Oldest UFO

For anyone happening upon this site expecting to hear about a flying saucer from the Neolithic period; I am sorry to disappoint you, but a UFO is an UnFinished Object. It's that lonely object languishing in the bottom of your work basket. Untouched but certainly not forgotten as it waves to you; "pick me, pick me" it calls as fickle you works on the latest more appealing project.

Actually, I am not the sort of person who keeps on starting new projects without finishing what is on the needles. I have had some projects that take a long time to complete because they require such concentration that I can only work on them in small doses. But out and out abandonment - rare.

The problem with the item in question was its design. And as it is my design I have only myself to blame. Although I must be a real designer as parts of the design were totally impractical in wear.

Let's start from the beginning. Many years ago, on a trip to England, I purchased some yarn that was on sale. Jaeger Odessa. There was enough for a sweater for me and the price was very reasonable. I'm not sure when I purchased the yarn but I started the sweater in February 2003. My basic idea was to knit the front, back and sleeves separately and then join for the yoke with some cables somewhere. My final design was for the front and back to be plain with just a couple of cables along the ribbing, the sleeve ribbing to be worked like shirt cuffs with a button opening, so the cuffs were worked in a small bobble pattern and a cable pattern running up the centre. After the yoke shaping there was a collar in cable patterning. With the yoke shaping there would have to be an opening somewhere along the neck so I made a centre seam in the back with bobbles for a rouleaux opening.

The actual knitting didn't take too long it has been the finishing that made this project a UFO. Once the sweater was finished, I realised there was no way that I was going to want rouleaux button loops on the back. In that yarn I could see the potential for them breaking was high so I decided on a zipper. First delay, finding a zipper. Second delay, sewing it in. I actually sewed it in earlier this year but didn't like how it looked so once again it languished. Finally this month it was time to put the poor thing out of its misery and I set to finish it. I removed the zipper and consulted Katharina Buss's Big Book of Knitting for ideas on inserting the zipper correctly. I told myself that I had waited this long it was worth taking the time to do it correctly.

I worked two rows of crochet slip stitch around the opening, I sewed in the zipper, I knitted the band to go over the zipper ribbon, I sewed in the ends and Hey Presto! I have a sweater.

Photos. What's that I hear, you want photos. Well, there's a slight problem. I started to take photos but the batteries in my camera went. Not a problem, I always carry spare. Except two of the batteries have disappeared. Humm, I bet they are in some musical device somewhere. All I can say is 'photos to follow'.