Am I normal? (unfinished projects)

[HiSissa]

I have like 8-9 unfinished projects in my closet and I'm feeling bad and stressed about them. I do have a good excuse in that I started a couple of projects and then had severe pregnancy related tendonitis, so I could barely use my hands to feed myself, much less crochet. A year later when I was fully healed, I couldn't remember where I was with the old projects (nor what hook I'd been using) and was kind of "over" a few of them. So I got excited about a few other projects and ignored the old ones. Then got pregnant again and the same thing happened with the tendonitis. I've finally been well for the past 4-5 months and am working on a few things for my babies at their current size. But I'm feeling bad about the unfinished projects in my closet.

 

Do I force myself to at least try to finish them (though not sure what hooks or whatever I had used -- lesson learned, keep notes) or do I toss them and start over (and eliminate the stress that their unfinished presence causes me)?

 

There's even a child's patchwork jacket from a class I took that is unfinished, but soooooo cute - but I have no clue what to do next it's been so long *sigh*.

 

Am I the only one who has this many unfinished projects?

[nucki]

Am I the only one who has this many unfinished projects?

In a word.... NO!!!!

 

I have squares in a bag from a "baby blanket" I was going to make for my dd Caitlin, when she was 1 or 2. She just turned 10 a few weeks ago.

 

And I know from other threads about this very topic that there are a lot of other people out there with the same problem. I like to call it "crochet ADD." You get all excited about a project, and then for one reason or another, it gets put on the back burner, only to stay there. Then one day you come across it and you wonder "what the heck was this thing supposed to BE?"

 

Yes, you're completely normal. Is there a cure for it? I don't know.

 

Heck, I'm not even sure I'd WANT a cure. I'm having too much fun!!

[Mandys76]

You're completely normal! I had HEAPs of UFO's at one point, and like you, couldn't remember where I was, couldn't find the patterns etc....sooooo in a hysterical fit of stress I threw them out.

 

People on the 'ville were horrified, but that was my way of dealing with it.

[mikki]

You could always frog some of them. If you have no clue what hook you were using or what it was sapposed to be.I have quite a few things laying around that i lost interest in or just didnt like how it looked. I frogged quite a few things about a month ago and used the yarn for other things. If you have squares lying around I'm sure theres a charity or a confortghan in need out there. Or just throw them together for someone you love .

[Mom w/a Motif]

You should see how many UFO's I have! I don't even care. I just work on them when I feel like it. Otherwise I end up hating them; and then I really don't want to finish them- at all.

 

Oh, if only I had my own craft room.... (Then it wouldn't be such a mess...) I do try to keep them all in bags and semi-organized and not laying all over, but still...

 

Tina

[DreamsOfYarn]

You are completely normal (at least in a crocheter's world)

 

I was looking for something in my closet a while back and saw a bag in the top corner of the shelf. I dragged it down (it was a huge plastic bag) and found all kinds of granny squares I made years and years (at least 25) ago. I vaguely remember wanting to make a granny square afghan, but didn't want to piece them together. I also found 2 ghans not finished. They are at the minimum 15 years old, because that was the last time I crocheted until last October. I donated the granny squares to a local lady that collects squares, assembles granny square ghans and gives them to charity. I still have the 2 ghans, not sure what I will do with the yarn. Plus there were other things that I have no clue what they were meant to be

 

So I am sitting on lots of vintage yarn. I think I'll probably make my mother something with it, since I know she will appreciate the vintage yarn more than anyone else I know.

 

And that is not counting all the projects I have that I am working on right now

[KnicKnac]

You are so way normal. Don't beat yourself up. It's a fact of life! At least that is how I deal with it! LOL

[CraftyShannon]

Do what I do. When I get concerned about the number of UFOs I have, I pick one or two and frog them. It actually feels liberating to not see this half-done stuff sitting around. I had gotten my unfinished stuff completely frogged in January. Now, there are at least 3 things that are driving me crazy. I think another frogging session will be coming unless I get my behind in gear soon.

 

You know, we should almost have a crochet UN-along like the stashbusting one to make us frog all these projects we know we will never finish but for some odd reason can't bear to do anything with.

[happy_hooking]

I guess that would make me the abnormal one! I only like to work on one project at a time. I tried to work on 2 projects at once and I ended up finishing one then the other before I started a new project.

[LaurieE]

Sounds normal to me. I had started a Sesame Street quilt for my oldest daughter in 1982 or 83. I got it completely quilted except for the border. Even though it wasn't finished, she did sleep under it and it even got washed a few times. Well, I finally finished it about 2 years ago (she was 25 at the time). I even started a granny afghan in her high school colors. I haven't finished that one yet either. One day I'll finish it if I can ever remember which size hook I used and hopefully I have enough yarn to finish it. There are some projects I've started that I doubt very seriously I'll ever finish because I lost interest in them. And that's ok. Don't get stressed about it. No where is it written that you MUST finish every project you start.

[Tiga]

To me, it doesn't count as a UFO if you put at least 1 row of stitches into a week, lol!

 

I can't even count how many projects I've got going (or planned and have the yarn for but haven't started yet).

 

But as I've said before, don't let the yarn own you. This is a hobby. If you don't want to finish the projects, don't. I would say don't throw the yarn away, though. Either frog it to use for yourself, or see if anyone here could use it. I know there are several college students and others on very tight budgets that would welcome froggy yarn for the cost of postage.

 

Of your stuff, the only one I'd keep and try to figure out is the jacket, b/c it sounds super cute.

 

Turn all the rest of the stuff back into stash.

 

It'll be a REstashing!

[Krystal16]

Only thing abnormal about it to me is the number..... seems a bit LOW!!!

 

Get yourself on a good mood day.... when that testosterone is high... lay the WIPs out in front of you and decide which ones will get made, which ones will get a new home as a WIP, and which will get the blessing of becoming something that you'll love... (DO I SOUND LIKE FLYLADY!>?!?!?!?)

 

[tlisley]

Do what I do. When I get concerned about the number of UFOs I have, I pick one or two and frog them. It actually feels liberating to not see this half-done stuff sitting around. I had gotten my unfinished stuff completely frogged in January. Now, there are at least 3 things that are driving me crazy. I think another frogging session will be coming unless I get my behind in gear soon.

 

You know, we should almost have a crochet UN-along like the stashbusting one to make us frog all these projects we know we will never finish but for some odd reason can't bear to do anything with.

 

OOOH! A "Frog-along!" I'm so up for that. I too have lots of unfinished pieces and as others have mentioned it is very liberating to frog them and free up all that beautiful yarn for something that I will finish! You know I just hated seeing all that percieved failure lying around. So now, as I'm stashbusting I'm also frogging and UNTANGLING lots of old half done projects. I sooo need to get better organized!

[caf58]

get rid of them if they are causing you stress. you might feel bad the first day that you get rid of them but i promise you'll feel better. we have enough stress we have to deal with why add more. there are more important issues is life. instead of throwing them out send them to the the goodwill store. someone will buy it and the money goes to charity and you will feel better.

[catsncrochet]

I'd just throw the unfinished stuff away. I guess if you have the patience, you could frog it. But if you want immediate stress relief, throw them away.

 

I don't know how, but I've managed to keep myself from falling into that trap. For the past month and a half or so, I've been working on a ripple afghan...and only that. I've been tempted to start on other projects while working on the ripple, but know that if I don't finish this one first, it'll take longer for me to complete it...or even worse, I might not go back to it.

 

I think working on one project and not starting another one until the first one is completed is good motivation to get the one you're working on done.

[grand05ma]

oh no, not me i finish everything that i start...if you believe that tale i have some swampland that is for sale...

have frogged many projects that i can't remember why i ever started in the first place..too cheap to just throw away perfectly good yarn...

even my quilting is unfinished..four that are already quilted but just need hanging sleeve and binding...my latest excuse is that i am babysitting granddaughter again...what will i do when my husband retires this year???

[Cerulea]

Oh good, so glad to hear this is normal

 

I've been crocheting for all of 3 weeks now and I have 3 projects going, the first of which I KNOW I will NEVER finish...becasue halfway thru I finally figured out how to manage yarn tension. Now it looks half good and half yucky...so I think I will frog it and save the yarn for another day.

 

When I was knitting I never, ever managed to finish anything. I'd start on scarves and get bored and finish them off when they were only 1-2 feet long. Right now I have a half-knitted shawl that I refuse to let die...maybe someday...

 

When I finish my first crochet project I will be very, very pleased!

[Laura A.]

I was going through the same kind of stress about my UFO's and then I decided that the stress over such a wonderful craft just shouldn't be, so.....I picked out one thing in particular that I never liked knitting (yes, it wasn't even a crochet project) and got out my yarn winder and went to town. It took quite awhile because it was a cotton (never again) cardigan and I had the back, one front, and 1 sleeve completed, but I HATED working on it so why make life more stressful than it already is?

You're no different than most of us here on the Ville and if it's not a pleasure to work on, give it up and frog, either re-using the yarn or donating it to someone on the Ville who might love to have it, but whatever you do, stop being so hard on yourself. This from someone who tends to be the same way and is working on it each day.

[laureni526]

Don't laugh, but I will even take apart finished objects and recycle the yarn into another project that might be used. Sometimes, not too often, I have a finished object that just didn't do it for me. Somehome I slogged through to the end, but just had not interest. Once I take everything apart and re-roll or wind it the yarn becomes exciting again. I also take apart unfinished projects as well. It doesn't take that long, and it sure does get that monkey off of your back. You might feel a whole lot better, and have a bigger stash to boot.

 

Good Luck.

[Marci]

It has completely de-stressed my day just to read all of your replies.

I was trying to find room to store the squares for my latest afghan project when I found a half-knitted scarf with the needles still in it. I have no memory of ever working on this scarf. I put it in with all the other UFO's, needles still attached.

 

A frog-along-- yes!

[Nicky]

I am so glad I'm not alone on this. I have a few simple things I got frustrated with that are sitting around collecting dust. Whenever I want to get more yarn for a project I want to learn to do someday. hubby just gives me this look as though he knows it's going to be another half completed project.

[threadaddict]

Yeppers,, I do that a lot too. One thing that I've started doing with things that I have no idea where I left off is to try to decide what I could make it into such as a bag of some sort or such as that. I have made MANY pillows out of unfinished afghans and other things! At least that way I get those UFO's out of my mind and my way and can move on to the fixation of the time!

[happy_hooking]

The items I started but could not or did not complete for whatever reason (usually my lack of experience or patience) I frogged and used the yarn for some other item that I completed.

[Tigger's mama]

Kill the UFO's! (un-finished objects) Either finish it of Frog it! (Rip-it, rip-it)

[craftybutterfly]

Glad to know I'm not alone. I can't remember the last time I finished something.