UFOs and PhDs (a belated New Year's Resolution)

All knitters know about UFOs: the inevitable unfinished objects. Us sophisticated types prefer to refer to them as PhDs (Projects Half Done). I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions (as I never keep them) but I did sort of set one for myself this year. I decided to that I need to finish the unfinished objects (But first I needed to find them... This may be the reason why a New Year's Resolution post is actually happening midway through February).

So here are the UFOs I have unearthed from various nooks and crannies and hidey-holes. This was a really useful exercise. I got to be honest about just how much stuff I have stashed and discover where it was hidden. Dragging them out into the bright light of day to be photographed forced me to decide their ultimate fate. Will I ever finish them or should they be frogged (that's unravelled back to balls of wool for those who aren't fluent in "knitspeak")?  Do I really need to stop procrastinating about sewing fiddly things up?

The Dead Fox. This is one of my longest standing UFOs. I've blogged about this one and the inspiration for the project before. However, I really find feathers type novelty yarn hard going to knit for any length of time so its likelihood of getting finished any time soon is pretty small. It hasn't got enough votes to go to the top of the "To Be Completed Next" list at this time.

Gentleman's Sampler Afghan cushion. This is from Nicky Epstein's Book "knitting for Your Home (which is out of print these days). I actually got to meet Nicky at Craft Show in Melbourne a few years ago and she kindly autographed my book and told me that it is now considered a rare item. This cushion is intended for my son's room. He choose the patterns and colours for the initial two squares we made and the buttons we used. It goes with the decor in his room where the interior walls are painted to resemble stone castle walls.

Two squares done

This one is definitely a keep and finish. Need to decide what other two squares to make now. Actually also toying with turning this into the outer layer of case for his new Asus Tablet. These two squares are the right size to make one side of a case.

Domino Cushion. At a craft show a few years ago I picked up a little book called  Domino Knitting by Vivian Hoxbro. (In fact one of the things I consistently by at craft shows is books). This was a test piece. I wanted to see how to make basic domino squares and then how to add an I Cord edge.

Completed cushion front

Domino knitting book

This one is finished. I just need to add a cushion back and then stuff it. This is a definitely finish project. I need to go and measure it and see if a commercial cushion insert will fit. This one will be a gift or for sale as it doesn't really go with my home decor and my husband sees all cushions as offensive and requiring killing and dismembering. Though cushions in the kid's rooms escape his radar. It would go with the girl's bedroom renovation though. Hmm....
 

Domino shawl. This then led to the domino shawl / wrap. This was inspired by the wool which was birthday present. The photos don't really do it justice. The three colours: a brown with a blue thread through it, a grey marl and a black all have metallic gold and silver threads through them. I'm not sure how big this will be as I haven't really got a handle on how far the wool will go.

This is a very fun knit in small doses. I used to take it with me to ballet rehearsals (no more of those now since the eldest daughter retired from competitive dancing about three years ago) but it's getting a little large to be readily portable. This one I will definitely finish (but in little chunks). I'm not sure if I will wear it though!

Thomas the Tank Engine. I think Thomas is actually the longest running UFO I found (about 10 years). He is still a UFO mainly because he is sort of finished and functional as is. This is an Alan Dart pattern from the English Woman's Weekly (again out of print) and now worth a fortune on Ebay (if you can get one).

This is Thomas. He looks sort of finished doesn't he? In fact he had at least 5 years of quality playtime with my son when he was little. I actually dug him out of stuffed toy chest to take his photo.

However, these are the bits still to be added. I gave up on this for a number of reasons. It is knitted in 12ply (about aran weight) on very small needles so it is really painful on the hands after any length of time. It is extremely fiddly to sew up. And finally, notice that black bit still on the needles. I ran out of the ball of 12ply I was using and none of the other blacks quite matched. There is very little knitting to be completed here. It's mainly sewing up.

I will finish this. After all who could resist a face like this and this is a future family heirloom. I can just see it handed down through the generations. It's knitted out of good quality wool and has already stood up to a mountain of abuse (I meant vigorous play) with no visible effect.

Dickensian mice. Another vintage Alan Dart Pattern from the English Women's Weekly. I like to have a number of small knitted toys as gifts. These ones make ideal Christmas presents. So I tend to knit them when I just want to do something little.

This is nearly finished. I have the head and arms sitting there waiting to be sewn up and stuffed. I just need to remember which one I was knitting....

Ninja Knitter. My Ravelry account name is ninja_knitter. Ravelry is like Facebook for fibre artists Those who knit, crochet and spin). My little avatar at the moment is a calculator, but I want a ninja knitter. So I'm making one. This is mainly unfinished as you can't crochet black under artificial lighting. I'm also designing as I go, so it's a bit slow.

Sheep. This sheep is part of my sister's Christmas Crib. Once again all the bits are here but I have to sew it up. There's probably only about an hour's work here. Just finish it will you. (I also need to make a few more sheep, one sheep is lonely, 3 is a flock).

Camel. This is an addition to an existing Alan Dart Christmas Crib set which belongs to the small grandsons of a friend of mine. The Christmas Crib was knitted by an elderly lady in a nursing home. However, one little boy when looking at the three kings, said "Where's their camel? They need a camel!" The original pattern doesn't have a camel so I'm knitting this one from Alan Dart's Noah's Ark instead. I'm hoping the scale will work with the Three Kings.

I started sewing up the camel but need to look at the pattern to figure out which way the neck and head go together. Also, I dreading those legs which have straws in them to make then stand up properly. I did mean to have this one finished for last Christmas...

The pattern comes from this book

A headless bear. This was intended to be an aviator bear for my Long-term University Office room mate. His hobby in his spare time is to fly a light plane into remote communities and bring hands on Science to the kids of the school of the Air. He is affectionately known as Phiggles - the Flying Scientist. If you want a clearer picture of exactly what he does have a look at the ad made by Vegemite about him. The pattern for this bear comes from Debbie Bliss's book Teddy Bears: Twenty Five Irresistible Designs for knitted bears.

So I raided the stash, found some wool, knitted away and then ran out of wool. I have made the body, both arms and legs and sewed them up and stuffed them. But he is head-less.

It has been suggested that I just sew him him up and leave him headless. I may just do this.

How to wear a dead fox

I have vivid picture memories my Oma (my Dad's mum) wearing her Sunday Best, a tailored wool coat and a fox fur scarf. I'm not fond of real fox furs, the musty small of vintage fur and those fake glass beady eyes always put me off. However, I've always thought the concept is cool.

Oma (second from left) wearing the dead fox at Mum and Dad's wedding

Here are some of the best knitted dead foxes out there that I've found recently. 

Knitted fox scarf. Made by Eugenia Kim and available through Anthropologie. (Unfortunately they are sold out).

 

Nina Furher Uniques Knitwear

Pattern available from the Etsy store Pretty Flamingo

This is by an Australian Fashion label called TV.

By English Designer Donna Wilson

Knitted and Felted animal scarves by Mia Underwood

Crochet fox scarf pattern from Esty store Bees Knees Knittin

And finally two free dead foxes to knit for yourself:
From Katie Boyette at Caffaknitted,  The Stone Cold Fox Scarf.

 And from Knitty Magazine, The Vegan Fox.

 My dead fox is still a long time work in progress (about 10 years or so). The design genesis comes from three sources both predating all the foxes I've since found on the internet.

The first was a visit about 10 years or so ago to the Royal Melbourne Show. The Head of the Household and I were looking at the prize winning knitting exhibits (especially the knitted toys and novelties) and I said I could do better (there was an overabundance of Jean Greenhouse dolls and toys which seems to be the knitted toy designer of choice for the over 80 knitting brigade). So he dared me to try.

The second was a pattern for a knitted tiger scarf which I had made. This comes from an early pattern book written by Debbie Bliss for Hayfield Yarn. (And I've just realized that that this is yet another knitted cat-like creature inhabiting my house).

As well as the tiger scarf there is a knitted bear and crocodile scarf.

Tiger in the grass

I think his tail looks like the keys on a piano

Close up of the tiger face

The third inspiration was some yarn from my stash. One ball in particular reminded me so much of a foxes tail. Another ball was foxy colours. Eyelash yarn had just become popular and one day I found some in a junk shop the exact red orange of a foxes coat. So I knitted the head and tail. I'm still working on the body...

Inspirational fox wool

A fox in progress

Foxy's Head: Needs a tongue and possible some wicked teeth

Foxy's tail

The reverse of the knitted body piece. It is actually a random mix of three different yarns knitted singly.

I should finish this someday. Dead knitted foxes appear to be trendy at the moment.

Jo-ann