FO Friday

After this past Sunday's announcement and our holiday travels, I thought I had better get this FO Friday in before the end of the year :)

Sooooo, I have TWO things to show you this week because I'm that awesome!

Bergen Street Tuque (project page)

Pattern: Bergen Street Tuque by Caryl Pierre
Time Frame: started December 12, 2012; finished December 19, 2012
Yarn: Cascade 220 in 7807 Regal (kind of a royal purple - the photos don't do it justice)
Needles: US #7 (4.5mm) and US #8 (5mm)
Size: M/L (see modifications)
Modifications: I CO for the M/L size on smaller needles in hopes that my gauge would work out because I was too lazy to search out the size needles called for. Also, it turned out to be a beanie rather than a slouch, which I'm perfectly fine with.
Thoughts: I think that if I make this again (and I might), I'm going to make the brim more of a standard length, keep the smaller needles with the M/L size and have it be a standard beanie. I do have a couple reservations about the pattern. There are some nuances about the pattern that aren't explained very well and they all have to do with the decreases and crown shaping. This is not a pattern for beginners or even advanced beginners. You have to be able to read your knitting and think about what you're doing well in advance of actually doing it. I've been knitting for four years and I had difficulty with it. The crown decreases are in the seed stitch section and you have to know what you did on the round previous (hence being able to read your knitting) in order to know how to continue the decrease section. But, it's not just that. You have to look ahead in the pattern to the crown shaping for a very specific direction about how the crown shaping looks best...and then you have to do some math. You have to know how many stitches are in your seed stitch sections, how many rows it's going to take to decrease those sections down to one stitch, and then you have to coincide those numbers with the length you want while making sure that you're within two or three rows beyond the cable row when you get to the crown shaping. In short, if you're making the M/L size hat, you want to start your crown decreases on the cable row (so you do the cable and start decreasing in the same row). That way, when you get to the crown shaping, you're just beyond the cable row and the hat doesn't look goofy. Do not misunderstand me: this is a fabulous hat and the results are lovely. If I could figure out a better way to explain how to do the decreases and crown shaping, I would let the designer know. Enough people have made it and left notes on their project pages that I think anyone that would want to make it could probably ask for help if/when they get stuck.

Top view

Little Man's Giraffe (project page)

Pattern: Giraffe by Susan B. Anderson
Time Frame: started May 11, 2011; finished December 21, 2012
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Citron (light green) and Christmas Green (dark green)
Needles: US #6 (4mm)
Size: Pattern specifications
Modifications: I had a lot of difficulty with the poms that you're supposed to use on top of the horns, at the end of the tail, and for the mane. I rigged up some small balls for the horns and tail using the contrast color (Christmas Green) and for the mane, I used a tutorial by Susan Anderson for a Twisted Loop Stitch that is for a completely different toy. Her original tutorial is for a toy knitted in the round but I changed it to being worked flat across 7 stitches. I CO 7 stitches and on the RS rows, I did the twisted loop while I purled across on the WS rows. I then stitched it onto the toy where the mane would go.
Thoughts: Susan Anderson's toys are fabulous and I can't say enough good things about them! I don't know that I will ever make this particular toy again but I do love how it turned out. I hope that Little Man treats him well (I may put him up high until he's old enough to understand all the work I put into it). He's been loving on him for months now, ever since I attached the head and legs to the body. He was also fascinated with the mane while I was knitting it. The only things I would change if I were to make it again would be to add the poly pellets (in a nylon) to the body to give it some weight and to knit the balls for the horns and tail as part of the piece instead of knitting them separately and attaching them. Because it's such a large toy, it's a good "first" toy, though it may take awhile to make. Also, for crocheters, the Crochet Loop Stitch may work well for the mane.

I hope you've enjoyed my last two FOs of 2012 :) I hope you'll be back for 2013! Oh, and for more FO Friday fun, visit Tami (I'm sure she's got something up today!).

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #52

If I've done my math correctly (and let's be honest, it's quite possible that I have not but I'm too damn lazy to go back and look), this is my fifty-second (and last) update for my Self-Imposed Year of Projects!

That means that (1) it's Sunday and (2) I better have a crapton of finished items for you.

(1) is totally true. It is Sunday. (2) isn't as true...but it's kind of true...but only kind of.

FINISHED OBJECTS
1. Claudia: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 9, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012
4. Dalek Dishcloth: started February 6, 2012; finished February 8, 2012
5. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; finished February 17, 2012
6. Snail Hat: started February 18, 2012; finished February 19, 2012
7. Lothlorien Hat: started January 25, 2012; finished March 5, 2012
8. Habitat Hat: started April 10, 2012; finished May 8, 2012
9. Mini Sweet Girl's Pumpkin Hat: started May 31, 2012; finished June 4, 2012
10. Pine Forest Baby Blanket: started February 21, 2012; finished August 4, 2012
11. Sassy Girl's Simple Baby Cap #1: started August 4, 2012; finished August 5, 2012
12. Double Bump Dishcloth: started August 9, 2012; finished August 11, 2012
13. Go Pack, Go!: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
14. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started August 25, 2012; finished August 26, 2012
15. Little Granite Dishcloth: started August 27, 2012; finished August 28, 2012
16. Alternate Andalusian Dishcloth: started August 29, 2012; finished August 29, 2012
17. Not-Too-Scruby Dishcloth: started September 7, 2012; finished September 14, 2012
18. Ruffled Feathers Pinwheel Blanket: started September 12, 2012; finished September 24, 2012
19. Plain old boring "normal" dishcloth (no project page): started September 22, 2012; finished September 28, 2012
20. Raglan Hat: started September 28, 2012; finished September 29, 2012
21. Nolan for Nellie: started September 28, 2012; finished October 1, 2012
22. Garter Stitch Scarf: started October 5, 2012; finished October 5, 2012
23. Chunky Scarf: started October 6, 2012; finished October 8, 2012
24. Hypnotic Dream Dishcloth: started October 3, 2012; finished October 11, 2012
25. Matt's U of AL Beanie: started October 11, 2012; finished October 14, 2012
26. Christmas Elf Hat: started October 17, 2012; finished October 22, 2012
27. Sweet Girl's Hippo: started May 10, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
28. Susan's Hat (mini): started October 25, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
29. Little Man's Sweater: started October 23, 2012; finished November 13, 2012
30. Hermione's Everyday Socks: started March 6, 2012; finished November 20, 2012
31. Bergen Street Tuque: started December 12, 2012, finished December 19, 2012
32. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011; finished December 21, 2012

I totally owe you all a double dose of FO Friday this week! I finished up the Bergen Street Tuque this past Wednesday and while it doesn't fit as a slouch hat, it does fit as a beanie so I'm going to call it good as a beanie. Soooo, hopefully this week I'll have given it a good soak and I'll be able to post all about it on Friday. Or maybe I won't bother with the soak and I'll just wear it. You'll also notice that Little Man's Giraffe is finished. The face was kind of interesting to do. I'm not sure I did it correctly but it works and I'm going with it. The mane turned out fabulously and I'm totally impressed with myself, by the way.


WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
1. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010
2. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012
3. Eat Your Monkey Socks: started November 29, 2012


This also means that my WIP list is down to three. I'm not sure any of these will actually be finished before the new year but, you know, we'll see. I'm about ready to start the heel flap on the first Vanilla Sock and the Monkey Socks are going along quite well. Admittedly, I haven't worked on my Icarus this past week because I was busy with the hat and the giraffe. I'm sure that now those are done that I'll work on it this week.


Anyway, next week will be the wrap-up to my Self-Imposed Year of Projects and then it'll be the new year and my birthday and winter and all that jazz.


I also expect some big things to be happening with this blog in the new year. I'll have to keep you posted and such like that :)




I hope you've had a wonderful week and, if you're celebrating Christmas, then Happy Christmas. We're planning to have a pretty low-key event with just the three of us. Little Man has a bunch of presents under the tree, most of which are not from Husband and I. Oh well. I also still haven't gotten Husband anything. I don't have a clue what to get for him so I'm kind of giving up on that for now. I'm pretty sure he didn't get me anything either. It's okay, Christmas is more for Little Man than us.

I expect that I'll wander in on Friday for FO Friday and maybe a WIP Wednesday post in between but we'll have to see what the week brings us.

Have a fabulous week :)

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #51

HOLY HELL! I'm heading into my fifty-first week of my Self-Imposed Year of Projects! Part of me can't even fathom that I've been paying attention to my knitting for almost a year...I mean, other than just knitting. I have trouble keeping my well-intended plans, much like New Years' Resolutions (NYRs)...so this is kind of a big deal.

We went to Wisconsin over this weekend for a wedding so this post was written a few days in advance. Sue me.

Anyway, onward to the lists and such...

FINISHED OBJECTS
1. Claudia: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 9, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012
4. Dalek Dishcloth: started February 6, 2012; finished February 8, 2012
5. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; finished February 17, 2012
6. Snail Hat: started February 18, 2012; finished February 19, 2012
7. Lothlorien Hat: started January 25, 2012; finished March 5, 2012
8. Habitat Hat: started April 10, 2012; finished May 8, 2012
9. Mini Sweet Girl's Pumpkin Hat: started May 31, 2012; finished June 4, 2012
10. Pine Forest Baby Blanket: started February 21, 2012; finished August 4, 2012
11. Sassy Girl's Simple Baby Cap #1: started August 4, 2012; finished August 5, 2012
12. Double Bump Dishcloth: started August 9, 2012; finished August 11, 2012
13. Go Pack, Go!: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
14. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started August 25, 2012; finished August 26, 2012
15. Little Granite Dishcloth: started August 27, 2012; finished August 28, 2012
16. Alternate Andalusian Dishcloth: started August 29, 2012; finished August 29, 2012
17. Not-Too-Scruby Dishcloth: started September 7, 2012; finished September 14, 2012
18. Ruffled Feathers Pinwheel Blanket: started September 12, 2012; finished September 24, 2012
19. Plain old boring "normal" dishcloth (no project page): started September 22, 2012; finished September 28, 2012
20. Raglan Hat: started September 28, 2012; finished September 29, 2012
21. Nolan for Nellie: started September 28, 2012; finished October 1, 2012
22. Garter Stitch Scarf: started October 5, 2012; finished October 5, 2012
23. Chunky Scarf: started October 6, 2012; finished October 8, 2012
24. Hypnotic Dream Dishcloth: started October 3, 2012; finished October 11, 2012
25. Matt's U of AL Beanie: started October 11, 2012; finished October 14, 2012
26. Christmas Elf Hat: started October 17, 2012; finished October 22, 2012
27. Sweet Girl's Hippo: started May 10, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
28. Susan's Hat (mini): started October 25, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
29. Little Man's Sweater: started October 23, 2012; finished November 13, 2012
30. Hermione's Everyday Socks: started March 6, 2012; finished November 20, 2012 

I haven't finished anything new...unless I finished something on one of our flights, which is quite possible but I have no way of really letting you know if I finished something. Well, maybe. But no, I haven't finished anything new...or old.

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
1. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011
2. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012 
4. Eat Your Monkey Socks: started November 29, 2012  
5. Bergen Street Tuque: started December 12, 2012

I did start a(nother) project. I needed one more hat for my 12 in 2012 hat challenge. I also needed something for the flights and driving that we would be doing this weekend. I wanted something fairly easy but not so easy that I would be bored (which is why my Vanilla Socks did not travel with me). 

The mane on Little Man's Giraffe is cumbersome but it's coming along. I'm maybe halfway done with that part. I'm hoping to have the giraffe completely finished by Christmas for Little Man but we'll see how that goes. I'm so close...I just have to bite the bullet and finish it. 

I've worked a few rows on my Icarus Shawl but each row takes me about 20 minutes to do (roughly). I tend to work on this after Husband and Little Man have gone to bed. I'm still in the middle of the fourth (and last) chart but it's coming along just fine. Just keep knitting. Just keep knitting. Just keep knitting knitting knitting...

The two pairs of socks are going along, too. Just keep knitting...

And since I've started my last hat for the year, my list of hats can now be dropped. 

Next week, I hope to have more things finished but, you know, we'll see.

I hope you all have a lovely and grand week ahead :)

WIP Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!

I took some (crappy) photos so I can actually participate in a WIP Wednesday :) Trust me, the photos are nothing special...

Anyway, onward to the photos!

Eat Your Monkey Socks

This is the first of my Eat Your Monkey Socks. The yarn I'm using is from Sun Valley Fibers and is a merino/cashmere/nylon blend. If I remember correctly, it's superwash merino...I believe it's the same blend as my Hermione's Everyday Socks and I've thrown them in the washer and dryer and they came out just fine.

I started out CO for the "small" size on US #1 needles. I worked two repeats and tried the socks on. Sadly, they were too small. Sooooo, off I went to the yarn store and picked up some US #1.5 circulars and some US #0 circulars. I restarted them on the US #1.5 circulars, I've done two repeats, and I've tried them on (they fit). Woo-hoo!

Icarus Shawl

This is my Icarus Shawl. The lifeline is left from the end of the second chart and I'm really hoping that I don't have to rip back that far. With that said, I'm maybe five or six rows into the fourth (and final) chart. It requires a bit of concentration to read the chart so I tend to work on this while Little Man is asleep.

The yarn is Wistful from Briar Rose. Initially, I never had any desire to knit this shawl until I saw a version knitted up in the Briar Rose booth at the Madison Knitters' Guild Knit In in 2010. The version I saw was a red/brown version and I inquired about it. I picked the blue/green/yellow color in the correct number of skeins (the one displayed was done with 1500 yds. of Wistful on US #6 needles)...and I may have enough to make two. That's due, in part, to changing the number of repeats I did for the first chart. It'll be plenty big without the official number of repeats. My gauge is probably different, too.

Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2)

The second version of my Vanilla Socks looks much the same as the ones I frogged for being too small. I've transferred these to two US #1 circulars (the ones I'm no longer using for my Eat Your Monkey Socks), which gives me the ability to try them on along the way. These are good, mindless knitting for when I don't need to pay attention to what I'm doing very closely.

The yarn is Sock Yarn from htNEVELE in Parrot Bay, which is 100% merino, superwash if memory serves. She was a local dyer when I lived in Wisconsin.

Giraffe Mane!

I've also been working on getting the mane for Little Man's Giraffe just right. I went round and round about what technique I was going to use and I finally decided upon the one that Susan Anderson has a tutorial that I'm using. I've started and restarted it a few times but I think I'm going to keep it this way. I CO seven stitches and I'm doing the loop on the second, fourth, and sixth stitches on the right side rows and purling the wrong side. I think I'm going to have to give it a good soak and pin it out before I sew it on, just so I can get the "hair" to lay a little better. It's Cascade 220 Superwash so it should be fine.

Anyway, that's all I have for this WIP Wednesday :) For more WIP Wednesday fun, visit Tami!



Oh, and because I haven't posted photos of Little Man in awhile...

Maybe a week after his birthday...playing with his new toy from Husband's brother and sister-in-law.

He found his hoodie under the dining room table one day and tried to put it on all by himself. I think he did quite well, considering that he put it on upside down and didn't bother to unzip it first.

We had lunch at a place called Togo's over in San Leandro the other day. He only wanted to eat potato chips but he was happy doing so :)

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #50

I'm going to try to keep this relatively short and sweet as I've been sick for the last few days. I suspect that the flu is part of the problem...perhaps an ear infection, too. We'll see. I plan to go to the doctor tomorrow sometime. 

So, on to my Self-Imposed Year of Projects...


FINISHED OBJECTS
1. Claudia: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 9, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012
4. Dalek Dishcloth: started February 6, 2012; finished February 8, 2012
5. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; finished February 17, 2012
6. Snail Hat: started February 18, 2012; finished February 19, 2012
7. Lothlorien Hat: started January 25, 2012; finished March 5, 2012
8. Habitat Hat: started April 10, 2012; finished May 8, 2012
9. Mini Sweet Girl's Pumpkin Hat: started May 31, 2012; finished June 4, 2012
10. Pine Forest Baby Blanket: started February 21, 2012; finished August 4, 2012
11. Sassy Girl's Simple Baby Cap #1: started August 4, 2012; finished August 5, 2012
12. Double Bump Dishcloth: started August 9, 2012; finished August 11, 2012
13. Go Pack, Go!: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
14. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started August 25, 2012; finished August 26, 2012
15. Little Granite Dishcloth: started August 27, 2012; finished August 28, 2012
16. Alternate Andalusian Dishcloth: started August 29, 2012; finished August 29, 2012
17. Not-Too-Scruby Dishcloth: started September 7, 2012; finished September 14, 2012
18. Ruffled Feathers Pinwheel Blanket: started September 12, 2012; finished September 24, 2012
19. Plain old boring "normal" dishcloth (no project page): started September 22, 2012; finished September 28, 2012
20. Raglan Hat: started September 28, 2012; finished September 29, 2012
21. Nolan for Nellie: started September 28, 2012; finished October 1, 2012
22. Garter Stitch Scarf: started October 5, 2012; finished October 5, 2012
23. Chunky Scarf: started October 6, 2012; finished October 8, 2012
24. Hypnotic Dream Dishcloth: started October 3, 2012; finished October 11, 2012
25. Matt's U of AL Beanie: started October 11, 2012; finished October 14, 2012
26. Christmas Elf Hat: started October 17, 2012; finished October 22, 2012
27. Sweet Girl's Hippo: started May 10, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
28. Susan's Hat (mini): started October 25, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
29. Little Man's Sweater: started October 23, 2012; finished November 13, 2012
30. Hermione's Everyday Socks: started March 6, 2012; finished November 20, 2012 

Haven't finished anything new. And that's fine. 

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
1. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011
2. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012 
4. Eat Your Monkey Socks: started November 29, 2012

Haven't started anything new...sort of. I wound up frogging the Monkey Socks that I had started because they were too small. I picked up some new, larger needles and restarted them and they appear to be fitting better. I'm still not 100% convinced but my next option is to go down to a US #0 and CO for the large size. If that doesn't work, then I guess I'll CO for the large on US #1s...::sigh::

I've also started the mane for Little Man's giraffe. It's going as well as can be expected. It's not particularly difficult but it's cumbersome. Oh well.

The shawl is just kind of...going. I'm somewhere in the middle of the last chart. The Vanilla Socks are, too, just kind of going along...


PLANNED HATS (at least 1 more - 12 total for the year)
1. Hermione Hearts Ron
2. Ogre Babies!
3. NIN Hat
4. Godric's Hollow Hat
5. Bergen Street Tuque

I think I've decided between either the Bergen Street Tuque or the Godric's Hollow Hat for my last hat for the year. I need to dig out some yarn and I'm hoping I get to that sometime over the next few days because I'd like to work on it while we're on our flights to and from Wisconsin. If not, oh well. 



Anyway, Little Man got sick last week and then shared it with me. That's pretty much it. Oh, and Husband hasn't gotten it and I'm really hoping he doesn't. It's awful. Oh, and I had a panic attack on Friday because my keys were missing. I looked and looked and I knew they were on the counter on Thursday. Turns out that Husband had them in his backpack. We're thinking Little Man was trying to be helpful. I didn't like the ensuing panic attack, however. At least they weren't officially lost. 

Perhaps sometime this week I'll get in with some actual photos of what's going on. I feel horrible because I've been promising photos for awhile...and then Little Man got sick and now I'm sick and it's the holiday season and I've had a buttload of stuff going on. ::grumble""

At any rate, I hope you're all having a lovely weekend and that this next week is grand :)

WIP Wednesday: The Sick Edition

Happy WIP Wednesday.

I apologize early, for this is to be a photoless post. Little Man started getting sick over the weekend and by the time his doctor appointment rolled around yesterday morning, he had spent the night previous coughing, snotting, and puking, was running a temp of 100.1°F, and then we found out he had a double ear infection. Like the snot and the coughing and the puking wasn't enough.

But, Little Man was so nice.

He shared.

Now I've got the cold that he has and although I'm not puking, I'm coughing and sneezing and snotting and it's awful. I expect I'll be fine in a couple days but right now, I feel like death warmed over.

Hence why there are no photos of any of my WIPs.

I wound up frogging the Monkey sock but I intend to restart it sometime tonight. It was too tight. I kind of thought it might be but I tried it on after I got through 1.5 repeats of the pattern...I could get it on but if I were to make it as long as I want, it won't fit.

Soooooo.....I went and picked up a pair of US #1.5 40" circulars and a pair of US #0 60" circulars. I'm going to CO the small size (64 stitches) on the US #1.5 needles and see if they fit. If not, I'll CO the large size (80 stitches) on the US #0 needles for the same reason. The last resort is to CO for the large size on my US #1 needles. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to make these particular socks...which is sad because I rather like them.

Also, I may have figured out another way to make the mane on Little Man's Giraffe that doesn't involve a crochet hook. Susan B. Anderson (the designer of said giraffe) recently posted a tutorial video for a twisted loop stitch that she uses for a completely different toy. I've tried the crochet loop stitch a couple times and it just isn't my friend. I get how it works and I can even kind of do it...but it's just not looking right to me. So, I'm going to try the twisted loop stitch and see if that works better. It's a bit more "up my alley," so to speak.

Anyway, that's pretty much all I have right now. I don't expect an FO Friday this week but, you know, it could happen (yes, you may insert crazy laughter in here).

I hope you're all having a lovely WIP Wednesday. Visit Tami for more fun :)

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #49

Hello and happy Sunday :)

I've taken temporary leave of my sanity this past week and I'm sure it'll continue into this next week. You'll see why in a moment.

FINISHED OBJECTS
1. Claudia: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 9, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012
4. Dalek Dishcloth: started February 6, 2012; finished February 8, 2012
5. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; finished February 17, 2012
6. Snail Hat: started February 18, 2012; finished February 19, 2012
7. Lothlorien Hat: started January 25, 2012; finished March 5, 2012
8. Habitat Hat: started April 10, 2012; finished May 8, 2012
9. Mini Sweet Girl's Pumpkin Hat: started May 31, 2012; finished June 4, 2012
10. Pine Forest Baby Blanket: started February 21, 2012; finished August 4, 2012
11. Sassy Girl's Simple Baby Cap #1: started August 4, 2012; finished August 5, 2012
12. Double Bump Dishcloth: started August 9, 2012; finished August 11, 2012
13. Go Pack, Go!: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
14. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started August 25, 2012; finished August 26, 2012
15. Little Granite Dishcloth: started August 27, 2012; finished August 28, 2012
16. Alternate Andalusian Dishcloth: started August 29, 2012; finished August 29, 2012
17. Not-Too-Scruby Dishcloth: started September 7, 2012; finished September 14, 2012
18. Ruffled Feathers Pinwheel Blanket: started September 12, 2012; finished September 24, 2012
19. Plain old boring "normal" dishcloth (no project page): started September 22, 2012; finished September 28, 2012
20. Raglan Hat: started September 28, 2012; finished September 29, 2012
21. Nolan for Nellie: started September 28, 2012; finished October 1, 2012
22. Garter Stitch Scarf: started October 5, 2012; finished October 5, 2012
23. Chunky Scarf: started October 6, 2012; finished October 8, 2012
24. Hypnotic Dream Dishcloth: started October 3, 2012; finished October 11, 2012
25. Matt's U of AL Beanie: started October 11, 2012; finished October 14, 2012
26. Christmas Elf Hat: started October 17, 2012; finished October 22, 2012
27. Sweet Girl's Hippo: started May 10, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
28. Susan's Hat (mini): started October 25, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
29. Little Man's Sweater: started October 23, 2012; finished November 13, 2012
30. Hermione's Everyday Socks: started March 6, 2012; finished November 20, 2012

I haven't finished anything new. I've worked on some things but I haven't finished anything...and that's okay.

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
1. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011
2. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012 
4. Eat Your Monkey Socks: started November 29, 2012

Do you see my loss of sanity? It's right there in my WIP list, #4...another project. And not a hat. Huh? What was I thinking? I'm not sure...I think it was a combination of late night knitting, the fumes of a couple finished objects, and a skein of sock yarn that had been wound ages ago and was taunting me in my knitting bag. And I happened to have appropriate needles nearby. It's going quite well (and quickly) considering that I just started them on Thursday night. I'm in the midst of the leg repeats and I'll perhaps have a photograph for an upcoming WIP Wednesday. Or maybe I will have frogged it by then. I'm worried that it's not going to fit (what else is new?). If I frog it, I'm either going to go up to a US #1.5 or #2 needle and keep the stitch count the same...or I'm going to go down to a US #0 and make the large size...or perhaps I'll frog it and restart with some extra ribbing in between the pattern repeats.

::sigh:: Sometimes, those yarn fumes are just too much...

I'm thisclose to finishing Little Man's Giraffe. I have to sew on spots, make the hair (which is still giving me some trouble), and stitch on the face. I think I'm going to need some help with the crochet part. Not that I can't do it...but I'm having some difficulty. It may also be a function of having too small of a crochet hook. I'll see if I can find a larger one and see if that helps.

My Icarus Shawl is progressing but I'm not sure I'll have it finished by the end of the year. I'm ready to start the fourth and final chart (besides the edging rows). I'm still not out of my first skein of yarn either. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get the fourth chart and the edging rows out of what's left of the skein but it means I'll have enough left that I could make another one out of the same yarn (not that I'm going to, just a fact that I could). 

I've spent some time with my Vanilla Socks this past week. It's good, relatively mindless knitting for when Little Man is playing or when we're driving long distances or when I just don't want to keep referring to a chart. I'm maybe halfway through the leg portion of the first sock. Of course, since I have no specific pattern in my head, that may be relative. I'll make it as long as I want :) 

Other than that....

PLANNED HATS (at least 1 more - 12 total for the year)
1. Hermione Hearts Ron
2. Ogre Babies!
3. NIN Hat
4. Godric's Hollow Hat
5. Bergen Street Tuque

Hats honestly don't take me that long and I could use something to work on during flights and long drives and such during December. I suspect that I'll wind up working on something that isn't too terribly difficult but I haven't quite decided quite yet. I'll make that decision in the next week or so. 




In real life news, there isn't much going on. Little Man had his appointment with his metabolic doctor a couple weeks ago. He didn't have to have any blood work done and we're going to try to wean him off the formula mixture in hopes that he'll eat more "real" food and drink less of his milk. He has his 2 year "Well Toddler" appointment this week and I expect things will be fine there. He's not due for any shots except his annual flu shot and we need a referral to a pediatric cardiologist (for the metabolic disorder). 

I've been pondering what I want for Christmas. I've also been thinking about what to get Little Man and Husband, too. The problem we have in our house is that if we want something, we usually just go out and get it. I have absolutely no idea what to get Husband for Christmas. Giftcards are kind of pointless, he doesn't really like books, he has all the motorcycle gear he could ever want......seriously, I have no ideas! Anyone have any ideas? Little Man is getting a box of Duplos (the big Legos) and I need to slip away for a run to Walmart to get a Nemo stuffed animal (similar to this one). He has seen it twice and both times he got really upset with me when I wouldn't let him have it in the cart with him. And then there are the things coming from other places...like the package that came from Husband's brother and his wife (translation: she did the shopping) and the one probably coming from my friend (she says she's done shopping for him)...and Husband's parents...and so on and so forth. Honestly, the boy doesn't need anything...but that won't stop us.

Anyway, I don't mean to bore you all to tears. I'm just kind of letting my mind wander...so I shall wander off. I should be back sometime this week and, if nothing else, I'll be back next Sunday :)  

Oh, and before I forget.....a big THANK YOU to Emma for gifting me the Ardys pattern! 

Confessions

It's time for some Yarn Addict Confessions.

It's what's known as "Cyber Monday" here in the US because...well, Friday was "Black Friday," as it's the first official holiday shopping day (and places have crazy deals on some things, just to get people in the door - I'm fondly remembering the Tickle Me Elmo rush when I was younger), Saturday is "Small Business Saturday" and it's supposed to be a push for shopping locally, and Sunday is what I've deemed "Rest and Recovery" day because after all the turkey from Thanksgiving and all the rushing about on Friday and Saturday, you need a day to recover...which brings us to Monday. I suppose all the rest and recovery time slips into Monday and people do their shopping online.

Honestly, do people really need three "special" shopping days? Really?

Anyway, it's the Monday after Thanksgiving in the US (and just another Monday in other parts of the world) and Little Man and I have run some errands today. I had a couple packages at the rental office (my plying flyer for Viktor and three copies of the deluxe edition of Annie & the Swiss Cheese Scarf) and we ran some errands after that.

Little Man has been napping for about two hours now and during that two hour time period, I thought I'd work on his Giraffe some more. As of right now, I only have to do attach the spots, do the face, and make the hair. I started working on the hair (using this video on YouTube) and I've been cursing ever since. It's not difficult and I get how it works...

But I'm not a crocheter.

There. I said it. My fiber addictions only encompass two things: knitting and spinning. I. Am. Not. A. Crocheter.

I know how to make a chain and I can do a single crochet stitch and a double crochet stitch and so on and so forth (if I have YouTube open in front of me with various videos loaded)...I can even do this fancy loop stitch.

Sooo......what's the problem, then? I don't know how to count crochet stitches so I never seem to wind up with the same amount of stitches in a row (yes, I know about the "adding" a stitch onto the end of rows so you can turn). One row had six loops, then I did a single crochet row back, the next row had seven loops, then I did a single crochet row back, then I had five loops...it goes on and on and wonky like this.

How the hell do you count crochet stitches?! I thought I got it but this is apparently eluding me more than I thought.

That's my confession of the day: I don't know how to count crochet stitches and I am attempting to do a loop crochet stitch for Little Man's Giraffe. What the hell was I thinking?!

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #48

Happy Sunday!

I'm heading into my 48th week of my Self-Imposed Year of Projects. It doesn't quite seem possible that I've been paying attention to something for that long, but apparently the numbers don't lie :)

Anyway, let's get to it!

FINISHED OBJECTS
1. Claudia: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 9, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012
4. Dalek Dishcloth: started February 6, 2012; finished February 8, 2012
5. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; finished February 17, 2012
6. Snail Hat: started February 18, 2012; finished February 19, 2012
7. Lothlorien Hat: started January 25, 2012; finished March 5, 2012
8. Habitat Hat: started April 10, 2012; finished May 8, 2012
9. Mini Sweet Girl's Pumpkin Hat: started May 31, 2012; finished June 4, 2012
10. Pine Forest Baby Blanket: started February 21, 2012; finished August 4, 2012
11. Sassy Girl's Simple Baby Cap #1: started August 4, 2012; finished August 5, 2012
12. Double Bump Dishcloth: started August 9, 2012; finished August 11, 2012
13. Go Pack, Go!: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
14. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started August 25, 2012; finished August 26, 2012
15. Little Granite Dishcloth: started August 27, 2012; finished August 28, 2012
16. Alternate Andalusian Dishcloth: started August 29, 2012; finished August 29, 2012
17. Not-Too-Scruby Dishcloth: started September 7, 2012; finished September 14, 2012
18. Ruffled Feathers Pinwheel Blanket: started September 12, 2012; finished September 24, 2012
19. Plain old boring "normal" dishcloth (no project page): started September 22, 2012; finished September 28, 2012
20. Raglan Hat: started September 28, 2012; finished September 29, 2012
21. Nolan for Nellie: started September 28, 2012; finished October 1, 2012
22. Garter Stitch Scarf: started October 5, 2012; finished October 5, 2012
23. Chunky Scarf: started October 6, 2012; finished October 8, 2012
24. Hypnotic Dream Dishcloth: started October 3, 2012; finished October 11, 2012
25. Matt's U of AL Beanie: started October 11, 2012; finished October 14, 2012
26. Christmas Elf Hat: started October 17, 2012; finished October 22, 2012
27. Sweet Girl's Hippo: started May 10, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
28. Susan's Hat (mini): started October 25, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
29. Little Man's Sweater: started October 23, 2012; finished November 13, 2012
30. Hermione's Everyday Socks: started March 6, 2012; finished November 20, 2012

I finished up Hermione's Everyday Socks this past week! I was a little worried at the very very end, though. I was all ready to do my Kitchener Stitch on the toe and get them closed up and discovered after doing about three stitches worth that I cannot read properly. I tried to tink back and fix it only coming to the realization that I couldn't figure out how to tink back to fix my mistake so I (very bravely) pulled out my needles, attempted to rip back a row, and put the stitches back on the needles. I say that I attempted to rip back: it didn't rip too well. Soooo....I think I got it fixed and I wound up with 14 stitches on each needle and rather than muck it up even more or try to figure out what the hell I'd done, I just said, "screw it," and Kitchenered my toe. So far, nothing is unraveling so I'm going to assume I caught all the live stitches. I have not properly photographed my socks yet...but they've had a thorough soak in Soak and are drying on my sock blockers. They fit as perfectly as I think they'd ever fit :) So, I suppose that means I'm going to have to owe you another FO Friday. 

Speaking of Little Man's Sweater.....::sigh:: It does not fit him very well. In fact, I'd venture a guess that it's actually too small for him. I'm going to attach the buttons and I think it's going to make it's way to Maryland for Sassy Girl...and she can wear it in a year. I'm going to take some measurements before I do that, though (including double checking my gauge).  

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
1. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011
2. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012  

So, this means that my WIP list is down to three! I spent quite a bit of time with Little Man's Giraffe this week. I've made the balls for the horns and tail and am working on attaching them to their respective appendage and then to the body. I suspect that this will be done by Christmas. 

I also worked on my Vanilla Socks, though I didn't get too far. It's just a lot of stockinette in the round so it can get a little boring. Oh well.

All that's left......

PLANNED HATS (at least 1 more - 12 total for the year)
1. Hermione Hearts Ron
2. Ogre Babies!
3. NIN Hat
4. Godric's Hollow Hat
5. Bergen Street Tuque 

I still haven't fully decided which hat I want to work on yet. 



Anyway, we had friends up from Los Angeles for Thanksgiving this past week. They came up on Thursday and left yesterday morning. We did the usual holiday stuff (turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.). We went to the Mythbusters Exhibit at the Tech Museum in San Jose on Friday (instead of the insanity that is Black Friday) and then we had a traditional Wisconsin dinner: grilled bratwursts (beer soaked, of course), potato salad, pasta salad, and homemade pickles. 

Woo-hoo!

I hope that this week isn't quite as crazy as the last week or so has been, what with people visiting and all. I imagine that things will go much smoother. 



That's all I have for you this week! I hope you all had a lovely week and holiday (for those of you in the US) and that this week is just as lovely!

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #47

Happy Sunday, kids :)

Now that we're officially getting into the "holiday season," things are going to get a bit hairy around here and posts may show up on days other than Sunday or, perhaps *gasp* not at all. We shall see what the next few weeks bring.

It's been raining for the last few days here the Bay Area. The temperatures aren't bad but you throw in the rain and it's a bit chilly. It's not necessarily cold but you have that kind of bone chilling thing with each little splatter of rain. It kind of bites because I want to wear my shorts because, frankly, it's warm...but then the rain comes and the splatters make me cold...and then I get on MUNI and I'm warm and wet from the rain so I get sweaty. It's not a nice combination. I think I need to invest in an umbrella and a rain coat. I don't have either, apparently. I thought i had, at least, an umbrella but I can't find it. I probably have one and it's probably in storage, along with my rain coat. ::sigh::

Anyway, we're not here to read about all that....it's Sunday and that means it's time for my Self-Imposed Year of Projects :)


FINISHED OBJECTS
1. Claudia: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 9, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012
4. Dalek Dishcloth: started February 6, 2012; finished February 8, 2012
5. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; finished February 17, 2012
6. Snail Hat: started February 18, 2012; finished February 19, 2012
7. Lothlorien Hat: started January 25, 2012; finished March 5, 2012
8. Habitat Hat: started April 10, 2012; finished May 8, 2012
9. Mini Sweet Girl's Pumpkin Hat: started May 31, 2012; finished June 4, 2012
10. Pine Forest Baby Blanket: started February 21, 2012; finished August 4, 2012
11. Sassy Girl's Simple Baby Cap #1: started August 4, 2012; finished August 5, 2012
12. Double Bump Dishcloth: started August 9, 2012; finished August 11, 2012
13. Go Pack, Go!: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
14. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started August 25, 2012; finished August 26, 2012
15. Little Granite Dishcloth: started August 27, 2012; finished August 28, 2012
16. Alternate Andalusian Dishcloth: started August 29, 2012; finished August 29, 2012
17. Not-Too-Scruby Dishcloth: started September 7, 2012; finished September 14, 2012
18. Ruffled Feathers Pinwheel Blanket: started September 12, 2012; finished September 24, 2012
19. Plain old boring "normal" dishcloth (no project page): started September 22, 2012; finished September 28, 2012
20. Raglan Hat: started September 28, 2012; finished September 29, 2012
21. Nolan for Nellie: started September 28, 2012; finished October 1, 2012
22. Garter Stitch Scarf: started October 5, 2012; finished October 5, 2012
23. Chunky Scarf: started October 6, 2012; finished October 8, 2012
24. Hypnotic Dream Dishcloth: started October 3, 2012; finished October 11, 2012
25. Matt's U of AL Beanie: started October 11, 2012; finished October 14, 2012
26. Christmas Elf Hat: started October 17, 2012; finished October 22, 2012
27. Sweet Girl's Hippo: started May 10, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
28. Susan's Hat (mini): started October 25, 2012; finished October 26, 2012
29. Little Man's Sweater: started October 23, 2012; finished November 13, 2012

You'll notice that I finished Little Man's sweater...for the most part. I'm still working on seaming the arms (which takes more concentration than I have time for most days), I need to attach the buttons,  and I have to block it. I'm hoping that it grows significantly in width and length when I block it because it barely fits Little Man right now and it's supposed to be sized 4T (for a four year old). My gauge was on when I started so I don't know what the problem is. Perhaps gauge lied. It often does that. I'll find out after I get it seamed and blocked. I can always make it again using larger needles and different yarn. As it stands, if this one turns out to be too small, I know a little girl that could use a handknit sweater from her auntie (though I'll have to tell her mom several times that it's handwash only). 

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
1. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011
2. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010
3. Hermione's Everyday Socks: started March 6, 2012
4. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012 

I'm kind of amazed at my WIP list. I only have four projects going right now, though admittedly I haven't worked on my Vanilla Socks for awhile. But still....only four WIPs right now. And, let's be honest, Little Man's Giraffe, Hermione's Everyday Socks, and my Icarus Shawl are all almost done. 

Aside from the sweater, I spent some time with Little Man's Giraffe and Hermione's Everyday Socks this week. I need to make the three balls for the tail and horns on the giraffe and then I need to learn a new crochet technique...which will be funny since I don't exactly crochet in the first place.  I've looked at the video several times and I think I'll be able to do it. I also need to attach everything to the body. I think I'm going to wait and do the hair last so I have the horns, ears, tail, and spots placed properly first. 

I'm still working on Hermione's Everyday Socks, too, but I'm not finished. I was busy seaming the sweater. I did work on it in the car on our way to San Mateo a few days ago but it got too dark to work. Oh well.

PLANNED HATS (at least 1 more - 12 total for the year)
1. Hermione Hearts Ron
2. Ogre Babies!
3. NIN Hat
4. Godric's Hollow Hat
5. Bergen Street Tuque 

And, of course, I still have one hat left for the year. ::sigh::





Other than knitting, the only thing that's been going on around here is cleaning. We're having friends up from Los Angeles for Thanksgiving...them, and their two children (ages 4 and under a year). So...cleaning needs to happen. The counter in the kitchen needs to be cleaned off and we need to find semi-permanent homes for some of the things on said counter. We need to organize the third bedroom a little better, including stacking bins of yarn and getting rid of some things. I think we're also planning to shampoo the carpets in there because of spilled beer and beer ingredients. I also need to vacuum and pick up the bathrooms and our bedroom and Little Man's bedroom...and most of it needed to be done yesterday and today. Some of it can be done between now and Thursday but the big stuff needed to be done over the weekend. Oh well.

Anyway, I hope you've all had a lovely week and weekend :) 

WIP Wednesday

I'm a little late getting going on the WIP Wednesday goodness this week. This may, partly, be due to the fact that I needed some natural light to take photos and at 11:30pm, it just isn't feasible. So, I waited until this morning. And other things happen on Wednesday mornings, mainly laundry.

But, let's get on with things.....

Little Man's Giraffe. I mentioned that I started working on him again. You can see his ears on the left, his tail, one horn, and some of the spots on the right. Oh, and Little Man is in the background. I had to put this project on a minor time-out because I got frustrated trying to make the second horn. I don't understand why it's so difficult to CO three stitches, and knit around until it's a certain length. I did the first one just fine. So, I'm putting this on time out and working on a couple other things...

.....like this. Sweet Girl's Hippo. I don't know why this has taken me as long as it has. Seriously. It's easy as pie. I finished up the head last week, stuffed it, and sewed it onto the body and spent a couple hours working on the arms and the one leg (including the running stitch, stuffing them, and whip stitching them). I have the other leg, two little ears, a tail, and the face and I'm done with this project. There's no reason why it's taken me this long. It also looks like I'm going to have a good amount of the purple left and almost a full skein of the pink (the purple is darker than what's showing up). I'm thinking that I'll make Sassy Girl (Sweet Girl's baby sister; Husband's nieces) a snake or something out of the yarn. Or maybe I'll just make socks. Who knows. Anyway, it's absolutely silly that I haven't finished this. I suspect that it'll make an FO Friday appearance within the next week and a half. We shall see...I need to find the floss to do the face.

Icarus Shawl. The lifeline that I stuck in there was at the beginning of the second chart and I haven't bothered to move it. This project is on a temporary time-out until I locate the next skein of yarn. I haven't run out of the first skein yet but I suspect I will before I finish the shawl. ::sigh:: I still haven't located the yarn, though :(

Also, the colors are showing up weird again. It's not as blue as what's showing up. The blues are more of a green. The yellow also isn't as yellow...more of a greenish yellow. Kind of muddy, actually. 

  

Joseph Sweater. I briefly mentioned that I was doing a test knit for a kid sweater. I also mentioned that it would be a stashbuster, help cure my Startitis, help someone else out with a design, and Little Man would have a sweet little sweater for a couple years down the road. Silly me. What was I thinking? Stashbust? Me? No way, Jose! I bought new yarn and am using it for this project. The yarn is Tasmania from Artfibers in San Francisco. My (unblocked) gauge is almost perfect so I'm guessing that it'll be fine. I did ask someone else that has used this yarn and she said that it bounced back really well so I'm hoping that (1) it won't grow too much and (2) she was right about it keeping it's shape down the road. We'll see. I've only just started the first sleeve so there's not much going on yet but I do like how the colors knit up. It's a bit more brown than this photograph is showing but it does have splashes of blues, greens, yellows, and purples. I also love the feel of the yarn in my fingers. It's sustainable extra fine 100% merino.

Also, not a WIP but I'm still going to show you: I participated in a Hallowe'en Swap with the Yarnaholics Anonymous group on Ravelry and this is my package from Gale.

In case you can't tell when you click the photo to embiggen, there's a pattern, two temporary tattoo books (Sea Creatures & Dinosaurs) for Little Man, a Hallowe'en light for Trick-Or-Treating (it has a flashlight, a blue light that is either on or flashes, and a whistle), some 3D spider stickers, some chocolate, a skein of Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale Solid (the orange) which I assume is to go with the pattern, and three skeins of Lana Grossa Come (the burgundy ones). Woooo-hoo! I love swap packages :)

Anyway, for more WIP Wednesday fun, visit Tami :) I'll be back on Friday with some FOs and then on Sunday for my Self-Imposed Year of Projects Update!

FO Friday

Yes, I'm a pathological liar.



I actually finished something! It's about time, too. I was starting to think that I'd never finish anything and that all my WIPs were forever going to remain WIPs and that my plans were just never going to come to fruition (who knows, that could still happen).

Anyway, I have a lovely finished object for your viewing pleasure :)

On Monday night...well, Tuesday morning, actually........whatever. Anyway, I finished my Habitat Hat!

Look! It's a hat and it's blocking!

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood
Timeframe: started April 10, 2012; finished May 8, 2012
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Nest
Needles: US #7 16" circular, US #8 16" circular, US #7 DPNs (I couldn't find my #8s)
Size: Small size in stitches but I did the larger size in charts (which makes sense if you have the pattern)
Modifications: Just what I said in the "size" section. I CO the # of stitches for the small size but I followed the directions for the larger size. The result was that I got a hat that covered my ears but wasn't so wide that it would blow off during Wisconsin winters.


I'm glad to have this hat finished. Not because it's cold or anything but because I've been in a major knitting slump where projects just seem to go on and on forever and nothing ever seems to get finished. Prior to finishing this hat on Tuesday, I hadn't finished a project since March 5, 2012. It was getting old and I wanted to knit less and less as a result.

The pattern was incredibly fiddly. I love how cables turn out and it's not that I mind doing them...but I'm terrible with chart reading and I had to keep checking the stitch key to make sure I didn't cross my cables the wrong way (I may have done a couple incorrectly here and there). I'm also a chicken about doing cables without cable needles. I'm not good at fixing mistakes so if one of those stitches decided to travel downwards, I would have frogged the whole thing and started over. However, I do love how this hat came out and it might be one that I make again.

The yarn, on the other hand, was very.......rustic. I don't know how else to explain it. It has the feel of handspun but the evenness that is commercially produced yarn. I kept finding little bits of debris in the yarn that had to be picked out (looked like hay, mostly). I wasn't sure about it, either. Shelter is kind of difficult to find around here and I won the skein at our last Knitters' Guild meeting of 2011 (Jared Flood was one of our speakers last year). With the modifications, I wasn't sure if I was going to have enough yarn. The pattern called for 120 yards of worsted weight. Shelter comes in skeins of 140 yards. As I started getting closer and closer to the top, I started having a minor panic attack because that yarn was running very low, very quickly and I was knitting faster and faster. When it was all said and done, I wound up having maybe 5 yards left...maybe. Talk about cutting it close. I do love how it turned out after blocking, by the way...

But, now that it's finished....well, I'm debating between trying to finish up the WIPs that I've had or if I want to start something new. Part of me wants to start something new immediately and part of me thinks I should spend some time finishing up at least one more WIP before I go starting something new. I'm kind of torn. The next closest-to-being-finished item is either my Pine Forest Baby Blanket or Little Man's Giraffe. Admittedly, the giraffe will probably take less time but it's more fiddly than the blanket. I have to make all the little "parts" and then sew them onto the toy. The big parts of the giraffe are done (head, body, and legs). All I have left to do are make the spots, tail, horns, and hair and attach all of them as well as the ears, which are finished, and then embroider the face. It honestly isn't hard...just fiddly. But, the blanket is on a schedule. I need that finished, washed, blocked, photographed, wrapped, and shipped off to Maryland before July 1st (so it has time to get there before the baby comes on July 9th - yes, she's having a scheduled c-section). So.........I think I should probably do the blanket first. Then there's my version of Hermione's Everyday Socks that I have going. I'm currently on the heel of the first sock. For some reason, my mind equates one sock with a finished object, even though the whole project is not actually finished. I keep wanting to work on those instead of either the blanket or the giraffe...

And then there's deciding what to make next. I'm thinking I should get a start on Sweet Girl's Hippo (I have all the yarn wound and ready to go; I even know where the pattern is located)...but there are so many tempting patterns in my Self-Imposed Year of Projects. Husband has also been kind of harping on me about the Hippo. Sweet Girl picked it out last summer and I haven't done it yet.......I should really probably do that.

Anyone have any thoughts about that?





The news on Husband's job front is this: we won't know anything until probably next Friday (May 18, 2012). They have interviewed two more candidates this week (and maybe into early next week) and then they need to decide. Husband did talk to the recruiter on Wednesday afternoon and they said that he could fit in very well, he's a little short on knowledge of software development and some terminology, and that he's very humble about his abilities. The recruiter told him that many of the people they interview from the Midwest wind up having this superiority complex when they get hired. They didn't see that with Husband. This is a good thing. The recruiter went on to say that everyone he's talked to about Husband has said they should hire him. So.....keep the job mojo coming!

Another week of waiting on pins and needles. *sigh*

Here are some recent photos of Little Man....he's had another haircut, too.

Ima grab the phone, Mama!

I run around with a drum on my head. Running around with drums on your head is cool.

Handspun mohair? Ima wear it like a scarf.

I do like my hat, Mama.....just not all the time when you want me to!

For more FO Friday fun, visit Tami's Blog :)