Hello Mojo? How Do You Get Your Fiber Groove Back...
Lately I've found myself thinking more than once, "What would happen if I just. stopped. knitting." It hasn't been a nagging thought really; not a premonition exactly. More of a teaser thought...something for my brain to chew on to see how my psyche would handle it. Have you ever had that or something like it?
I found that each time it came across my consciousness, I was in the middle of either frogging a project, digging up my stash for something inspiring, or completing a row on something that I had no inclination to move forward with. Yep - the knitting blahs hit me. If you've read a few posts back, you'll see that I tried to remedy this feeling in the usual way. 
Palindrome Reversible Cable Scarf by Kristin B.
I admit - new fiber does a knitter good. My knitting mojo was definitely slipping away, and though buying yarn and knitting it up immediately didn't cure me, it certainly put me back on a more optimistic path.
3AM Cable Hat by SmarieK
Patons Classic Merino 100% Wool in Dark Grey Mix
Knit Picks Options US Size 7 (4.5mm), knit using Magic Loop
Del posted a while back a rather hilarious earnest plea to her knitting mojo - begging it not to be gone for good. Thankfully for all of us inspired by her great projects - it returned! I know that feeling though, that anxiety that this might just be your last stitch - even if it's just for a while.
We're not alone. On the current Stash & Burn Podcast, Nicole and Jenny discuss the conundrum of knitting burnout; they talk about how we can sometimes feel overwhelmed by all that we could be knitting and all that we want to knit. And of course we all know that spending time on Ravelry in the coveting and planning stages can seriously impact how much you actually do knit. But who can resist??
Now, when I use the term mojo, I should be quite clear. I'm not talking about some earth-shattering inspiration or something that only a long time knitter can claim. I just mean that groove. That feeling that you can pick up a yarn, find a project, cast on, and plow forward and knit and knit and knit until....It's that little spark you get when a new pattern is posted on Ravelry. That heartbeat skip you feel when your hand runs across a fiber you have yet to try. The tickle in your brain when you come to a point in a pattern and think "What if I do it this way instead." That feeling of comfort at the end of a row that confirms that this is precisely what you should be doing at that moment. That mmm mmm MMM. Know what I mean?
Swatching for Cozy
What do you do when that feeling is gone or slipping away? Do you woo it back? Do you tempt it with new fiber goodies and promises of simpler knits (More scarves! All garter stitch, all the time!). Or, do you just let it go and let it's absence drive you into the waiting arms of your other crafty loves?
If you've been through some version of knitting blahs or even burnout - how did you know? What was the first sign that something was "off" ?
Please share your stories with us! With any luck, this discussion might lead someone in our communKnitty back to their mojo or at least give them hope that it will return --in due time of course. Pull up to the Round Table and tell us...When your mojo has done up and left you,
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