Over the past few months, I’ve cast on for a dozen projects and yet I’ve bound off hardly anything. Not a single one of my projects has managed to keep my attention for more than a few rows at a time — this has been incredibly frustrating for me because I knit to relax and it’s become somewhat stressful to feel like I need to keep going on projects that hold no appeal.
And unfortunately, baby blankets don’t knit themselves… I’ve got knitting deadlines!
So when two of my favourite knitters suggested that we should all knit the Doctor Who-inspired Bigger on the Inside scarf, I inwardly groaned. After all, I’d already bailed on our mitten knitalong earlier this year (once I realized the mittens were working up too small, I lost interest) and I was worried this project would meet the same fate.
Thankfully, the friendly pressure to keep up helped enormously; twice I wanted to pitch the whole thing, needles and all, in the garbage — despite my best efforts, I couldn’t memorize the lace repeat so the top of the scarf felt like it took eons to make any progress — but I persevered because I was determined not to drop out. Again.
And, lo and behold, look what is now finished!
That’s right, I’ve got a lovely row of TARDISes topped with beads to mimic the flashing light on the iconic police box.
I’m so pleased with this — not only have I (finally!) completed something, but I also seem to have moved past my knitting slump. I’ve even picked up one of my shoved-in-a-corner projects and I feel a renewed sense of enjoyment in feeling the yarn move between my fingers and in hearing the clicking of my needles.
As for the scarf? I’d love to have kept it for myself (it’s lovely! and squishy!) but it’s heading up to Camp Mini-Yo-We on Sunday with my favourite Doctor Who fan, Elizabeth, who will be working at the Outdoor Centre this year while she considers her future plans for school and beyond.
There’s a lot of love (and perseverance!) knit into this scarf so I’m hopeful that whenever Elizabeth wears it she’ll be reminded of just how much we love her.