In my quest to finish my heap1 of UFOs (that’s the nerdy knitting acronym for UnFinished Objects) and finalize my numerous almost-finished pattern write-ups, I have been methodically tackling the situation.
My husband's newly-finished MakerBot "M" logo hat.
Last weekend, along with finishing the new scarf for my daughter and getting that pattern written up, I also finished a hat for my husband (although I still need to write up its pattern). It is a simple Stockinette stitch, rolled bottom hat in black cotton featuring a red “M” done in intarsia. The “M” is meant to resemble the logo for MakerBot Industries, the company that makes my husband’s 3D printer. I’m still working on my intarsia skills, and cotton is not the best yarn for intarsia work,2 but the hat turned out alright for a first attempt and my husband is happy he can finally wear it.
My two lovely, finally-finished Brattleboro hats.
So far this week I have finished two other hats, one for myself and one that’s a gift for my mom.3 As you can see in the photos, it’s the same hat, just in different colors. The pattern is the Brattleboro Hat by Melissa LaBarre4 and the yarn is Malabrigo’s Worsted Merino, which comes in so many beautiful, hand-dyed colors that I couldn’t choose just one. I loved the design of the hat, so I decided to buy multiple hanks and make multiple hats. I’m really happy with the results.
Close-up of my Brattleboro Hat in color 118 Tortuga.
Close-up of the Brattleboro hat for my mom in color 117 Verde Adriana.
I am now working on finalizing another pattern,5 this one for a “spa set” consisting of a bath mitt and votive candle sleeve that was a gift for my mother-in-law last Mother’s Day. Similar to my summery headband pattern, this pattern for the spa set was all typed up–and even had photos–and just needed a final edit. I’m in the process of double checking the patterns and hope to have that completed before the end of the upcoming weekend, so check back if you’re interested in making a spa set.
I’m really on a roll and feeling great about the progress I’m making. I realize I won’t be able to keep up this pace forever, but hopefully I can stick to my more realistic one-per-week goal. Although, I have thought to myself, if I complete more than one UFO and one pattern in a given week, can I carry those extras forward and count them toward the next week? Sounds like cheating, I know, and kind of defeats the purpose of my quest, but the thought did cross my mind. 🙂
- I was going to say “stack” but that conjures up something too neat and tidy for my situation. My unfinished projects are too numerous and would topple into an unruly pile, hence my use of “heap.” [↩]
- I gave my husband a choice between cotton and wool, and he wanted the cotton. [↩]
- But she doesn’t know about it yet; I’ve gotten smarter and stopped “advertising” a gift before it’s truly complete and ready to give. [↩]
- The Brattleboro Hat is just one of the many fantastic projects in the book “New England Knits” by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa La Barre. [↩]
- Well, two patterns actually, but they’re a set so I’m writing them up together. [↩]