Year the TENTH: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - I'm still trying to process 2020...what do you mean it's almost October? (Update #39)

Here we are. Again. On Monday. Well, to be honest, I started this on Saturday night but I know how I roll so, really, it's Monday...

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
3. Minecraft Socks: started 12 August 2020; finished 6 March 2021
4. Alpaca (Viktor): started 17 January 2021; finished 17 March 2021
5. Dyeing Project: started 9 April, 2021; finished 9 April 2021
6. El Panal Cowl: started 5 April 2021; finished 29 April 2021
7. Rose City Rollers: started 7 March 2021; finished 1 June 2021
8. Unknown Wool (Viktor): started 26 June 2021; finished 27 June 2021
9. Abstract Fibers Merino Tencel (Viktor): started 27 June 2021; finished 29 June 2021
10. Frabjous Fibers Merino Top (Viktor): started 30 June 2021; finished 2 July 2021
11. Allons-y Fiber Arts Merino (Viktor): started 4 July 2021; finished 7 July 2021
12. Rose City Rollers: started 1 June 2021; finished 12 August 2021
13. Flax for Stormageddon: started 29 April 2021; finished 31 August 2021
14. Waiting for Winter Mittens: started 11 September 2021; finished 21 September 2021

I finished up the mittens for my grandma. They've had their ends woven in. They've been washed. They're dry....and here they are!

 

I'm sending them off to my grandma today so we likely won't see them again. She's a knitter so if a repair needs to happen, she knows how to do that. I even sent her some of the extra yarn, just in case. 

 

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. Sand Drift Blanket: started 17 January 2021
12. Rose City Zombies: started 13 August 2021
13. Waiting for Winter Mittens for Stormageddon: started 25 September 2021
14. Sockhead: started 27 September 2021

I started a pair of mittens for Stormageddon in the leftover blue from his Flax Sweater. I made him mittens a few years ago but I suspect he's outgrown them. I haven't bothered to dig them out yet but I have a place to ship them if he has outgrown them. And if not, he'll just have multiple pairs of mittens. So, it's time for a new pair because I'm the knitter and I say so. I finished the first one yesterday and started the second. I'm making them a little big so they fit him for longer than a hot minute. He's happy with the first one and I had to ask him to give it back to me so I could knit the second one.

I also finished up the first of the newest pair of Rose City Rollers (Rose City Zombies). I did a contrast toe using some Shalimar Yarns I've had banging around my leftovers stash for....awhile. I've had the leftover Shalimar longer than I've had the leftover Canon Hand Dyes I'm using for the main color, but that doesn't say a whole lot. I started the second sock and I'm just working on it here and there. It's fairly easy to take along so it's come with me to pickup and I'll knit in the car for a few minutes before getting Stormageddon from school. I've also brought it to a few other places, so it's good travel knitting. And, it turns out, I'm just a crazy person (shhhh!)...the foot of the sock is my usual number of rounds (72). So, I'll have to keep that in the back of my head for next time.

Oh, and I worked on my Vanilla socks. I started the patterned section, which isn't much of a pattern, to be honest. Just some ribbing of some sort. Nothing fancy, I promise. My eyes are getting old, though, because the dark yarn and fuzzy halo from the single spun yarn are not friends with my eyes. I need good, natural light to work on these. I've brought them in the car to pickup a few times, too. 

And and and, I've been working on my Herbivore shawl. At this point, it's just growing. I think I knit maybe two inches in actual length on it this past week, which was maybe four pattern repeats. Something like that. It's kind of mindless knitting but the rows take forever. It doesn't help that my gauge is off. ::sigh:: For fun, I measured my gauge on Saturday. I have this handy little clear ruler, designed by Ann Budd (link to Knitcircus, but many other shops sell them). It's not necessarily perfect but it's pretty close. So, I put that on top of my knitting and figured out my gauge. I'm supposed to have 22 sts per 4" of knitting.....except I have 30 sts per 4" of knitting. Oops. My gauge is a little off. It's fine, though. I have plenty of yarn so I'm just going to knit until I'm close to running out and then bind off. That's going to take some time so I'm not terribly fussed about it at this point. I'll get there eventually. 

And lastly, because of who I am as a person, I started another Sockhead hat. I've had the yarn wound for this for awhile but I just never got around to starting it. I was doing some cleaning in my corner the other day and came across the bag with the yarn already wound...and then, while I was at the craft fair/yarn store yesterday (which I'll talk about in a hot minute), I picked up some more needles so I could start it (because I couldn't find the ones I was looking for). And then today, while I was waiting for a few things to happen before I could go to the post office, I decided to cast on. It's good, mindless knitting. It's also a good use of single spun sock yarn and I know I'll use it. 

 

 

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. Age of Brass & Steam (Handspun purple/white barber pole)
11. Radiate Shawl (fingering weight - Artfibers Carezza maybe?)

Children's Items/Knitting for others
1. Honey Badger: (worsted weight - black & white acrylic I have banging around the stash)*
2. 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 (I think I have 5 left)

2. Random worsted/sport skeins (I have maybe 2-3 left)

3. Anything else I find along the way (I don't think there's anything else)

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

 

 

 

So, I think at some point this week, I'm going to have the "OMG WHAT DID I BUY" update, because, in addition to all the yarn I picked up at the destash sale (almost two weeks ago now), I also went back yesterday to the craft fair and wound up spending my gift card (and then some), plus I got a couple things at the craft fair. 

 

Let's just say that I probably should not have purchased yarn but I did and now I'm going to have to do something with it or live with it. It'll be fine. Everything was entered into Ravelry for my own sanity (even though Ravelry is still on my shitlist). Oh, and Little Man picked out some yarn for himself. He's got an idea in his head and even though he only knows how to do a knit stitch at this point, he's ready to go. So, we'll see how all that turns out. I'm both so proud and so scared. He hasn't even finished his first project yet and he's acquiring a stash...

In California life, because that's where we are, things are as "usual" as they could get. Like, I kind of feel like things are almost normalish again, other than the masks and not really going anywhere unless we have to. The boys go to school, I go grocery shopping (well, Costco), chores get done, there's homework and reading, there are some fun things....like it's almost normal. Almost. Not quite. I'm not letting the boys go everywhere with me like I used to (like Target or Costco or wherever) but we do go to the park on occasion, which is extremely helpful. Little Man and I peopled yesterday and that was rough on him. He was so tired when we got home (I was too, if truth be told). But we're doing what we need to do and it's fine.

I mentioned it briefly so I think I'll talk about Little Man's and my trip to Pacifica yesterday for a craft fair/sidewalk sale/event thingie going on. The yarn shop over there, The Royal Bee Yarn Company, was hosting some makers in their outdoor back garden space, in addition to the ones up and down the street. The first thing that happened, literally almost as we got out of the car, was Little Man saying that he was cold. I mean, we were right on the ocean and we were both in shorts and flip-flops. I'm not all that surprised he was cold. Luckily, there was a vendor nearby that was selling hand knitted items. I bought Little Man a beautiful hat. We do have the pom that goes on top but I haven't attached it yet.

We had lunch at a little cafe kind of kitty-corner from the yarn shop. Grilled cheese. And yes, I let him have a small mocha (I had a chai latte). He held onto that for dear life, trying to warm up his hands. 

After our food, we made our way to the yarn shop. I only bought a couple things as far as crafts go. I bought a beautiful, hand woven basket from Ghana and then the aforementioned hat. Everything else was from the yarn store and that's going into it's own post. Actually, the basket will go there, too. But you get to see the hat. 

Oh, and because I don't do anything in order...I took Stormageddon to the cafe after school (the one across from his school). He made himself right at home. Again. This kid, I tell you!

And, like I said, no order or rhyme or reason...Little Man and Daddy did some work on one of his (several) unfinished Lego sets over the weekend. I think this one was a Chicken Walker but the one from the Mandolorian (we have the other one, as well). Ignore the fact that our counter is a hot mess (Husband has been working on Mandolorian helmets with the 3D printer so we have stuff out for that).

Anyway, that's enough rambling....I think I'm going to call it. I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend!