Where does the slow slide begin
from WIP to UFO? How long does a project need to sit "in progress" but unworked before it tilts fatally into the "unfinished" column? Why do I set something down with the full intention of returning to it soon, very soon, as soon as possible, only to find that weeks later it has sullenly withdrawn to a corner, untouched, glaring at me reproachfully but with little hope?
These are large metaphysical questions my friends. I do not have the answers to them, only hints.
In the case of the second version of the Hudson River Triangle several factors have played their part: the error that now means I must rip back several long rows, the hubris that led me to blithely proceed without a lifeline, the fact that another project with a tight deadline intervened, the impatience to start something new.
Whatever the multifarious factors involved, this
has not progressed one iota in the last two weeks.
Tomorrow I will grit my teeth and start picking back.
6 comments:
I think you pegged the transition from WIP to UFO: "sullenly withdrawn...glaring at me reproachfully." I have had UFOs with a shorter shelf life than some WIPs, which sit patiently waiting for their next turn. It's in the attitude (of the knitted item, not ours).
I think it takes at least 6 months to become a UFO. That is, 6 months of total neglect, off your radar, not even thinking about working on it.
You're right! These are large, metaphysical questions.
And, how is it that I love a project when I'm just starting it, but by the end of it, I'm sometimes gritting my teeth to get through it to call it done?
That hubris is terrible stuff to work with :)
The only way for me to remember to work on things in progress is to have them in plain sight. As soon as they fall into the knitting basket they are doomed. At the moment, working to a dealine is keeping me monogamous knit-wise and you know what, I have a sudden urge to spin instead!
Sorry about the problems with your second Hudson River Triangle. Mine was nearing completion and I thought it would be done this week. Then one of my needle point protectors popped off without me knowing it and when I picked it up again a bunch of stitches had dropped off the needle. I've fixed everything except one place. And, like you, I've been working on this without a lifeline. Soon as I fix the last part of my mistake, I'll get it done.
I like your pattern enough to do another in the full size in the weight yarn you actually suggested for this project. I did the large scarf in a heavier yarn and it has made a nice warm scarf, but I think I'll like a lighter yarn better for the bigger project. It's a nice pattern. Glad I found it.
I think Elizabeth has a good dating for this, though sometimes even here in SoCal WIPs become months'-long UFOs due to seasonal issues. I started an entrelac vest for DH in February, had to rip back half of the first front, did some pouting about it, and then boom! It was summer and not fun to knit with heavy wool. Hitting a major setback is the way I fall out of most KALs.
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