch of knitting all the things?
Enjoy a song and we will chat again next Sunday.
Have the best day today!
XO,
Andi
Oh my goodness! The perennial problem! The ONLY thing that keeps me from ricocheting around my projects is a hard deadline. Otherwise, I suffer from what my son calls Barracuda Syndrome, i.e. "Oh, look! Something shiny!".
I hope you feel better soon.
Posted by: DrLeonesse | 04/02/2017 at 11:02 AM
I am TERRIBLE at monogamous knitting. My tricks are similar to yours. Podcasts, but news-oriented ones, like On the Media and On Point. Streaming shows like Grace & Frankie and The Man in the High Castle. And audiobooks like American Heiress and Belgravia.
I am going to have a great time checking out your tricks. Who can resist a podcast called Skeindeer Knits? Not me!
Posted by: Caffeine Girl | 04/02/2017 at 03:15 PM
I can't offer much inspired advice on staying focused. Often what happens is I start a bigger project, get distracted and cast on two smaller projects and knit on all three for a time. Finally I get frustrated with any lack of progress so I go back to the bigger project, put my head down and knit. Sometimes I play a mind game by placing a stitch marker where I begin so I can see how much progress I make in an evening. Now and then I tell myself if I knit a few inches on a big sweater, then I can spend 15 or 20 min on a smaller project. Best of luck.
Posted by: jane | 04/02/2017 at 04:36 PM
I USED to be such a good monogamous knitter... Oh, once we stray... the grass is always greener. LOL! I CAN still force myself to focus if I have to, but I prefer to set small, manageable goals e.g. X amount of rows or repeats and commit to doing those... usually I will keep going further. But, if I just don't want to, I do the small goal and allow myself to switch. Somehow that freedom keeps me on track more times than not.
LOVE Vikings and am so sad I've watched every last episode. Yes, to seeing the weaving! One of my all time favorites.
Thank you so very, very much for your prayers for our friend. I deeply appreciate and treasure each prayer.
The dishcloth epidemic is spreading far and wide. ;) Hope you are feeling MUCH better by now.
Thank you again, Andi.
blessings ~ tanna
Posted by: tanna | 04/02/2017 at 05:22 PM
I used to be a STRICTLY monogomous knitter.
I think because our life is so unsettled, so is my knitting. I have 13 projects on the needles THIRTEEN!!!! So, I suppose I have NO advice for sticking to one project.
Your Hermione's are beautiful and, as always, you have the cutest mugs!
Thanks for the podcast list. I found a few to add to my watchlist.
Have a good week .... and get that MUST KNIT done so you can get onto the other knits!!! (Did THAT help???? LOL)
Posted by: Dee | 04/02/2017 at 06:58 PM
no wonder you are distracted.....those links had me ready to cast on half a dozen things!!!! Usually, I turn to a talking book and if it's a good one, I can get caught up in the story line, and the knit just flies off the needles.
Posted by: steph | 04/02/2017 at 07:22 PM
oh I go through some kind of netflix or hulu tv series. I remember knitting the body of a sweater while watching all the hp movies! That was fun.
I hope you feel better soon!
Posted by: karen | 04/03/2017 at 04:58 AM
I really do love Vikings. I've finished the second season and am looking forward to watching the third. Do you have a favorite character? We are fond of Floki, Lagertha, and Athelstan in this household. Speaking of Athelstan, the actor who plays him also plays Louis XIV in Versailles, which is also worth watching. There is only one season so far, but it was riveting. Connor knit a second fingerless mitt while watching with me, but it came out too small. I guess the excitement got him knitting tighter.
Posted by: Audry | 04/03/2017 at 11:43 AM
Thank you, Thank you for posting the Indie Music Feed link. I listened to it all of yesterday and I LOVE it!!
I have the same problem with finishing 'MUST FINISH' projects with both knitting and stitching. It seems like that's just the time when I find 15 new projects that must be worked on NOW!!! :)
Posted by: Shannon Meyer | 04/03/2017 at 01:02 PM
I have such a tough time focusing on a big knit through to completion, too! I think we all do- so many pretty yarns, so little knitting time! I look forward to seeing the test knit reveal in the future. I love leighsideknits instagram feed as well, it's one of my faves!Seabluewool is a new one to me, and I love finding new Instagram feeds to follow, thanks for the tip! And I share your indie music love, as you know. :D
Posted by: Julie | 04/03/2017 at 05:10 PM
Hulu seems to do the trick. Currently I'm binging on The Goldbergs and Gravity Falls. Both are pretty good. Also I try really hard to switch between projects, but I can imagine that isn't an option for a test-knit. Hmmmmmm
If you find yourself really frustrated just take a step back and do something else you love. A simple cup of tea. A good book. A good podcast.
Have a great week.
Posted by: Lisa | 04/04/2017 at 06:54 PM
Hi dear friend...I know It's been a long time and I am so sorry you are not feeling well. Its been a long winter and now spring with these colds and such.
I've been off the grid due to a Gallbladder surgery in December..I was so hoping to get back to blogging after but life is not allowing it.
It was o good to visit you this morning...I will message you on Ravelry.
Xoxo
Dona
Posted by: Donna@Allthingsming | 04/05/2017 at 05:15 AM
Those socks Andi! That first pair is just so beautiful in that colorway and pattern! Love it.
The secret to finishing a monogamous knit this round? Sheer will power. It took a LONG time. Baby is driving now and I am binding off the blanket today ;) just kidding.
Posted by: ellen | 04/05/2017 at 03:15 PM
Hi Andi.
I hope you won't mind me mentioning the podcast that my wife Andrea produces - with a little support from me. It's called the Fruity Knitting Podcast, and is up on YouTube. Andrea is a pretty talented knitter, and she has also done interviews with some great people - Oliver Henry from Jamieson and Smith, Deb Robson, and Ann and Eugene Bourgeois from the Philosopher's Wool Company. You can find notes at fruityknitting.com, including a list of all guests with links directly to the interviews. We've been going for about a year.
I hadn't seen your blog before, but it looks great. We are only just developing an awareness of the small yarn producer world and it's something that we are going to give more attention to in future. I'm looking forward to spending some more time on your blog. (And since you like your music, I'm currently enjoying London Grammar, and Beirut - look for Rip Tide album.)
Anyway - all the best.
Andrew
Posted by: Andrew | 04/06/2017 at 12:46 PM
I find monogamous knitting REALLY hard sometimes! Usually, I try to use it to my advantage ... if I can just finish this pattern (or this portion of the pattern) then I'm allowed to work on the other thing/cast on something new/order yarn for the next project. But really, my finishing times have been abysmal lately, so I'm not a good person to ask!
Posted by: Katherine | 04/06/2017 at 05:37 PM
Hi Andi, I too have a hard time only knitting something I must work on and tend to have a couple of projects on the go. I usually keep myself focused by doing the same thing as you, I watch TV shows or listen to podcasts to keep me motivated and the knitting gets done faster. I love your sock so far and the color purple is so pretty! The song was so calming and lovely thank you for sharing :)
Posted by: Lisa | 04/06/2017 at 07:25 PM
Lots of good things in this post Andi! Great links!
Posted by: Angela | 04/07/2017 at 07:06 PM