UFO redemption.
Sometime before Christmas, I gathered a bunch of
UFO's...(UnFinished Objects)...into a "work from here" box. I have
been feeling so crazy productive since then. I finished a scarf and hat for my
DH, a scarf for my Dad, a Moebius scarf for my Mom, a splash scarf for a
friend, a splash scarf with some beady chippy things knit in, for ME, a scarf
(illusion knit, my own chart) for ME, a sweater vest for ME, a hat ... sad
thing, that hat. It may be a yarn sacrifice. It was supposed to be a chemo cap,
very soft and comfy. The recipient, who never knew about the hat, has since
recovered and is living happily and treatment free. So, now, it's just a weird
little hat. Maybe I will give it to the cancer ward at the hospital. Yeah,
that's the ticket.
I have several summer tops to finish, a couple of sweaters, a couple pairs of socks (i did finish one pair for my Mom, and have almost finished finishing another pair for her)...I allowed myself to cast on a vest, which I am going to rip out because it sucks, and I cast on another vest to replace it, and it also sucks, so I am not casting on anymore vests. Screw the vests. I have UFO's to concentrate on anyhow.
My stash of Future Projects (yarn, bought for a specific pattern, but not yet begun) is truly obscene. I think I could cloth a small nation with lovely and expensive handknits using the yarn in my stash.
And yet, some cotton/silk blend yarn found its way into my hands this afternoon, enough for 2 pairs of truly luxe socks, and i spent a good hour and a half swatching to find the perfect stitch pattern to knit with it. *sigh* I have no sense of restraint, when it comes to my yarn. None. Such a pity.
It is really yummy cotton/silk, though. A very pretty light blue, and some cream to contrast on the heel and toe. mmmmm.
What UFO's? I am casting on a new pair of socks. Makes perfect sense
I have several summer tops to finish, a couple of sweaters, a couple pairs of socks (i did finish one pair for my Mom, and have almost finished finishing another pair for her)...I allowed myself to cast on a vest, which I am going to rip out because it sucks, and I cast on another vest to replace it, and it also sucks, so I am not casting on anymore vests. Screw the vests. I have UFO's to concentrate on anyhow.
My stash of Future Projects (yarn, bought for a specific pattern, but not yet begun) is truly obscene. I think I could cloth a small nation with lovely and expensive handknits using the yarn in my stash.
And yet, some cotton/silk blend yarn found its way into my hands this afternoon, enough for 2 pairs of truly luxe socks, and i spent a good hour and a half swatching to find the perfect stitch pattern to knit with it. *sigh* I have no sense of restraint, when it comes to my yarn. None. Such a pity.
It is really yummy cotton/silk, though. A very pretty light blue, and some cream to contrast on the heel and toe. mmmmm.
What UFO's? I am casting on a new pair of socks. Makes perfect sense
***
WELL. Now, it is 2014. TWENTY FREAKIN' FOURTEEN. How did THAT happen?! And the more thing change, the more things stay the same, don't they?! Clearly I am a creature of habit. I had to laugh when I reread this post this morning, because here we are, just heading into the Christmas season, and I am in the midst of gathering up UFOs to finish.
So. Many. UFOs. I'm still working on The Eternal Socks, and I was saying I would cast on a new sweater after them.. but I keep finding more and more UFOs. And I just can't let myself cast on anything new until I actually get some of these UFO's finished.
And then I re-read the post. I realized that my friend, who was to get the soft chemo hat I blogged about? The one who was living cancer-free? She relapsed in 2009 or 10. She passed away in 2011. And I still have the hat, and sometimes I wear it and think of her. And in an extra painful little coda to that story, her teenage daughter died tragically a few weeks ago. I have cried buckets this fall, for that family.
That happens to us knitters, doesn't it? We remember knitting certain things at certain times, and it's like some of the emotion and memory is embedded in the stitches. I pull out a certain sweater, and think of the friends who sat around the table at the local yarn shop, chatting with me as I worked on it. I pull out a certain scarf, and remember knitting it in school colors to wear at my son's football games.. I mean, literally, I had one end of it draped around my neck against the draft, while I was knitting along to the other end. And I was yelling at the ref while I knitted. So much for zenlike, peaceful knitting.
My memory of my friend is bittersweet; she should still be with us, and so should her little girl. We should be watching our daughters dance together in the Nutcracker this year, and we should be meeting up for coffee and talking smack about the other dance moms. We should be scrapbooking together on a memory books for our college sons, and heritage albums for our families. She shouldn't be gone.
I went to the movies with my daughter and husband last night. We saw Big Hero 6 - because yes, I do like cheezy kid movies. It was beautiful, not least of all because it reminded me that when we lose people we love, we carry them with us in our hearts and memories. I'm so glad I've been reminded.
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