I know there are one-project-at-a-time knitters, crocheters and spinners out there. I have even met a couple. If that works for them, that’s great. But I think saying that you “get things done more quickly” is BS.
If you know yourself, and know that if you let yourself start multiple projects you would do lots of starting and never work on things already started, I understand limiting yourself.
If you’ve been diligently trying to keep yourself to one project at a time because somebody else told you that’s the only way to complete things, let me disabuse you of this notion. I firmly believe that having multiple projects on the go does not slow down completion of projects. It only looks like it if you measure rate of completion by time from beginning to end of each project. I would argue that a more valid measurement is “number of projects completed within timeframe X”.
Measuring this way, I would argue that having multiple projects on the go may even increase project output and certainly does not decrease it. You have a constantly overlapping rotation of projects at different stages of completion, and should see a regular parade of finished objects.
First, why it doesn’t prevent completion of pojects:
As long as you keep the number of projects in process within a set range (mine tends to be 3-5), then you aren’t starting new projects constantly and you will work on existing ones. Thus, projects will get done since something has to come off the needles before a new something goes on the needles. Sure, some individual items may take longer, but you are regularly finishing objects.
Second, it can actually increase the rate of completion:
Basically, this is because by having multiple projects of a variety of types, you increase available crafting time. Beaded lace shawl your one and only project? There goes knitting on the bus or in line. If you also had a simple pair of socks or a basic scarf, you would have had additional time for knitting. At the same time, you might find yourself putting down your project if you’re bored to tears of always working on those plain socks but deny yourself the ability to start the great fair isle sweater you’ve been eying until the socks are done.
This does require a little thought about which new projects you start while others are already in progress. Four different beaded lace shawls just means you need to find more quiet time in a craft corner to handle the charts and beads. Ten pairs of vanilla socks might also drive you to extreme boredom. One beaded lace shawl, a pair of socks, a simple hat and an intricate fair isle sweater makes a much better mix.
All of this is to say, I’m not in the least concerned that I just cast on for my mohair alpaca scarf even though my husbands’ isn’t done yet. Mine is on wooden needles, which will be better if I get the urge to knit at the concert tonight.
