I Don't See UFOs

Blogfree Manise asked about the Kelly Cardigan (from Classic Knits), in Plain and Fancy Wool's Sport yarn, and I just wanted to let you know that Kelly has not been abandon.  It is still in the queue, but may get less attention, as December busy-ness keeps me running.  It is easier to work on smaller projects while going at full speed and Kelly's time will come...perhaps closer to Christmas as I'm taking several days off!   Just to refresh your memory,  I do not believe in UFOs, it's frog or finish around here.

If you read many of the same bogs I do, you know that Kim has a thing about showing progress photos. To let Kim know I agree, and because I am uncontrollably in love with my Blue Sky Mitten, here is a process shot....from yesterdays picture to this is one (short) evenings work.

Nanette linked to a very good blog post on staying motivated  during the creative process.  The information is useful for any creative situation or media.  The creative process is very fluid and can often seem frustrating, almost destructive, rather than constructive, as you can see in Susan's post on designing.  (Susan  is a new designer with a couple of beautiful lace projects under her belt and more to come.)  TeresaC also has a wonderful post on the process of getting through a project, a process that may require backward knitting, as in frogging and reworking, all of which are part of the whole.

Creation is rarely, if ever, a linear process and to be successful one must realize the pitfalls, be willing to work through them, and continue until a project reaches a satisfactory conclusion.  Few things in life reach a perfect ending. There is usually compromise and sometimes one must settle for a little less than expected.  It's the expectation of perfection that often stops a knitter…stops one from going forward because the expected 'perfect outcome' has not been reached.

This is knitting; it should be fun and rewarding…not stressful.  That isn't to say one shouldn't do the best they can and strive for a good finish, but when you put that WIP away, thus turning it into a long time UFO, you're setting aside something invested with time and money, hard earned time and money. Why are you giving up? Why let the process of knitting get the best of you?  It may be just a crisis of faith…giving up before you even know the outcome, not giving yourself the benefit of the doubt.  Keep the faith, do your best, do your best to get through (and maybe even enjoy) every step of the process.  If it isn't fun, it isn't knitting! 

But, back to MY knitting, easy knitting and my favorite fingerless mitts. Sally Melville's Elegant Gauntlets from the Purl Book are the mitts I wear most often.  They fit under gloves, for added warmth, and cover most of the lower arm. I had on a pair during the photo shoot for Scoop.  This pretty colorway of Claudia Handpaint yarn was a gift from Dianna and I love the way they're working up.

Comments

[Laurie]

A good commentary, indeed. I'm mostly in the frog camp. It exercises my brain by making me both choose projects more thoughtfully, and by forcing me to make a decision on keep or kill.

I admire your balanced view on the holiday season.

[Carole]

I wore my Elegant Gauntlets yesterday and am contemplating knitting another pair. I really love the warmth they provide!

[Norma]

I'm uncontrollably in love with your mitten. Beautiful!

[Carol]

Great points about the process of knitting! Recently, as I do the "endless" sections, I call it my thinking time. Thanks for the links, I'll go check them out and learn something new:) I'm smitten with your mitten! Not crazy for a Floridian to own something like those, right?

[Vicki]

Oooooh, I love your mitten, too! This is a great post, Margene.

[Teresa C]

Fun and rewarding, fun and rewarding.....

[Wanda]

Thanks for this great post. It really is good to remember how a project can go through many iterations before it's done, but sticking through the project, at least for me, if it's something I really want, is good to get it finished. When I look at my Ariann, it was definitely worth it. I really try to give my projects every chance to make an FO. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out, but it's also too easy to give up too soon too.

I'd forgotten about those gauntlets. I need to revisit that pattern. They are long enough and use up a bit of sock yarn too, very good indeed.

[Kathleen]

I so seldom rip anything. I throw it in a bag and bury it. Thus I am always in need of a new knitting bag. Or I just use plastic. ;)

[Susan Pandorf]

Right on, sister knitter! I couldn't have said it better myself! I may whine occasionally, but I am having the time of my life with Sunflower Designs and have truly never felt happier or more fulfilled.

And isn't that the point? Proccess, always process...

Blessings friend!

[Marcia Cooke]

I think my biggest leap as a knitter was learning to frog with gleeful abandon and move forward. I did it three times on that #@&% white zipped jacket, but in the end, I WON! I haven't even had to tink once on the lilac Aran and that has me VERRRRY nervous! What I hate most about UFO's is that I can never figure out where I was when I try to return to them, and that's the point at which they usually go into the frog pond!

[Kathy]

I LOVE the new mitten. I'm looking forward to knitting some mittens, but am working on some very special holiday knitting.

[claudia]

It is always interesting to me to see how different knitters work through their projects. I wonder if their approach to knitting mirrors people's approach to other life parts?

[ruth]

Great commentary on the knitting process. Sometimes you have to know when a yarn or project are not working. Abandon and go on. Life is too short for working on something you hate.

Off my soapbox. Whew, relief.

[Wool Winder]

I agree. Life's too short to be stressed out by a knitting project.

[Cheryl S.]

I was admiring your Gauntlets the other day, thinking how nice those were under your gloves!

[Rachel]

So pretty mitten and such a good advice on them UFOs. Just went on with one last night and it feels so good!

[Loribird]

It looks so wonderful, I can resist no longer!
*dashing off to buy the pattern...*

[Chris]

Darn that process. ;) The sky mitten is gorgeous - I can see why you're in love with it!

[Theresa]

That is just the shade of Cascade 220 (the blue) I've been looking for. Would you be so kind as to tell me the color number?

[Dianna]

Ah - the yarn has found a project. Very nice to see it will keep you warm this winter season, Margene.

[Kim D.]

Thank you for posting such helpful blog posts. Maybe that will help me get my project progress in line.

[marie in florida]

thoughtful. there are a couple of things stuck in my wip pile. my lovely green alpaca, which is a bit itchy, the blues blanket i meant for Vivi, and the so very pretty scarf Dimple Shale. i'll look at them again today; thinking fresh thoughts. however, on the creative side; Vivi has a new red beret. i loved making that and canmake one for jenny now.

[Angie]

Thank you for the thoughtful post and the great links.

[Sherie]

Oh, I love the mitten! The colors and the color work are wonderful. How about a shot of the inside? I have not had much luck with knitting with two colors yet and I'm inordinately interested in how other people accomplish this feat. Do you knit with one color in each hand? My left hand just will not behave when I try it!

[Margaret]

Excellent post! Great questions to ask ourselves. And even though I'm usually the poster child for stubborn determination, sometimes the answer is to rip and allow our minds and the yarn to move on to a more suitable project.

Love the mitten! I don't even wear mittens, but my goodness there are so many great mitten patterns around this year. Are mittens the new socks?

[Kim]

Margene....thank you for saying EXACTLY what I meant to say! We are on the same wavelength grrl!!

Your mittens are stunning!

[elizabeth]

You're so right. I'm going to finish Stripey-Tweedy before I start another sweater. I'm thisclose, I can't give up now!

[Tonia]

You are moving along on that mitten. It is going to be so pretty.

[Jan]

My only real design so far is a beaded ornament with the pink ribbon for breast cancer. My sister died of that dreaded disease.

It took me 5 iterations to get it as "perfect" as I could, due to limitations of beaded (or bead) knitting. Beween each iteration took some time, to accept the failure of the existing way, and to figure out a different way. (I still have all the first iterations, that others loved but I didn't, and I can't find the egg-shaped ornament blanks to put them on, so I can give them to those supporters of mine.)

I did gift it to my sister, as I'd wanted, but the cancer had affected her brain then, and she didn't realize what had been involved. And I didn't try to explain.

So, the moral of my story is, as you've said, the search for perfection isn't always the answer. You may never reach it, and it may not be necessary anyway!

Thanks, Margene!

[Jennifer]

Wonderful post on hanging in there with difficult knits!

[Opal]

Thanks for the insight. I have one particular project that I pick up and put down on an extremely infrequent basis. I think I just need to accept that this particular piece will take me a long while to finish, but finish it I shall!

[Kris]

The mittens are lovely. Very pretty.

[Heather Joins The Round]

You are always so inspiring! I am cutting and pasting this into a Word doc so I can read it over again when I get discouraged.

[Pat K]

Marvelous links. Thanks!

[Birdsong]

What a very rich post! I love the wealth of information you accumulate and share with us. Thanks for taking me along on the process.

[Donna]

This is really what I needed to hear. Thank you for such a thoughtful and well organized approach.

I'm taking some to time to apply it to my situation, and I'm hoping that your words will make me a better knitter.

[Manise]

Thanks for the answer to my question :-) Great mitten colors.

[Judy]

Beautifully said. Thanks for the reminder.