Year the TENTH: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Why is the rum gone?! (Update #38)

Woo! I hear it's Monday again. I actually started writing this last night but, let's be honest, I knew I wouldn't get it done so, really, it's Monday...but it's Sunday...but it's posting on Monday.

Why is the rum gone?! Sunday was Talk Like a Pirate Day. 

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
8. Unknown Wool (Viktor): started 26 June 2021; finished 27 June 2021
9. Abstract Fibers Merino Tencel (Viktor): started 27 June 2021; finished 29 June 2021
10. Frabjous Fibers Merino Top (Viktor): started 30 June 2021; finished 2 July 2021
11. Allons-y Fiber Arts Merino (Viktor): started 4 July 2021; finished 7 July 2021
12. Rose City Rollers: started 1 June 2021; finished 12 August 2021
13. Flax for Stormageddon: started 29 April 2021; finished 31 August 2021

I'm slowly weaving in ends on Stormageddon's Flax sweater. I also need to weave in ends on the El Panal Cowl. And Halloween socks from a few years ago. I have a lot of end-weaving to do. I should probably get on that.

 

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. Rose City Zombies: started 13 August 2021
13. Waiting for Winter Mittens: started 11 September 2021

I worked on this and that this past week. I managed two rows on the Herbivore shawl, which doesn't sound like a lot but I was doing it in darkness while Husband and I watched the last hour of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. We have the screen and projector set up in the back room so we can watch movies on a bigger screen. So, we did that. 

I also worked on my Linen Stitch Scarf. That's fairly mindless knitting but it's getting a bit long to drag out and about. It's good for TV/movie knitting however. 

My Rose City Rollers are almost ready for a contrast toe on the first sock. I think I need maybe two rounds and then I can do it. I'll have to try them on first. The last time I tried them on (Wednesday), they were super close. They might be my "usual" amount. I haven't counted rounds for a hot minute so I'll check that too. 

I may or may not have done a few rounds on the cuff of the Vanilla Sock. I honestly don't remember. 

Lastly, I worked on my mitten for my step-grandma. I finished the first one, wove in the ends, and started the second one. I just finished up the ribbing so now I'm just working until I start increasing for the thumb. I know I mentioned last week that these tend to go fairly quickly, and they do, especially after you get past the ribbing for the cuff. I don't like working on DPNs generally but these work well on DPNs for some reason. I don't know if it's because of how quickly they knit up or what. 

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/Knitting for others
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...
4. Mittens for my grandmother (worsted, purple...she loves purple)

 

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

 

 

In the realm of fibery goodness, one of my friends sent me a text last week about whether I wanted to go with her to the yarn store. They were doing a "destash your stash" wherein we (general knitting consumers enablers) bring things to destash (or not - you could just shop, too), the shop collects the money and keeps track of how much you sell, and then you get a gift certificate to the shop for that amount. 

Well, I've been meaning to get into my yarn closet and take a look at my destash bin anyway....how could I possibly say, "no" to that? So, I pulled all the destash stuff out, priced it with tags and my name, cross-checked entries in Ravelry and made all of them "pending" if I had them and "zzzz" if I had them listed on my destash page but couldn't find them. Then I thought, "hmmm....I have a ton of project bags, too," and I wound up tagging those, because why not?

Friends, about 10 minutes in, I slashed my prices in half (I just went around with my pen and did it on my stuff)....my gift certificate to the shop was still $204, and I'm not complaining. 

Of course, I wasn't just there to destash...I mean, yarn fumes and a bunch of enablers....of course I came home with things. 

There were a variety of yarns from fun fur, unknown cone yarns, minis, big box, elusive skeins from foreign lands, and many that I'd never heard of before. One of the ladies, who was a prolific knitter by the way...she had a huge table filled with yarns (lots and lots and lots from Primrose Yarn Co.). She just did a flat rate of $5/skein. I think I wound up buying like 8-10 skeins from her alone (maybe more). A good chunk of the yarns on her table were normally $30/skein.....so yes, I bought stuff but I was also frugal and saved a bunch, too. I got some minis and some other sock yarns, some worsted, a bit of this and that, and I'm going to have to just do a whole post about it because I cannot do it justice here, especially without photos (I'll get there!). 

But enough about all that. That's for a different post of it's very own. And I'll get there. Eventually...

 

This past week, I took the boys to the beach. They didn't have school on Thursday or Friday so we loaded up the car and off we went. Now, this is the Pacific Ocean and we're in northern California. That water is cold. And it was kind of a foggy, cold day. But, the kids had a ton of fun so I'm not going to argue it....though maybe I'll actually put them in proper swimming attire next time. Let's just say the heat was on in the car on the way home because they got soaked a couple times, even though I told them not to go into the water. ::sigh:: The only trouble I had was going down a bunch of stairs when we got there (and having to come back up them, of course). They were wooden stairs, covered in sand, and the railing was something to be desired. So, one step at a time: left leg down, right leg joins it, left leg down, right leg joins it....my right quad muscles have been angry the past few days. Oops. 

We met up with friends so we had a total of eight kids and the three moms. Stormageddon mostly stayed away from the water. He played in the sand and brought me a bunch of broken shell pieces. The other two "littles" also stuck close to their moms for the same reason. The big kids (the other five) were down by the water, trying to make something...and they'd get to a point they liked and then a bigger wave would come in and knock it down (and sometimes a kid or two). Also, I got to spend time with my favorite Frenchie.

She's seriously the sweetest, goodest girl. She purrs when she's getting scritches and she'll nuzzle her way into your lap. I'm not even kidding. She's such a sweet little girl. I also saw her again this morning and we had purrs and scritches.

 

This is what we walked down from on the stairs. It's this weird drop. Apparently there were not stairs a few years ago. I'm glad they put them in...but they were cumbersome to go up and down.

There were a few guys out metal detecting on the beach, too. One of my charges (read: not my kid but my responsibility) wanted to go over and talk to them but I convinced him otherwise. He's the type of kid that will go off and talk to anyone, whether they want to be talked to or not. So, I saved them some trouble. I love that kid, though.

 

Like I said, the other ones played by the water (without going in). This isn't all of them but it gives you an idea of our day. The waves were pretty rough and it was cold...but there they are anyway. 

 

In addition to that, we also heard back about the offer we put in on a property in Wisconsin. They wanted $925k; the county had it assessed at $535k. Our offer was $650k and they came back with $920k. Nope. Not happening. Bye.

Back to the drawing board, so it were. We have a few things in mind so our realtor back in Wisconsin is looking into them and we should hopefully hear back about that today. I think we're back to the plan of buying land and building. I think. We go back and forth about whether we want to do that or just buy a house. 

That's about all that's been happening around here. I'm going to the post office today (hopefully) to ship some yarn.....I lead a very exciting life!

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