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Mama, wife, knitter, blogger, spinner, wannabe something or other. That's enough, right?

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Y5: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #31

Happy Sunday!

If you happen to pop over on a regular basis, you may have noticed that I did a proper Tour de Fleece FO Friday post on Friday. And yesterday, I did a Stash Enhancement post. Today, in addition to my Year of Projects post, I'll probably have my monthly goals post....maybe that will be tomorrow. Yeah, I think I'll save that one for tomorrow.

Anyway, let's get going :)

FOs (Finished Objects)
1. Fire Socks: started April 15, 2015; finished January 6, 2016
2. Nottingham for Stormageddon: started January 12, 2016; finished January 14, 2016
3. Design proposal for Fire Socks: started January 13, 2016; finished January 18, 2016
4. Purple merino/silk spinning (singles): started toward the end of Tour de Fleece (July 4-26, 2015); finished January 29, 2016
5. Nottingham for Little Man: started January 17, 2016; finished February 1, 2016
6. Swirl Hat: started December 16, 2015; finished February 4, 2016
7. Swatch for Marly Bird class at Stitches West: started January 8, 2016; finished February 7, 2016 (no project page)
8. Fire Socks design (the actual pattern writing & photography part): started February 6, 2016; finished February 12, 2016 (link to the preview; pattern went live on Saturday, April 2nd)
9. Mountains Beanie: started February 9, 2016; finished February 17, 2016
10. Rathmore: started February 25, 2016; finished March 4, 2016
11. Dragon's Egg Socks: started September 2, 2013; finished March 9, 2016
12. Creeper for Little Man: started March 4, 2016; finished March 10, 2016
13. Mother Bear Project #1: started February 22, 2016; finished March 12, 2016
14. Asshole Corriedale (spinning project): started March 23, 2016; finished March 24, 2016
15. Pacific Waves: started March 9, 2016; finished March 25, 2016
16. Freeport Vest Frogging: started March 29, 2016; finished March 29, 2016
17. Pacific Waves: started March 31, 2106; finished April 2, 2016
18. Vanilla Latte Socks: started November 19, 2015; finished April 6, 2016
19. Snape's Stockings: started August 20, 2014; finished April 11, 2016
20. Pacific Waves: started April 3, 2016; finished April 15, 2016
21. Creeper Hat: started April 28, 2016; finished May 4, 2016
22: Finn & Suffolk blend (spinning): started April 1, 2016; singles finished May 27, 2016; plied May 31, 2016
23. Gex for Little Man: started April 8, 2016; finished June 5, 2016
24. Bridal Shower Lace Cloth: started June 20, 2016; finished June 27, 2016
25. TdF 1: 25%/25%/50% purple merino/silk & white merino (~ 540 yds; ~ 8 oz; DK/lt. worsted): started during TdF last year and finished the purple singles January 29, 2016; started the white last weekend, plied them on July 4, 2016
26. TdF 2: 25%/25%/50% leftover purple merino/silk & leftover kelly green merino (~ 20 yds; unknown weight; DK/lt. worsted): leftover bits that were plied on July 4, 2016
27. TdF 3: 100% merino, 50% hot pink, 50% grey (~ 50 yds; ~ 1 oz; DK/lt. worsted): started & finished on July 5, 2016
28: TdF 4: 100% merino, 50% rose pink, 50% navy blue (~ 50 yds; ~ 1 oz; DK/lt. worsted): started & finished on July 5, 2016
29. TdF 5: 25%/25%/50% leftover purple merino/silk & leftover hot pink merino (~ 10 yds; unknown weight; DK/lt. worsted): the purple was started during TdF last year and finished January 29, 2016; the hot pink was spun on July 5, 2016; they were plied on July 5, 2016
30. TdF 6: 100% merino, 50% leftover hot pink, 50% leftover navy blue (~ 10 yds; unknown weight; DK/lt. worsted): started & finished on July 5, 2016
31. TdF 7: 100% merino, rainbow gradient (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and white) (~ 220 yds; ~ 4 oz; worsted): started July 5, 2016; finished July 6, 2016
32: TdF 8: 50/50 merino/tencel, Fat Cat Fibers in Razzmatazz (three different skeins: two skeins are three-ply, one is around 245 yds of worsted and the other is around 120 yds, also worsted; one skein is chain plied, probably also a worsted weight, about 25 yds): started July 8, 2016; finished July 12, 2016
33. TdF 9: 100% white merino (~ 446 yds two-ply, probably sport weight; ~ 15 yds Andean Ply, also around a sport weight): started July 15, 2016; finished July 18, 2016
34. TdF 10: Superwash Merino/Bamboo/Nylon from Happy Hands Hand Dyed (~ 166 yds two-ply, probably Aran weight; ~ 14 yds Andean Plied, also Aran weight): started July 15, 2016; finished July 19, 2016
35. TdF 11: 60% BFL/40% Bombyx (Mulberry Silk) from Corgi Hill (~ 298 yds two-ply, probably DK/lt. worsted; ~ 25 yds Andean Plied, also DK/lt. worsted): started July 18, 2016; finished July 20, 2016
36: TdF 12: Unknown BFL, possibly from Yarn Hollow (~ 144 yds two-ply, probably Aran weight): started July 21, 2016; finished July 23, 2016

The only thing I finished up was the unknown BFL I was spinning at the very end of TdF, which I'm perfectly fine with. There's not much left on the bobbin and I'm actually thinking about just pulling it off and calling it good. Soooo, there's that.

TdF was pretty successful, really. I had only planned for a couple of projects and I finished 12 different things...now, granted three were mini skeins and two were tests that only amounted to maybe 2 oz total. But, seriously, twelve projects. I'm kind of a rockstar.


WIPs (Works-In-Progress) - carried over year-to-year
1. Wink: started January 5, 2015
2. Caffe Macchiato Socks: started May 7, 2016
3. Gex for Niece: started June 28, 2016
4. Corgi Hill Polwarth/Tussah blend (spinning): started July 21, 2016

I only had one project left from TdF, a Polwarth/Tussah blend from Corgi Hill. I haven't touched it at all this week, except maybe last Sunday. I'm taking a break from spinning.

I've not done much knitting, either, however. The only project I've worked on is Gex. I've finished the yoke, I've picked up the body sts, separated out the arms, and I'm just knitting along until I reach the magic number. In black. It doesn't make for good late-night knitting but it's okay otherwise. I have about 14 weeks to finish it and get it to the recipient. I can manage that, right?


In my "WTFCRAZYLADYOMGLSGBBQ" lists:

Children's Items
1. George's Vest (for Stormageddon - probably the largest size; YOTH Little Brother from Stitches)
2. House Hat (one each for Stormageddon and Little Man - worsted, two contrasting colors)
3. Arthur the Alien (for Little Man - worsted; any colors)
4. Holiday Countdown Stockings (for the family - Aran/worsted; four colors)
5. Mirkwood (for Little Man - worsted or bulky; any colors)

Items for ME (selfish knitting, FTW!!)
1. Vanillaish Socks (using one of my Harry Potter Yarns)
2. Paradiddle Socks (using a solid or semi-solid sock yarn)
3. Hermione Hearts Ron (sport weight; solid or semi-solid - Plucky Primo in Petunia?)
4. Hermione Hearts Ron Fingerless Mitts (sport weight; solid or semi-solid - Plucky Primo in Petunia?)
5. Classic Silk Mayfaire Camisole (Miss Babs from Stitches Midwest)
6. Stormont (worsted; solid or semi-solid)
7. Sockhead Hat (sock; any colors)
8. Moab Shawl (sock; any colors)
9. Prowl (DK; solid or semi-solid) *need pattern*

Secret Sock Club Bags - Pick a bag at random; do pattern with yarn
1. Scotch & Soda Scarf (using Briar Rose Fibers Wistful, leftover from my Icarus Shawl)
2. Jabberwonky (using KP Felici in Abracadabra)
3. If You Know Where To Go (using KP Felici in Green Veggies)
4. Gardener's Socks (using Malabrigo Sock in Indiacita)

Stranded Knitting
1. University of Wisconsin Ski Hat
2. University of Wisconsin Christmas Stocking
3. University of Wisconsin Button Beanie
4. Xanadu Snowflake Cowl

Christmas/Charity Bin
1. 198 yds. of Heaven (worsted; any colors)
2. Phillip and Mr. Grum (sock yarn; any colors)
3. Comfort Food (Aran; solid)
4. Fine Fella (worsted; solid or semi-solid)
5. November Leaves (Shelter from stash) *need pattern*
6. Skinner Hat (sock; solid or semi-solid) *need pattern*
7. The Shoemaker's Hat (bulky; solid or semi-solid) *need pattern*
8. Roll Out The Barrels (cotton; any colors)
9. Sweeny Todd Scarf (worsted; any colors)
10. The Snowmen Cometh (worsted; any colors)
11. Sunburst Dishcloth (cotton; any colors)
12. Starfish Cloth (cotton; any colors)
13. Seamless Circular Cloth (cotton; any colors)
14. Tombreck (Aran/worsted; solid or semi-solid)
15. Premie Spiral Hat (for hospital donations - sport or DK; any colors)

Designs
1. Ice Somethingsomething (knit prototype and pattern for submission)
2. Susan's Hat (make proper - photos, pattern, etc.; knit new prototype from Babs K2 from Stitches)
3. Little Man's Baby Blanket (make proper - photos, pattern, etc.)
4. Paradiddle Socks (knit prototype - see "Items for ME")
5. Pacific Waves Hat (knit prototypes in various weights/sizes, pattern for submission? self-publish?) *I've started this*
6. Stormageddon's Baby Blanket (design process, knit prototype, etc.)

Spinning
1. Given that TdF happened and I SPUN ALL THE YARNS, I think I'm going to take a break from spinning for a bit...Viktor needs a tune-up anyway.

Other (for things that are fibery/crafty in nature but not specific to knitting or spinning)
1. Organize my handmade stitch markers
2. Make more stitch markers (to sell? donate? hoard?)
3. Organize my books/magazines/loose patterns. *started*


I'm going to be honest: I spent a good potion of this past week sick. Stormageddon got a cold, which festered in his ears, meaning he wound up with an ear infection...and he shared his cold with me. So, we didn't do much around here. Husband's been off work all week, except Thursday, and we had plans to do all the things while he was home. We were going to take a day trip to Monterrey but the wildfires would just exacerbate all the colds (Husband caught it, too). We did get our Ivar cabinet put together and it's now in place, with Husband's beer stuff on/in it. We haven't done the foam insulation or mounting the cooling fan or any of that but it's otherwise done. The armoire thingie is, sadly, still hanging out in the boxes. I just haven't done it and it's going to be a long project, I think. Soon.

So, this week.......Sunday, things were fine. I did a little spinning, I took care of getting the unknown BFL washed and such, we went in the pool, and that was about it. Nothing overly exciting. 

Monday is when things started to go downhill. Stormageddon started snotting out his nose, then the coughing and sneezing and the fever. ::sigh:: He was grumpy but still slept pretty well. Tuesday, I started getting sick but we had things to do. Husband is catering a release party for his division of his company on Friday...which means we've had buckets of brining meat (pork shoulder, brisket, and pork ribs) and the smokers going and.......yeah. 

Tuesday night was not fun. Stormageddon coughed until he puked...all over himself, the crib, the blankets.....and then there was some transfer to me because I didn't know where he had puked but I could smell it. I did an immediate load of laundry, got everything set back up, rocked him back to sleep, and then he woke up when I put him down. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Except the puking. He only did that the one time, thankfully. But I was up and down with him at least three times Tuesday night before he finally slept longer than a half-hour. 

By Wednesday, Stormageddon and I were pretty bad, partly because of the cold but mostly because of the bad night's sleep. Luckily, Husband suggested a nap for baby and I. I didn't get a nap because I just couldn't fall asleep...so I did some cleaning around the bedroom, put laundry away, did some organizing, pulled out some books I don't want/need, blah blah blah. Nothing exciting but certainly a few things that I needed to do.

Thursday was a day at home, which drove Little Man nuts. He was just crazy on Thursday. And Husband wasn't home. It was the one day during the shutdown that he had to go to work. On the upside, I registered for my Stitches West classes (three of them - one for dyeing my own yarn on Friday morning, a second with Franklin Habit on Twisted Bavarian Stitches on Sunday morning, and Hobby to Profession with Marly Bird....again....I love Marly so I'm taking another class from her, even though I've already taken it) and I did get a teensy bit of knitting done. Little Man also had swimming lessons, and it was so frickin' hot in there. I was miserable and Stormageddon wasn't exactly happy about his situation either.  

Friday, we started actually smoking the meat for next week. In addition to that, I made my way down to Purlescence Yarns in Sunnyvale. Stash Enhancement happened. I'll have to post about it later. I'm also probably bringing Viktor down there for a tune-up of sorts. He started making some noises during TdF that need to be addressed (knocking, shuddering, and squeaking, specifically). I was also eyeing another spinning wheel buuuuuut, I have no room for one. And I love Viktor. Aside from that, we had friends of Husband's over for dinner that night. Three friends from high school, in fact. Two of them live int he area and the other was up from Los Angeles. So, that happened. Little Man talked one of their ears off about Doctor Who. He is so funny. He loves when someone understands all his babble about Doctor Who, and he will teach you all about it if you've never watched it.

Saturday....well, not much happened. Little Man got the cold that the rest of us got at various points throughout the week so he wasn't feeling the greatest, particularly in the morning. He spent most of the morning watching cartoons and being a little bum. We packed up more smoked meat from the smoker, lots of dishes (because of the smoker components), and more smoking. That will probably be finished sometime this afternoon, thankfully. Then we don't have to mess with any of that until at least this Thursday night. Sadly, Husband spent a good portion of the day at work because something got screwed up, which required phone calls and messing about and.....::sigh::  Let's be honest, I'm posting this after midnight and he's still not home. I also took the boys to the mall to acquire some shoes for Little Man. He's decided he wants to be Doctor Who for Hallowe'en so, you know, proper shoes. If you're a fan, he's going for the David Tennant version, which is funny because up until last year, he only recognized Matt Smith as the Doctor. It actually took repeated viewings of the 50th anniversary episode for him to recognize that 8.5, 10, and 11 were all the Doctor, just at different points in his life. Matt Smith is still "his" Doctor but he likes David Tennant, as well. I'm just going with it. 

Honestly, not much happened this week. I only have a couple photos for you, even! 






And the only photos are of Stormageddon. I did take him to the doctor and he does have an ear infection and we're borrowing the nebulizer again. 

Hopefully next week will be more entertaining. Ravellenics will have started, which means I might have a bit of a flurry of Startitis. We'll see.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend. I do know I have a Stash Enhancement update ready for Saturday...I think it's Saturday...anyway, my trip to Purlescence will be featured. So, you know, come back and visit!

12 comments:

  1. Oh what a week you've had. All those ups and downs. I hope everyone there has recovered from the cold bugs, and no more puking. Uhhh! Poor little thing, and poor you (I remember those awful times very well)

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  2. You're making me want to get my wheel out again, I haven't spun for far too long. I hope you're all on the mend, Lissy projectile vomited all over our living room on Thursday so I'm definitely sympathetic to that situation!

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  3. Oh dear, sorry to hear that your little fellow isn't the best. Let's hope he recovers quickly so you can get on with your YoP projects. Hope this coming week will be better for you both. xox

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  4. You are a rockstar indeed!! You got a lot of spinning done. That's awesome!! So sorry about the colds, always put a damper on everything but sounds like you guys were able to get a little done.

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  5. Wow, what a hard week. I hope everyone is all well soon. I clicked through the links to see the Wink sweater. That is so pretty! Can't wait to see your WIP turn into a Wink!

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  6. I'm so sorry you were hit by the kid cold. And of course you're a warrior mum who took care of her babes even though she felt like sh*t. I was thinking about taking that dyeing class but it was closed and even though the Saturday one was open, I decided to just take the Portuguese knitting one on Friday. I haven't taken a class for years. Happy my husband will able to take care of drop off and pick up of the girls.

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  7. yuck - babies and colds - the worst!!
    Congrats on your Tour de Fleece accomplishments - rockstar indeed!

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  8. oh I am sorry about your cold and just yuck! Mommies just don't get sick time do they. I loved seeing all your spinning and you sure did rock it out this year! I hope this week is better for you all.

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  9. Hopefully you are all on the road to recovery. You have really rocked out the spinning the past few weeks. I can not wait to see what you accomplish during the Ravelimpics.

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  10. What a week!! Hope this week is better ♥

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  11. I really hope you all start feeling better this week. But well done on 12 projects and some progress on Gex - amazing work.

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  12. I'm reading this late but I hope the little man (and everyone else) is feeling better. I hate it when little ones are sick. Oh, and your link #1 on the list to the fire socks doesn't work. I saw them on your ravelry page (and they are super cool btw) but just letting you know so you can fix said link.

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