My Secret Shame

I've had my suspicions but I always figured that everyone else did it too, and that, you know, I was "Normal", but the other night (at Knit Nite) I realized I wasn't like the other girls, that I was harbouring a secret shame. It's been burning in my mind since Wednesday evening, and I have been trying to make excuses for it, but, in all honesty, I really, truly think that it is something I was born with.

I am a Starter.

I really enjoy the thrill of the beginning of things, the promise of something beautiful, fun, stunning, useful, whatever the promise it has -- I enjoy the first few hours of knitting away, towards fulfilling that goal.

When I start something new, it gets admired row by row, often to the annoyance of anyone around me (I DO understand that the addition of one more row of stockinette stitch doesn't drastically change the way the project looked 3 minutes ago, but I am still enamoured with it, delighted by it and proud, proud proud to show that the project is growing - because secretly, deep down inside, I know that there is a very, very, very high possibility that the project that I am currently working on, and love more than any other I have ever worked on before, and could never possibly love another project more than THIS ~ for heavens sake- this is "the Perfect One"~ stands a real high chance of going into the UFO bag should I get distracted. by. ANYTHING.).

I am fickle - I can be knitting merrily away on socks that I adore, everything about them is mesmerising - the yarn, the pattern, the needles, the speed they are knitting up at -- and am totally and completely certain that the person for whom they are being knit will love them so much that they will refuse to ever wear another pair of socks other than these, when ~ whoops! is that a "three tams" from Knitty you are working on? Ooooh, I love it. That would be perfect for my sister in Classic Wool. It will only take a few days for the tam, then I will start the socks again. I love the tam with my whole heart, it is working out so well, and I am proud of myself for not chucking the whole project immediately after those 2 gauge mishaps ... maybe I should read up on the benefits of swatching, and really try hard to swatch on every project I start. Oh, cool, I am at the decreases for the tam ... shoot, not really sure if that looks right, maybe I'll ask the girls at Knit Nite what I am doing wrong. And its 4 days til then, so what should I knit? Oh, right, that purse that lady asked about before Christmas isn't started yet -- I can knit those in my sleep. It will take no time to get that off the needles. I think she'll really like this blue, wonder what she'd like for the band at the top ~ it is so pretty. But Shetland Chunky is only on sale for a few more days, and those chunky socks in that new Patons book are really funky looking, and I have been wanting to improve my bobble-ing and colourwork -- heck, I could probably get one done now and one tomorrow and get back to the purse next week, after i make one of those totally adorable little turtles in Knitty. I adore Sheldon ...

And on it goes with a new project supplanting another, and so on and so on (and seriously, that is exactly how my mind works when it comes to knitting ... I am like a kid in a candy store, sampling everything, finishing very little).

I thought if I put some of my UFOs on the blog, it might encourage me to finish one or 2 (or hopefully all!) projects lurking in bags all over the house. Its a shame to have so many things started, and so much yarn and needles tied up in projects. And I truly loved all of them when I started them, and I think I could love them again ~ as long as I am not tempted by the lure of a new lovely hopping on the needles.

And I have to admit, I am very tempted right now to cast on a pair of manly socks for T (his birthday is April 23rd - and he would be very surprised and love a new pair of socks, and I could use Fleece Artist mill ends from my stash -- there is a lovely dark green that I got a year ago - I think there is silk in it. Oh, or I have those 2 skeins of Somoko that I bought one for him, one for me, I could knit us both a pair by then. They are different colours, so we wouldn't be weird or anything.) Maybe I should cast on a new pair for me, out of that new Noro sock yarn I got the other day, I don't have purple socks yet, and they would go quick, I could make them anklets, just so I could take the edge off, and then get right back to the finishing of UFOs.

I don't know if I can be helped, it might be incurable, I may be a chronic starter. All the other Knitterpudlians (our Knit Nite group) seem to have no problem starting and finishing things in a timely manner -- they start a pair of socks one week, and the next week, they post on their blogs "done!", they even do that with sweaters ... sweaters!! I just don't seem to have the stamina or attention span for a project that takes more than a few days. Maybe I am doomed to a life of partially finished socks, wearing vests instead of sweaters, making dishcloths, or trying to find someone with similar gauge to me to finish my stuff.

My walk of shame ... (more to follow soon, my camera batteries need recharging!)

• Sheldon ... isn't he cute? and a fast knit too. All he needs is an attached i-cord to join the top and bottom of his shell and to attach his legs to his cute little turtle body. He's a fairly recent UFO, but I have twitchyness when I think about the finishing aspects -- but the good news is I learned how to do a single crochet edging - yay!

• "I Wanna be Just Like Sharon Socks" - Started Jan. 19, 2008, following spinning workshop in which the instructor (and my friend) wore a pair of socks in this same yarn (in one of the pics on the blog post you can see the tip of one socked foot), and I had it in my stash, loved it and went home to make a pair to be just like Sharon. The difference? Sharon has two socks. meh, yeah :(

• A dishcloth knit from leftovers .... started weeks ago, and put down mid-row, apparently (must have had to pee, I dunno?). I seriously can't believe I haven't finished this, nor do I want to. I do want to start another, perversely enough.

• I am getting paid to make this purse -- and I still have no desire to knit the final 2 or so feet of i-cord. I love it, but I don't lust for it anymore. The lady still wants it though, I see her often. I have to finish this.

• A tam for my sister. It was a secret gift, then I stalled on it, and figured if I let her in on the secret and try it on, I would be encouraged to finish it. I didn't. A month or more went by, I felt guilty at Easter, and picked it up, determined to figure out the decreasing part of the pattern, screwed it up by only doing one decrease row per round, and now it sits waiting to be tinked back to the error-free zone (I hate to fix mistakes - this project may be doomed to live a long life in the basket).

• Funky, chunky Fairisle sock from the new Patons Sock and Slipper book , felt guilty about knitting it when I could have been knitting the blue purse (above), then dropped both in favor of making my sister alpaca Fetchings and my nephew cashmere-blend fingerless gloves. I had actually forgotten about them until I started rooting though my bags of stuff to take UFO pictures and found this poor cuff. I still like it, and would love to finish it (not liking the bobble-ing though, not good at the colourwork but need practice at both)

• This sheep had a destiny ... and was going to be the leader of a great army of sheep. Started 3 years ago from a Fibre trends pattern (#206), I had great plans to make all our Christmas presents ... back in the day when we had only two nieces and one nephew, they were each going to get a felted sheep as a part of their Christmas presents. This one was for Jack, the two girls were going to get hot pink and lime green sheep (older, cooler sheep). I wasn't very good at shaping back then, so the body piece is a little wonky, but I think it would still work. All it needs is to be sewn, stuffed and felted. Oh, yeah, and ears. I still love this and would still like to make a flock for the 5 nieces and nephews (I hope to get this one done soon - then 4 to go - at the rate I am going, the kids will be out living on their own before they get their sheep).

*** check back for more shame when my batteries are charged ... it is scarey how much more there is to see. (Update: I have posted more pics, but can't bear to go further right now. or to take the time for links ... this collection of UFOs were all found just in my working space, if I go into deeper storage, I am scared to know what else will turn up - I know there is a tractor sweater, and s few baby sweaters, and a scarf or 2, but after that, its a bit blurry, and I get sick feeling) I may feel up to delving deeper into the UFOs in a day or 2.

• This is a sock a started in August, back when I was going to make 21 pairs of socks as Christmas gifts - yes, I am delusional, but at the time, it seemed do-able. I picked them up a week or so ago, in an effort to finish things I have started, and screwed up the heel flap -- the first sock has eye of partridge, the second is currently reinforced heel. i have to take better notes because I really don't like to rip things back. But we are going to Bridgewater tonight re: T's work, so I have 1.5 hours in the passengers seat and at least .5 hr sitting waiting for T to get the job done, so I may tink them this afternoon and take them with me.

• Another dishcloth ... this one is round, from the Bernat label, but the label is lost now, and so am I. I think the best thing for this may be a trip to the frog pond, as it has been in the UFO bag since December's dishcloth marathon.

• Awww, a snowman hat waiting for a nose to be knit into it ... probably 3 hours work left on this. I had planned to give it to a friend who has a baby the same age as my nephew Owen. Hope it will fit when it is done.

• The much discussed, but never before photographed "Night and Day" Hederas. Can you see why they are so named? The skein of yarn was a Fleece Artist mill end from last year's sale, and when I wound the skein into balls, I discovered it was made of 4 mini skeins, which all seemed to be the same colour -- until I knit with them, then the differences really showed. It was a more complex pattern than I was used to, the differences in the 4 balls of yarn disturbed me and I caught purse fever ... I don't mind wearing mismatched socks, though, and it will be a funny story to tell, when they are done, so I am picturing these getting picked up again soon, on a day when I have lots of time to concentrate on finding my spot in the pattern.

• This is my much loved, fast knitting Emerald ... now stalled for many weeks 14 rows after the arms were joined to the body. Not much left to do before this transforms from blob of yarn to beloved cardigan.
  
  
  
  


• This is the back to a cardigan started about 5 years ago, then put down due to Cableitis - now the remaining yarn is being used for Emerald, a project I have a chance to finish before I die (honestly - all those cables, what was I thinking?). Now I want to do something with the back of this cardi - to follow the example of Lucy Neatby, and have it live on as something else (maybe a lumpy pillow?)