ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Introducing....... (Update #1)

So. It's been a year. Honestly, the last two years have been kind of a hot mess. I'm surprised I've managed to hold on to my sanity with everything that's happened, like so many others. I mean, really, we're all just holding on as best we can and that's about how it's going to be.

With that said, here is my FIRST post for my ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Year of Projects. This was started eleven and a half years ago by........someone. I feel like it may have been partly the Yarn Harlot to some extent. And then the idea grew. And now there's a group on Ravelry. And likely there people that do it that aren't affiliated with Ravelry. There are probably hashtags you can search for on social media but I don't know how well-used they are.

I usually write this post (my first one) with the intention of getting everything set up for the upcoming year, introduce my lack of sanity, that kind of thing. I actually started this post a month early because we are seriously in the midst of moving (as in we close on our new house tomorrow, Monday, January 3, 2022, so we're staying with friends right now and things are a bit helterskelter in our lives). 

So, let's get to it....

FOs (Finished Objects)

As this is a new year, there should be nothing here....unless I finished something between last week and this week and, let's be honest, that's highly unlikely given that we were moving and driving across the country until last weekend. So no, nothing new was finished.

This is where I'll list my FOs for the year, with links (most likely to Ravelry) and dates and all that. I tend to include not only knitting, spinning, and crochet projects (not that I crochet much), but also when I get a bug in my pants and dye yarn or do any actual weaving (which would involve actually doing it), and maybe sewing if I ever get to that point...and also when I frog something. And it happens. Not often but it does happen. 

For now, though, nada :) 

 

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. Vanilla Socks: started 12 December 2021

This is where I normally babble about what I've been working on over the past week.

The only projects that were in the car during our cross-country move were the Herbivore Shawl, the Granny Square Blanket, and the last pair of Vanilla Socks. Those were my choices. Everything else is packed away in boxes until sometime this week when the moving truck arrives. And then they will likely still be packed until I get around to unpacking.

The Granny Square Blanket is modular, meaning that I knit one block at a time and I'll eventually attach them together. It's kind of perfect for car/travel knitting because I feel like I accomplished something every time I finish a square, even though I know it's a slog to do them all. I actually completed a couple while on our drive. Nebraska and Iowa are boring, what can I say? I've also finished a couple at our friends' house. So it sounds like I'll have to take some photos for proof.

The Herbivore Shawl is also good for car knitting because the rows take forever and it's unlikely that I'll have to stop in the middle of a row because we're driving for long periods of time...but while I had long stretches to work on it, I didn't actually work on it that much. I'm at the point where a row is taking at least a half-hour to complete. Progress has slowed because it takes so long to complete a row. But if I did my math correctly, I only have 15ish rows left (including the BO)....but that's 8 hours of knitting, based on the math. ::sigh::

The socks are perfect for both car and general travel knitting because they're small and in stockinette. I can carry them around with me in my purse and they don't take up a ton of space. I almost got to the heel flap on the first sock on our drive. I honestly didn't do anywhere near as much knitting as I thought I would while we were in the car. Oh well. I was looking at things and singing along to the radio and playing referee between the boys.

Progress is still progress, though. Go me.

OMGLSGWTFBBQ 

Now, let's be honest: this is why you're here. You want to see what kind of crazy things I'm thinking about getting up to over the next year.....hopefully I shan't disappoint. And even if I do, it's my list and I do what I want.

I've done this a lot of ways over the years. When I first started out, in January 2011, I thought I should be really set on what I chose to work on and only work on those things. No deviation. No additions. Wham, bam, thank you Lister. 

That did not work well for me. I had a very small Little Man at the time. He was just a wee thing when I started. And it likely still won't work well for me, regardless that Little Man is now 11 years old and Stormageddon, who came along a few years later, is 7 years old. 

So, I tried a few things, and changed a few things, and I think I landed upon something that works. 

The first thing I discovered was that I couldn't be rigid. I needed to have some flexibility with this. I couldn't make an "I want to knit this" list and stick to it, without deviation. Therefore, I made "I want to knit this" list but I added an "oh, something new and shiny has come along and I must knit that" list. But, that wasn't quite right either. I was having issues with not getting through everything on my list, even if I attempted to keep it short...like personal feelings of inadequacy and general failure and malaise. What I laded on was this idea of working within lists but those lists allowed for choices and adding the "oh, shiny" factor. To be honest, that may have been more of a change in my own mindset but it worked, and I've been doing it that way for the past few years. Basically, the lists are just guidance...I can do whatever I want, whenever I want...I just have some direction in life. Or something. Also, I've started being more aware of what I buy and for what purpose so things have specific projects in mind.

So, let's see what insanity I've come up with....

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)

This section is essentially the same as last year. Mostly, I just need to take the time and revisit everything, getting patterns written and tested and such. Some of these haven't been touched in years...oops. But, like I said, this is for guidance....and maybe a reminder of what I have had brewing in my head. Maybe.

 

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

Again, this is the same list as last year. Maybe this time around I'll actually get to working on some of these. We'll see how things work out.

 

Items for ME (Selfish Knitting FTW!):
1. Park Slope (fingering weight - Mountain Fibers Crazyfoot in Shamrock)
2. Flax (worsted weight - Misty Alpaca in the Harry Potter colors)
3. Musselburgh (any weight - likely DK or worsted)*
4. 3 Color Cashmere Cowl (fingering weight, 3 colors)*
5. Gradient Band Cowl (fingering weight - Safronie Fairy Tales gradient and a solid)*
6. Fine Tune (fingering weight - uses minis so maybe a rainbow type one with the Canon Hand Dyes?)*
7. Stashbusting Helix Hats (worsted weight - bits and bobs of worsted)
8. Lakeline Tank (Aran weight - I have yarn for this somewhere...like I bought it specifically for this but I can't remember what it is)
9. Hüj Tüb (laceweight - maybe that 100% lace cashmere I've had forever?)
10. Undone (bulky - maybe the reclaimed Freeport Vest yarn?)

So...a few of these were on my list last year and there are a few new ones that I pulled from my Ravelry queue. I'm sure there are others that will be added but these ones are calling to me so far. Park Slope and the Flax sweater have been on this list for years. I might get around to them. And then she laughed and laughed. I bought yarn for the Lakeline Tank last summer (Big Box Store yarn of some sort and I cannot remember what and, of course, it's in a box right now but I do remember it was a blueish greyish color and silky but it's likely an acrylic blend, at best)...I even started a swatch, if I remember correctly. The good thing is that I have an idea what yarn I'll use for most of these, if not a specific yarn. Undone is calling to me because I feel like I need a big, cozy house sweater that I can throw on over yoga pants when I get the kids from the bus. Or maybe I just aspire to be that type of mom. I don't know. We'll see.

 

Children's Items/Knitting for others
1. Flax for Little Man (worsted weight - likely Baah Yarns Shasta in London Blue)
2. Honey Badger: (worsted weight - black & white acrylic I have banging around the stash)*
3. The Mandolorian (sport weight - need grey, white, and green...which I might have)*
4. Zelda Beanie (worsted weight - black or grey and yellow, which I'm sure I have)
5. Wasabi for Mr. K (worsted weight - Cascade 220 in Moss Agate if possible)
6. Bugle for Miss E (worsted weight - multicolor; htNEVELE in Reverie if possible)
7. Bonbon for Miss C (worsted weight - Cascade 220 in Vinci if possible)
8. Baby Bear for Mr. T (fingering weight - anything will work)
9. Pig for Earle & Duane (worsted weight - need pink, of course...maybe a good use for the one skein of Molly Ringwald I have?)

You'll see there are a few that link to already-created project pages, specifically Wasabi, Bugle, and Bonbon. I made those for my sister-in-law's three kids. A couple of months ago, there was a kitchen fire at their house, which included a lot of smoke damage. The toys were amongst the pile of items that were tossed (virtually everything had smoke damage, at minimum). So, I told her I would remake all of them as close as I could to the originals. With the move, there was no way I could do it before Christmas so I gave myself a year. I think I can do them in that amount of time. I also have a nephew that hasn't gotten his toy yet. Maybe for his birthday this summer. Or Christmas. 

I'm sure I'll be adding more mittens and hats for the boys, as well, but aside from the Mandolorian and Zelda ones, I haven't decided. We'll see how they treat the ones they already have in an area where there's actual weather. If they go losing things left and right, they will not be getting the good stuff. Then again, they may surprise me.

Utilitarian/Household Items
1. On-Trend Chair Socks (worsted weight bits and bobs) - I have a lot of chairs that could use these
2. Garter Chevron Blanket (KP Mighty Stitch - may need to get some more black or white)
3. Diagonal Knit Dishcloths (cotton of some sort, possibly a cotton/bamboo blend, depending on use)
4. Reusable Produce Bag (cotton or acrylic of some sort - worsted)
5. Harry Potter Blanket (worsted weight - based on several dishcloth patterns to make blocks)
6. Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth (cotton or a cotton/bamboo blend, again based on use)
7. Pop Blanket (worsted weight - a little of this and that?)
8. Holiday Countdown Stockings (worsted weight - various colors)

Apparently I'm back on blankets and dishcloths again....but the blankets are mostly modular so I knit them in pieces and seam them together somehow. A few of these are definitely utilitarian for the new house like the chair socks. We have many chairs that could use these and I've been meaning to do them for years and just haven't....but I really should. I may also wind up being lazy and ordering them from Amazon. ::sigh::

Spinning:
1. Wonderland Dyeworks BFL in Stream Bed
2. Wonderland Dyeworks BFL in Winter Night
3. Timber Ridge Farm Alpaca Roving
4. Ashland Bay Fiber 100% Merino Top in English Garden
5. Anne's Fiber Expressions Elynenium


So, even though I did make a list, I think my spinning this year is just going to be whatever I grab. That may also be because I need to update my stash page....I was going through the fiber listed and I noticed that there were some things listed that I know I spun so I need to figure out what I need to toggle in order to make it not appear in my fiber stash or show "none left." Sooo.....right now, I'm just going to spin what I spin but I did list a few things that I know I haven't spun yet. The Elynenium has been banging around my stash since 2011, which was less than a year after I got Viktor (my Majacraft Pioneer spinning wheel)...and it's three pounds of fiber (48 oz). I really think I should get on that one...it's beautiful and I look at it a lot and ponder spinning it.

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, but maybe?)

I have a few sock blanks and a couple of random skeins here and there. Nothing in large quantities and with the move, I'm not sure how or where I'm going to dye so this may wait awhile...plus, no one wants to dye yarn outside in winter in Wisconsin. It's cold.

Other Fibery Endeavors:
1. Stash Fit
2. Create a project bag inventory
3. Update library inventory (on Ravelry)
4. Update stash inventory (on Ravelry) and reorganize yarn
5. Stitch markers: make kits and individual for Etsy shop
6. Destash as necessary/needed

With the move, I feel like it's a good time to reorganize my stash, update my stash inventory on Ravelry, update my library, and just get myself together a bit. Stash Fit will help with this, as it was designed. I will need to unpack first. It's going to be a process, me thinks. And, of course, I have not a clue how I'm going to store my yarn. Husband's grand idea to put everything into space saver bags in the yarn closet on an Ikea shelf left my stash a hot mess. I don't know where anything is. And then we moved! Now that I'll have my own dedicated craft space, I might be able to come up with something that utilizes the bags. But, honestly, I'd much rather go back to bins...but I'll actually organize them properly this time. Or, so I'd like to think. I'll have to see what I have first...or something. I really don't know what I'm going to do. I like the idea of the space saver bags because they do what it says on the label: save space. But I need to have some idea what's in there first. I'm thinking maybe I'll organize things and then put them into space saver bags and then put the bags into bins. Or something. I'll figure it out. Just some way to reduce the space needed for bins.

In addition to that, there are still supply chain issues so getting things like bookshelves from Ikea is....well, it's not impossible but it's definitely not easy. With the number of books I have, I'm going to need one bookshelf, at minimum, but two would be better. And the boys need them too, of course, but that's a slightly separate issue. And honestly, we can wait on bookshelves but I'd like to get a look at my knitting library and get that updated. It would be nice to not put them back into a box after I figure out what I have. Of course, this is all partly dependent on what was left by the previous owners, what the closet looks like in my craft room (because it has a closet as it's supposed to be a bedroom), and a lot of other things. It'll get taken care of. I'm not worried about that. Books can stay in boxes if they need to. That's not a big deal.

 

 

In real life, the boys start school tomorrow, we take possession of our new house tomorrow, and a lot of things happen tomorrow. In the meantime, we've been living the "homeless" dream. Or something. It's a bit awkward to have no actual address right now. I can't imagine what would happen if we were pulled over. Try explaining all that to a cop.

Our second night in Wisconsin (December 26th), we had snow...the boys were ridiculously excited. Luckily we got them winter coats earlier in the day so they at least had those when they went out to shovel and play in the snow the next morning. We took them out to buy boots and snow pants, as well. Husband and I ordered winter coats. His arrived Wednesday and mine came on Thursday. I also got a pair of boots. I haven't purchased boots since I was in middle school. So, this was something new. But if I have to take the boys out to the bus stop and wait with them in the morning, I'm going to have boots. So I have boots.

And then we got more snow. 

I'm not ready for snow. I haven't driven in snow in a decade. And I had a different car back then. My new car did not see snow until this past week. Not even joking. I don't know how to do the things. And now it's all dirty! 

Puppy got loose the first day we were at our friends' house. They have an outdoor kennel and we put both dogs in there (theirs and ours), figuring they would entertain each other. Nope. Puppy figured a way out and while we were at Costco, my friend called to tell us he was gone. We came back and started out on foot, she was driving around in the car....they live a couple miles outside town near a fairly busy highway (by Wisconsin standards). We figured he would either avoid the highway or be dead....but somehow, his dumb ass got across the highway unscathed. And hopped into a car of a neighbor down the road. They called while we were out walking along the property in back. ::sigh:: He's been a lazy house doggie since then. He gets no freedom. 

The boys have school supplies and are mostly geared for winter. I hope. We'll see how things go. I expect pants and mittens will be acquired, as I can't knit fast enough and most of my stash is still in boxes. 

Sorry, photos are not happening until next week. The friends we're staying with have a weird firewall that's preventing me from airdropping photos from my phone to laptop. Soooo, that's where we are with that. I think next week will have lots of photos from our trip and of knitting and so on. 

 

I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend and thanks for stopping in to see my upcoming insanity.