Y4: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #13

Well, here we are again on a Sunday........and we all know why we're here and things are going to continue to be somewhat boring until later this week (more on that in a mo'). 

 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 - Stitch's 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
8. Stitch's Rock Collection (of Hats) - Variegated: started February 22, 2015; finished February 24, 2015

I've not finished anything new as I've not been knitting that much this week....but, soon....or something.


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    
6. Stitch's Rock Collection (of Hats) - Variegated: started February 27, 2015  
7. Sorin Fingerless Mitts: started March 8, 2015
8. Sooooooooper Secret Pattern Writing (project #1): started sometime in February...
9. Sooooooooper Secret Pattern Writing (project #2): started sometime in February

This past week, I finished up the first of my Dragon's Egg Socks, which is currently hanging out on sock blockers, though I suspect it's dry. I've also started the second one. I had to do some fancy work on the toe in order to make them fit correctly. We'll see them some other time, though.

I also started the second of the Sorin Fingerless Mitts. I'm still hoping they'll grow with washing because the first one is a teensy bit tight....but it's not for me so that may be my saving grace. 

You'll also notice that I have two pattern writing projects listed. I kept forgetting to add them to the list and I'm not 100% sure when I started either of them, though the official "writing" part was in February. The first one will be going out to test knitters as soon as I get my laptop...which will happen before I post in the Free Pattern Testers group on Ravelry...which is the next step. Or something. 

As far as my "OMGWTFLSGBBQ" lists....

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. Stitch's Rock Collection (of Hats) (see FOs #4 & #8 above)
6. Paradiddle Collection of Hats






With all that said..........


My laptop. My dear, old laptop. A 15" 2009 Macbook Pro. Disc drive. Extra RAM. New SSD (solid state hard drive). You were with me through most of my second bout of college. You were with me when we moved to California. You were with me everywhere in between. And you've died. I shall miss you, dear sweet laptop.


What we thought was a problem with my newish SSD turned out to be a much larger problem. Apparently my motherboard went to hell. A new motherboard would run me about $600...while a refurbished 11" 2013 Macbook Air would run me about $810..........so, a refurbished laptop is coming my way, hopefully by Wednesday. And then Husband will probably add more RAM and upload my hard drive's backup from our server......and then I should be good to go. Hopefully. And here's to hoping everything was updated before it went to hell. ::sigh:: Not what I needed right now. Between the $5000 roof repair that our insurance refused to cover (excuse: the valley was done incorrectly in the first place and we don't cover stupidity, even if it happened 22 years ago), my car needing a new battery, spark plugs, and now I'm having issues with carbon in the engine somewhere (which isn't hurting my car exactly as long as I'm working to get it out), buying a new iPhone because mine broke, and now my laptop.......::grumble grumble:: I'm not very happy about all that.


On a lighter note, Stormageddon's two bottom teeth have (finally) come in. He was so miserable when my bestie was here from Wisconsin. But, they broke through and now he's just a drool monster again and is busy chewing on everything. He may be getting his top ones now but I'm not sure.


Little Man, on the other hand, has had a couple fabulous experiences this week. I took him to the library for the first time. I wanted to get a library card and they were having story time while we were there. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it...but I think he liked it. We also went to Fisherman's Wharf on Wednesday. We saw the sea lions, had pizza for lunch at a place called Luigi's (which is right next to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.), picked up some candy, and did some walking. It was good for us to get out.


We also went to the zoo yesterday with our friends and their children. I managed to get sunburned on my face, Stormageddon took a little nap, we got to watch the grizzly bears being fed, and we got to talk to one of the zookeepers about the lions and tigers. She had removed some of the toys because they were broken (one of them was supposed to be an unbreakable toy......silly "baby" tiger managed to break the "unbreakable.") and had them with her. So, the kids got to hold toys that the big cats had played with. We have a zoo membership so all we have to do is pay for parking and we get a discount at the restaurants. We also have access to discounts for things like the zoo camps they have for kids. Oh, and we get discounts on tickets to other things like the aquarium in Monterrey and at Fisherman's Wharf, the mini-zoo just a half-mile from our house, and a bunch of other things. It's kind of grand. Of course, nothing will beat Henry Vilas Zoo, in Madison...which has no entrance fee or parking fee or anything like that.

Anyway, next week I hope to have some photos...we'll see how things go. The way things have been going, I don't have high hopes.

But, hope you're all having a lovely weekend and such :)