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

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Year Eight: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Scheduling things is hard (Update #34)

Happy Sunday! Let's get moooooooving :)



FO's (Finished Objects): 
1. Age of Brass & Steam: started 10 August 2018; finished 7 January 2019
2. Sockhead for Little Man: started 29 November 2018; finished 25 January 2019
3. Cowl for Miss Sylvie: started 18 January 2019; finished 9 April 2019
4. Vanilla Fingerless Mitts: started 16 May 2019; finished 24 June 2019
5. Dishcloth: started 9 July 2019; finished 16 July 2019
6. Clapotis: started 29 June 2018; frogged 16 July 2019

I wish I could say that I finished something this week but I would definitely be lying. I'm close though. So very close. 




WIPs (Works-in-Progress) (These are carried over year to year)
1. Wink: started 5 January 2015
2. Shetland Neck Wool (support spindle): started 8 September 2017
3. Returning: started 14 January 2018
4. Faerie Mountain Fibers Crazy Batt (EEW Mini Spinner): started 13 April 2018
5. Granny Square Blanket: started 28 April 201
6. University of Wisconsin Ski Hat: started 28 July 2018 
7. Abracadabra Socks: started 7 August 2018
8. Purl & Loop Weaving Project: started 28 August 2018
9. Campfire Socks: started 17 October 2018
10. Herbivore: started 15 November 2018
11. Ewetopia Stripey Socks: started 15 November 2018
12. Multi-Colored Merino Top (Viktor): stared 16 January 2019
13. Prototype Something Something Raindrops: started 11 April 2019
14. Dishcloth: started 16 July 2019
15. Hufflepuff Hat: started 31 July 2019

Admittedly, I did not do a lot of knitting this week. I spent some time on the Ewetopia Stripey Socks. I'm just working down the leg of the second sock. I'm maybe halfway through that. I also pulled out the Hufflepuff hat and worked a few more rounds of ribbing. Nothing terribly exciting there. I also worked on the dishcloth. It's going to be stripey because I'm trying to get rid of and make the best use out of my scrap bits of cotton yarns. But I'm not a total heathen. I started out with white, moved to a light blue and worked until I ran out (and I played yarn chicken on the last row of that color), I started decreasing when I switched colors to a darker blue, and then I'll finish off with white (I'm at the point where I'm joining the white now). So, I'm maybe 10 rows from the end. So close. And then I'll probably start another dishcloth as I appear to be running low anyway. But that was it. I swear. 



Design WIPs  (New section, specifically for design WIPs):
1. Messed Up Moss: started March 2009 - write pattern as PDF (iterations: firstsecond)
2. Susan's Hat: started 31 August 2010 - need new prototypes & write the pattern (iterations: firstsecondthirdminififthsixth)
3. Little Man's Baby Blanket: started July 2010 - need new prototype & write pattern (iteration: here)
4. Chunky Scarf: started 6 October 2012 - need new prototype & write pattern (iteration: here)
5. Pacific Waves Hat: started 9 March 2016 - need new prototype & write the pattern (iterations: firstsecondthird)
6. Fall in San Francisco: started 18 September 2016 - need new prototype & write pattern (iterations: firstsecond)
7. Stomping Grounds Collection: started 26 February 2017 - need prototypes & write patterns 
8. Unnamed Hat Design: started 14 August 2017 - need various weight yarn prototypes & write pattern (iterations: firstsecond)
9. Rastarmulke: started 20 November 2017 - write pattern (iterations: firstsecond)
10. Paradiddle Socks: started 19 October 2017 - write pattern (iteration: here)

Move along now, Sir.



OMGLSGWTFBBQ Lists


Challenges (this is new for 2019)
1. Knit 1 granny square a month (average) until I'm out of yarn (for the Granny Square Blanket in my WIP list above): It's the middle of August and I guess I'm doing okay with this. Really, as long as I make progress, that's good, right?
2. Submit and/or publish 2 designs this year. I'm not having high hopes for this but we'll see what happens.



Children's Items
1. Oliver for Stormageddon (worsted weight - Stunning String Studio from Stitches West 2018)
2. Minecraft Socks for Little Man (fingering weight - Tosh Sock in Plaid Blanket?)
3. Mittens for Stormageddon (probably worsted weight of some sort)
4. Tardis Beanie (worsted weight - Cascade Yarns Venezia in Blue Velvet Grey)





Items for Me (Selfish Knitting FTW!)
1. Fornicating Deer Hat / Basic Lined Hat (worsted weight - Barrett Wool Co. Worsted Weight in Huron & Stationery from Stitches West 2018)
2. Brickless (worsted weight - Miss Babs Yowza in Celebration)
3. Nightlock (fingering weight - Sun Valley Fibers Merino/Nylon Fingering in Onyx & Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor)
4. Honey Badger (fingering weight - one of the BMFA STR that I got from Carrie)
5. Park Slope (fingering weight - Mountain Fibers Crazyfoot in Shamrock)
6. Flax (worsted weight - Misty Alpaca in the Harry Potter colors)
7. Xandu Snowflake Cowl (as a hat; fingering weight - G. Sheller Merino/Silk Fingering in Natural & YOTH Little Brother in Caviar)
8. Pop Blanket (worsted weight - box of Knit Picks...may need to order more)
9. Tombreck (Aran weight - hand-dyed Malabrigo Twist or handspun Purple BFL)
10. Stormont (worsted weight - MadTosh 80/10/10 in Molly Ringwald)
11. Rose's Wrist Warmers (DK weight - using Aran instead; hand-dyed Malabrigo Twist?)
12. Northeasterly (Sock or DK weight - but really, I can use whatever as long as I have enough)* 


Designs
1. Stormageddon's Baby Blanket - need prototype & write pattern
2. Cabled pullover (grey look-alike sweater - Old Navy hooded sweater with cable) - need sketch, grading, swatch, prototype, & write pattern
3. Christmas stocking for Little Man - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)
4. Christmas stocking for Stormageddon - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)
5. Christmas stocking for Husband - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)



Spinning
5. Alpaca (from Lambtown 2014)


Dyeing
1. Sock Blanks (10) from Vice Yarns
2. Anything else I find in the stash...or pick up along the way....


Other Fibery Endeavors
1. Stitch markers and/or stitch marker kits
2. Vintage patterns into Rav database & my Rav Library
3. Update inventory of loose patterns & books (spreadsheet & Rav Library)
4. Update inventory of PDF patterns (Rav Library)
5. Update yarn inventory (make sure it's up-to-date)/destash
6. Inventory project bags (Erin Lane, I'm looking at you)
7. Get the Etsy Shop up and running with all the things! Or something. Maybe not an Etsy shop...




I officially started working properly this week so I've been trying to get back into a proper schedule. It's not going as well as planned. It's not awful but I've been feeling a bit off, for lack of a proper term. One of my mom friends reminded me: you were doing something during those 20 hours before. So, now I need to figure out how out how to spread out what I was doing or do it during a different time or...yeah, I need to figure out a new schedule/routine. It'll be fine. It's just taking some adjusting. Again. 

In the meantime, a few things happened this week. 




Puppy snuggled with Husband the other day. I'm not sure if he was scared or what but he looked at me like, "mom, what's going on" and then he was fine. Silly puppy.

This week also marked Stormageddon not losing his damn mind when he was dropped off at school. I did hear, "Mommy, I don't want to go to school" or "Mommy, I want to see Miss Sylvie" pretty much every day but when we lined up to go to his classroom, there was no crying or screaming or yanking on my hand/arm or any of that. I don't know that we're out of the woods yet but I'm hopeful.




We also put up our Halloween decorations this week. This isn't everything. We also have two skeletons sitting in camping chairs with their buddy, Peety the Pirate hanging in the background (literally - hangman's noose and everything). 




We like Halloween at our house. That's why decorations go up in August...

I wish I could get Little Man as excited about cleaning his room and doing his laundry as he is about the Halloween decorations. He was not thrilled when I made him sort and fold his own (clean) laundry this week. 




He'll live. Just wait until I make him do all of it himself. He knows how to get the washer going and how to get the dryer going (on the settings he should have for his clothes)...but putting his laundry away has always been a struggle. Mostly he's just kind of lazy and doesn't want to do it. We'll get there.

On Friday afternoon, Stormageddon and I found a very sweet kitty on our way to pick up Little Man. She was more than happy to come for pets and she did try to follow us for a little bit but decided going home was a much better idea. It turns out she's an indoor kitty that escaped and decided she liked being outdoors. She comes home for food and potty and cuddles and that's about it. 




Speaking of Stormageddon. He brought me home his first papers from school. He did some painting and then he drew and colored a lion. I can even kind of make out what he did. 




I'm going to assume there was help involved because he's not one to willingly pick up a pencil/pen and draw or color. But it even kind of looks like a lion. Who knew?

On Saturday morning, I picked up Husband's best friend at the airport. He came with a bounty of cheese curds....twenty (20) pounds of cheese curds. Little Man has been dying to share with his class so we're bringing a bag on Friday for snack at school. That should be quite delightful. 




In other words, we have four of those bags...well, we did. We may or may not have eaten a bunch of this bag yesterday. It's fine because there are three more. 

I also made Texas Torpedoes, which are also delightful, if a bit spicy...




So, we've been slightly busy around here with school and me going back to work and all that. It should be all fine and wonderful and sorted soon enough but, you know, let's not hold our collective breath :)

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

1 comment:

  1. I have never had a cheese curd. Is it the same texture as cottage cheese? I liked Storm's drawing and coloring; glad he went to school w/out any drama. And yay for having the fourth grader fold his own laundry.

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