January 7th, 2009

Committment

Thanks to everyone who commented or posted their thoughts on UFO’s on Twitter or Facebook.  I really enjoyed the discussion and everyone’s point of view!  Seems like it’s about 50/50 in terms of those of us who have lots of projects going all at once and those who have three or less at any point in time.

Several of you noted that you thought I was brave to show my UFO’s.  For me, showing the ones I’m walking away from was not hard at all.  In fact (and as I commented) it was quite liberating.  Saying “no, I just don’t like you that much anymore and I’m not going to give you another second of my time” felt awesome.

This next part is what I consider hard.  Sharing the WIPs that I am determined to finishing is much more intimidating.  This is committment – public committment.  It’s like saying “I love you” out loud for the first time, especially if the other person hasn’t said it yet.  My success or failure will be out there for all of you to see.  That my friends, is scary to me.  So, are you ready?  Not sure I am but the time has come.

Here are the UFOs, that are officially WIPs that I will do my best to complete:

This very sad piece is my Tilted Duster.  What is concerning is that I could swear I had completed both sleeves.  If I did, one is lost.  I hope that is not the case because that could result in a yarn shortage and trust me, this dyelot is long gone.  I’ve seen lots of Tilted Dusters around the shop and especially at Stitches shows.  I admire everyone of them and get a little pang inside about mine.  I love knitting with Peruvia – it’s a wonderful yarn.  Not sure why this never was completed, it just wasn’t.  Norah – please forgive me.

Next up is this little beauty:

My first (and only) top down sweater.  Now, I know Kirsten (our design coordinator) and prophet of the top-down technique just died a little inside seeing this sweater incomplete.  Again, this was another project I was enjoying immensely and I have picked it up from time to time.  I still have a ways to go, but the knitting at this point is very simple so I really have no excuse.  I’m using Dive Autunno which is lovely.  I know at one point during the year I panicked a bit when I thought I was short on yarn.  In cleaning out all my projects, I found additional balls, so I know I’m good to go.

For those of you who listen to the podcast, this one will pain ALL of you:

It’s my Staghorn Cable Tunic.  Oh gosh, I can hear you all yelling at your monitors from here!  I know!  How can this not be done?  I love the pattern, I love the yarn which is our own Northampton.  I pushed Kirsten to make this design come to life and here lies mine, life-less.  I’ve just got a bit on the front to finish then off to the back.

Here is the only yarn/project that our cat Abigail has ever shown any interest in:

This is a scarf out of Misti Alpaca Baby Chunky (yum!) and the design is my own.  I was inspired by a scarf in a catalog that was knit with cashmere and cost some obnoxious amount of money.  So I picked a cable pattern, figured out the math and off I went.  I often kept this project in my Lexie Barnes Flo, which has a hinged opening.  Anytime I left the bag open, I would find Abigail in the bag, on top of the yarn purring.  She has never done this with another yarn.  Maybe I should knit her a little cuddlie out of the yarn?  Oh, look, there I go again!  Thinking about starting something without finishing anything!

Another Scarf:

There’s nothing magical about this one, it’s more about principle.  It’s knit in Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted.  I liked the yarn and the color and wanted a scarf.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Then, there’s this:

This one hurts my heart that it’s in this state.  Hard to tell, but this is my More than an Apron from Crochetme.com.   I LOVE the design.  I started it almost immediately after it was published back in Spring of 2007.  There, I said it.  APRIL 2007.  Ugh.  I’m using Valley Yarns Southwick and despite my love of black, it was probably not the best choice and probably part of the reason it has yet to be finished.  I’ve frogged it a few times and now I need to figure out where I am.

Finally folks, I give you this:

Not a WIP yet, but it has to stay on the list.  Why?  It was intended to become a Log Cabin blanket.  I have been jabbering about wanting to make a Log Cabin blanket 4-EVA.  Originally, I was going to make on from Mason DIxon Knitting.  These colors were chosen to knit the Valley Log Cabin Blanket which uses our Valley Superwash (which is the yarn shown).  I picked different colors so that it could be used as inspiration for an alternative color combo.  One thing I know for sure, a log cabin blanket will be knit by me.  Might not be the one I was planning or in the same colors you see above, but I will do one.  I must.

Well, that’s that. Now you know what I’ve got to do.  Not sure what I’ll tackle first.  I have one other project on the needles that will come to TNNA with me.  That’s one I cannot share just yet and has a deadline.

So, what WIPs are you going to re-commit to this year?  C’mon, I’ve shown you mine, the least you can do is tell me about yours!

Kathy

P.S.  Sorry for the blue hues in the photos.  Not sure what is up with that.  My Staghorn Tunic is charcoal grey.

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  • http://www.spinningathena.blogspot.com kristin

    I love that you shared your UFOs. I really need to post mine on my blog just to kick my butt into gear. I want to finish my Anemoi mittens, Bayerische socks and the little Nordic sweater from Knitty (for steek practice). And knit 20% of my stash. I aim high.

  • http://www.yarn.com Kathy

    Kristin – no reason not to aim high! My motto is “Go Big or Go Home”. Thanks for sharing yours too!

  • melissaknits

    sniffle. no socks…. :(

    I want to finish Gene’s Dale pullover and my Radiance (how hard can that be??) by Jan 23rd. Then I am beginning this big plan to have a handknit Christmas next year, one project a month for gifting until November when I will flip into high holiday knitting gear. Also maybe write another book ;)

  • http://creativemisc.blogspot.com/ Wendy

    Not a comment on your UFOs, but the blue tint of your photos. : ) If you’re using digital, check your White Balance. You may just have the WB “temperature” set wrong for your lighting.

    I have SO MANY UFOs and WIPs that I scared myself when I started a list of them, more than a year ago. Some are packed away, some are tripped over daily. *sigh* My creativity has serious ADD… Best of luck with all your WIPs!

  • http://sojourner Diane Roeder

    Kathy,

    I look at those UFO’s and see so much potential. They could be fulled, cut up into patches, appliqued onto felt, embroidered and beaded. So much more fun than staying on a trail that’s gone stale!

    Diane

  • http://www.yarn.com Kathy

    MMO – Please do not fret over socks. I am carrying one over and there will be more. Maybe not your preferred way, but there will be socks.

  • http://www.yarn.com Kathy

    Thanks Wendy. My lovely Olympus died a painful, sunscreen drowing this summer. I took the opportunity to go lighter and slimmer and I have to say I just have not been happy. I carry my camera just about everywhere, short of the grocery store and I thought I’d be fine with a good quality, but smaller camera. Not so much. If you have some recommendations, I’d love to hear them. Email me at kathy DOT elkins AT yarn Dot com. Thanks!

  • Mary Jane

    Thanks for sharing! Until recently, I had so many project bags stuffed away that it took me most of an afternioon to find them. I reclaimed much of the yarn but held out several that still called my name. This was so liberating. My goal this year is to finish them and not have more than 4 projects at any one time-wish.me.luck!! And best to you to get yours done:)

  • http://www.yarn.com Kathy

    I think they have potential too, which is why they are on the keep list. Most look even worse than they are because they’ve been skrunkled up in small bags for a very long time. Poor things. I’ll be tickled just to finish them – added adornments would be beyond my dreams :)

    K

  • http://blog.berroco.com Cirilia

    Very brave! I’m with you, giving a stale project the boot is the greatest, I did a purge recently myself. I have an unfinished Enid cardigan that is so close to being done. I think the pattern is from ’06 =0

  • Nancy

    There were a couple of thoughts that came to me right away in looking at your UFOs: 1. Because of the KALs, you are required to begin projects on a regular basis; and 2. Maybe finishing the one closest to completion first would give you the needed ‘woo hoo’ to continue on the others? It looks to me like that top-down sweater would be the likely candidate.–For purposes of full disclosure, my top-down is about 5% finished! :)

  • http://madforknit.blogspot.com Carol

    I have to dig out my Tilted Duster too! The Peruvia is lovely!

  • http://twitter.com/vismajor Vismajor

    FWIW, I think you should eventually knit your cat a cuddlie from the yarn she loves. Or, given the contrary nature of most cats, knit “yourself” a cuddlie from the yarn she loves & just “happen” to leave it around for her. The Law of Cats says that if you spend the energy knitting it for her, she won’t want it. :)

    Thanks for sharing your FO’s with us. Don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you if you don’t finish the ones you shared today.

    I solemnly swear that I will knit a sweater *for myself* in 2009. I love (love!) sweaters & am always knitting for others, but I have yet to make a single sweater for myself… despite having ordered many sweaters-worth of yarn (mostly from Webs!!) over the past 6 years.

  • http://kirinqueen.livejournal.com Erin

    I have two projects that I haven’t touched in months or weeks; the rest of my WIPs have only been started in the last month or two and have gotten reasonable attention.

    First is my Lothlorien stockings (http://www.flickr.com/photos/82181006@N00/2569916241), which I was completely obsessed with for a couple of weeks last summer. (The first one is actually further along than this photo shows.) I set them down when I knew I wouldn’t want to try them on in the heat, and haven’t picked them up since. I was super excited about these because I finally found a good use for this yarn, I had just gotten a kilt that I could wear them with, and this stocking is my own design (the leaf pattern coming from an Aran stitch dictionary). Exciting! Except, apparently not. I am definitely picking these back up after I finish the WIPs that have deadlines.

    The second is a pair of socks in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s Earl Grey pattern that are supposed to be a gift for my grandfather. I got frustrated because I thought I’d gotten gauge but the sock was much too narrow, and I’m not excited about the color, so the project is languishing in “WIP” status on Ravelry but actually unstarted since the second frogging. If I can bring myself to restart again, I know these’ll go fast, at least. I haven’t contracted second sock syndrome yet. :)

  • sally

    ….just wanted you to know that i love, love, love Valley Yarns….i have used several colours from the Valley Yarns Amherst collection of Merino wool and it is the one yarn the guys in my family don’t complain about…they love how soft the yarn is and i love that it is wool….:)

  • Castiron

    My UFO list on Ravelry is not quite as extensive as it looks; four of them are actually finished ones that I just have to upload photos for.

    That said — four sweaters/vests, five pairs of socks, two shawls, one ornament, one sampler hat, and one crocheted lace top. And we won’t even get into the stash yarn that’s slated for the first page of my queue….

    I expect to finish all the socks, one of the shawls, and at least one of the sweaters (maybe two) this year.

  • http://BeautifulKnitting.wordpress.com Deborah (aka Mt. Mom)

    My cat is particularly fond of alpaca yarns too! She’ll steal any wool, but alpaca seems to be her prey-of-choice.

    The first UFO I hope to revive is my DK kilt hose. But finishing Level 2 of my TKGA Master Knitter work has higher priority currently. I have an Argyle sock and some report/review-writing yet to do, then I’ll be done and can submit my work to the review Committee.

  • http://www.workwearfinder.co.uk Workwear

    Ahh I really like these :)

  • http://www.workwearfinder.co.uk Workwear

    Ahh I really like these :)

  • http://www.workwearfinder.co.uk Workwear

    Ahh I really like these :)