ELEVENTH Self-Imposed Uear of Projects - It's beginning to look a lot like......no. (Update #51)

Can I just say it? I hate snow. I hate that it means that it's cold. I hate that I have to drive in it. I hate that we have to move it out of the way so we can drive in it. Or walk in it. I hate that it falls off trees in clumps on my car while I'm driving.

But, we're not here to talk about my dislike of snow. We are here to talk about my knitting, or, really, a severe lack thereof. That's fine, though. 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
8. Colorfun Hat: started 7 October 2022; finished 1 November 2022
9. Vanilla Socks: started 9 August 2020; finished 12 November 2022

Nope. Keep moving. 

 

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. Sand Drift Blanket: started 17 January 2021
10. Dishcloth: started 25 February 2022
11. Mixed BFL (Annie): started 18 March 2022
12. Lakeline Tank: started 18 March 2022
13. Socks: started 28 September 2022
14. Bonbon 2: started 15 October 2022
15. Smile & Wave: started 15 November 2022

I've been very light on the knitting this week. I started the thumb increases on the first of the Smile & Wave fingerless mitts. That was last Sunday afternoon. Little Man had a birthday party and rather than drive home, I went to a local coffee shop with another mom I know (her son and Little Man are buddies) and we worked on our projects - hers was a crochet hat that wound up being way way way too big (we had a good laugh about it). I worked on the fingerless mitts. 

Other than that, I may have worked a row or two on the Returning Shawl. The rows are long and take awhile which is why I only worked a couple. 

I also may or may not have purchased yarn from Webs. I agreed to make a few things for our California friends' kids (the ones that visited over the summer). The daughter wants a cat-eared hat (i.e., a Pussy Hat) but she wants it in red and green stripes with star "earrings" of sorts. Her brother needs a hat and mittens and he likes blues and greens. Now, I went stash hunting via Ravelry (because that's currently the only way I've kept any sort of track of my stash and it's a hot mess but it's mostly there).....I did not have anything suitable for either project so off to Webs I went. I believe the order is down in the mailbox but I've been far too lazy to go down there to get it. Maybe later today I'll wander down there. I think Husband has a package, too. And we probably have mail. Maybe. It's fine. 

But that's about it. This whole "going to work" thing has really messed with my knitting time. 

 

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. Baby Bear for Mr. T (fingering weight - anything will work)
8. Pig for Earle & Duane (worsted weight - need pink, of course)

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

 

 

Stormageddon has been really sick. He was home all week from school (and most of the week before). Normally, he gets sick and bounces back after a couple days but by last Sunday, he was still running fevers, coughing, not eating a whole lot, and drinking water. We decided he probably needed to go to the doctor, even though the last place we want to take him when he's contagious with something is somewhere out in public...but he needed to go in so we could get some sort of game plan in place. He got in on Tuesday afternoon and he was swabbed for the trio: Covid, RSV, and the flu. They also did a general check. He had an ear infection in one of his ears so he's got antibiotics for that. He also came back positive for the flu. Thankfully, the antibiotics cleared up the ear infection, which was probably part of why he had a prolonged fever, which he hasn't had for a few days now. Soooo....he's getting better but he still missed two weeks of school. Poor kiddo. He's still got a bit of a nasty cough but I'll have him wear his mask at school, just in case. 

Little Man has been feeling fine, thankfully. He missed most of the week before (the first week Stormageddon was home). It's possible he also had the flu but because he had his flu shot, it didn't hit him as hard. Stormageddon was the only one in the house that didn't get his flu shot. We just hadn't gotten around to it yet. And then he gets the flu. Queue mom guilt. 

In other random events, we had another nasty storm roll through this week. It started out as rain on Wednesday, which wasn't a big deal. It was supposed to stay above freezing so all we were supposed to get was rain....but the temps dropped Wednesday night and we wound up getting snow on top of the rain, which means it was heavy, wet snow, and ice. Schools all around the area were cancelled but I still wound up having to drive in for work. The roads actually weren't all that terrible. It continued to snow off and on for the rest of Thursday and it was a little dicey driving home Thursday night. Friday, the roads were actually worse than they had been on Thursday, but it was still doable. I didn't love it but it was fine. I drove slower, had my car in snow mode, and called it good. 

I took a few photos on Thursday afternoon while I was out. I had a doctor appointment so these were during the day. They don't do the snow justice. That's the thing....it was so pretty but so icky.

Oh, speaking of doctor appointments.....I finally got in to see the ENT about my breathing/snoring issues. He messed with my nose a bit, asked how many times I've been smacked on the nose without breaking it (multiple - I played contact sports in high school, plus both my children have headbutted me on a number of occasions...and I'm a bit of a klutz), made me breathe through my nose while closing a nostril or using a narrow piece of wire (similar to a teeny crochet hook) to pull my nose out while breathing, and declared it something that could be fixed surgically. Basically, I've broken the cartilage several times, which has caused some issues, including obvious obstruction and a deviated septum on one side. So, I'll likely be having surgery in March or April. The best news out of all of it is that after the surgery, my sleep apnea should be significantly improved (perhaps to the point that I won't need a c-pap - we'll see). 

I have a dentist appointment this week but I don't expect anything spectacular on that front. It's just a regular appointment, which is fine. 

It's also hard to believe that Christmas is next weekend. I kind of feel like we're not ready, partly because there are hardly any presents under the tree or awaiting wrapping. I may have to do some extra Christmas shopping this week. 

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