Y4: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #28

Happiest of Sundays to you :)

We should just get started because we know why we're here. Or, at least, I think we know why we're here...I know why I'm here, anyway.

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
9. Sorin Fingerless Mitts: started March 8, 2015; finished March 31, 2015
10.Stitch's Rock Collection (of Hats) - Variegated: started February 27, 2015; finished April 1, 2015
11. Stitch's Rock Collection (of Hats) Pattern Test: started sometime in February, 2015; finished April 18, 2015
12. Sooooooooper Secret Pattern Writing (project #2): started sometime in February; finished April 15, 2015 -- full disclosure in October 2015
13. Sacrificial Goat #5: started May 29, 2015; finished June 4, 2015
14. Baby Hat: started June 4, 2015; finished June 6, 2015
15. Elvish Leaves Dishcloth: started June 10, 2015; finished June 12, 2015
16. Baby Hat: started June 19, 2015; finished June 27, 2015
17. Homework for Alana Dakos Class: started July 1, 2015; finished July 5, 2015

Oh hey look. I have a finished :) You can read all about it here. It was from my class with Alana Dakos at Atelier Yarns in San Francisco. It was gifted right off the needles, however, so there are no good blocked photos yet...baby will come soon enough :)


Works-In-Progress (WIPs): - carried over from 2014...and maybe earlier...*shifty eyes*
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. Fire & Ice (Fire) Socks: started April 15, 2015

To be perfectly honest, most of the work I've been doing this week has been with Viktor, my Majacraft Pioneer spinning wheel. It's Tour de Fleece and I'm half-assedly participating. My goals are modest: finish spinning up the green merino top, maybe ply it. Anything else I do is gravy, honestly. I have one bobbin that isn't completely full but the singles were starting to break too often and I was pissed off about it so I started a new bobbin. The new bobbin was unexpectedly finished yesterday prevening. Viktor has seen a bit of action this week. I also decided that maybe the problem I was having with the singles breaking was because I was working directly from the top, in small chunks, where I wasn't pre-drafting very much...lots and lots and lots of thick-n-thin bits on that first bobbin. I expect it'll come out somewhere in the worsted-Aran-bulky side. So, I went in search of my hand carders because I had this brilliant idea to make rolags...which I hadn't done since I bought the carders in September 2011. I thought I knew what I was doing....turns out I kind of forgot.

Off to the YouTubes. I found this video on making puni rolags...and I made a pile and life was so much easier.

But first, have some photos of my pre-rolag spinning :)

And the pile of fluffy goodness...

I spun some more of that but most of it became this:

I think by the time I was finished making the puni rolags, I had something like 20 of them (I didn't count). I spun enough so that I had 13 left by Friday night...and then I spun a couple up during Stormageddon's nap yesterday (maybe 3), went outside to do some yardwork that was annoying me, came back inside, took a shower, and finished the pile of rolags. Seriously, I was not expecting that. Next step: plying. I may or may not get a chance to work on that today. I've got to decide what I want to do: ply the two bobbins together as a 2-ply or chain-ply each bobbin individually to make two 3-plies. I'm leaning toward the latter but I've not decided yet.

So, there's the spinning.

In knitting WIPs, I did the short row heel on my second Traveling Sock and am now working my way down to the toe. I was able to do something similar to the heel of the first one wherein the stripe breaks right as I start the heel, goes through two color changes, and switches to the third color change just as I start going around the entire sock again. I didn't think I'd be able to replicate it but, apparently, I'm magic.

I also spent some time on Snape's Stockings. I'm still in the middle of the first repeat of the second sock but progress is progress :) I also found a washcloth in one of my project bags so I've worked on that. I actually had to rip out a few rows because I screwed up the border. I tried to drop down and fix it but that didn't go well so I actually ripped out knitting...and managed to not drop stitches...and nothing got twisted around. I was kind of proud of myself. But no photos because, again, too lazy :)


In my "OMGLSGWTFBBQ, crazy lady?!" 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. Paradiddle Collection of Hats

I suppose I should add an addendum to this list. Little Man has requested a goat of his own. Again. I keep hoping he'll forget but he hasn't. ::sigh:: I really don't want to make a 6th goat...


And in "real life" events.....

Yes, he has a Legend of Zelda Master Sword, shield, and a shirt proclaiming "The Legend of Arthur." He also has a Link hat (it's actually Husband's but it appears that he's commandeered it for his own). Oh well.

Stormageddon took a selfie at the park (he pushed the camera button and everything. His road rash from last week is mostly cleared up. Just a little pink spot on the end of his nose and on his upper lip, indicating that things are healing properly.

My boys hanging out in the bed. There were several shots but this was the best of the bunch. At least all of them were looking at the camera.

And Little Man started soccer yesterday morning. He's so adorable and he loved it! He was scared, at first, but once he was out running around and playing, he was fine. He did come over to me a couple of times when he shouldn't have but it was okay, it was the first day, and he wanted to make sure I wasn't going to leave him.


There's not been much else going on around here, to be honest. A bit of this, a bit of that, some other random things....nothing spectacular :)

Anyway, I hope you've all had a lovely week and weekend :)