I have been reading and thinking a lot lately about the way we are tempted, and even manipulated, by companies that want us to hand over our money to them. In my blog post about retail manipulation I shared some of the research on how stores intentionally place items, advertise them and offer us coupons along with great pricing to activate our desire for a hit of dopamine, a brain chemical that is associated with (temporarily) feeling good.

The whole Joann’s bankruptcy and closing debacle started me thinking about all of this, my love of fiber arts, and how some of that “addictive” behavior around shopping ALSO shows up in other areas; like when I have multiple WIP’s sitting around waiting to be finished, and yet my impulse is to start a new project. The lovely shawl pictured here is a great example.

I started this shawl last Summer when I purchased multiple skeins of this wool. I love working with this wool, the colors and the pattern, but I grew tired of working on it and was tempted to do other things. There’s no “crime” in this, but 8+ months later, when I was thinking about starting another poncho, I looked over at the yarn bag with this 75%-complete project in it, and had a talk with myself.

I realized that I had stopped working on it because it no longer excited me. I was bored with the now-familiar and less-fun process of finishing it. I was MUCH MORE interested in choosing some new yarn – whether I went out and bought new yarn or shopped my stash for yarn that I forgot was here.

Credit to myself for being more skilled lately in resisting the urge to run to the store and buy new yarn, but still I recognized a similar emotional response to the desire to jump into a new project and leave this one languishing in the yarn bag, unfinished.

The research on dopamine, and how it impacts us, is fascinating as I have noted a few times in earlier blog posts. This interest led me to a book by Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist, who wrote “dopamine nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence“. The book is a great read or listen (available as an audiobook, which is terrific for fiber artists!) and it speaks to this issue of our near-constant search for happiness, pleasure and feeling good, and how those impulses, if unrecognized or controlled, can negatively impact our lives. The examples she shares from her years in practice range from addictions to sex, substances, and even reading. I’m not done with the book yet, so unsure if she’ll have a story of a crafter or fiber artist, but I recognize the thought patterns, justifications and compulsions in my own life, and realize that the impact and outcomes are similar, regardless of the specific nature of the addiction.

As a quasi-rational person I was able to reason that the money I had invested in the yarn (well over $150) along with the time I had spent working on the shawl up to this point, were reason, enough not to abandon it. I also realized that the initial jolt of excitement I would glean from getting a new project started would be negatively impacted every time I walked past, or remembered, this project-in-waiting. Nope. It was time to finish this shawl.

I don’t disparage having several different projects going on. Sometimes we aren’t feeling the crochet vibe and would rather knit. I have a smaller knitting project that is also in progress and it’s my “portable project” that can easily be taken along to places where I may find myself with some time to spare. There are places for large bags of yarn and a big project, and places where a smaller and more streamlined project are a better fit. I also have a couple other projects in progress such as some soap sacks, scrubbies, and another knitted pattern that I’m not sure how I feel about yet. There’s a subtle, but significant difference for me between being in the mood for one project over another, and avoiding one to jump into a NEW one. I’ve done enough “work” over the years to understand the signs and to stop and check in with myself to see what’s really going on.

To be clear, there would be no “crime” in me buying new yarn and starting a new project. But similar to an additional handful of potato chips added to my evening snack, there are always tradeoffs when we give in to impulses contrary to that still, small inner voice that is telling us to take a pass. The “penalty” for the extra chips may be feeling overly full, experiencing guilt or feelings of failure, and even weight gain if the habit persists. The tradeoff for giving in to a continued avoidance of this project might have included adding to the clutter of unfinished projects around the craft room and house, guilt (definitely) and possibly spending money that I don’t need to spend.

I have learned to pause and ask myself to at least give the seemingly-unexciting option a try before chasing the shiny, new object and have found that once I make that pivot, I’m fine. It took practice to get to this point, but I am now better able to stop the impulsive reaction and make a more reasoned move, and in that process have discovered that the end result is satisfying and even empowering.

I’m actively working on the red, white and blue wool shawl, and enjoying it as much, if not more, than any new project I could have started. I also have a sense of satisfaction that I am intentionally and mindfully engaging in my fiber activities.

With any luck, I’ll finish Dr. Lembke’s book right about the time I am stitching the last row of my shawl, which would be a picture-perfect ending for BOTH activities!

(C) 2025 Fiber Harmony