Lucky Thirteen: I've not wanted to post because too many things have happened (Updates #17-#23)

We are still here, still going, still still still......but the last couple months have been rough and I've not been wanting to write much about it. So, we'll talk about the knitting first and then the life and such....

 

Finished Objects (FOs)
1. Irma Hat: started 23 December 2023; finished 15 January 2024
2. Baby Blanket: started 28 October 2023; finished 14 March 2024
3. Dishcloth: started 25 February 2022; finished 20 April 2024
4. Plain Hat for Little Man: started 20 April 2024; finished 1 June 2024

I finished up a hat for Little Man. He seems pretty happy with it. I haven't washed it or photographed it yet but I'll get there eventually....

Works-In-Progress (WIPs - these are carried over year after year, if 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. Mixed BFL (Annie): started 18 March 20229
9. Lakeline Tank: started 18 March 2022
10. Socks: started 28 September 2022
11. Bonbon 2: started 15 October 2022
12. Star Stitch Shawl: started 8 June 2023 (link to the kit)
13. Vanilla Socks: started 7 October 2023
14. Rose's Wrist Warmers: started 10 February 2024
15. Baby Blanket: started 26 March 2024
16. Dishcloth: started 20 April 2024

The dishcloth I started way back in April hasn't been touched. I'm not even a bit upset about it.

The baby blanket is on hold. The short version is that mom had a miscarriage right around 5 months and even though I know there will likely be another recipient coming along, I haven't been able to work on it very much, knowing that the one that it was originally intended for is no longer with us.

My Vanilla Socks are ever growing. I've finished up the gusset decreases and am working my way down the foot of the first sock. 

And speaking of socks, the ones I'm making for Little Man have also had some progress. I think I finished up the gusset decreases on those, as well. Unfortunately, his foot is much bigger than mine....that's why they're shortie socks.

My Lakeland Tank is still sitting in that almost finished state. I might get around to finishing it one of these days....maybe. 

There hasn't been a lot of knitting, honestly. Too many other things.....

OMGLSFWTFBBQ

Items for ME (FTW!)
1. Musselburgh (any weight - check pattern for details)
2. Danu Fingerless Gloves (fingering weight, possibly Koigu Painters Palette)
3. Stranger Things Hat (worsted weight, possibly Malabrigo Rios)
4. Wilf's Hat (worsted weight, probably Psych Ward Yarns)
5. Dumbledore's Christmas Socks (fingering weight, in Opal Dumbledore)
6. Antler Mittens (worsted weight, probably Knit Picks Swish Worsted)
7. Flax (worsted weight, Misti Alpaca Worsted)
8. Park Slope (fingering weight, Mountain Colors)
9. Fili Socks (finger weight, Holiday Yarns Flock Sock that I dyed)
10. Classic Octopus Hat (worsted weight, two contrasting colors)

Children's Items/Knitting for others
1. Flax Light for Little Man (fingering weight, using the yarn I dyed for him)
2. Pig for Earle & Duane (worsted weight, Molly Ringwald?)
3. Hippo for Sweet Girl (fingering weight, purple & pink of some sort)
4. Replacement toy for Sassy Girl (she's requested a cow so I'll need to see what I can find)
5. Hipster for Little Man & Stormageddon (DK weight, Anzula Cricket)
6. Regular Guy Beanie (Aran weight, Malabrigo Twist that I dyed)
7. Dandy Sir Cephalepod (any weight)
8. My Little Slug (worsted weight, any color)
9. Knitted Knockers (DK or worsted, neutral colors)
10. C*nt Dishcloth for Rachel (worsted weight, any color as long as it's cotton)
11. F*ck Dishcloth for Rachel (worstedweight , any color as long as it's cotton)
12. Santa Hat (worsted weight, red and white)

Utilitarian/Household Items
1. Pop Blanket (worsted weight, preferably superwash, Knit Picks Brava set?)
2. Holiday Countdown Stockings (worsted weight, bits and bobs)

Other Fibery Endeavors:
1. Stash Fit
2. Create a project bag inventory of some sort
3. Update library inventory (on Ravelry)
4. Update stash inventory (on Ravelry)
5. Stitch markers: make kits and individual sets for Etsy shop
6. Destash as necessary/needed (because I'm allergic to silk and I'm super mad about it but it is what it is...but that means the silk has to go and I'm still super mad about it......)

 

As I mentioned earlier, the past couple of months have been rough. 

We spent some time with my in-laws for Easter and saw some ridiculous things (like this dude):

I wish I were kidding but the guy is wearing a brand new tire around his middle while he's riding a motorcycle....I'm not even sure what to say about that. It was utterly ridiculous and that's why I took a photo (no, I wasn't driving). 

The boys have found wildlife in the yard. Some of it good, some of it not so good. I won't show you the snake the boys found but I will show you the toad Little Man caught.

There was also a woodpecker in one of our pine trees and it was obnoxious. I think I took a photo but it's hard to see. The video is better but I'm not going to post that.

The theater space is fully functional and we are attempting to watch movies there at least once a week, if not more (more is better, obviously). I believe the first movie we watched was Empire Strikes Back, because of course.

 
Husband's office space is almost done as of today. His desk was delivered so he and Little Man got that situated earlier today. I don't have photos of that. 

I took the boys to my hometown for Syttende Mai (Norwegian Independence Day, which is 17 May). We stopped at the bakery, which is the absolute best and, of course, treats were had.

Stormageddon tried his hand at bowling a few weeks ago. Our neighbor up the hill, his youngest son graduated from high school so they had the party. I don't know if I've mentioned it but our neighbor up the hill has quite a bit of money. The house he will be building (in addition to the garage space with living quarters that's already been built and the garage space for all his toys) will be his 8th property that he currently owns. I wish I were kidding. In the garage space that also has the living quarters, there is a two lane bowling alley. So, Stormageddon tried it out.

We had some nasty storms go through at the end of May. There was actually a tornado not too far away. We had some wind damage to the trees, but nothing we really need to take care of except for one branch that fell into the field that needs felling. The creek overflowed its banks and our bridge. I had to replace one of the boards. One of the barns at the edge of the valley came down in the storm.

Unfortunately, there was also an incident at the middle school that made national headlines for about five minutes (if anyone other than the shooter had died, it would have been a bigger story). Yes, you read that correctly. I said shooter. An 8th grader at Little Man's school got hold of a rifle and decided he was going to bring it to school and start shooting. 

While I hate all the active shooter drills and all the policies and procedures that have to be in place, I'm extremely thankful that they are in place because it prevented this child from entering the school and causing a mass shooting. The Intermediate Center (3rd-5th grade), Middle School (6th-8th grade), and the High School (9th-12th grade) are all about a block from each other. There were casings found at the High School, and those shots caused an outdoor Middle School gym class to scatter to wherever they could, ditching their rollerblades along the way, running in socks. Some of those children ended up at nearby homes and businesses. Stormageddon heard those shots from the Intermediate Center. Little Man wound up barricaded in his math classroom, Stormageddon in the lunchroom. The original call to the local police was around 11:15am. We finally got Stormageddon around 7pm and Little Man around 7:45pm that night. It was a mess that involved local police, other local police departments, county and state sheriffs, FBI, and the NSA. There were bomb squads involved (stolen car with unknown bags inside, linked to the grandfather of the shooter). Little Man saw the bomb sniffing dogs as well as the bomb diffusing robots. 

In the end, the child that brought the rifle was shot by police after pointing his weapon and not complying with demands to drop it. He was fourteen years old. A child.

There's a whole lot more to this story but that's the shortened version. There are hundreds of children and families in the district with similar stories. 

The school year is finished, thankfully. The boys are home with Husband, for the most part, during the day. Little Man starts summer school next week and has that for four weeks. He's less than thrilled but he needs the extra help/boost and he knows it. He hasn't been fighting us too much about it, thankfully. 

But, to end on a happier note: we went to Culver's for dessert tonight. Culver's is a local(ish) fast food chain, known for their butterburgers, cheesecurds, and frozen custard. Kind of like In-N-Out if In-N-Out were good (I'm not a fan because Culver's is better). We have been saving our Scoopy Tokens and the boys got a football (like an American football, not a soccer ball). Neither of them give a poo about football but they like to throw things and kick things so I suppose it's fine. I think the next two Scoopy Token purchases will be the cheesecurd toy. They already have the dog and the ice cream cone (Fudge and Scoopy). 

With all that said, I hope you've had a lovely couple of weeks. I hope things start looking up around here....the last few months have been rough and we could all use a break. Maybe I'll be back next week, maybe it'll be a few weeks....time will tell :)