Making up is hard to do...

I have knit till I can knit no more on the Plain ole cotton top. Front, back, both sleeves, and, since taking this photo, I've knit the collar. I don't particularly like the collar, as knitting up stitches is not my strong suit, and there are a few "gappy" looking stitches in the curved sections, but I suppose it will look passable when I hem it under.

I had to sew together the shoulder seams before doing the collar. I did them with "fake grafting", which I had never done before. I'm thinking it would work very well on straight seams, but for the "stairstep" shaping of the shoulders of this top, it isn't perfect. Still, they look pretty nice. So far today, I have stitched up the side seams and tried it on. I couldn't have asked for a better fit, so on that score I'm well pleased.

Still to go, stitching up the sleeve seams and setting the sleeves in.

I also finished the knitting on mom's scarf this morning. I think I'll add tassles, and I'm also thinking of making her some little surprise with the rest of the La Boheme yarn...but I haven't quite figured out what yet. I put "Caliometry" in my queue on Ravelry this morning. That's my best option so far.

The knitting part of the alpaca jacket is all but over too. I still have to knit the belt, which I plan on doing tonight, but the actual jacket part is also waiting for me to put my hand to making it up. The pattern calls for me to use the mattress stitch on the seams. I've done exactly one sleeve so far.

Also in the finishing queue is the vest I'm making for Chris, where I still need to pick up the borders and then stitch it up, and the Crave jumper, which lacks a sleeve, needs closure. But the problem with this sleeve in the first place is that it is going to take a good deal of concentration, color changes and the like to get the second sleeve the match the first one.

So here's my dilemma, and it isn't a new one. I don't like knitting up or making up at work or when KIP. When I've tried this in the past, invariably I stitch things together either in the wrong spot, facing the wrong way, or using the wrong stitch. Knitters will know, it is massively difficult to try and undo what is done when making up without breaking or at the very least stretching, strands of yarn that the rest of the fabric is depending on to hold itself together. With knitting up, I need a flat surface and concentration to get the new stitches spread evenly.

So, do I do the right thing and finish all the unfinished projects lying around begging for a few crumbs of attention? Do I take them out with me and hope for the best? Or do I start on something new, knit on it when I'm away from home, and finish the unfinished at home?

The only problem with the latter idea is that I get soooo engrossed in a new project, and so despise the finishing process, that I tend to just keep right on knitting the new when I get home. Ahhh yes, I lack discipline. But there you go. The good news is that having these UFOs on Ravelry, my shame exposed to the public at large, gives me good incentive for actually wanting to finish them.

Tomorrow will be crunch time I reckon. The belt for the alpaca jacket will get me through tonight. A decision must be made.

Heaven Knows Who

A few months back, I was in between projects, and some cheapo acrylic yarn was on sale for a couple of bucks for 100g.s at Spotlight, so i bought a dozen balls and started a afghan for "heaven knows who". Occasionally I do those "heaven knows who" knits. I'll make a washcloth or a beanie, because I like it, not because I need it, and it will wind up going to "heaven knows who". Usually "heaven knows who" is a coworker or a friend, since most of my family require expensive postage to send things to them, and besides, I like to put my love into things I knit for them (yeah, you know what I mean). I don't usually do that when I'm doing a "heaven knows who" project.

When I started the afghan, my main objective was to have something easy to knit on, because the other project I was starting at the time was a bit fiddly. So I looked in my handy "Harmony Guide" and found the easiest stitch I could find that I hadn't done before, which was called the "drop garter stitch". Four rows knit, then wrap your yarn around the needle twice, drop the extra wrap on the next row, then repeat those 6 rows ad infinitum. It was working out well, and I was knitting right along, but then it started getting a bit big to tote around. Not huge mind you; I've toted around bigger, but just to the point where it was getting ungainly.

About that time, hubby and I were trolling the yard sales around MB alot. At one of these sales, we picked up a big black garbage bag full of baskets for a dollar. I wanted them because I like to give "gift baskets", but I'd rather pay more for the goodies inside than the basket they come in. One basket in particular I really liked. It had an interesting shape and it had a nice smooth surface that would look nice holding my knitting beside the couch.

So I put the afghan I was working on and a couple of balls of yarn in the basket. I liked the look of it. So I brought out a few more balls, did some arranging, and wah lah, a lovely knitting basket. Trouble was, now it looked better on display than most of my "nic-nacs". I moved it up onto the top of a plant stand and now it's a permanent part of the decor. I haven't worked a stitch on it since. I'm not sure it will ever get finished.

But for a "heaven knows who" project, that works out just fine.