Unfinished objects are the inspiration of our lives and the bane of our existence. Whenever I have a UFO, it usually starts out as this wonderful idea but turns into a grueling battle of mind over matter. What was supposed to be a simple v-stitch crochet blanket sits at the bottom of my personal yarn hell. What, oh what went wrong. It had lovely colors, a rough draft in my head and the motivation to start hooking away. Or even that simple garter knit scarf (from 2 winters ago that I promised my son.... ) that's sitting in a storage tote STILL on the needles. Really, I don't have that many pairs of needles I cant have them permanently occupied.
So I'm not really sure what happened. BUT... If I pick that scarf back up and knit a row before I go to bed... does that make it a WIP? Seriously, I think I can do that every six months or so. What about if a previous UFO suddenly becomes useful in the state that it is in.
Take this blanket to the left. I started this back in 2004 or 2005. I started to run out of a color and I was no longer sure where my symmetry lie. (Yes, I'm huge on symmetry. It's a terrible habit that I have to break.) I didn't know what to do because my plan was wrecked. So I did what any sane crocheter would do. I took a step back, took a deep breath and walked away for a while. Well, at least I thought it would only be a while. Fast forward three to four years and the blanket/rug or whatever it was going to be is still connected to a ball of yarn. The only difference is instead of being at the top of my finish soon list its on the "oh, I should really finish this project ... at some point in time" list.Your probably wondering what that blanket has to do with my statement about UFO's being useful suddenly. Well, currently, that pretty purple crocheted rug blanket is used whenever I spin on the Louet S51. Since the house has hardwood floors I noticed a subtle rocking whenever I spin. (Did I mention the floors are ever so slightly uneven?) Also, the slickness of the floor allows for my treadling motion to slowly push the week backwards. However I was able to remedy this situation very easily. I simple grabbed some scissors and .... get ready.... I ... cut... the ball of yarn loose. So this left me with a few loose strings and a blanket rug just wide enough to sit under the wheel. Trust me, this comes in handy for those outdoor on the sidewalk events. No one wants to scratch up a spinning wheel.
For another metamorphosis example.... 3-4 years ago I was crocheting this huge 2 strand crochet blanket. I started out just crocheting but then stretched into the
belief that I wanted a bed size crocheted blanket. This my friends, was the beginning of the end. I ran out of yarn and was destined to buy more from my dreaded local Walmart. I found my color, purchased another 2 skeins of Red Heart and retreated back to the luxury of my abode. Then I finished up the previous skeins and started in on my join. To my horror these colors were nothing alike. I was so naive, so young and reckless and it ruined another good project. This was tragic and so the blanket was "put away" until I could find a subtle color to border the blanket. As of last week, this blanket is sitting on my son's full sized bed. I had made him one when he was younger but he outgrew it. My husband figures it will keep him warm and be a mommy reminder when he lays down for bed.So is my wheel rug any less a finished product just because I didn't weave in the joined yarns? No, its being put to use. Any time something is being put to use and not sitting in a basket of unfinished objects they become finished objects. Sure I can pretty it up if I want... or pick it up later and re-envision the project all together. These are just examples to show how subjective it really is to say something is unfinished. I know that the blanket on my son's bed has a few loose strings but that doesn't make him love it any less.
In the end, that's the real funny thing about an "unfinished" object. They become finished objects when you decide they are.
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