Year Six: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #2

Happy Sunday!

In usual fashion, I had a birthday. That's how this whole thing started. I have a birthday a week into the new year and I thought it was a good time to coincide with the rest of the Year of Projects group, especially as it was their six month mark. Soooo, we're here. Second update. And a birthday (yesterday).


Finished Objects (FOs):
Nope. Nothing yet. Sorry. Keep moving!


Works-in-Progress (WIPs)/17 UFOs in 2017:
1. Wink: started January 5, 2015
2. Oh, She IS a Bad Nut: started August 11, 2016
3. Fall in San Francisco (prototype 3): started October 4, 2016
4. Frene Creek Farm Corriedale (spinning): started October 12, 2016
5. Smooth Operator Socks: started October 13, 2016
6. Stormageddon's Vest: started October 17, 2016
7. Hermione's Everyday Socks (v2): started November 14, 2016
8. Trusty (v2): started December 22, 2016
9. Morvarch Aardvark: started January 1, 2017
10. Messed Up Moss: started January 4, 2017

Soooooo, I thought eight projects should have been enough. Apparently I was wrong. I started two new projects this week. To be fair, one of them had been planned for an -along for a few months and our start date was January 1st and the other one kind of falls into the 17 UFOs section. I'm reknitting a project/prototype and rewriting an existing pattern. So, neither project was unexpected.

Let's start at the end of the list: Messed Up Moss. I've been hemming and hawing about rewriting the pattern properly and making a proper prototype for awhile. The original prototype was gifted shortly after I finished it. The boys and I stopped at Michael's the other day and they were having a B1G1F (buy 1, get one free) on some of their bulky yarns so I picked up four skeins of Loops & Threads Woolzee in red (Little Man's request). I don't think I'm going to need more than two for a scarf for Little Man but, you know, just in case. And I have a couple other patterns that require bulky yarn and revamping so they'll get used anyway.

And then there's the Morvarch shawl. We're doing a Hague-along in the monthly threads on LSG (in Ravelry, of course). Most of us are doing the Morvarch shawl but there are plenty of other patterns to chose from.

I'm thinking about ripping it out and starting over. I'm not sold on my m1p and my starting hole is quite large. Soooo, I'm still wafting about whether I'm going to restart this or not. I'm using Wollmeise Twin on US #3 needles. The original is done in laceweight on US #3s. I have plenty of yarn (I have 2000 yds) so I'm not worried about that part. I'm not even fussed about the needle size. But, I think it looks like crap and I should start over. In fact, I think I just made my decision.

Scratch that. I frogged it and started over and am now into the first chart (which I'm reading the line-by-line instructions for). I'm still using the same yarn and needles, though.

I pulled out the Trusty hat this past week, as well. I finished up the first pattern repeat. I have at least three more to go, possibly more. The original pattern (that I test knit at the end of December) is done in worsted weight but I'm doing this one in DK with more stitches (just six more but still, it's six more stitches, which adds up to almost an inch). I'm going to have to account for using thinner yarn and smaller needles somewhere (hence more stitches and probably more pattern repeats). No photos of that, though.

Hermione's Everyday Socks continue to grow. I did two whole pattern repeats on one sock last Sunday afternoon. I've not touched them since. But, I did two pattern repeats on one sock (I need to catch up the other sock). It's progress.

Stormageddon's Vest wound up in the naughty corner to think about what it had done on Thursday.

That, friends, is a dropped stitch. To be fair, I had probably dropped it a good five rounds prior but I caught it after it had traveled down a further five or six. So, I caught the stitch while at Little Man's swimming lessons, put it in the bag, and dealt with it Thursday night after the boys were in bed. It's not particularly difficult to pick up dropped stitches in stockinette but it can be tricky if you have small children clamoring on you while you're doing it. But, it's fixed and I'm caught up.

My Smooth Operator Socks hit a milestone this week when I put in the waste yarn for the afterthought heel that I'm eventually going to do. But that's it, I swear!

And lastly, in spinning news (because I didn't work on anything from the beginning of my WIP list), I finished up the second half of the Corriedale from Frene Creek Farm on Friday night.

I'm letting it rest for a day or two before I decide to pull Viktor back down to ply them. I'm actually thinking about spinning up two bobbins of another project and then get everything plied. We'll see how that all works out. 

17 UFOs in 2017
1-8: WIP list UFOs
9. Design: Susan's Hat
10. Design: Little Man's Baby Blanket
11. Design: Paradiddle Socks (aka Little Drummer Girl)
12. Design: Pacific Waves Hat
13. Design: Fall in San Francisco Hat
14. Stash Inventory (photos, in Rav database)
15. Dystopian Novel
16. Doctor Who blanket (1)
17. Doctor Who blanket (2)

I've already talked about the WIP section of this list (#1-8) but, in addition to that, I did some design work. I pulled out my design notebook(s) and loose papers with pattern bits written on them, wrote down everything into another notebook and it turns out I have around nineteen designs in some state of progress (or finished state). That's far more than I have listed here. But, I found my papers for Little Man's baby blanket, Susan's Hat (both versions), and a few other things. So, I can get started on refining some of those. I have a feeling I'm going to need a test knitter to knit Little Man's baby blanket with something like Cascade 220 because the original yarn I used has been discontinued for a number of years now. I'd rather not have to reknit it, though I certainly could.......but I'd rather not. So, if anyone has a bug in their pants to test knit a baby blanket, let me know.


And in my "OMGLSGWTFBBQ" lists...

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)

These are the only ones that are currently set up. I have plans to make a few more but we'll see how things go.


Stranded Knitting
1. University of Wisconsin Ski Hat (kit)
2. University of Wisconsin Christmas Stocking (kit)
3. University of Wisconsin Button Beanie (kit)
4. Xanadu Snowflake Cowl
5. Unknown Christmas Stocking for Little Man (see also: Designs)
6. Unknown Christmas Stocking for Stormageddon (see also: Designs)
7. Unknown Christmas Stocking for Husband (see also: Designs)


Children's Items:
1. Stuffed toy for Miss C (SIL's foster child)
2. Stuffed toy for Mr. K (SIL's foster child)
3. Stuffed toy for Miss E (SIL's adopted daughter)
4. Stuffed toy for TAZ (brother's daughter)
5. Undetermined hat for Little Man
6. Undetermined hat for Stormageddon
7. Mittens for Little Man
8. Mittens for Stormageddon


Items for ME (selfish knitting FTW!):
1. Park Slope (fingering, specifically Mountain Colors Crazy Foot)
2. Worsted weight house socks (worsted, of course - maybe something like Lumberjack)
3. Classic Silk Mayfaire Camisole (Miss Babs something or other)
4. Evangeline (worsted; solid or semi-solid)
5. Lichen (Aran or Sport/DK; solid or semi-solid)
6. Moyen Age (fingering; one of my Vice Yarns?)
7. Ginny's Cardigan (DK; solid or semi-solid)
8. Drip Drip Drop (sock; solid or semi-solid)
9. Celtic Myths (worsted; solid)
10. Jag in Garter Stitch (DK; 2 colors)
11. Cobh (fingering; 2 colors)\
12. Offhand Lace (bulky; solid or semi-solid)
13. Whitman (DK; any color)
14. Flax (worsted; any color - Misti Alpaca Harry Potter-esque one?)


Christmas/Charity Bin:
1. 198 Yds of Heaven (worsted; solid)
2. Comfort Food (Aran; solid)
3. Tombreck (worsted; solid or semi-solid)
4. Premie Spiral Hat (DK; any color)
5. Pumpkins & a Pattern (any weight, any color - gauge doesn't matter)


Designs:
1. Susan's Hat *started* - need new prototype & write pattern
2. Little Man's Baby Blanket *started* - write pattern
3. Paradiddle Socks - need prototype & write pattern
4. Pacific Waves Hat *started* - need another prototype & write pattern
5. Fall in San Francisco *started* - need another prototype & write pattern
6. Stormageddon's Baby Blanket - need prototype & write pattern
7. Cabled pullover (grey look-alike sweater) - need sketch, grading, swatch, prototype, & write pattern
8. Christmas stocking for Little Man - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)
9. Christmas stocking for Stormageddon - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)
10. Christmas stocking for Husband - need charts, prototype, & write pattern (maybe)


Spinning:
1. Finish up the Frene Creek Farm Corriedale (see also: WIPs)
2. Miss Babs BFL
3. Sandy's Palette Merino/Silk (1)
4. Sandy's Palette Merino/Silk (2)
5. Faerie Mountain Fibers Crazy Batt
6. Wash & start processing Alpaca fleece from Lambtown
7. Wash & start processing Merino fleece from Lambtown


Other:
1. Stash Inventory
2. Stitch markers
3. Make sure my vintage patterns are in Ravelry (Workbasket magazines, leaflets, etc.)




Here in "northern" California, the rain has started. We're supposed to be in for quite a storm. Or series of storms. Whatever, we're getting some much-needed rain. Unfortunately, some areas are experiencing flooding and mudslides. The ski resorts are loving the snow, though. When I was at the gym yesterday, I heard there were parts of the Bay Area that could wind up getting a foot of rain. Yeah, 12" of rain. We're only expected to get something like 2-4" at our house. Soooo, there's that. Our backyard is probably going to wind up having a lake for awhile. Again.

Last Sunday, New Years Day, we went on an adventure of sorts. Husband decided that we all needed to get on the bikes (okay, he and I needed to get on the bikes and haul the boys in the carrier)...but my bike needed some work. Specifically, I needed to have the tires filled and it probably could use a bath. So, Husband diligently started filling the air in the tires and POP! He popped a tire. So, here we are, on a holiday, having to replace the tube on the wheel of my bike. Luckily, we found one of the several bike shops open so we hauled the bike over there on the car carrier, had the tube replaced and the wheels filled. On our way back home, we had just gotten onto the main highway and the bike started rattling, then swinging, and finally flying off the back of the car. Luckily, Husband caught what it was doing in the mirror and managed to get to the side of the highway...but not before the bike flew off. It landed in the ditch and I hopped out to retrieve it. The belts holding it to the bike rack had snapped but there were three other sets we could use so we hooked it back up and drove the remaining mile to our house to assess the full damage. It was mostly just road rash but we did have to realign the handlebars, which didn't take much actually. And then we were on our way (in my case, it was quite wobbly). I've not ridden a bike since....1994 or so. So I was extremely wobbly and definitely scared to fall. But, I got over it, remembered how to do the thing, and did the thing. And I might even want to do it again. But not in the rain. That night, our friends that were supposed to come over on Christmas Eve came over for the Packer game. No one in this house cares about football but we like our friends (which resulted in the two pattern repeats of Hermione's Everyday Socks noted above).

On Wednesday, I took the boys over to an indoor play gym place (not the one we usually go to) and let them burn off a lot of energy. They both needed it.

Thursday came around in it's usual fashion. I got up super early to go to the gym (okay, I was at the gym by 7am, which isn't horribly early but it was too early for me) because the rest of the day was filling up quickly. After a doctor appointment, I took both boys to a child-friendly (and encouraged) knitting group. When we lived in Alameda, there was a group of stay-at-home-mamas (or work-odd-hours-mamas) and we got together with our kids and did some knitting and/or other crafting. It worked well. But then we moved across the Bay and our kids got older and schedules didn't mesh and, for the most part, it stopped happening. So, I was rather elated to find that there was a similar one locally.....and by "locally," I mean within a mile of my house. In fact, Stormageddon and I have walked by this house many times on our way to get Little Man from school, and I can't even tell you how many times we drive past the house in a week. So, that was lovely. Unfortunately, the hostess' older child was away at camp but he and Little Man are about the same age and have some similar interests. Also, she knows one of Little Man's classmate's parents (that I like). Exciting times all around. That night is when I discovered the dropped stitch on Stormageddon's Vest and put it into the naughty corner.

On Friday, Husband stayed home from work because his back was acting up. I took a day off from the gym and went to the chiropractor instead. We had a birthday dinner for me and that was about it. Oh, and I did some spinning. Exciting times.

Yesterday, we had a lazy day at home once we got back from the gym. Husband managed to find a good birthday present, though. It was delivered via FedEx yesterday afternoon.

I've been looking at this book off and on for awhile and I made an off-hand comment that I'd like to own it. Husband ordered it and lo, I now own it. And it's not just for pretties. There are plenty of things to actually read in this book. So, I've been, you know, reading the book.

I wish I had more photos of the boys this week but it was one of those weeks where photos just didn't really happen.

I have a series of these on my phone. Apparently Stormageddon got my phone into camera mode and took a bunch of photos of his forehead. Someday, his whole face will be in there and I'll have a series much like the one I have of Little Man, which hangs on our wall. There were also plenty of black ones and it appears that he also tried to use the panoramic feature. Whatever. Digital files can be deleted.

And then there's this. That's an Ikea bag, one of those HUGE blue ones that you can buy for $0.50 and fill to the brim with stuff. The contents of this particular Ikea bag are lemons from our tree. Mind you, our lemon tree is still a baby. But that bag was heavy. I'm sending a box of lemons to Wisconsin sometime this week, probably when the weather lets up a bit. I also went out and picked oranges off our fully-matured orange tree. I didn't even make a dent and I filled three regular reusable shopping bags (like the Walmart-sized ones). The tree is still quite full. So, a box of oranges is also heading to Wisconsin.

I hope you're all having a lovely week. Little Man goes back to school (finally) on Tuesday :)