Sunday, March 14, 2010

What's Your Motivation?

Lately I've been pondering what drives me to start new projects when I have other projects that are still in the works. I've got about four total knitting projects on the needles, and am already contemplating starting other projects that have caught my fancy. Also, I've got about a dozen sewing projects in mind, and I find it difficult to finish one project before I start a new project. Do you have this problem?

My conclusion is that I think I like to learn new skills and techniques, so when I feel like I've got the hang of something, I'm ready to move on. Case in point, I'm currently working on a duvet cover (amidst a few other things) for my sister and soon-to-be-brother in law. Already I have learned how to sew with piping, match up patterns on a big project, and how to do buttonholes. Now, these probably seem very basic to anyone who has sewn for a long time, but seeing as how I only picked sewing back up about a year ago, this has been quite a big project for me. Now that all I have to do to finish the project is sew the top and bottom pieces together, I feel my motivation beginning to wane.

The same is true for my knitting projects. I get excited to start a project that has new techniques in it (cabling, yarn overs, color work, etc.) but then once I master the new skill, I'm ready to move on to the next new thing.

So, what's your motivation? What gets you excited about new projects?