Y4: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #6

Hello and happy Sunday :) Let's get started!


Finished Objects (FOs):
1. Elefante: started December 19, 2014; finished December 28, 2014
2. Hat #1 - FoH: started December 31, 2014; finished January 1, 2015
3. Hat #2 - FoH: started January 1, 2015; finished January 4, 2015
4. Hat #3 - FoH: started January 7, 2015; finished January 10, 2015 
5. Hat #4 - Stitches Rock Hat: started January 16, 2015; finished January 24, 2015
6. Vanilla Fingerless Mitts: started January 23, 2015; finished February 3, 2015
7. Paradiddle Hat: started January 24, 2015; finished February 7, 2015

Hey there, lookit that :) I finished up the fingerless mitts. I've even washed/blocked them. What I haven't done (yet) is taken proper photographs. I still have some time to do that between now and tomorrow (which is when I intend to ship them to Wisconsin). So, there's that. And I also finished up a prototype for another design. I'm not 100% sure if it will fit Stormageddon (the intended size). I'll find out when he wakes up. It should be. It's a bit shorter than his other ones, which is good because they cover his eyes. 


Works-In-Progress (WIPs): - carried over from 2014...and maybe earlier...
1. Dragon's Egg Socks: started September 2, 2013
2. Pacific Shawl: started June 8, 2014
3. Snape's Stockings: started August 20, 2014
4. Traveling Socks: started December 23, 2014  
5. Wink: started January 5, 2015  


Five projects and I feel a little naked...I almost want to start another one. I might even do just that. We'll see.

I spent some time on two of the above projects this week, in addition to the two most recent FOs. My Dragon's Egg Socks and Pacific Shawl are hibernating for now...I'll get back to them soon enough. I didn't get around to Snape's Stockings this week because I was focused on a few other things, mainly pattern writing, but I also completed the heel on my first Traveling Sock and actually restarted Wink. The Paradiddle Hat was part pattern writing and part just knitting it. But I finished that. And hopefully all the pattern writing will pay off...I still need to do some math because, for some reason, I just don't think my sizing is quite correct. I think I'll need to make a different size to be sure. Or I could have a test knitter do it...but it's not quite ready for that yet....I'm all in a confuzzlement, apparently. Oh well.

Onward...


Children's Items
1. George's Vest (for Stormageddon - sock/fingering; solid or semi-solid)
2. Nottingham (for Little Man - worsted; solid or semi-solid)
3. Nottingham (for Stormageddon - worsted; solid or semi-solid)
4. Alvin (for Little Man - worsted; solid or semi-solid)
5. Alvin (for Stormageddon - worsted; solid or semi-solid)
6. Harry Potter Blanket (for The Family - worsted; solid) - from various Harry Potter inspired square blocks
7. Albert the Absent-Minded (for Stormageddon - any weight; self-stripe, variegated, solid, or semi-solid)  *need pattern*
8. Mirkwood (for Stormageddon - bulky; solid or semi-solid)
9. Smaug (for Little Man - worsted; solid or semi-solid)
10. Dandy Sir Cephalopod (for Little Man - any weight; self-stripe, variegated, solid, or semi-solid)  *need pattern*
11. Moe the Mustache Monster (for...someone - worsted; self-stripe, variegated, solid, or semi-solid)

Items for Me (Selfish Knitting, FTW!)
1. Vanilla Socks (using one of my Harry Potter yarns)
2. Drip Drip Drop Socks (using either a solid or semi-solid sock yarn that I haven't decided on yet)
3. Hermione Hearts Ron (sport; solid or semi-solid)
4. Ginny's Cardigan (DK; solid or semi-solid)

Secret Sock Club Bags (Pick a bag at random)
1. Scotch and Soda Scarf (using Briar Rose Fibers Wistful - leftover from my Icarus Shawl)
2. CashSilk Fern Scarf (using a skein of Online Supersocke 100)
3. Jabberwonky (using KP Felici in Abracadabra)
4. If You Know Where To Go (in KP Felici in Green Veggies)
5. Gardener's Socks (using Malabrigo Sock)
6. Paradiddle Socks - my own design (using Malabrigo Sock)

Because I love Husband
1. The Dude

New Techniques (one of the following stranded/multi-yarn kits)
1. University of Wisconsin Ski Hat
2. University of Wisconsin Christmas Stocking
3. University of Wisconsin Button Beanie

Christmas Presents
I have absolutely no idea what's going to end up here, if anything. I suspect something will end up here and I might pull it from other lists but we shall see. Maybe I won't do any Christmas knitting. Maybe all I'll wind up doing is Christmas knitting. I suppose this is a wait-and-see section :)

Designs
1. Susan's Hat
2. Traveling Vines Socks
3. Little Man's Baby Blanket 
4. Paradiddle Socks (see Secret Sock Club Bag section)
5. Stitches Rock Collection of Hats (see FO #4 above)
6. Paradiddle Collection of Hats 


In other non-knitting-but-still-fibery news, I've done some library tossing this past week. I went through all my knitting and spinning magazines, as well as all my books and booklets. I have a pile that is almost two feet high of books and magazines I'm willing to part with. If you're interested, you can take a look right here. At some point I'll go through my loose patterns, as well...but that's for another day. I need to organize them and get them into sheet protectors and binders and all that. Doesn't that sound exciting? 

I'm gearing up for Stitches West, as well. It's February 19-22 down in Santa Clara. It only takes me about 40 minutes to get there, if the traffic is decent. I've been going through the list of vendors, trying to decide which ones I want to make sure to visit. There are a couple that are just a given: Erin Lane Bags, Slipped Stitch Studios, and Miss Babs. There are several more that I'm interested in seeing (some I've seen, some I've not): Invictus Yarns, Shalimar Yarns, Carolina Homespun, and Verdant Gryphon. But seriously, my list is almost 40 vendors long and I've still got the last column to go through. I think I'm going to be quite busy that weekend. I'm reallllllly hoping that my friend has her baby either a day or two early or right on time, so that I don't miss Stitches West this year. She's due this coming Saturday and her children are known for being stubborn. Her first one was given an eviction notice and still didn't want to come out (even with induction, baby still didn't want to come out). The second one was given an eviction notice and decided to come at the most inconvenient time in the hospital (mom wasn't induced but the second the doctors left the room because hey, she's not that dilated, he decided he wanted out). Soooooo.....this one, who knows?! Hopefully he'll come on time or a day later. Why is this important? See, when she goes into labor, I'm the one that is watching her other two kids while her and her husband are at the hospital. Husband will help, also, but if it's the middle of the day, I'm on notice. Sooooo, yeah. 



In "real life" events, Stormageddon has rolled from his tummy to his back but he's only done it once or twice. He seems to not be a huge fan of bananas. I think it's because it was so vastly different from the sweet potatoes. I may try those again and lay off the bananas for now. He's growing like a little weed, too. My sister-in-law got him a 3-6 month pair of Oshkosh-B-Gosh overalls (the pinstriped train conductor ones) and they were too big when she was here just a couple weeks ago....and now, I've got the straps as long as they can go and they're almost too tight for him at the shoulders. The legs are still long enough, though. So, it looks like he has a long torso and short legs...like me. ::sigh:: Of course, he's just over five months old so maybe it's time to start thinking about moving him into the 6-9 month clothing. 

Little Man has been all about the iPad and the DS this week. I actually took the DS away from him for a few days and hid it because he was hiding out with it so often (in his bedroom). He's also rediscovered the dry erase board and has been drawing the time vortex from Doctor Who. He had me draw the Tardis (he colored it in, though). He also asks me about going to school on an almost-daily basis. He wants to go. Poor kid. He has to wait until August. 



I hope you've all had a lovely week and weekend and so on and so forth :)