Year the TENTH: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - So close, so close, sooooo clooooooose! (Update #23)

 Happy Sunday! Let's get going!

FOs (Finished Objects)
1. Greenwood Fiberworks Dark BFL (Viktor): started 28 June 2020; finished 17 January 2021
2. Boo-Yah: started 26 January 2021; finished 27 January 2021
3. Minecraft Socks: started 12 August 2020; finished 6 March 2021
4. Alpaca (Viktor): started 17 January 2021; finished 17 March 2021
5. Dyeing Project: started 9 April, 2021; finished 9 April 2021
6. El Panal Cowl: started 5 April 2021; finished 29 April 2021
7. Rose City Rollers: started 7 March 2021; finished 1 June 2021

I finished up my Rose City Rollers this past week. 

 

 

This, friends, is what happens when you don't weigh your yarn leftovers before you start knitting a new pair of socks. To be fair, I did weigh the leftovers and I had enough to make these....and then I made Boo-Yah for Stormageddon and, well, I forgot to reweigh my yarn and this was the result. 

Oops. 

You'll see that I used some contrasting colors to finish these. They were leftover bits from the El Panal Cowl, which I've still not woven in ends on yet. Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about these. 

Usually when I knit socks, they have the same number of rounds on the cuffs, legs, heels, feet, and toes.....but that's when I'm working with the same yarns for those sections on both socks. In this case, everything was fine to the toe of the first sock, when I stopped and looked at my remaining ball of yarn and thought, "hmmm, I should probably knit contrast toes because I won't have enough for the other sock if I don't." I put the first sock on a holder (which was a 16" US0 needle) and started the second sock....and then I ran out of yarn during the heel decrease section on the second sock. Thus, what you see above. And then I ran out of the second yarn I used so I started a third, which I made through the toes. I then used a different color on the toe for the first sock, which I finished second. Because that's how things work with me. 

But that's it. 

 

WIPs (Works-in-Progress) *these are carried over year after year, as needed*
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): started 13 April 2018
5. Granny Square Blanket: started 28 April 2018
6. UW Ski Hat: started 11 July 2018
7. Purl & Loop Weaving Project: started 28 August 2018
8. Herbivore: started 15 November 2018
9. Linen Stitch Scarf: started 2 June 2020
10. Vanilla Socks: started 9 August 2020
11. Sand Drift Blanket: started 17 January 2021
12. Flax for Stormageddon: started 29 April 2021
13. Rose City Rollers: started 1 June 2021

Apparently I have a need for shortie socks because as soon as I threw the pair noted in the FO section into a bath, I started another pair. I'm not very far along but the good news is that I likely will not need contrast anything. I'm using a leftover skein of Colinette Jitterbug where I used less than 100 yds so it's almost a full skein. There should be plenty for a pair of shortie socks. 

Aside from starting those, I also worked on Stormageddon's Flax sweater. I've finished three stripes and I don't know that I'm going to add more but I do need to find the next ball of the main color. I know I wound it and I think I know where it is. That's fairly mindless knitting at this point. I need to knit until it's a certain number of inches from the underarm and then I add ribbing and then I'm done. Well, sleeves. Whatever, you know what I mean. 

 

OMGLSGWTFBBQ

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. Paradiddle Socks: started 19 October 2017 - write pattern (iteration: here)

 

Design Ideas:
1. Christmas Stocking for Husband
2. Christmas Stocking for Little Man
3. Christmas Stocking for Stormageddon
4. Baby Blanket
5. Stomping Grounds Collection

 

Items for ME (Selfish Knitting FTW!):
1. Rose's Wrist Warmers (DK weight - using Aran instead; hand-dyed Malabrigo Twist?)
2. Perianth (fingering weight - Knitcircus Trampoline in The Whole Enchilada)
3. Stranger Things Hat (worsted - Malabrigo Rios in Archangel)
4. Autopilot (worsted weight - Sincere Sheep Cormo Worsted or htNEVELE Worsted in Reveire)
5. Fine Tune (fingering weight - uses minis so maybe a rainbow type one with the Canon Hand Dyes?)*
6. Flax (worsted weight - Misty Alpaca in the Harry Potter colors)
7. Park Slope (fingering weight - Mountain Fibers Crazyfoot in Shamrock)
8. Undone (bulky - maybe the reclaimed yarn from the Freeport Vest?)
9. Socks (fingering weight - Bob knows I have enough so I should use it - maybe with the CSM)
10. Sockhead (fingering weight - I have tons...pick something!)
11. Age of Brass & Steam (Handspun purple/white barber pole)
12. Radiate Shawl (fingering weight - Artfibers Carezza maybe?)

Children's Items
1. Honey Badger: (worsted weight - black & white acrylic I have banging around the stash)*
2. Mittens for Stormageddon (worsted weight probably)
3. Maybe a Flax for Little Man...maybe...

 

Utilitarian/Household Items
1. Garter Chevron Blanket (KP Mighty Stitch - may need to get some more black or white)
2. Diagonal Knit Dishcloths (cotton of some sort)
3. Reusable Produce Bag (cotton or acrylic of some sort - worsted)
4. Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth (cotton or maybe bamboo, depending on the use)

Spinning:

1. Wonderland Dyeworks BFL

2. Mixed BFL

3. Allons-Y Fiber Arts Merino, Trilobal Nylon, Silk

4. Fiberlady.com 100% Bamboo 

Dyeing:

1. Sock Blanks (I think I have 5 left)

2. Random worsted/sport skeins (I have maybe 2-3 left)

3. Anything else I find along the way (I don't think there's anything else)

Other Fibery Endeavors:

1. Create project bag inventory

2. Update library inventory (on Ravelry) *in progress*

3. Update stash inventory (on Ravelry) *needs to be redone*

4. Stitch markers: kits and individual

5. Destash as necessary (it's always necessary)

6. Stash Fit

 

 

It sounds like I should be getting ready for Tour de Fleece. I hear that's coming up this month, in addition to Stash Dash. I made my first entry into my Stash Dash spreadsheet (yes, I'm a nerd who made a spreadsheet for Stash Dash) because I finished the socks. We'll see how things go during Tour de Fleece. Ultimately, I just want to make a point to spin daily. It would be great to get some things out of my fluff stash and into my yarn stash but that's not necessarily my goal for TdF. My wheel could use a little attention, as well. It's probably due for oiling, at the very least...and probably dusting (but it's not as bad since I put a light baby blanket over it). 

Aside from TdF, the school year is winding down. The boys have this week and two days next week and then they're done for the summer. I have no idea what we're going to do all summer but we'll figure it out. We won't have to be quite as locked down as we were last summer but it's not like I'm going to take them to the malls or the stores, if I can avoid it. So, I foresee hiking and parks and getting outside in our future this summer. I think we could all use it. 

But, for now, we still have a little over a week of school. 

In other random events, the job I was starting training for.....yeah, I'm not a good fit for it, apparently. I'm okay with it as it was a total experiment for me anyway. But the doggies were cute and fun to have around. Puppy was not pleased about it but that's because he wanted to go play, too. Sooooo, back to the drawing board for jobs, as it were. Oh well. 

That's about all that's happening around here.I made pancakes for lunch today and I'm not a bit sorry about it. It was Little Man's idea, but they both love pancakes.

The boys also spent some time in their little pool. We have sprung a leak, however, so it'll need to be fixed. It's a pinsized hole but I think I can cover it with waterproof tape. It should be fine. It keeps them kind of happy for a hot minute. I think.

I took Stormageddon out on his bike one day this past week. While he learns how to control it, I stand in the middle of the road and keep an eye out for idiots (it's a dead end so we shouldn't get traffic unless they're going into PG&E's lot behind our house, which rarely happens). We also live next to a golf course so there's a line of trees and other foliage along their property across the street, which means wildlife. Usually it's Trash Pandas but we also get possums and lizards and snakes and skunks and, of course, a variety of insects. I saw this butterfly while he was on his bike.

Did I mention the lizards? Because Little Man has been catching them again. We're not 100% sure but this looks like a variety of sagebrush lizard. They're usually found at higher elevations (500-1500 ft.) but it's pretty close. Whatever kind it is, it's native because this isn't the first one we've seen this week. I'm not even joking. We see a lot of these. They like our (evil) lava rocks that we moved away from the house and we occasionally find them in the backyard.

Anyway, I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend! Maybe next week we can talk about ice cream instead of lizards...or not.