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When the Knitting Thrill Is Gone – Have You Lost Your Knitting Mojo?

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how to deal with loss of knitting mojoAfter I left About in the spring, I went through a period of not wanting to knit at all.

It has been such a big part of my life for almost 10 years, through three books and hundreds of articles, patterns, book reviews and tutorials.

It still is, but I just didn’t want to do it anymore once I didn’t feel like I had to.

I know that will sound strange to a lot of people — how can you ever not want to knit? — but when your creative outlets become your job, it’s tricky business to maintain the fire.

So I let it go. I didn’t pressure myself.

I started a couple of projects, none of which I’ve really finished (though a couple only need ends woven in, of course).

Now that the weather is getting a little cooler, I’m starting to feel that will to knit creeping back in. I have a giant, but simple, project on my needles. I’m ready to knit through the winter.

If you’ve ever lost your will to knit, you should know that it’s totally normal. And whether you have or you don’t think you ever will, you should read the piece “Of Knitting Mojo, Lost and Found” from Lee Ann Dalton in Twist Collective. It reminds us that shifts in energy and desire to knit are normal (though if you’ve lost your will to do anything, that’s a different problem).

For most of us, time spent not knitting does not mean lost income, so just let it go and trust that it will come back to you. Maybe on that first cool morning in October.

Have you ever lost your knitting mojo? I’d love to know what you did, if anything, to get it back, or what you do when you’re not feeling inspired to knit.

[Photo via Twist Collective.]

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Comments

  1. Knit for charity. I’m in the UK and photos of children and babies in refugee camps in France or Greece spur me on to knit those warm blankets and clothes that may literally make the difference between life and death to a baby living in a tent in the snow. Homeless hostel 5m from me needs adult knitting too – so I never stop!

  2. As much as I love to knit, when the will to knit starts to go, I switch. I leave the knitting as is and work on a crochet project, or cross-stitch, or make jewelry. This way I never get bored and instead, see my knitting with refreshed eyes and a new perspective. It also helps to get together with my crafting friends. I met them on Meetup and our Meetup is open to all crafters so there is much to learn from each other.

  3. I separated from my husband last fall, suddenly and traumatically and it was all I could do to get through the day. Some days I would just hold the knitting, unable to focus to make a single stitch. When my desire to knit came back I knew I was turning the corner toward healing.

  4. As in life there are changes. This is not a bad thing it is how you handle these changes. So, give knitting a rest, garden instead, or do cross stitch, smocking, sewing, craft. Ask grandchildren if they would like something knitted scarf, fingerless gloves, head band etc.Even make some jam and add a pretty homemade label. Give one jar away.

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Textured Hat Knitting Patterns

There are all sorts of knitting techniques you can use on hats, but some of my favorites are textured stitch patterns or cabled hats worked in a single color. Check out these great textured hat knitting patterns and find your next fall favorite. 

The K?pekapeka hat from The Practice of Fibre was the one that got me started thinking about textured hat knitting patterns. This one has a simple zig-zag pattern worked with purls. This hat uses centered double decreases for shaping to help keep the pattern going as you finish the top of the hat. It uses worked weight yarn. 

Little Totz Designs has this simple knit hat that uses worsted weight yarn and an allover knit-purl stitch pattern that’s easy to memorize. This one would be a great first hat in the round pattern if that’s something you haven’t tried before. 

The Fia Beanie from Honey and Grace Fiber Co is another simple stitch pattern that’s full of texture. It calls for bulky yarn so it should stitch up in no time in this great textured diamond design. 

Kalurah Hudson’s Cindersmoke hat is an interesting stitch design that uses double moss stitch and bands of slipped stitches throughout the pattern, which is where the decreases are worked, keeping the rest of the pattern as established. It uses bulky yarn and is sized for adults, and you can find it on Ravelry.

Benjamin Matthews has such pretty designs that often turn out to be simpler to knit than they look. The Snow Carved Beanie (find it on Ravelry) for example only uses knits, purls and slipped stitches, but it has a design that looks almost like cables. The pattern uses worsted weight yarn and has a foldover brim for extra warmth. 

While I wanted to keep the focus in this roundup on simple stitch patterns, basic cables are not that much more difficult than regular knitting, and the lattice pattern on this CrissCross Hat form the Purling Princess is so charming I couldn’t resist sharing. This hat comes in three sizes (baby, child and adult) and uses worsted weight yarn. It would be a great gift to knit if you’re thinking about that.