Year the TENTH: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Halloween & a new month (Update #44)

Happy Monday! Because let's be honest, it's Monday and yesterday was Halloween. Regardless, let's get going.

 

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
15. Waiting for Winter Mittens for Stormageddon: started 25 September 2021; finished 28 September 2021
16. Rose City Zombies: started 13 August 2021; finished 21 October 2021

Nothing new to see here. 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. Sand Drift Blanket: started 17 January 2021
12. Sockhead: started 27 September 2021

To be quite honest, with most of my WIPs packed up for moving, I've only got access to a couple of my WIPs (though I do have my closet of yarn, my ball winder, and my swift so I could start something new...). So, I have worked a teensy bit on my Herbivore shawl (like a full row and then a partial row - seriously, I stopped in the middle of a row). Most of my work has been on my Sockhead. And I'm firmly in the midst of Stockinette Hell. Knitting and knitting around and around until....well, for awhile. Quite awhile. It's good for mindless knitting, as long as I don't drop a stitch and not notice until a few inches later (ask me how I know).

I took this photo last Tuesday, in the parking lot of a Walgreens on the southern side of San Francisco. I've knit more since then but you get the idea.

Aside from those, I haven't done much. C'est la vie. 

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 - after we move*

4. Stitch markers: kits and individual

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

6. Stash Fit

 

 

 

Friends, Romans, It's been a week around here. It was one of those weeks where I feel like we simultaneously overly busy and also not busy at all. I don't know how to explain it. The boys had school, as usual, and that was fine. Little Man had a speech to give this week, which he kind of freaked out about when the time came to actually do it. He's done them before without issue but this time around, he lost his head. I told him the worst advice we were ever given: picture your audience in their underwear. Stormageddon had a play that he was in on Friday. We rehearsed and all that and he said things were fine but who knows. His teacher hasn't posted the video yet so I have no idea (sadly, parents were not allowed because of Covid restrictions). Regardless, he was a cute little vampire.

In addition to that, we had Open House again this weekend (since last weekend was kind of a bust), which means we needed to do all the cleaning. I mean, a lot of it was done but we had started to let a couple things slide, like the kitchen counters, the bathroom vanity, and the floor in Stormageddon's room. It wasn't terrible but every room in the house had something that needed to be addressed, even if it was just cleaning the endless mirrors and windows (our stager really likes mirrors - I think she hung an additional four or five throughout the house). All the carpets needed vacuuming, hardwood needed sweeping at minimum, windows/mirrors, counters, showers, toilets, bathroom floors, beds, wiping down appliances for fingerprints and sticky fingers.....oh, and then the usual stuff like laundry, dishes, and garbage/recycles. ::sigh:: 

Unfortunately, we are not having much luck selling our house, which is really unsettling because the housing market in the Bay Area is so crazy. People really seem to like the house but have a hissy fit about the big cell tower in the PG&E lot behind our house and the power lines that run through our backyard. Both are things we cannot change or fix and obviously people all along our street have this issue and we all live here. We have great cell reception and have yet to lose power. 

We'll see how things go. I'm really hoping something comes through soon. Like by tomorrow. I don't have high hopes but I really want that to happen. That would be so wonderful. 

In other events, it's now November, which means Little Man's birthday is coming. And my niece's birthday. And Husband's niece's birthday. And Thanksgiving. And Husband's other niece's birthday. And moving. And Christmas. And Husband's mother's birthday. And New Years. And my birthday. And Husband's nephew's birthday. And this is all happening over the next 10 weeks or so. 

People wonder why I'm a little crazy this time of year. I can't imagine why...

I didn't take the boys Trick-or-Treating last night. We're still a little overly cautious because of Covid. Like, we trust the families at the school (there hasn't been a positive test in the testing pool, which is about 70% of the students that are tested, including Little Man)....but we took the boys to the park yesterday and there was a birthday party. Fiftyish people. No masks. Lots of kids. And it was a park in the neighborhood so they're likely to be local to the neighborhood or close by. 

Little Man was not happy about the lack of Trick-or-Treating but he did put on his Mandolorian costume. Well, parts of it.

Then he declared it was too hot and took everything off but his helmet. He didn't even have on the chest armor or the shoulder armor or the wrist pieces...and he was already too hot. We'll have to figure out what to do about that.

Husband and Stormageddon (and I) watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown the other day. Stormageddon sat with Daddy and I was on the couch (with my knitting). Thankfully, both my kids still love this one so we watch it yearly.

We also carved pumpkins.....and I roasted the pumpkin seeds (OMNOMNOM!). We had them out for the Open House this weekend and put them on the steps for Trick-or-Treating last night. Little Man's is on the left, Stormageddon's on the right. Stormageddon actually drew like five different faces on his before declaring this was the one he wanted carved. Silly kid. I'm going to keep him.

 

 

 

Last Sunday I had my Covid booster. Originally I had the J&J and it's been several months. With the FDA approving mixing and matching the vaccines, I was perfectly fine getting my Pfizer booster. While I was waiting, the power went out at the Walgreens up the road. There was a woman having a hissy fit because she was supposed to have her flu shot (appointment) and the staff had to wait for the computers to reboot and get back online, which takes about ten minutes overall. She kept saying, "well, I have an appointment" and the staff kept saying, "yes, we know but we don't have access to our computer system; you were here when the power went out and it's going to take about ten minutes to get back online," to which she replies, "but I have an appointment." I was ready to throttle her. 

 

I felt off for most of Monday. Not really sick, but just overly tired, achy joints, and I had a headache that didn't want to quit. I was nowhere near as bad I was the first time around. It wasn't fun but it wasn't the worst thing on earth. Tuesday, Husband scheduled his Covid booster as well as his flu shot. I'm glad I had my knitting because we were there for two hours. And he had an appointment. I'm not sure what the point of his appointment was because they were talking walk-ins and they basically made everyone wait until the person before them had had their shot and waited the allotted amount of time (fifteen or twenty minutes) before moving on to the next person. It was ridiculous. He spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and part of Thursday feeling like absolute crap. I'm not surprised as he had both in one go. He seems to be back to normal, which is good I suppose. He was pretty rough. Fevers, chills, tired, achy.....basically, he was a hot mess. 

Maybe that's why the week felt so busy. I dunno. 

Also, Little Man showed me a new "trick" of sorts. And don't mind the ice cream on his face. Apparently I didn't teach him how to use a spoon very well.

 

 

I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend! Happy Monday! Oh, and if you haven't wandered over, I finally did my OMG WHAT DID I BUY post. Lots of pretties to be seen and admired!