How I Got Out of My Knitter’s Block (And How You Can Do It Too)
Picture this: you’re sitting on your couch, a basket filled with the most gorgeous yarn lies at your side. You just made yourself a cup of your favorite tea while you listen to the sound of the rain, softly tapping against the window. It’s the perfect knitting day, yet you can bring yourself to touch your needles. Maybe you even have a project that just needs a few rows to finish, but you keep finding excuses to avoid picking it up.
Does this sound familiar? If you’ve ever found yourself in this scenario, rest assure that you’re not alone, I’ve been there. Knitters’s block can strike even the most passionate among us. But don’t despair – today I’m sharing how I untangled myself from this crafty slump, and how you can weave your way out, too!
But what exactly is knitter’s block?
Knitter’s block can strike at any time. It might be due to a lack of inspiration, feeling overwhelmed by your many projects, or simply being too busy with life. For me, it was a mix of all three. I felt like I’d lost my knitting mojo and started to doubt my creativity and skills. Every time I thought about picking up my needles, I started making up excuses. “I need to clean this, first.” – “Let me take a picture of this old shirt I want to sell.” – “I just know that my kids will need me after just one stitch, so why bother?” – “Maybe I’ll knit tonight, when the kids are asleep.” – “I wanted to sleep, but it’s way too late now and I’ll just go to bed.” The yarn that once excited me now felt more like an uninviting chore that I just wanted to postpone.
This block can manifest in different ways; sometimes it’s a lack of motivation to start a new project, other times it’s the inability to finish what you started, other times again could be an overwhelming feeling of having too many WIPs laying around the house. You might find yourself uninspiredly staring at your stash or endlessly scrolling through pattern libraries without finding one that sparks joy.
For some people, knitter’s block might be triggered by external pressures, like the expectation to constantly produce new perfect and Instagram-worthy pictures (yup, I’m so guilty of this). For others, it could be a creative burnout from pushing too hard and trying to make way too many knits (often for others) in a short amount of time.
Whatever the cause, the result is the same: a deep, disheartening sense of disconnect from the craft you love.
Understanding that knitter’s block is a common experience for knitters all around the world and not a reflection of your abilities is the first step to overcome it. Be kind to yourself. This is just a temporary phase, a little bump in your creative road. Let me share with you how I overcame my knitter’s block and found my way back to the joy of knitting – and how you can do the same!
My personal journey out of knitter’s block
I won’t sugarcoat this: it took me months to finally get out of knitter’s block and start knitting again. This doesn’t mean it will take you the same amount of time, especially if you start implementing the tips in this blog post sooner than I did. But let me tell you my personal story on how my knitter’s block took place and how I successfully got out of it.
(Or skip this next section as a whole to get to my best tips I want to share with you.)
How it started
I first noticed I was getting very overwhelmed with knitting right around Christmas time last year. I rushed a lot of knitting in a short amount of time to prepare for two local markets, then I took on a few customer orders – which I told myself I wouldn’t do but did anyway. In other words, I let knitting become a burden more than an enjoyable activity. That mixed with the constant (self imposed) pressure to keep posting a variety of knitting projects on my Instagram page resulted in a knitting burn out.
Stepping away from knitting
When I realised that knitting wasn’t bringing me as much joy as before, I knew I needed a break. So I simply stopped knitting as a whole, allowing myself to step back from my needles and yarn. I thought a short break would be enough to make me want to start knitting again, but I kept feeling guilty about it. Only when I finally gave myself some grace and really embrace my time away from the craft, my healing journey really started. Allowing myself to take a break gave me a chance to recharge and rediscover my passion for knitting.
Not only I stopped knitting altogether, but I also stepped out from the knitting community on Instagram. What once felt like a supporting place (and still is) filled with inspiration, wasn’t really serving me; I was comparing myself to others, feeling frustrated I wasn’t producing as much as them. So I stopped posting and showing up.
Finding something else that sparks joy
After a while, I started to feel the weight of my creativity slump – but I just wasn’t ready to get back to knitting, yet. So I re-embraced another one of my long time passions: photography. Taking the camera with me to snap candid pictures of my kids started to fill me with joy and sparked that little flame in me. I wasn’t just taking pictures for the sole purpose of posting them to get some likes from fellow knitters, but I was taking them for me; I was taking them to create tangible, treasured moments of my family. I was doing something that I loved, and it felt good.
Reorganising and feeling my stash
One day, I decided to reorganise my yarn stash. I didn’t do anything too radical; I replaced a few skeins here and there and sorted my leftover pieces based on their weight. This gave me the opportunity to rediscover some forgotten gems, but more importantly it gave me sensory experience. Touching those soft, beautiful skeins of yarn and feeling their warmth in my hands made me finally want to start knitting again.
Getting back with something rewarding
When I finally found that tingle in my hands telling me it was time to pick up the needles, I decided to start with a quick and rewarding project. I casted on a Zermatt headband with super bulky yarn and just a couple of hours later I had a finished piece in my hands. Or, to be totally honest, I did about two or three small knitting sessions to just taking it one step at a time.
And there you go. After that first headband I made another one, and another one again. Now I find myself wanting to knit more and more and I can proudly say I overcame my knitter’s block.
13 tips on how YOU can break free of knitter’s block
Not everyone’s journey is the same, so here’s a few tips that might help you overcoming this creative slump. Some of them come from my personal experience, shared above, others might resonate more with you and your personal journey.
1) Take a break – and be kind to yourself about it
If you’re experiencing knitter’s block, chances are you are already on a forced break. But taking a break alone won’t probably solve your problems, if you keep feeling guilty about the fact that you’re not knitting (whether this guilt is towards all the money you spent on yarn, the unfinished projects laying around, the fear of letting down your online knitting friends, or other). Be kind to yourself. You are human, not a robot (or should I say a knitting machine?); take a deep breath and start not overthinking about this.
2) Explore other crafts, forms of art or sports
When you feel ready, try and find something else that sparks joy and creativity in you. For me, this was photography. For you, it could be anything from painting, writing, doing some scrapbooking projects, woodcarving, cooking,… If you have some energy you need to get out of your system, maybe a sport will suit you better. Get moving, dance, run, swim,… whatever makes you feel alive! Feel that little spark in your body? You want to keep feeding it!
3) Go outside
Put on your walking shoes and get out of your house. Whether you’re living in the city or in the countryside, I’m sure you’ll be able to find some place where you can surround yourself by nature. Go for a mindful walk, looking around the beauty around you. Nature has the power to heal us from many thing, maybe even your blocked creativity.
4) Find inspiration
If your knitter’s block comes from a place of comparing yourself to others, this might not be the right step for you. But otherwise, you might benefit from trying to find inspiration from various sources. Seeing the beautiful creations of other people through Instagram, Pinterest or knitting blogs could give you some new ideas on what to knit next. Even a walk to your local yarn store might give you a little push to pick up your needles again.
5) Set small goals
Instead of diving into a large, complicate project, try setting small, achievable goals. Begin with a simple project that won’t take too much to finish and that will give you some instant gratification. A dishcloth or a headband can be the perfect project to gradually build your confidence back up. My personal tip is to go with the Zermatt headband in its super bulky version; you will be able to complete this in just a couple of hours (and yes, for this time only I will give you permission to avoid blocking it at the end).
6) Challenge yourself to learn some new skills
Trying out some new techniques and stitches can be a game-changer when it comes to get out of a knitter’s block. You could sign up for online knitting classes, watch YouTube tutorials, try out knitting something that might be a bit out of your comfort zone (like these worsted weight socks, maybe?). Learning something new and challenging yourself will keep your interest piqued and add a fresh twist to your knitting routine.
7) Organise your stash
Finding a new, more organised place to your beautiful skeins can be highly therapeutic. Not only you might rediscover some forgotten yarn that could help you sparking a new project idea, but getting your hands in all that woolly goodness can also be an highly satisfying sensory experience that will make you wanting to come back to it. Plus, an organised stash can make it easier to start new projects without feeling overwhelmed. Extra tip: don’t be afraid to get rid of any yarn that doesn’t really bring you joy anymore; you could try to resell it or even just gift it to someone else.
8) Use high-quality materials
Similar to what I wrote in the last point, investing in high-quality yarn and needles can make knitting more enjoyable. The tactile experience of working with soft, luxurious yarn can reignite your passion for knitting. Try not to get carried away too much, though. I know how easy it is to just put all that beautiful yarn you don’t really need in your cart…
9) Join a knitting community
There are many online knitting community you could join, the Cozy Tribe being one of them. There, members can share their projects, ask for tips and share experiences. Being part of a supportive group of knitters can be incredibly motivating and by sharing your progress to people who understand your struggle, you might find the encouragement you need. You could also check if your city offers a knitting circle where people can all sit and knit together while chatting; finding other people that share your passion will be a great incentive (and you might find some new long-term friends there, as well).
10) Ask for accountability
Linked to the previous tip, don’t be afraid to ask for accountability in your knitting community. Tell fellow knitters what your goal is for the day or week, and ask them to check back on you. You could even find a knitting-buddy and make a deal to periodically check on each other.
11) Practice mindfulness
For a lot of people, knitting can be a form of meditation. When you slowly get back into knitting, try to be mindful about it, focusing on each stitch and the rhythm of the needles. This practice can help you relax and enjoy the process rather than worrying about the end result.
12) Embrace mistakes
Remember; it’s okay to make mistakes. Dropping a stitch, get your yarn all tangled, realising you made a mistake 10 rows below,… every knitter has been there at some point. Embrace these moments as a learning experience rather than a setback. Making a mistake doesn’t mean you’re a bad knitter, it just mean you’re human. Be kind to yourself. (Yes, I know I already said this multiple times)
13) Switch it up
If you find yourself stuck on one project and you’re starting to get frustrated or feeling uninspired about it, just switch to something else. Grab another weight of yarn, another size needle and cast on something new. Sometimes a change of project can do wonders for your creativity. And while you’re at it, why not switch scenery, too? Maybe you’re used to knit sitting on your couch, so why don’t bring your project to another corner of the house? Or outside, maybe?
Conclusion
Getting out of knitter’s block can be challenging and could take some time, but it’s definitely possible. By allowing myself to take a break, finding inspiration somewhere else to get my creative flow back, reorganising and rediscovering my stash, and casting on a small rewarding project, I was able to rediscover my love for knitting. Find something that works for you and (can you guess it?) be kind to yourself if this doesn’t work right away; you’ll get there, I promise.
Remember, (almost) every knitter goes through this phase – and you can overcome it, too!
Happy knitting!
—Elisa
PS: If you have any tips or experiences to share about overcoming knitter’s block, feel free to leave a comment below. Let’s support each other and keep the knitting community thriving!