Knitter's Log, Stardate 25.04.2006

Some UFO's just deserve to be zapped, not abandoned as permanent space junk, zapped out of existence, dematerialized. And so it was I zapped another lesson in humility from several years ago and unravelled an almost complete sweater I was trying to upsize from a child's pattern.
Knitting arrogance subdued again, awareness of the sin brought home with each re-wound ball.

The yarn, a rather nice pima cotton, seemed to have survived the ordeal without dreaded kinking, maybe because I tend to knit a little loose, maybe because it was good yarn, maybe because I got lucky. Actually I was very fortunate, as I also had close to a dozen brand new skeins of the same yarn! I decided to knit Sally's Favorite Summer Sweater from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch. It's a unique design in that it has both sheer and opaque fabric. It is an easy pattern, perfect for beginners.

I actually began this sweater last fall while I kept vigil with our terminally ill daughter. It was perfect in that regard because I could work on it somewhat mindlessly, just straight knitting and pause for an occasional measurement. I completed the front and most of the back and then set it aside. I don't remember much about winter and am still surprised to find it is spring, which has kept me very busy with crazy quilting. Now and then I would work on the sweater, but
the sameness was tedious and didn't hold my attention. It has occurred to me at last that summer is rapidly approaching, and if I don't get busy, I won't have a new summer sweater!
Sally's Fave has been rescued UFOdom, total assimilation soon to be complete.

Space Invasion

UFO's are attacking my home and my conscience. Unfinished objects lurk throughout the house. They occupy every inch of negative space, especially areas best left void to invite occasional cleaning. The UFO's are multiplying as fast as Tribbles* and firing my own guilt buttons. Extermination is not an option.

A solution is not as simple as one might suppose. It's said we can justify anything. I can procrastinate in the blink of an eye with instant validation. Although my intention to complete each and every project is genuine, I am too easily diverted to the next point of interest. It's not that I get bored. It's that the exhilirating temptation to learn something new or the irresistible opportunity to increase my stash is overpowering. Like anyone who's ever faced Borg* or Ferengi*, I've come to know the futility of resistance and the righteousness of greed.

I'm at war with the nagging notion that I should somehow manage the chaos of my creative pursuits. Doesn't crafty clutter reflect my out of the box approach to any artform once I'm comfortable with basic techniques? Isn't that why I'm drawn to crazy quilting and freeform needlework? Don't I need the array of my stash so I can spot what I need at a glance? And don't supplies need to be handy, ergo, everywhere? I don't need an excuse to put off tidying; I simply destest housework. I resent even the most essential chores because they keep me from doing something, anything, else that I'd enjoy more.

I'll deal with the UFO's. Even though I know one will replace another as fast as I can finish,
I will finish them. And therein lies justification for finding a new project, more stash.

* http://www.startrek.com/startrek/mediaview?id=2102409&episodeid=68744&count=-1

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/documentaries/article/5299.html

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/aliens/article/70601.html