End of January sky in the Midlands of England when we are between storms. Time to cosy up with your knitting!
There is so much pressure at the beginning of the year to set your goals (I know, I do it myself). While I find it easy to do that for some parts of life, the rational-objective-logical requirements of paying the rent now and in the future, for example, the inner life that needleworkmonday revolves around was not so easy to corral and harness.
Separately, I had been putting together a mental list of unfinished objects, some of which I had started years ago, and I knew I had some shop-bought objects that needed altering. Then I came across the idea of Finish It February through Roxanne Richardson. I've been following her vlogs each week through January and working towards a set of items that I want to finish or fix during February.
I've found the preparation a really useful exercise and I like that it was spread over several weeks so that you had time to think and make decisions without being overwhelmed. I've given a summary in this post, and you can find more information in each of the following vlogs. Each one is time-stamped, so you can go straight to the section about Finish-It-February:
Reduce your UFO Pile: What To Do with the Nays at 32:06
Sorting the Yay! Pile for Quickest and Most Fun at 24:39
Rotate to Motivate at 29:23
The Pile of Ambiguity at 26:14
Going through a process of sorting, reflecting and evaluating has helped me realise where I want to focus this year with knitting and making. I've realised that I don't like working on small, fiddly projects (socks, see below) and I prefer to work with larger needles and thicker yarns. It has also been useful for thinking about time - how long it takes to make different sorts of garments - and from that, thinking about how I want to spend my time this year.
Camellias on my regular walk. These have been blooming for several weeks now, but the other varieties are still hibernating.
The Beginning
The beginning can be a little overwhelming as you search out - under the bed, in trunks, on top of the wardrobe - and bring together all your unfinished objects. This is not about works in progress that you haven't finished (although it can be if you want), but delving back into the primeval slime and pulling out things you may not even remember making.
Depending on the kind of maker you are, not remembering making items is an occupational hazard: it's part of the world of being a maker. I found that I had experiments, swatches, pieces from when I was learning techniques as well as unfinished garments and accessories.
Sorting the Nays
These are all the things that you decide that you definitely don't want/don't like/are not going to do another thing with. There are three options for these:
- Absolutely horrible - pull out the needles and any other tools, snip the yarn and throw in the rubbish/recycling/that door-stopper thing you are filling with waste yarn and fabric.
- You like the yarn, but not whatever it was going to be. Pull out the needles and any other tools and put it back in your stash (you could unravel it and process for re-winding, but that might be distracting right now, on the other hand, it could provide some peaceful meditation time).
- It's perfectly okay, but you don't like it/want to do any more work on it. The choices here are to give/exchange/sell it to someone else. Bundle up the unfinished object with the rest of the yarn, throw in the pattern if that's possible and donate to a charity shop, give to a friend (with the proviso they can always say "no") or look for a local yarn exchange.
Choosing the Yays!
First of all, this was about selecting all the unfinished objects that you still loved, which excited you and which you wanted to keep and work on. Roxanne suggests listing these and noting beside each one what needs to be done and a guess about the amount of time that might be involved.
The second stage was selecting those items from your list that you want to finish in February. Some suggestions for selecting items were:
- which ones were going to be fun and you would enjoy?
- how long were they going to take? Picking a selection of items that could be completed in the time you have available in February.
- will it keep you motivated? I felt a lot of quick wins where you see one pile rapidly diminishing and another growing would be motivating for me. I also liked the idea of things that would benefit me now, so winter-wear.
This might also be the time to do repairs and replacements, or to alter things like necklines. I added small sewing jobs on different items I have either had for a long time and never worn, or which I have acquired in the past year from charity shops and which need some attention.
Not every unfinished object is going to fit into Finish It February, and I had a second list of objects to finish later in the year (or even review again next year).
The Pile of Ambiguities
I had some unfinished objects where I didn't know what I wanted to do with them. I liked something about them - could be the yarn or the colour - but there was something that wasn't quite right, maybe about the fit, or I had got stuck at some point. Objects can also be tied up with feelings, especially around grief, and sometimes they need to be put on one side - back into hibernation - for now.
When you come to review them next year, some things may have changed which may help you to decide what you want to do:
- You will have become more experienced as a knitter and may have learned or come across new techniques that help you tackle objects where you have got stuck.
- You may have grown as a knitter or maker and find that you have outgrown the object or your direction has changed and it no longer interests you.
- It may be easier to deal with objects that are bound up with feelings.
Some objects may never leave the pile of ambiguities: they hibernate quietly with you.
The Finish It February List
My priorities for Finish It February: Clockwise from top left: blackberry stitch cowl; slip-stitch Afghan; original top-down raglan cardigan (and buttons); moss stitch jacket and Dark Academia v-neck vest.
Unfinished Objects for Finish It February
| Yay! | Item | What needs doing? | How long? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackberry stitch cowl | Sew ends together | 1 hour |
| 2 | Original top-down raglan cardigan | add buttons | 1 hour |
| 3 | Dark Academia v-neck vest | Fix shoulder seams/armholes, sew in ends | 2-3 hours |
| 4 | Moss stitch jacket | Sew underarm seams, sew in ends, add button | 2-3 hours |
| 5 | Slip-stitch Afghan | Crochet border, sew in ends | 1 week |
Most of these were easy picks and shouldn't take too much time. The one I am wavering over is the crochet border for the slip-stitch Afghn. I am looking for a stitch that is very geometrical and has some of the qualities of the knitted slip-stitch patterns. You might recognise the squares from previous posts (I think I have written about all the items in my unfinished objects at some time or another). I have worn the original top-down raglan cardigan for about four winters now without its buttons! It is very cosy, like a well-loved pet. It needs lots of grooming, too.
Any ideas for a crochet border for the Afghan? I love the patterns on this and was so pleased I finally crocheted all the squares together at the beginning of the winter. This is also very cosy, between the cardigan and the afghan, I am perfectly cocooned.
Items for Fix It February
| Yay! | Item | What needs doing? | How Long? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Purple crushed velvet jacket | Add button and buttonhole | 1-2 hours |
| 7 | Blue/pink silk skirt | Add yoga band at waistband | 1-2 hours |
| 8 | Denim skirt | Reduce length and add yoga waistband | 2 hours |
| 9 | Barbour quilted jacket | Repair pocket and belt-holder | 2 hours |
| 10 | Four Seasons raincoat | Repair loose buttons | 2 hours |
Four of these items are from charity shops, two from Oxfam and two from an Age UK shop in my local town. The velvet jacket fits perfectly and has a large, rolled shawl collar which I love, but it doesn't have any fastenings at the front. I'm thinking about a single large button with a sewn button loop at the bottom of the shawl collar.
The silk skirt is too big at the waist, and the denim skirt is too small at the waist and ankle length with gored panels at the hem. I thought I would snip off the top of the denim skirt at a width which is big enough to pull over my hips, creating a midi-length skirt; and then for both skirts, I would add a yoga band made of black cotton jersey ribbing.
Unfinished Objects for Later
| Yay! | Item | What needs doing? | How long? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Perfect set in sleeves bottom up cardigan | Finish and set-in sleeves, add button band and buttons, sew in ends, transcribe pattern | 1-2 weeks |
| 12 | Black bottom-up slipover | Design and knit yoke, knit sleeves, make up, sew in ends | 1-2 weeks |
| 13 | Tweed moss-stitch top down raglan cardigan | knit sleeves, finish body, add buttons, sew in ends | 2-3 weeks |
| 14 | Top-down lace raglan cardigan | Knit sleeves and body, add buttons, sew in ends | 4 weeks |
| 15 | Red moss-stitch cable jacket | Frog, steam, re-wind, start again | 4 weeks |
These will fit into the ideas I have for the rest of 2022. They include three summer cardigans and two for the winter. As I already have two winter works in progress (the Noro and Cocoknits cardigans), I shall probably leave the other winter cardigans until later in the year. More about these objects in later posts.
Pile of Ambiguities January 2022
| Erm... | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Crocheted shawl/bed jacket | A shawl extended into a cardigan - loved making it, like the yarn. |
| 17 | Crocheted hooded slipover | Pattern from Knitty (?), loved making it, doesn't fit. |
| 18 | Striped sweater | Loved making it, lovely yarn, love the colours. Shoulders and sleeves don't fit properly, and what's with the collar? |
| 19 | Sock yarn | Where did all this sock yarn come from? |
I was pleased this list wasn't too long! I think the first three will involve some unravelling. But the sock yarn .. what is this all about? Thirteen skeins and I believe there is another one somewhere, and a chunky worsted for socks for my walking boots.
Not even all the sock yarn! I don't like the random stripey ones and I'm not so keen on working on small needles with thin yarn. I do love the blue Painted Desert socks and I will be writing more about them in a later post. I have been looking at sock patterns using double knitting yarn and I may get on better with those. Socks are handy if you are travelling, though, easy to pack and not too obtrusive to knit on a coach or train.
Nay, Nay, and Thrice Nay!
| Nay | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nay | Lime green chunky yarn | Acrylic and lime |
| Nay | Charity shop cotton textured yarn in chocolate | Texture and colour |
The title is a reference to a British comedian, Frankie Howerd: it was one of his catch-phrases, along with "Titter ye not" and "Oh, please yourselves". Frankie came from the British music hall tradition, a very bawdy style of entertainment!
I've put these in the Nays, but they could equally go in The Pile of Ambiguities, and the same for much of the sock yarn. I bought the lime green to make a simple pullover top - for the practice more than anything. It's been unravelled at least twice and I still have some rows on needles.
I keep feeling I should love the chocolate yarn, but it's just not happening!
Three things newbies should do in their first week and, for most things, forever afterwards!
