The UFO's are taking over!!!

I think my knitting mojo has been damaged by the recent heatwave. When it was 105 degrees outside for what seemed like 10 years straight, the mojo was at an all-time low. I developed a case of start-itis. I've seen so many projects crash and burn! All I have to show for it is a bunch of balls of yarn with bits of knitting (and crochet) that are in a corner of my apartment because that's where I hurl them when I realize they just aren't working out. This happens to everyone once in a while (or at least that's what I'm telling myself) and the only way to get through it is to go on a yarn diet and force myself into finish-itis. At least the high temps are in the 90's again, there's a little breeze outside and I heard it rained in the next county over.

Here are the UFO's (un-finished objects) and their status, in no particular order:


The hot pads, aka potholders, but "hot pads" is more fun to say. Basically they're crocheted spirals out of Noro's Big Kureyon (from the stash closet). I'll hopefully have time to felt them in the next 48 hours so they can dry before I give them away as part of a birthday present for my big sis on Monday. I want to finish the second and make a third just because they work up so quickly. I have a deadline, which is usually a good thing, so this won't be too hard to cross off the UFO list.


EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket. Elizabeth Zimmerman is my hero. This is one of those patterns that is just so freakin' cool that you have to knit it to see how it all comes together. It was completely worth it! The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash, a classic, and it took one ball of each color. The only thing left to finish this UFO is to weave in a few more ends, block it, and pick out some cool buttons. This is a gift for my "niece", who is the daughter of my oldest and dearest friend. Her first birthday is in a week, and the party will be one for the record books.


This is my big "am I insane?" project. Lace is so intriguing, and this is my first true lace project. It's the Alpine Knit Scarf from Victorian Lace Today, knit with Andrea, a laceweight silk from Schaeffer Yarns, and I think the colorway is Greenjeans. It's amazing. And really tough. I've already used my lifeline once, and couldn't knit on it for a week due to the trauma of dropping a stitch. This UFO has a deadline too, but it's a little more manageable. Cheryl Schaeffer is coming to my favorite LYS on October 21st, and I want to wear it. Did I say that deadline was manageable? I meant that I'm insane and have no idea what I'm doing and, what have I gotten myself into? We'll see how this one works out.

The saddest part of this story is that half of my stash is currently part of some sort of UFO, and there are several more out there that I don't have pictures of. There's that lace cardigan from Rebecca that I started in May (out of Blue Sky Organic's Alpaca silk - so nice), and the Big Snugs (think felted boot slippers) that need a suede sole, those Cherry Tree Hill socks, the petal bib that just needs to be blocked, the shadow knitting pillow that just takes so long to knit, the Honeymoon Cami that's done, except I keep ripping the straps because the i-cord looked terrible, then the crochet chain looked awful, braided cord didn't work, and it's staring at me from its current home in the top of one of my knitting baskets.

Is there a 12-step-program for UFO's? If so, then I've conquered the first step - admitting that I have a problem. Maybe the knitting mojo will start creeping back to normal levels. Either way, the next step is to finish these projects, because they really are beautiful, and if they don't all work out, the process of knitting is so much fun!