ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Year of Projects - The fishies were not biting (Update #40)

I'd like to say that it's Sunday (and it was when I started this) but, really, it's Monday. It's fine though. We were out of town this weekend so I didn't even start writing until 9pm on Sunday night.

Anyway, let's get going!

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
4. Venskab (test knit): started 12 September 2022; finished 16 September 2022
5. Vanilla Socks: started 12 December 2021; finished 17 September 2022
6. Baby Blanket: started 4 September 2022; finished 25 September 2022
7. Pattern for Baby Blanket: started 25 September 2022; finished 26 September 2022

I finished up two things this past week. First, I finished up the baby blanket that I've been working on.

It came out almost square (43" x 44"/109.2cm x 111.75cm) and used up about 710g of yarn, which is about 519yds/474.5m of yarn. 

And because of all the notes I kept, I decided to write up the pattern and put it out into the world as a freebie, which I am absolutely claiming as an FO. 

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. Dishcloth: started 25 February 2022
12. Mixed BFL (Annie): started 18 March 2022
13. Lakeline Tank: started 18 March 2022
14. Socks: started 28 September 2022

Last week I mentioned that it was scandalous that I only had one sock WIP going and that I'd need to rectify that. Well.....here I am. I had some Malabrigo Sock already wound, with needles, in a project bag, waiting for me to do something....so I wound up casting on another pair of socks. I'm guessing these may wind up being a pattern of my own but we'll see when I get around to the actual "pattern" portion of the socks. For right now, I've knit maybe a whole two or three rounds so I've got a bit to decide what I'm going to do. 

Aside from those, I pulled out the other pair of socks I've got going and while we were gone over the weekend, I finished up the leg, did the heel flap & turn, and I'm working on the gusset decreases at this point. The yarn is a single-spun Zauberball and I'm not in love with it. I have a feeling these socks may wind up going with the most recent finished pair of Vanilla Socks to California. They're a teensy bit small on me anyway and while Little Man did request blue socks, his feet are now bigger than mine so these won't fit him either. 

Oh, and I spent some time working on the Lakeline Tank. This was supposed to be a quick summer knit. Ha! Like I knit fast or something! And now I'm still in stockinette hell and I feel like I've been knitting around and around but it's not getting any longer! You know the feeling, right? You know what I'm talking about. You feel like you're doing all this work and it's just not growing. It's so infuriating! I've probably got about 4" to go before I start working on the front section/armhole section, minimum....though I'll probably make it 5" so my butt is sufficiently covered. Regardless, it's not growing even though I've been working on it. 

::sigh::

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

 

Last week I was lamenting how it would be awesome if my kids could both make it a whole week at school......Little Man stayed home from school today because he's sick. ::grumble:: It's likely just a cold but possibly an ear infection. I think I'm going to give him cold meds in the morning and send him to school tomorrow. He's not run a fever at all and has been grumpy but fine otherwise. 

Aside from that, this past week was...well, kind of normal, I guess. I did have to take Little Man out of school for a bit on Monday as he had a follow up doctor appointment, but at least he wasn't sick and needed to come home from school. 

We went up to the North Woods this weekend with Husband's parents. Little Man was very grumpy about going and I'm not quite sure why. Probably because he was getting sick but he was definitely surly on Friday afternoon when we left. 

My father-in-law hadn't seen our pinball machine yet (Mandalorian) so he went a few rounds before the boys got home from school.

We stopped at Culver's for dinner on our way...and wound up going around in circles in Stevens Point because of construction. We finally got there, though.

Stormageddon's face is painted because apparently it was homecoming on Friday. I didn't know elementary aged kids cared about that if they didn't have older siblings but apparently it's a thing. So he got his face painted at school. I don't get it but I'm weird that way. 

Puppy is really good in the car, even when we're packed to the gills with six people and a couple suitcases and coolers. He nestled down between the two middle seats and occasionally nudged one of us for pets. He was kind of a turd on the way home yesterday but that was because he had to pee. Once we stopped at Costco and I had him out, he peed and then he was fine. Silly Puppy.

We spent part of Saturday morning cleaning out the garage at our friends' cabin. He was thinking he'd like to put the boat in there and not drive it back home but it needed cleaning. He's been meaning to do it for like five years. So, Husband, our friend, and I cleaned out the half of the garage that wasn't done. We found lots of mouse crap (and they found dead mice - I didn't deal with that), lots of garbage tools that just needed to be tossed, some wood, and a few other bits and bobs...and lots of fishing poles. After a shower for the three of us, we went out for pizza at a place called Monical's, which is apparently a chain that stared in Illinois. Whatever, it was good. We had fire that night, because that's what you do. Nature's TV. And S'mores.

I woke up on Sunday morning, rolled over, and found Stormageddon under the other bed, with his blanket, playing on his Switch. ::sigh:: He's such a little tech junkie. It was pitch black in the room other than the light from his Switch.

 
But now it's Monday and we're going into another week and we'll have to see where it takes us. I hope things settle down a bit! That would be nice. 

I hope you had a lovely week and weekend!