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A simple three-step process to break project paralysis and rekindle your love of knitting.

Indecision killed my knitting mojo. I had projects that I was looking forward to wearing.  Still, I couldn’t make myself knit a stitch. Summer 2025 was a rollercoaster for me, but external forces weren’t my problem. Living with the tension of unfinished projects stopped me from knitting at all. 

For a while, I didn’t know how to rev up my knitting mojo. I considered starting a new project, but that wasn’t the answer. 

It finally occurred to me that I’d taught a Fix it or Frog it class at Flock Fiber Festival in August. I decided to practice what I preached and use the approach to stalled projects I shared with Flock attendees.

Inspect

First, inspect the project. Make sure I have all the yarn and the pattern pages. Sometimes, things get separated in the heat of the moment when I’m mad at a project. I review any notes and figure out where I left off.

Evaluate

The next step is to evaluate what needs to be done to get the project back on track. Ask some of the following questions:

• Did I make any critical errors?
• Do I like how the yarn is working up?
• Is the fabric cohesive?
• Am I enjoying making this item?
• Do I still want to make this particular item?

If there’s enough of the garment knitted, I take it off the needles and try it on. It’s prudent to get a sense of how the garment fits before making any decisions.

Fix it or Frog it?

Once I’ve inspected and evaluated, the third step is to decide whether it’s better to fix any problems or frog the project and move on.

Let’s walk through the process with the projects that were languishing in my naughty corner. 

The Perfect Pairing Sweater

When I pulled the sweater out of the project bag, I remembered why I put it aside in the first place. I had raised the back neck too much, and that caused the front neckline to be way lower than I’d wanted. 

I’d also failed to pay attention to my raglan increases; there was an uncomfortable amount of puckering along my raglan lines. 

The try-on confirmed what I saw. The yoke of the sweater was wonky and puckered. I decided to frog my Perfect Pairing sweater and restart. I liked the color. I liked the fabric. I still wanted to have that sweater in my wardrobe. 

In the end, fifteen minutes of unravelling resolved the tension caused by months of indecision. That fresh yarn cake was so satisfying.

I was on a roll. Unburdening myself of that failed project released the burst of energy I needed to tackle the next UFO that was stressing me out.

The Tolsta Tee

There was nothing to fix and nothing that would need to be frogged. I was able to resume knitting my Tolsta Tee that same day. 

I won’t let a stalled-out project, or two, wreck my knitting mojo again. Instead, I’ll return to my process of inspecting and evaluating to help me decide whether to fix a project or frog a project. And just like that, my knitting mojo came flooding back.