Project Ideas

So I see the question regularly online, what's the best project to start doing a certain type of knitting. I think I'd get shot down regularly for my answer but it would be "whatever makes your heart sing"

Yes. Forget easy, forget what techniques you don't know how to do. If a project makes your heart sing you will work out what needs to be done to make it happen.

What is making you scared of a project?

You don't have the skills? If you know how to knit and purl you know most of knitting. You can use a swatch to try out some of the other issues, to work out if you're happy with the combination of stitch and yarn and needle. If it isn't working out there is nothing wrong with ripping it out and re-purposing it. If you don't get the result the first time you knit something you've still learned something from it. Maybe that you need more practice at it, making it again maybe. Maybe when you're done with the pattern it no longer sings to you and another one speaks out. It's a continuous forward journey this knitting.

I know that sometimes what looks complicated isn't. Sometimes the pattern that makes people gasp and wonder at your mad skillz is in fact pretty easy and the wonder is caused by clever manipulation of stitches. Stitch by stitch it builds. Stitch by stitch it comes together. It sometimes reminds me of Cross Stitch. You start, you stitch and stitch and there comes a moment when it moves from being a mess of stitches to a something. That often happens with a lace pattern too, it starts off being yarn overs and knit stitch togethers and then suddenly it becomes something.

Never feel you can't. You can. You just have to believe in you. Believe that it's possible. And you know if your heart isn't made to sing by jumpers/cardigans/sweaters/large projects then DON'T DO THEM. Always follow your heart with craft, particularly if it isn't your job, because then it will always be something that fills your heart, not something that brings it down. Never feel you should do something. If you really want to know what it's like to knit a particular kind of garment and you're not sure, make it baby sized and give it away as a gift. It won't take long and if it doesn't interest you it will be over soon. Some of my best projects have come from a moment where I've wondered how it was done and my curiosity got the better of me. Allowing a childlike glee loose is sometimes the best thing you can do with craft.