Have you ever found a pattern that instantly intrigued you? You immediately set about finding the perfect yarn in the perfect shade, and you could just envision the completed project. Settled into the perfect crocheting location, you dug through your hook case for the proper size hook. But the hook wasn't there. I know I have at least 2 hooks in each size, so I hate when that happens. Invariably I realize where the absent hook is, languishing with one unfinished project or other in my UFO basket. I'm not sure how many UFOs I have accumulated but I would venture a guess you could count them on both hands, well maybe both hands of two people. How do they accumulate so quickly? Why does a project end up in the UFO basket? When I conceived the idea for this blog the other day, I had a plan. And it was the perfect plan. I have a beautiful summer top in my UFO basket. All it lacks are a couple of short, flirty sleeves, weaving in a few loose ends, and blocking. This blog would give me the motivation to finish the top and write a short piece on finishing a UFO.

But when I found myself with an hour to kill yesterday and a hook, ball of rich burnt orange yarn, and a quick pattern handy, I couldn't resist. The delicate summer top has moved to the top of the UFO basket, but if I pick it up I will merely replace it with a different UFO. So what pushes a project into the black abyss of the UFO basket? Maybe a project is pushed aside when something new catches my eye, that particular project simply isn't handy and I simply HAVE to crochet, or the project is out of season or I fear it will no long fit me well. Perhaps it doesn't matter why a project sits in my UFO basket. How do I get it out of the basket into my closet? Have you found any good motivators or do you also suffer from severe UFOitis?
~Toni Rexorat

Artist Kristina Wong needs our help, and it's help that should be pretty easy to give. Why? Because all she needs is for crocheters and knitters to send her an unfinished project we know we'll never finish. Here are the deets, in her words:

Your unfinished sweater, 5" scarf, or one-sided poncho can be famous for fifteen minutes or more if you donate it to Wong's set of "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Don't be ashamed you never finished what you started. Donate now and feel good for letting your abandoned project transform into a live piece of art. All donators will receive "set construction" credit in the program wherever this show tours.

Why unfinished projects? "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" explores the sky-high rates of mental illness and suicide among Asian Pacific Islander American Women. APIA women have the highest rates of suicide in the country in a statistic that seems to be widely unpublicized and often disregarded. The unfinished projects collection represents women's work, incomplete intentions, "spinning a yarn," and loneliness. During the show, Kristina uses the projects to represent "unravelling" women and even unravels some of them on stage. These knitted and crocheted pieces may also be displayed as part of an art installation later in the run.

Thanks to the popularity of Kristina's show, Vogue Knitting featured an article about it in their Spring/Summer 2007 issue. It is also being remounted in Los Angeles.

See Kristina Wong's "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," from September 19, 2008 to October 5, 2008, Fridays to Saturdays, at the Santa Monica's Miles Memorial Playhouse (1130 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403). Click here to buy tickets in advance.

Here's how you can participate:

1) We love yarn and knitting projects that come in any color OTHER than black and white.
2) Remove your needle or hook from the piece. If possible run some waste yarn through the loops. No need to bind off. I'd prefer if it wasn't!
3) Write a note describing yourself, why you knit, and what the project was supposed to be and why it never came to be.
4) Send your unfinished knitting projects by SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 to:

Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
C/O Kristina Wong
PO Box 251664
Los Angeles, CA  90025

No projects will be returned (you will probably be grateful for this). If you offer your name, I will credit you in the program.

For our LA run, it looks like we have just locked in donations of yarn from Artyarns and will be giving FREE SKEINS to knitters and crocheters who flash their hooks or sticks at the door!