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

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Year SEVEN: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #15

Hello and happy Sunday :) Today's post is brought to you buy SAHMs that survive Spring Break with their children (that's "Stay At Home Moms, if you're curious).

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
3. Rasta Scarf: started 19 January 2018; finished 10 February 2018
4. Rastarmulke (v2): started 10 February 2018; finished 10 February 2018
5. Gamer Bag: started 28 September 2017; frogged 16 February 2018
6. Oh, She Is a Bad Nut: started 11 August 2016; frogged 16 February 2018
7. Garter Stitch Baby Blanket: started 6 July 2017; finished 3 April 2018
8. Pattern submission: started 19 March 2018; finished 3 April 2018
9. Tiny Narwhal: started 5 April 2018; finished 6 April 2018
10. Tiny Narwhal: started 5 April 2018; finished 6 April 2018

Nope. Nothing new to see here.



WIPs (Works-in-Progress) These are carried over from the last Year of Projects....or longer.
1. Wink: started 5 January 2015
2. Smooth Operator Socks: started 13 October 2016
3. Stomping Grounds Collection: started 26 February 2017
4. Hat Design: started 20 March 2017
5. Unnamed Hat Design: started 14 August 2017
6. Shetland Neck Wool (support spindle): started 8 September 2017
7. Paradiddle Prototype: started 19 October 2017
8. Returning: started 14 January 2018
9. Frankensocks: started 1 March 2018
10. Faerie Mountain Fibers Crazy Batt (EEW Mini Spinner): started 13 April 2018

We spent the first half of this week in Southern California...meaning I had ample time as a passenger in the car and I could knit (but only on the way down). I spent some time working on my Paradiddle Prototype socks. I finished tinking back to the end of the heel turn (where all the gusset stitches were picked up) and started working forward again. From the drive and the few days in Southern California, I probably got 12 repeats done and I think I only need 18 for the foot portion. I should double check that. Unfortunately, you're not going to see much of this project as it's a design prototype and I'm debating about whether to self-publish it or submit it first. We'll see. Either way, I'm going to write up and it will get published.




I also pulled out my Returning Shawl and worked on that here and there. The rows are getting longer so unless I have a good block of time, I don't want to work on it...but I tried.



I also spent some time on my FrankenSocks. I have a feeling these are going to require busting out the full skeins of this yarn in order to make the pair of socks. It's okay, though. I don't have any huge special plans for those skeins of yarn so I'm not too fussed if I need to break into them. It just means I can make more scrappy things later (like mittens, which I think Little Man has requested, even though I feel like I just made him a pair of mittens...).



Outside of actual knitting, I did some spinning. While we were gone, my Electric Eel Wheel Mini Spinner arrived. I funded his Kickstarter and my "swag" was that I got the wheel and seven bobbins to go with it. They also sent a few other important items like the orifice hook and an extra couple of tension cords. So, of course I took it out for a test run. I don't have photos of that but I do have photos of the wheel.







It's difficult to tell the size but this thing weighs less than 2 lbs and fits in my hand. The only "problem" I've had with spinning on this wheel is that if I have it at maximum speed (which, for me, is the only way to spin), the little wheel likes to "walk" across the surface it's sitting on. It does have a rubberband around the middle, which helps so that it only walks one direction...but it still walks. I'm going to have to add some sort of rubber to the bottom to keep it from walking. I know I could turn down the speed but that's not my jam. I am a fast treadler and, likewise, I like my electric spinner going quickly. So far, I've spun about an ounce of fiber onto the first bobbin. I've got six more bobbins I can fill (though it may only take four or so). I could attempt to ply on this wheel with some modifications but I think I'm going to ply on Viktor (my Majacraft Pioneer).



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 - Stunning String Studio from Stitches West 2018)
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)



This past week has been kind of a whirlwind, mostly due to our trip to Southern California. We left on Sunday morning and headed to Carlsbad, which is between Los Angeles and San Diego. It took about 7.5 hours to make the drive but we also stopped a couple times along the way. When we arrived, we unloaded the car, went out to dinner, and then went to the beach. It's not right along the ocean but it's a little inlet where the waves aren't huge. Their doggies came along, the boys played in the sand and dug for shells, and we watched the sun set.












At one point, Stormageddon wanted to wade into the water. I told him he had to take his pants off so he didn't get them all wet. So, he spent a good chunk of time running along the shore in his diaper and a t-shirt. The boys came home with a little baggie full of shells and shell pieces. We dug some out of the wall and we found a few in the sand. Little Man was thrilled with it.

After we got "home," the boys spent time in the backyard, playing with the colored rocks and Little Man found a snail.



On Monday morning, we woke up early and drove to Anaheim to go to Disneyland.


Lines are, of course, boring. So the boys played around on the ground while we were in line. Once we were in, we were good to go. Husband got the Fast Pass so we could sign up for certain rides but you could only have one signed up at a time. So, we got a few out of the way with the Fast Pass and some we waited in lines for. Our first ride was the Haunted Mansion. I remember that one scaring the crap out of me as a kid but this time around, it scared Little Man and Stormageddon. They had fun, though, and I think in the end, they liked that one. We also went on the Buzz Lightyear AstroBlaster, the Astro Orbitor, the train that goes around the park, Pirates of the Caribbean, and StarTours (which is the Star Wars ride in Tomorrowland). Husband and Little Man also went on Big Thunder and Indiana Jones. Unfortunately, it was disgustingly hot on Monday so we ended up leaving around 4:30pm.






The boys were fascinated by Buzz Lightyear as we were heading into the Buzz Lightyear AstroBlaster ride.



This droid greeted us at StarTours. We were supposed to be going on a nice tour around the galaxy...





Stormageddon got to meet both Goofy and Minnie Mouse as we were waiting for Husband and Little Man to get back from Indiana Jones.



The boys made their own R2D2-type droids. Little Man's is the orange one and Stormageddon's is the more traditional one (because I made it, mostly).

Sadly, Husband screwed up his back on Monday getting out of the Astro Orbitor and made it worse on Indiana Jones. We almost wound up driving home on Monday night. But, I convinced Husband to sleep and take some pain medication and see how he felt on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning, he was still hurting but he was okay....so we went to Disneyland California Adventures. On the way, we had an interesting thing happen at the Border Patrol station north of Carlsbad. There was a major slowdown heading into the Border Patrol station and every semi was pulled and there were a couple of cars pulled out with trunks and doors open, there were cops all over the place.....it was just......weird. We have no idea what was going on but it looked weird. Oh well. Not my circus, not my monkeys.



This photo was taken while things were calm and I was naive. Husband says, "hey, let's do Guardians of the Galaxy first, before it gets busy" and I say, "okay sure, what's it like?" because I don't know anything about it. He says, "oh, it goes up and down a few times; it's the old Tower of Terror ride," which, of course, means nothing to me because I'd never been on that one either. So, my naive self, along with the boys, go on Guardians of the Galaxy first.

Never. Again.

Ever.

Seriously. Never.

"Goes up and down a few times" is code for "shoves you upwards toward the ceiling and then drops you down a half-dozen flights of stairs before you can even catch your breath with your butt lifted off the seat and you actually fearing for your life." Because that's totally what happened. Repeatedly. I am terrified of heights and I know, logically, as I'm on the ground, that this ride is safe and thousands upon thousands upon thousands have been on this ride before me...but when you're in the moment....yeah, I actually thought I was going to die. I had Stormageddon next to me (he was between Husband and I; Little Man was on the end, by the wall)...trying to hold him into his spot so he didn't fly off anywhere and I'm screaming because I am 100% terrified that I am going to die on this ride. My legs were shaking, I was screaming, and I'm surprised I didn't start to cry. I did later, after I was safely back on the ground. I'm not sure how the boys liked it. I think Little Man liked it but was also scared. I'm not sure about Stormageddon. I know he was scared while we were walking in but I don't know about the ride itself.

Regardless, I'm not going on that one ever again.

After that, we went on much calmer rides that I could handle including Flik's Flyers, Francis Ladybug's Boogie, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Monsters Inc, and Toy Story Midway Mania. The boys also got to meet Flik (sadly, they've not yet seen a Bug's Life, though I'm pretty sure we have it), and we took a trip through Radiator Springs and the boys got to meet Mater. We love Mater in our house. I dislike the Cars movies but I do like Mater's Tall Tales, which is a bunch of shorts where Mater tells some whopping lies about being a daredevil and a matador and a Fast & Furious type modification cars race thing. Anyway, that happened.








Husband had a back spasm while we were there so our last ride was the Toy Story Midway Mania, which was very similar to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride over at Disneyland. I sat with Little Man.


We both really liked that one. My aim is crap, however.



A successful trip is based on whether the boys fall asleep in the car or not. I think Disneyland and California Adventures were a big win.

We drove back on Wednesday. We thought about staying another day and going to Sea World in San Diego but we decided to stick to our plan. I wound up driving a good chunk of the drive back home. Husband got us out of Los Angeles and over the mountains and I took over just north of Bakersfield and got us home.

The rest of the week has been pretty benign. Little Man had a playdate yesterday afternoon. I had a mommy dinner night out with 8 other moms on Friday night (we all have kids in 1st grade...and we all have at least one more besides our 1st grader). Little Man had swimming lessons. That's about it. Oh, wait, we're also having a Marvel Movie Marathon because Avengers: Infinity Wars is coming out so we need to re-watch what we can. We're watching in timeline order as opposed to release order. So, we watched Captain America: The First Avenger on Thursday, and we watched most of Iron Man yesterday (we skipped Friday because i was gone).

That means that tomorrow is back to school! I managed to survive Spring Break with both my children mostly intact!

I hope you had a lovely weekend :)

5 comments:

  1. Yes I'm back to school too...last push for the end of the year...

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  2. Your vacation sounds like a lot of fun, and by the looks of the last picture, a success. :) I am fascinated over that little hand-held spinner. Have to go look for a video demonstration of that.

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  3. You guys had a fall break, right? We don't have a break until Thanksgiving, except for the couple of holidays...Labor Day (we start the week before), Veteran's Day and Columbus Day....our Christmas break wasn't too long this year either...but we had a ton of snow days...and one day in October because of no power due to a wind storm.

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  4. What a marathon of fun you had! I hope your husband's back gets better soon. I like how the boys were able to make droids. I am so curious about your sock design!

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  5. Love you little electric spinner. I hope you solve the walking problem soon. I would like to design socks or a shawl one day - I have some ideas from my travels - maybe you have inspired me to get on that.

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