5 Ways to Knit What You Want and Reduce Anxiety

I have bipolar disorder. It's something I've been very open about. I also have OCD. And neither of these are the quirky cute crap you see on Facebook with obsessive dog disorder and bipolar weather. No the real, crippling, debilitating disorders.

Today, I realized I am manic. I am thoughts racing, anxiety ridden, never finish anything, believe I'm invincible manic. And because of this I have 0 desire to finish my knitting WIP. In fact, I have a deep seated NEED to cast on Vanilla Extract Socks by RizzaKnits and a Honey Cowl. Seriously. Toe up magic loop socks. I have a MIGHTY need. They're ADORABLE. Nevermind that I only have size 2 magic loop needles. I'll make it work.

But. I also have many, many current projects.

Seriously. A lot. 

But. I am a well oiled machine when it comes to mania. 

So since I know a lot of knitters have a lot of projects too, I decided to make this list. 

5 Ways to Knit What You Want and Reduce Anxiety

1. Project bags. No, I don't mean go buy 75 more. I mean that you should come up with a set number of projects you feel comfortable working on on a daily/week basis. Then pull that number of bags out. For example, I can knit four without an impending sense of doom. So I have 4 bags I use, which means 4 active projects. Everything else?  Well, that leads us to: 
2. The Void. Everything your not working on? Put it in The Void. A bag or a plastic tote box. Something you can seal to keep things like dreaded moths away. Things in there don't count. And when you find yourself thinking "Wow I want something quick and easy!" Go through The Void before you go through your patterns! You might find something that strikes your mood. 
3. Notes. So. Many. Notes. With every project before you place it in The Void, write down everything you can think of! Gauge, number of stitches, pattern repeat, needle size, everything. This helps when you decided to pick it back up again! You won't find yourself ripping back because you don't know what pattern repeat you are on. 
4. Bags, on bags, on bags action. I put every individual project in its own zip lock bag. This means when I want to pick it up again all of the yarn is together. It also means there are less tangles in everything. 
5. It's okay. I promise. I know that sometimes you just really want to cast on some thing with that new yarn, but you have an overwhelming amount of anxiety or guilt over your other projects. They won't have hurt feelings. They understand that wacky hot pink MCN with green speckles is an attention seeker, it needs to be made into socks now or it'll clearly die. No one is judging you, we've all been there. Take a deep breath and remember you are going to be okay. You'll get to it someday, and if you don't? Oh well. Knitting is for enjoyment. Enjoy it. 

That's all the advice I really have. So now, if you'll excuse me, I have the cutest ever pair of toe up socks to knit. Seriously. 

P.S. here is a Linkity Link  to RizzaKnits on Instagram, thanks for answering my question so quickly, Cassondra! 

P.S.S. here is a LinkyLinkLink to my friend ArmyWifeKnittingLife (Jess) new blog! Go read!!!