I recently came across the Knitting Psychos blog and saw a link to Manda's "Finish or Frog 2008" list. This got my juices going about doing my own Finish or Frog experiment and maybe bringing some of you along for the ride.
To gain inspiration I went straight to the source and talked to Manda about where the idea came from, how it's going and why she was compelled to finish or frog her projects.
About: How did you come up with the idea of Finish or Frog?
Manda: The idea came about around the end of the year, 2007. I can't really say that I came up with the idea on my own, because several people were all sort of having the same idea at the same time...people in my knitting group, various blogs that I read, etc. I had a lot of projects that I wasn't working on, and various blogs around Blogland were starting their Knitting Resolutions and all of that, so it pretty much stemmed from there. I didn't want to end 2008 with projects that I started in 2007 or prior (like my fiance's afghan, which was two years in the making at that point... it's since been finished!).
About: What were your criteria for putting items on the list (anything unfinished, just old projects, etc.)?
Manda: Since it was sort of a Knitting Resolution, I put everything that I had on the needles at the time. Most of the projects were old and unfinished, but some I had just cast on right before making the decision to Finish or Frog everything.
About: How do you decide which projects to finish and which to frog?
Manda: My mood at the time. I'd pick up each project, ook at it, look at the yarn I was using. If I didn't feel like knitting on it, or I knew it wasn't going to fit, or didn't like the way it was looking with the yarn I'd chosen, I frogged it. If I liked it, saw myself wearing it or giving it to someone in the future, I kept at it. Or if I was really close to being done. No sense ripping all that work out if you're almost done!
About: How many have you finished? Frogged? Any new ideas for that old yarn?
Manda: I've finished seven projects and frogged seven projects. I have about five or six more to go, and two of them are at least halfway done. No plans at the moment for the frogged yarns. Probably just different patterns whenever the yarn tells me what it wants to become!
About: Do you think you'll make it through the whole list before the year is over?
Manda: I have no idea! I have two blankets on the list, and they're blankets that are made of squares that I need to sew together (the Mitered Square blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting and Lizard Ridge from a previous issue of Knitty). I don't have all the yarn I need to finish one of the afghans, and the other is just a "whenever I feel like it" project. With the exception of those, I think it's possible.
About: What has the response been from people who follow your blog and podcast?
Manda: I haven't really done a major update. I think it was kind of big at the beginning when everyone was interested in progress and what so-and-so had on the needles compared to themselves, but now I don't think there's much interest. It's more for myself than for anything.
About: Anything else you want to add?
Manda: It's definitely been a great motivation. If you have a ton of projects, I seriously recommend it. It makes you think about things that are just sitting there and if they can be re-purposed. There's no sense in letting great yarn go to waste.
