Decisions: A Quiz

I don’t know how much different the cowl looks than the other day. I still have a couple more rows to finish the current section but it’s a long section so maybe there is a visible difference. There is a huge difference in the natural light in my living room these days. Fall leaves much of my house feeling dark and an overcast day like today makes it feel almost gloomy.

With today being Friday, the new clue for The Secret Handshake MKAL appeared in my email. I’m very excited to get back to it. I’m not well known for being on time when doing KALs. I often fall behind when I’m distracted by something else. I could very easily be distracted by the Klickitat Street cowl. I have less than a dozen rows to finish it and that is so tempting. Once that is done I have the yarn and patterns for my next two projects all queued up and ready to go. This got me thinking about how to proceed which made me wonder how you would proceed. So it’s time for a quiz about project management.

Feel free to answer in the comments or if you’re answering on your blog leave a link so we can all read your thoughts on project management.

• Are you a one project at a time crafter or do you like a variety to suit your mood?
• Do you reward yourself along the way with a new project after reaching a certain goal?
• How do you decide which project to work on? Do you require that you work on a less loved project before you work on the one that is really firing you up?
• How do you know you have too many things going at one time?
• If you had to chose between a project that is nearly done and a new exciting one which would you pick? Are you a process crafter or a project crafter?

Here are my answers.

• I have a three project rule. I like one that is more complex and one that is easy. Ordinarily I like the third to be socks but currently I have 2 cowls and the baby blanket so that is my self imposed limit.
• I try very hard to stick to that three project rule but if I find myself in a situation where none of my projects would be appropriate I will cast on something new. For me it’s more about situation than reward. For example if all my projects are too large or complex to take out of the house I’ll go ahead and cast on some socks as a traveling project.
• This is my dilemma right now. Do I finish the clue for the MKAL and stay on track with it or do I finish the Klickitat Street cowl and reward myself with a new project? I really should get back to the baby blanket because that little one will be born whether I have that blanket done or not. I’ve been dividing time between the two cowls and throwing in a couple of rows on the blanket but it may be time to switch that up and do more rows on the blanket to earn time with the cowls.
• I know I have too many things going when I see no progress on anything and I know I’m working on things. This is why I started the three project rule. If you spend time working on all three there is a small amount of visible progress on each. When I was cast on crazy I tended to abandon projects and move on to something new the minute the whim hit. It was too easy to say yes to the new thing (which often involved buying new yarn) and dump the old thing into the UFO pile. I still have a pile of UFOs to prove this point.
• I try to always finish something that is nearly done before casting on something new. The momentum of excitement about the new thing is often enough to overcome whatever mental road block there is with getting the old project finished. I have learned over time I am a process knitter not a project knitter. I am pleased to see something completed but the main excitement for me is being able to start something new.

Remember to leave a link if you’ll be answering on your blog or answer in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you have to say.