firecat: crocheted doily (yarncraft)
[personal profile] firecat
UFO = "unfinished object"

Interweave Press has a fun blog/newsletter called Knitting Daily. The past few days they have been talking about UFOs. Many folks seem to be buying into the assumption that UFOs are bad and you should have only one project at a time. Here's the comment I posted:

I've realized I have a multitude of different knitting desires. This means I need multiple projects going at once. So my seven or eight unfinished OTN projects aren't UFOs so much as multiple WIPs (works in progress).

I desire: (1) variety (so I allow myself to start new projects before finishing old ones, if they are different); (2) some easy *small* knitting that I can take with me to doctor's offices, on planes, etc.; (3) some easy knitting that I can do while watching movies at home (doesn't have to be small); (4) to learn new techniques; (5) to work with delicious yarn; (6) to make clothes that fit me; (7) stashbusting; (8) to practice my design skills; (9) to experience the delight of wearing home-made socks (I've only got 3 pairs so far, I need at least 14 in order to be able to wear home-made socks every day!); (10) to make practical things (hats, shawls that will keep me warm when my cat insists on having the window open in winter).

Of course one project can and usually does meet multiple desires, but no one project can meet *all* those desires. Hence, multiple projects are necessary!

One task for today is to look through my stitch dictionaries to find a colorwork pattern suitable for a band of my new sweater.

Re: yarncraft ufos

Date: 17 Oct 2007 08:04 pm (UTC)
ext_481: origami crane (Default)
From: [identity profile] pir-anha.livejournal.com
polyamory -- it's not just for romance anymore. :)

very well said.

Date: 17 Oct 2007 08:32 pm (UTC)
snippy: Lego me holding book (Default)
From: [personal profile] snippy
I'm often reading more than one book at a time, too.

The only time I forbade myself to have more than one project on needles, I ended up dropping all knitting for months because of the pressure to finish a project I wasn't enjoying. When I decided I could cut myself some slack, suddenly I started 3 projects at once and worked on them like mad.

That sad project is still hidden away in a canvas bag, and I may get to it eventually, now that it's not blocking the fun stuff.

Date: 17 Oct 2007 09:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hobbitbabe.livejournal.com
Ah, I should have read the comments before writing. Yeah, exactly.

Date: 17 Oct 2007 08:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] karenkay.livejournal.com
Wow, I would not call Knitting Daily "fun"! I found that an interesting description.

The straw that broke my back was when they started posting crochet patterns, though. I unsubbed and haven't thought of it from then till now.

I am glad you made this point, though--it's an important one.

Date: 17 Oct 2007 10:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] karenkay.livejournal.com
I think your description was accurate except the word "fun", that's all--which is completely subjective. The discussion on sizing was interesting.

My ranting against crochet is why I was Banned For Life from advanced_knit, so I guess you should take my comments with a grain of salt, but....

It's called Knitting Daily, so I expect to see knitting-related content. Period. Full stop. The End.

I also learned to crochet before I learned to knit, and it's a handy skill, but I never expect to crochet again, except maybe an edging. I don't even own a crochet hook! My time is limited, and while I willingly signed up for Knitting Daily, I did it with the expectation that I would be spammed by a certain amount of Interweave advertising. Not that there would be days of nothing but crochet content. Not only do I NOT CARE about crochet, I find it a waste of my time. Start Crochet Daily--that's fine with me. But don't clutter my mailbox with crochet content.

End of rant.

Date: 17 Oct 2007 10:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] karenkay.livejournal.com
I think I unsubbed on the 3rd day of crochet content. That's a LOT of crochet.

Date: 18 Oct 2007 03:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kmd.livejournal.com

As a crocheter I am right there with you! Crochet is not just some subcategory of knitting. I am thoroughly sick of people walking up to me and asking "what are you knitting?" or having every yarn store cater to knitters and have some small redheaded stepchild section for crochet patterns and hooks.

So enough already -- knitting is knitting and crochet is crochet.

Date: 18 Oct 2007 10:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kmd.livejournal.com

I definitely would not go looking in a forum called "Knitting Daily" for crochet content, so I agree with you.

HEY -- maybe a knit and crochet forum on livejournal would be kewl. So we can all post pics of our FOs and see how beautiful some of the work in both media are.

Does such a thing exist?

Date: 17 Oct 2007 09:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hobbitbabe.livejournal.com
Quilting has taught me that having multiple projects on the go is an appropriate strategy to foster both my creativity and my productivity. It works the same way for quilting as it does for writing, event planning, housework, and my day job - very often, when I'm stuck on one thing, or not enjoying it, I can move ahead usefully on something else. And very often, either not-working on the stuck project or working on the other project changes the way I think about the first one and leads toward eventual success (pleasure, completion, learning) in the first project. When a new project pops into my head and won't go away, I start it. Being Puritan about not letting myself start new things until I've "earned" it is harmful to the creative risks I want to learn to take.

Knitting has also taught me to be gentle with myself about unfinished projects (as opposed to projects in progress). If I don't want to be working on it right now, I put it away in a box with the instructions and the rest of the yarn. I don't leave it hanging around visible making me feel guilty and less productive on other things. Later it may become clear to me whether or not I want to finish it.

Date: 18 Oct 2007 01:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laurellei.livejournal.com
I think that is why I switch between my cross stitch and knitting projects, to get me over the hump of hating it, or till I can get my head around the part that I am stuck on.

Date: 17 Oct 2007 10:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] prairierabbit.livejournal.com
I really like the way you said what I feel. *grin* Knitting is a creative outlet for me, and the idea that I *must* finish one thing before starting another would absolutely stifle that part of me. Work and daily life impinge enough.

Date: 17 Oct 2007 11:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 19-crows.livejournal.com
I haven't been keeping up with Knitting Daily, for no particular reason, so I haven't seen this discussion. But I've seen the term UFO used to mean not just projects you haven't finished yet, but projects where you're stuck. Projects you don't want to finish but can't seem to get rid of. Projects that aren't coming out right. Things like that.

I usually have one big knitting project going but will put it aside to make a hat or some other small thing. Right now I'm working on a sweater, but I've put it aside because I just wore the sweater I finished in July and its sleeves really are too long for comfort, and it requires surgery. After I finish that I think I'm goin to make a scarf just because I feel like it. So I guess I don't have a lot of projects going at once, because I finish the small ones then go back to the main one.

I do have a lot of unfinished cross stitch projects around, including one that I really hate, but it's for my mom so I do want to finish it for her...

I hadn't realized that Knitting Daily had crochet. I also consider crochet to be a separate thing (inferior, too) and don't want to see it there.

Date: 18 Oct 2007 03:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kmd.livejournal.com

Oh, my. A bonafide out-in-the-open knitting snob.

I am so happy to have found you! Can you please tell me why you think crochet is inferior to knitting?

Date: 18 Oct 2007 09:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 19-crows.livejournal.com
Okay, I apologize for saying it's inferior.

I think it has sort of an unfinished look, just the stitches themselves. Maybe it's the way they're assymetrical compared to stockingette stitch. I've not seen crocheted garments that looked as professional as knit garments do.

I have crocheted in the past and I think a lot of the amigurumi crocheted toys are appealing. But for garments and projects I'm going to spend a lot of time on, I prefer knitting.

([livejournal.com profile] karenkay outed herself as a knitting snob, too)

Date: 18 Oct 2007 10:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kmd.livejournal.com

Ah! Thank you. Seriously. I have always wondered what it is that bothers folks about crochet.

I love thread crochet. I am working my way up to making garments with it. I have this pattern for a butterfly shawl that is just outrageously beautiful. Not for the feint of heart. But gorgeous, and intricate, and certainly not sloppy or unprofessional.

For yarn crochet, I gotta mostly agree with you. There's a lot of crappy patterns out there that look like a bunch of potholders sewn together. Hideous. But there are starting to be some beautiful patterns for crocheted garments that look smooth and professional.

Date: 24 Oct 2007 10:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kmd.livejournal.com
Is there a picture of the butterfly shawl online somewhere?

It's from Noreen Crone-Findlay. And look -- there's even a fatloving picture!

http://www.hankeringforyarn.com/wedding-day-the-butterfly-shawl

And here's another pic:

http://www.hankeringforyarn.com/the-crocheted-butterfly-wedding-shawl-is-done#comments

She doesn't sell the pattern off her own site, because she sold it to knit1 (heh, knit) magazine for their summer 2006 issue. I bought that issue. :-) Knit1 has it envisioned as a Frida Kahlo shawl, with long long fringe.

Noreen made it for her daughter's wedding, in silk. Which makes me drool.

Date: 18 Oct 2007 08:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] punkmom.livejournal.com
Yay for craft poly! I probably have 10 or 12 knitting WIP, 3 quilts, and 3 or 4 sewing projects. I'm trying lace just now, and working on getting two sweaters completed before it's warm again, and working though my basket of leftover sock yarn - I'm gonna have mix and match single socks, which makes my happy!

Date: 18 Oct 2007 09:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] micheinnz.livejournal.com
Sounds to me as though you're polyknitterous.

Date: 26 Oct 2007 01:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com
This afternoon I was in the local fabric store (http://www.hartsfabric.com/) with my younger son getting some costume supplies, and at one point he came up to me excitedly saying he had just heard a woman say she had too many UFOs. He was not too pleased when I passed on the definition above.

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firecat (attention machine in need of calibration)

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