Finish it or Frog it February

I don’t know about you but this month, armed with a bunch of extra free time while I tried to break my social media addiction, I took stock of all the projects I have in progress that have been lingering for far too long. I found, in total, 19 projects – some of which I didn’t even remember starting! Yikes.

Needless to say, I ended up picking up my Kentia tee (pictured above) that just needed a few more inches on the body to be done and knocked it out ASAP so I could have one less item on my list. And now, of course, she’s done and wearable and just waiting for the warmer spring weather.

I know I’m generally an advocate for having multiple projects going, and will even tell you science backs up this idea (per Craft Psychology by Dr. Anne Kirketerp), but 19 feels… excessive. And, not just that, but overwhelming to me, especially considering my pre-yarn shop days I had been seriously considering going low/zero stash and only having enough yarn on hand for a project or two at most.

So, I am claiming next month to be Finish it or Frog It February, and I’d like to invite you to join me! Here’s how I’m breaking my process down, personally – follow along if you’d like, or create your own system!

1. Take stock of your current projects – dig through your project bags and stash and write down each project you find that’s in progress.
   
2. Now make notes about each project – maybe you have a hat that’s half done and just needs an hour of effort to finish, or a sweater that’s just missing a sleeve. Note that next to each project.
   
3. Think, next, on whether you enjoy making the items on your list. I think we all have projects we’ve cast on with excitement just to get into it and hate it. Maybe the pattern is awful to work up, or maybe your yarn choice was terrible. Note all of this down, too.
   
4. Now, start figuring out your plan. Create your “finish it” list of projects you’re going to concentrate your effort on this month. Create your “frog it” list for the projects you want to rip out and repurpose the yarn for.
   
   BONUS: you can add a 3rd list, like I sometimes do, called “F—- it” – I reserve this list for projects where the yarn and/or project is so genuinely unbearable that I pull it off the needles and trash the whole thing entirely 🙂 Throwing away a project is a perfectly acceptable choice, no guilt necessary.

Once you get your list together, spend the month following through with your plan! And, because “they” say you should tell someone your goals for accountability, head over to the Discord server and tell me one project you’re committing to finish, and one project you’re going to frog!