A Marvelous Solution For UFOs
When you have as many UFOs as I do, lovingly tucked around the office, each in their respective project basket, the occasional twinge of guilt occasionally creeps in over their state. So many beautiful yarns, so many projects plotted out with great affection and care all languishing from inattention while the flavor of the day enchants me for an indeterminate length of time, or until I complete it. It's very hard to say why one project will entice me away from another. Sometimes I just need a change of scenery on the needles, others it's because I've commenced a more difficult (read: attention demanding) part of the project and don't have that kind of intense concentration available to give it. (I'm notorious for watching movies while I knit and can't/won't spare the concentration!) Other times it's because I've started something I really love the look of but just can't rouse myself to put the amount of work/time required to complete it... like the beautiful Botanic Medallion... or the Aran sweater my dear BIL has been asking for forever....
I began this sweater about a year and a half ago! It's a simple yoke sweater modeled after a photo in a knitting book that he said was exactly what he was looking for. I had the unbelievable good fortune to find enough 100% wool yarn (Ecru, single ply, which I fiber-content-tested, to be sure) in the 1lb Unknown Fiber Yarn bags at a department store to make a man-size sweater so the cost was wildly reasonable! I did my gauge calculations, de-coded the stitches from the photo (mostly 4-stitch cables and seed stitch) and, armed with Ann Bud's book of Handy Sweater Patterns, cast on the main body and knit an entire skein. I was so pleased with how it looked! It was going to be great - and take forever to knit, not to mention that the entire sweater was textured stitches of which I am not a huge fan. Let me be clear - I adore knit garments with 100% texture stitches I just hate knitting them (SO tedious!). That's how it ended up in a knitting basket for over a year without so much as a second look. Loved the yarn, loved the look, even loved my BIL but just couldn't muster the self-discipline to get it done!
So where's the "Marvelous UFO Solution"? Ha! That's easy! I packaged it up and sent the whole lot to my sister, since it's HER husband it's for! LOL!! Didn't I just show you the cabled cat blanket she made? Didn't she just knit an entire afghan in seed stitch? How serendipitous! I should think, that for her, it's a huge bonus to have the gauge and stitch pattern all sorted out, not to mention she won't have the hassle of the first 8 rounds of starting a project in the round! No worries about a twist in the first round, no fumbling with the pesky beginning rounds etc. etc. And it gets better! I have all the different pattern sections separated by brand new cat and butterfly stitch markers I made specifically for her AND included a cute purple metal tin to hold them all!
I eventually made even more Turtles so I know for sure she'll have enough for both sleeves as they're all textured stitches too. Don't you wish you had a sister to send the occasional UFO to? LOL!! Now I can't really say I'm done with it, as I'm sure she'll need a bit of coaching along the way but it really felt good to know this project was going to find it's way into hands that would bring it to completion and make a success of it! A truly "Marvelous Solution" after all, eh? Cheers!
I began this sweater about a year and a half ago! It's a simple yoke sweater modeled after a photo in a knitting book that he said was exactly what he was looking for. I had the unbelievable good fortune to find enough 100% wool yarn (Ecru, single ply, which I fiber-content-tested, to be sure) in the 1lb Unknown Fiber Yarn bags at a department store to make a man-size sweater so the cost was wildly reasonable! I did my gauge calculations, de-coded the stitches from the photo (mostly 4-stitch cables and seed stitch) and, armed with Ann Bud's book of Handy Sweater Patterns, cast on the main body and knit an entire skein. I was so pleased with how it looked! It was going to be great - and take forever to knit, not to mention that the entire sweater was textured stitches of which I am not a huge fan. Let me be clear - I adore knit garments with 100% texture stitches I just hate knitting them (SO tedious!). That's how it ended up in a knitting basket for over a year without so much as a second look. Loved the yarn, loved the look, even loved my BIL but just couldn't muster the self-discipline to get it done!
So where's the "Marvelous UFO Solution"? Ha! That's easy! I packaged it up and sent the whole lot to my sister, since it's HER husband it's for! LOL!! Didn't I just show you the cabled cat blanket she made? Didn't she just knit an entire afghan in seed stitch? How serendipitous! I should think, that for her, it's a huge bonus to have the gauge and stitch pattern all sorted out, not to mention she won't have the hassle of the first 8 rounds of starting a project in the round! No worries about a twist in the first round, no fumbling with the pesky beginning rounds etc. etc. And it gets better! I have all the different pattern sections separated by brand new cat and butterfly stitch markers I made specifically for her AND included a cute purple metal tin to hold them all!
I eventually made even more Turtles so I know for sure she'll have enough for both sleeves as they're all textured stitches too. Don't you wish you had a sister to send the occasional UFO to? LOL!! Now I can't really say I'm done with it, as I'm sure she'll need a bit of coaching along the way but it really felt good to know this project was going to find it's way into hands that would bring it to completion and make a success of it! A truly "Marvelous Solution" after all, eh? Cheers!
Posted by Gloria Patre at 2/23/2011 10:54 PM 
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: Aran sweater Knitting UFOs Unfinished projects
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: Aran sweater Knitting UFOs Unfinished projects
Where do I find a recipient like that? (I do have one UFO in my collection that was bestowed upon me by the original knitter. It's a project I'd never have embarked upon, but somehow, I feel guilty leaving it with only the sleeves to knit).
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LOL! I'm really just beginning to understand the title of your blog! Any what a lucky sister you have! You saved her all of those annoying starting steps of the project and gifted all of those lovely markers! You guys are sooo lucky to have each other.
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Occasional guilt twinge? My UFOs have UFOs.I found a shawl today that just needs the fringes. It's been waiting for years for those fringes. Must have gotten bored with the thing and it's heavy.
We should all have a sister like yours.
We are expecting bad weather again. You'd think we were in the far north like you. Keep on knitting. Going to post about my baby blanket on Ravelry.
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