While crocheting has been around for thousands of years, I only found my love for the act in 2020. I learned how to do it when I was very young, but I didn’t find my stride until I was stuck at home during the pandemic. Ever since then, I’ve been a crocheting machine. Whether it be scarves, blankets, bags, plushies or really anything made with a hook and yarn, I’ve tried it all.
Do I see all of these projects through until the end? Of course not. In fact, it might be generous to say my project completion rate sits at around 40%. I’m eager to pick up new patterns, quick to buy more than the required amount of yarn and sure to lose my momentum shortly after starting. It’s hard to walk a few feet in my home without stumbling upon one of my works in progress.
Finish or frog?
While my case may skew to the extreme end, I am far from the only person with this problem. There are quite a few fiber artists and creators that I follow that openly share their collection of unfinished projects. Every once in a while, they dare to do the thing I’m too scared to do and ask the age-old question:
Finish or frog?
It’s not like we start working anticipating that we’re going to give up in a few days. Surely, I’ll come back to it soon, right? Yeah, I rarely do and I’m far from the only one. For many of us, there can be a strong sense of guilt associated with frogging a project. When I hold a piece, I can practically feel the excitement I had when I first picked it up. The only problem is that that excitement has faded over time. Even if I don’t feel it anymore, I still struggle to pull it out.
At its core, it all comes down to the sunk cost fallacy. Even with years of experience, crocheting and knitting takes time. That half of a sweater in that bag? That’s 30 hours of my time. And that blanket I started as a birthday gift for my friend two years ago? There are weeks invested in that! Pulling out all of that progress would mean that the time I spent creating what I have was wasted.
Purpose of hobbies
But not every hobby needs to have something to show for it. Hobbies exist to bring the individual a sense of relaxation or pleasure. I don’t look at my friend who loves running and ask for some sort of proof of how they spent their time. While it’s certainly nice to have a completed object in the end, there’s nothing wrong with not reaching that point. It is the act of crocheting that I love. The new scarf-bag-blanket-plushie is just a plus.
If the guilt surrounding pulling out a project was bad, I can assure you that forcing yourself to finish a project you’ve moved on from is worse. This isn’t to say you should abandon every project you start. Completing a project comes with a great sense of accomplishment, but trudging on just for the sake of having it over with is not the way to go. Doing so often might even begin to make working on your craft a chore. That’s just not what a hobby is for.
So don’t be afraid to bust out that yarn winder. Let any guilt or shame be undone with every pulled-out stitch. Do not think of this as a failed project. This is an opportunity to breathe new life into old materials. After all, yarn isn’t cheap.
