The State of My WIPs: A Love Letter to Half-Finished Projects
If you’ve ever opened your yarn stash looking for one thing and instead uncovered three abandoned projects and a questionable life choice, welcome. You’re among friends.
Today we’re talking about WIPs.
Also known as: Works In Progress.
Also known as: Why did I start this at 11:47pm on a Tuesday?
Let me give you a current status update on mine.
The Blanket That Thinks It’s a Long-Term Commitment
I started this blanket a few months ago with the purest intentions. It was something I started right after Christmas as a reward to myself. I NEVER make things for myself. Well, not never, but very rarely do I make something for myself. My passion is truly creating things for others, but sometimes I want to do something for me! It was supposed to be cozy, aesthetic, a “curl up with some hot chocolate” moment.
And to be fair… it is all of those things. It’s also currently too big to fit into my travel yarn bag, so I’ve resorted to an old duffel bag, which is fine! However, it is now to the point where I can’t take it anywhere to work on other than my couch. For some reason, I decided I wanted this blanket to be giant? Like, 10 balls of Bernat Blanket Yarn giant. It is probably going to end up queen size? Again, this is all fine, but every time I pick it up, I remember:
Blankets take forever
Everytime I get the blanket out, my cats think it is their blanket and that it is nap time
I could simply not do this right now
But one day? This blanket will thrive. I believe in her. I owe it to myself to get it finished!
The Flower Granny Square Crop Top (Started Last Summer… Yes, Really)
This one hurts a little because she had potential. She still has potential.I was deep in my “I’m going to make all my own clothes” era, and I started this super cute flower granny square crop top. It was giving cottagecore. It was giving main character.
And then…I made a few squares. Then a few more. Then I started joining up all the squares. Then I didn’t like how the stitching looked, started over joining. Twice. Got mad at it and set it aside to focus on something else until I could go back and work on it. And then suddenly it was fall.
Now it lives in a project bag, patiently waiting for me to finish attaching the last few squares, attaching the rows of squares, and making the straps. That’s literally all I have left to do. Will I finish it this summer?
Emotionally: yes
Realistically: also yes but I will complain the entire time. Maybe I’ll turn to YouTube to find the best way to join all the squares together without leaving an ugly seam, because that was the frustrating part in the first place. We’ll see…
The Never-Ending Dishcloth Situation
At this point, I don’t start dishcloths. They just sort of happen. I have half-finished ones, almost-finished ones, and “I just need to weave in the ends” ones (the most dangerous category). Dishcloths are my “I need to keep my hands busy but not my brain” project. Which is great in theory but in practice, it means I now own an army of nearly-complete dishcloths that refuse to become fully realized. Some I decided I didn’t like the color pattern, some I didn’t like the stitch, some I didn’t like the size, and some I just wasn’t feeling it.
One day I’m going to sit down, weave in all the ends, and suddenly have 47 finished dishcloths like some kind of yarn magician.
The Plushie Bodies Without Souls
And finally… the plushies. Specifically: the bodies. Only the bodies. No faces, no limbs (sometimes), just little head-and-torso situations staring into the void. Sewing pieces together and adding faces will be the death of me. It is my least favorite part of creating things. For some reason my brain decides that it’s optional to finish, and then I start the same thing.
It’s not optional.
They deserve eyes at minimum, maybe a mouth if I’m feeling crazy. Luckily, I switched to using safety eyes instead of strands of yarn so the process for that is a little bit easier, but still.
I always tell myself “do the assembly line! Make all the heads and add eyes, then all the bodies, then add stuffing and sew them all up! It will be WAY faster.” Which, yes, this does work, but seemingly only when I want it to. Most days I get into the groove of knocking out 10 chicken bodies. Do I stop the groove and finish them up? No, we just make 10 more chicken bodies! And it’s a never ending cycle.
But for now, they exist in a bin like “we trust you’ll finish us when you’re ready.”
Why Do We Do This to Ourselves?
Honestly? Because starting projects is fun. Especially new projects. It’s exciting, it’s creative, and it’s full of possibility.
But finishing? Finishing requires consistency, decision-making, sometimes counting, and mostly sewing (which we avoid at all costs). Having multiple WIPs isn’t failure, it’s proof that you’re constantly inspired (that’s what I’m telling myself anyways, and I’m sticking to it).
A Gentle Reminder (To You and Also Me)
You’re allowed to:
rotate through projects
take breaks
abandon something that no longer sparks joy
come back to something months later like nothing happened
Your hobbies are supposed to be fun, not a productivity contest.
If you’re someone who loves handmade pieces but doesn’t necessarily want 12 projects going at once… I got you.
Check out my shop for cozy, ready-to-use items (no ends to weave in, I promise 😉)
And if you are sitting on a pile of WIPs right now—this is your sign to pick one up tonight.
Or don’t.
They’ll wait. They always do.
