Monday, November 18, 2013

When Knitting is Like Weight Loss


I've been working on my most challenging project to date for nearly two months now.  As I was stitching away on it the other evening, I began to realize that the way I've been approaching knitting this sweater was similar to my experiences with losing weight, which made me understand why I'm not wearing a completed sweater right now.

Here's the deal:  I haven't been knitting on this sweater like I should.  I'll admit, it's mentally challenging to work on something where you don't see quick change, unlike a hat or a mitten.  It's something I need to do every day, whether I'm in the mood or not, because I know that eventually I'll look at it and be astounded by the progress I've made.  But I have to admit that after the initial thrill of starting the sweater, and making it through the first few parts that turned yarn into the beginnings of a garment, it's become a bit of a slog.  Round and round and round and round of knitting the body; it's a double seed stitch, which means I'm changing every stitch, so I can't just go on auto-pilot and mindlessly knit because sure enough, I'll get off track and all the time I put into it will be wasted, as I'll have to undo back to where I made the mistake.

And if I set it aside to do something more fun, guess how much progress I've made when I come back to it?  None.  Which makes me think, gee, if I'd only spent a little more time on this I'd be so much further along by now.  The end result - having a finished sweater - depends entirely on me.  No magical elves are going to make this happen, no amount of wishing from me will complete it; I have to put in the effort in order to finish this sweater.

Once I realized this, I saw so clearly the weight-loss/dieting correlation.  Knowing how hard it was for me to commit to losing weight that last time makes me see why I keep setting this sweater aside for quicker, easier projects.  I wanted an easy reward (quick hat = 5 pounds lost); I was willing to jump in and start the process, but my interest flagged once I reached the point of simply putting in the work, day after day, without another reward appearing.  Sure, looming far, far in the distance was the promise of losing a lot of weight, or ending up with a beautifully-knit finished sweater, but right now?  I wanted to do something where I could see the results if not immediately, well, pretty darn soon. 

I don't think it's wrong to want instant gratification in both weight-loss and in knitting, but it is a bit illogical.  There's a reason why things take a while to complete and a big part of that is appreciation for all of the hard work put in along the way.  And I'm going to try and remember that as I knit on this sweater, every day, even when I really don't feel like it.

19 comments:

  1. You did a great job on your weight loss and that's why I'm sure you are going to finish this sweater too. There will be a moment that you put your heart and soul into finishing this sweater, like you did on your final weight loss attempt, and you will finish and wear it proudly!

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    1. Thanks, Fran - yeah, I just need to get back to the grind with the sweater...

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  2. ebook ebook ebook ebook
    THIS IS SUCH THE PERFECT FODDER FOR AN EBOOK!!!

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  3. I got a big chuckle out of the title! And of course loved your analogy.

    Since I read your whole archives in one sitting, it was so interesting to see how you would have periods of impatience (when you didn't get that quick 5 pound weight loss) and times when it seemed like you just wanted to put it down and work on a mitten (mixing analogies here!) but then you just kept with it and look where you ended up--a brand new RUNNING SHELLEY!

    Regarding the sweater, I've heard a lot of people talk about committing to just 10 minutes a day. And if you work on it every day, I bet the seed stitch will get a lot more automatic. It'll never be fast, but you won't worry so much about making a mistake and missing it.

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    1. I like your 10 minutes a day thing - I was aiming for an hour a day but failing at that...

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  4. Well, I know zip about knitting but I can relate to this:

    And if I set it aside to (do) "EAT" something more fun, guess how much progress I've made when I come back to it? None. Which makes me think, gee, if I'd only spent a little more time (on this) EATING HEALTHFULLY I'd be so much further along by now.

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  5. What Carla said :) Great analogy! And once again, it's like you and I share a brain sometimes. I was thinking today how I need to engage in a hobby (I used to cross stitch), but I know me and I will get halfway through the project and set it aside forever. I've definitely done that lately in terms of weight maintenance. You mean I have to do this ALL THE TIME? ...sigh...

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  6. Awesome analogy, Shelley! Pretty sweater-in-progress, too! :)

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  7. I couldn't agree with you more Shelley. Just like anything new, its fun in the beginning! Meal planning, exercising, drinking water - go me! And then that starts to fade, rather quickly. Somehow since June I've kept my switch on, and I could not be happier. I think this New Years will be the first time I can say I've lost weight (if I stay on track I will have lost 26 pounds since June 1). What a refreshing way to start the year!!

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    1. Very happy for you that your switch has stayed flipped! :)

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  8. Love the comparison! Now you are making me think long and hard about why I haven't finished my daisy blanket. Maybe I am looking for that quick gratification.

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  9. Great analogy!

    So I know a lot of people who aren't seeing scale results get the "reward" feeling from calorie counters or activity trackers... maybe they need more knitting apps!

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    1. You are onto something with the knitting app reward!

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  10. Nice analogy, Shelley! Sometimes I get annoyed at myself because I think - if I had just been disciplined for the last 8 months, think of where I could be? Maybe I need to knit LOL!

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  11. Thank you for this post...I needed this post???

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