UFO/Stash Busting Project update

Well, it’s 3 weeks since I signed up for the UFO/Stash busting Project, so how have I been getting on.

The first project I started after signing up for the challenge was niecelet's birthday present. I had to go yarn shopping for this, but decided that as I’d already planned to by the yarn and I went shopping on the very day I signed up, I could just squeeze that in under the wire. I was using a pattern I already owned and planned to use a button from my button collection.

I did finish a UFO before I started it:

 The first hitch came when the shop I went to didn’t have the yarn I wanted. With less than a week to niecelet’s birthday, I didn’t want to have to wait and try somewhere else, so I decided to pick up a couple of alternatives to try out. The deal I made with myself was that whichever yarn didn’t get used would be given away, so it would not increase my stash.

So I came home and cast on with yarn 1. After knitting a few rows, I glanced at the ball band and saw it said the yarn wasn’t machine washable. My sister would not love me for giving niecelet something that wasn't machine washable. So I ripped it back and cast on with yarn 2 – which is machine washable. On later reflection I realised that I have previously bought yarn 1 and the label has said machine washable, so I’m not sure what has changed there! It probably means I could have got away with it, but by that time I was well established with yarn 2.

However, before I got to that well-established point, I knit a few rows then decided that for the pattern I was knitting (a dress), the knit was too loose. So changed my plans. After looking through various patterns with nothing jumping out saying ‘knit me’, I cast on and started knitting from my head. I ended up with this top,

which I am rather pleased with. Apart from the fact that stashbusting rules 1 and 2 ended up being completely broken as I didn’t use anything at all – no button or pattern or anything – from my stash and had bought new yarn. My only consolation, is that the UFO I finished had been totally from stash.

The next project I started without finishing a UFO first, as I cast it on at knit night – I also bought some yarn there, but it matched some in my stash which will contribute to the project, so I’m ok there. And once I was home from knit night, I didn’t pick it up again until I had finished a snood from the UFO collection.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve not managed knitting much at all as I’ve been busy and/or tired a lot of the time and my knitting mojo seems to have vanished. Usually I can lure my it back with one or two tried and tested methods – cast on something new or go yarn shopping. I can’t do the former until I finish something, and as none of my UFOs need yarn that I don’t already have, so I can’t do the second either. I am going to have to discover new tactics.