Y5: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #42

The answer to everything in life: 42

Happy Sunday!

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
25. TdF 1: 25%/25%/50% purple merino/silk & white merino (~ 540 yds; ~ 8 oz; DK/lt. worsted): started during TdF last year and finished the purple singles January 29, 2016; started the white last weekend, plied them on July 4, 2016
26. TdF 2: 25%/25%/50% leftover purple merino/silk & leftover kelly green merino (~ 20 yds; unknown weight; DK/lt. worsted): leftover bits that were plied on July 4, 2016
27. TdF 3: 100% merino, 50% hot pink, 50% grey (~ 50 yds; ~ 1 oz; DK/lt. worsted): started & finished on July 5, 2016
28: TdF 4: 100% merino, 50% rose pink, 50% navy blue (~ 50 yds; ~ 1 oz; DK/lt. worsted): started & finished on July 5, 2016
29. TdF 5: 25%/25%/50% leftover purple merino/silk & leftover hot pink merino (~ 10 yds; unknown weight; DK/lt. worsted): the purple was started during TdF last year and finished January 29, 2016; the hot pink was spun on July 5, 2016; they were plied on July 5, 2016
30. TdF 6: 100% merino, 50% leftover hot pink, 50% leftover navy blue (~ 10 yds; unknown weight; DK/lt. worsted): started & finished on July 5, 2016
31. TdF 7: 100% merino, rainbow gradient (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and white) (~ 220 yds; ~ 4 oz; worsted): started July 5, 2016; finished July 6, 2016
32: TdF 8: 50/50 merino/tencel, Fat Cat Fibers in Razzmatazz (three different skeins: two skeins are three-ply, one is around 245 yds of worsted and the other is around 120 yds, also worsted; one skein is chain plied, probably also a worsted weight, about 25 yds): started July 8, 2016; finished July 12, 2016
33. TdF 9: 100% white merino (~ 446 yds two-ply, probably sport weight; ~ 15 yds Andean Ply, also around a sport weight): started July 15, 2016; finished July 18, 2016
34. TdF 10: Superwash Merino/Bamboo/Nylon from Happy Hands Hand Dyed (~ 166 yds two-ply, probably Aran weight; ~ 14 yds Andean Plied, also Aran weight): started July 15, 2016; finished July 19, 2016
35. TdF 11: 60% BFL/40% Bombyx (Mulberry Silk) from Corgi Hill (~ 298 yds two-ply, probably DK/lt. worsted; ~ 25 yds Andean Plied, also DK/lt. worsted): started July 18, 2016; finished July 20, 2016
36: TdF 12: Unknown BFL, possibly from Yarn Hollow (~ 144 yds two-ply, probably Aran weight): started July 21, 2016; finished July 23, 2016

37. Rainbow Gradient Cowl: started August 5, 2016; finished August 6, 2016
38. Gex for Niece: started June 28, 2016; finished August 19, 2016
39. Diagonal Owl Dishcloth: started September 1, 2016; finished September 2, 2016

40. Fall in San Francisco (Prototype 1): started September 18, 2016; finished September 21, 2016
41. Fall in San Francisco (Prototype 2): started September 28, 2016; finished October 2, 2016
42. Design Proposal: started September 26, 2016; finished October 3, 2016

I've not finished anything new but that's not unusual, I suppose.


WIPs (Works-In-Progress) - carried over year-to-year
1. Wink: started January 5, 2015
2. Caffe Macchiato Socks: started May 7, 2016
3. Corgi Hill Polwarth/Tussah blend (spinning): started July 21, 2016
4. Oh, She IS a Bad Nut: started August 11, 2016
5. Fall in San Francisco (prototype 3): started October 4, 2016
6. Unknown grey wool (spinning): started October 7, 2016
7. Frene Creek Farm Corriedale (spinning): started October 12, 2016
8. Smooth Operator Socks: started October 13, 2016

I'm almost finished with my Caffe Macchiato sock...as in all I need to do is Kitchener the toe and weave in ends on the second sock and they're done. 

The hat prototype....well, let's just say that it was frogged and is currently stalled because I am terrible with math. It should have worked but it just wasn't. So, I've been having to do math and draw things and, as a result, I've not been knitting. Also, my gauge swatch was a lying liar liar, which is just leading to more problems. 

"Time Out" might be a more appropriate term.

Spinning, however....things have been happening there. 

That, friends, is the Polwarth/Tussah and it's plied on that bobbin. I still have some left on the first bobbin for Andean plying, which I've not done yet. I wound it off onto my niddy-noddy yesterday morning and it turns out I have around 340 yds from this bobbin. Keep in mind that I still have a bit left on the first bobbin to Andean ply, so I suspect that this is going to come out around 400 yds and be fingering weight, which makes me all giddy because I've never spun so fine in my life. So, you know, woo-hoo!

Also, I finished up the unknown grey wool that I had. There really wasn't much and it's all on one bobbin so I'm going to Andean ply that one of these days (and not muck it up like I did last time). Because those two projects were mostly finished, I started a third project. I had a 4ish oz Corriedale braid from Frene Creek Farm. I suspect I picked it up at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool in 2011. I was a little worried because of the saga of the Asshole Blue Corriedale...but this one is spinning up very well. I'm actually kind of hopeful that this one isn't going to turn into a pile of crap at the end. No photos yet; I haven't spun very much of it. Enough to cover the length of the bobbin, barely. 

And then, because I don't have enough going on in my little world, I started the Smooth Operator Socks. I'm using two different yarns: Loops & Threads Woolike and ONline Supersocke 100. The Woolike will be for the cuffs, heels, and toes while the Supersocke is the main color. 

Sanity? What sanity?!

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?) *started*

6. Stormageddon's Baby Blanket (design process, knit prototype, etc.)

Spinning

1. Given that TdF happened and I SPUN ALL THE YARNS, I think I'm going to take a break from spinning for a bit...Viktor needs a tune-up anyway. At least my parts have arrived.

Other (for things that are fibery/crafty in nature but not specific to knitting or spinning)

1. Organize my handmade stitch markers *mostly done?*

2. Make more stitch markers (to sell? donate? hoard?) *started...never-ending?*

3. Organize my books/magazines/loose patterns. *started*

4. Toss the stash (fiber & yarn). *started*

Even though I have seven eight projects going right now, I'm dreaming of my next one. The problem is that I've suddenly become overwhelmed by my stash. Like I'm at a total standstill about it. The thought of even opening up the yarn closet and pulling things out to find what I want (or what I have) is giving me a bit of anxiety. It's not serious. I don't need my Xanax or anything. But the thought of my stash is wearing me down. I think I'm going to have to have a HUGE "Come to Jeebus" stash toss...the kind that I do all in one fell swoop. And I'm a little skeered about it. Okay, not really. But anxiety about my stash...it's happening. I did have to go in there yesterday. Someone was interested in something from my destash and then someone else inquired about trading me because I have the dyelot she needs for a project. It was scary and it did result in doing some organizing, which did help. I had several project bags and totes that needed to go somewhere so I wound up emptying a bunch of bags into a bin, along with recent purchases (Lambtown, destashes, clubs, etc.) and cleaned out the remaining bits from my grandmother's stash. I had her yarn from the 1960s and I knew I was never going to use it, it smelled terrible, so I actually chucked it into the garbage. I feel a bit better, knowing I did that. However, I did a quick count and I have eighteen (18, yes, EIGHTEEN) bins of yarn and fiber. To be fair, I know that 3 contain strictly fiber and at least that many more are some of each. But, still, my yarn closet is.....well, my stash is OUT OF HAND. I need to have a little chat with my stash and I am on a 100% yarn diet until Stitches West (sans club shipments), and even then, I'm going to have to be very picky. 

In other random California events, Fleet Week is over. We got stuck in Fleet Week traffic on Sunday afternoon. Our friends that were in town wanted to get up to Golden Gate Bridge because, you know, San Francisco. That wasn't so bad. It was busier than normal but not OMGBUSY. We found parking, we did some walking, we attempted to walk the bridge (Little Man got really scared and we didn't get too far - I don't blame him because it kind of freaked me out, too, if we're being honest here), watched the Blue Angels practice before the big show...and then Husband had this great idea to go down to Fisherman's Wharf to Boudin for dinner. Great mistake. HUGE! It's all of about four miles from where we were (Fort Scott/the Presidio) to Fisherman's Wharf. It took us TWO HOURS to get within 2 blocks. And then, there was no way we were going to find parking. So, we texted and said, "meet us at your hotel and we'll do dinner there." Their hotel was the Fairmont, which is one of the fanciest and swankiest hotels in the entire city. It also houses the Tonga Room, which is famous in it's own right but we learned about it via Anthony Bourdain. 

Here are a few photos from last Sunday.

I promise he is wearing shorts under that shirt.

Don't ask me how I got this shot of the Golden Gate Bridge without people wandering about but it happened and it's awesome.

This is the Joseph Strauss memorial statue. The big thing to know about him is that he was the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge...hence why he has a memorial statue there.

This was a very cool......I don't even know what to call it. It's one of those things that changes as you walk by. So when you first look at it, you see what the area looked like before the Golden Gate Bridge was built and as you move across, the photos change. From this angle, you can see the change from 1934 to 1935 on the left and 1936 on the right. If I had been more to my right, you would see 1937 and 1938. Little Man was fascinated by it.

And the beginning of our walk across the Bridge.

The view downwards from about the point where we turned around. Last December, Husband, Little Man, one of my friends, Stormageddon (in the jogging stroller), and I did a 5K that went along that road pictured. It was rainy and windy and we got some massive waves that day. On Sunday, though, it was perfect.

One of the few photos from the Blue Angels practicing. There were seven planes, I believe. We also saw a couple of B-52 bomber planes do flyovers. 

Monday was something of a recoup type of day. Unfortunately, Stormageddon and I were starting to get sick. Monday was pretty bad for Stormageddon. He spiked a fever in the morning, he was cranky all day, and the snot was flowing. Poor boy. Late Monday and Tuesday, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt like my face had been bashed in with an ugly stick. I was tired, snotty, coughing, and just generally ew. Little Man was also starting in with the plague on Tuesday but at that point, he was just coughing.

Tuesday afternoon, Little Man had an appointment with his genetic metabolic specialist. He fell asleep in the car on the way there. He fell asleep in the car on the way home. When we got home around 5pm, he crawled into our bed and fell asleep for a couple hours. When he woke up around 8pm, he had spiked a fever. ::sigh::

Yeah, he was sick. He stayed home from school on Wednesday. He started feeling better in the afternoon but I'm glad I kept him home. He fell asleep on the couch around 10:45am, through Stormageddon playing nearby and the Angry Birds movie. When he woke up, he was feeling much better and his room took a hit as a result. Oh well. He was feeling better and that's important.

Thursday, Little Man was back at school and not a whole lot happened (aside from starting the new sock). Oh, I did get my hairs all did up. And swimming lessons. Just a normal Thursday. Oh, and we found out exactly what was wrong with our washing machine. It was a sensor that needed replacing. Not the intake, not the motor, just a damn sensor....::sigh:: So, that's coming tomorrow.

Friday, the weather turned all crappy around here. The temperatures dropped a bit and we had real, actual, substantial rain. Now, I don't think we got nearly the amount that was foretold, at least not at our house...but it was actual rain. In addition to that, I had a meeting that lasted 3 hours (we get distracted a lot). When we got home, I put on jammies and that was that. I figured the weather was crappy so I could dress accordingly.

Yesterday, we were supposed to go to the renaissance faire but with the rain, it meant mud, and mud and small children don't mix very well. So, that didn't happen. We had plenty of other stuff to do instead. I ran a few errands in the morning. I went to the post office to send out something from my Etsy shop...finally...sorry Stef! After that, I ran back to the salon where I had my hairs all did on Thursday because they operate on a cash/check tip system and I don't carry either one with me...so I went in with my cash tip. I also ran to the bank and finished closing an account. Oh, and the grocery store. After that, we took a family trip to Walmart (I know, I know...but it's far enough away that we don't go that often and it's where we get Stormageddon's diapers & baby wipes). The rest of the afternoon was spent watching movies, Husband put together a Lego Star Wars set, I did the yarn closet thing....yeah, nothing exciting. Oh, I did pull yarn for George's Vest (noted in the Children's Items section above)...it was easy because it was in one of the project bags, which means I was thinking ahead for a hot minute.

Anyway, more photos, including the saga of my hair :)

In fact, let's start with the hair saga.

Pre-anything. I had literally taken my hair out of it's bun and this is what I looked like.

Partway through the first round of highlights.

I think this was just after the highlights were finished and the roots had been started.

I dunno. I think I had some sort of Harly Quinn pseudo-pigtails going on here.

Getting rinsed in the sink, before the glaze (whatever the hell that was)...

And the final result. After a haircut, too...

In addition to that, these things also happened:

This is one of Husband's brewing buckets (which he no longer uses and I did, in fact, throw it out yesterday). Stormageddon was being a booger and climbed right inside.

And Puppy. He's getting a bath later today because he needs one. He's also bitten his butt raw in one spot again, but it doesn't look like we're going to have to do anything funny like drain it. I'm putting anti-itchy stuff on it and I think a bath will help. So, there's that.

Oh, and I caught the boys doing this yesterday afternoon. They were watching Home together, very nicely. And yes, Little Man is hiding under his blanket. Silly children.

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend! I might be back later this week but we'll have to see how things come along.