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How to Become a Prolific Knitter

We who knit know all about those certain people.  The knitters who seem to create a new sweater every week while we poor mortals finish a wash cloth in the same time frame.  When I was recently at the farm Mom took me to her knitting group and introduced me to the woman there who has some newly completed large item each week.  Mom wondered how this woman did it then complained about how she completed only a baby cap or two a week.

So those of us who aren't so prolific may begin to feel inadequate.  If only we used Continental instead of the English technique to knit, or took our knit everywhere we go to sneak in a few rows or quit the day job and knit full time, maybe then more projects would be completed.  (As for the latter, knitting too much can cause pain, so be careful what you wish for.)

Interweave, a magazine for those who knit, crochet, bead and more, recently put out an article called, 10 Ways to Become a More Prolific Knitter by Sarah Rothberg.   There were a couple of suggestion in the list that struck home for me.

Image from Interweave
The first one about having more than one project on the needles at a time.  Rothberg states variety of project types, some with a short-term commitment, some with long-term, some with easy techniques and others more challenging, can help a knitter always continue knitting.  It is true any lace knitting I do is at home, while a less mind-taxing project is taken to Knit Night.  Many projects have long stretches of garter or stockinette that I find boring so if I can break that work with something more challenging I am likely to knit more because I can go back and forth between or among the projects.

Right now I have five projects on needles, but two of them are coming out.  This leaves me with three items to move among, and this works for me.  I know, I know, those of you who stick to one project (monogamous knitters) are shaking your heads, but as I just said this variety works for the type of knitter I am.

The second suggestion is one I have not done up to this point.  It is to use Ravelry to assign yarn to a specific project (this works of you have your stash online in Ravelry, I don't) or to use a three-ring binder to put patterns and yarn swatches together.  Too often I have purchased yarn with a particular pattern in mind and then a year later when I want to use that yarn I have forgotten the pattern name or location.  This suggestion would help minimize the amount of time spent searching and increase the time knitting.

So review those 10 suggestions and see if you can find the ones that will improve your knitting output.  In the meantime, access your own project production carefully, don't compare.  Just keep knitting.

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