So today I thought I would break that convention by mentioning a couple of UFOs that I have on the go, as well as some inspiration on my 'to do' list.
This weekend, my active UFO is Snowball - a knitted kitten based on a vintage pattern that I bought from this etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lostcraftpatterns
I bought the pattern last weekend on a whim, mainly thanks to the deranged look on the kitten's face. It's designed for angora but I decided to give ita whirl using some Sublime kid mohair from my stash.
One thing I found quite interesting about this pattern is the way it can be dated simply by the styling of the kitten's body and facal features.
As soon as I'd knitted the first set of leg pieces, I noticed that the body has the cutesy realism of a Disney drawing from the 50s or 60s... quite unlike today's fashion for more naive or exaggerated styling in knitted toys.
(For example, compare it with this otherwise similar pattern on ravelry... http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knitted-kitten)
Anyway... here's hoping I actually manage to turn Snowball into an FO without making a total mess of it. I shall report back when she is finished.
Also on my needles, BEGG
ING to be finished, is a gorgeous tweedy Ishbel. I started this project in a blatant homage to this beautiful creation by notknottylottie. I'm even using the same yarn - a soft 4ply lambswool by Rennie and copying the approach of knitting the larger size of lace edging. However I've left it for so long that I'm now slightly fearful I've forgotten where I was in the lace pattern... fingers crossed I wil be able to work it out!There are many other UFOs that I am choosing not to think about... partly because this gets in the way of starting lovely shiny new things!
Something that has been on my 'to do' list for ages is the unutterably gorgeous Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon Osborne.
I'm thinking of casting on for this pretty soon, if only in the hope of getting some wear out of it before the weather turns warm. I've been dithering over what yarn to use, but I might give it a go with some cashmere I have from Colourmart...
There is also a wee sproglet for whom I quite fancy making a knitted doll. I might give this pattern a try, from Knitted Toy Tales by Laura Long...
Ohhh, and I still want to make a tweedy tank top using some aran weight donegal tweed that I bought ages ago. And a billion other things...I suppose I should go and get on with Snowball before I slip into WIP malaise.
But as a parting gesture, I will share a few pics of some vintage aluminium needles that arrived for me this week from ebay.
I already had a few sets like this and am really enjoying knitting with this style of needles Much as I love my rosewoods, I find I knit a little faster on these aluminium ones thanks to their smooth, slippery texture. Also they're much more lightweight than a lot of the needles that are sold these days. But above all it's the colours that I love. It's just so pleasing on the eye compared with the yawnsome matt grey offerings that can be found in John Lewis et al.
