Finishing Your Crochet WIPs: Tips to Finally Get that Project Done!

If you’re like me, you have several projects and crochet WIPs laying around the house, all in different stages of completion. You pick up a project, excited to make this super special thing with the prettiest yarn you have, and you get about a third of the way through before you abandon it for another project. Or it gets complicated and you want to start something else. We’ve all been there. But it is possible to actually finish your crochet WIPs! Today, I’ll be sharing some of my tips for getting those projects done and enjoying the time you spend on them!

What is a WIPs?

So, if you haven’t heard the term before, a WIP is a work in progress. It can be for anything really, but you see in a lot in crafting terms for all those half-finished projects we can’t seem to make any headway on. Sometimes it’s just about having the time to finish your current project, but usually, we need a little extra motivation to break through the creative funk and get things done.

Staying interested in a single project when there’s so much to make is a constant struggle. But these are some of the tips that help me finish my crochet WIPs and I hope you find them useful. If you have any of your own tips, please share them in the comments! I’m sure we can all get something helpful from each other. 

Tips for Finishing Your Crochet WIPs

Tip #1: Get Organized!

Getting your projects organized is the biggest way to help you actually get things done. Keeping everything in your head and having a mental list of projects can quickly become unmanageable and there’s no way of really seeing how much you need to do for each project. So take the time to get everything organized so you can start fresh. 

Go through your crochet WIPs and place each project in its own Ziploc bag with all the information you need for that project. For this, I like using my Project Tracker Pages because I can write down all of the information I need to keep track of. 

I write done the name of the pattern and designer, the source, and a short description of what the project is. Plus, there are spaces to include what yarn I used, along with color and dye lot #s, what hook or needle sizes, when I started, and any additional notes I may need. Then I just keep that page and a copy of the pattern in the bag with the project, so I have everything ready for when I want to get working. 

This is also a great time to make a list of all your crochet WIPs and how far along you are with each one. Having a list handy can help you decide what to work on first and mark things off as you finish. I also have a free printable WIP Tracker you can grab below!

#2 Purge the excess!

As you’re going through your WIPs, feel free to weed through the projects you’re no longer interested in finishing. There may be some items in your stash that you don’t even remember what they were. You may have projects you really don’t like the style of anymore. Whatever the case, I’m sure your stash is harboring a couple of pieces that are more about getting them done than actually enjoying the time and finished piece.

Unless it’s something you intend to give someone, there’s no point keeping a project that you don’t like anymore and don’t want to work on. Frog it and reuse that yarn for something you do like! 

#3 Start with easy wins!

A great way to get yourself motivated to finish your bigger WIPs is to start with the small ones first. Finishing those projects that just need a finishing touch or a couple of hours of work really helps to get the ball rolling. You’ll be able to cross them off your list and that productive energy really gets me excited to tackle the bigger tasks.

If you need to buy more yarn to finish a project that would otherwise be done that day, go ahead and get the yarn so that the job is done. This is something I tend to get stuck on because I’d rather buy my yarn at once when I know everything I need, but then several projects pile up just waiting for that one trip to the craft store. 

Related: How to Read Yarn Labels

#4 Avoid Distractions

Life can get super busy and sometimes the only reason a project isn’t done is that you got distracted by something else. Try to minimize the little things that eat up your time- things like browsing Pinterest, watching Facebook videos one after another, and constantly checking your phone. They’re little things that add up and now your 1 hour of free time to crochet has dwindled down to 15 minutes. 

Create a cozy little crochet space for yourself free from distractions. Put on some music, or a podcast, or make it a movie night where you can just have something playing while you crochet. If you can, let the people around you know that you need this time (it doesn’t have to be long) to work on your project. Having dedicated time to get something done really pushes you to work on whatever you set that time for. 

Bonus: try to keep other projects and yarn out of sight while you work on one so they don’t distract you either! I like to keep my current project near my desk where I work on it and the other WIPs in a separate bin out of sight so I can finish one thing before moving to the next. 

Related: Yarn Storage and Organization

#5 Rotate your Crochet WIPs

Okay, this might sound like the opposite of that bonus tip about but hear me out. If you find yourself getting bored with your WIP and wanting to start something new, rotate to a different WIP instead. Creative people like having options on what to do, that’s how we ended up with these piles of WIPs in the first place! Next time you find yourself getting bored of that blanket that’s taking forever, pick up a smaller project from your list. A quick win will keep you motivated and you can cross another WIP off that list!

Like resources? Check out these planners for makers designed just for you!

I hope this post helps you get to tackling that stack of WIPs and finally getting some of it done. These are the tips I personally use to keep myself going when I know I have a lot to make, but I’d also love to hear what works for you! Let me know your favorite ways to manage your crochet WIPs in the comments below.

If you need help getting your crojo back and feeling motivated to pick up that crochet hook, check out this post. I’ve shared my top 6 tips on how to get inspired again when you’ve been in a rut. Knitting and crochet should always be fun and relaxing so I hope these posts bring some of that back to you! 

Related: How to Get Your Crojo Back

Thanks so much for reading. If you liked this post, please subscribe to the newsletter below! Just enter your name and email in the box below and I’ll send you free patterns, tutorials, tips, and more in the weekly newsletter. You’ll also get tips and freebies that are only available to subscribers!

See you soon 🙂

---

Visit my pattern shops on Ravelry, Craftsy, and Etsy to buy the printable PDFs of all my patterns. They're ad-free, comment-free and your support helps me run The Blue Elephants so I can continue publishing free patterns here. 

My material lists sometimes include affiliate links (denoted with a *) for which I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I personally use, love, and recommend. You can read more about this in my Disclosure. 

I worked hard on this pattern, so please be respectful and do not sell or redistribute this pattern as your own. If you sell finished items made using this pattern, credit The Blue Elephants as the designer and link back to the blog post or the Etsy pattern link. For any other questions, read my Terms of Use or contact me. 

---