UFO (Unfinished Object) Project Administration Service.

Marcia`s Forgetful Jacket

2011-04-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Marcia lives by a lake , surrounded by beautiful woodland and wildlife....But such a lifestyle can be very distracting !
(oh yes it can , you at the back, who scoffs at such an idea!)
Wildlife can indeed be very noisy ......especially Chipmunks who, as everyone knows, are very good singers, but need to practise their craft regularly,to attain the perfection of their top C.
It was this high-pitched singing that drove our Marcia to distraction -she tried cotton wool in her ears, she tried hypnosis, she even tried to hum loudly herself, but nothing worked.
Meanwhile she forgot all about her knitting! hells bells! She decided to send her unfinished work to us , so someone could enjoy the purple heather soft Alpaca yarn , and the neat jacket pattern, and finish it.Marcia has knitted part of the back , and the two fronts. They are also several hanks of the yarn , and the original pattern.
If you are chipmunk free maybe this is the UFO for you!

John and Ashleys New Hobby

2010-02-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Scandal had befallen John and Ashley of late. Their boss had a tricky problem. How to keep them out of trouble and away from floozies? All the usual options were considered- but ruled out-after all it is difficult to perform a lobotomy if there is no brain present in the first place.
But their canny boss came up with a new idea! crochet!
Their new hobby was a success until the boss man realised they were making their strips in the wrong colours! doh! Their efforts were hurriedly disposed of to us before another scandal could break.

Two strips of crochet, red and white acrylic, shell stitch. What will you make with them?

What Happens When You Eat Too Many Marshmellows...

2010-02-24T09:06:00.000-08:00

Bleuurgghhh.........Deirdre had done it again. She had had an argument with Ken over his refusal to wear the jumper she had lovingly made for him. So she did what Deirdre always does in a crisis- (apart from sleep with slimy Mike in his Ford Fiesta) -she gorged herself on pink marsh mellows.
The next day ,in a typically surrealist move ,Deirdre vomited up these baby sized and cardigan shaped pieces of pink acrylic.

Do you have a pink passion? Are you in desperate need of marsh mellow comfort but fear the consequences? why not give a home to this knitting!

How to be a Fairy

2010-02-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

Gladys wanted to be a fairy. She had wanted to be one ever since she could remember.And just because she was 36 the desire still did not stop.
Luckily her grandmother understood her dream-she after all had been a fairy in her youth, wowing them at Blackpool with her wand action.
This kindly grandmother set about knitting a fairy outfit for her granddaughter using the very suitable and slightly sparkly Tinkerbell yarn from Wendy!
Alas Gladys' grandmother had not seen Gladys for many years , ever since she had been locked up in Broadmoor High Security prison for insanity and rather underestimated Gladys height and width.

Do you know a fairy that needs a (small) outfit ? we have a sleeve, back and part of the front, with lace pattern,plus the remainder of the original yarn.

Colonel Mustard's Hot Date

2010-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

Colonel Mustard had hot date! Miss Scarlet was his kind of woman, the type that could crack a Brazil nut with her bare thighs.
Colonel Mustard liked to dress as his name- always in the colour mustard. For his hot date he instructed his housekeeper/general dogsbody Mrs Peacock to make him a new suit of the finest cloth, in mustard obviously.
Now Mrs Peacock was very fed up. She had worked for Colonel Mustard for the last 30 years without a pay rise.And she was jealous of Miss Scarlett and her red sandals.
Mrs Peacock began to make a knitted suit so vile that it would be sure to make Miss Scarlett run screaming in horror! However before she had a chance to finish it Colonel Mustard was arrested for the murder of Reverend Green, most probably framed by Miss Scarlett herself.
Mrs Peacock , before departing for a world cruise, deposited the fragments of the suit with us.

Do you like mustard? do you have someone you dislike intensely? this could be the project for you!
Mustard colour cotton, with a cute repeated purl stitch on knitted background, looks like a back , two sleeves and maybe part of a front. Baby or doll sized.

Karl and the Missing Slippers

2010-02-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

Karl liked slippers alot. There is nothing like it, after a hard day deciding what the wealthy should wear next season, to slip ones tired feet into a pair of giant monkey slippers. Naturally Karl had an assistant to organise his slippers. This highly coveted post was only open to applicants after seven years working as his underpants assistant. When news of a vacancy was announced there was great excitement in Paris.
A queue formed around the block on the day of the interviews. Unknown to Karl, John from Dior was cunningly disguised in the queue as a chimney sweep and had mischievous plans afoot.
That night poor Karl discovered a space where his favourite slippers, should be. In its place was a strip of unfinished knitting, white acrylic, feather and fan stitch. The yarn end trailed away, with a note instructing the finder to follow the trail to find the slippers. Unfortunately the trail ran cold when it emerged some tidy person had seen the strand , and thinking it waste, cut it, and binned it. Karl never found his favourite slippers.

Blanket of Doom

2010-02-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

Audrey was having a run of bad luck. First of all her box of Cadbury's Roses had no Caramel Barrels! Terrible! Then , whilst out jogging, in an effort to burn off the calories she had just consumed, the cold air went up her nose and made her eyes water! Appalling! Next she discovered that she could not get last weeks episode of Holby City on her TV catch up service! Disastrous! The final straw came when trying to cut a piece of sellotape, the sellotape stuck to the scissors! Calamity! Audrey decided quite rationally that there can only be one explanation for this current misfortune-she had accidentally crocheted a blanket of doom! aaargghhh!
Now there are some people who do not believe in such things but Audrey had BTEC National Diploma in Pottery and was confident of her natural instincts.
Audrey kindly sent the blanket of doom to us-if we were the type to worry about such things we would be rather offended by a blatant attempt to pass doom onto another being but , we are not, so we are not.
Lovely Filet Crochet blanket in yellow acrylic.

Begonia's Legs

2010-02-03T05:27:00.000-08:00

Begonia loved to listen to Jarvis Cocker on the radio. His soothing tones increased her milk yield no end. Soon she became the most famous Jersey cow in all of Surbiton.
Farmer McDonald was (naturally) inundated with offers of work on her behalf. Begonia turned most of these offers down (including Celebrity Udder on Ice !) rather to Farmer McDonalds disappointment.
However Begonias ears pricked up and her tail swished at one idea-her own exercise video for dairy cows! Preparations were soon underway and everyone at the farm pitched in, including the farmers wife who started to make Begonia some striped leg warmers. Mrs McDonald, unfortunately , had a bit too much sherry trifle and accidentally started knitting a babys cardigan pattern. She tried to put them on Begonias legs but alas, they were either too small or too big.

Can you finish the cardigan? or do you know someone with four odd-shaped legs?if so contact us!
Knitted in pink and cream acrylic.

Sandra's Grand Scheme

2010-01-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sandra had a grand scheme.She would win Miss Knit 1984 with a skirt the like of which the world had never seen. Fame, fortune and a time-share villa in Belguim would soon be hers!
Sadly it was not to be.The world was not yet ready for turqouise acrylic rib and open work ruffles, which , like Sandra, had alot of front, but no back. And was the size of a glove.

Can you complete this item and turn it into the winner it was destined to be?

Quentin Tarantino's Bad Hair Day

2010-01-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

Alas poor Quentin Tarantino. His new film about the violent underbelly that is the KnitWorkers Guild was not going well.Samuel L Jackson was not taking to long-tail cast on at all well and to cap it all Beryl, the on set hairdresser had ruined his hair when she slipped on a banana. Luckily, Doris from Wardrobe rustled up a yellow crochet doily for Quentin to wear rakishly on his head. It worked a treat but is now surplus to requirements and needs a new career and a new home.
Are you that person?

Patience and the Disappearing Patience

2010-01-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

Patience was cruelly named, for she never had much Patience. This can be a problem if you are a knitter but Patience had cleverly worked out a strategy. She decided only to knit small, random items. This worked well until she grew bored of knitting and decided to take up table-tennis.

Here are the fruits of Patience's exertions.We have two peach acrylic rectangles, one white and pink acrylic square (possibly the back of a sweater), and most interestingly of all , a light pink and dark pink (again acrylic) concoction which could possibly be a very small trouser suit (very Spring/Summer 2010 ).

A long attention span is not required to transform these items.What could they be? Dolls and small babies apply here!

Dismembered Dolly

2010-01-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

Norman loved his mother very much.....perhaps too much.....his girlfriend Janet certainly thought so. She became even more concerned when, after cleaning out his freezer,she found-gasp!-what a can only be described as knitted body parts....was it a doll his mother gave him? or was it his mother who was very very small? and made of pink acrylic ?Janet did not know and decided to send these items to us.
Do you think you can make this items come alive? Are you the person to make something beautiful out of something frankly rather disturbing?

(Janet decided not to dump Norman-she was after all now at an age where she was officially considered a spinster and did not want to go to another party on her own. She never did.)

Mushroom Tapestry

2009-11-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Jan got so far but couldn't bring herself to finishing the cream back drop to these tasty mushrooms. With just the background to do, this would be a quick and easy practice for someone looking for some tapestry experience.

Countryside Tapestry

2009-11-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

Louise was alarmed to have found attached to this piece, a plea for 'Help' and daughters forgiveness from a dying woman. By this tapestry containing someones very last spurs of creative energy we can only hope it can be completed with the sympathy it needs.

Flower Tapestry

2009-11-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

For a Lady of Leisure to achieve the best welfare for herself she must be an extremely keen embroiderers. On her visits to London Gladys would always embark on the Haberdashery at Harrods with sister 'City' girl Kitty. To show that a Lady of Lifestyle of the North was more content with life, Gladys would boast of the extreme amount Tapestry a 'Country' girl could complete. With over 20 canvas's brought on trips from the Lake District to London but not one completed, you could definitely question this theory.

FLOPPY BLUE SATURN.

2009-10-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

More jelly fish than galaxy, this is up for grabs. It's very soft and shiny Collinette, and there's a good sized ball left. It seems, judging by the postcode, that it has come all the way from Cyprus.

CYD PROJECT.

2009-10-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

Project 'CYD' was started by Claire 4 years ago, but without careful tension control, became way to big.

Elen has taken this piece to further her 3rd year work at university. Interested in the documentation of time through knitting. She will use this back of the jumper to investigate other people's time.

PURPLE ROWAN THING.

2009-10-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Claire started the Rowan Polar thing but should have read the tension first, but then thought it didn't matter she'd just knit on, but then decided she didn't like the colours any more.

It's 100% pure wool with a springy rib, which would hug a waist quite tightly and then make your boobs look quite big.

SCARF OF DOOM.

2009-05-30T08:47:00.003-07:00

Ingrid is staying with her parents at the moment, while her Mum has a knee replacement. They have been doing a lot of knitting together and trying out new techniques. Ingrid knits on the train on the way to work in Winchester, while she listens to podcasts. Pictured here is the view out of the train window.

2/3 years ago, Ingrid started knitting a scarf for her girlfriend, to go with her green coat. They split up before the scarf was finished. It sat in a ziploc bag at the bottom of her yarn hamper, and made her feel sad. She named it the 'Scarf of Doom'. Ingrid's mum made some socks out of the rest of the yarn.

Pulling it out of the hamper for the UFO project, Ingrid feels better. She thinks it is pretty and is proud of her work, but she would rather see what someone else could do with it.

RED WAVE FROM THE PAST.

2009-05-30T08:39:00.003-07:00

Clare's Mum was clearing out a cupboard and found this red glove. She is not really sure where it came from but it is likely to have been started by Clare's great Aunt, who was a queen of UFOs, with all her projects in little plastic bags. She would often give Clare little bits and pieces when she was a child which inspired her love of textiles.

MINTY SQUARE BUT FOLDED THING.

2009-05-30T08:32:00.003-07:00

Knitted on tiny needles, this little minty square thing has a little bit of shaping which makes it fold in half but that is all we can tell you.

It came to us from Sue who has a stall on Broadway Market.

PUSHING.

2009-05-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

Completed, perfect and extraordinary knitted objects have been flying in all week.

What a PUSH you are all making for completion....the UFOs are giving us all a lot of problems, sleepless nights etc,

Each project has started with problems. Every successful project has a pain barrier, but with the 'Someone elses' UFO' the barrier is at the start, and can continue for a while. The only way to break through the pain barrier is with a PUSH. We are all pushing really hard and good results are coming. Each project is so different, but I love hearing about the relationships with these pieces and how determined you are to fix all the problems. I'm finding it moving.

Pictured here is Louise's solution to the 'Candy Stripe Shoulder and Half a Bust' which was knitted in short rows. It was impossible to know what the garment was meant to look like, but Louise just loved the shape and it's colour. Louise started knitting the same shape over and over again. She did not worry about what the piece would end up being, because it had endless possibilities, and the joy was in the repetition. She is content with this wonderfully happy construction. It's like the pieces all have their arms around each other.

3/5 TH'S FLUFFY CHILD'S CARDIGAN.

2009-05-27T03:02:00.001-07:00

Barley at Fabrication's gave us 3/5th's of a child's cardigan which one of her customer's brought in, with no pattern and no yarn. It is a lovely pattern, and would make a baby very cosy.

OTHER SOCK.

2009-05-27T02:32:00.000-07:00

Ellen's advanced second sock syndrome, was so advanced, that she gave up before she finished the first one. Part of the problem was not remembering who the sock was for, even though this person must have had quite big ankles.

BEIGE DENIAL JUMPER.

2009-05-27T01:32:00.003-07:00

Ellen got a couple of inches into this jumper before admitting that the yarn, although washable, was too hideous to waste her time on. It was destined for her boyfriend but she couldn't do that to him....

PERVERSE PURPLE NUMBER.

2009-05-27T01:27:00.001-07:00

Ellen is giving away her perverse purple angora jumper. She loved the colour, loved the pattern, loved the yarn and couldn't wait to wear it. A joy to knit, and yet she put it down two years ago and never picked it up again. She wanted to look like a sexy cookie monster but thinks that deep down she didn't deserve it.

Can anyone help Ellen with this fantasy? There is enough yarn and a pattern to finish it......

MRS. MINIVER'S PETULANT SOCK.

2009-05-27T01:26:00.003-07:00

Ellen dropped a few stitches and refuses to pick them up again, partly because she can't remember who the sock was for in the first place. Ellen says it was possibly a 'wait and see who it fits job' which, it would seem, it is!

Ingrid in Waterlooville tackled the petulant grey sock. She explains what happened..

"I was thinking about relationships and how two people can become very interdependent on one another. Also about what we bring to a relationship. There is a geometry problem called Mrs. Miniver's Problem that is about over lapping circles. It has a basis in a story....

is reached when the area of the two outer crescents, added together, is exactly equal to that of the leaf-shaped piece in the middle. On paper there must be some neat mathematical formula for arriving at this; in life, none.

The sock pattern lent itself to this idea rather well, as instead of finishing the toe, I knit another heal and up the leg, so it would be a metaphor for a relationship between two people. I interpreted the idea of the circles into knitting by making the circles 3-D, turning them on their sides and making staggered transitions rather than a venn diagram idea. I wanted to make the transition between one sock and the other pretty obvious so I used the contrasting yarn, and also (in somewhat of a stereotype I admit) made a female sock. Actually while I was making it, it was more about the relationship between the origional sock maker and me, si I made the second sock to be the one that I would wear (that is to say an emerald green sock with a frilly cuff).

It is perhaps a warning not to get too hung up on one another or you might not have enough of yourself left to keep adding anything to that relationship. I rather like that nobody can wear it. That it's something that is generally thought of as a practical garment, but I've been able to make into a piece of impractical art. I think it might be part of a series."

Wow...Ingrid....thank you so very much for these lovely thoughts.

PURPLE EXPERIMENT.

2009-05-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

Dorothy and her daughter have struggled with this cardigan. They were given the purple yarn, which was a bit to bright and scratchy so they mixed it with a navy blue wool. Blue did soften the colour but not the texture, which is rather rough. Dorothy's daughter knitted up the cardigan but got stuck on how to finish the neckline, which due to it's roughness, curls up. There was some indecision as to how the bottom ribbing should be, as it seemed too long, so they'd started to hem it. With the hem and the collar still not working, Dorothy thought it best to un ravel the whole thing and use the yarn for something else, so she made an incision in the right front panel, and started to un ravel, but that wasn't working either so she has donated the whole thing to UFO administration.

WOULD THESE FIT ANYONE?

2009-05-26T11:27:00.001-07:00

Sue's aunty in Wales can't remember which doll this was meant for, or whether the doll is still with the family.

2 WHITE LEGS.

2009-05-26T11:16:00.001-07:00

Well we think they are legs, but as I said, we shouldn't say what we think, it is what you think that matters.

YELLOW SOCK LIKE THINGS.

2009-05-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sue's aunty knitted these. We don't want to say 'yellow socks ' because it might spoil your imagination! Two yellow sock like things are ready for any number of new lives.

ODD ARMS.

2009-05-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

These arms might look the same but they are not. One is shorter than the other by a few rows. Someone left them behind at Fabrications, and they have no story and not much character.

2 BLUE TRIANGLES.

2009-05-26T07:19:00.001-07:00

Sue saved two blue fluffy triangles for us. Could be the start of a bikini or badges and patches on a jumper.

2 1/2'S OF SLEEVES.

2009-05-21T01:48:00.000-07:00

Helen in Surbiton was making a pregnant attempt to knit a cardigan for her son, but the truth is she was only doing it because of a pressure she felt from her mother in law, who could knit brilliantly and made Helen feel lazy every time she came round. Mother in law was impressed with this cable, so Helen felt her work was done. We are not sure what Helen has made, it seems to be one vertical half of a sleeve and a horizontal half of a sleeve, but it does have potential.

PODS FROM WALES.

2009-05-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

Miss Harries loves nature and started making 'pod shapes' to hang up. It was one of those 'in between, work in progress' projects where you are working something out and thinking. Miss Harries stuffed them with essential oils so they smell rather nice and repel moths.

I have sent these pods to Hannah, who lives with her parents and four sisters in Romford. Hannah is about to start architectual college, so I thought she might like the wierd shapes.

TWISTED THING.

2009-05-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Poor Hannah, from Leytonstone 6th form college, got the hang of knitting straight away, and went clicking away on circular needles to make this.......ummm......twisted thing. It probably only took one twisted stitch on the first row to make this very interesting piece which will never be a normal hat. We wish Hannah every success when she goes to a new college to study Architecture next term.

Deirdre in Co. Antrim says she is going to give this piece 'Twist and Shout' if not 'Rock and Roll'!

Good luck Deirdre!

LOUISE'S UFO'S TAKE OFF.

2009-05-16T08:57:00.001-07:00

After many years of dedication to knitting and crochet, Louise ended up with a lot of UFO's in her cupboard, and turned them all into this amazing bat wing cardigan. One day I will interview her about all the different parts, but for now, let's just watch her be beamed up.

WHITE GUERNSEY.

2009-05-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

I can't resist taking this one on. It will take yonks to finish. Caralyn Rawlinson started this guernsey in 5ply guernsey wool on 2.25mm circular needles. The whole thing will be knitted in the round up to the shoulders, the shoulders knitted together and then the arm holes will be cut to set in the sleeves. That is scary. I don't know if Caralyn meant to put a post code pattern in, but I am starting to knit some pictures up the chest and back...which will not be finished in time for the Jerwood show...

TIGHT HAT.

2009-05-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

Zarah was looking after the Hyperbolic Crochet Reef at the Knitting and Stitching Show last year and to pass the time she thought she would attempt a cabled hat on circular needles. We think she could have done with bigger needles because it got too tight.

Whatever happened, Zarah can't face it anymore. It's too small for most heads.

The brown wool is 100% pure so you could felt it.

Ellen, who is studying at the Royal college of art, has transformed this piece. Here is a copy of her letter.

'I turned the hat into a lobster -pot -thing with lobster and seaweed. No story behind it, really. The shape suggested the top of a birdcage (I'm a bit obsessed with birdcages) but deceided a lobster was more fun to make than a bird. It was done freeform, and very hurriedly, hence the uh, eccentric shape. Still, there's nothing more tedious than a perfect lobster pot is there?

Best wishes, Ellen.

HALF A DONATION BOX.

2009-05-11T05:38:00.001-07:00

Last summer Susi stitched some beautiful little messages into corsages for her show at PYF. She didn't want to put a price on them so she thought it best to ask people for donations and just take one. Rosemary started making her a donation box, but couldn't get it finished before all the popular corsages had gone. If you have a need for donations, you could be half way there!

SNIPPIT OF SCOTLAND.

2009-05-11T05:31:00.001-07:00

A classic piece of Fairisle in beautiful colours made on about 2mm needles and held on a proper old fashioned white headed safety pin. It was made by Mrs. Brooks, the only knitter we know to be offered 2 MBE's.

Rosemary in Harpenden has taken it on.

HYPERBOLIC PURPLE PLASTIC.

2009-05-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

For some reason this purple plastic piece of hyperbolic crochet was left out of the crochet Coral Reef which appeared at the Royal Festival Hall last summer and then toured the country. Prick Your Finger can add it to our 'Crochet a Black Hole' event with 'the House of Fairy Tales' at the Tate Modern next bank holiday weekend. Apparently it's OK to have purple in a black hole. For more information on hyperbolic crochet go to www.theiff.org

WRONG KIND OF BABY.

2009-05-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

If anyone thinks there is a little boy on the way then they are welcome to this back piece of a jumper which Wendy in Kendal made when she was sure her baby was going to be a boy. I think it would look good on any kind of baby, and it is washable at 40 degrees!

ANGRY BLACK PIECE / EVENING SCARF.

2009-05-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Jo in Wandsworth learned to Cast on but then there was no one there to show her how to knit, so she cast on loads of stitches and then when she did learn to to knit, the rows were really long, so it only got this far, and because it was in black, she found it hard. We thought it was really good tension though, please don't be disheartened!

Sally in Maidenhead has come to the rescue and turned angry black piece into a glamourous scarf! She used few scraps she had lying around to form the crochet ends, added some beads and here we are!

HALF A WHITE CARDIGAN BACK.

2009-05-07T07:11:00.003-07:00

Well the bottom back piece of any knitted garment is the most important because it keeps your kidneys warm. It's knitted already, why not carry on.

Sue had good intentions, but her grand daughter Kerry grew too fast.

This piece has been taken by Hazel in Worksop, nottinghamshire.

SCRATCHY RIBBON SQUARE.

2009-05-07T07:07:00.003-07:00

Katy thought the yarn looked so pretty. It was ribbon with a gold stripe through reminisent of hot summer nights in far off places where everything smells lovely. Once crocheted into a square bag, it is scratchy and wonderfully stiff, and not quite what was expected. Anyone got any use for this UFO?

SCHOOL COLOURS CABLE.

2009-05-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Gareth was sad to find this cable which his Nanna had started for him when he was a prep school. It wasn't uniform as such, but a blue and grey cardi for wearing over the top of his blue and grey uniform on the way to and from school. It was meant to be for him to wear instead of getting his blazer dirty. He was always getting his blazer dirty, and then he grew too fast for Nanna to knit.

Fiona in Bristol will knock it into shape.

TWEEDY GEURNSEY.

2009-05-07T06:41:00.003-07:00

Edith got fed up of counting the same sequence of triangles. It was fun to start with but she didn't have the dedication. It was for herself and she doesn't mind what you do with it. She was given loads of this yarn, there is 300g left. She wasn't sure to start with and tried a slightly different colour shade which is down the bottom of the picture, and is with the piece. You've got nearly half a jumper here, and there's plenty of options for changing sleeve shape or neck line. Only one needle but it has a lovely row counter on it!

PUKE PIECE / VOMIT MONSTER.

2009-05-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

Back in the Spring, we administrated a half finished back of a jumper. Sarah thought this tweedy Rowan pink with yellow and blue flecks in was a good idea at the time, but her friends kept telling her it looked like puke. We called it 'Puke Piece'.

We sent it to Rachael Charnley aka Miss String, a creative knitter of the magazine 'Pieces of String' who has also started the fantastic Felt Up Craft Club http://www.myspace.com/feltupcraftclub of which you can read more at feltupcraftclub.blogspot.com

Rachael, whilst traveling between London, Reading, Brighton and Newcastle, has managed to create- THE VOMIT MONSTER, a friend for anyone suffering from a hangover.
We are looking forward to a visit from Vomit Monster and Miss String soon.
Arrangements for the visit are difficult because one of Miss String's relations kidnapped the Vomit Monster for a great right of passage; learning how to stomach raves and hickies.
We wish the said relation well.
Miss String has tackled Puke Piece in a responsible way, and Sarah, the original knitter, was delighted to see the result.
We thank Miss String for the love and comfort she is spreading through the ghastly times of hangovers. She confirms our belief that knitting can be useful even if you have your head in a bucket.
Marvelous.

ANOTHER GREY SCARF.

2009-05-06T05:46:00.003-07:00

Another grey scarf for a boy, this one is in three tones of grey. Di was loving the boyfriend but just got bored of the grey. He wouldn't wear any other colours for some reason. It's soft with good tension. Perfect for a cheating as a girlfriend knitting a scarf for boyfriend, or lots of potential for other uses.

Angie in San Jose Calafornia is set to take it over! It fits in well with her other UFOs which are destined to become a baby blanket.

WHIMSICLE CUSHIONS.

2009-05-06T05:31:00.001-07:00

Miss Beven has done a lot of things in her life but at one point she was a stylist for a magazine. Her team thought the shoot would work much better if she knitted a whole new set of cushion covers in big wool. Then of course, they changed their minds. Please help these whimsical creations which were started with half a heart, but made with dedication to a bigger job.

All pieces cast off and no wool or needles left.

DOCTOR'S WIFE'S PRAM COVER.

2009-05-06T05:23:00.001-07:00

This Pram cover, never completed by Greta Brooks, a doctor's wife and feisty scotts woman, who was small with long grey hair in a bun, a bit like Mrs. Pepperpot, has gone, complete with early fax photocopy of the pattern to Erika Knight for transformation.

Ms Brooks was brought up in a tenement in Glasgow. During the war, she helped with the evacuation of children to foster homes in the country. Later in the war she worked at the Ministry of Food on managing nutrition on rations, where she met and married Victor.

Loving Victor, she did a crash Teach Training course in 6 months, to support Victor and his sister through Medical School (Victor's brother in law was a German Jew who had problems getting a work permit). They became Quakers ("Friends").

Greta then became a housewife. In her spare time she was Staffing Secretary and the Clerk of the local

Quaker meeting and the Quaker rep on the Lambeth Churches Co-ordination Committee. Then she deceided to set up a "Visitor's Centre" at Brixton Prison to look after children while the prisoners' wives visited. Heard the stories of police brutality, corruption and prejudice in Brixton, and took this concern back to Meeting and LCCC.

Busy lobbying for change before the Brixton riots, so Scarman came to her during his Inquiry, which she attended

Set up the Lay Visitors Scheme where lay people were able to go into any Police Station at any time, and demand to speak to anyone in the cells, and check that the Police records were correct and up to date. Copied by other

Police areas.

She got an MBE for services to the community.

Set up the Lambeth Mediation Service. It was used as a prototype for other areas. As a fund raising exercise she wrote a training programme which they delivered all over the country to other groups wanting to start up and got

invitation to do so and act as consultant all over the world.

Always declined but sorely tempted to go to Russia

Proposed for another MBE until she explained that she already had one.

Looked after Victor for 6 years as sole full time carer.

and never finished this pram cover.

ST. ANNE'S SCHOOL HAIR BAND.

2009-05-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

You might remember earlier on in this blog, Camilla had to change schools back in the 1980's, and her uniform switched from blue to green. Well she had an un finished hair band too. She would have looked great playing hockey in this. A beautiful piece of two coloured cable.

Camilla's school was St. Annes, and Shiv has taken this piece on because her daughter's school St. James's has the same colour blue in their uniform. Molly will look fantastic wearing this on the Lacrosse field ! How brilliant.

TOO TIGHT FOR THAT BOY.

2009-05-06T05:09:00.001-07:00

Michelle, we are sorry this knitting didn't work out for you. Michelle's boyfriend had a limited colour range in his wardrobe, so it had to be grey, and someone should have put Michelle on bigger needles because even though she has clearly mastered knit and purl and made some stylish blocks or rib, the stitches are painfully tight, and so, it turns out was the relationship. Clare is taking this tragic piece on? She gets three needles for some reason.

NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WAS!

2009-05-06T05:00:00.003-07:00

Katy has impeccable taste. I was with her when she bought this gorgeous yarn and it suited her well, and I looked forward to seeing it on her or her in it.

When Katy knitted it, it wasn't what she thought it was, and it wasn't what I thought it would be either.

Clare has taken this for her project on where faeries live.

RED CANADIAN GUERNSEY.

2009-05-06T04:48:00.000-07:00

Carolyn was Canadian, but moved to the lake district, where she became an expert knitter and spinner and co-founded Woolfest. She died before she managed to finish this wonderfully tough, hand spun man's guernsey. Felix has dared to take it on. I say dared, because the main body is knitted on circular needles right up to the shoulders in the traditional way. The shoulders are then knitted together, and Felix will have to CUT down the armholes to let the sleeve in. This jumper is hardcore. The wool is tight and so are the stitches. Felix is always up for a challenge and we look forward to hearing how she gets on.

STALLED PLANT POT HOLDER.

2009-04-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

After knitting 12 rows in raffia, Katy realized it would be easier to make a plant pot holder in crochet. She's got a point. This piece could have many other uses though. Exfoliating glove? Vegetable scrubber?

WAITING FOR SUMMER.

2009-04-30T10:38:00.001-07:00

Katy was of fertile mind when she started knitting a wearable cottage garden, but then the school holidays came and she didn't have time to get down with the flowers and the bees like she really wanted to. This piece could be a necklace, or belt or strap or anything. It is nearly there, it just needs more work.

Katy's flowers took Zarah on a wonderful journey to a place that was so cool she could hang out in glasses like this! They've got a bee and everything!

HORIZON PIECE.

2009-04-29T06:34:00.001-07:00

Cecilia Hewitt from the Woolclip in Cumbria has donated this beautiful purple skyline piece. It was knitted by Caralyn Rawlinson, the co-founder of Woolfest - a festival dedicated to British Wool. Caralyn passed away two years ago after a long battle with cancer. Cecilia tells how when she went to clear out her studio, she found a wool lined studio with all the colours of the rainbow sorted in order. Cecilia is not sure what Caralyn intended with this piece, but she says it was designed as a stash buster, using up all the little odds and ends, which included some of her handspun yarns.

We passed this piece on to Miss Sonja Todd who is usually up for a creative challenge.

Here is her update letter, which I love.

"I am LOVING knitting my ufo! It's all I've done for the past week or two - get home, eat, put tele on, knit.

Here are some pics of it, sorry they're a bit blurry.

I'm hoping to have it finished before your show opens or during the show, see how it goes... perhaps I'll pop down for some wool one day soon, I have ribbing plans....

I've learnt and re-learnt so much from Caralyn in the past two weeks! She has taught me how to knit 'properly' (because I always used to do it a bit differently from everyone else, but I thought I'd better re-learn it in order not to screw Caralyn's knitting up!). I've also learnt how to do stocking stitch properly and change colours and add new colours in, and how to pick up dropped stitches and how to thread knitting back onto needles. It's really nice that even though Caralyn isn't alive anymore her knitting expertise is still being passed along. Having lost my own crafty mum to cancer I hope that knitting on this piece will give somebody else some comfort. I don't know if Caralyn has any daughters but I know if my mum had left any unfinished crafts I'd love it if somebody else carried on working on them. I'm turning Caralyn's knitting into a dress (hopefully - if my plans work!).

Thanks for doing this project Ms Matthews.

xxx

P.S. The white line in the knitting is the 'lifeline' you put in, it's helping me see how much I've done and it also really is a true lifeline. x"

FEATHERY AND FLUFFY.

2009-04-29T06:20:00.001-07:00

Freda started this fluffy feather lace pattern. It was meant to be a jumper. She started on the sleeves, but this was as far as she got because the pattern started to bug her. She couldn't get into the number sequence and went onto knit something more simple with a lace panel down the front. No yarn, no needles, no pattern, nice feel, lovely piece of knitting.

Gabrielle has taken this piece to another level. It is lined in blue silk with her own label and she has accentuated the pattern with some multi coloured thread. Not only that but she has done it in under a week!

FALSE STARTS IN TURQOISE.

2009-04-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

We don't know what is going on here. No pattern, no clues, and the pieces are all different and unfinished. It's hard to see in the photo but the yarn has a special radio active quality.

This piece has come to us from LMB recycling.

These are the most unidentifiable objects we have come across so far, and Miss Celia Pym took them on.

She really struggled with her UFO. Should it be made into a garment? A memorial blanket? Should she unravel? Re knit? Preserve? Destroy? Cut up? and what to do about the colour which was so strong?

She looked at it a lot. She imagined herself being a police crime scene investigator, discovering the history of these strange objects. Celia pinned them on graph paper traced around them and pinned them on the wall. She lived with them for a while. Celia tried to get to know them but they were foreign to her. Celia thought these pieces would never be practical. They were not cast off properly, there was no extra yarn and it was impossible to unravel.

The strongest aspect was the colour. She had lots of blue and green yarns around her and they all seemed to match.

Celia started to knit the shadows of these pieces. The shadows were going to be smaller than the pieces. They reflect all the stitches of the original pieces, and like real shadows, they were a different size to the origional object.

It made her think of Peter Pan and Wendy. When Peter looses his shadow he tries to stick it back on with soap but it doesn’t work so Wendy helps him sew it back on.

DISNEY-MARALYN-MANSON-CLASH.

2009-04-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Comiserations to Mrs. Sandra Potter, who's daughter Sarah seems to be growing up faster than Sandra can knit. Sarah loved to laze around on the weekend watching the Disney channel in her pyjamas. Sandra thought it best to knit her a hooded top to match her pyjamas and keep her really cosy, but before she'd got to the decrease for the arm holes, Sarah had switched her attentions to Maralyn Manson, and was no longer interested in Sandra's choice of pink, purple and grey glace cotton.

Sandra apologises for using the rest of the yarn and keeping the needles.

BROWN SKIRT.

2009-04-23T11:25:00.003-07:00

GLITTER CROCHET.

2009-04-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

We wish Tamsin every success in finishing this glittery crochet number which sparkles much more than it does in the photo! There is no wool left and only one front and 1 1/4 arms so we wonder what she will do?!

UNCONFIRMED CONFIRMATION BAG.

2009-04-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Trish started to crochet a little bag for her niece to put her prayer books in for confirmation, but her niece had other ideas. It is white 100% acrylic cylinder with a strategically placed blue marker in the middle. Make of it what you will! My dad said it would make a good dishwasher filter, (sorry Trish)!

Celia Pym had a vision for this UFO. After being injected with much love, this sorry lifeless bag now stands clear and proud as an elephant's foot. Well done Celia.

TURQUOISE CABLE CARDIGAN.

2009-04-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

This beautiful piece of turquoise cable has come to us courtesy of LMB, a brilliant family run re-cycling company in East London. LMB collect all sorts of discarded clothing from around London, and they kindly give the UFO's to us. LMB work with the great 'Noki' and you can find them at the old gun shop on Brick Lane.

We are posting this piece to Camilla in Essex, who loves to cable, following patterns and going completely off road with her knitting. Good luck Camilla, and have fun with those pockets!

LITTLE HOOD.

2009-04-20T08:15:00.001-07:00

Jo knitted this little cotton hood as part of her three year old daughter's cardigan, but then she decided it looked better without the hood.

We posted the hood to Mrs. Robotham who used it for the base of a wig. Well done Mrs R, it looks fantastic!

TWO FLUFFY YELLOW THINGS.

2009-04-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Quite yellow, quite fluffy, Jean's two fluffy yellow things are an interesting challenge. One has a cable and the one doesn't, then one has a smooth cuff where the other one doesn't. There is no yarn, and no pattern. Jean loved the yarn but couldn't decide on the pattern. On the third attempt she made a yellow jumper, but these are two false start sleeves.

Two yellow fluffy things went to Nikki in Lenoir City TN USA. Nikki loves biking, home schools her 7 children, and still finds time to produced intricate lace patterns. Her 14 year old daughter Diantha took 'Cuff Too Small' and has turned it into a fantasstic hat, made on 4 needles. Thank you for being involved!

Check out this busy family at

http://my7kids.etsy.com - High-end fiber recycled yarns
http://heartfeltfun.etsy.com - Hand knit and recycled felted accessories
http://fluff4ewe.etsy.com - Diantha's fiber, carded batts & handspuns
http://rossoaps.etsy.com - Richard's handmade goat or soy milk soaps

LILAC RAGLANS / HEART ATTACK JUMPER.

2009-04-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of one of two lilac raglan pieces, which I presume were front and back. They are both slightly different shapes, and are the skilled work of Linda from Herefordshire.

Linda was living in Earls Court when she knitted the first piece and and Battersea for the second. She wanted to be Molly Ringwold in 'Pretty in Pink', but when she bought the yarn in Peter Jones she was sure it was more pink than that. She thought it might have been the strip lighting, but anyway, she went off it, and the pattern is lost and she's keeping the needles.

It is in a quaint 3 ply cable for a size 10. There was 32g of yarn left. Purple is a very under estimated colour. I read on the internet that it symbolizes spiritual freedom and royalty.

Hannah in Nunhead struggled with this UFO. She didn't choose it, I sent it to her. The colour and the lace pattern drove her crazy. Racking her brains over what to do, she watched 'Pretty in Pink' and was shocked to discover that they never actually got it together- the love didn't happen. As the Jerwood deadline approached, Hannah felt the stress mount up and then squeezed out the brilliant 'Heart Attack Jumper'. Hannah said she had no previous experience of heart attacks, but has learned a lot about them through the making of this piece.

ONE ARMED CLOWN FACE.

2009-04-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

One armed clown face comes with an extra cuff which was trying to be the second arm. There is no back to the garment and there is 60g of 100% acrylic yarn left. Ellen's working drawing is coming soon, but it looks like it would fit a 2 year old, unless you can think of another use!

Sadly this piece was donated to us by St. Joseph's Hospice in Hackney. Someone didn't manage to finish it before they passed away.

Sally from Maidenhead sorted this piece out over one weekend. She added some jewels to chear up the clown, and then turned the piece into a bag. She unravelled the 1/4 sleeve which gave her enough yarn to knit the back piece and then added the spare sleeve as a pocket and used some of her own scraps to knit the handles. what a brilliantly jolly solution. Well done Sally!

CUFF TOO SMALL.

2009-03-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Rachael got a free sample of some sock yarn to make gloves but it wasn't the colours she really wanted. Off to a bad start, 'Cuff too small' is being saved by Nikki and Diantha in Tennesse USA. Nikki taught her 14 year old daughter Diantha how to knit on four needles and she produced this fantastic berret with beautiful decreasing. Well done Diantha.

ST ANNE'S SCHOOL JUMPER.

2009-03-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

After Lloyds crash in 1980's Clarissa's parents could no longer send her to private school. Her new state school had a forest green jumper.

Miriam at Simply Knitting Magazine has turned it into a bag!

CANDY STRIPE SHOULDER.

2009-03-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

One shoulder of Melissa's camisol top, knitted to go with lilac twin set for engagement party which was cancelled.

Louise is doing a study of this piece by knitting it over and over again in different pinky creamy colours, and then she will join them together to form a most unusual and glamourous garment.

MUSEUM KNIT.

2009-03-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Left in a museum and never come back for, this piece was destined to be an unfinished piece of knit one way or another. Presumably a jumper or a cardigan, this gorgeous deep red two tone coloured double knit piece is itching to be completed.

We are delighted that Elen has taken this piece to Wales to give it some attention.

As this piece was left then found in a museum we have no story or pattern of the intended garment. Neither do we know who the knitter of this piece was or who was intended to wear it.

After lots of thinking and having such a big piece of a huge jumper, Elen chose to unravel the original UFO and recreate the piece in a smaller version of what she thought the original knitter was making. Pairing up the original red yarn with a bright red.

There is a lot of mystery around this piece by not knowing much about it, which carried through to the completion of the piece. But perfectly copying the original pattern onto the small scale cardigan. Elen 'spookily' found that the pattern in the knit fitted the cardigan pattern on front and back in a 2/4/6 sequence. 'It was like it was ment to be', scary!

CROCHET A PARROT?

2009-03-25T10:40:00.001-07:00

This bizzare design is strangely enough a piece of a 'parrot'. Started but no where near completion and no where near resemblance of a parrot.

Rosemary has set her heart on making it fly again.

LINDA'S HERDWICK.

2009-03-25T10:36:00.001-07:00

'If you must knit in barbed wire' was what the Lady in the local craft shop commented. When she went in to purchase a new knitting needle to replace a lost one. This put Linda off who was knitting this detailed cardigan for her daughter in Canada. 315g of Herdwick still accompanies this design as well as the original pattern.

Sue in Reading has taken on this lovely project and turned it into a cushion!

DINOSAUR JUNIOR PHASE.

2009-03-25T10:26:00.001-07:00

When Rachael left the Dinosaur Junior Phase for the 'Rave' phase in 1991, she left behind this beautiful jumper. Two sleeves and the back were completed in a batch of yarn given to her by Knitwear designer Lois Franklin, and there is still 353g of the original yarn to finish off the garment.

She has decided to finish it herself after seeing it pictured here.

CHARITY SHOP BOOTY.

2009-03-25T10:24:00.003-07:00

This half finished baby booty in double knit, with its two by two ribbing detail was found all alone amongst the contents of a bag donated to us by LMB in East London.

Louise took it on and it turned into an arm and a leg, which is what some of us give...

AUNTY LILLYBETS BLUE CARDIGAN.

2009-03-25T10:14:00.001-07:00

My Great Granny Gladys seemed to only knit in blue. She left the odd ball of blue/ green or blue/ purple, but mostly it was blue. So most of the family wore blue. She started to knit Aunty Lillybet a cardigan or a jumper. Lillybet lived with Gladys on a farm in Windermere, in the Lake District. Lillybet farmed Jersey cows from an early age and won many prizes for her cream. Lillybet drove a brown escort estate, and always wore a headscarf. She grew raspberries and sweetpeas and made fabulous jam. She had rough hands because she worked so hard, but she could make the most delicate brandy snaps to hold her cream.

These pieces are worked in good quality DK. I sent the pieces to Judith in Leighton Buzzard. This is what happened- Judith said,

"When I received my UFO I studies the pieces and the accompanying history before I decided what to do. The pieces were a left front and the lower part of a right front of a raglan garment. Some of the yarn had faded and there were two moth holes. The body of the knitting was stocking stitch, but the rib sections were in the less common 1x1 twisted rib. The decreasing on the raglan edge was also a little out of the ordinary as the decreases were set three stitches from the edge and sloped towards the seam. I decided to use these details too.

The history told of Great Granny Gladys and her daughter Lillybet. Lillybet sounded as if she was born in the late 1920's; the Queen, born in 1926 was known as Lillybet. That might make Gladys a little younger than my own Grandmother who was born in 1888. I deduced that both Gladys and Lillybet would have experienced the hardships of the depression and World War 2, and both would be used to "making do and mending', and using up all their oddments one way or another.

I decided that Gladys would have liked her garment finished and wearable. I would make one sleeve raglan and the other a set in sleeve to give the garment a slightly unusual shape. I am sure Gladys and Lillybet would approve of me using up some of my stash, most of which is oddments. I would make Dorset Crosswheel buttons with curtain rings and plastic rings saved from medicine bottles.

As Gladys usually used blues and sometimes purples so would I, but I would also use sweet pea colours, and make textured raspberries and cream to reflect Lillybet's interests."

TRUNKS FOR YOUR BOY.

2009-03-25T09:59:00.001-07:00

You could not imagine a boy not being delighted with receiving, flesh tone, cotton cashmere, Anchor embossed swimming briefs. He did not quite get the joke, so she did not feel quite like finishing them.

Zara has taken them on and they are becoming something to do with the dinosaurs. Marvelous.

GREAT GRANNY'S ODDMENT CARDIGAN.

2009-03-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

This back of a cardigan was constructed by Rachael from Rachael's great granny's sock oddments basket. From a mixture of 4ply blues and greens.

Using oddments from her own stash, Sara in Stoke Newington has turned it into a Hyperbolic Oddment Halter Neck!

BABY BEBE'S HAT.

2009-03-25T09:33:00.001-07:00

Baby Bebe was going to get a nice knitted hat until the weather got too hot for its completion and Baby Bebe did not need a hat any longer.

Annetta at the Barbican has found a solution. The hat is finished and it will got to an orphanage in Eastern Europe at the end of the show.

DAD'S JUMPER.

2009-03-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

I started this jumper for my Dad when I was 15, mis-judged the tension and ran out of wool. My dad is an architect, so I turned it into a building. I asked my Dad about his favourite brick work and then made English brickwork on the right sleeve, Flemish on the left and an Anglo Saxon arch for the neck with Dog roses growing up and over. It means the original blue bits become some sort of tiling or something. I made the arms long because Dads should always have long arms. I don't think my Dad will wear it, but it does kind of look like his studio/shed.