I hoped to have a finished denim cardigan to show off today, but the week has been too hectic to allow me to sit down and dispatch the last two seams properly. Still, the end is in sight, which means I can start thinking about another UFO to tackle. I just foraged in the bottomless knitting basket and fished out this long-neglected item:
It is meant to be a summer polo-sweater; I designed the pattern using Sweater Wizard software, which has since disappeared from the scene. It was a wonderful tool that freed knitters to use any kind of gauge they wanted, and I haven't found anything to take its place. In fact, the sudden folding of the company is a good reminder of why I shouldn't have UFO's of long standing in the first place. Knitting pals, do yourselves a favor and finish a project while the designer is still in the business and able to reply to emails, while you are still using the same computer with the same files saved in your knitting folder, while the yarn is still available, while that color is still your favorite shade or the one that works best with your wardrobe, while you still remember what you were trying to achieve with that particular project. Feel free to remind me of this the next time you see me abandon a project midway with a lame and fishy excuse.
I knitted the body of this summertime polo sweater in this particular pattern of P3, K1, because the spaced-out ribbing worked nicely with the tweedy yarn. Said yarn is Cascade Ultra Prima in Quattro (the tweedy variety) Red. The feel of this cotton is exceptionally nice and the red is much deeper than on the photograph above.
Where I got stalled with this very plain pattern was on the sleeves; I wanted short sleeves and wasn't happy with the rate of increase that the software-produced instructions recommended. I think I spent some time re-working the pattern, and then put the whole thing aside as I heard the siren-song of another project. Now, several years later, I need to dig out the pattern and re-trace my steps. I also need to knit a front placket and a collar. This is why I am so glad that we are in 2016, since in any other year, at this stage I would be perfectly happy to return this UFO deep into the folds of the knitting basket for another long period of neglect -- whereas in 2016, the Year of Finishing, I must, and therefore I shall
A. Find a printout of the pattern which must be in my files somewhere,
B. Figure out a pattern for the sleeves and knit them
C. Figure out a placket and collar and knit them.
The only tricky and time-consuming part about this is that most of the steps involved in finishing my UFO's don't involve knitting at all; it is the house-cleaning, computer-searching, paper-sorting side of knitting that leads me to procrastinate and cast on for something new -- a vicious circle since, if I stuck to one project at a time, I would never have the chance to lose the pattern instructions in the first place.
Meanwhile, because a knitter has got to occupy her hands in the evening when it is too dark and inconvenient to go searching for long-lost pattern files, I have produced a few more socks for the afghans For Afghans small-item drive.
The baby socks were knitted with reclaimed Yummy sock yarn from Miss Babs; for the child-size pair, I experimented with some Karabella Aurora 4 that was stashed a long time ago; I reinforced the heels and toes with some Zephyr lace wool/silk that I happened to have on hand and the result is incredibly cushy, almost like athletic socks. I'll try to knit a pair or two more of those in the larger sizes needed for this drive.
Now isn't this perfect advice. May I add that one should immediately upon finishing, put your project in your Ravelry log. I spent all day today catching up my project log with FOs..very tedious. But in the end it is pleasing to be over 46,000 yards. I still have a few sweaters to add once someone will take a decent picture so I don't have to stand in front of the dang mirror or do a selfie.
I understand the socks you had to do. I found myself at the end of a FO spree with NOTHING on the needles. I felt like a drug addict needing a fix!
Posted by: Kathryn Gearheard | April 30, 2016 at 09:59 PM
I must be stupid because I can't figure out how to search your blog. I know you love Miss Babs as do many other knitters. I have not seen the yarn in person but the website fails to convince me that the yarn is anything special. Would you mind a post on the glory of Miss Babs?
Posted by: Kathryn Gearheard | April 30, 2016 at 10:04 PM
I am so happy to see your increased frequency in posting! I have been in a streak of Garter that has been divine, and it has married itself to a streak of magic ball knitting. I think I am going to combine one step further and take inspiration from your Stonington to make one in a magic ball version. Cheers!
Posted by: queenmaxine | May 02, 2016 at 06:23 AM
I just realized that you are in the almost 150,000 yards category on rav. I think I am up to date at about 50,000 yards now unless I dig out more things I've forgotten. I do enjoy your setting goals for me.
Posted by: Kathryn Gearheard | May 02, 2016 at 02:52 PM