Monday, January 8, 2007

Welcome UFO Knit Club Team Members!


I'm Leah, and I'm going to dive in here and post a little about the UFO's that have me feeling like I should DO SOMETHING NOW! Unfortunately, I'm a little burned out from holiday knitting and I'm having a really hard time getting motivated to knit at all! I have been playing with my spindles and doing some spinning UFO's ~ small projects that have been sitting in my basket waiting to be plied. I spent a few hours doing that last night.

This shawl is one thing I'm determined to finish and need to get back into working on, since I'm hosting a knit along for it, which has been really quiet and quite a few folks have dropped out. The shawl is hard! It's the Fiber Trends "Sheep Shawl" and we're knitting it in Jaggerspun Zephyr...I'm using the color "Suede" and it's just lovely! I can't work on this unless it's first thing in the morning and there's no stress, no distractions...sometimes I feel like I should lock myself in a closet with it! I'm about 90 rows into it.
This is my very first plied handspun and I'm trying to make this scarf vest thing but I just don't know...this particular yarn has given me fits from the start! I wanted to do the "Cleaves" pattern from Knitty with it but it looked awful so I tore it out after finishing a whole sleeve and started this. I'm done with the back and one side and need to do the other side and then sew it up and do the collar.
I just don't know...I feel like it's going to be super weird looking but I do really like the pattern. If I have to rip this out again, I'll be ticked! It's just an odd color for me to be working with, I guess, and if all else fails, the yarn could be a boring handbag :<>
And here is one thing that's really bugging me...it's the Mesilla t-shirt from Knitty that I meant to work up as a store sample last summer and still haven't finished. My excuse was that I lost a double point for the longest time (ha!) and now...ack...I just have to do the sleeves, then pick up for the neck and do the finishing work. It's pretty cute, with these picot edges and color bands around the neck and sleeves and was fun to knit in the round. I don't plan on adding the embroidery details. This probably should hit the top of the list, though, just to get the damn thing out of my guilt trip!

Then there are the Yukon Sox (it's probably a bad idea to give you guys links to patterns, isn't it? Not very UFO motivational!)

I started with a double strand of this alpaca, wool & nylon yarn that my husband had on cones for his sock knitting machines and they're still done on size 1 needles. Sheesh..I hope that's what I used. Ha...I need to write this stuff down! No...I'm sure that's it cuz they went Really Slow and I could only stand one 12-row repeat at a sitting. I finished one sock after about 6 months and didn't want to start the other one till I'd washed and blocked the first sock. I know, I know, BUT I pretty much knew what the yarn would do since my DH did make a few pairs of socks from it on his machines. I just didn't know how it would turn out with handknitting. It turned out really well though! I love this sock and am wondering what I can wear to show it off once the other one is done :) They're really pretty on and feel nice and make me feel girly and that's always a good thing!

This is not by any means my complete UFO gallery :) Just a few of the things that are at the top of the list, I guess. Honest opinions are welcomed, really! You can even call my handspun butt ugly if you want and I won't be mad! The Sheep Shawl is the sort of UFO that's going to be in progress for awhile. If that were the only thing I "allowed" myself to knit, I'd pull out all my hair and run away screaming! A little honesty, a little cheerleading and any and all suggestions ~ bring 'em on!

2 comments:

Elysbeth said...

Go Leah, Go Leah! Very pretty socks. The shawl is very comforting looking, but everyone needs projects for places and moods. : )

Abigale said...

You can do it girlfriend! I think that the first plied yarn is absolutely gorgeous (it's so easy to think that it's ugly when you've been staring at it so long, and you know all the little imperfections that are there - you know, the ones nobody else would ever see?)

I vote for finishing the Mesilla first - though it does look like the weird vest thing wouldn't take too long either. Get one off the list and you'll feel like a superstar.

The socks are amazing - I downloaded the pattern after you posted it on your blog! Not that I'm going to start it or anything!

I'm feeling burned out by the holiday knitting too - and haven't actually done any real knitting in over a week - spinning yes - knitting nope.