ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Year of Projects - OMGOMG I FINISHED SOMETHING! (Update #23)

 Happy Sunday! Let's get going!

FOs (Finished Objects)
1. Baby Blanket: started 22 April 2022; finished 4 June 2022

I FINISHED SOMETHING! FINALLY! The baby blanket is finished.

 

Prooooooof! Okay, the ends aren't woven in and it hasn't been washed yet but I finished the knitting! And it's HUGE! Like I did not swatch for this at all and just made it up as I went along. So it's actually twice as wide as it is long but I figure if you turn it sideways, like I have here, it's fine. And it's much much much much much MUCH larger than I anticipated. It's about 2/3 the length of a twin size bed, which is crazy. But that means baby can use it for awhile. 

But, of course, that means I still have the second one to knit....

 

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 4 June 2022

And would you look at that? I started the second one. I literally finished up the knitting on the first one and I started the second one after I rewound the yarn into a ball. I've done one whole pattern repeat...only 31 more repeats to go. ::sigh:: I hope the second one doesn't take as long but we'll see. 

In addition to that, I spent some time on the Herbivore shawl. Not a lot, mind, but I have been working on it. I'm at the point where it takes me about 20 minutes to do a row. I think I have less than 7 rows left, including the three finishing rows. Sooooo, I have maybe two and a half hours left of actual knitting, not including blocking and weaving in the ends. I'd really like an End Weaving Fairy but I'm just going to have to do it myself. It's one of my least favorite activities related to knitting. I hate weaving in ends. Blocking doesn't bother me because, really, it's a lot of waiting...and sometimes there's actual work if I need to pull out lacework, but let's be honest, I don't do lacework like that very often. 

But that's about it. For now. 

 

 

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

This past week has been a fairly normal week, for the most part. The boys went to school as expected and anticipated, Husband had work, and I spent a good chunk of the week in the garden.

I spent the week planting and getting the black weed tarp down. I planted radishes, dill, lettuce, beets, beans, six or seven different pepper varieties, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes. Oh, and the hops, which are what you see above. In addition to that, Husband 3D printed signs for everything so I was able to label (and I kept track of how many rows/plants on my phone, which was especially helpful for the peppers as we just have one sign that says "peppers"). 

In between getting everything planted, I had the usual errands like the grocery store and Costco.We were having friends over this weekend and had a request for smoked brisket, hence the trip to Costco. 

Little Man had his Field Day at school on Friday, which is an annual event, though this was the first time he has participated, as we are still new. Apparently it goes through Middle School, as well. And Stormageddon will start in a couple years when he gets to be in 3rd grade. But not yet. So Little Man had his Field Day. I expected him to say he had fun but he wasn't all that excited. He was tired and I think he did have fun but it's not things he necessarily enjoys so I don't even know. 

On Friday, I went to crafting night at a friend's house for a little while before one of my besties from college arrived at our house (with her husband) for the weekend. Hence working on the Herbivore shawl. We had a fire in the backyard, which is always delightful (and our first one here at our new house). We also had a huge pile of brush and wood and other crap that we set on fire. Husband tried to lose a bunch of hair and his face when he lit it (he used an accelerant) but it was fine in the end. I think. I gave him a haircut on Saturday morning to even everything out. It was fine.

Also, Husband had a birthday this week. We didn't do anything too terribly crazy. I made cheesecake, we went out for lunch while the boys were at school, but the real fun was his friends (and mine, too) being here on Friday and/or Saturday. We made smoked brisket barbecue, coleslaw, pistachio fluff, cornbread, and potato salad. And alcohol. And friends. We had fun and it was nice to see some of our friends all at the same time. 

We also had a couple of really late nights. On Friday night, we decided on Mexican at 11:30pm and there's a place in Madison that we knew was open so off we went for Mexican. And last night, after all that food, we decided we wanted dumplings. I wish I were kidding. So some of us stayed here and some went to the dumpling place in Madison. They came home with "Russian Dumplings" which were either a meatball or a potato and kind of reminded me of beef stroganoff because you ate them with sour cream. I don't even know. 

Today, my college bestie and her husband headed back home and we've spent the day taking care of this and that. We started the big fire again because it only got about half of the brush pile, some laundry is going, we made the boys play outside, talked to a friend in California.....the things you do on a Sunday. And then the rain began. It's fine. We can always use some rain and it means I don't have to drag out 375' of hose to water the garden properly. However, it also means that the big fire was put out. Oh well. We have nothing but time to let that dry out so we can burn it. 

I hope you've all had a lovely week and weekend. One of these days I'll get around to a Stash Acquisition Saturday. It's been awhile since I've done one of those...and let's be honest, I've been buying yarn again. That's what it's all about! Regardless, have a lovely week :)