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

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Year SEVEN: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #3

Happy Sunday :)

We all know why we're here and we're just going to go with it, right? Good answer....



FOs (Finished Objects)
1. Adare: started 30 December 2017; finished 5 January 2018
2. Luck o' the Irish Cowl: started 31 December 2017; finished 14 January 2018

As expected, I finished up the Luck o' the Irish cowl this week. It's a bit longer than I would have liked but it will work just fine. I don't know whether I'm going to keep it or not, however. I love the color but it's a bit itchy, even after a wash in some Eucalan and hair conditioner. I think if I make it again (and I might), I'll probably use something a bit softer. It's also a bit on the stiff side, which I will attribute to the yarn, as well. Don't misunderstand me, though; the yarn isn't a "bad" yarn. It reminds me of Cascade 220 but a bit more scratchy. I did have to pull out some debris while I was knitting so that may be part of it. Either way, I've finished it.


WIPs (Works-in-Progress) These are carried over from the last Year of Projects....or longer.
1. Wink: started 5 January 2015
2. Oh, She Is a Bad Nut: started 11 August 2016
3. Smooth Operator Socks: started 13 October 2016
4. Stomping Grounds Collection: started 26 February 2017
5. Hat Design: started 20 March 2017
6. Garter Stitch Baby Blanket: started 6 July 2017
7. Unnamed Hat Design: started 14 August 2017
8. Shetland Neck Wool (support spindle): started 8 September 2017
9. Gamer Bag: started 28 September 2017
10. Paradiddle Prototype: started 19 October 2017
11. Returning: started 14 January 2018
12. Rasta Scarf: started 19 January 2018

Apparently I'm back to the "finish one, start two more" motto....isn't that like Hydra? Anyway, I finished the cowl so I started two more projects. I'm only a couple of rows into the new shawl (Returning) and I'm not sold on the first few rows so I might frog it and start over. I'm also not sold on my color choices. I might wind up making it a two-color shawl instead of three. I've picked out a light green color for the main body, and then I have a chocolate brown and a variegated ocean blue for the contrast colors. I'm not sure the green and blue go together. The green is kind of a....well, lilypad green but it's light with variegation of greens and almost greenish-brown. But the blue is a bright blue and I don't know if they're going to go well together. I think if the green and blue are separated by the brown, it should be okay so I may have to use the brown as a buffer. I've got awhile before I get to that point, though.

I also started a Rasta scarf to match the Rasta Hat that was commandeered a few weeks ago. Husband asked if I would make one to match the hat but to use "cheap yarn" because it was probably going to be either (1) left on top of a mountain with the hat or (2) burned in effigy and spread with our friend's father's ashes on his "last ski run." Soooooo, I was running out of the black anyway so I picked up a couple skeins of black and I'm working on it. He said it doesn't even have to be full length (SCORE!). I've got about a week to make it happen so we're going to see how much I can knit over the next week and call it good. I'm currently about a foot into the project, with at least 110 rows of garter stitch (so at 25 sts/row, I've got at least 2750 sts knit, which isn't actually all that much.

Aside from the two new projects, I also worked on my Paradiddle Prototype socks and the baby blanket. I've got 12 of the 16-18 pattern repeats finished on the sock (I think I can get away with 18 pattern repeats with the yarn but I have a little left from the last pair of socks I made with the same yarn so if I run out, I'll be okay). The blanket is on the decrease section but just barely. That and the Rasta Scarf are fairly mindless knitting at this point. I just need to remember to decrease on the blanket.




OMGLSGWTFBBQ Lists

Children's Items
1. Stuffed toy for my Devil Niece (so-called because her initials are TAZ)
2. Undetermined hat for Little Man
3. Undetermined hat for Stormageddon
4. Mittens for Stormageddon
5. Oliver for Stormageddon (worsted weight - needs 3 colors, would need to buy...maybe do it with 2)
6. Lancelot for Little Man (worsted weight - green Plymouth Encore)
7. Dandy Sir Cephalopod (worsted weight - Red Creek blue, probably for #1 on this list)

Items for ME (selfish knitting FTW!)
1. Brickless (worsted - Miss Babs Yowza in "Celebration") *
2. Honey Badger (fingering - BMFA STR L - one of the ones from Carrie)
3. Park Slope (fingering - Mountain Fibers Crazyfoot)
4. Maya's Shawl (bulky - Plucky Silk Merino Aran)
5. Companion Mitts (fingering - BMFA STR orange from Carrie) *
6. Forest Cardi (worsted - Baah Shasta in "London Blue" and....something....)
7. Flax (worsted - Cascade 220 in "Royal Blue" or Misti Alpaca Harry Potter color)
8. Jag in Garter Stitch (fingering - KP Palette grey and Artfibers Carezza)
9. Reichenbach (fingering - AVFKW Slick or BMFA STR-M in "Vintage")
10. Sockhead (fingering - Madelinetosh Merino Light)
11. Moab (fingering - Wollmeise in "Lavender")
12. Pumpkin Pie (DK - Kangaroo Dyer orange)
13. Age of Brass & Steam (DK - Berroco Comfort DK)
14. Anne's Sweater (sport - Artfibers something)
15. Moyen Age (fingering - Vice special order either grey or green)

Random Things
1. Pop Blanket (worsted - may need to order some yarn for this)
2. University of Wisconsin Ski Hat kit
3. University of Wisconsin Christmas Stocking kit
4. University of Wisconsin Button Beanie kit
5. Xandu Snowflake Cowl (fingering - two contrasting colors)
6. Granny Square Blanket (which means I need to learn to crochet)

Designs
1. Susan's Hat *started* - need new prototype & write pattern
2. Little Man's Baby Blanket *started* - write pattern
3. Paradiddle Socks  *started* - need prototype & write pattern
4. Pacific Waves Hat *started* - need another prototype & write pattern
5. Fall in San Francisco *started* - need another prototype & write pattern
6. Stormageddon's Baby Blanket - need prototype & write pattern
7. Cabled pullover (grey look-alike sweater - Old Navy hooded sweater with cable) - need sketch,
grading, swatch, prototype, & write pattern
8. Christmas stocking for Little Man - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)
9. Christmas stocking for Stormageddon - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)
10. Christmas stocking for Husband - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)
11. Stomping Grounds collection *started* - need everything: charts, prototypes, swatches, etc.

Spinning
1. AVFKW Merino Silk
2.  Abstract Fiber Merino Tencel
3. Allons-Y Fiber Arts 18.5 Micron Merino
4. Allons-Y Fiber Arts Merino, Trilobal Nylon, Silk
5. Alpaca (from Lambtown 2014)
6. Ambrosia & Bliss Rambouillet Top
7. Anne's Fiber Expressions
8. Ashland Bay Fiber Merino Top
9. BMFA Handpainted Roving
10. Bramble Wool Farm Shetland Wool

Dyeing
1. Malabrigo Nube fiber
2. Gaia (worsted)
3. Euro Sock 6-ply
4. Whatever else I find in the bag...I have a bag...or maybe a couple of bags....

Other Fibery Endeavors
1. Stitch markers
2. Vintage patterns into Rav database
3. Inventory of books & loose patterns (update)
4. Inventory of PDF patterns (update)
5. Update yarn inventory (make sure it's up-to-date)/destash
6. Inventory project bags (Erin Lane, I'm looking at you)



It's been kind of a wild week around here. With everything going on with our friend and the loss of his father, Husband hasn't been around much this week. He's putting out fires and diffusing situations and calming people down left and right over there, which means I've been home with the boys, trying not to lose my own shit. Sorry, I don't curse often on the blog but that's a pretty good assessment of the situation.

This week wasn't all crazy, though. I got a surprise package in the mail on Tuesday.


One of my best friends from college, who was out visiting in November, sent me a belated birthday package containing some chocolate covered espresso beans, dark blue nail polish, two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a coffee mug she found. I was worried something was broken, though, because I could hear things rattling around in ceramic in the box. It was just the nail polish and jelly beans inside the mug.



Little Man made me this 3D drawing of Donkey Kong, complete with princess, Mario, and the barrel that turns the wood barrels into fire. It's currently hanging on my wall (which required some extra tape on the lego portion because it's heavy).



In addition to that, Little Man pulled out his sixth tooth, and this time, he pulled it himself. Luckily the Tooth Fairy had a dollar in her wallet. ::sigh:: I wasn't ready for that one. He was already in bed when it happened on Thursday night. He's a little gappy in the mouth right now. He's got one on the bottom that's barely started coming in and the other one on the bottom is partly in (he's got two on the bottom in the middle that are in and fine)...and the one on top that I pulled a couple of weeks ago is halfway in. So, there's all that.

We've been watching the Lego Movie multiple times a day around here this week. Seriously, I turn it on when we get home from the gym (so I can shower in peace, honestly)...and when it's done, Stormageddon wants it again. And again. I think we watch it anywhere from 2-5 times every day. I'm okay with it.



In other random events, we have a neighborhood kitty that likes us. She lives about halfway down our block and I'm unclear whether she's an indoor/outdoor kitty or if she's strictly outdoors but she will come running if she hears us coming (like if she's across the street, she will run to get home). She's unsure about Stormageddon yet, but that may be because he's in the stroller. Little Man, however, she seems to like (she also likes me and I will pet her but I'm also allergic to her).



She's a little black & white tuxedo named Jade, and she's lost her collar. There's also another kitty that lives with her (a grey & black tabby) that won't come near us.

On our walks to and from school, we tend to stop for wildlife...or pets. So, there's the kitty above and there's also a house a few doors further down from the kitty house that has two turtles in an enclosure (when it's not too cold). Little Man likes to check them out, as well.



Aaaaaand, lest you think I sold Stormageddon to the circus this week:


He is playing with play doh. On top of his head. Yeah, that's my kid. He's kind of special sometimes.

Also, let's talk about his jammies. These blue penguin jammies used to belong to Little Man, as it is with many of Stormageddon's clothes. He has two penguin jammies. The blue ones above and an orange & white stripe one. He has several other sets of jammies but he's been on an penguin kick and only wants to wear these two. He one for a few days, then switches (so I can wash the first one), and so on. He got really mad at me on Friday because his jammies weren't ready (both sets were in the dryer). God forbid he had to wear his Mario jammies.

Unusually, it wasn't Little Man that taught Stormageddon to put play doh on his head. He did get a laugh out of it, though.



Anyway, I hope you've had a lovely weekend thus far. We have a birthday party for a friend of Little Man's this morning. After that, I hope to crash for several days. I don't think that's going to happen, though. Oh well. 

Have a lovely week!

8 comments:

  1. Stormageddon (I can never spell that right) is growing super charged; he's outgrowing those penguin PJ's. Little Man is so handsome. I say yes to TV when Mama needs a break and some decompressing time. What a great husband you have to play referee and peacemaker over in WI.
    Thank you for your support. My anal perfectionist tendencies can cause me more trouble than what should be simple. Are you going to STITCHES this year?

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    1. Sadly, I am probably not going to Stitches this year. I made a oopsbooboo and scheduled auction item weekend the weekend of Stitches. I'm running Little Man's school's auction and we have a weekend where we get baskets together and do a mock set-up of the tables and start working on the catalog...and it literally takes all weekend. Guess which weekend I scheduled it for? ::sigh:: Such a dumbass. And it's my own fault.

      Also, Husband is here and our friend is here.

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  2. I hope your knitting a scarf for your friend's father's memory is meaningful. Meditative, even. That is a kind thing for you to do.

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    Replies
    1. I'm hoping that it's meditative. I mean, I can do it without looking for the most part (especially as I'm now in the long black section) and it's nice to just sit and knit on something and not really think about it.

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  3. What a lovely gift to get in the mail. I have a tuxedo cat - he even has a little white mustache. As usual your post is adorable and filled with your busy life. I don't know how you even have time for all the photos.

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    Replies
    1. I feel like I was lacking in the photo department this week. I used to take tons of photos...and then I had a second kiddo and now photos seem to drop off once in awhile.

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  4. That's such a great gift, what a nice gesture for your birthday! And how sweet to have a neighbourhood cat that enjoys the boys- all the fun of a pet, without any of the responsibility. ;)

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  5. Love your surprise gift in the mail....you needed it! What a great friend she must be. Where's a picture of the Irish Cowl? Congrats on your finish an dhow sweet of you to make a hat just for your friends's dad's memorial...very special. One of my grandboys lost another tooth this week too and he too has favorite jammies with the feet in them...too funny! I did think that was a 'rule' that if you finish something you can start 2 more....am I right? Please tell me I am. Have a great week! Get your rest!

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