Ep 149 - Embracing Long Term WIPs for Mojo Return

I've dug up some long term WIPs this week and it has heartily revived my knitting mojo! I've been stuck at home for 13 weeks on my own with two children. I never thought I would have to do this amount of time on my own with kids ever. Not without some kind of park I can go throw them on or grandparents, I can go throw them at. Or, you know, even just being able to go to the pub and have a drink, frankly. So I'm feeling quite proud of myself in some ways. That's pretty good. Right? You know, everyone's still alive. Everyone's reasonably happy. Things are getting done. People are functioning more or less. Some days more, some days less. That's how it is. And I'm sure it's very similar story for you, or it is from those of you that I've been speaking to.

Last orders at the bar for the content marketing 101 content calendar creation online workshop that I'm doing with Farnham Maltings. It's taking place next week, 23rd June 2020.

On with the knitting then, and the kind of title of today's quick chat. I have actually knitted this week. I'm very pleased. Now, I recorded last week's episode and that was on StashFit and it was a semi review, semi rumbling, introspective about the philosophy of stash and why it's difficult to get rid of some times. I think at times, the stash has a lot of emotional weight that it probably isn't entitled to. Depending on, you know, maybe where you've been, when you've bought some then or who you are with, there's a lot of memories involved. I also found a ton of WIPs lying around. I love a good WIP. I love a good project bag. I've got loads of them. And the problem with project bags is, if you've got more than one, it don't matter if you've got a WIP in it, because you can get the other one and just put a new WIP in that. And before you know, it, there's all these legacy WIPs lying around in baskets, The thing with a WIP is if it's a WIP that's been there for a while, it's not like a new cast on. It can feel like one, because it's a bit new and exciting, but it isn't necessarily a new cast on, so you don't feel guilty about knitting on that instead of the thing you're supposed to be finishing. So I had a rummage around in there, and I found a Snaw Heid hat, which is a pattern by Kate Davies for a 4 ply bobble hat, with little snowflakes on it, and then a really pretty crown. The last time I remember vigorously working on this (and I say vigorously, I have only knitted about two inches of it) was when I lived in Elgin in Scotland. If you've been listening for a while, because this podcast has been going for nearly eight years now, or even if you started listening a few weeks ago, like Helen, but you've gone through the Elgin chapter, you'll know that that was 2015. I just picked it up and started knitting on it. I thought I could totally get this finished. I feel really motivated now to finish this because I'd forgotten all about it. So that's what I did. And it was really enjoyable. Actually, I was quite excited about the whole thing. I think there's something that feels deeply satisfying about it being such an old WIP as well. Now it isn't the oldest whip in that basket by a country mile. There's definitely stuff in there from at least 2013 and earlier. I'm knitting this project in Nurturing Fibres is the Basotho Blanket, self stripe colour way, with the pony grey contrast colour, and the pony grey contrast color is acting as the main colour in this hat. I'll be back again next week, episode 150. In the meantime, please have a lovely, lovely week happy crafting and I will speak to you again soon. Cheers. Full shownotes and links at www.shinybees.com/149 Music for this episode is with kind permission of Adam and the Walter Boys, with 'I Need a Drink' available on iTunes.