Rambling About All The Kafuffle Over UFO's
It's been a little while since I did an all-talk post. Probably not because of a lack of subject matter - there's so much upon which one can expound ... I think what has been lacking is simple inspiration, that seductive, insistent twinge that's can't be soothed without hitting the keyboard with some intensity and passion....
The latest "Oh really?" topic to cross my desktop has been all about UFO's - Un-Finished Objects for the uninitiated. The forums and groups have been a buzz with polls about How Many Do You Have? and Why Do You Think That Is?.
I'm not the least bit interested in probing the the lobes over changing fashions and yarn types. I think part of the broader picture here is one of affluence. Casual affluence. The fact that anyone has more than 20 UFO's (and there were respondents who admitted to upwards of 40 or more, not only in knitting but other cash-commitment needle crafts like quilting) makes a profound statement about casual affluence.
Let me cast a little perspective for your consideration. My grandmother was an avid knitter. I don't ever remember her visiting without her hallmark project bag in tow with something superbly knit in progress (never a project for me, I might add!). It was unthinkable that she would have double digits in UFOs. I would go so far as to surmise she probably never had more than 2 projects on the go at the same time. I would say this was most likely because she did not have the budget to accumulate a SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy). Make no mistake, she knit for pleasure but her passion in that regard was held tightly in check by the simple reality of having to live on a modest income. So her selection of the project and the yarn for it required a lot of consideration. It also made her value the outcome a great deal more too.
But I want to say more here than the cliche "My how times have changed!". This is much more than that. It is about how casually we view what we have and how easily we lay aside what we thought we loved. True the topic is inanimate things but these are things we pay good money for and for the most part put more or less serious consideration into. So what seems to be the issue? Is the attraction merely the thrill of the hunt? The passion only fired when there are choices to be made like commercial over hand painted, a silk blend over an acrylic blend? Purchasing simply because we can?
I'm not saying that lots of UFOs are bad so much as that their very existence should provoke some thought. And I think, in this whole regard, thought is exactly what is missing. It raises the simple question of what do we indulge in our craft for? It becomes apparent that some people do not do so with the same end in mind as others. In fact it seems some indulge without any end in mind at all when it comes to starting a new project. Perhaps this is the part that baffles me the most. When the only tangible outcome from taking up a craft seems to be accumulation, where is the sense of accomplishment? My very logical brain assumes that in order to find satisfaction in any undertaking there must be, at some point, an achievement, however small, which comes as a result of the effort expended. In the absence of this, what is the point? To dabble away endlessly without accomplishing anything must be dismally dissatisfying. And yet, it seems many people do!
Am I being too critical? Making much ado about nothing? Perhaps ... as long as you understand, I am not criticizing people having UFOs in general as I have my fair share, but rather the endless treadmill of only starting that some people seem to be on. To me this is absolutely mystifying ....
To make the consideration more personal, my UFO count in in the single digits and most are actually WIPs (Works In Progress). I can't say I have abandoned anything. For example, I may only accomplish a few rows per week on the Swallowtail Shawl but that is a problem of circumstances and that knitting from a chart requires more attention than my 2 youngest will permit at this time. Everything else I have started I am working away at finishing. Something in my principles prevents me from making an effort to work on something and then just walk away from it. I readily confess I have a yarn stash that is NOT already designated for specific projects and that is my personal expression of decadence, if you will. My self-assurance that I have more than I 'need', I suppose. It is not huge but it is not small either and it has been my personal project this year especially to bring it under rational control rather than letting impulse rule the day. Funny how the biggest help in that regard has been spinning. Now that I can make my own, the desire to acquire commercial has almost completely died. There has been an evolution in the pleasure of the appreciation of fibre. To me that is progress and it pleases me.
In the same spirit, I have make a great effort to keep my roving stash modest too. I have restricted it to several trunks (which are now full) and nothing more will be added until a bunch of it has been converted into yarn. I know I am notorious for biting off more than I can chew which can become a dead end of dissatisfaction but I am trying hard to be my own best friend instead of my own worst enemy. That's why my best friend closed the browser window when my worst enemy was considering signing up for a (rather pricey) fiber of the month club. If I don't have time to spin the fabulous fiber I already have, why should I be buying more? But will I be able to resist the next urge? Who knows! All that matters is that I'm trying. And this is the thought that brings us full circle in this consideration of out-of-control UFOs. The simple reality that 40 or more means someone has simply given up trying altogether. And that, more than anything, is very very sad. And that's my .02
The latest "Oh really?" topic to cross my desktop has been all about UFO's - Un-Finished Objects for the uninitiated. The forums and groups have been a buzz with polls about How Many Do You Have? and Why Do You Think That Is?.
I'm not the least bit interested in probing the the lobes over changing fashions and yarn types. I think part of the broader picture here is one of affluence. Casual affluence. The fact that anyone has more than 20 UFO's (and there were respondents who admitted to upwards of 40 or more, not only in knitting but other cash-commitment needle crafts like quilting) makes a profound statement about casual affluence.
Let me cast a little perspective for your consideration. My grandmother was an avid knitter. I don't ever remember her visiting without her hallmark project bag in tow with something superbly knit in progress (never a project for me, I might add!). It was unthinkable that she would have double digits in UFOs. I would go so far as to surmise she probably never had more than 2 projects on the go at the same time. I would say this was most likely because she did not have the budget to accumulate a SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy). Make no mistake, she knit for pleasure but her passion in that regard was held tightly in check by the simple reality of having to live on a modest income. So her selection of the project and the yarn for it required a lot of consideration. It also made her value the outcome a great deal more too.
But I want to say more here than the cliche "My how times have changed!". This is much more than that. It is about how casually we view what we have and how easily we lay aside what we thought we loved. True the topic is inanimate things but these are things we pay good money for and for the most part put more or less serious consideration into. So what seems to be the issue? Is the attraction merely the thrill of the hunt? The passion only fired when there are choices to be made like commercial over hand painted, a silk blend over an acrylic blend? Purchasing simply because we can?
I'm not saying that lots of UFOs are bad so much as that their very existence should provoke some thought. And I think, in this whole regard, thought is exactly what is missing. It raises the simple question of what do we indulge in our craft for? It becomes apparent that some people do not do so with the same end in mind as others. In fact it seems some indulge without any end in mind at all when it comes to starting a new project. Perhaps this is the part that baffles me the most. When the only tangible outcome from taking up a craft seems to be accumulation, where is the sense of accomplishment? My very logical brain assumes that in order to find satisfaction in any undertaking there must be, at some point, an achievement, however small, which comes as a result of the effort expended. In the absence of this, what is the point? To dabble away endlessly without accomplishing anything must be dismally dissatisfying. And yet, it seems many people do!
Am I being too critical? Making much ado about nothing? Perhaps ... as long as you understand, I am not criticizing people having UFOs in general as I have my fair share, but rather the endless treadmill of only starting that some people seem to be on. To me this is absolutely mystifying ....
To make the consideration more personal, my UFO count in in the single digits and most are actually WIPs (Works In Progress). I can't say I have abandoned anything. For example, I may only accomplish a few rows per week on the Swallowtail Shawl but that is a problem of circumstances and that knitting from a chart requires more attention than my 2 youngest will permit at this time. Everything else I have started I am working away at finishing. Something in my principles prevents me from making an effort to work on something and then just walk away from it. I readily confess I have a yarn stash that is NOT already designated for specific projects and that is my personal expression of decadence, if you will. My self-assurance that I have more than I 'need', I suppose. It is not huge but it is not small either and it has been my personal project this year especially to bring it under rational control rather than letting impulse rule the day. Funny how the biggest help in that regard has been spinning. Now that I can make my own, the desire to acquire commercial has almost completely died. There has been an evolution in the pleasure of the appreciation of fibre. To me that is progress and it pleases me.
In the same spirit, I have make a great effort to keep my roving stash modest too. I have restricted it to several trunks (which are now full) and nothing more will be added until a bunch of it has been converted into yarn. I know I am notorious for biting off more than I can chew which can become a dead end of dissatisfaction but I am trying hard to be my own best friend instead of my own worst enemy. That's why my best friend closed the browser window when my worst enemy was considering signing up for a (rather pricey) fiber of the month club. If I don't have time to spin the fabulous fiber I already have, why should I be buying more? But will I be able to resist the next urge? Who knows! All that matters is that I'm trying. And this is the thought that brings us full circle in this consideration of out-of-control UFOs. The simple reality that 40 or more means someone has simply given up trying altogether. And that, more than anything, is very very sad. And that's my .02
Amen to that. I feel quite the same as you do. I only buy commercial yarn for very specific projects, which will be done right away. I have to be strong when it comes to fiber, I have enough for a long time. Thanks for this post, liked it a lot.
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I'd have to say that I agree with you. It seems to be that many things are done 'because we can' and done without the amount of consideration they deserve. Perhaps if projects were chosen more carefully, and with a budget and outcome in mind, there would be less UFO's hanging around. IT seems as though we are gorging at the trough of crafting right now, where the whole craft/artisan community is now available to so many more people than before, more patterns, more supplies, more ideas... it leads to a bit of waste. Perhaps akin to the whole movement of slow food vs. fast food, we as crafters should slow down and put more thought into the whole project process to give a greater chance of achieving the desired income. Very thoughtful post, great stuff to mull over.
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Thanks for the input Shannon!! My intention IS to provoke thought, not just to provoke! LOL! It means a great deal to me to be able to make a positive impact on those willing to take the time to read my musings. Thanks also to Monika. Your feedback encourages me to keep posting! Thanks!
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