Little Wins Are Still Wins: Lessons from a Year-Long Sweater

I’ve been working on the same sweater for almost a year. It’s not done. It’s not blocked. It’s not even close to the finish line. But as I look at the pile of wool slowly taking shape, I realize something powerful:

This project is a story of growth, not delay. 

And every new skill I’ve learned along the way is a win worth celebrating.

We’re So Quick to Skip the Small Stuff

As makers, we often fixate on the final result. The cast-off. The blocking. The perfectly styled photo. But what about everything that happened before that? What about the stitches you had to rip back three times? Or the technique you practiced on scrap yarn, then dared to use in your actual project? Those moments matter. They’re often the real work — and the real joy — of crafting.

This Sweater Taught Me So Much

Here’s what I’ve accomplished in this “unfinished” project:

• German short rows — a technique I was scared of, but now use confidently.

• Picking up sleeve stitches — something I used to avoid, but now understand and even enjoy.

• Tubular cast-off — slow, meticulous, and oh-so-satisfying when it’s done just right.

  

  Picking up those sleeve stitches!

None of these are huge on their own, but together? They show growth, persistence, and a deepening of my craft. That’s not just progress — that’s success.

Why Celebrating Progress Matters

When we ignore the little wins, we miss out on:

• Motivation to keep going

• Confidence in our skills

• Joy in the process

  
  

You don’t have to wait until the sweater is done to be proud of it. Sometimes, success looks like a perfectly executed cuff. Or understanding a chart without googling every symbol. Or simply coming back to your project after a rough day.

If you showed up, you’re already succeeding.

Let’s Normalize the “Messy Middle”

Every maker hits that awkward in-between stage — where the project isn’t shiny and new, but it’s not finished either. Let’s normalize talking about that middle. Let’s celebrate the dropped stitches we fixed, the yarn we frogged and reused, the cast-ons that finally stuck. Let’s give ourselves permission to feel proud before the last stitch is bound off.

So today, I’m choosing to celebrate my unfinished sweater. Not because it’s done — but because I’ve done so much to get here.

And I want you to do the same.

Keep stitching, keep learning, and keep honoring every small step because little wins are still wins.

Crafting through chaos,

Stacie