Year SEVEN: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #32

Happy Sunday! Let's get moving :)


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
11. Hat for Little Man: started 19 April 2018; finished 27 May 2018
12. River's Edge Fiber Arts Falkland Merino (wheel): started 19 May 2018; finished 2 June 2018
13. Smooth Operator Socks: started 13 October 2016; finished 12 June 2018
14. MaryAnn Wool (wheel): started 9 July 2018; finished 12 July 2018
15. Malabrigo Nube (wheel): started 12 July 2018; finished 20 July 2018
16. Paradiddle Prototype: started 19 October 2017; finished 31 July 2018
17. Frankensocks: started 1 March 2018; finished 2 August 2018

There's been nothing new finished. This is unsurprising. I'm still working through weaving in all the ends on the FrankenSocks. ::sigh:: I've finished the first sock but haven't cut the ends. The second sock has been mocking me. Oh well.



WIPs (Works-in-Progress) These are carried over from the last Year of Projects....or longer.
1. Wink: started 5 January 2015
2. Stomping Grounds Collection: started 26 February 2017
3. Hat Design: started 20 March 2017
4. Unnamed Hat Design: started 14 August 2017
5. Shetland Neck Wool (support spindle): started 8 September 2017
6. Returning: started 14 January 2018
7. Faerie Mountain Fibers Crazy Batt (EEW Mini Spinner): started 13 April 2018
8. Granny Square Blanket (1): started 28 April 2018
9. Clapotis: started 29 June 2018
10. Safari Duo - Ella the Elephant: started 11 July 2018
11. University of Wisconsin Ski Hat: started 11 July 2018
12. Abracadabra Socks: started 7 August 2018
13. Age of Brass & Steam Shawl: started 10 August 2018

I finished off two projects so it seems that I needed to start two projects. Isn't that kind of how it's supposed to work?

I started the Age of Brass & Steam on Friday night, as Stormageddon slept next to me. I've had the yarn pulled for awhile and I was itching to start something new. Really, what happened is that I wound yarn on Friday for the Returning Shawl and was ready to continue on my merry way when I discovered that I'm a stitch off. Again. So the Returning Shawl is in time-out while I mull over what I'm going to do. I cannot find where I dropped a stitch or missed an increase (either a M1 or a YO) but I need to figure out which side is incorrect. If it's the side where I made an increase a few rows ago, so help me I am going to lose my.......

Let's just say that I'm not thrilled about that shawl being in time out. Again.

So, I started a new pattern. But here's what happened first. I wound not only the yarn for the Returning Shawl, I also wound the other second contrast yarn contender and a skein of green & black sparkly sock yarn I dyed. Little Man fell in love with a sock yarn that I dyed, regardless that it has sparkley in it. It's basically a Slytherin green and black. He said he wanted a scarf. Okay, fine. Then he told me how he wanted it to look.....and that's where things fell apart. He wants it to be a two-color scarf, which is fine...but if it's laid out flat, he wants one color on the right, and the other color on the left. This yarn is not going to work up that way, no matter how hard I try. So, he's mad at me about it. I tried explaining to him that that's not how it's going to work but he's just not hearing it. I think he's having difficulty with it because when I dyed it, one half was black and the other was green...in a ring....so he thinks it should knit up that way and it's just not going to. ::sigh::

I wound up hand-winding the green & black yarn because it was tangled. I should know better. I should untangle the skeins before I dye them but I was impatient so I dyed it first. It's not necessarily a bad thing but I knew the skein was tangled. I've found that with the Knit Picks yarns that are in skeins (as opposed to the little balls). It's not confined to the "bare" ones, either. I've alway had trouble with them.

So, here's what I wound up with when I was trying to figure out my contrast colors:

I put the poll in a couple places (Ravelry and Facebook) and the top photo was the clear winner, with the bottom photo coming in second. Both are skeins of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock. I know the top is Lightweight and I think the bottom may be Mediumweight. So, I wound both skeins. I had already pre-washed the top skein, to see if it was going to bleed (it didn't - not even a little). I wound the first one and thought, "hmmm, this looks a little too dark next to the other contrast color" (the chocolate brown). I wound the one in the bottom photo and it looked much better next to the chocolate brown. I think what was putting people off it was the brown that's already in that skein, but it's a short repeat so I think it'll be okay.

Hence, I was winding yarn on Friday and intending to continue with a pattern.....and I was looking for a pattern to go with the green & black sparkly yarn. And then I decided to start a project for which I had already pulled the yarn. Plus, it's fairly mindless knitting. I just need to count rows once in awhile and all is well.

But that doesn't explain the sock. I was digging in my yarn closet the other day for some sock yarn to start another pair of socks because I have no self-control when it comes to sock knitting. Also, I needed something mindless for things like swimming lessons and speech therapy, which starts next week. I found a few I could work with but I've been wanting self-stripe socks again. I found the Felici balls in the Abracadabra colorway and decided to go with them, but I'm adding contrast heels, cuffs, and toes. I'm going to try out the Woolike yarn from Loops & Threads again. I used it on the Smooth Operator Socks and I'm not totally sold on it....but since those socks aren't mine, I can't give it a fair chance (Little Man stole them, if you've forgotten). So, I'm trying again with the Felici. I might be able to eck out a pair of socks from one ball of Felici, if I use contrast heels, cuffs, and toes. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. I'm not too fussed since I do have a second ball but, you know.... I'm only a couple rounds into the cuff so it's not that big of a deal yet. I have a feeling that it's going to be a yarn that pills a bit but that's not really a big deal for me.

Outside of the new projects and attempting to work on another WIP, I did some crocheting this week. I finished up a square and started another one. That one is a fairly portable project, as well...I just don't take it along very often because the yarn ball is HUGE. I also did a few rows on the Clapotis. I'm kind of mooseing along on that one. I also contacted the publisher of the knitting magazine that the Ella the Elephant kit came from, because I am trying to acquire more of the yarn. I'm fairly certain that I'm going to run out and I'm not happy about that. So far, I've not heard back. I might need a shipping mule, however, because I don't know that they'll ship it outside of the UK. ::sigh::

But that's it. I promise.



OMGLSGWTFBBQ Lists:

Children's Items
1. Undetermined hat for Stormageddon
2. Mittens for Stormageddon
3. Oliver for Stormageddon (worsted weight - Stunning String Studio from Stitches West 2018)
4. Lancelot for Little Man (worsted weight - green Plymouth Encore)
5. Dandy Sir Cephalopod (worsted weight - Red Creek blue, maybe)

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. Anne's Sweater (sport - Artfibers something)
14. 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 Christmas Stocking kit
3. University of Wisconsin Button Beanie kit
4. 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. Gaia (worsted)
2. Euro Sock 6-ply or BFL Sock (I can't remember which one I have)
3. Whatever else I find in the bag...I have a bag...or maybe a couple of bags....sock blanks, some more BFL sock....

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)



California has been......well, it's been pretty quiet this week. I didn't even take photos of the boys at all this week. I'm kind of disappointed in myself about that but it is what it is.

Little Man chipped his tooth this week. He smacked his head on Stormageddon's head and chomped down and now he has a chip on one of his bottom teeth. I wouldn't care but it's one of his (new) adult teeth. He's going to the dentist on Tuesday. I don't know that he needs to have a filling done right now and it's not bothering him so she'll probably polish it down a little so it's not so sharp and we can decide what to do later.

In other random news, Husband is in Wisconsin until tomorrow. He went home for the Great Taste of the Midwest, or as we call it around here, Beerfest. He left on Friday morning so I've been flying solo with the boys since then. They've been pretty well-behaved but I can tell they're missing their daddy.

Other than that, it's been a lot of work getting ready for the school year. The boys went kind of off the rails with their bedtimes over the summer so we've spent the last week working to get them back on track, which includes getting them up kind of early (for them). Normally, we just slept in until whenever but the boys have been getting up around 7:15am, which isn't where I want them to be but it's better than the 8:15am time they've been doing most of the summer.  In addition to that, the boys both got new shoes and new backpacks. Stormageddon doesn't really need one (yet) but he fell in love with the one I wound up buying and it should last a few years, at minimum. Little Man also got a haircut on Thursday...and a new swimsuit. His was starting to fall apart (he's had it for two years already). Luckily, we found one he liked at Target.

That's honestly about it around here. It's been kind of a boring week, really.

I hope you've all had a lovely week. I hope to have a post on Friday (Tour de Fleece FO Friday). We'll see how things go :) It's the first week of school so we may all be overly-tired.