Y5: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #27

Happy July :) If you're new to Year of Projects (you followed a blog linky over in the group, for example) or if you've just wandered in......

Well, you might be wondering why (1) I'm still on my 5th Year and (2) everyone else is starting with the 6th Year. Simple: I am on a January-December schedule because my birthday is in January (the end of the first week of January, specifically) and I joined in the middle of the first year.

Now that we've briefly discussed all that, let's get going on the update :)


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
21. Creeper Hat: started April 28, 2016; finished May 4, 2016
22: Finn & Suffolk blend (spinning): started April 1, 2016; singles finished May 27, 2016; plied May 31, 2016
23. Gex for Little Man: started April 8, 2016; finished June 5, 2016
24. Bridal Shower Lace Cloth: started June 20, 2016; finished June 27, 2016

It's not a great photo (dark, unblocked, etc.) but I finished the cloth this past week. It's a bit too loose for my liking so I think if/when I make it again, I'll go down a needle size or two. Probably two, actually. It's perfectly useable and I'm sure I'll use it for something but it's very loose. Oh well. Lesson learned.



WIPs (Works-In-Progress) - carried over year-to-year
1. Wink: started January 5, 2015
2. Caffe Macchiato Socks: started May 7, 2016
3. Gex for Niece: started June 28, 2016
4. Tour de Fleece: July 2nd-24th

My WIP list is kind of on the short side...surprisingly. But maybe not surprisingly. I frogged the CashSilk Fern Scarf this past week.

The top half is after I pulled the needle out and the bottom half is proof that it was frogged. ::sigh:: I somehow lost a stitch, tinked back two rows, couldn't find where I lost it, and I just frogged it. I may or may not make that scarf someday and I will use this yarn someday....but not together.

You'll also notice I started another Gex sweater. It's officially been released (you can buy it via Ravelry), it comes in 17 sizes (0-6 months to 4XL), and I have an incubating niece. So, I started another (smaller) one. She's due for her grand appearance on November 5th but my brother and sister-in-law are hoping for October 31st (they're weird that way)...and I'd rather make a sweater for a larger child than a newborn, especially as due dates aren't 100% accurate. So, I'm making the 1-2 year size and she can wear it all winter. But don't think I've done a lot of knitting on it because no, that's just not happening.

Tour de Fleece started yesterday and I managed to find enough time to spin a full bobbin. Yeah, on the first day. Seriously, I have photographic evidence!

Empty bobbin, ready to go

4.2 oz of white merino (maybe a silk blend)

Full bobbin, all 4.2 oz

There are still 21 days of TdF and I filled a bobbin already. Today, as we're out of town, I'm probably not going to get around to the second plan: plying the white with the purple merino/silk blend (#4 above)......since I found the bobbin on Friday! I had been unable to find it and I finally found it when I did some more organization in the yarn closet. So....there's that. I may or may not get around to plying on Monday. I might switch gears and start spinning something else. We'll see :)


In my "WTFCRAZYLADYOMGLSGBBQ" 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)

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)
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 (#4 - also, I need to locate

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*


Not much happening around here. I've removed a couple things that have been added to the WIP list but that's about it. Exciting, I promise.




As tomorrow is July 4th, we are actually out of town for the day. We headed up to Santa Rosa with the boys for a day out of the City, with friends. But, that's not all that important right now.

This week has kind of been a bit of blur actually. My back was really angry last weekend and I actually had to use the muscle relaxer just so I could sleep. It was not a happy couple of days. But, I still went to the gym on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Last Sunday, we also did a bit of shopping. Husband was in need of new shorts and I needed a new swim suit. Last summer, we bought two swimsuits: one I fit into (the "now" suit) and one I hoped to fit into someday ("goal suit"). By the time we went on our cruise over New Years, I could fit into my "goal suit." So, I've been rocking the "goal suit" when it occurred to me that it wasn't fitting very well anymore...it was, um...too big in places. It was a halter, so it ties around my neck. No matter how tight I made the halter, things weren't staying where they should and it was just pulling my head and neck forward. So, off we went. I bought a new swimsuit that was at least a size smaller than my old "goal suit" (which is the new "now" suit), and I bought a new "goal suit" that is two sizes smaller than the new "now" suit. Unfortunately, the new "now" suit has one flaw, and it's going to be a flaw no matter what I do. I'm rather......well endowed, shall we say, and the cup sizes on the swimsuits are too small so I'm trying to pop out. But if I get the next size up, I totally flop out. Soooooo.....yeah. Apparently you can't be a US 14 and have a huge rack. Stupid consumerism.

On Monday, I had a doctor appointment and then we drove down to San Carlos, which is only about 10 miles away but because of traffic and such, it took us almost a half-hour to get there. We went to a lovely place that my friend, Carrie, has been pimping on Instagram for quite awhile called Vanilla Moon Bakery.

Three cupcakes and four snickerdoodle cookies came home. They were worth it. The two in front are chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes and the one in back is a vanilla cupcake with blue buttercream frosting. That one was for Little Man; the other two were for the three of us to share. Soooo good. 

I also signed up for UrbanSitter, which is a way to find babysitters in your area. As we know very few people here, this works well for us. Each sitter has a profile, a calendar of available dates, amount of experience, age, etc. Some will also say if they've had any certifications (CPR, Infant CPR, educational coursework, etc.) and background checks. You pay through the website/app, which can be connected to your credit card, you can add tip, and you can also partake in a Yelp-like experience in that you can rate the sitter. So, on Monday after cupcakes and doctor appointments and such for me, we had a working interview. The boys have never really been with anyone that they're not familiar with and I didn't know how they would react, particularly Stormageddon. So, as part of the "test," I went into Stormageddon's room to do some work (getting his clothing situation taken care of - 18-24 month sizes out, 2T in...and some 3T). Little Man talked her ear off and Stormageddon was okay with her. As a result, we're having her back in a couple of weeks so Husband and I, as well as some of the other parents from Little Man's class, can have a date night. 

Tuesday was a somewhat lazy day, aside from going to the gym. Little Man got a little too rough with Stormageddon and, as a result, Stormageddon smucked his head on the window sill in the front room and wound up biting through his little lip. Lots of blood and tears but he's okay. 

You can kind of see the spot on the right side of his mouth in the above photograph. He wouldn't let me check his teeth, though, so I had to wait a day or so before I wrenched his mouth open to wiggle teeth and check for chipping. He's fine, other than that, though I suspect this one is going to be in the hospital with a broken something or other before he enters preschool. ::sigh:: Little daredevil!

Wednesday was, unfortunately, a rough day for Husband. He got home late because there was a send off for the three coworkers of his that lost their jobs. He was also the one that had to escort each of them out of the building, collect their work-related electronics/paperwork (laptops, desktop computers, phones, etc.), and treat them something like criminals, even though they are all friends of his. That was really rough on him. He actually wound up taking Friday off because he was so distraught from it. He did, however, have to work from home on Thursday.

Thursday and Friday were pretty normal, non-adventure kind of days. I took the boys to the craft store and picked up a few things for birthdays and a couple things for the boys to do this summer. 

I picked up a little "make your own" figure type thing and Little Man took about an hour doing that on Thursday afternoon. Stormageddon sat in his high chair and colored during that same time. They both had fun. I also went through Little Man's markers and tossed the dead ones (only four, surprisingly, as I find caps off and the markers all over constantly). 

Friday morning, Little Man woke up looking like this:

He has nasty reactions to bug bites and he got a couple on his face. This was the result. It got more swollen and red throughout the day and he looked like he'd been hit in the face. I gave him some chewable/dissolvable allergy meds but they didn't really do anything for him. And because of the location, I couldn't put anything on the bug bites. So, the poor kiddo had to suffer for awhile. He didn't seem too fussed about it, other than they itched on occasion. He's had this happen several times, usually in the summer when the mosquitos are out. The only thing I really dislike is because he looks like he's been smacked, I always worry that some well-meaning (read: interfering) person is going to make an anonymous call to CPS. Thankfully, I've had him to the doctor about it a few times and it's well-documented that this is how he reacts to bug bites. Also, his doctor is a sane person with kids of her own that react similarly to bug bites. 

Saturday was kind of a busy day for us. One of the girls from Little Man's preschool class had a birthday party so we went over to the park for that. Little Man goes back and forth about this girl. He keeps trying to tell me that she doesn't like him, but I know she does. Apparently she's asked her mom more than once when Little Man is coming over to play. So, I think he's just silly. I explain that they play differently. He's more of a run and jump all the time whereas she is content to sit and color or play quiet games, which isn't to say they don't partake in the opposite activities (trust me, that girl can take a fall like no one's business - she's a tough cookie). It helps that I get along with her mom really well. She's one of my Mama Dates (we have coffee while the kids are in school or we ditch the children and go out on the town or go to movies and such). Anyway, we walked over to the park where they were having the party and the boys had a blast. 

You can still see how Little Man's eye is almost swollen shut. It was much better yesterday than it was the day before. Either way, we're still going to bug bomb his room while we're gone today. 

After the party, we spent some time in our pool, and then we drained it. It's a cheapo one from Walmart and we've had it for about three years now. In those three years, one corner, in particular, has begun to sink to the point that we're having trouble keeping it filled enough for the filter to run. So....we drained it and we did some adjusting but it didn't go very well. We got the droopy side up and it was up too far so we tried to compensate by bringing it all up and it was just a mess and it screwed up my back. ::sigh::

Anyway, that's about all I have for right now so I'm going to wander off and I hope you're having a lovely weekend :)