Reclaim Your Yarn and Your Peace
I’ve recently heard from some of you with some version of this struggle, so I know it resonates with so many more of of us than are speaking up!
“How do I get past the excitement of all these beautiful new yarns and patterns? It feels like moving backward to pick up an unfinished project that has already started frustrating me.”
It’s a real challenge! All those new possibilities seem so much more intriguing, don’t they? A new skein of yarn feels like gaining time and potential, while going back to an old frustrating project can feel like losing it. But here is the truth: those unfinished crochet or knitting projects aren’t just taking up physical space in your basket—they are taking up “rent” in your head. 🧶
Managing the “New Project High”
I don’t know how it happens for you, but for me, my ADHD brain knows exactly where every one of those unfinished projects are, and they haunt me! Even the excitement of a NEW project gets niggled at by the ones being ignored in the corner. 👻
Stewardship isn’t just about how we store our materials; it’s about how we manage our mental headspace. If a project is sitting there “in bondage,” making you feel guilty or frustrated every time you walk past it, it isn’t serving you or the fiber. It’s time to move past the “New Project High” and step into your authority as a master maker. 👑
The Permission to Frog
A couple of years ago, I went through my own WIP basket and made some tough decisions. I realized that if I wasn’t interested in the project anymore, the best way to honor that yarn was to release it. I’m pretty much a one-project girl these days, and that’s because I’ve embraced the process of “frogging” (ripping it out) much better than I used to.
I want you to try the Two-Basket Method:
🧺 Lay those projects all out. No judgment. Just look at what you have.
🐸 The “Frog It” Pile: If the spark is gone, or the mistake is “wonky work” that you know will keep you awake at night—this is the pile. It’s time to reclaim that yarn!
🧶 The “Keep Trying” Pile: These stay, but they must be organized so they stop haunting your peripheral vision.
The Science of Reclaiming Yarn
This is where stewardship meets fiber science. Did you know that yarn develops “kinks” almost instantly once it’s stitched? And the longer that yarn stays stitched up, the more its “memory” gets stuck. 🧬
In a funny way, the personality of the frustration for the project gets stuck right along with it! It is time to release that emotional tension the yarn is holding.
When you decide to frog unfinished crochet or knitting projects, you’re reclaiming a resource. But you can’t just rip it out and start a new project immediately. You should wash the yarn to help the fibers “reset” their memory so they are ready to become something else entirely. 🚿
Watch: How to Wash Yarn
The Final Truth-Bomb
Your stitching time is meant to be a sanctuary. Stewardship means making sure your resources—including your time and your mental energy—are used with integrity.
If a project is no longer bringing you joy or teaching you something valuable, give yourself permission to let it go. Reclaim your yarn, wash it, and let it be ready to become a true heirloom that represents the quality you are capable of.
Happy Stitching! Love, SuziQ