WIPs – why we start (and subsequently stall)

A seasoned knitter will know this scene very well. A basket brimming full with beautiful beginnings. A neckline here, half a sock there, that mohair number you swore you’d finish last spring. But somehow, the call of a new cast-on always wins you over. You are not alone. In fact, I’d wager most knitters have a WIP or six eyeing them from the corner of the room like mildly disappointed (and neglected) pets.

I’m not a monogamous knitter. I like a little variety: a stockinette-for-TV project, something challenging enough to keep my brain firing, a bit of selfish knitting, and something for someone else (when I’m feeling generous or guilty. Sometimes both.) But I find when I’m juggling more than four or five projects, I stop making meaningful progress on any of them and suddenly my lovely relaxing hobby that is knitting turns into a pit-of-the-stomach dread-fest. My sweet spot is to have two or three projects on my needles. Enough to feel like I have options, but not so many I descend into knitting paralysis.

I’ve been thinking about how we get from “Oh no, not another cast-on” to “Look! I finished a thing!” and actually finish your knitting projects. Maybe together we can whittle down that pile of discarded WIPs into an orderly stack of beautiful finished objects.

So let’s talk strategies.

1. Marie Kondo that yarn pile

Marie Kondo’s method of ‘Sparking Joy’ will probably not be new to any reader here, and it’s an ethos I’ve been getting behind for years. I’m a wannabe minimalist with a hearty dash of sentimentalism thrown in, so I yo-yo between hoarding and purging in equal measure.

When it comes to my knitting, my tastes change, frequently. And with how many new designs come out in the knitting world every day (nearly 200 apparently), it’s easy to be swayed to another beautiful cast on (I see you Amy Top by Mochi Knits). So I’ve found it easier to apply the Marie Kondo approach to my WIPs. Be ruthless. Park a project for a week, revisit. If you’re still bored, frog it. Life’s too short for resentful knitting. Repurpose the yarn for something fresh. Past-you will understand.

2. Track it, stack It, hack It

If you read my previous post on how I track my knitting projects, you’ll know how much of a motivator it is to actually complete my WIPs. And the best bit is, you don’t need to spend a single penny. Set up a spreadsheet like I did, find Free Notion templates or a paid template on Etsy – whatever works for you. But it helps bring a bit more clarity to exactly what’s on your needles and more importantly, what’s stagnating. I’ve found that once you start logging your projects, patterns emerge (pardon the pun).

Here are a few of my favourite paid for project trackers:

Etsy

Cotton Tail Friends digital knitting planner
Why: It has a SMART goals section to help you really nail down your project planning.

Dots Digitals digital knitting planner
Why: A beautifully clean design with tracking available for up to 40 projects (although I must say, if you’re struggling with 40 WIPs, perhaps you need more help than this blog can provide…)

Notion

A Life In Order Knit & crochet project notebook
Why: The overview gives you a great insight into the variety of knits you’ve had on your needles for the year, and the event tracker is a nice added touch.

3. Prioritise by season

Knitters have a sixth sense for seasonal deadlines – mine’s usually about two weeks too late (currently on track to gift my Dad’s June birthday present in September – thankfully he understands). But if you’re determined to finish a few things instead of panic-knitting on Christmas Eve (again), it helps to look at your WIPs through a seasonal lens.

Ask yourself: “Will I actually wear/use this in the next month or two?” If the answer is no, consider bumping it down the list. That bulky-weight scarf? She can wait till September. But that cotton vest top whispering “Italy in August”? Fast-track her, stat.

Seasonal priorities can also be practical:

• Winter is crunch time for lots of knitters. I aim to have a deadline of end of October/early November at the latest for finishing mittens, hats and jumpers before the December gift-knitting chaos hits.
• Spring/summer is light and breezy, so I like to have my linen tanks and cotton cardigans cast off by April/May ready for wearing. (Although I do like to have something light on my needles in summer too, so I’m not drowning in wool and mohair mid-July!)
• Autumn is a tricky season here in the UK. It can sometimes surprise us with a spike in temperature in October. So while it should be sweater weather, I make sure I have my transitional pieces cast off by end of August ready to wear. Autumn itself is a great time to work on my oversized turtleneck comfort blankets before winter truly sets in.

And let’s not forget life seasons, too. Are you heading on holiday? Knitting a present for a baby that’s arriving next week? Use these real-life timelines as motivational bumpers. (There’s nothing like a deadline to make me monogamous for a week.)

If you’re really stuck, sort your projects into the following categories:

🔥 Finish first

Projects that are joyful, urgent or nearly done.

🍁 Seasonal stars

Perfect for the weather or upcoming events.

🐢 Slow and steady

No deadline, but worth continuing when time allows.

💤 Shelf it

Low joy or not currently relevant. Pause with zero guilt.

🙏🏻 Frog and reclaim

Let it go. Rewind the yarn, thank the project, move on.

Then commit to tackling the urgent ones before casting on anything shiny and new. Even if your yarn is already wound. (I know. Brutal.)

4. Gamify your knitting

I’m a lifelong girl-gamer, so any excuse to turn my WIPs into a game. Reward yourself for every completed project – cake, more yarn, that set of interchangeables you’ve been eyeing up for months. There are loads of ways to track and gamify your knits in one place – here are just a few ways I recommend and have tried myself.

Habitica

A to-do list meets role-playing game. I love that Habitica lets you set tasks (like “knit 10 rows” or “weave in ends”), and earn points, gear and pets for your avatar when you complete them. Fail to do your knitting and your character loses health. Bit dramatic? Yes. But I’ve found it to be really effective at motivating me to actually get on and complete my knits.

Notion templated trackers

Like I mentioned above, a tracker can be a great tool for motivation, but you can also build in some gamification to really boost your progress. I love Notion, and use it for everything. Search ‘knitting progress trackers’ and you can build progress bars, tag projects by type, urgency or mood and reward yourself when you hit milestones. Think: 50% jumper done = one new skein. You’ve earned it.

Forest or Focus Plant

Pomodoro-style timers are great for knitting, as they don’t allow you to procrastinate from the knitting task itself. I love Forest or Focus Plant. I like to set a 25-minute timer so it doesn’t feel like too long, knit like the wind and grow a little forest. These apps have the added bonus of stopping you scrolling mid-row.

Community challenges

There’s nothing quite like the knitting community spirit to give you the push you need on sleeve island. Join a KAL or a “12 in 12” project challenge. There’s something oddly motivating about seeing your progress logged alongside lots of other knitters. Like a big, cosy leaderboard.

Search on Instagram and TikTok for knit-alongs that fit projects already on your needles, there are literally thousands. I also love Tina Tse’s A Fresh Start Making Challenge and while I haven’t been able to participate this year (#mumlife), I’m hoping Tina does another one so I can reap the benefits of this amazing challenge in the future!

Old-school option of BINGO Cards

Type ‘knitting bingo’ into Pinterest and it will serve you up hundreds of predesigned bingo cards to help speed up finishing your WIPs. Or you can get creative and design your own “WIP Bingo” board (although is this just another example of procrastinating on the task at hand)? Think “finish a pair of socks”, “knit from stash”, “seam something” and get that lovely dopamine boost when you tick them off as you go. First full line earns you a reward (tea, cake, yarn…dealer’s choice).

5. Create your personal project formula

One mindless, one technical, one for pure joy. If, like me, you appreciate variety but get overwhelmed by choice, limit your active projects to a trio that serve different moods. I normally have a stockinette project on the go, then something with colour/cables/lace work, then a gift knit too. That way, whatever my day throws at me, there’s a project that fits.

Fewer projects makes for more progress (and sanity)

So there we have it, my suggestions for rumbling through those WIPs that have been side-eying you from the basket in the corner. I’d love to know how you motivate yourself to tick WIPs off your to-do list, how many WIPs is too many. Let me know if any of these tips stuck a chord?

Beth x