Closeup of Clapotis, showing beginnings of dropped stitches
This week, I’ve finally begun the “straight rows” section of the Clapotis pattern. This means I get to drop stitches! Yay! On purpose. I’ve actually done this before (follow the link and scroll down for the evidence), and it is terribly fun at the outset. The problem, as I see it, is being able to maintain my mojo all the way to the end. I know this about myself, because this will be the fourth or fifth time I’ve worked on one. How many finished objects do I have to show for my efforts? Embarrassingly, none. That’s just how I roll, I guess. But, I pledge that this time will be different. To wit:
I’m having the good fortune of being able to show some newer knitters how this pattern works, and how it is so elegant in its simplicity. (Just don’t discourage the noobs by telling them how boring it is to knit after a while, ok? We don’t want to discourage their enthusiasm.)
I’m enjoying some really fabulous audiobooks to listen to while knitting. Right now, it’s the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I’m only on the second book, and I’m completely addicted!
So maybe this is the time that my long-suffering fantasies of wearing a Clapotis in public will finally come true. It’s about time that I owe this one to myself, right?
Now, if only I didn’t have the distraction of wanting to cast on for Color Affection… It’s a sickness, for sure. Wish me luck.
Almost everybody who knits in today’s world knows what this is:
Closeup of my Clapotis
This is, of course, the famous Clapotis. Come on, I know you’ve made one. Haven’t we all? All, except… me. You see, this is my attempt at Clapotis. Probably my second attempt, at that.
No, it is not hard to do. In fact, once you get it down, which happens pretty quickly, it is reasonably mindless knitting. Which, you’d think, would be a good thing. But, I guess not! That is, if you happen to be… well, me.
I am so bad at finishing anything! I’ve been knitting for 6 solid years, and it’s becoming painfully obvious that my UFO (UnFinished Object) pile is at least 10 times larger than the pile of things I have finished. Sure there have been some lovely hats along the way, but truthfully, not much else. Not even this, my Clapotis.
I even have such fond memories of knitting her!
Knitting at the sadly former Folk Art Studio Cafe
In this particular instance I spent an afternoon knitting with a friend at what was my favorite local yarn shop at the time. It is long gone but the memory isn’t. It was my first time sitting and knitting with a friend, rather than just my computer for company. The yarn was a really cool kettle dyed colorway from Rio de la Plata, which at the time reminded me of some sort of funky tie dye that appealed to the hippie in me. I got SO close to being done with this, but then I realized two things:
One, the yarn was so thick, there was NO WAY I could ever really wear this as a shawl, and even though it would have been a good sized shawl, it would be way too small for a blanket; and
Two, the last two balls didn’t look ANYTHING like all the other balls in the lot. That’s what you get with kettle dyed, little did I know. I’d probably be fine with it now, but then, I just couldn’t live with it not matching.
I still have this project, what’s knitted and what’s left of the yarn. I still love the yarn, and have spent the last five years trying to decide whether to take the thing apart and make something else with the yarn, since I love it so much, or to just soldier on, and finish the thing. You never know, I might like it after all.
The thing is? Once a UFO becomes a UFO for me, it’s pretty much over. I don’t think I’ve ever gone back and finished ANYTHING in my enormous pile of yarny misfits and undone things. It’s not that I don’t love them; I do. I really do. Each project has some cool memories attached to it. I just have an apparent aversion to finishing almost anything. What is it about being done that’s so hard, anyway? At this stage of the game, I doubt I’ll ever figure it out.
I even joked with a friend the other day that maybe I should frame some of my UFOs, just as they are, needles and all. Perhaps that in itself makes some sort of artistic statement that I have yet to realize. I suppose, if I ever do frame any of my unfinished lovelies, Clapotis will probably be first. I love her the most. Just look at the header graphic of my blog. There it is, every day. Finished or not, it will always be a favorite.
I’ve been playing with the look of my blog banner and background over the last day or two. Of course, it HAS to be purple… 🙂 But what do you think? I thought about using a stock photo of someone’s hands knitting but my, ahem, technique is so unique to me that I had to use an image of my own hands. That’s my own Clapotis in the image, too. Hey, at least I didn’t use any generic images! Thanks for looking… hopefully I’ll have a knitting related update tomorrow.
These are the ones for which I have evidence, anyway…
My first cabled poncho was made from Alafoss Lopi–can you say itchy? I was a young knitter and didn’t know better. Plus I didn’t know yet how to make mirrored increases and so my increases look yucky. Rhoda says I should felt it a little and make it into a bag. Maybe I will… someday.
Clapotis #1–I made this with a kettle dyed yarn and even in the same lot the color variance is huge. I should have varied the skeins more as I went but I didn’t and now all I have left is the yarn that doesn’t match. Sigh.
Alison’s Poncho–This is my most shameful UFO to date. I am so regretful that I didn’t finish it but I may yet one day. It’s huge, so hard to lug out and work on. Ponchos will be 10 years out of fashion. Worse yet? This was a gift. And the recipient knew about it. And the yarn was expensive. Sigh.
Cables and Eyelets Baby Blanket — by Nancy Hearne. I started this one for the baby of a former daycare teacher of my son. Kept losing stitches here and there, and lost my mojo.
Clapotis #2– I started this skinnier one a couple of years ago when my dad was dying… knit on it a lot in waiting rooms. Can’t finish it.
Latifa — I like this one, I really do. But I made the first ruffle with too small of a needle and it’s too puny for my taste. I just need to take a pair of scissors to the ruffle and well, you know…
My son’s “Thomas and James” scarf — Mommy guilt! I’ll finish it this year. I must.
Cables and Eyelets Scarf — Too much of a good thing maybe? I fell out of love with this project.
There are many others started but not completed. Quite a few that for whatever reason, I never photographed. Someday I will dig them out.
Many of my UFOs are projects that I have no intention of finishing at this point. Do I keep them? Or throw them out? What about the unused yarn that went with each of those projects? What’s a girl to do?
