ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Bees! ALLLLLLL THE BEEEEEES! (Update #18)

 Happy Sunday! Let's get going!  🐝

FOs (Finished Objects)

Nope. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever have anything to show off.......I mean, I know I will but not yet. ::sigh::

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
13. Dishcloth: started 25 February 2022
14. Mixed BFL (Annie): started 18 March 2022
15. Lakeline Tank: started 18 March 2022
16. Baby Blanket: started 22 April 2022

I've done virtually monogamous knitting this week on the baby blanket.

It's kind of reminding me of Dumbo. I'm pretty sure that's due to the color scheme of grey and pink. The other one is going to be the same grey and purple (which you can see in the plastic bag). I'm maybe 30% finished with the first blanket. I severely underestimated how long this was going to take me. But I'm going to do it anyway. 

I may have worked a round on a pair of socks but I've been almost entirely monogamous with the blanket this past 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. 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. Hüj Tüb (laceweight - maybe that 100% lace cashmere I've had forever?)
9. Undone (bulky - maybe the reclaimed Freeport Vest yarn?)

 

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?)

 

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)

 

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

 

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?)

 

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

 

 

We've had a busy week. On Monday, I had to go to Middle School Orientation for Little Man. He's going to be in 6th grade in the fall! I swear he's not old enough but here we are. Of course, things like that are somewhat difficult when you're new to an area and know virtually no one. I basically sat alone, didn't know anyone, and felt as awkward as all the kids would have been feeling. The upside is that I did talk to one mom that turned out to be Little Man's friend's mom. So, that was helpful. Numbers were exchanged. 

On Tuesday, Little Man had a birthday party after school. So the mom picked him up from school and I went to get him after the party. It was a small group, which was nice. Just the five kids, including the birthday boy. 

Wednesday, the electrician came over to take care of adding things to the brewery and our under-the-sink stuff, and a few other things here and there. We made pulled pork, as well. In addition to that, Husband's new (expensive) toy arrived.

He tilled out a spot for the hops and the garden, near the beehives, which were placed last weekend. I planted the hops this week, as well (two each of five varieties). 

Thursday, on a whim, I double-checked our bee supplier to see if they had a time estimate when the bees would arrive....and they were ready to go. So, I did a quick assessment of things that were happening and decided that it would be a good idea to get them that day. So, I made the drive up and picked up my 22,000ish new girlfriends/pets. 

Getting them settled wasn't as big of a deal as I initially anticipated. I placed the bee boxes into the hives before I released them. I gave them a couple of hours to warm up the hive, which worked well. The first box was a bit stubborn; the girls were a bit stubborn to come out so I left the box open, facing the hive, for them to go in/out as needed. The second box was fine. I got the bees into the hives, placed the queen cages, and put on the syrup feeders.

And I only got stung once, which may have been an accident because I bent my knee with a bee there. It's super itchy, though. 

Friday, Little Man had a music performance at school and afterwards, we had an impromptu playdate as we brought one of his friends home with us (parents permission was granted, I didn't just pick up a random kid). 

 
Apparently it was the music program the 3rd graders were working on when the pandemic hit two years ago.....and they were finally able to perform! 

Yesterday, we did a few things around here, went out for lunch, ran some errands, and kind of made a day of it. The weather was kind of crappy with tornado watches and lots of rain. I didn't dare go check on my girls, even though I needed to check to make sure the queen made her way out of her cage. The weather was icky.

I checked on the girls this morning. The queens had eaten through their marshmallow plug and I didn't see any dead bees in there so I'm assuming the queens got out okay. The bees weren't happy with me this morning because it was a bit cold and I was messing with their home. I wound up getting two stings. One was on my stomach (I didn't tuck my shirt in very well, apparently) and the other was on my neck, as I was taking my bee helmet off. 

Husband is heading to San Francisco tomorrow for a couple of days for work. Other than that, there aren't any major plans this week...well, that I can think of. 

I managed to make chocolate chip cookies yesterday. I had to make brown sugar on the fly. I'm glad we had some molasses in the house so I could do it. They turned out pretty well and I'm not just saying that because I made them.

Yesterday, while we were out, we stopped at a shop in Monona called Rutabaga, which sells kayaks and canoes. One of my friends has been hemming and hawing about getting a kayak for awhile (for their cabin up north)...so she "tested" a few. And the boys found this one. ::sigh::

 
We have no use for a kayak but they seemed to enjoy it. They also got appropriately sized fishing poles yesterday. 

Anyway, I hope you've had a lovely week and weekend!