Should you put a deadline on your knitting?

Sunday was bittersweet. A group of us got together for brunch to say farewell to Aimee Soderberg who’s moving to Pittsburgh. With a ready smile and a funny story to share, Aimee has been a bright light in our Tuesday evening class since it was initiated. We will all miss you tons.

Afterwards, at the shop, I was working on a new project, the Slouchy Pullover– a fun super-bulky sweater on size 15 needles. I started it because I knew I had two weeks until the start of our Elan knitalong, so I announced that I was going to finish it by Saturday, August, 6th.

Tricia asked me, do you think that’s a good idea? Should we set ourselves a deadline for our knitting?

That’s a tough one. I have written in the past about the danger of turning Something we really enjoy doing into an obligation. Turning our hobby into a job It’s a sure fire way to kill the passion, But there’s definitely something to be said for setting a goal for yourself and keeping it.

Again, back to that book on trust I mentioned last time, and how powerful trust is in our lives as the force behind motivation and inspiration.Author Stephen Covey talks about how trust all starts with self trust, which is also a key to self confidence and happiness.

Interesting, isn’t it?

We can build self trust fairly easily with small acts. Little things, like setting goals and following through on them. Something as simple as completing a knitting project can help us build that self trust.

So, in answer to Tricia’s question, I would say that an arbitrary deadline for a knitting project can feel oppressive, but committing to small goals and meeting them is great. Rather than telling ourselves we have to finish something by a given date, we might be better served by committing to a certain number of minutes of knitting each day. While we don’t have a deadline, we do have a big picture goal in place to keep us motivated. Then each daily commitment we make, and honor, keeps us on track and helps us reach our goal. But more importantly, making and keeping those commitments help us develop trust in ourselves, which I turn, builds our own self esteem, confidence, and happiness.

Hugs and love,
Ellen