attack of the UFOs

I am sick of my messy knitting corner:

(note the junk on the table and UFOs in the corner--and I cleaned up)

Combine that with my desire to cast on about a zillion projects, and we're faced with a bit of a problem, here: Clean up or shut up. So I clean up. Rationally, I know that:

1. Summer is very nearly over in New England. I will want sweaters soon, despite today's nasty humidity.
2. School starts again right after labor day. I have no time for stuff that's been making faces at from the stash corner for the last 6 months. Or so. I want new stuff to stare at me(Above is not where all the stash is. Just so you know.)
3. Do I really want to cart around any more unfinished object guilt??
4. It is a little unreasonable to have my Olympic Sweater still undone.
5. Did I mention that I want to cast on lots of new stuff??

To properly atone for my UFO sins, I will show them here, and promise to show some advancement on them at some kind of regular interval. For your enjoyment, UFOs 1 &2:

#1 Joey Ramone (pattern here) Here's what he looked like last I saw him:

Now, add to this: part of another arm! Yay! That was Saturday evening's work, performed while madly shuffling yarn about in a futile attempt to organize. Sadly, while working on the cream part of Joey's arm I realized something. If I followed the pattern, Right Arm wouldn't match Lefty. It seems that on the first one I left out that key line after the increases: "Work even in St st for 13 rows." Hmmmm. So does Joey get short arms, or does he get some arm surgery? Tune in to see...

2. The albatross that is my father's afghan:

(an old picture, with other UFOs for fun)

Ok, so last September I went to Florida for 5 days . I knew I'd have to do a LOT of knitting to say sane--the least stressful aspect of that trip was that my dad watches FOX News 24/7. I needed to knit. So, in an effort to improve my skills I decided to make 7 X 9 squares for Warm Up America. Pop (as my dad likes to be called) kept asking if I was making an afghan for him. Picking up on that gentle clue, I picked up 10 skeins of Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick. Yes, I am embarrassed, but it really seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up hating the pattern I picked for it, and ripping it all back. Just so you know, it says right on the label not to rip it out. Or the yarn will fall apart. I kid you not.

I cast on the above plain stockinette monstrosity, instead, and have been forced by various friends and family to continue working on it. Even Olive the Cat hates it, and has shown her rampant dislike by dumping beer on it. I have one color strip (6 rows) left. Amen.

Tomorrow? UFOs 3 & 4