UFOs: 3 Key Reasons Crochet and Knitting Projects Go Unfinished
As we explore our stashes of UFOs and decide whether to resurrect projects we left behind, a few key reasons crochet and knitting projects go unfinished have come to light. Following technical content editor Sandi Rosner’s advice, the Interweave Yarn team pulled out our many UFOs and joined you in accessing our respective situations. We found it cathartic and educational.
Here, we explore the insights we discovered and which our community of commenters put forward, and we’ll offer ideas around how to keep UFOs from invading your craft space. As always, we do this without judgement. Whether you have 5 UFOs or 35, it’s okay! But if they aren’t serving you, this might help shed light on why.
Shiny New WIPs
With new patterns being released daily, it’s easy to get distracted and lose focus on the project in hand. Plus, with the repetitive nature of our craft, sometimes we just get bored. Yes, it’s soothing and stress relieving, but 18” of the same stitch over and over can have its downside.
Anne C. commented, “I do have many UFOs—I succumb to the distraction problem—I’m working on one thing, then something else catches my eye, and I want to start right away!! Or the other distraction comes when someone I know (family or craft-worthy friend) announces they are having a baby! Then, all other projects get put aside, and a blanket or sweater or something gets made. And, by the time it is finished, I’ve seen one or more projects that I am anxious to start, forgetting all the other projects half done!!”
Interweave Knits editor Kerry Bogert struggles from Second Sock Syndrome and blames boredom. “I really love handknitted socks, and I get excited by new sock patterns, but I currently have four single socks. I get bored and don’t want to knit the same pattern twice!”
Distraction and boredom can be hard to overcome. Barbara A. found a solution that worked for her and her friends. “I currently have 5 WIP’s and more UFO’s than I’m willing to count but my crafting friends and I have discovered a wonderful solution. We meet every Friday morning via Zoom.” She added, “We talk and work on our current projects for about 2 hours. I finished probably a half dozen UFO’s, one of them a queen size quilt started over 50 years ago. One of us started and complete an oil painting larger than she had ever done before. We have essentially rediscovered the quilting bee. We get things done while we are busy talking about our lives. It’s wonderful.”
Regarding boredom, Kerry joked, “I need to find someone else with SSS. Maybe I can knit their second sock and they can knit mine.” Not a bad idea.
I’m Stuck!
A few of content director Tammy Honaman’s UFOs are close to complete. The thing she needs to finish them is a bit of extra support. She shared, “my Amber Pullover, which is all but finished minus ½ a sleeve and assemblage, will be taken with me on an upcoming retreat and I will finish it—either on my own (fear of failure has been holding me back from finishing it) or with the help from one of the many expert knitters I will be with.” She added, “I have another stack of pieces waiting to be assembled that I plan to bring to Yarn Fest. Again, I can lean on experts to help with the assembly.”
Especially if you haven’t worked on a project in a while, it may be had to find your place. Karen H. commented, “My problem is that I lost my notes to know where I left off!” Sandi has great advice for picking things back up.
Getting expert help with those tricky steps like short-rows or seaming can be a huge boost! You’ll likely learn it’s not as difficult as it seams—er, seems. As your confidence grows, you may have fewer UFOs.
Related: How to Fix Knitting Mistakes
The Finish(ing) Line
This may be the number one reason knitters leave projects unfinished—the literal finishing. Many readers commented that their unfinished knitting and crochet projects are actually nearly complete, but the last few steps are keeping them from finishing the project. Needing to seam pieces, weave in ends, or block were just a few tasks holding people back.
Susan S. commented that she has 4-5 unblocked shawls and Susan R. has several unblocked shawls, too. Digital content editor Andrea Lotz also had quite a few unblocked projects. In fact, she recently wove in ends and blocked 10 hats that had stacked up as UFOs.
Related: How to Block Knitting
If blocking is holding you back, we suggest having a block party! Make a day of it. Make a fun snack, turn on some music, and dance it out as you block.
Did you follow Sandi’s advice and assess your UFOs and WIPs? What did you discover? We’d love to hear your takeaways in the comments below.
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I learned on my first sock pair that I must knit 2 socks at a time! I use 2 circulars and that way if I tweak the pattern or am making it up as I go along, I don’t have to write down elaborate instructions. What is the pattern for the rust colored hat with the turned boxes among Andrea Lotz’s hats? I love it!
Another reason: I really dislike knitting with the yarn. (For example, stiff or really siippery yarns.) This is a good justification for auditioning a skein or ball of yarn before buying a sweater’s worth of it!
I wish I could get all my shawls blocked on the same day, but unfortunately they required being pinned on mats (on a bed that won’t be empty for a while). Making a day of it is otherwise a great idea.
My solution to the single sock syndrome is to mostly use patterns that I love to knit. I have several patterns that I really enjoy knitting, which produce beautiful socks, so I have multiple pairs of those socks. Those patterns keep me going because it is fun to watch the design unfold as I knit. For patterns I end up not liking particularly, especially if they are ridiculously hard to knit, my solution is to just frog them. Otherwise I just make myself finish the pair. It helps that I always have several other projects going, so I can take a vacation from the patterns I don’t like as well, and do better with them later.
I prefer to think of my UFOs as WIPs, even if they’re years old. I like having several projects going at once, using a variety of techniques, including doubleknitting, 2-color brioche and brioche lace, colorwork techniques, etc., as well as a variety of end products such as sweaters, shawls, scarves, and socks. I don’t make a project I wouldn’t use myself, such as fingerless mitts and cowls. My rule is that I can’t start a new project until I finish one WIP. I also do quite a bit of test knitting, because it’s easier to conform to an imposed deadline than to one I set for myself.
Since I began knitting as an adult, I’ve had a rule that I can’t go more than three projects without finishing one. That is I can’t go on to a number four. I adhere to this self-made rule because I know I’d never finish anything otherwise….Nevertheless, I enjoyed this article about other people’s solutions to the problem.