Year the TENTH: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Can You Hear the People Sing?! (Update #8)

Happy Sunday! We're here for my Self-Imposed Year of Projects Update so let's see what's happening. 

FOs (Finished Objects)
1. Greenwood Fiberworks Dark BFL (Viktor): started 28 June 2020; finished 17 January 2021
2. Boo-Yah: started 26 January 2021; finished 27 January 2021

Nope. Nothing new. Sorry.

 

WIPs (Works-in-Progress) *these are carried over year after year, as needed*
1. Wink: started 5 January 2015
2. Shetland Neck Wool (support spindle): started 8 September 2017
3. Returning: started 14 January 2018
4. Faerie Mountain Fibers Crazy Batt (EEW Mini): started 13 April 2018
5. Granny Square Blanket: started 28 April 2018
6. UW Ski Hat: started 11 July 2018
7. Purl & Loop Weaving Project: started 28 August 2018
8. Herbivore: started 15 November 2018
9. Linen Stitch Scarf: started 2 June 2020
10. Vanilla Socks: started 9 August 2020
11. Minecraft Socks: started 12 August 2020
12. Sand Drift Blanket: started 17 January 2021
13. Alpaca (Viktor): started 17 January 2021

I've been working on a few varied projects this past week. I made some progress on the Sand Drift Blanket...I knit maybe three pattern repeats (remember, the rows are 185 sts long), which equates to about an inch and a half of work, which is delightful. It's a soothing pattern to work on, even if the rows are long.

I also pulled out the Linen Stitch Scarf and worked on that here and there. I have to pay attention though because I almost caught myself doing the pattern for the Sand Drift Blanket, as they're very similar. It was okay, though. I didn't actually screw up but I did have to think before I started each row. 

I also worked on the Vanilla Socks. I'm just working down the foot and I've got maybe 20-25 rounds to go before the toe decreases. As I'm getting older, my eyesight is starting to fail (more than it already was - I have terrible eyesight to begin with). The dark yarn coupled with the fuzziness of the single spun yarn was causing some issues with counting my rounds. I can't count the rounds unless I have bright, indirect light or natural light. I suppose it would help if I wore some readers or something but I'm just not quite there. Probably sooner than later, though. 

I also contemplated working on a few other projects but I just didn't get there. Oh well. Maybe this coming week?

 

OMGLSGWTFBBQ

Design WIPs:
1. Messed Up Moss: started March 2009 - write pattern as PDF (iterations: first, second)
2. Susan's Hat: started 31 August 2010 - need new prototypes & write the pattern (iterations: first, second, third, mini, fifth, sixth)
3. Little Man's Baby Blanket: started July 2010 - need new prototype & write pattern (iteration: here)
4. Chunky Scarf: started 6 October 2012 - need new prototype & write pattern (iteration: here)
5. Pacific Waves Hat: started 9 March 2016 - need new prototype & write the pattern (iterations: first, second, third)
6. Fall in San Francisco: started 18 September 2016 - need new prototype & write pattern (iterations: first, second)
7. Stomping Grounds Collection: started 26 February 2017 - need prototypes & write patterns
8. Unnamed Hat Design: started 14 August 2017 - need various weight yarn prototypes & write pattern (iterations: first, second)
9. Paradiddle Socks: started 19 October 2017 - write pattern (iteration: here)

 

Design Ideas:
1. Christmas Stocking for Husband
2. Christmas Stocking for Little Man
3. Christmas Stocking for Stormageddon
4. Baby Blanket
5. Stomping Grounds Collection

 

Items for ME (Selfish Knitting FTW!):
1. Rose's Wrist Warmers (DK weight - using Aran instead; hand-dyed Malabrigo Twist?)
2. Perianth (fingering weight - Knitcircus Trampoline in The Whole Enchilada)
3. Stranger Things Hat (worsted - Malabrigo Rios in Archangel)
4. Autopilot (worsted weight - Sincere Sheep Cormo Worsted or htNEVELE Worsted in Reveire)
5. Fine Tune (fingering weight - uses minis so maybe a rainbow type one with the Canon Hand Dyes?)*
6. Flax (worsted weight - Misty Alpaca in the Harry Potter colors)
7. Park Slope (fingering weight - Mountain Fibers Crazyfoot in Shamrock)
8. Undone (bulky - maybe the reclaimed yarn from the Freeport Vest?)
9. Socks (fingering weight - Bob knows I have enough so I should use it - maybe with the CSM)
10. Sockhead (fingering weight - I have tons...pick something!)
11. Age of Brass & Steam (Handspun purple/white barber pole)
12. Radiate Shawl (fingering weight - Artfibers Carezza maybe?)
13. El Panal Cowl (Kit from Greenwood Fiberworks)

Children's Items
1. Flax for Stormageddon (Stunning String Legacy Worsted)
2. Honey Badger: (worsted weight - black & white acrylic I have banging around the stash)*
3. Mittens for Stormageddon (worsted weight probably)
4. Maybe a Flax for Little Man...maybe...

 

Utilitarian/Household Items
1. Garter Chevron Blanket (KP Mighty Stitch - may need to get some more black or white)
2. Diagonal Knit Dishcloths (cotton of some sort)
3. Reusable Produce Bag (cotton or acrylic of some sort - worsted)
4. Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth (cotton or maybe bamboo, depending on the use)

Spinning:

1. Wonderland Dyeworks BFL

2. Mixed BFL

3. Allons-Y Fiber Arts Merino, Trilobal Nylon, Silk

4. Fiberlady.com 100% Bamboo 

Dyeing:

1. Sock Blanks
2. Skeins of sock yarn
3. Random worsted/sport skeins

4. Anything else I find along the way

Other Fibery Endeavors:

1. Create project bag inventory

2. Update library inventory (on Ravelry) *in progress*

3. Update stash inventory (on Ravelry) *needs to be redone*

4. Stitch markers: kits and individual

5. Destash as necessary (it's always necessary)

6. Stash Fit

 

 

 

For those of you in Texas, I hope you've found a way to stay safe. It's a total mess and I have no idea what to do or how to help that hasn't already been said or done. I have friends that are boiling snow for water, others that lost power for a couple of days, and some were in places that were completely fine, other than the snow on the ground. I apologize for my cursing but it's a total shitshow out there right now. 

My friends back home in Wisconsin (and other parts of the Midwest) have been dealing with absolutely frigid temperatures, and in most cases it's been too cold to actually snow, which is probably a good thing as they've got enough on the ground. 

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we've had some rain and it's been a little colder but that's about it. We haven't had any of that pounding rain or howling wind recently. Of course, I say that and now we'll probably get it again. It doesn't much matter because it's not like we're going anywhere. It just means Puppy has been inside to cuddle more often, which he rather enjoys.

 

I also spent some time baking this past week. And all you're going to get are photos of food porn (and one photo of my legs). Last week, I finished making the banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I figure the recipe makes about five dozen cookies (which is an estimate based on how much of the cookie batter was consumed before cooking, plus the batch I made the week before). That's pretty good, actually. I think I'll make them again.

 

 

 

 

 

This past week was also Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras. Our roommate made Cajun shrimp with red beans & rice. He also made Bananas Foster. I made beignets. I've had them several times but I've never made them. They're ridiculously easy, to be honest.The recipe says I should have around 22-25....I wound up with like 35. Of course, some of them were smaller than others but this was what it looked like when I cut them.

 

 

 

Then I fried them in some hot oil on the stove. I used a candy thermometer to make sure the temperature was right (it was). They puffed up almost immediately. And I hardly had to do any work to get them to cook properly. After I took them out of the oil, I sprinkled powdered sugar all over them.

 

 

 

 

Like I said, they were very puffy. I brought a plate to a friend that's from Louisiana and she said that I must have known that her king cake didn't turn out. If anyone would know what a beginet should look like and taste like, it would be her. And they all approved. 

 

Lastly, I leave you with my legs. One of my friends was cleaning out her closet and we're about the same size so she unloaded a bunch of Lularoe leggings on me. I'm not going to say no to butterpants :) 

 

 

I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend. I'm hoping for more knitting time but we'll see how things go.