Although the knitting on my Shetland Triangle has been done for two weeks, I only blocked it on Saturday. I need daylight for blocking, and I usually devote my weekday mornings to work. I’m an early riser, and my best hours are before noon. So the shawl sat unblocked for a weekend that was too gloomy for good light and for another that was so hot I just couldn’t muster the energy to do it.
All this time, though, Ed has been insisting this was not an FO. Being a programmer, things are very black and white. Like computer bits, they’re either on or off—no gray areas for him. So his view of an FO is something that is done and can be worn. I generally consider finishing to be part of completing something, but in this case it seemed rather arbitrary. I certainly wasn’t going to wear this shawl when it was 90° out, and I wasn’t going to spend any more weeknights knitting it. All it needed was a soaking and pinning. This difference of opinion is now over since the shawl is truly done, but my interpretation of WIP and UFO has also been questioned.
In my opinion, I have two WIPs—his green sweater and Liv. I have one UFO, which is my Cotton Fleece cardigan. There are other partially knitted items in various locations, but they’re all awaiting frogging so they can be knit into something else. I just consider these obstacles to starting a new project, because it is definitely easier to begin knitting from a skein than to rip, soak, dry, and rewind yarn from a project that has no future. So they aren’t WIPs or UFOs.
Since it has been about a week since I worked on Ed’s sweater, he thinks it has fallen from WIP status to semi-UFO status. I have no intention of abandoning it, but even with air conditioning, working on heavy wool is beyond my abilities. In contrast, I haven’t touched the Cotton Fleece sweater for at least 11 months, and so to me it is truly a UFO. This timing difference is apparently a gray area.
To accommodate projects that have been partially knit but that don’t qualify as WIPs, Ed has come up with a new category: PUFO (pronounced Puff Foe). This stands for Partially Unfinished Object. The new category doesn’t need any time qualifications. His green sweater is a PUFO because I haven’t worked on it for a week, and all the items to be frogged and reknit are PUFOs. I’m at a loss as to how to work a true UFO into this scheme, but, hey, it works for him (and it is preserving our marriage).
Details about the shawl:
Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark
Yarn: Chat Botté, Perle Fine (purchased in Paris in 1978, discontinued), about 700 yards
Needles: Addi Turbo Lace, size 5 US
Shawl pin: Moving Mud
Modifications: Edging taken from Evelyn Clark’s Swallowtail Shawl. I added one row of purl and bound off on the right side.
The shawl is lovely -- what a great colour!
How can something be partially unfinished? It either is, or it isn't. It's kind of like "very unique." When you're talking about a long-term project like a knit, it's always in some degree of unfinishedness until it is ... finished. :-)
Posted by: Dave | August 05, 2007 at 09:01 AM
I really had to laugh about your husband's categorization of your projects! Only a computer programmer or an engineer would be so precise. I do kind of like the PUFO category, though. My husband, wisely pays no attention, although he will ask what I'm working on when I start a new project.
Posted by: Dorothy | August 05, 2007 at 11:25 AM
That shawl is so fine. It is the next shawl I would make, if I were to make another. (I find I don't wear the ones I have.)
The color is great on you, and the size looks perfect.
Posted by: Luni | August 05, 2007 at 11:59 AM
I'm also sitting here laughing about your husband's classification! My guy is smart, he just nods and mumbles encouraging things about the knitting at what he presumes are appropriate moments. And wisely shuts up when I'm swearing under my breath.
The shawl is very lovely, a great color for you!
Posted by: Lorette | August 05, 2007 at 02:19 PM
Your shawl turned out beautifully! As far as classifying goes, my husband stays out of the knitting loop, but puts almost every other aspect of our lives together on spreadsheets. He makes me crazy. Or at least he would, if I wasn't busy nodding indulgently and then doing whatever I want anyways.
Posted by: Judy G. | August 05, 2007 at 02:34 PM
Whatever the argument is about FO vs. UFO, it's now done and fantastic! It's really beautiful, M!
Posted by: tiennie | August 05, 2007 at 02:38 PM
Your shawl looks lovely on you! I really like the color!
Posted by: Sylvie | August 05, 2007 at 06:31 PM
Love the shawl!! That color is definitely "you" and is very flattering to your coloring.
I'm kind of afraid to step into the UFO/PUFO/WIP debate, but I guess I have two categories. WIPs (which I fully admit to the blogosphere as "in progress" on my sidebar) and UFOs, which are kind of like WIPs I don't admit to that will probably be ripped and the yarn repurposed. The Two-Tone Shrug and Orangina were recent examples until I ripped them both the other day.
Posted by: robin | August 06, 2007 at 08:57 AM
I don't get "partially unfinished" at all, but you're wise probably to nod and smile ;)
Love the shawl, it's gorgeous on you and just about matches my current hair color ;)
Being on Ravelry seems to be keeping me honest on what's a true WIP and what's merely hanging around until I find something better to do with the yarn. (The ravelry category for that is "hibernating" and shows up as zzzzzzzz) ;)
Posted by: chris | August 06, 2007 at 02:34 PM
Your shawl turned out great!!!
Posted by: Sourire11 | August 14, 2007 at 01:26 PM