Sticking it out: some encouragement?

[Tinkerbellforever]

Maybe this could evolve into a knitter's block encouragement thread, I dunno...

I keep trying to start larger projects [sweaters, capes, etc.] and I just can't seem to push myself through them.
I'm just so tired of making scarves and hats...
And then I come hear and read about all you amazing folks who can churn out a garment in a matter of hours, and I just wonder why it isn't happening for me. 
I'm usually a very fast knitter for the length of time I've been doing it, but I'm kind of discouraged and annoyed with myself for not being able to finish things.

So for those of you who pushed your way through your first garments like I'm trying to do, any encouragement or wisdom you can offer on how to finish things?
[or maybe some projects that will knit up quickly I can start with?]

[colorlessblue]

my mother just discovered my hiden stash of yarn and not finished projects and gave me a big lecture about how i never finish anything... what makes it all worse is that the weather here doesn't allow me to make hats and scarves, so everything i make has to be bigger. mind you, these are crochet projects. as i knew she would do that if she discovered it, i didnt even let her know that i learned how to knit, and i'm keeping the needles and the knit started projects in the other hiding place she didn't discover yet
what i keep repeating to myself is, i'll finish it all. one day. don't ask when.

[knittinfiasco]

Actually, I think there are very, very few who can make a sweater in a matter of hours.  Maybe with big needles and yarn.

I've done a chunky sweater.  It took me a long time to finish (seams are not my friends. I started it some time in the spring and finishes in August).

Knitters have different temperaments.  Some HATE UFOs (unfinished objects). 

I have a lot (although I call them WIPs--works in progress).  When I get inspired, I work on a project.  I've frogged a few.  Some repeatedly.  I've even frogged FOs because I decided I wasn't happy with the fit (yarn is reusable!).

Knitalongs are intended to be encouraging.  Seeing other knitters' progress can inspire people to keep up.    Plus if you have trouble, you can post about it and people can help.

[charaxesdistanti]

I have this problem a lot. I always start something and I don't even try to finish it, I frog it.

I hate having things sit there so that is why I figure I will make something else, I think what works best is making something you really really are excited about.

I noticed that I get in moods where I will more than half a sweater in a day, but don't want to touch it anymore afterwards.

Just try to find yarn you love and a design you love too.

[ThreadOrYarn]

Actually, I think there are very, very few who can make a sweater in a matter of hours. 

I can make a baby sweater in 8-12 hours. Does that count?

[landry]

I definitely agree with knittinfiasco that seeing others' WIPs and FOs is very encouraging. Are you on Ravelry? I find that keeping up with people's progress on Ravelry on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan motivated me to keep going as well, even though I found the stockinette portion extremely boring.

[Mnemosyne_LA]

I made a little dress for my niece who just turned one and I swear it took me a full freakin' month just to make the skirt.  It was just round and round and round in stockinette.  It's what Stephanie Pearl-McPhee calls the black hole of knitting.

Basically, I just gritted my teeth and worked on it every day at lunchtime for about 30 minutes.  Then I'd put it away and work on something more fun at night because it was driving me so crazy.  And, eventually, I escaped the black hole and finished the stupid thing.

I know "persistence" isn't what you want to hear, but that's what it is.

Either that, or take up sock knitting.  Socks are small and you can do some pretty cool and complicated stuff with them.  And you can wear them year-round if you make cotton-blend ones.

[Caclark4]

I also try to categorize my knitting into "brainless" and "not-quite-so-brainless."  I review movies and that is where I do my brainless knitting since I need something that I can drop easily when I need to write something down.  Its also a nice place to do the boring things like stockinette stitch in huge quantities.  When I'm at home watching television, that's when I do my not-quite-so-brainless knitting. 

[beckey23]

I find that a big pile of chick flicks and some candy (not to sticky or melty of course!) can help me get through the boring bits of projects. I also tend to have numerous things going on as well so if something gets on my nerves I can put it down and do something else for awhile. I hope that helps.  As far as people doing a sweater in a matter of hours, wow. Who knits that fast?

[grusinskaya]

I know the feeling! Last november, I started a sweater that called for size 2 and 3 needles with fignering weight yarn. I didn't finish it until the very end of this august, partly because the gauge was so small, but also because I just got so tired of working the same lace repeats over and over again. Still, I pushed through and finished it. I definitely got a little bit discouraged by it, but I found that breaking up the knitting into chunks really helped. Try just knitting for a half hour to an hour per day, and I promise you, it'll get done eventually.

Another thing that helped was the fact that all of my friends, housemates, and coworkers kind of got invested in the progress of my sweater. They saw me working on it all the time, and so they'd always ask about my progress. It kind of motivated me to finish it, in a weird way.

Anyway, I hope this helps!