Process of product?

I usually think of myself as a process knitter. I enjoy knitting for the sake of knitting, and I'm generally happy as the proverbial clam as long as I'm knitting something. But lately I've come to realize that at some point in the lifespan of any given project, the whole "I am one with the knitting" thing sort of takes a backseat, and no matter what I'm working on, I feel the pressure to just... finish it already.


I'm no longer just knitting for pleasure, knitting to reconnect with a long line of crafters... Nope, at that point I'm mostly just knitting (and furiously at that) to get the effin' thing DONE and off the needles already.


Like now. I'm on the ribbing of the second Fratello sock and, much as I adore this pattern, I cannot WAIT for them to be finished! I am, like, SO done with these socks!


So this has got me thinking: what makes for the perfect knitting project? The one that you're enthralled with from start to finish, that you're almost sad to cast off. I don't think it's limited to just one thing, of course, but here's what I've come up with so far.

1. If the yarn is fabulous: anyone who thinks yarn quality has nothing to do with project enjoyment is welcome to all the acrylic in the world. I'll stick with my 22 micron merino.
2. If the project is a "quickie": Like hats or... hats. Hats are awesome, you can use a variety of stitch patterns, colourwork, what have you... And before you know it, you're done. Brilliant.
3. The recipient: This is a tricky one. But sometimes thinking about the person you're making the item for, and how they'll react to the item, makes the project worthwhile. Like Émilie's Good Stripe Dress.

Whatever makes the perfect project, there's one variable that's all important, and that's TIME. You have to have time to knit, enough time so that you don't feel as though you're knitting in a vacuum. Like you're in the knitterly equivalent of the nightmare where you're walking down a long corridor with no doors, or you're trying to run but you're stuck where you stand...

Time to get to it, I think.

Happy Knitting Everyone!