By Tawni Rogers
Out of Green Yarn at 75 Percent
Oh man, I think every crafter out there has at least one or two projects sitting around that they never finished. I am no different, although I try really, really hard not to abandon projects.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little crochet inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
I'm not one that likes to have multiple projects going at one time, so I just like to sit and finish something and move on. But I do have a few that never finish. For example, this cute little green guy with adorable eyes was supposed to eventually become a dragon.
I got about 75% done with him and realized I had run out of the color yarn I needed, and I was no longer able to find that yarn in stock to purchase.
So here he sits, three-quarters of the way done, and I just need to figure out if I want to start the rest of him with a different color and make him different than the pattern says, or if I should just start all over with a different kind of green that I know I can buy more of.
Wrong Hook, Wrong Yarn Math, Too Much Dragon
I wasn't super pleased with the details I was putting on him. It took a lot more yarn than I initially thought it would, and he was turning out a lot bigger than I was expecting, so I ran out of yarn a lot quicker. I used slightly larger yarn and a slightly larger hook than the pattern called for, but my size conversions were completely wrong and led me astray, especially with the stash of yarn I was trying to use.
A Sad Little Corner of the Guest Bedroom
He sits on a cardboard box in my guest bedroom, on a pile of a few other unfinished projects, in a sad little corner. I feel super sorry for him, and I will eventually finish him. Maybe writing this article is going to give me the motivation that I need to do just that.
Saving the Dragon With Fresh Green and Old Eyes
It's decided. I am going to save him. Next month I will update you all on my completed projects, and hopefully, this little green dragon will be completed one way or another.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little crochet inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
I may just start all over. I may just find different green yarn that I like, start from scratch, reuse the eyes, and maybe just do a take two.
Bad Materials, Big Projects, and Shaky Details
Typically, I end up giving up on projects if I am not happy with the materials I'm using, or if they turn out to be a much bigger project than I first imagined. Another thing that can happen is that there's a lot of detailed work, and I'm not thrilled with how my details are coming out. And sometimes I just get frustrated and walk away.
Be Kind to Yourself and Finish That Scarf
If any of this resonates with you, if you have anything half done, whether it's a blanket, a hat, a scarf, a stuffed animal, use this encouragement to pick those back up and finish them however you see fit.
I think you have to have grace with yourself. I think you have to be kind. I think you have to remember that you have a skill that not everyone has, and finishing anything is a huge accomplishment.
One Project at a Time, Even the Abandoned Ones
As I said earlier, a lot of people, I think, have a pile of eight or nine projects going on at the same time. I'm just not one of those people. When I abandon a project, it sometimes never ever gets finished.
I never go back to it because I would just like to complete something once I've started it. If it's an abandoned project, I really have to find the motivation to go back to it and finish it up. But might as well.
Good luck to everyone out there with unfinished projects!
