Y5: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #18

Happy Sunday :) We all know why we're here but if you're a little lost, please visit the Year of Projects group on Ravelry for more information.

Anyway, let's get moving :)

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
3. Design proposal for Fire Socks: started January 13, 2016; finished January 18, 2016
4. Purple merino/silk spinning (singles): started toward the end of Tour de Fleece (July 4-26, 2015); finished January 29, 2016
5. Nottingham for Little Man: started January 17, 2016; finished February 1, 2016
6. Swirl Hat: started December 16, 2015; finished February 4, 2016
7. Swatch for Marly Bird class at Stitches West: started January 8, 2016; finished February 7, 2016 (no project page)
8. Fire Socks design (the actual pattern writing & photography part): started February 6, 2016; finished February 12, 2016 (link to the preview; pattern went live on Saturday, April 2nd)
9. Mountains Beanie: started February 9, 2016; finished February 17, 2016
10. Rathmore: started February 25, 2016; finished March 4, 2016
11. Dragon's Egg Socks: started September 2, 2013; finished March 9, 2016
12. Creeper for Little Man: started March 4, 2016; finished March 10, 2016
13. Mother Bear Project #1: started February 22, 2016; finished March 12, 2016
14. Asshole Corriedale (spinning project): started March 23, 2016; finished March 24, 2016
15. Pacific Waves: started March 9, 2016; finished March 25, 2016
16. Freeport Vest Frogging: started March 29, 2016; finished March 29, 2016
17. Pacific Waves: started March 31, 2106; finished April 2, 2016
18. Vanilla Latte Socks: started November 19, 2015; finished April 6, 2016
19. Snape's Stockings: started August 20, 2014; finished April 11, 2016
20. Pacific Waves: started April 3, 2016; finished April 15, 2016

Unsurprisingly, I've not finished anything this week. I also did not do a proper FO Friday for my last Pacific Waves Hat...in fact, aside from the blocking photos, I didn't take proper photos of the finished project and it was gifted on Friday (because the repairs were done and Little Man's teacher's last day was Friday). Sooooo, I might do an FO Friday this week but it's going to be the blocking photo where I still have stitch markers indicating where I need to fix things. Oops. Oh well. At least I have those photos...otherwise, I'd have nothing.


WIPs (Works-In-Progress) - carried over year-to-year
1. Wink: started January 5, 2015
2. Finn & Suffolk singles: started April 1, 2016
3. CashSilk Fern Scarf: started April 7, 2016
4. Gex for Little Man: started April 8, 2016
5. Bridal Shower Lace Cloth: started April 27, 2016
6. Creeper Hat: started April 28, 2016

First and foremost: Wink, the Fern Scarf, and the spinning have seen no action this past week. I've been doing other things.

Gex has moved onto the sleeves. I wound up doing a garter stitch, striped hem instead of the turned hem along the bottom and I'll be doing the same for the sleeves, once I get to that point. I'm still in the midst of Stockinette Hell on the first sleeve. I've had to take a break for a few days. I just wasn't feeling it.

Instead, I decided that starting a couple new projects was a good idea. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking either....

I picked up some green Lion Brand Cotton Ease the other day and started a dishcloth. And I frogged it. I started a different one. And frogged it. And then I started the Bridal Shower one. And frogged it. I was, apparently, incapable of reading simple instructions wherein I forgot a yarn over during each pattern repeat on a row. ::sigh:: So, I restarted it with more stitches and I'm making the border wider and longer. I've not even started the "pattern" portion yet. I just finished the border and marked my extra border stitches. Maybe later today. Or not. We'll see how things go.

In addition to that, I was looking through my queue on Ravelry and found the Creepers All Around hat, remembering that I had a LOT of leftover yarn from the little Creeper I made for Little Man....but it was DK weight and the pattern called for worsted. So what, I can make that work. I cast on the medium size on US #5 (3.75 mm), worked ribbing for about 1.5" and switched to larger needles (US #7/4.5 mm). It fits him perfectly without blocking so it should be fine once it's been washed and blocked and such. Also, this is my first real true more-than-one-yarn-in-the-same-row/round project. So, in other words, I'm learning two-color knitting. Because it's a hat and I don't want it to pucker, I was very conscious of my tension when I switched yarns and had the floats on the inside. My gauge may have suffered a bit because of it but I think it'll wash/block out. In other words, GO ME!

That's the Gex sweater. I'm on the sleeve already but I was working on my striped hem in this photo, which was probably taken last Sunday afternoon. You can see what I'm talking about and that's grand :)

And proof of my two-color knitting prowess! It's horrible lighting from Friday night but the hat is black with the green faces and you can see a more accurate depiction of the colors, particularly the green, here. If I keep on plugging away at this one, I'll have it done, washed, and blocked in time for an FO Friday post this week. We'll see, however.


In my "OMGCRAZYLADYWTFLSGBBQ" lists...

Children's Items
1. George's Vest (for Stormageddon - probably the largest size; YOTH Little Brother from Stitches)
2. House Hat (one each for Stormageddon and Little Man - worsted, two contrasting colors)
3. Arthur the Alien (for Little Man - worsted; any colors)
4. Holiday Countdown Stockings (for the family - Aran/worsted; four colors)
5. Mirkwood (for Little Man - worsted or bulky; any colors)
6. Something for a baby (brother's baby!) - sweater probably, maybe a toy or socks or lots of things...KNIT ALL THE BABY THINGS!

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 - Plucky Primo in Petunia?)
4. Hermione Hearts Ron Fingerless Mitts (sport weight; solid or semi-solid - Plucky Primo in Petunia?)
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. Jabberwonky (using KP Felici in Abracadabra)
3. If You Know Where To Go (using KP Felici in Green Veggies)
4. 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. The Snowmen Cometh (worsted; any colors)
11. Sunburst Dishcloth (cotton; any colors)
12. Starfish Cloth (cotton; any colors)
13. Seamless Circular Cloth (cotton; any colors)
14. Tombreck (Aran/worsted; solid or semi-solid)
15. Premie Spiral Hat (for hospital donations - sport or DK; any colors)

Designs
1. Ice Somethingsomething (knit prototype and pattern for submission)
2. Susan's Hat (make proper - photos, pattern, etc.; knit new prototype from Babs K2 from Stitches)
3. Little Man's Baby Blanket (make proper - photos, pattern, etc.)
4. Paradiddle Socks (knit prototype - see "Items for ME")
5. Pacific Waves Hat (knit prototypes in various weights/sizes, pattern for submission? self-publish?) *I've started this*
6. Stormageddon's Baby Blanket (design process, knit prototype, etc.)

Spinning
1. Spin approximately 4 oz of either a grey wool or white merino to ply with the purple silk/merino listed in the FO section above.

Other (for things that are fibery/crafty in nature but not specific to knitting or spinning)
1. Organize my handmade stitch markers
2. Make more stitch markers (to sell? donate? hoard?)
3. Organize my books/magazines/loose patterns. *started*

I've done some readjusting of the lists....again. I removed the dishcloth I'm working on, added some more information about design work things, blah blah blah.


Anyway, moving along....Life in California!

This week was a bit all over and up and down and all around. Little Man spent most of last weekend and the early part of this week sick with a cold and a "phantom fever." I kept him home from school on Monday, which I wish I hadn't done but I didn't know what specifically caused the fever and it was better to be safe and keep him home, in case he had something really nasty. Several of his classmates have newborn siblings at home (seriously, there are three kids in his class that have newborn siblings at home within the last 3 months) and one of his teachers is very pregnant (her last day was Friday). So, let's not spread anything really nasty, kthxbi.

Unfortunately, he shared whatever he had with his own baby brother. Stormageddon's cold turned into an ear infection and I had him into the "after hours" pediatric urgent care on Monday night with a 103.3F fever (that's around a 39.6C fever, for my non-USian readers) that I couldn't get down in traditional ways (cool washcloths, lukewarm bath, Tylenol, ibproufen, etc.) and he was so grumpy and tired and sick and cuddly. I felt awful for my poor baby.

He actually fell asleep on me for awhile, which he does not do anymore. But he was so so warm. However, a dose of amoxicillin, a good nights' sleep, and he was fine (other than not wanting to eat anything put in front of him....except for crackers and 'Nilla Wafers). He'll be on the amoxicillin until Thursday but he's already much better. In fact, I'd venture to say that he's not sick at all anymore but I'm not going to mess around when it comes to ear infections.

Before all that, however, I went to a local Just Between Friends sale at the event center here in town. If you're not familiar with the idea, it's like an indoor garage sale solely for children's items (and maternity items) with several people selling items in the same place at the same time. You can find clothes, bouncers, strollers, cribs, diapers, toys, food stuffs (unexpired & unopened baby food, plates, bottles, breast pumps, etc), carriers, bikes, and so on. Seriously, anything you could want, you can probably find. I picked up some new clothes for Little Man and Stormageddon, some even still had original tags on them. You can find things for super crazy cheap. One of the things I found, and I found it to be a crime against handknits:

Nevermind the miscrossed cable on the sleeve. I found this in the 3T/4T section so it's for Stormageddon.....for $8.50. Granted, it's made out of acrylic, but someone spent a buttload of time on this and put in lots of love. I snapped it right up.

It's a little big on him for now but I'm not too fussed about it because he's going to grow. I understand why it was probably sold but it still kills me that I bought it for so little. I know how much time the Gex sweater is taking and with all the cables and seaming and such, this would have taken significantly longer. I'm betting the yarn, even though it's acrylic, probably cost as much as I paid....maybe not but close. Or not. Whatever. Still! $8.50 for that sweater!

I picked up plenty of other things as well but that one is worth mentioning, as I'm a knitter.

Because I spent some time with small sick children, this photo happened earlier this week. This is actually out my bedroom window. We live right near one of the PG&E substations so we have an obscene amount of above-ground wires going around our house, through our backyard, and so on. Also, our magnolia tree :)

One of the other reasons I kept Little Man at home on Monday is because I knew he had Open House in his classroom later in the week and I didn't want him to miss it. On Wednesday morning, after some caffeinated beverages at the coffee shop across the street from the school, about half the class' parents came in for Open House (the other half went on Thursday). Little Man had four activities that he was going to show/teach me. He did three out of four and I think he thought the fourth one he was only supposed to explain and not actually do. He explained the banana cutting activity but didn't actually do it. They use an actual knife on little trays with plates and toothpicks and such. And I do not mean a butter knife. I mean a paring knife (because it's small enough for small hands). But, he didn't actually do the activity. I think he thought he wasn't supposed to. Whatever, he did show/teach me the other three.

These are the brown stairs blocks and the pink tower blocks. They're similarly sized (in that the big ones can line up because they're 10 cm x 10 cm and the next sizes down are 9 cm x 9 cm, and so on) so you can line them up and they build on each other. This is actually a very concrete physical concept for calculus. Yeah, frickin' calculus. They have no idea that's what they're doing and there are other ways to visualize the same concept but that's what it can lead to.

After that, he pulled out sound cards and we worked on "t" and "c". There are flashcards with photos of items that have the beginning sound listed on the front of the card. He had some difficulty because there were some photos that he couldn't identify (like a helium tank and a taxi, for example) but other than that, he did quite well.

His last activity was something called "Colored Bead Stairs 1-9." He had to line the beads up, count the beads on each little bar, then he had to color in circles on graph paper, cut it out, and glue it onto a bigger sheet. He did quite well, I thought, and he was so proud of himself.

The only other thing that happened on Wednesday, the day I went to Open House, was that the heavens opened up and I got drenched on my walk home from the school. I'm glad I didn't have Stormageddon along, though...he would not have been very happy.

Other than that, we had a pretty benign week around here. It started to get warmer toward the end of the week, leading to time in the pool and other outdoor activities.

I hope you've had a lovely week and are having a wonderful weekend! Have a sleepy Stormageddon :)

Hopefully I'll be back for an FO Friday this week....and it's the first of the month so I should have monthly goals :)