Delving Into My WIP's Goodie Bag...Again!

So summer is finally creeping up on us and well what will you be working on during the warm weather?  Me, I'm going to dive back into that seemingly bottomless WIP's bag. You may have remembered a post back in January, where I talked about delving into my WIP's goodie bag.  Well here I am again, back to that bag, trying to get some of those unfinished objects (UFO's) - finished!

I returned to working on a granny square afghan I started almost 5 years ago. It was originally started for my son, because I thought it would be something he could cherish and pass on to his children.  But after I had a friend make him a quilt out of some of his old t-shirts; the need to finish this afghan took a back seat.

But recently, I received some surprising news from my family back east, news that saddened me somewhat, but at the same time gave me a reason to finish the afghan, now more than ever.  One of my sister's children (her youngest who is 4 years old) has been diagnosed with Leukemia.  While even though I'm saddened by this news, I know that he is strong and healthy and will pull through and won't be the worse for wear afterwards - because children are so resilient.

Popcorn granny square afghan so far

So, when I heard he had to undergo an operation to prepare him for chemotherapy, I thought that the afghan would be a nice keepsake that he could have with him while he's in the hospital, something that could remind him of home and not feel like he's in a hospital.  I know it must be frightening and confusing for him and I wanted him to have something from his Auntie that would comfort him during this scary time - to let him know my son, Aiden and I are thinking of him and want him to get better.

So I'm diligently trying to get it done before I leave for vacation next month, so I can give it to him when we go home for our visit. It is made up of 36 - 5"x5" crochet granny squares (popcorn design) that I sewed together and now triming it in double-crochets in a navy blue color (perfect for a little boy).  Since he's a little guy, it will be the size of a couch throw which is probably plenty big enough to keep him wrapped in warmth while he is going through his chemotherapy.

I also, decided the pineapple shawl that was originally for my sister who lives in NY will now go to my sister in Maryland.  Ever since I received the news I knew I wanted to keep her in good spirits while she's comforting her son as he undergoes the chemotherapy treatment. Once its finished I'm having a friend take it to her prayer group and give it a healing blessing so that it will surround her with our love and blessings from 3,000 miles away.

I would like to ask all of you who reads this to keep my little nephew, his mom, and their whole family in your prayers.  Thank you.

Delving Into My WIP's Goodie Bag

Like many yarn-users out there (knitters, crocheters, etc), I have a work-in-progress (WIP) pile that has many a knitting/crochet project that I found myself starting but before even getting half-way through starting another one. And as of right now almost all of my unfinished projects are stuffed in my portable knitting bag – which has gotten so over-run that I can’t fit my current WIP in it. I don’t like lugging it around with all those projects reminding me that they need to be finished!

What does my WIP pile have in it? The bottom half of a knitted sock monkey, one blue sock I started 3 years ago, a crochet shrug that I’ve only got a portion of the collar done, half of the back panel of a men’s basketweave jacket, a front panel of a boy’s pullover sweater, and one completed slipper of a pair of felted slippers. I know it’s terrible that they are sitting around waiting to be finished. Of course I had every intention of completing them when I started, but I have this little problem, and maybe some of you can relate. I get bored easily and when I come across a pattern that is more interesting I immediately want to try it out leaving the unfinished project to be added to the growing pile of WIP’s. In my defense though the main reason why I haven’t delved back into any of these projects is that they weren’t being made for anyone in particular they were patterns that I found interesting and I wanted to try out, well except the Men’s Basketcase Jacket by Tara Jon Manning published in Men in Knits – that was my November NaKniSweMo (knit a sweater in a month) project - which obviously I didn’t finish.

NaKniSweMo Project: Men's Basketcase Jacket

I haven’t a clue as to how best to deal with these unfinished projects, without getting bored with them all over again and end up starting something else. I have requests from 2010 that I haven’t even started yet, a reusable market bag, 2 hat and scarf sets, a pair of striped socks, and 3 pair of felted slippers, not to mention the projects I’ve committed myself to just in the last two weeks: 2 baby layette sets, another hat and scarf set, a crochet cloche, and a diagonal scarf like the one I’m already working on.

Wakefield Diagonal Scarf by Melissa LaBarre
materials used: Cascade Yarns Cherub Collection DK
in brown, size 3 needles

Should I finish the old WIP’s or start the 2010 requests? As you can see I need help staying on track, can anyone give me some advice or have any solutions to this dilemma? I’d like to hear from some of you on how you stay on task without getting distracted with more interesting patterns and designs.

What's on my needles, you ask?

What's on my needles - geez I have so many WIP's that I don't even know where to begin.  Honestly I guess it would depend on which needles you were looking at because there's a little of this and a little of that and a whole lot of yarn! And this weekend was another knit-a-thon weekend!  My goal though was to get as many of my unfinished projects done as possible.  There are so many, even I was a little intimidated by how many projects I started and didn't finish.  When I started pulling them from my knitting bag I almost decided to pretend they didn't exist and just start something new.  But alas, I'm a bit anal when it comes to having something unfinished laying around - so I got to work on getting some needles cleared off.

It began on Thursday evening - sorting through all the projects and checking the stage of development for each one, and figuring out how long each one would take to complete.  Luckily I work a flexible schedule at my regular 9-5 job, where I work eight 9 hour days, one 8 hour day and get every other Friday off.  And this Friday (November 5th) was one of my off days so I of course what did I do? I knitted until my hands cramped and then I knitted some more. I fell asleep watching the SciFi channel with knitting needles still in my hands on Thursday night which is scarier than anything you would ever see on the SciFi channel - me sleeping upright in front of the t.v. with my hair sticking up all over - not a pretty picture!  I'm very glad my son didn't have a camera on hand when he found me the next morning.

Aiden, my son who also had the day off from school, came downstairs at 8:30 Friday morning to find me asleep on the loveseat buried in needles, patterns and yarn - lots and lots of yarn.  He says I turned our living room into a knitting/yarn shop with all the yarn, patterns, needles, and did I say yarn? Piled all over the place. When I have a chance I will post a picture of my loveseat and coffee table where I'm surrounded by my work.  I love it, but it is very messy and I've tried to organize it many times, but I always end up pulling out yarn, or searching for a paticular pattern and/or needle and it all ends up all over the place again - so now I've given up and leave it strewn all over the floor next to my seat, on the loveseat, on the back of the loveseat and of course all over the cofee table.

As Aiden put it I was a "knitting fool" this weekend. He couldn't believe that I had finished so many projects in only a couple of days.  He was very impressed with the end product and he decided to try on several of the items and I got a real kick out of seeing him model them - unfortunately he wouldn't let me take any pictures - he didn't want to see them posted on Facebook (he knows me so well!).

So some of the WIP's I completed this weekend included a pair of socks - one at a time pair that were on dpns that I started 3 months ago (man I'm so glad I now know how to do two socks at the same time - no more one-at-a-time socks on dpns for me!), a drawstring backpack that I started last week, and I worked a little on my NaKniSweMo project that I began last week - I've gotten as far as the armholes on the backside.  And after putting in a good effort (good effort being the key words here folks!) on finishing up some unfinished projects (I didn't dare look in the closet upstairs where there is another bag full of unfinished WIP's) I started and finished a few new projects that include a pair of fingerless gloves and a bath set that has a face towel, washcloth, and soap pocket. I like to pair my bathsets with this really great handmade soap and bathsalt that I get from the Pink Sugar Shop, which I discovered at my local Farmer's Market.  I've given these as gifts to family and they absolutely love them.

And below you can see some of the finished projects, enjoy!





Personal Bath Set - made with 100%
mercerized cotton by Saucy paired with handmade apricot
scented soap &  mango madness scented bathsalt

  


Front view of drawstring backpack
made with Lion Cotton in Seaspray. You can find the pattern at:
Super Summer Backpack pattern #80401AD

Side view

Back view

Fingerless gloves made from Lion Brand
Jiffy in Fisherman & Fun Fur in Ivory