ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Year of Projects - A rainy weekend means I was doing other things (Update #37)

Happy (rainy) Monday!

FOs (Finished Objects)
1. Baby Blanket: started 22 April 2022; finished 4 June 2022
2. Herbivore: started 15 November 2018; finished June 2022
3. Baby Blanket: started 4 June 2022; finished 25 August 2022

Nope. Nothing new. Move along...

 

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. Linen Stitch Scarf: started 2 June 2020
9. Vanilla Socks: started 9 August 2020
10. Sand Drift Blanket: started 17 January 2021
11. Vanilla Socks: started 12 December 2021
12. Dishcloth: started 25 February 2022
13. Mixed BFL (Annie): started 18 March 2022
14. Lakeline Tank: started 18 March 2022
15. Baby Blanket: started 4 September 2022

I mentioned the Baby Blanket that I needed to start and, well, I started it. I'm using the leftover bits from the other two baby blankets, including the two full skeins of the grey yarn that I still have. I figure I'm roughly halfway at this point. It's about half the width of the first two but I'm planning on making it around the same length, so it should come out more square and less huge rectangle. 

I also worked on the Vanilla Socks (#11) this past week. I've got around 15-20 rounds before I do the toe decreases, which is perfectly fine. I think that's all I actually worked on, the blanket taking up most of my knitting time this 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

This week started out with a notice of a Covid exposure. We had a sleepover and the next day, one of the boys tested positive for Covid so of course we were notified (the mom is the principal at Stormageddon's school). The boys did not test positive but do have to wear their masks at school through Thursday this week because of said exposure. 

Monday was Labor Day so the boys didn't have school and Little Man wound up staying home on Tuesday. He was just feeling a bit off and we did test him for Covid, just in case, but it came back negative and he was fine by that afternoon. Honestly, I think it was just lack of sleep that caught up with him. 

Other than that, not much else happened this week. We had 6th grade orientation at the school, so we saw all Little Man's teachers and heard about their classes and expectations and what kinds of things they'll be learning. Husband also went to what he thought was a pinball and beer event, which turned out to be a pinball tournament that involved beer. He did get to play some cool machines but he wasn't really interested in the competition portion. 

Oh, wait...I forgot. We did a fairly large project this week. Apparently I was hoping to push it out of my mind. We have a back deck that had some boards that were going bad, because the previous owners didn't do any maintenance. So Husband and I pulled up broken/splitting boards and replaced them....and what that really means is that I did most of the hard work of board removal and installation. Husband cut the boards to length and helped when old screws broke or were being difficult but I did most of that work. Then we had to stain the new boards, so we stained the whole deck. Two thresholds were removed, as well, because a couple of the boards that needed replacement went right under them. And it was rather warm on our back deck during the day in direct sunlight. But, it's mostly done. There's some stain touch-up left to do as well as putting the thresholds back in. Unfortunately, it's been raining so we haven't been able to do that yet. Oh well.

It doesn't look half bad, considering that the board colors don't match to begin with. Unless you're right here, you can't really tell which boards we replaced. 

On Friday, one of my college besties and her husband came down so the boys could have a Chainsaw Weekend (meaning they would get to play with their chainsaws) and she and I went to the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival in Jefferson. 

They arrived after 7pm on Friday and we got fish fry from a place in town (that we hadn't tried yet). The next morning, we went out for breakfast and then her and I went off to the festival while the Husbands came back to the house to play with their toys. 

I'll have to do a proper update another day but know that I did come home with some yarn and fiber. I also bought a fleece (East Friesian x Polypay lamb cross in a dark, chocolatey brown) but I dropped that off for processing. I likely won't see it for a year because they're so backed up. That's fine. I have plenty to spin before then. 

We went through the marketplace twice. The first time around was just to look but the second time was the shopping round. I also bid on a few things at the auction, including a ceramic bowl (it was listed as a yarn bowl but there's no crook for the yarn to go through so it's just a ceramic bowl, as far as I'm concerned). I think I also won a skein of yarn and a braid of bright yellow fiber. So I've got that going for me. 

We made friends with sheepies, as well as we saw the birth of triplet lambs (no photos of the just-born babies).

 

Yesterday was rainy so we wound up watching TV shows (She-Hulk, Mandalorian) and dinking around. I did a lot of blanket knitting yesterday (something like 50 rows). So that was delightful. 

The boys are back at school, though they have an early release day today. I also have my first Knitters' Guild meeting tonight. I haven't been a member since we moved to California and I couldn't find a guild there that was active enough or close enough so I just never joined. But now I'm back and I rejoined the guild. And we have our first meeting of the season tonight. Woot. 

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