The (Nearly) Dead Pool

I don't like to air my dirty laundry too often. Some things are best kept hidden, even from me. However, there are times when "out of sight, out of mind" allows little gems to languish until they become melded into an indistinguishable pile of yarn inside my Big Plastic Bag (BPB), also known as the Knitting Dead Pool.

Such was the fate of a vest and scarf I began eons ago. They'd have stayed that way unless a recent post by Bonne Marie hadn't prompted me to revisit my sordid past. Apparently vests are rearing their beautiful heads among the fashionistas once again. For those of you who know me, you are quite aware that I've got to keep my finger on the pulse of style. As soon as I read the word "in-Vest-ment," I'm like "shut up!". The Bugs Bunny aroma fingers cleaved through the fog and pointed me in the right direction.

Thus, resurrected from certain eventual frogging and yarn recovery, we find a half-finished scoop neck vest (perfect for cool weather layering) in fall-hued Lorna's Laces worsted-weight. In fact, this was my first Lorna's. They don't even make the colorway anymore and time (being what it is) has erased my memory of what it was. Good thing I bought more than enough to finish this VK project. About time, too, as it first hit the needles way back in the Winter of Aught Four.

I've lost a tiny bit of weight since this WIP transformed into UFO, but the ribbing should provide just the right amount of negative ease. Not to sound selfish or anything, but this vest is for me-me-me!

I found another prize in the Big Plastic Bag. This particular item started life as half of a scarf / hat gift for my brother last Christmas. When I realized there was no way for me to finish either one in time, it went the way of all my WIPs. I even gave away the five skeins of Paton's merino that would've gone on to become that hat and scarf.

"So how could this be a prize," you ask? Simple, once the inspiration stick slapped my behind. I'll turn the scarf into a hat! Quite smartly, I left the scarf on the needles with most of one skein of yarn - quite enough really to knit 20 inches in length, bind off, then pick up stitches at top and bottom to transform what started out as a vertical cabled scarf into fetching (but manly) horizontal cabled cap. Brilliant, eh?

What of the others consigned to the BPB? Their fate is yet to be determined...