It may look like I’m cheating on my shawl project, but I’m not. Not really, anyway.
Say hello to Mirasol Nuna, a yummy blend of wool, silk, and bamboo. The desire/need to knit another Swirl hit me while at Stitches East, so I purchased a skein of Nuna and a couple skeins of other yarns to audition for Going Green. And I have a mighty strong urge to be swatching all of them.
But how to ensure that Progress Happens on the shawl, even while being tempted by Swirl startitis? As an experiment, I’m testing out a two-tier version of tried-and-true MDKR (Minimum Daily Knitting Requirement) program.
Being a process knitter with limited attention span, I find it easier to complete large projects – like a shawl – if I set for myself a MDKR. For the shawl, it’s currently 2 rows per day... a paltry amount, really, but enough to ensure that Progress Happens, for two reasons:
- It gets me started. If I pick up the shawl and knit 2 rows, I’m likely to keep going and knit a few more.
- If I don’t complete today’s MDKR today, I have to make up for it tomorrow... in addition to tomorrow’s own MDKR.
That’s the usual single-tier MDKR system. Here’s where the second tier comes in: each day, I’m going to see if I can avoid swatching for my next Swirl until after I’ve completed 8 rows on the shawl. Two rows remains the daily minimum (to be completed the next day, if need be), but 8 rows says “enough with the shawl; let’s swatch!”
Will it work? It’ll certainly move the shawl along. But will progress on the swatches be agonizingly slow? I’ll keep you posted.
I'm currently on swatch #2 for the "Plum Perfect" swirl. (I was thoroughly smitten with your Swirl at Sock Summit ...) Though I also have 2 different pairs of socks in progress -- or at least, on the needles. (Progress has not been made on these particular socks for some time.) I'll have to figure out my own criteria as to which I want to make the priority -- I rather think the socks as having them both unfinished is making me twitchy. I have to give this MDKR idea a thought ....
» Sarah JS
Do it, Sarah! Pick your priority project, then pick a paltry MDKR. Give it a week, and see how much progress you make... and if the twitches go away.
» JC