A Good Binge
There are those who start a project and work through to finish that one project before they start another. Those people are known as Project Monogamists. Then there are people like me, Project Polygamists. Project Polygamists have a multiple projects going on at the same time. These projects are some combination of active or hibernating.
Lately I have been engaged in sorting, cleaning, and getting rid of lots of things in and around my home. That has led to me unearthing several inprogress projects that got put into hibernation mode for one reason or another. One was a bag to house a small iron. I remembered exactly why it had been hibernated—it needed lots of hand stitching. But when I looked at it I had the idea that one of my old sewing machines may handle some things that the modern one could not, and I was right! It took me about a half hour to get the machine set up and finish the project.
From there, I got inspired to start and finish another project I had been preparing—recovering a vintage hassock. I made a big mess when I took the old plastic cover off as, much to my surprise, the primary filling in the hassock was some sort of straw. That discovery added one more step, which was to make an inner cover to contain the straw before I made an outer cover. Still, the entire project took just a few hours, and I now have a wonderfully functional footstool in front of my chair.
In the meantime, I had been working along on knitting a sweater that I started one or two years ago. I wanted to finish it in time to get some wear out of it this winter. In order to focus on this goal, I put all my other knitting projects and materials out of sight and left this one project in a basket next to my chair. It paid off, because I finished the final steps as soon as I got up this morning and am wearing it right this second.
I recount all of this to point out one fun aspect of being a project polygamist—the satisfaction of a Finishing Binge. I did a knitting Finishing Binge a few years ago over a summer where I would finish something, wash it, block it, then carefully put it away for cooler weather. When late fall came along, I had a whole new wardrobe of hand-knits!
I joke sometimes about putting a frustrating project in the corner to think about what it has done, but this actually seems to pay off. Often I have put something away because of a problem or roadblock, like the aforementioned handstitching, only to look at it later with fresh eyes and sail right through to a finish. Other times I get out one of these hibernating projects and decide it is not worth any more of my time or effort. Those projects get thrown away, given away, or taken apart so the materials can be repurposed. These days, that is almost as satisfying as finishing.
As I write, another part of my brain is thumbing through the mental files looking for other quick-to-finish in-progress projects that I can add to my Finishing Binge. Simultaneously I am ignoring the part of my brain that is thinking of all the new projects to start. Such is the life of a Project Polygamist, but at least I am always too busy to get bored, restless, or into mischief! Surely there are more like me out there? SpringCreekArtsGuild@gmail.com