• Home
  • Suggest A Craft
  • DIY Newsletter

Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

  • About CraftGossip
  • Our Network
    • Bath & Body Crafts
    • Candle Making Ideas
    • Crochet Ideas
    • Cross Stitch
    • Edible Crafts
    • Felting Patterns
    • Glass Art
    • Home & Garden Ideas
    • Indie Crafts
    • Jewelry Making
    • Kids Crafts
    • Knitting Patterns
    • Lesson Plans
    • Needlework
    • Party Ideas
    • Polymer Clay
    • Quilting Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing Patterns
    • Card Making
    • DIY Weddings
    • Not Craft Ideas
  • Giveaways
  • Roundups
  • Store
  • Search

Finishing Workshop: Getting Motivated

February 6, 2014 by Sarah White

finishing knitsI think the hardest thing about tackling your unfinished projects is just getting motivated to do them. There’s a reason you didn’t finish them in the first place, and it can be hard to get excited about them again when you’ve spent a lot of time away from them.

That’s why I like to start with the easy projects that aren’t going to take a lot of time, because then you can build a little momentum for finishing and have a nice new stack of things to wear, use and gift, which should help motivate you to work on other projects as well.

Some simple deal-making with yourself can help, too. Tell yourself you’re not going to start a new project until you’ve finished x number of projects from your pile. The x will depend on how many unfinished things you have and how much work they need, but I’d say at least two or three. This is a way of bribing yourself, particularly if there’s a project you’re itching to start. Making yourself wait until you get those other projects finished likely will help you to get them done that much faster.

If you need to make a public commitment to finishing, please do so here. I’d love to hear how many projects you’re committing to finishing and any status updates you have.

As for me, I’ve ripped out one project I knew I was never going to finish, and that dress I was talking about yesterday is drying out after blocking on my dining room table. Day six and this month has already been a success!

If you have any tips for getting motivated to finish projects, I’d love to hear them. Goodness knows we all need help from time to time!

Next Pattern:

  • More Tips on Getting the Perfect Knitting Gauge
  • Book Review- Getting Started Knitting Socks
  • Knit a Sweater That's All About the Finishing Touches
«
»

Have you read?

A Sweet Skater Dress to Knit

I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn. 

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done. 

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit. 

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips. 

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit. 

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

Book Review – Knitted Tanks and Tunics

How to Knit a Simple Sweater Dress

Categories

baby hat Baby Patterns Beginner Book Reviews cardigan Christmas CraftGossip Giveaways Craft News and Events Free Kntting Patterns Giveaways! Hats Knitting Articles Of Interest Knitting Patterns Knitting Technique & Ideas mittens Quick scarf shawl patterns socks Sweaters

RSS More Articles

  • How To Sew a Banner from felted wool sweaters
  • A Sweet Skater Dress to Knit
  • Printable Animal Flash Cards
  • 20 Cowl Crochet Patterns For Winter Gifting
  • Master the Art of Polka Dots with This Easy Painting Tutorial!
  • Do You Park Your Cross Stitch Thread? Try The Royal Roads Method
  • Etsy Spotlight – Sew Your Own Baby Dress with the Harper Dress Pattern PDF
  • July 4th Mini Scrapbook Album
  • Upcycled Writing Desk to Cocktail Cabinet
  • Create Stunning Pineapple String Art – A Fun and Easy Tutorial You Can’t Miss

Pick Your Blog

  • Sewing
  • Knitting
  • Quilting
  • Crochet
  • Home & Garden
  • Recycled Crafts
  • Scrapbooking
  • Card Making
  • Polymer Clay
  • Cross-Stitch
  • Edible Crafts
  • Felting
  • Glass Art
  • Indie Crafts
  • Kids Crafts
  • Jewelry Making
  • Lesson Plans
  • Needlework
  • Bath & Body
  • Party Ideas
  • Candle Making
  • DIY Weddings
  • Not Craft
  • Free Craft Projects

Copyright © 2025 · CraftGossip | Start Here | Contact Us | Link to Us | Your Editors | Privacy and affiliate policy