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February 08, 2005
The WIP Challenge
Oh hell, kids, is this going to hurt.
I have decided to do something drastic, in order to save Peter some agony when I go away to grad school next fall and leave him with a house full of my crap creative materials. Because, when it comes right down to it, I love Peter more than I love my stash. This doesn't mean I'm throwing out stash, although I did just get rid of a large amount of half-sewn clothes I'm never going to finish, and some truly crappy yarn. What I'm going to do is make some more room in the chest of drawers for stash by imposing some severe limits on myself and moving some items from the stash dresser to the clothes dresser.
I am not going to start any new projects until I have finished and am wearing all nine of these things:
So, what have we here?
Top row, left to right:
1. A skirt with a cable up the front, of recycled cotton. I want it to end mid-calf, so I'm only maybe 1/3 done. This is a boring, boring knit.
2. Sassy red skirt, also recycled cotton. It's almost done, just needs an inch or two more ribbing and a drawstring.
3. Top-down raglan Glampyre-style, recycled cotton, dyed by me. This needs maybe six more inches, then I'm going to add a very narrow ribbing on the sleeve and neck edges. Then I'm going to duplicate stitch a black star on the front, just like my star tattoo.
Middle row, left to right:
1. A very tedious garter stitch shoulder strap for a granny-square satchel. The strap will go around the whole bag to make the width, and be long enough to cross the body, so it's taking forever. I'm going to line the satchel with silver pleather and put in some nickel pyramids and 1/2 inch spikes, to punk it up a little.
2. Funnel top by Girl from Auntie, in Stahl Portofino (see, sometimes I buy new yarn). I'm almost to the armholes, where I'll switch to the black, but I still have the whole front to do too. It's a quick knit though.
3. Marnie MacLean's Evening diamonds, in a cotton with rayon slub that I bought about ten years ago and dyed blue. The whole thing just needs to be re-knitted smaller, so it doesn't hang off me. (this is the one project here that I might allow myself to drop, because the yarn is possessed by demons and I can only handle the heartache of one more failure. The whole sordid story is here, down at the bottom of the page).
Bottom row, left to right:
1. Skirt made from a cut-off secondhand sweater; I'm just adding some ribbing at the top (it probably needs 2 or 3 more inches) and some belt loops.
2. The Patons Must Have Cardigan, in recycled lambswool. A quick, fun knit, but one I just can't motivate myself to work on very often. Maybe I'll take it with me more now that I've got it on a circular needle; the straights I was using before poked holes in my purse when I carried it around.
3. Clapotis. Even though I just started it, I'm almost to the point where I can stop increasing, so I think it now qualifies as a work in progress rather than just a swatch.
The tenth item, not pictured, is my spring Knitty submission. Which I'd better get a move on with.
So. Anyone up for taking the WIP Challenge with me? A finish-along, perhaps?
Hah. I have a feeling that won't be a very popular knitalong to join.
Posted by jodi at February 8, 2005 01:28 PM | categories: sticks and string
Comments
Wow! That is an impressive number of WIP's. And such great taste in projects! I can't wait to see what you finish first.
Posted by: Allison at February 8, 2005 03:32 PM
You can do it, Jodi! Whip those WIPs! I'm working on a similar list and trying to finish up a couple of long-term projects before starting anything new. Or so I claim....
Posted by: Nathania at February 8, 2005 04:19 PM
oh, my gosh...i would never be able to do that. too easily distract by shiny new projects!
Posted by: laura at February 8, 2005 08:06 PM
You are too good! I'm trying to ignore mine but know it's only a matter of time. No...that's it, upstairs with me, out they all come. (Do I really have to declare ALL of them?)
Posted by: Tracy at February 9, 2005 05:43 AM
Eww...finishing all projects before starting new ones? What are you, some sort of communist??
If I pulled out all my WIP's and made myself finish them before I started anything new, I'd probably have....*whisper* 12 or so.
I'm a bad person. But I'm lots of fun at parties! =)
Posted by: Christiane at February 9, 2005 07:52 AM
Man, you are ambitious! Just think how satisfied you'll be when they're all DONE. Damn, I sound like a cheerleader! BTW, I love that red skirt....where'd you find the pattern?
Posted by: Tara at February 9, 2005 08:48 AM
It's a great plan . . . go for it!
(At least, it SOUNDS good . . .)
Posted by: Deb at February 9, 2005 11:33 AM
I will join with you! I have my brother's sweater that I have begun to hate, but it is down to just the seaming and the neck. It is due on Saturday. My cardigan that is my oldest WIP. My Mariah. There are more, but those are haunting me. Should we set a date? Deadlines help me out sooo much!
Posted by: Jenni Brown at February 9, 2005 12:19 PM
Good to know I'm not the only one that gets distracted. Will probably be able to hold out on starting something new til....the weekend, maybe?
Can't wait to see each one get finished Jodi.
Posted by: sandy at February 9, 2005 02:13 PM
i'd forgotten some of those ever existed. and was that a little hint of our new shower curtain hiding behind WIP #1? i can't believe you didn't want to tell the world about that!
Posted by: peter at February 9, 2005 06:15 PM
I'm joining. My WIPs list has been weighing on my concience.
Posted by: mk at February 11, 2005 01:14 PM
I'm down as I just made sort of the same vow. I'm trying to finish all WIP's because I'm moving to Canada!!! and I'm damned if I'm taking unfinished crap with me.
I've got a lot more than 9 though and 6 - 12 months to do them in.
Woo Hoo!!
Posted by: Rachel T at February 17, 2005 03:13 PM