Can’t get no…

Not from my current projects, anyway. There’s Pomatomus. The first sock is done, and I fear I’m going to be joining the movement at just the wrong time. It’s not that I don’t like the sock, even though it looks pretty crappy off a foot.

On the foot it is gorgeous and comfortable. I love the pattern, its cleverness, its simplicity, and I love the yarn so much hubby is starting to be jealous. I think it’s just that this is my main (only?) project right now, and a 1×1 rib sock is inherently slow, for me. I dunno. Whatever the reason, I’m just not feeling the love to cast on for the second sock.

With the alligator scarf finished, and a day-long game with friends this Saturday, I decided to cast on a simple stockinette sock for some mindless knitting. After three different attempts, I finally found a stitch count that would work for my feet and prevented pooling. It’s striping, of course.

(That’s artyarns ultramerino, in 3×1 rib.)

…which means a short-row heel, and I’m not even that crazy about the striping. I tend to like it on other people’s socks, or when the yarn is absolutely self-striping, but it’s not working for me here.

So okay, I rip this out and rewind the yarn and maybe try to find a baby sweater pattern that will use it, and give the resulting sweater to my colorist for her first baby. (Got any favorite patterns?) But… where’s my next “wow” project? The big thing that keeps me going, and excited, with breaks for socks or baby sweaters? I look at my queue on ravelry, and shrug. I browse through my stash, and shrug. I just don’t know what to do next, I guess.

Any recommendations, commiseration, or tips for getting that mojo back where it belongs? What do you all do when boredom strikes?

25 thoughts on “Can’t get no…

  1. I hear you – every now and then my mojo just up and leaves me. I do three things to get it back.
    1. Look at what other people are doing. Excitement is contagious! 2. Flip through my stitch dictionaries and pattern books, especially the more unique or challenging ones. 3. If all else fails, take a complete break from knitting, and do non-knitting related activities. Nothing like a little withdrawal to get those juices flowing again!

  2. Honey, if you’re looking for sock mojo, well I am not the person to be talking to! But I have a TON of hat ans scarf mojo right now, why not a lovely, muter Noro garter st scarf à la Brooklyntweed??

  3. ok…that should have read ‘hat and scarf mojo’ & ‘muted’:)

  4. I agree with the above comment…I look at what other people are doing. I love reading blogs. I get so much inspiration and excitement from seeing other people’s work 🙂

    I like that striping on that yarn…must just be me?! I think it looks great!

  5. Sometimes when that happens I just sort of sit back and ignore the knitting. Eventually the spell comes back over me. One row (Harlot) scarf in the prettiest yarn in the stash, perhaps?

  6. The knitting is so lovely, I hope the mojo comes back soon!

  7. I like the stripes. I hope your mojo comes back soon, but I don’t think it can be forced. Like everyone else I find blogs very inspiring, but sometimes I also need a little break.

  8. I’m probably the worst person to give advice about this particular subject. My KH cardigan has been on hold for months, ever since assignments started being assigned last semester. I’m just impressed you got that far!!

  9. I just have a break for a bit then think about what I would really love to knit. It doesn’t have to be practical or for anyone, just a frivolous knit in a skein of special yarn. Its an excuse for browsing the yarn shops too!
    How about a lace scarf, or some nice sock yarn to knit gloves, scarf or a toy?

  10. I totally went through this about a month or so ago. No inspiration. Try cruising Ravelry or the blogs to see what is out there. A trip to Webs this weekend got my mojo all juiced up again. If not, a break is not a bad thing!

  11. You have so many pretty yarns in your stash! (That Foxfire… swoon!) Is there something luxurious you’ve been saving them for? Maybe now’s the time to break them out!

  12. I know how you feel. I’m feeling the same way. My queue is inviting me, but the process of figuring out gauge, yarns, the inevitable arithmetic is daunting, but I can’t even seem to get a sock going.

  13. When knitting ennui strikes, I tend to sit back and read the blogs. I don’t necessarily go looking for inspiration (though that’s generally what happens), but rather I enjoy living vicariously. Somewhere along the way, I get all fired up again. Many times I get struck by an urge to work a specific technique (lace, colorwork, etc.) and that determines what the next project will be. Good luck to you. But I’m not too worried. As far as I can tell, your mojo never goes too far for too long.

  14. I tried Potomous socks for about 30 seconds, and gave up. Yours looks beautiful.
    To keep motivated – well, I often try to cast both my socks on at the same time (not the both socks on one needle technique) so I do all the cuff (one, then the other) then all the leg, etc.
    And I do find that somehow I work faster with more projects going. So when I can’t stand 1×1 rib I work on some straight garter or cabling or something different. Then, when I go back to ribbing, I am all jazzed to not just garter stich any more.

  15. oh, i am so with you. i have some nice projects on the needles, but no desire to knit them.

    i think what i need is a brand new, exciting sweater to work on. maybe you need one too? 🙂

    i do love the pomatomus sock, but if it’s not exciting you, it can wait for it’s mate.

  16. I’ll tell you what works for me. On a warm day in winter, frog all of your nagging UFOs. On the next cold day, flip through knitting patterns for cold weather accessories. 🙂 Sadly, this results in few FOs.

  17. Oh no! What am I going to read when my favorite blog looses it moho? I hope it comes back soon. Maybe a very nice intricate lace shawl? But I know what you mean. I am inching along on my UFOs and not feeling like starting anything new either. I hope Autumn Rose will do it for me though.

  18. I flip through all of my old knitting mags and new fashion magazines. Eventually something hits. If not I cruise the net for inspiration of some kind. I would suggest searching for a yarn that screams at you but you may not want to enlarge the stash, which this inherently involves.

  19. Oh, my gracious. It was Pomotamous that started my second sock ennui. Just get it done and over with or it will sit forever! If you rip the sock, you can knit an EZ baby sweater, baby surprise maybe? When I start to feel blah about the knitting I play with fabric or a bake something.

  20. Your Pomatomus looks soft and squishy – I hope that someday you will make its mate : ) and I like the striping you’ve got going there, but if it doesn’t do it for you…

    I surf blogs & Ravelry for inspiration and/or go through my books and magazines.

    P.S. I’m so behind on commenting, but I loved all your holiday gift knitting (HoJo is especially wonderful!) and your little guy looks so cute in his alligator scarf!

  21. I look through every damn magazine I have to help me find something new to knit. I’m in that place now. I feel your pain.

  22. This past weekend, with husband out of town (don’t want to scare him) I lined up all my UFO’s and covered the floor in the living room. Then, with coffee in hand I sat on the couch and looked at the volume of it and considered carefully what I could finish quickly. When my coffee was done I walked over and picked up that project and in a couple of hours replaced it in the line up but now as an FO! I’m now on day 5 and not only am I now flying through the completions I am loving everything! I will sit on that couch today and see more FO’s than UFO’s and it feels great.

    ‘Good thing too because hubby’s plane arrives at 2:00 today!

  23. Beautiful socks! But I know what you mean about the mojo. I’m on the cusp of finishing up a big sweater and I seriously don’t know what to do next. And the saddest part is that I have absolutely no sock mojo lately. Then again, I do have a couple of other things to keep me occupied in the next couple of days. 😉

  24. I hear you. I’m in a rut of an entirely different sort, but still knitting. (Everything I’m doing is my own design, and at this point it all requires math – I have no brain, hence no progress!). Here’s my advice:

    1) Cast on for the second red sock. You only have to do about 5 rows, but that will make it ready and surmountable later. Just do it.

    2) Rip out the striped sock. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it – screw it. If I dislike something that early in the process I always rip.

    3) Start something absolutely wild with great yarn. It doesn’t have to be in your queue and it may be better if it isn’t. Don’t worry about whether it is practical, just make sure you love it. If you can’t seem to do that, pull out a stitch dictionary and swatch – that always helps me.

    Good luck!

    xox, J

  25. Well, I’ve been completely swamped with work and other obligations, so little to no knitting lately. May I point out that this has made me crazy for time to knit! We humans tend to want at least a bit of whatever we can’t have… perhaps you need to take a small break and do some other things if nothing is giving your knitting zip just now. Hope you find something to enjoy soon.

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