snowfallknitter

[snowfallknitter]

When the Yarn Loses Its Spark: Coping with Burnout and Reclaiming Joy

Knitting has always been a joy for me, a safe haven if you will. It is a meditative, tactile way to unwind after a long day or express creativity in a tangible form. There’s something magical about turning a ball of yarn into a scarf, sock, sweater—or even just a swatch. But somewhere along the way, what once brought calm and joy can start to feel like... a chore. Currently, I'm working on multiple projects while also using knitting to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A lot is going on, and I have a full-time job on top of it! It's hard to maintain that spark while working towards multiple deadlines.

Yes, knitters get burned out too.

And it’s not just knitting. Any hobby, no matter how beloved, can become a source of stress if we’re not careful. Maybe you’ve taken on too many projects, agreed to knit gifts on a deadline, or compared yourself too much to other creators online. Suddenly, the peaceful act of stitching one row at a time feels more like work than pleasure.

Why Burnout Happens

Here are a few common reasons burnout creeps into creative hobbies like knitting:

Overcommitment: Saying “yes” to too many projects or requests.

Perfectionism: Feeling like everything has to be flawless or match some ideal.

Comparison: Scrolling through perfectly styled Instagram grids and wondering why your sweater looks a little... lumpy.

Monotony: Sticking to the same patterns, colors, or yarn types for too long.

Pressure to be productive: Treating your hobby like a second job rather than a source of rest.

Signs You Might Be Experiencing Knitting Burnout

You haven’t touched your needles in weeks (or months), but the guilt still lingers.

You keep buying yarn but never feel excited to use it.

You start projects and abandon them halfway through (again).

You feel like you should knit, not that you want to.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and more importantly, it’s okay.

How to Combat Hobby Burnout

Take a Break Without Guilt Put the needles down. Literally. You’re not failing or giving up—you’re resting. Walk away for a few days, weeks, or even months. The yarn will wait for you. Creativity can’t flourish under pressure.

Reframe the Relationship Try thinking about knitting (or any hobby) as a relationship, not a task. Relationships change over time. Maybe your needs have shifted. Maybe you need to fall in love with it again—on new terms.

Start Small Again Return to the basics: a dishcloth, a simple beanie, or even a square. No pressure. No deadline. Just stitch for the sake of stitching. Rediscover the rhythm without needing a finished product.

Switch Things Up If you’re bored, challenge yourself! Try a new technique, different yarn weight, or something completely outside your comfort zone—like tapestry knitting or making tiny knitted animals. Newness can refresh the brain.

Unfollow, Mute, or Step Back from Social Media If you’re constantly comparing your work to others, take a digital detox. You don’t owe the internet your progress photos. Knit for you.

Connect with Real People Attend a knitting group or chat with other crafters. Burnout often thrives in isolation. Talking about your frustrations and joys can make the experience feel lighter and more communal.

Give Yourself Permission to Quit That project you’re dreading finishing? Frog it. Donate it. Repurpose the yarn. Letting go can be incredibly freeing. Not everything you start has to be completed—especially if it’s draining your joy.

Knitting, like any hobby, is supposed to nourish you—not drain you. If you’re feeling burnt out, remember: the spark can return, but only if you give yourself space and grace. You don’t need to earn rest. You’re allowed to do things just because they feel good—and to stop when they don’t.

And who knows? One day soon, you may find yourself reaching for those needles, not out of obligation, but because you’re ready to create again, one stitch at a time.

[snowfallknitter]

when e.e. cummings said “i’ll live my life if it kills me”

[snowfallknitter]

isn't it crazy that a woman being gender nonconforming literally just requires her to exist in her own body without making any changes whatsoever. why does the fact that i don't wear makeup and i don't shave and i don't wear a bra have to be some political act. why can't i just fucking exist

[snowfallknitter]

hello physically disabled person reading this. it is not your fault that your medical supplies are made from a lot of single use plastic and you can continue using them guilt free. your health comes first. thank you for existing.

[snowfallknitter]

Art by .z zeng

[snowfallknitter]

Tumblr is super big on the "I didn't say it was good, I said I liked it" but really need to discover the value in its opposite of "I didn't say it was bad, I said I hated it".

You can acknowledge that something is good, great, a masterpiece even, and just straight-up not enjoy it.

[snowfallknitter]

"Why are the news outlets covering Pride more than they are the No Kings Protest?"

...why are we pitting two bad bitches against each other?

[snowfallknitter]

persephone and adam🔮

[snowfallknitter]

perfumes i think trc characters would wear or smell like

i happen to be very passionate about perfume; i'm always thinking about what characters smell like when i read and write. so i figured i would make a list of what the characters of the raven cycle smell like in my opinion :-) if you don't agree, that's a you problem ! ! blue sargent:

obviously, blue smells like essential oils. specifically: lavender and patchouli. there's no question about it. her entire room smells like them, she steams them, the scent follows her everywhere, it's also in her hair. lavender essential oil helps you sleep, it's a staple of every witchy household. i also believe she burns sage and incense in her room so often she chokes on the fumes in her sleep. perfume-wise, she would go for something marketed as gender neutral, with amber and smokey notes, with a hint of floral: passage d'enfer, by l'artisan parfumeur

it's one of a kind, it smells like old wood, church incense, and lilies.. :-) dick gansey (mint aside) : gansey has two wolves inside him: old-money, popular, rower in a private school; but also lonely, passionate old man trapped in the body of a teenager. he needs a perfume that embodies those two sides of him. let me introduce you to rocabar, by hermès.

timeless perfume, not ostentatious but respected name in the biz. potentially his dad's or his grandfather's perfume. quirky on a young man; it smells like a dandy fifty-year old. but it's also kind of unforgettable? cypress and cedar, resinous bezoin melting on skin? yeah yeah yeah. he only has this one. keeps it his whole life, people know him by it. adam parrish:

pre harvard, adam smells like soap. just straight up soap, the most basic scent of soap ever. potentially shampoo, but the kind of shampoo that just smells like shampoo (head and shoulders kinda smell?). during Harvard, adam invests in a perfume. at first he's looking for something gansey would wear, but doesn't go for rocabar, too expensive, too gansey. he goes for a day-time perfume, something you'd wear in an office. also, i'm convinced adam has Very Good Taste and is sensitive to Good Things. so he would do some research and find a brand no one knows about, but still offers pretty accessible, good quality perfumes, being broke and all. something like 701 by bon parfumeur

fresh, clean, still has an originality to it that makes people go: oh, what's that perfume you're wearing? and he thrives on it. post harvard, adam takes an interest in niche perfumes. he goes for amber smells. elegant, expensive ones that make ronan go loco in the coco, perfumes that denote taste. ambre russe, by parfums d'empire

it's luxurious yet tame, warm and skin-like, but also old books? so so sexy, classy, expensive, it's one of the most beautiful perfumes i've ever smelled; it belongs to my beloved adam parrish. ronan lynch: listen. you know that boy smelled aggressively masculine in high school. so you already know the one.

sauvage, by dior. the ultimate fuckboy perfume. my fucking nemesis. if you wear this, i hate you and you have ruined lavender for me. you can smell him from a mile away, it's like he showers with it. that ambroxan note will cling to your throat for ever. you know when he's in school because that ungodly, disgusting perfume follows him everywhere he goes. overtime, and hopefully, with the help of our beloved adam, ronan learns more about perfume, still keeps that interest in Aggressive Smells. he goes for oud. if he doesn't dream it, he buys it:

oud maracuja, by maison crivelli. let's even pretend adam bought it for him, just to make me happy. it's a sexy, sexy perfume. aggressive, but in the best way. leathery and fruity, just like ronan :-) noah czerny: rip noah, you would've loved to finish your collection of axe deodorants henry cheng: obviously, henry cheng smells like one million by paco rabanne.

it's loud. so so loud. and the funny thing about one million is that it gets a bad reputation, mainly because of that godawful bottle. also, it was very popular among teenage boys and young men, which, for some people, means that it's bad? but it's not bad, that's the thing. you want to hate it so bad, but it's warm, and sweet, and lingers very nicely on skin. you wanna shame whoever's wearing it, but in the end, you kind of miss the days when people wore it so much... i believe that henry follows perfume trends, meaning that as he gets older, he would buy santal 33 by le labo. a good perfume, just not the most original scent ever.

declan lynch: our favourite manwhore wears, undoubtedly, portrait of a lady, by frederic malle.

ooooh, and he gatekeeps it. takes it to the grave. everyone notices it, but he always lies about the name. it's his little secret. see, spices and roses make a famous combination in the perfume market, but portrait of a lady is the most beautiful one. once you smell this you can't go back. so poetic, one spray will linger for weeks on a jacket; but it's also a little unsual, it makes your head turn in the street, not something you'd expect on a man like declan lynch. he loves surprising people with it. it's iconic, it's the perfume of someone who knows their shit. also, it's ridiculously expensive, but the price is justified by the quality of the raw materials, declan argues. - special mention for my girl, hennessy: for a long time, hennessy wore her mother's perfume (something like guerlain's shalimar, or nina ricci's l'air du temps). overtime, she figures out her own thing. and hennessy smells sweet and sexy. she goes for something fruity, amber-y, but with body and strength, carried by a liquor-like note.

idk what to tell you, it's sex in a bottle. it's a bad bitch perfume, who has her shit together, who has money, who can fuck anyone. it's sweet but not too sweet, it's a little dark but also comforting with the milky note; you don't see it coming, the seduction sneaks up on you.

feel free to reply with your own takes and perfumes ;-)

[snowfallknitter]

blue sargent who ran away from home as a kid but got dragged back by the cops. who got told her true love would die, so she resigned to never love. who felt suffocated by her home town and her loving family and just needed to leave. who felt like her love results in tragedy, and that she would always be abandoned, by her father, mother, persephone, and someday her raven boys.

but blue grows, and learns that she can leave and come back. that she can love and be vulnerable to being hurt. she learns that she does not have to escape to become free, that she can have her roots, with trees in her heart and eyes on the stars, and that her love is worth everything. blue learns that her home and love are not her prison, they are her beginnings

[snowfallknitter]

Hilda by Duane Bryers

[snowfallknitter]

[snowfallknitter]

obsessed with how much consort gyokuyou is enjoying the miscommunication trope between maomao and jinshi. maomao doesn’t care, jinshi is speed-running all of the stages of griefs multiple times a day, everyone else is rolling their eyes, but gyokuyou? she’s laughing her ass off, she’s having the best time of her life

[snowfallknitter]

first day in the time loop it is not a loop yet. i go about my day and its a pretty good day and when i make my evening cup of tea i wish all days were like this

[snowfallknitter]

I’m a patron of the arts (I leave nice comments on aO3).

[snowfallknitter]

My reaction to Travis casually stating they've already recorded both seasons of Mighty Nein.