You can't roller-skate in a buffalo herd . . .

. . . and you can't knit while driving.  Lakewood to Portland in a horrible rain storm; trucks splashing up water and visibility poor.  No knitting.

Finally last night had time to finish the Andean Silk scarf that matches the hand-warmers.

Even had time to weave in those pesky tails.  Feels good to be finishing some of the UFO's.

This pattern works out so that the scarf has good
texture on both sides -- no 'right' or 'wrong' side.

But of course I have also ordered yarn for another shawl.  I reckon I'll slip this transgression into 2011 and begin anew with a solemn vow to finish the two sweaters in my project bag before I buy supplies for another new project.

Except those gloves are calling me.  And I need them for driving.

Accessories

Accessories are essential for all people who seriously pursue an art -- rebuilding an antique car; encasing a model ship in a tiny bottle; designing, cutting, assembling, and quilting a quilt; knitting a new something or other.

Best part about accessories is searching for the next new thing to add to the collection, some helpful item that inventors decide will make the stitches more even (like square needles), or measure your gauge more accurately, or mark your pattern progress (highlight tape.)

Here's a picture of some of my simplest accessories:  a small ruler, a retractable tape measure, a pair of very sharp scissors with nice points, and a coaster for my tea or coffee cup.

Yes, a good cuppa is almost as essential as the ruler and scissors.

You may be asking, "But what about the needles?"  Oh, they are everywhere, in project bags, attached to UFO's, in a needle case (the prize Brittany set), and in a drawer.  You really don't wanna know how many.

Though I do have the size 8 Boye needles I used for the first cable sweater, red wool, I knit when I was still in high school.

Here are some more accessories, each picture caption will tell you what's what.

Yarn Winder

The thing with sticks is a "swift" -- expands and contracts

 to hold the skein of yarn.

Sometimes you ask your child or husband to hold the yarn skein
 with two hands spread to  provide some tension on the skein.
But a Swift is more reliable and less trouble.

This is the whole party --
the winder, the swift and a nice, neat ball of yarn.

The fishing box from Cabela's that holds things like stitch markers and yarn needles.
The box opens
from the other side, too, so I have 'stuff' there.

And just so we can continue our profound discussion of UFO's, here's a pic of a new scarf pattern from Whit's Knits at Purl Bee, Soho NY.  Great stuff.  She tells stories about the project (this pattern was used in her first knitting project) and has great photos about techniques.  I'll add the link on the blog footer.

Hoping you can see the twisty-twirly effect from the RicRac stitch
The yarn is Rowan wool.  Needles are US 8 (5.00 mm)

It's a wonderful scarf and I can't get the picture to load.  Groan.  Gotta go put my brain and hands around something else.

More on UFO's

Been thinking a lot about UFO's since I began this journey.  I find myself identifying a UFO and working to finish it in between working on the swatches.

Here are some things most of us would never confess about our own collection of UFO's (except to a group of knitters on a retreat, perhaps) --

• They multiply without our knowledge.  They get stuck in a box or a closet and when we re-dscover the one we remember, we find 3 or 4 more.
• They have enough money attached to them that we could probably vacation for a week in an exotic location if we had just saved the money.  Meanwhile, we're 'vacationing' at home with too many projects.
• We move them from house to house sometimes in the boxes they've lived in for too many years.  And we know that our spouse really loves us because he/she never comments on just how many of these mystery cartons find their way onto the moving truck.
• We would have more room for out-of-season clothes if the extra closet was not filled to overflowing.
• We love re-discovering a long forgotten UFO, knowing that this discovery is almost as good as receiving a UPS package with a new project inside. 

But we will confess this one true thing about UFO's -- we love every one of them.

Wonder if we could make February the "inventory your UFO" month?  Oh, probably not -- might require admitting what we actually have that's about to spill out of that spare closet.

Bumper sticker:  Rediscover your UFO's

NUFO? UFON? UFONL?

Acronyms.  The world needs more acronyms -- NOT!  Tis hard enuf to remember the ones we really need to know (and which ones are they?) without adding a bunch of new ones.  Think URL, NFL, ACL (CIO), etc.

Anyway -- the blue afghan is, as I write, in the wash with a triple dose of fabric softener.  Two in the dispenser and one mixed with the detergent.  The other clothes in the load, for balance, will likely slip right off the wearer because of softness.  But a fiber artist's gotta do what a fiber artist's gotta do.

Here's two pix

Here you can see the rows of colors.  Quite like the rusty brown with the denim blue.  How about You!?  Also you can see the stitches of each of the two crochet rows.

Denim blue with cream and rust accents

And as for the acronyms in the title

• NUFO -- Not an UnFinished Object
• UFON -- UnFinished Object Not
• UFONL -- UnFinished Object No Longer

Crochet Interlude

Started knitting swatch #1 last night but meanwhile . . .

If you're a project person, you know what it means to have several things 'in the works' -- some folks call these UFO's  (UnFinished Object)  You do not want to know how many of these are secreted in my yarn closet, inside tote bags, stuffed into boxes, and otherwise hidden so that I can be surprised when I run across them.

So every so often I take a solemn oath that goes something like this:  "I will finish two UFO's before I start something new."  The project pictured below is one of the solemn oath projects.

Read the title of this post again -- it doesn't say anything about knitting.  Maybe you don't play with fibers using needles or hooks or thread.  A little clarity might help -- the project pictured is a CROCHETed scarf. This means I used a hook, instead of the clacking wooden needles that you see knitters working with.

The yarn was a gift from friend Fiona, during her US Labor Day visit from Perth, Western Australia.  She bot the yarn at Churchmouse Teas and Yarns on Bainbridge Island, WA, USA and presented the yarn and a pattern as a hostess gift.

Well knitters are all rebels at heart so -- i didn't knit it, I didn't use the pattern she gave me, and I didn't use the crochet hook that might have been recommended for the size of the yarn.

I like it a lot.  I will wear it on November 9 to the Glitter Gala where I will be the guest of colleague Cathy Gibson and her Evolve Partner Group at the annual benefit for Goodwill of Seattle.

The Bit of Leftover Yarn -- just squeaked by on finishing

Leftover yarn with small brooch

Here's the shawl wit a pin to show you relative size

(But before I block it -- more later)

Another close-up so you can see the colors

Lumps -- wet and lumpy and ready to apply cold water

Wet, heavy, drippy and draining

Squeezed gently in the Sham-Wow (can you see the words)

Ugly orange color, quite obscene but they serve a purpose

And finally on the blocking board -- damp wool, stretched and anchored with pins.

I'll let it dry overnight.

Next project will take me back to knitting.  Swatches await.