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Sunday, May 20, 2018

Year SEVEN: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #20

Happy Sunday!

Today's post is brought to you by "I went spinning at the winery yesterday" so, you know, there's that.



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

Nothing new to see here yet. Maybe someday.


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
11. Hat for Little Man: started 19 April 2018
12. Granny Square Blanket (1): started 28 April 2018
13. River's Edge Fiber Arts Falkland Merino (wheel): started 19 May 2018

As I mentioned above, I went spinning at the winery yesterday....and because I've not touched my wheel in ages, I needed to start a new spinning project for my wheel. I grabbed a two pre-bagged fiber bags out of my stash, knowing full well I'd wind up buying fibery goodness at the winery (because duh), but I brought them anyway. Once I did my shopping, I pulled out the braid of Falkland Merino that I got from River's Edge Fiber Arts during Wisconsin Sheep & Wool last year.


It was a 4 oz. braid that I won in the auction. It took a couple of hours of spinning but it went from this braid to:


That is the full 4 oz on the bobbin. I'll probably let it sit at least a couple of days and then pull out Handy Andy and do a two-ply that way.

In addition to that, I worked on my FrankenSocks this week. I'm working on the heel flap of the first sock. I've also started looking into ordering more yarn. ::sigh:: I really don't want to. I'm going to have a dig through my stash to double-check that I don't have second skeins and then I'll probably just suck it up and order.



I'm a little bit further along than this. I took this photo either Monday or Tuesday during Stormageddon's speech therapy (this is the carpet on the floor outside his classroom, which is why I can identify the day).

I also had lovely news regarding finding another skein of the Berroco Pure Merino. I found someone on Ravelry that was willing to sell me a skein from her stash. I'm over the moon ecstatic! I may finally be able to finish up his hat......just in time for it to get warm. ::sigh:: But still, I found a skein of the yarn!

I think I also did a teensy bit of crocheting on the granny square but nothing major. I think I turned a corner on one of the squares on Friday.


OMGLSGWTFBBQ Lists:

Children's Items
1. Stuffed toy for my Devil Niece (so-called because her initials are TAZ)
2. Undetermined hat for Stormageddon
3. Mittens for Stormageddon
4. Oliver for Stormageddon (worsted weight - Stunning String Studio from Stitches West 2018)
5. Lancelot for Little Man (worsted weight - green Plymouth Encore)
6. 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)

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)




Our schedule this week was a bit mucked up for various reasons. Monday, Little Man was at school late because of his "on stage" rehearsal for his musical performance. The actual musical was on Thursday. That meant we had to reschedule swimming lessons to Wednesday. Like I said, the week was all over.

Monday, Stormageddon and I took Husband to the airport. He was gone most of the week in Arizona for work. In addition to that, on Monday, we had a earthquake. Don't panic. It wasn't anything big. It was a 3.6 over by Oakland/Berkeley. The only thing is that I felt it at my house.


This is to give you an idea of the distance. The blue dot is near where I live and the 3.6 yellow marker is where the earthquake was centered, about 17 miles away. Usually we can't feel the smaller ones. For comparison, the one that happened in Napa almost four years ago was a 6.0 and was about 45-50 miles away. Our house shook. We've had ones of similar size within a similar distance and we've not felt them at all. This one was kind of like the PG&E truck going by the house...except there was no truck. Nothing else happened other than we felt it.





Because swimming lessons were rescheduled to Wednesday, I had both boys. To be fair, even if Husband had been home, I would have had both boys anyway.

On Thursday, Stormageddon came with me to the allergist. I've been needing to go since we moved to California but with the addition of new symptoms, I thought we should probably discuss options. The first step is to see what else I'm allergic to, which means being off my medication for five days prior to the test. So, I go back on the 31st for that test and stop taking my medication next week.


We stopped by Trader Joe's before going to the doctor's office and we saw the Mystery Machine. No sign of Scooby & the Gang but the van was enough.



Stormageddon needed a distraction while at the doctor's office so I took a selfie of him...and then he stole my phone. ::sigh::

Thursday afternoon, the boys and I picked up Husband from the airport. His flight was a little late but not so much that he needed to take an Uber or anything. It was still annoying as it was rush hour. We went to Little Man's musical that evening. Husband and Stormageddon made it through Little Man's, which, thankfully, was first, before heading home. Little Man and I stayed for the older kids' as well (the older kids did 101 Dalmatians).


His costume was just a hat. Some of the other kids in his group had a few more items to wear (like the little girl that played the "Mail Order Bride" - don't freak out, it was a musical about how people come from everywhere and how they came to the US).

Friday afternoon was a bit dodgy. We had three PTA meetings in a row. The first two took less than 10 minutes total. The last one took about two hours. The last one was our budget meeting....and it was a little messy with discussion of cuts and projections and such until we figured out that our treasurer and president forgot to take into account that we have a substantial amount of additional money from this year that will go into the carryover account (read: rainy day fund or the kitty) because we brought in more money this year than we thought we would. So, we didn't have to make as many cuts (we still had to make some cuts but nowhere near as many). Part of me wonders how they missed the extra money but then I know how cross-eyed I got during the auction when I was answering dozens of emails and trying to make sense of everything. They were up late working on it all week, with different numbers and this and that. It took a pair of fresh eyes to see it so I don't blame them one bit for missing it.

With all that said, by the time yesterday rolled around, I was glad to see the weekend. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get out to Retzlaff Winery for spinning but lo, the angels appeared, the skies opened up, and I was able to go! I'll have a stash update at some point (when I get myself together). I spent the day shopping, spinning, eating, and winning things in the raffle. It was lovely, if a bit windy. I am thankful for Kaye & Sand Luck of StoneWater Arts (formerly the owners of Purlescence Yarns in Sunnyvale) for inviting me to join them for the afternoon. I honestly didn't recognize anyone (though I've probably seen many of them several times at other fibery events in the Bay Area - Lambtown, Stitches West, etc.). So, that was lovely and wonderful and I'll have a post about it later.

When I got home, I spent some time weeding (ick) and then we gave Stormageddon a haircut. He was in need. It was getting long and he was twirling knots into it again.


He looks pretty happy in this photo but he was screaming and fighting Thom and I when we had the clippers out. He hardly flinched for his first clipper cut (Thom did that one with my help) or his second one (which I did by myself)....but this one, he was a feral monkey. We practically had to put him into headlocks and leglocks just to hold him still enough. But, we got it done. He's holding a bag of his hair in case my mother-in-law gives us crap about it (Thom's going to send it to her if she does).

After all that, I was tired.

Good thing today I'm drinking wine and ripping the auction apart, right?

I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend!

3 comments:

  1. I'm tired from reading your post. Glad your school did well and there's more money to play with. LOL on all the drama cuttin' that boy's hair; OMGoodness!

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  2. eek. Earthquake?? Glad it was minor. You are one fast spinner. I have been working on a 4 0z braid all the month of May! Your life is a whirlwind - good for you to capture it on film for all to see now and in the future.

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  3. I envy you for your spinning skills, it all looks so neat and tidy and balanced, not the strange wavy mess I usually produce. LOL.

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