have settled in. I have lost my enthusiasm for yarn, patterns, and everything else connected with knitting, and even the new yarn shop that opened nearby (well, 45 min. away) cannot get the spark going. I have bought lovely baby alpaca for the shawl I intended to knit Daughter #2 for Christmas, but now I doubt my choice of both color and pattern and can't get started. Have plenty of yarn for nearly any project that could come to mind, but cannot get excited about anything. Please tell me how to get back into the knitting groove! I want to, I REALLY want to!!

Strikker

Oh dear. I'm sorry. It does happen. It may be a compost time for you. Try not to force it. I get this way when I have several 'have to' projects or my stash begins to bully me. Give knitting a rest, and look for a bridge project that has some tinge of naughtyness (as in maybe I shouldn't do this but it's too much fun to not) and get the juices going with that.
meantime relax, and see if your creativity is looking for another outlet. Like shooting peas or watermellon seeds at dandylion clocks, stomping bubble wrap, or finding some adults who would be willing to play hide and go seek.
good fortune to you

What I do when I get burned out by any technique is find something else to make instead. I cross stitched until I couldn't stand the sight of aida material any longer. Then I was crocheting my heart out, until I couldn't stand the feel of crochet thread. I fully expect to do the same to myself with my knitting. I'm an "all or nothing" type. So when knitting loses it's thrill, I'll go back to cross stitch or crocheting or find something else. But none of those lose their appeal for long.

I empathize with you. I just can't get myself motivated either. Downloaded a bunch of patterns, sorted, put them in their holders and then put them away.
Luckily I have a lot of other crafts and the supplies lying around so started a latch hook rug that has been percolating in my brain for ages. Have about 3 ft of it done so far and by the time I get the other 6 ft finished I think knitting will be a welcome relief. DH wants to know why in heaven I am making a big, mainly white rug for this house. Have no idea, but it will look fantastic when it's done.

I often wonder about this as well . . . I have pretty much knitted and just kept on knitting. However I have had breaks some what self imposed because of travel, work or some such thing. Then I am back at it again.

May be just put the stuff away, go for more walks, read more books, and just let it sit. Then may be a nice cool crisp fall day will come along and you will just need that yarn sliding through your fingers!

I have had this most of the summer. Maybe with cooler weather I can get going again. If I could find the argyle sock and mitten I did for level 11 I would feel better! Glad I am not alone.

I hope you find the missing items! I wonder what safe place you put them!??? I hate when I do that!

We could always use the tried and sometimes true adage They'll be in the last place you look". Have always hated that saying as why would anyone keep looking if they find what they want?
I have been looking for a new top and cardigan that I ordered for DGD and finally realized that I left them lying on the floor next to the garbage can by the desk and picked the bag up and threw it in the trash while on a cleaning fit. Never even opened the package. GRRR!! Hope I don't do any more idiotic stunts like that. Now I have to get more yarn so I can make them.

I can definitely relate to the tossing out bags ladywildcat. I am in the process of a move to another state and have been emptying cupboards, cabinets and all my other hiding places realizing that I have way too much stuff. I had just recently received an order from Webs that contained 10 skeins of yarn and a pair of their new needles. So in a desperate moment of needing a box, I emptied the contents from Webs into a bag and left it setting there. Same story...in a fever of tossing stuff out....OUT WENT THE BAG! I was SICK...that was over 100.00 just tossed out! Lesson learned? ALWAYS remove orders from box and put with stash!
The movers come this Saturday and it is not soon enough for me, I just want to get in the new place and settled in.

That's just...depressing!

Ed,
I am so sorry about that! Yikes!

My dad always made us check through the ripped wrapping paper and empty boxes at Christmas, and one year he finally told us why. Seems that one time, when he was a boy, a relative gave another relative a very expensive imported Irish Linen tablecloth (LARGE tablecloth! Back when dining room tables easily held 10-12 people) and it was left in the box amongst the ripped paper and someone came along and just scooped up everything and threw it all out. It apparently took a while (or maybe they burned their trash), but once missed a frantic search ensued and that was the conclusion. Sad.

It's nice knowing I'm not the only one, but it still makes me mad. I'm the one who always goes though the wrapping paper, checks the grocery bags and cleans out the pockets so nothing goes missing, now this. Thankfully I hadn't told anyone that it had come or I would never live it down.

When that happens with me (like the never-ending afghan I'm making for my niece) I do one of two things:
1 - I start something small. I'm always making mittens, but socks or a small cap will do too.
2 - I take a few days off. By the end of the time period I've decided on, I'm itching to get back to it. The time period (three, five, seven days) rules!

I hope you're back to it son!
Louise