At various times in my life . . . I have knit for a variety of reasons. A 4-H project. Because I wanted a sweater I couldn’t afford to buy. Because I wanted to give a homemade gift. To keep someone warm. To welcome a new baby. For the color. Or pattern. Or texture. For the sheer craft of it.
But these days – purely and simply – I knit for the dopamine hit.
And this sweater . . . this Waffle Pullover? It is not giving me dopamine energy at this point.
Oh, it has. It started out with BIG dopamine energy. The choosing of the colors. The ordering of the yarn. The comaraderie of knitting with friends. That short row victory! And the squishy goodness of the mosaic pattern. The imagining of actually wearing the finished sweater.
But.
Things have dragged on at this point. I’ve crossed the “Seasonal Line.” I know that I’m (sorta) close to the finish line with this sweater at this point. I’ve pushed myself to get those tedious sleeves to the nearly-there point. Just the body now. (And finishing the sleeves, of course.) But I know I won’t wear this sweater (barring some climate crisis – which could happen I know) until fall. It feels like a chore to pick this up and work on it.
Ain’t no dopamine in a chore, though.
So I’ve decided to put this project on the back burner for a while. I’ll keep it close by . . . in case I get a hankering for some mosaic knitting. But I might not pick it up again until fall. (Who knows.)
Right now, I’m seeking Big Dopamine. And I’m finding it in . . . more seasonal options. Lighter colors. Lighter texture. Simplicity. Linen mixed with cotton. Wool mixed with cotton. Fresh patterns. Probably a summer-weight Sophie Scarf. (Because of course.) Maybe an embroidery project. Or some more needlepoint. And I’m busy plotting how to make a perfect v-neck pullover vest (like one I saw on a TV show). (More on that in a future post . . . )
Because – bottom line – right now I need the dopamine way more than I need a sweater finished, y’know?
=====
How about you? What are you working on these days?
I hear you on the absence of any dopamine hit at all on forging ahead on the Slog Sweater. Sigh. This morning, I pulled out an index card to make some clear notes about the changes I made and my math work around so I don’t have to rework the math for the sleeve decreases. Your post put the period on the project, I am packing it away until Labor Day! XO
Ah, yes, the “Seasonal Line”. I am approaching it with my current Hitchhiker, and I’ve caught myself thinking that if I knit really, really fast then I might finish it and get on with something else. I don’t have the ability to knit really fast, and if I try, that’s when I make careless mistakes. So I will continue, especially because we’ve currently got freezing temps overnight and chilly temps during the day. That may change when we hit 87 next week. 🙂 My dopamine hits are currently coming from trying to (successfully) make a French omelet.
Go for the dopamine hit! Taking a break isn’t a bad thing and playing around with other fun projects will lift your mood. Sticking a row in here and there, once in awhile, when it calls (even if weak), may be enough to get that >< much closer to the end. Taking a breather should give you some dopamine you crave! Have fun!
I get it, believe me! It’s hard to stay motivated to finish something when you know you won’t be able to wear it, which for me is part of the motivation in the first place. The good news is that you’ve done all the hard parts, so it should be easy to pick it up and finish it when the season is more appropriate (though I will say I wore a wool sweater here because we didn’t make it out of the 40s!). Maybe knitting with some handspun will give you the needed dopamine hit?
It’s wise to know when to lay a project down, pat it, and tell it you will see it later. Write yourself some notes about what you have done and pack it away, for now. Since with current leadership and the mysteries of life dictating the world may end at any moment, I say do what makes you happy in the present. Don’t waffle about it – tee hee.
I’ll bet you’ll feel a big rush in the early fall when you pull that out & realize that it’s so close(-ish) to being done, and it’ll spur you to finish! It’s going to be an amazing sweater!
I may find myself in this state at some point, but the mosaic sweater that I’m knitting is in pieces (so no big wooly blob in my lap), the CC is the fantastically wild & ever-changing Noro (very entertaining), AND there’s a little “farfalle” here & there to keep it extra interesting. I’ve been a super slow knitter lately & spring/summer sure won’t help hasten my progress, so I’d better keep at it if I want to wear it… ever.