Sure, these UFOs have literally been here for years, but I've not been working on them, and the mere act of dragging them out may not mean anything. Their longstanding neglected status is not all these projects have in common. They're both in states of waiting for their next steps, and their next steps are the final steps in knitting them. One needs a bit of ye ol' pick up and knit action, and then it's just stockinette (and rev-st-st, and maybe a little more st-st) until bind-off time. The other needs the set-up for the lace edge, and then it's a short chart repeated all the way around, eating up body stitches as I go, a quick graft, and the knitting's done. Right now, they're also both rather unimpressive (and not terribly exciting when it comes to color, either) blobs of plain knitting--one garter, the other stockinette.
They also have quite a bit of knitting left on them. I mean, if I squint, I can make out the finish line in the distance. The lace edge is an eight-row chart of thirteen stitches, but I will be working it over and over again to make it all the way around. Sure, it's likely I'll get the chart somewhat pasted onto my brain after I've done it a number of times, but it's not mindless, and when I reach the corners, I will need to consult the written directions, too. I'm not going to attempt calculate the stitches that remain, but the number is not insignificant. After some quick calculations, I think that the simpler project has over 16,000 stitches to go, but the knitting is pretty mindless once I get it on its way. Still, if I recall correctly, the "requirements" for NaKniSweMo is knitting a sweater of at least 10,000 stitches in a month, but that's a bit hazy to me and I could be mistaken. Then again, that's a totally made up, self-imposed, unimportant event for next month. Ugh. I just realized that next month is November. I'm going to need a moment. OK, I've pushed that reality back into a corner and can get on with other things.
I guess I'm in the so close yet so far away zone with these, but giving them a chance to be something other than blobs of knitting in a bag seems like a good idea. I hope you're giving good ideas a chance, too.
