Y4: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #42

Happy Sunday!

If you happen to comment on today's post and it doesn't show up, don't panic. We're camping for a couple days and I moderate all the comments so I'll take care of it when we return.

Now, on to business:

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 (pattern is live and can be purchased via Ravelry)
12. Traveling Vines Socks (pattern for publication): started sometime in February; finished April 15, 2015 -- full disclosure Friday, October 18, 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 and it's all finished
18. Traveling Socks: started December 23, 2014; finished July 28, 2015
19. Sacrificial Goat #6: started August 23, 2015; finished September 1, 2015
20. Petty Harbour Socks: started July 29, 2015; finished September 5, 2015
21. Curlew: started September 10, 2015; finished September 26, 2015

Nothing new was finished this week.........

.......except these:

I may have a new addiction hobby addiction. Here's how all this started. A couple weeks ago, I noticed a thread in the Stitches West Ravelry board about the stitch marker swap. I was rather intrigued, because, you know, STITCH MARKERS! Anyway, it appears that people wandering about Stitches West swap stitch markers. They're identified by a button that says they're a stitch marker swapper. So, you make stitch markers and you swap them with other people and in the end, you have a pile of mismatched stitch markers, maybe some of your own leftovers, and it's fun. 

This is all lovely and well except........I don't know how to make stitch markers. 

Yes, I know the photo says I do. And I do now....but I didn't then. That's what online tutorials are for. I didn't know how to make them, though I had a vague idea. So, I looked at a couple tutorials, spent some money at the craft store on Friday morning, and spent less than 3 hours making stitch markers. So far, and you can count them in the photo, I have finished 34 stitch markers. They're not perfect but they will definitely serve their purpose. 

So, stitch markers. Woo.

But that's it, I swear!

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. Wink: started January 5, 2015
5. Fire & Ice (Fire) Socks: started April 15, 2015
6. Little Man's Hat: started July 8, 2015
7. Bunny: started September 8, 2015

Several patterns have seen action this week. I worked a couple rows here and there on my Pacific Shawl. It's my travel knitting project. All I need to remember are where to do increases and otherwise, it's just plain stockinette. It's been good travel knitting. My Dragon's Egg Sock is a couple rows into the first repeat of the second chart, which isn't much but it's still progress. Snape's Stockings saw a half a pattern repeat this week (which I think is 12 rounds). I may have done more than that but I don't remember. I've officially started the raglan increases on Wink. I'm supposed to work the upper body for seven and a half repeats or something like that. I've finished the first one and am somewhere in the second one. It's not much but it's progress :) My Fire Socks are into the second pattern repeat on the leg (out of three repeats on the leg). And Stormageddon's bunny has a body, head, ear pieces, and one and a half arms. I only worked the half arm this week, however.

Little Man's hat.......I looked at it and put it away. Someday.

My Fire Socks, with notes, while watching Daria on my laptop the other night. Exciting times.


In my "OMGLSGWTFBBQ" 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. Harry Potter Blanket (for The Family - worsted; solid) - from various Harry Potter inspired square blocks
5. Albert the Absent-Minded (for Stormageddon - any weight; self-stripe, variegated, solid, or semi-solid)  *need pattern*
6. Mirkwood (for Stormageddon - bulky; solid or semi-solid)
7. Smaug (for Little Man - worsted; solid or semi-solid)
8. Dandy Sir Cephalopod (for Little Man - any weight; self-stripe, variegated, solid, or semi-solid)  *need pattern*
9. Moe the Mustache Monster (for Stormageddon - 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)

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

Because I love Husband and/or My Children
1. Sacrificial Goat #7 (for Little Man)
2. Sacrificial Goat #8 (for Stormageddon)

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 (done, see FO #12)
3. Little Man's Baby Blanket
4. Paradiddle Socks (see Secret Sock Club Bag section)
5. Paradiddle Collection of Hats


::sigh:: Moving along..........

This past week has been.....difficult. Little Man is on vacation for two weeks and he was ready to go back to school by Tuesday morning. He loves school. He loves being home, too, but he's missing the schedule and his friends. 

We have been playing host to 8 of these guys:

Stick bugs. They're interesting. They like to scuttle. One of the molted this week. I caught him hanging out from the top of the tank and found part of an exoskeleton under him later in the day. It was interesting. 

He also decided he wanted to dress in this on Tuesday. The day we needed to see his metabolic specialist at their new facility in San Francisco. The day it was supposed to be in the mid-80s. And the day we wound up walking a half-mile in two directions to find said specialist. After about five minutes, "mama, I'm hot." I tried to talk him out of the outfit but he wasn't listening. Silly boy.

Hopefully this video works...it's Stormageddon and Puppy having a moment. I wanted to show you the video of him saying, "kitty" about everything but it won't load. I'm thinking the file is too large. Oh well.

Little Man at soccer last weekend. He's the little blondie on the left. The other four kids were in his group for the day. He loves soccer. I'm lucky. He loves school, soccer, and swimming lessons. I don't have to fight him to go to anything right now. 

In other random events, I'm gearing up for a bunch of 5Ks that we have coming up. We're doing the San Francisco Color Run in mid-November (November 15th, maybe), the San Jose Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving (which is Thursday, November 26th), and we're looking into something for December. We also contemplated one on Halloween but a friend from college is coming into town that weekend so that may not work too well. 

Anyway, I hope you're all having a lovely weekend :)