Year SEVEN: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #21

Happy Sunday :)

Today's post is brought to you by allergy testing: allergy testing, keeping you off your medication for five whole days, making you a miserable old cow! Allergy testing! Perform as directed.

Okay, that's my bad announcement. Or something.

Anyway, it's Sunday and it's time for a Year of Projects update :)



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. Move along.


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

Let's start with the disaster.

No, this isn't the disaster. This is when things were still lovely and I was looking ahead to lovely yarny goodness.

Because I spun the entire braid onto one bobbin, I thought, "hey, it would be a great time to pull out the Handy Andy I bought at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool so I can make this yarn a two-ply!"

Okay. Looking good so far. Everything was wound, I pulled out the pin at the top (like you're supposed to), everything slid down the shaft (like it's supposed to), I attached the two ends to my leader, and aside from one of the singles ends getting stuck in the little groves at the bottom of the shaft, everything was going along okay.

Until it wasn't.

I know what you're thinking. "It looks fine, Renee."

Did you forget that the bobbin was full? Look above and you'll see how much was on the single bobbin of the same size. Now look at this photo. Do you see the problem? This bobbin has significantly less than the original bobbin.

Why?

This is the pile of singles that were so tangled that I had to toss them in the trash. It killed me to do it but everything was tangling on itself. My singles snapped a few times. I even re-wound it onto the Handy Andy in hopes of trying again.....and it was sad but it didn't work. So, right now, the bobbin has that much two-ply Falkland (FALKLAND, PEOPLE, FALKLAND!) and I've not wound it onto the Niddy-Noddy yet. So, it's sitting on the bobbin, mocking me.

So, that was my disaster of the week. Luckily, there was only the one.

In happier news, my FrankenSock is onto the foot. I finished up the heel flap, turn, and I've started the gusset decreases on the foot, which is lovely. I did order more yarn from the Loopy Ewe to finish the project because, even though I'm making socks from scraps, I'm going to run out of the scraps to make matchy-matchy socks. ::sigh:: So, now I'm going to have more scraps. Oh well. It means I can make fingerless mitts or a hat or something.

I also received the skein of yarn to finish up Little Man's hat. I just haven't had time to work on it yet. Soon.



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)



Outside of actual knitting, I've decided I'm participating in Stash Dash, which started on Friday and runs until sometime in August. I don't remember the exact dates off the top of my head. The nice thing about Stash Dash is that WIPs count, as long as you have actual work to do on the project (it can be a bind-off or a neck band or something) and you get to count the entire yardage/meterage of the project, even if all you had left to do was a bind-off. It can include knitting, crocheting, tatting, weaving, machine knitting, loom knitting, spinning, and I think that's it (macrame may also be in there but I don't remember). Also, spinning counts for the yardage as it goes through your orifice, which is apparently the same rules they use for Spinzilla. So, if you spin a 3-ply yarn, you do the total yardage x 4 (the yardage for the 3 plies individually + the total yardage). Since most of my yarns are 2-ply, I'd count the total yardage x 3 (for the 2 plies individually + the total yardage). I think. I'm pretty sure that's how it works. Another nice thing about Stash Dash is that you can double-dip so if you're doing a KAL for a sweater, you can still use it for Stash Dash. I think they also count "singles" as FOs, like socks or mittens. I'll probably have to check on those rules, if I ever get around to finishing a sock or something.

In normal California life, things are just plugging along. I feel like it shouldn't be this late in the year, even though it's May...but it's May already! Hell, it's almost June!

I spent some time running errands and going to appointments and doing all sorts of things this week. I had a doctor appointment for my foot (going to see a podiatrist this week because my regular doctor kind of threw up her hands and said, "get some gel inserts for your shoes" as if grinding my feet would make my foot better, after I told her that I would probably grind my feet with gel inserts). I also went to the allergist this past week. I'm going again in a couple days to have the full allergy testing done. Hence my blurb at the top. I'm off my allergy medication and I am miserable. Sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, watery eyes, gooey eyes, popping ears....it's just not fun around here. Aside from doctor appointments, Little Man had a make up swimming lesson and it was Open House and the Art Show at school this week.

I particularly like this one. It's his Monet-inspired piece (the one to the left of his head). He also had his clay piece, which was a Native American-inspired piece. Husband wasn't able to go but it was okay. We also visited Little Man's classroom. He read Stormageddon and I stories from his book box and his journal, showed me his math journal, he showed me one of his jobs (they're called jobs instead of activities in Montessori), and the newly-hatched chicks.

I also had a date with Stormageddon early in the week. We went to Walmart (because diapers...) and they have a McDonald's inside. I don't know if you can count it as a lunch date if only one of you eats (me)....but my date was cute.

With my foot being angry, I haven't been going to the gym as regularly. I can't walk/run on a treadmill or the elliptical, which are my preferred activities. I can still use the weight machines. I do have to be careful on the leg press but I can do it. So, I wound up going a couple of times and using the bike, which makes my butt hurt. ::sigh:: We also haven't been walking to/from school. It means Stormageddon and I have time to make silly faces in the car before getting Little Man.

Little Man found a couple friends this week. On either Monday or Tuesday, he found a pair of snails and moved them to a safer place.

I actually got snail kisses from the one on the right. I put my finger down next to him to see what he would do and he scooted right up to me and gave me a kiss on my fingernail. I've been blessed. Maybe not.

On Saturday morning, he came in with this guy on his hand. It looks like a slug of some sort (snail without the shell)....except this one left a yellow-orange sticky residue that required rubbing alcohol to remove. I think Little Man learned his lesson about picking up these things. But, it was cute. You can kind of see its antennae sticking out on the side facing but it kept hiding. It was probably scared, which was probably why there was residue on Little Man's hands. Defense mechanism at it's finest. I don't know that he'll pick up one of these again.

In the "fun things Little Man does" category, he made some sort of blockade/fort thing on Friday night.

I'm not really sure what he was doing but it was messy.

On Saturday afternoon, I took Little Man out on a date. Well, I was going to but I couldn't find my keys. I knew where I had left them (on the table or on the counter - but they weren't there). I didn't have time to putz around so I borrowed Husband's key. We went to the toy store downtown. They were having a Lego event where you make the two super heroes (Iron Man and Hulk) and you get to keep the lego set.

We went to Pizza My Heart for lunch afterwards.

This was, of course, followed by a trip to the mall where we picked up Husband's birthday present (his birthday is on Saturday), a birthday present for a classmate of Little Man's, and made a couple other stops. It was all very productive.

We found Husband asleep in the chair when we got home. After he woke up, we started ripping the house apart looking for my damn keys, which of course just made my allergies worse. We pulled out the table and the couches and I wound up sweeping under them and putting things away that had been shoved under them....no keys. I was seriously worried I was going to have to dig in the garbage. But, I found them. They had fallen between my bookshelf and my project cart in the bedroom. They had been on top and someone bumped it and they slid right off.

At least I found them. Replacing the two fobs for the cars would have been expensive.

Anyway, I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend. I hope to be functional by Thursday afternoon, when I can finally take my medication again. We'll see how the week goes!