UFO Help

My knitting buddy was kind enough to help me with a UFO....a baby cardigan I started in a class long ago but never finished.  Thankfully, the directions that had left me scratching my head were also cryptic to her, an experienced knitter.

We pieced together and stitched the front pieces to the back.  And that's as far as we got.  Thanks to the wonderful instructions, we had to do that twice.  Sigh!  By the time we were done, I was done.  I'll work on sewing in the sleeves by myself....which is almost laughable, but we'll see. 

I'm anxiously awaiting a sale at my local yarn store.  There is so much scrumptious stuff there!  I've started a baby hat with plans for another one...or two.  Now I just need my friends to have more babies!

I'm so glad to have a three-day weekend...  More time to knit!

Umbilical Cord Hat

Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat by Jennifer L. Jones (in Stitch n' Bitch)
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted
Needles: US 7 and 8 circs, US 8 dpns
Made for: Baby Juliana
Time to completion: 3 days
Cast on 72 stitches for a bigger baby!

I needed a simply, quick hat to make for a 2-month old. I ordered some yarn from Knit Picks...only to be a bit disappointed in the color. Oh, well. It feels good, at least! And I learned something new: how to do an i-cord. It seemed strange but was super easy and came out great! I love - successfully - learning new things!

As Mr. Higgins and I plug our way through season six of West Wing, I've been knitting every evening this week. It's amazing how much more productive I feel at the end of the day! I've even been making progress on this project from long, long ago.

It was a good knitting week!

UFO: Ripple Blanket

BROWN RIPPLE BLANKET
Yarn: Berroco Comfort
Colors: Browns/Light Browns/Creams
Needles: US9
Pattern: Edith's Baby Blanket by Edith Elg
For: Me!
Last Touched: probably nine months ago

This picture is an old one. I probably have about two inches of light brown added to the top of this. I really do like this blanket. The problem with it is that it's a blanket and it'll take forever no matter what I do. This is what keeps me unmotivated to touch it. Pathetic, eh? Right now, it's sitting on the couch, begging to be knitted on. We'll see.

To end this UFO week, I guess I should lay out some goals for my future knitting...

1. Finish the socks for they are beautiful!
2. Start and finish the Scarf for African School Children by May 1st so that I can mail it to Ruth. Hopefully I'll get a few more scarves from some colleagues so we can send a package full of scarves!
3. Finish Market Bag - yes, another UFO I didn't have time to mention.
4. Begin AL's gauntlets.

Hmmm....that's a lot of knitting - especially at present knitting rate!

UFO: Lace Shawl

MY FIRST LACE PROJECT
Yarn: Jarbo Garn Baby Pascal Solid
Color: Light Blue
Needles: Circ 5
Pattern: Lavender Linen Lace Shawl by Nancie M Wiseman
For: Me, I guess
Last Touched: Six months ago

Remember this one, dear blog readers? I took a class at JSY last summer to learn how to do lace. This pattern is definitely tricky enough to keep me engaged but I made a bad yarn decision on this one. My budget was stretched pretty thin so I went with a yarn I was not all that excited about. I don't like how it's knitting up. Sigh. Maybe I should start this one over eventually with a better yarn, eh?

In other knitting news, I found out that the other LYS in town is closing. That will leave only Linda at JSY. While I'd only been to the other place a few times - the staff were not nearly as friendly as Linda - it is sad to see any LYS go. It just proves that we need to support our local shops, even if it means only taking an occasional class. Those classes add up as does every little thing you buy.

UFO: Blue Throw

FOUR SEASONS THROW
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica
Color: Blue and grey tones
Needles: US8
Pattern: Four Seasons Throw by Design Source Collections
For: um...that's a long story
Last Touched: A long time ago

Way back, when I was a brand newbie knitter, I began this throw which will - eventually - be made of twelve such squares in shades of blue and gray. And I began this for my boyfriend at the time. There, I said it. He has now been my ex-boyfriend for almost three years but we're still really good friends. I imagine I'll decide who to give the blanket to when I finish it - which will probably be in five years or so, if I'm lucky.

In other knitting news, I had a surprise on my socks over the weekend. I was so concerned with knitting the foot that I kept going...and going a bit to far! While one of them was perfect, which meant I got to start the toe, the other one was an inch too long! So now I'm agonizingly taking out stitches, one by one. My eyes cross after a row and I have to take a break generally. I think I only have a row or two to go, however, after I sat and undid stitches during the President's speech last night.

Still, this is very exciting! I tried them on and they're perfect and beautiful! Yay! I may just finish these in March - like a year after I began them! Woohoo!

UFO: Never-Ending Scarf

NEVER-ENDING SCARF (not the official name!)
Yarn: Colinette Prism
Color: Toscana
Needles: US11
Pattern: Woven Knit by Candi Jensen
For: Me!
Last Touched: Best guess is two years ago but I have no idea

I love this yarn and the way this scarf knits up. Unfortunately, I do not like the tediousness of bringing the yarn backwards and forwards. I have no idea when this one will get finished. Furthermore, there are mistakes in the scarf that I did not know how to correct as a new knitter. Now, they drive me insane!

In other news, my mom and I went into Dallas to see the King Tut exhibit yesterday. She had wanted to see it for her birthday but this was the first day we could both get off from work. We did some shopping (I bought way too much!) and then headed to the Dallas Museum of Art.

I used to like the DMA but I will not be going back (hopefully ever) unless they have an exhibition of outstanding proportions. The staff were rude, the exhibit was badly arranged, crowd management was horrible, and the tickets prices exorbitant. I'm going to stick to the Kimbell, where people are nice and customer service is still alive - and where they do not search purses twice.

The exhibit was good, though there were too many people to really enjoy it. I don't like people bumping into me or having to stand five deep to see an item. We were trying to avoid this by going on a weekday.

Oh, well. I got some clothes by day's end, so all's good.

UFO: Blossom Scarf

My very compulsive self likes the idea of a weekly blog topic. Therefore, this week is UFO Week! No, not of the alien variety but of the unfinished knitting project variety. I'm airing my dirty laundry - er, my UFOs that are stacking up.


First off, the first real scarf I ever made - well, started!

BLOSSOM SCARF
Yarn: Trendsetter Yarns Blossom
Needles: US9
Pattern: um, yeah, knit every row
For: Me!
Last Touched: maybe six months ago, to do a few rows

I loved this yarn when I began and I still do. It's very similar to chenille and would be very nice around the neck - if I ever get to put it around my neck! It's a bit of a pain to work with, however, and is not easy to do for extended periods of time. And it's boring to do: knit, knit, knit, knit....

Despite the fact that I've started two (I think) scarves for myself, neither of them have been completed. Sadly, I don't have a scarf of my own to wear. Other people have scarves from Doniamarie but not me. Ironic, eh?

Maybe some day. Maybe.