Y5: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #3 (the OMG-Can-We-Stop-Being-Sick-Already Update)

Hello and happy Sunday! Update #3, here we come!

FOs (Finished Objects)
1. Fire Socks: started April 15, 2015; finished January 6, 2016
2. Nottingham for Stormageddon: started January 12, 2016; finished January 14, 2016

Why yes, I started and finished a project this week; why do you ask? I fell into my LYS this past Monday (you can see the stash enhancement post here) and one of the skeins started screaming that it wanted to be this hat....so, it became the hat. To be fair, I still haven't actually washed it or properly blocked it...but it is done and it's been worn more than once already. Stormageddon wouldn't let me work on it because every time I brought it out, he would come over and try to steal it to wear.....while it was still on the needles. So, basically, the second it was done, he claimed it for his own. I'm not going to argue. You can even see the FO Friday post right here.

Go me!


WIPs (Works-In-Progress) - carried over year-to-year
1. Dragon's Egg Socks: started September 2, 2013
2. Snape's Stockings: started August 20, 2014
3. Wink: started January 5, 2015
4. Vanilla Latte Socks: started November 19, 2015
5. Swirl Hat: started December 16, 2015
6. Ice Socks: started January 7, 2016
7. Swatch for Marly Bird class at Stitches West: started January 8, 2016 (no project page)
8. Design proposal for Fire Socks: started January 13, 2016 (no project page because, design!)

In the WIP category....still some things happening. I spent some time on Snape's Stockings this week and I'm almost to the heel flap, which is exciting for me. I also worked a couple rounds on the Swirl Hat and the Ice Socks. My swatch also saw some work, though not much and it's not that exciting.

The last thing on the list........design proposal. I came across a call for submissions in one of the designers groups on Ravelry and my Fire Socks may fit the bill. So, I'm working on that. I just need to finish up a sketch and then I'm going to send my proposal off. Unfortunately, I doubt anything will come of it because when I first looked, it was mentioned that socks were needed....and now, less than four days later, she said they had plenty of sock submissions. Buuuuuuuuuut.......we'll see. I don't have high hopes, however. I was about ready to throw my laptop out the window last night. I had been working on the proposal (it was finished, actually), I saved it, and closed Word. Then I went to attach the file to the email........and I could not find it. I did a full-system search for the document, I reopened Word and tried to find it, I did everything I could possibly think of (including going through potential places I could have saved it...file by file). Nothing. I was frustrated and actually did cry a bit. I opened Word to do it all over again when I decided to see where the last document was saved, and it was a bizarre place...so, I searched for the folder, found it, opened it...and there was my document. I moved it to a better place, and it's now attached to the email.

I also did some work in my yarn closet. Some of you may remember that instead of a little stack of bins or a bookshelf with buckets, I have an actual yarn closet. Now, it's not a full-size closet or anything....kind of like a double-wide linen closet without shelves. Instead, my bins are stacked in there...and some bags...and a bag of project bags with my Secret Sock Club Bags and so on. I need to get a handle on my stash. So, a couple times this week, I pulled things out, made sure I had stash entries and photographed things. I discovered that many of my Stitches West purchases from last year did not make it into my Ravelry stash. So, I took care of that. I also discovered a bin where the top half was done but nothing on the bottom had been entered. The top half was fiber I picked up in a destash but the bottom was (mostly) my purchases from when Artfibers went out of business. I got all that entered and found that I probably have a sweater's quantity of a very lovely yarn.......I might have to make a sweater with it. Or something.



In my "OMG CRAZY LADY WTFLSGBBQ" lists....

Children's Items
1. George's Vest (for Stormageddon - probably the largest size; fingering in solid or semi-solid)
2. House Hat (one each for Stormageddon and Little Man - worsted, two contrasting colors)
3. Nottingham (one each for Stormageddon and Little Man - worsted, solid or semi-solid) *Stormageddon's is finished*
4. Mirkwood (for Stormageddon - bulky; solid or semi-solid)
5. Smaug (for Little Man - worsted; solid or semi-solid)
6. Arthur the Alien (for Little Man - worsted; any colors)
7. Holiday Countdown Stockings (for the family - Aran/worsted; four colors)
8. Creeper Gonna Creep (for Little Man - DK; green because Creeper)

Items for ME (selfish knitting, FTW!!)
1. Vanillaish Socks (using one of my Harry Potter Yarns)
2. Paradiddle Socks (using a solid or semi-solid sock yarn)
3. Hermione Hearts Ron (sport weight; solid or semi-solid)
4. Hermione Hearts Ron Fingerless Mitts (sport weight; solid or semi-solid)
5. Classic Silk Mayfaire Camisole (Miss Babs from Stitches Midwest)
6. Stormont (worsted; solid or semi-solid)
7. Sockhead Hat (sock; any colors)
8. Moab Shawl (sock; any colors) *need pattern*
9. Prowl (DK; solid or semi-solid) *need pattern*

Secret Sock Club Bags - Pick a bag at random; do pattern with yarn
1. Scotch & Soda Scarf (using Briar Rose Fibers Wistful, leftover from my Icarus Shawl)
2. CashSilk Fern Scarf (using ONline Supersocke 100)
3. Jabberwonky (using KP Felici in Abracadabra)
4. If You Know Where To Go (using KP Felici in Green Veggies)
5. Gardener's Socks (using Malabrigo Sock in Indiacita)

Stranded Knitting
1. University of Wisconsin Ski Hat
2. University of Wisconsin Christmas Stocking
3. University of Wisconsin Button Beanie
4. Xanadu Snowflake Cowl

Christmas/Charity Bin
1. 198 yds. of Heaven (worsted; any colors)
2. Phillip and Mr. Grum (sock yarn; any colors)
3. Comfort Food (Aran; solid)
4. Fine Fella (worsted; solid or semi-solid)
5. November Leaves (Shelter from stash) *need pattern*
6. Skinner Hat (sock; solid or semi-solid) *need pattern*
7. The Shoemaker's Hat (bulky; solid or semi-solid) *need pattern*
8. Roll Out The Barrels (cotton; any colors)
9. Sweeny Todd Scarf (worsted; any colors)
10. Bridal Shower Lace Cloth (cotton; any colors)
11. The Snowmen Cometh (worsted; any colors)
12. Sunburst Dishcloth (cotton; any colors)
13. Starfish Cloth (cotton; any colors)
14. Seamless Circular Cloth (cotton; any colors)
15. Tombreck (Aran/worsted; solid or semi-solid)
16. Premie Spiral Hat (for hospital donations - sport or DK; any colors)

Designs
1. Fire Socks (finish prototype and pattern for submission) *half finished, started other half*
2. Ice Socks (knit prototype and pattern for submission)
3. Susan's Hat (make proper - photos, pattern, etc.)
4. Little Man's Baby Blanket (make proper - photos, pattern, etc.)
5. Paradiddle Socks (knit prototype - see "Items for ME")

Spinning
1. Finish up the purple silk/merino blend singles
2. Ply said purple silk/merino blend (probably two-ply)
3. Finish up the remaining Asshole Blue Corriedale that I found in Stormageddon's room a couple weeks ago (don't even get me started on this one!)
4. Start something new (I'm leaning toward some grey wool I bought a few years ago)



Moving along :)

This past week has been.......trying. I think that's probably the best word for it. Stormageddon is mostly over the pneumonia, which has been helpful, but just as one was getting off the bubblegum-flavored pink stuff, the other one went on it. Little Man came down with an ear infection on Thursday night. He had swimming lessons that night and had been fine all week but when we got home, he started complaining that he had water in his ear that he couldn't get out. We tried a few different methods, to no avail. I put numbing drops down his ear, gave him some Tylenol, and told him to sleep on the sore side. An hour later, he was awake, crying uncontrollably, saying that his ear really hurt. Unfortunately, it was just after 10pm on Thursday night so the after-hours pediatric clinic was closed, as was urgent care. So, I had to haul him to the hospital emergency room. A couple hours later, we were on our way to the 24-hour pharmacy for bubblegum-flavored pink stuff, commonly known as suspension amoxicillin or liquid amoxicillin. He woke up Friday morning saying, "Mama, I'm felling better." I did keep him home from school, though, just in case. He was fine, however, and I probably should have sent him to school. Whatever.

Aside from the boys doing the sick kid thing, Husband also got sick. Well, "sick" isn't the right word. He had a headache for a couple days and nothing would really take care of it. That wasn't fun as he was home with a headache and I had two crabby children. Not exactly the best circumstances. But, we all managed to survive......and then he started getting sick for real last night (fever, chills, etc.). ::sigh:: It's never-ending around here sometimes.


In other random events, we're getting used to our "being at home" schedule again. It took a couple days and illnesses but I think we're back to "normal," whatever that means.

It appears that I don't have any photographs of Little Man this week, other than the one I sent Husband while we were in the emergency room on Thursday night, and we don't really need to see that one. It's not like there's anything gross about it but he's just not feeling well in the photo.

However, Stormageddon has had some photos this week.

He's acquired a couple new words this week, specifically, "baby" and "hi." He's also discovered closed-mouth kisses, which means he's been practicing........

In addition to new words, he's also figured out how to climb onto some of the furniture, specifically this chair and the couches.

He's exceedingly proud of himself for this. I wouldn't mind if he didn't keep trying to jump off. He's trying to do what Big Brother does, which means doing things he's nowhere near ready for (yet). I swear I'm going to be in the hospital with this one....

It's hard to get a good photograph of him. He's usually a blur, and apparently a pantsless Stormageddon is no exception.



I hope you're all having a lovely weekend!