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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Y2: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #27

Hello and Happy Sunday!

We all know what we're here for on this lovely Sunday from the San Francisco Bay Area so let's skip the chatter (for now) and get right to it. 

Last week, being the halfway point for me (and the start of a new season for almost everyone else), some changes were made and we'll see where things go and how well they go...


Finished Objects (FOs)

1. San Francisco Fog Fingerless Mitts: started January 2, 2013; finished January 10, 2013
2. Don't Blink: started January 16, 2013; finished January 16, 2013  (links to one I made last year using the same yarn)
3. Dalek Dishcloth: started January 16, 2013; finished January 21, 2013 (links to one I made last year using the same yarn)
4. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started February 8, 2013; finished February 11, 2013
5. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010; finished February 14, 2013
6. Little Granite Dishcloth: started February 16, 2013; finished March 2, 2013
7. Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth: started March 4, 2013; finished March 27, 2013
8. Garter Stripe Baby Socks: started March 3, 2013; finished April 4, 2013
9. Petal Dishcloth: started May 21, 2013; finished May 22, 2013
10. Petal Dishcloth: started May 22, 2013; finished May 23, 2013
11. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012; finished May 24, 2013 
12. Petal Dishcloth: started May 26, 2013; finished May 29, 2013 13. Mini Petal Dishcloth: started June 6, 2013; finished June 10, 2013
14. Eat Your Monkey Socks: started November 29, 2012; finished June 15, 2013 15. Sand Stitch Dishcloth: started June 18, 2013; finished June 20, 2013
16. Roman Stitch (Variation) Dishcloth: started June 21, 2013; finished June 23, 2013


My FO list is unchanged at this point. This isn't exactly surprising when you see my WIP list....


Works-in-Progress (WIPs)
1. Freeport Vest: started March 7, 2013
2. Baby Surprise Jacket: started May 27, 2013
3. Traveling Vines Socks (Adult): started May 31, 2013
4. Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth: started June 28, 2013

5. Greyson: started July 5, 2013

I won't lie. I haven't worked on much this last week. I lost my knitting mojo and it just didn't want to come back...and when it did, I wasn't in a position to knit. My Freeport Vest and Traveling Vines socks remained, largely, untouched. I may have knit a row or two on my socks but that was about it. I worked a few rows on the dishcloth but it wasn't anything exciting. I also spent about an hour and a half on my Baby Surprise Jacket (which translates to about six rows). It's still not that exciting. I'm still on the initial decrease rows so it doesn't look like much. 

You may also have noticed I started another project. I decided it was time to start something else...and I've had some yarn mocking me from my stash so I cast on for the Greyson sweater on Friday night. I have a couple skeins of  Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a burgundy color and a grey color that I'm using to make a striped sweater for Little Man. I'm making the 23" size (which is technically a 4T). I'm making it a bit bigger so he has time to grow into it. Also, I'm using an Aran weight (which the pattern doesn't have a recipe for - it has it for DK, Worsted, or Bulky). So, it might wind up a bit bigger than the 4T....or maybe not. Aran and Worsted aren't that different...but it's enough that it may end up an extra inch or two larger so I might have to compensate for the length. We'll see as I get there. As of right now, my gauge is pretty much perfect with the Aran weight...

Soooooo, after last week's changes, my lists now look like this:



Children's Items 
1. "Little 16" Newborn Socks
2. Alvin Sweater
3. Milo 

Items for Me (Selfish Knitting FTW!)
1. Rose's Wrist Warmers
2. Zombie ViXen Fingerless Mitts

Household Items
1. Halloween Creepy Cloths (1)
2. Halloween Creepy Cloths (2)
3. Assorted Harry Potter Cloths
4. Assorted Doctor Who Cloths

 
Designs
(which may or may not be sooper seekrit - obviously the sooper seekrit ones aren't listed)
1. Little Man's Baby Blanket
2. Susan's Hat (4 versions)
3. Assorted dishcloths (set of 12?)
4. Traveling Vines Scarf
5. Traveling Vines Socks (baby and adult-sized as well) - yes, this is a WIP...still working on it...
6. Pinwheel Market Bag
7. Anything else that comes along (I have a notebook or two or seventeen somewhere with potential designs and random ideas)





My lists look significantly more manageable after the changes I made last week. I probably won't get everything done, even after the changes, but it's not so outrageous that I could only hope to get 12% finished...




The heat finally broke on Friday. I use the term loosely because it's supposed to warm up again next week (though not nearly as hot). We spent quite a few days in the pool and Puppy spent quite a bit of time in the house with us (in the back room with the air conditioning on). Little Man is learning to swim on his own, mostly unassisted. He has a Swimsafe Float Suit so he can keep his head above water. It's not perfect because it's still a little big on him but he's figured out how to get around the pool by himself while wearing it. We also bought him a pool noodle to help him further but he doesn't seem to like it unless we're blowing bubbles or water at him through it. Oh well, we tried.


Also, Little Man has taken to being....well, a two year old boy. With the heat and his new-found ability to take his diaper off, he's been getting naked in the backyard. He still occasionally gets stuck in his shirt but he can get his shorts and diaper off. We discovered it on Wednesday. He was too quiet in the backyard so I went out and discovered him sitting on the mosaic sidewalk, naked as a jaybird, playing in the mud. ::sigh:: He's done it a few times since then. We don't really care other than we don't want him to get sunburned. It's rather funny, actually.


We also tried some hardcore potty training the other day....the kind where he wore underwear and we were going potty every 15-20 minutes. He went on the potty a couple times...but he still had a couple accidents. We went through two pairs of underwear, had to wash his blanket, and had to wash the cover for the couch cushion...after that, he wanted to be outside so I put him back in his diaper. He tried and he's not quite ready. He doesn't know how to tell me that he has to go and I can't read his mind. It's okay, though. We tried it and discovered he wasn't quite ready yet.


Anyway, I hope you're all having a lovely Sunday. I hope to be back for a WIP Wednesday post this week but we'll have to wait and see how things pat out before I commit 100% to WIP Wednesday. It means I have to photograph things....and that's not always easy with an active toddler around.

17 comments:

  1. Heat and humidity are the enemy of knitting. I think I'd be in the pool instead too!

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    1. Now that it's not quite so hot, I've been doing both :)

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  2. Totally with you on the toddler front - have a two year old boy as well (and a five year old that is no trouble). Not even contemplating potty training yet!! The list looks good, am looking forward to seeing your progress :)

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    1. I'm not pushing it too much because he doesn't know how to tell me. So, I plop him on there every so often and he usually goes...and sometimes he doesn't.

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  3. Glad the heat broke some for you, think I'd be living in the pool also ! Over here I use Aran weight in patterns when it calls for worseted and its never that far off. I have to sometimes convert the terms over to what I know them. Thats so funny about little man, boys really will be boys and having 5 of them the things they get up to ! well they do make you laugh and as I say they make great stories for weddings and birthdays lol. I did find with my boys they were a little later in wanting to be potty trained than the girls if thats any help.

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    1. I think the photo of Little Man sitting on the sidewalk, butt naked, playing in the mud will be a good one for, you know, prom...or his wedding...

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  4. I love toddlers in the pool, I bet he's really cute! And how hot is hot for you there? We hit 30 degrees today (86 Fahrenheit), and it was WAY too hot, I don't know how you manage it! I was drowning in sweat (TMI I know) and literally cooking. I just couldn't move it was so hot!

    Looking forward to seeing Greyson. I'v found a lot of UK Aran yarns are actually Worsted weight, so I don't think there's much different

    And yup, a fair few of the yarns in my list are from you. It's actually the last of the ones you sent me, and I've adored them all so far, so I feel these ones need some love as well!

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    1. When I get the photos off the camera, I'll post a few :)

      We hit 92F a couple days (about 33.3C) but it's been hanging around in the mid-80s (so about 30C, like you're dealing with). It's not horrible but it makes me not want to do much, including knitting.

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    2. I thought I replied to this...apparently my computer ate it.

      We've been running around 30-33C around here (so mid-80s to low-90s)...which is rather warm when you don't have air conditioning.

      If I get the photos off the camera of Little Man in the pool, I'll post a couple :)

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  5. I wish there was a picture for the Greyson sweater because that's my grandson's name about the same age as "little man" too. I had 4 children and I never pushed potty training and none of them went to kindergarten in diapers! LOL! They let you know when they're ready. I think you're smart to be relaxed about it. With some Mom's it's like a competition.
    I'll be making those Creepy Cloths this year as I saw them last year on your list and I love Halloween! I think we're all a bit more "relaxed" on our lists this year which is nice. I was taking it so serious last year but now I'm just out to enjoy the handwork and the friendships!

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    1. I'm pretty sure I'll be in for a WIP Wednesday this week and I should have photos of the sweater then. But you can also find photos on the main Greyson page via Ravelry :)

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  6. That Grayson will be great on LM. He is SO funny! Love how he has no shame and romps about naked in the backyard. My litte one will sleep in her underwear if it's too warm here.

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    1. I think if we'd let him, he'd be naked all the time, even while out and about. For now, we'll just keep it to the backyard and inside the house. Silly boy, he is.

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  7. It seems many of us are having hot summers already--and when the temps climbed to 90 here last week, all I wanted to do was sit in front of the AC and knit. I hope your mojo comes back in full force--hate when it takes a break. Your list looks great and you have some great patterns. Great attitude regarding the potty--it will happen when he is good and ready!
    *smiles*

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  8. Grayson is such a charming sweater, I have to add it to my queue so I can make it for my new nephew when I have time & yarn for it! Congrats on making progress with swim lessons and good luck with potty training - he'll be ready soon enough and then we'll all get to cheer him on.

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  9. It all adds up, a row here a stitch there, sounds like you made headway on all fronts.
    YOP WK 1 for me

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  10. I think I skipped a week of knitting due to heat. Thought about trying potty training with my guy, but he is so not ready. I think when we get back from vacation we are going to hang out in the backyard nearly nude to work on it. Good luck.

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