What do you do when you’ve lost all motivation to knit? When you pick up a pattern, a yarn, a knitting magazine and nothing hits you? I’ve been in a slump all summer (it’s not hot here so that’s not a problem) and have actually been giving away a good portion of my stash because I don’t feel “called” to any of them. I made a shawl which turned out too short but my swatch didn’t stretch when blocked so I’m afraid if I try to block the shawl the yarn will get all funny and won’t be able to reuse it. I have a pair of black socks on the needles (yes, how inspiring is that?) and nothing else. I have two baby cardigans that only need buttons but keep putting it off. Perusing patterns is not stoking my inner knitter. In the meantime I’m reading and puzzling but somehow, ridiculously, I feel guilty for not being productive while watching TV (my usual time for knitting). I hope it comes back.
We’ve all been there, @annekepoot !
For the baby cardigans, promise yourself some awesome treat when you get either or both done. It could be something as simple as a trip to a new-to-you yarn store (no purchase necessary), a banana split, an untried flavor of tea, or whatever floats your boat.
Have you ever tried to design something yourself? It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated, so something like pulling out a stitch dictionary, finding a pretty pattern, then figuring out how many stitches to cast on to make a simple rectangular scarf or shawl with it. Or add one of those nifty stitch patterns to an otherwise vanilla pair of socks (note that some stitch patterns either don’t stretch much at all or will have unbelievable stretch, so you have to watch your stitch counts).
And maybe you just need a break. Try some other fiber-y craft, like crocheting or macrame. Or some non-fiber activity. No one says you have to knit ALL the time!!! It’s supposed to be fun, remember? It may be a good idea to let those knitting batteries recharge a bit by staying away for an extended period of time.
Hugs. 
@ankepoot I feel for you but we’ve all been there I’m sure. I know I have been.
When that happens to me, I don’t fight the feeling, I just move on to something else that peaks my interest. I do a variety of hand crafts (knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting, etc.) so there is always something else I can go to. Right now I have been crocheting but seem to be uninspired with it as I am finishing up a baby blanket. So I’m taking a break from that and making a few fleece baby blanket quilts. As I make things now for donation, I feel good about being productive…it’s just in a different way.
You might try that. There is no need to feel guilty about it and those WIPs will be there when you feel like getting back to them. At that point you will probably whiz through them reinvigorated and wanting to get back to those needles…the good kind!
I have promised myself a special treat when I finish a WIP.
(used to give special treats to the kids when they finished a reading goal book. So I thought maybe I would try this motivation on myself.)
It kinda worked…a couple of times.
I have used as rewards:
…a trip to my favorite yarn/craft store.
…a trip to purchase a treat. (a new lotion, a dessert, a soda, a special coffee, fresh onion rings…etc)
…a trip to the book store.
…a time set apart to watch MY favorite movie.
I hate getting stalled out on a project at then end. Can’t tell you how many times I left a project with something simple needing to be done to it. That final border needs to be put on, or buttons, or something else equally as simple. Sometimes I wait and do a bunch of finishing all in one week.
I joined a group here on fiberkind and we are trying to get goals accomplished in the month of September. For me that means finishing things up so my fall/winter knitting can get done…and so I can enjoy doing that knitting without looking at my unfinished stuff.
I have recently volunteered to sew in the ends of a quilt my daughter made. She hates sewing in the ends. She untangles my really bad knots and helps me learn new stitches. And I don’t mind the sewing in of the ends. I find it kinda relaxing.
Mentioning that cause maybe you can trade with someone. If they finish up something for you…you will let them choose a yarn from your stash or sew in their ends or something.
I hope you find motivation soon. And if not…that’s ok.
You don’t have to feel guilty about watching a movie and not crafting. Zillions of people do that and are never called out for being lazy.
I think my husband calls it…relaxing. :o)
Had to add:
Along with this philosophy of waiting until you are in the mood, comes a downside. I was reminded of when I was a young mother and ironing was still something one did for little girls clothing especially.
I hated to iron! I rarely use the word hate, but I hated to iron.
I had my little girl with all her pretty frilly little dresses that went along with her and the ironing basket began to fill.
End of story? She outgrew the clothes before I ever got to iron them!
So sometimes putting something aside until the mood returns isn’t such a good thing.
I still think in the OPs case that it is.
I’ve been there. Be kind to yourself. Not saying this is necessarily your problem, but most of us need to acknowledge that what the old site did was very traumatic to us. I know I spent a lot of time on there and it rocked me to my core.
I do appreciate everyone’s comments - I’m still not motivated 
but I do feel encouraged and know that some day I’ll get back to it with enthusiasm. And @Hellokitten I did wonder if that was part of what’s impacting me. I feel a little deflated - but hey, first world problem!
@annekepoot It’s OK to be unmotivated for a while. I’m kind of feeling that way right now myself. Sometimes it helps to take a short break and find something different to do - a completely different type of craft or even a different activity altogether. Hey! Maybe it’s the right time to organized your closets or your craft stuff (if you’re not already organized). Sometimes designing something yourself or just finding a project that stretches your skills can help. Sometimes it’s OK just to feel unmotivated and not do anything about it for a little while. 
I’m trying to get my motivation back, but I’m still annoyed by the whole Ravelry thing, it’s HOT and STICKY here, and August/September is one of my busiest times with work. I am doggedly working on a boring project (with beautiful yarn). I will keep working a bit each day because I want the FO for a trip we’re taking next month, but I haven’t started anything new. That’s OK though…I’ve been filling extra time by going to the gym every day, trying to get ahead on my quarterly accounting (exciting, right), trip planning, and studying my SCUBA stuff. (We’re getting our certification and advanced certification on this upcoming trip.) So I haven’t just been sitting around and that makes me at least feel productive. I’m hoping that by the time it starts to cool off (if it EVER does), that I’ll be more enthusiastic about my yarn and needles.
Thanks - I wish I could say it was hot and sticky here - one of my church friends said to me yesterday - hey, did you know that in the last 90 days we have had seven days with temperatures over 72 degrees? We have gone from spring to fall here. Another of my friends posted about 3 weeks ago that we had had 54 days with rain (and it’s currently raining now) since June. It’s the summer that never came.
@annekepoot I’ll trade weather with you. It’s usually dry here by July, but this year has been very humid. I love cooler weather. If it was in the 60s all year round I’d be thrilled. I guess the good thing about Oklahoma is that as beastly as the summers usually are, our winters are generally mild. At least this year our summer temps only exceeded 100 for a few days. We’ve had years where we’ve exceeded 30 days in a row with 3 digit temps.
Well, I’m motivated now - just not for knitting. :rolleyes: I had 70 kit bag blanks handed to me to sew up so I’ll be at the sewing machine for a while - maybe when I come back - I’ll be inspired to knit again.
That will keep you busy
@annekepoot Join knit alongs - Sock Knit alongs, felted bowl knit alongs, sock knit alongs, WIP knit alongs, stash buster knit alongs - all sorts of knit alongs going on in this website! If you need help finding one let me know! Until then, it’s OK - you’ll get your mojo back.
I always have a WIP and a few more planned. The political stuff turned me off very briefly, and I still have to figure out how to use my blueprint classes without giving royalties to people who hate me, but motivation is always there. I do need to work on this stah problem…
I agree with @Hellokitten . The R thing hit me hard as well. I believe it severed some ties to the world of other knitters.
Perhaps finding some peeps to get together and knit with will be helpful. If there isn’t a LYS or perhaps a podcast. Seeing others projects can be inspiring. Also check to see if there are charities that have an urgent need.
And just maybe the break is all that you really need.
I’ve been pretty much stalled too since leaving R. Most things I try get unraveled yet I still want something to work on in the evenings. So I started yet another pair of socks. This time instead of two helical stripe socks I made myself use three yarns. I’m pleased to have found a method that is working well. They’re coming along nicely. Hopefully my motivation is getting better. I need to make me a sweater soon.
When I left that other site I found that I missed viewing the mass amount of pictures that flowed in daily. My motivation slowed for a week or so. Then I realized that really what I use sites for is Inspiration. Not motivation. Motivation to me is the ‘why am I making this’. Inspiration is the …help me find something to make.
The two cross in my life when I see something that makes me think…Wow…that is lovely, I really want one of those.
To find my own inspiration…I first organized SOME of my r library. I had downloaded everything. And it is still a hot mess on my computer.
What I have done so far is look thru everything and print out the ones I was most likely to make before November.
then I organized those paper patterns.
When that desire passed I switched to searching Pinterest.
Lol…that is a huge rabbit hole and I can accidentally be on there for a long, long time.
What I have been missing lately is a way to find out what the colors, styles are going to be popular this winter.
(By popular I mean…what colors, patterns, etc will be the latest ‘must have’ or what others are doing right now.) I usually look thru those to figure out if I
want to make something that is trendy. I will wear what I like. However, others I know would appreciate my gift more if it is in the new colors, or in the new style. And by the time I see the newest thing in the stores there isn’t time for me to actually make something…I am a slow crafter.
Last year I had many requests for gray.
I think gray is still very big.
Etsy has a blog for sellers, and they send out emails to shop owners saying what’s going to be big in the upcoming season. I don’t know how accurate they are (I delete most of them, I admit), but it would be a place to start!
I find I actually finish more and am happier with my projects. The deluge of elaborate patterns made me feel easily discouraged and not quite adequate. I don’t buy expensive yarns and don’t have the time for the increasingly intricate designs. I agree with color selection, but I can usually go to a department store website (like Bloomingdales or Saks) and see what colors will be hot .I also find that their sweater styles and scarf/shawl styles are a lot less complex than those on the other site, and to me that is a motivator. I no longer feel that I have to get that extraordinary lace.