The Unlikely Tool That Transformed My Knitting: Why You Should Time Your Stitches

Let’s be honest. If you’re a knitter, you’ve probably fallen into the yarn vortex. It’s that magical, time-bending space where you sit down to knit "just one more row," and when you finally look up, hours have evaporated, your tea is cold, and you’re not entirely sure what day it is. I live in that vortex. For years, my knitting was a purely intuitive, almost mystical process. I’d cast on a project with a vague sense of hope and a beautiful skein of yarn, and I’d finish it… eventually.

This approach felt romantic and free, but it had its downsides. I’d constantly underestimate how long a gift would take, leading to frantic, late-night knitting sessions before a birthday. I’d buy a pattern that looked amazing, only to abandon it halfway through because it felt like a never-ending marathon. And if someone asked me how much I’d charge for a pair of handmade socks? I’d just stare blankly, unable to even guess the hours I’d poured into them.

It wasn't until I stumbled upon a forum thread where knitters were discussing timing their sessions that a lightbulb went on. A timer? For knitting? It sounded almost sacrilegious, like trying to put the ocean on a schedule. But I was intrigued. I decided to try it, just as an experiment. And honestly, it has been one of the single most transformative habits I’ve ever introduced to my craft. It’s not about racing; it’s about understanding.

Why Bother Tracking? It’s About Insight, Not Speed

The biggest misconception about timing your knitting is that the goal is to become a "fast" knitter. While you might naturally get quicker, that’s just a side effect. The real magic is in the data you gather. For the first time, you get a crystal-clear picture of your own unique process. Think about it: knowing your average time to knit, say, 100 yards of a specific yarn weight can be a superpower.

Suddenly, project planning becomes a breeze. That adult-sized sweater pattern that calls for 1,200 yards of worsted weight yarn? Instead of guessing it will take "a while," you can make an educated estimate. If you know you can knit about 150 yards in a focused hour, you can calculate that the sweater will take roughly 8 hours of pure knitting time. Broken down into 30-minute sessions, that’s just 16 sessions. It immediately makes a huge project feel achievable and manageable.

This insight is also absolutely crucial if you ever plan to sell your work. Pricing handmade goods is notoriously difficult, but when you have a log of your hours, you can set a price that truly reflects your labor and skill. It moves you from "I guess this seems fair?" to "I know my work is worth this amount." It’s a powerful shift in mindset that honors the time and artistry inherent in a handmade object.

How to Get Started (It’s Simpler Than You Think)

Getting started with timing is incredibly easy. You don’t need any fancy equipment. The stopwatch app on your phone is literally all it takes. The method is simple: when you sit down to knit, start the timer. When you get up to grab a drink, answer the door, or get lost scrolling through Instagram (we’ve all been there), pause it. When you come back to your needles, resume the timer. That’s it.

The key is to be honest with your pauses. The goal is to track active knitting time. At the end of your session, jot down the total time in a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a dedicated app. I personally love using a simple notes app on my phone where I have a running entry for each Work-in-Progress (WIP). I’ll write the date and the time, like "Jan 1, 2026: 45 minutes." Over time, you’ll have a complete log of the life of your project.

If you want to get more granular, you can take it a step further. Some knitters like to time how long it takes to complete a full pattern repeat, or a single sock, or ten rows of a shawl. This can give you even more detailed data for future planning. There are also fantastic knitting-specific apps like My Row Counter or Ravelry’s project pages that have built-in timers and progress tracking features, allowing you to keep all your notes, photos, and timings in one organized place.

It’s Not a Race, It’s a Conversation

I want to end by circling back to the most important point: this is not about pressure. If timing your knitting ever feels stressful or robs you of your joy, then it’s not the right tool for you, and that’s perfectly okay. The goal is not to compete with anyone else’s speed or to hit a certain time goal. It’s a private conversation between you and your craft.

What I’ve learned from this practice is that my knitting speed changes depending on my mood, the complexity of the pattern, and even the color of the yarn (I’m definitely slower with black yarn at night!). It has taught me to be more mindful of my process and to appreciate the ebb and flow of my own creativity. It has given me the confidence to tackle larger projects and the data to value my own work properly.

So, the next time you pick up your needles, consider starting a timer. Don’t think of it as a clock you’re racing against, but as a friendly companion documenting your journey. You might be surprised by what you learn and how it deepens your love for every single stitch.