Apologies to the actual scientists in the group...
I feel like knitting projects have their own forms of action potential (which is the closest phrase I can think of to describe the likelihood that a project will move from a pattern in a book or on the web to an actual finished project). The first form of action potential is what drives people to put a certain project into their queue (a phenonmenon that is a lot more measurable given Ravelry) and the second is the action potential associated with taking a project either in the queue or not and starting a project.
I decided to try my hand at making a decision matrix for my next knitting project. I took a few random projects I had either queued or had been thinking of queueing and calculated the cost of each project. The goal (normally) is to pick a lower cost, highly portable and wearable project that I won't find boring. In about that order too. Of course, there are plenty of other criteria that I could have used (including a simple yarn in stash or a fluffy 'top of the mind' type criteria) that might change the complection of this project a bit.
Unsurprisingly, the socks ranked high on cost and portability (and wearability, because I will wear hand knit socks with almost anything).
| Project Name |
(as written or subbed) 5 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Blue Sweater | High (1x5=5) / Med. (2x5=10) |
High (3x3=9) | Med.(2x4=8) | Low (1x2=2) | High (3x5=15) |
44 |
| Estes Vest | Med. (2x5=10) | High (3x3=9) | High (3x4=12) | High (3x2=6) | Med. (2x5=10) |
47 |
| Footlights Cardigan | Low (3x5=15) | High (3x3=9) | Med. (2x4=8) | Med. (2x2=4) | High (3x5=15) |
51 |
| Abigail Tee | High (1x5=5) | Med. (2x3=6) | High (3x4=12) | Low (1x2=2) | High (3x5=15) |
40 |
| Lissajous Socks | Med. (2x5=10) | High (3x3=9) | High (3x4=12) | High (3x2=6) | High (3x5=15) |
52 |
| Hanami Stole | Low (3x5=15) | High (3x3=9) | High (3x4=12) | High (3x2=6) | Med. (2x5=10) |
52 |
| Knotty or Knice Socks | Low (3x5=15) | High (3x3=9) | High (3x4=12) | High (3x2=6) | High (3x5=15) |
57 |
Project Cost is inverted in priority (Low=3, Med=2, High=1).
But if I don't want to knit another pair of socks? I do have a few sweaters on the list and then wearability comes more into play. A sweater is only really wearable to me if I can wear it at work. If it shows too much tattoo, then even if it is gorgeous it won't get worn as frequently. Can't offend anyone's delicate sensibilities after all.
So, what will I be knitting next? First, I'll be finishing Picovoli and probably a pair of socks this week (I'm on sock 2 of a plain picot pair). Then I have a vest that I should have finished last month, which has side seams and the edging to do. Heck, I even have a couple of projects from last month or older that I never got around to blogging. Once I'm done those, I'll decide. Logic would say that I should make the Knotty or Knice socks, and I might do just that. Or I will have forgotten all about this exercise and have chosen something completely different.
