UFO sightings

The first time I saw the abbreviation UFO on a knitting thread (sorry, couldn't resist) on a blog, I thought the author had gone mad. One minute they're talking about techniques and the next they're banging on about aliens. Bonkers! I soon realised that I was mistaken and that UFO actually stands for 'UnFinished Object' in the world of knitting.

I'm sure that you can all think of a UFO lurking somewhere in your knitting basket... Regular readers will know that I have the Skirt of Doom which, I'm sad to say, remains a UFO and has been resigned to the cupboard again. However, I'm generally a completist and have always seen projects through to the bitter end every time. Or so I thought.

We're actually in the process of trying to sell our house so every school holiday I try to de-clutter another corner or cupboard. Well, Easter saw the both rewarding and depressing task of tidying my craft cupboard arise. Diligently, I sorted through bags, filled boxes and sucked the air out of vac-pack bags stuffed with yarn. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I found a carrier bag stuffed in the corner and (shock!) it contained a UFO. Memories flooded back; starting my first 'large' project from the Stitch N Bitch handbook of a hoodie over seven years ago. I can't believe I didn't finish it!

If I remember rightly, I got confused about how to knit the pocket and became distracted. I blame youth. But there it was again, half finished, and looking lovely. I wasted no time in finding the pattern and starting again. Looking back, I can't believe I ever found it difficult. To create the pocket on the front, I had knitted up to the line of stitches level with where the top of the pocket would be. The pattern then instructed me to pick up a number of stitches from the bottom of the work (between two stitch markers) and knit up. I then had to knit both rows of stitches together to join them and carry on up the front as normal, thus creating a pouch. It seems so simple now but obviously beyond the me of seven years ago.

This got me thinking - just how much do we actually improve every month? Every year? Knitters are always practising, looking up new abbreviations, watching videos on You Tube; our progression in constant. I know that I am far more confident now than I used to be.

So my message this week is to make mistakes and be adventurous. You'll reap the rewards.

(And I'll post a picture of my hoodie once it's finished!)