Year Eight: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - A Day Late and Definitely a Dollar Short (Update #38)

Happy Monday! I'm definitely a day late and a dollar short today....let's get going :)



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
7. Dishcloth: started 16 July 2019; finished 26 August 2019

Nothing new has been finished. Keep 'er mooooovin'.

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. Hufflepuff Hat: started 31 July 2019
15. Lederhosen Socken: started 11 September 2019
16. Large Sacrificial Goat: started 20 September 2019

Because I apparently do not have enough happening, I started working on two more projects this past week or so. 

The Lederhosen Socken are for Husband for our Halloween party. They are slow going. Even though I'm knitting them with Aran-weight yarn on US #10 needles, they're still taking forever. I'm hoping that now that I'm past the ribbing at the top that they'll go quicker but we'll see. They're kind of on a pause while I work on the other new project, which I need to have finished by next week.

So, the other new project...another goat. But this one is being made a bit differently. Husband requested it be bigger...and since the pattern is done by stitch and row count rather than by length measurement, all I had to do was get bigger yarn and go up (several) needle sizes. So, I'm using chunky yarn held double on US #11s. And it's definitely coming out larger. I just hope I don't run out of yarn! Of course, I can always go and get more...but I'd rather not. 

The biggest issue I've encountered is time to work on it. But that's a separate issue. 

Other than that, I've not worked on anything else this past week. 



Design WIPs  (New section, specifically for design WIPs):
1. Messed Up Moss: started March 2009 - write pattern as PDF (iterations: first, second)
2. Susan's Hat: started 31 August 2010 - need new prototypes & write the pattern (iterations: first, second, third, mini, fifth, sixth)
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: first, second, third)
6. Fall in San Francisco: started 18 September 2016 - need new prototype & write pattern (iterations: first, second)
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: first, second)
9. Rastarmulke: started 20 November 2017 - write pattern (iterations: first, second)
10. Paradiddle Socks: started 19 October 2017 - write pattern (iteration: here)

Keep moving along now, Sir. Let's just not talk about this right now.



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): I've fallen off the wagon here...I mean, I've worked on it here and there but I haven't finished one in awhile. Oops. 
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

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. 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...

This past week has been very trying and tiring. With all the shenanigans going on at the district level for Little Man's school, plus work, I've not had much brainspace for anything else. I've been planning to email all our school board members and I haven't gotten around to it, I need to get around to emailing room parents about their upcoming teacher appreciation dates for the school year, the house needs cleaning/sorting and other such follies, and so on and so on and so on....::sigh::

We did get out a little bit, though. Friday, the boys didn't have school so we went to a park playdate and tried to relax a little bit. Other than that, it was just another busy week in our lives. 

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before but Little Man is the Animal Whisperer. Animals that don't normally like children or people in general will come right up to him. Sometimes, they take a little coaxing. This little kitty apparently loves everyone, however. She's a young indoor/outdoor kitty. She comes and goes as she pleases during the day. We're pretty sure this is the kitty we saw jump out of a tree that is kitty-corner from her house. 

While we were at the park on Friday, Stormageddon took it upon himself to try to bury himself in the sand. It didn't go so well and we found sand in many places. Thankfully his shoes were off...but I think I was scrubbing sand out of his hair that day. Oh well. 

This weekend, we went to two farmers' markets, the local library's annual book sale, and we took care of all the paperwork we needed to have shredded. So, we were kind of busy this weekend, I guess. 

One of the farmers' markets is at the local community college, and it's way up on the hill so you can see the entire San Francisco Bay. We could see the planes coming in at the airport, we could see the Bay Bridge and the San Mateo Bridge (two of the five major bridge systems that go over the Bay). We had never been up there before so we took the opportunity to take a couple photos but, of course, out of the dozen or so I took, only two actually turned out. 

Anyway, even though I'm a little late (again), I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend. I hope to be on time next week but don't count on it.