Slaying the UFOs Knit-Along

Happy New Year fibre friends! Deanna here. I hope you all had some restful time off at the end of December and are ready to take-on 2023.

Usually this is the time of year when we have our Selfish KAL and knit a shiny new project just for us. However, something didn’t feel quite right about that this year. With everything going on in the world, especially the cost of living crisis, it seemed like a detour was in order.

The Staff and I were talking about what to do to ring in 2023, and Grace mentioned that her UFOs (unfinished objects) needed slaying. For those who don’t know what a UFO is, it’s a poor unfortunate work in progress that is hiding under your bed, or in the back of a closet that hasn’t had your attention in a long time. Our UFOs at the shop are getting a little out of hand.

So here’s what we’re going to do about it: Slaying the UFOs KAL. 

Dig out the UFO that is the biggest challenge for you, and finish it together with us! If you finish your UFO by February 28, 2023, we’ll send you a 15% off discount code for your next project as a reward.
Here’s how it works:

1. Find your UFO, take a lovely picture and post it to Facebook or Instagram and tag us @needlesinthehay and tell us the story of your UFO. This must be done by January 20th and will be your contest registration.
2. Take a pic wearing your beautifully FINISHED Object and tag us. If you post your pic by February 28, 2023 we’ll get in touch with a 15% off discount code just for you! 
3. Your 15% off code will be valid for one order and must be used before July 31st, 2023. We hope you’ll use it to start up a shiny new project to reward yourself for slaying that UFO.

We’ll be hosting the KAL on our Facebook Group! If you aren’t already a member, request to join and we’ll add you. This is the place to post your project updates, admire other people’s work, and ask questions and get advice on how to finish your project.

The project I’ve let linger a little too long is this beautiful Kailash Cardigan by Michele Wang in mYak baby yak medium. I started it at the beginning of 2019 with dreams of wearing it to the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March. Well, that dream has come and gone because I went to Edinburgh without the cardi, and now the yarn fest doesn’t exist anymore! 

I found this poor project shoved in the back of one of my closets. The cardi is mostly done, I’ve got two sleeves, the back, a front piece, and like a quarter of the other front piece. I pledge to convert this UFO to FO by the end of February gosh darnit!

 
Natalie’s UFO is the Dunham Wrap by Sivia Harding for Shibui Knits. Here’s what she had to say:
My sister in law started this project 2 1/2 years ago. She found it hard to maintain the correct number of stitches, as there were so many. It’s been in timeout for a long time. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish it for her and be her favourite sister in law! (I’m her only sister in law!)

 
Sarah’s UFO is the Oban Cardigan by Thea Colman. Here’s what she had to say:
This is a bag of dreams. Dreams of big, squishy cables and lovely honeycomb detailing. Dreams of this beautiful cardi in Croft that I was supposed to be wearing around the Christmas tree this winter. Instead, I got as far as thinking about doing the gauge swatch and winding my first ball when I got sidetracked by Christmas socks and holiday knitting.And after all that knitting for others, I'm looking forward to making my first (of many) selfish knitting projects. 

Grace’s UFO is Morrow by Orlane Sucche in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. Here’s what she had to say:

I started Water Bearer by Jacqueline Cieslak during the first lock-down and got stuck at the sleeves. Brought it out again this past fall and realized the problem was not the sleeves but the way the brioche sat on my chest. Ripped it all out and now I’m doing morrow!