ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Year of Projects - I swear it was just spring.... (Update #41)

[Insert big, fancy, Monster Truck Announcer voice] Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! 

Yes, it's actually Sunday and not Monday. Or maybe I shouldn't say that yet. Whatever, I'm going with it......it's Sunday! And it's time for another update. 

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 feel like I'm getting into my winter rhythm.....but that doesn't mean I've finished anything this past week. In fact, I think I still need to weave in ends on the Herbivore Shawl....

Oh! Wait! I have modeled photos from the Venskab Hat. I borrowed a friend of mine because she's adorable and we had a breakfast date on Wednesday.

It fit her perfectly, which was kind of the point. Well, not to fit her specifically, but for it to fit an average adult. And it did. Hoooray. I believe the tentative release date is 29 October 2022, if you're interested. It took less than 187 yds of Madelinetosh MCN Worsted, as a gauge. 

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
15. Colorfun Hat: started 7 October 2022

I feel like I should explain myself or something.....I finished up a project and then I went and started two and didn't finish anything else and now I'm up to 15 WIPs. 

There is no explanation. I had a wicked case of Startitis. I gave in. 

I was working downstairs on Friday prevening, between waiting around to move the hose outside. I found a lone skein of yarn, already in a ball-like thing, single-spun, very colorful, gradient-like, probably Worsted...and then I had the needles right there and how could I just ignore that alignment of the cosmos? So I started a hat. And, of course, now that I'm just a couple rounds in, I'm worried that I'm going to run out of yarn. ::sigh:: That's just like me. I believe it's Reggae Ombré from Schoppel-Wolle but I haven't actually looked at the tag. I'm 98% sure that's correct, though. If it's that yarn, it's an Aran weight, slightly felted single-spun, with 109 yds/skein, which should be plenty for a hat. 

Aside from that, I worked on the new pair of socks while we were in the car yesterday. I'm still on the cuff of the first one. No big deal. They may or may not wind up becoming Little Man's socks. He approved the color on the socks so maybe. I mean, I don't mind knitting for either of my kids but I feel like they grow out of the things I make so quickly (except for things like hats - those seem to last awhile).....but I love those monkeys and they like when I knit for them. 

I think I also worked a little bit on the Lakeline Tank but I honestly don't remember. Maybe when we were watching a show. ::shrug::

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 have a small bin with all my "stuff to dye" in it)

 

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

 

 

After dragging Little Man to Urgent Care on Tuesday, it turns out he just has a cold. The ears and throat were from the congestion and drainage, which isn't surprising but I wanted to make sure about the ears, in particular. I didn't think it was anything terribly serious but with Covid still running amok, I wanted to be sure. He was also tested for that, which came back negative. He went to school on Wednesday, much to his chagrin. He was a bit nervous asking all his teachers for the work he missed but he did fine and he's almost entirely caught up. 

Husband and I took care of a few things this week, almost entirely in the yard. First, we removed all the posts and fencing around the garden (well, I did that). Then Husband tilled it with the tractor. He'll likely do it a couple times before the ground freezes, just to mix up everything that was left from the garden.

We also took care of this:

When we moved in, there was this large flower garden in the middle of the backyard, not that we could envision it as it was winter. No big deal. I don't mind flowers...but the upkeep on this was pure insanity. I hate weeding as it is and I would have had to go out every weekend and spend at least a couple hours weeding just this space. Plus, it was difficult to track what was supposed to be there and what was invading the space because we didn't have any frame of reference. 

Regardless, we dug out the decorative rocks (there were many...so many) and by "we" I mean Husband loosened them with the bucket on the tractor and then I had to heft them into the bucket to be moved. These rocks were anywhere from 30-70 lbs each. It was not a fun time. My arms still hurt. But, once we got all those out, Husband mowed over everything, and then he did the tilling. I had to hang around for that because there were a bunch more rocks that were lodged in the soil and just under the surface. I was also cleaning up the plastic border and larger chunks of flower bushes (those went into the fire pit). Husband also squared out the area with the tiller because it was this weird L-shape and kind of a pain in the ass to till. So he squared it out to make it easier.

 
I picked up some grass seed on Friday and spent that afternoon seeding that area. I don't need to seed the garden because we'll be putting the garden back in there next year. And then, of course, this happened yesterday morning....

That, friends, is a yard full of frost. And I watered the grass seed the night before. ::sigh:: It'll be fine. I'm not terribly fussed about it but I was not thrilled to wake up to that. I know it's October and this is Wisconsin.....but NOOOOOOOOOO! Husband has had nothing running (AC or heat) for at least a week, which is fine...but it was cold in the house yesterday morning. I was not a fan. 

We also went to a local Renaissance Faire yesterday. We've been to the one in Bristol a few times, which we like, but it's usually so damn hot because it's summer in Wisconsin. When we lived in California, there was one in Hollister, about this time of year, but Hollister at this time of the hear is stupid hot. So we never did go to that one. But we went to one yesterday. The boys got to hold ferrets. Stormageddon didn't quite know what to do. They were adorable.

 

After our (very late) breakfast at Paul Bunyan in Wisconsin Dells, Stormageddon fell asleep in the car on the way home. He was snoring. My sweet little boy still does that and it makes my heart happy.

 

I think the only other thing happening around here is that I'm now preparing to go back to work. I have applied for a few different things, mostly government-related or healthcare-adjacent. I've had two interviews (well, three, technically, since one of them was interviewing for two positions at once). The one where I interviewed for two at once did not pan out for whatever reason. Probably because I was nervous and didn't want to talk about irrelevant work from 15 years ago. At any rate, the third interview, which was a month ago, panned out. Pending all goes according to plan, I start in about a month. It's not glamorous. I'll work with the public. I'll have to be masked. But we'll see how it goes.

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