Y2: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #22

Hello! It's Sunday and it's time for another installment of Renee Anne's Self-Imposed Year of Projects. Today marks the beginning of my twenty-second week and things are getting crazy up in here! So, let's get started, see what's going on, maybe stay for some photos...we'll see :)

Finished Objects (FOs)

1. San Francisco Fog Fingerless Mitts: started January 2, 2013; finished January 10, 2013
2. Don't Blink: started January 16, 2013; finished January 16, 2013  (links to one I made last year using the same yarn)
3. Dalek Dishcloth: started January 16, 2013; finished January 21, 2013 (links to one I made last year using the same yarn)
4. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started February 8, 2013; finished February 11, 2013
5. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010; finished February 14, 2013
6. Little Granite Dishcloth: started February 16, 2013; finished March 2, 2013
7. Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth: started March 4, 2013; finished March 27, 2013
8. Garter Stripe Baby Socks: started March 3, 2013; finished April 4, 2013

9. Petal Dishcloth: started May 21, 2013; finished May 22, 2013

10. Petal Dishcloth: started May 22, 2013; finished May 23, 2013
11. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012; finished May 24, 2013 
12. Petal Dishcloth: started May 26, 2013; finished May 29, 2013

You'll notice that I have another FO to share...and I don't know why I dropped the ball on it. I should have blogged about it on Friday. Unfortunately, I only blogged about my socks on Friday and didn't blog about the dishcloth. I suppose I can give you the quick synopsis...the yarn was more of the Sugar N Cream, the pattern was the same Petal Dishcloth pattern I used for the other two, I slipped all stitches purlwise, and that's about all you need to know. You can check out more specific information by checking out the FO Friday for the other two right here. Here's a photo of the latest one...

Petal Dishcloth (#3)

So, that, of course, means that my WIP list was a little anemic...so I changed all that :)

Works-in-Progress (WIPs)

1. Eat Your Monkey Socks: started November 29, 2012
2. Freeport Vest: started March 7, 2013
3. Baby Surprise Jacket: started May 27, 2013
4. Traveling Vines Socks (Adult): started May 31, 2013

I started two projects this week, in addition to the two I already have going. I've been eying the Baby Surprise Jacket for awhile now and after doing some digging in my stash, I found some yarn that didn't have a plan, it was about the right weight, and I dug out some needles and started with the smallest size available (which started with 134 stitches, I think). After getting through all the decreases and increases over the first 30 rows, I discovered that I messed up somewhere and was off by two stitches. So, to the frog pond it went for a day when I started it again. The second time, I went for the original sizing (160 stitches). I'm currently in the midst of the first set of decreases. In other words, I'm not very far into this pattern. I just hope I don't run out of yarn for it. I also started the adult version of my Traveling Vines Socks. I had a schematic in one of my notebooks that I did from "memory"...which apparently is faulty. I thought the stitch repeat was 11 stitches...it's actually multiples of 10 + 1...so, for knitting in the round, it's a 10 stitch repeat. So, once I discovered that, I was able to redraw my idea, mess with the math a little bit, and I started over. I think it'll work out just fine. I just need to take copious notes while I go along. 

Because I may look into having this pattern published, I don't expect that you'll be seeing very many photos, if any. I will say that I'm using US #1 needles (2.25 mm), Cascade Heritage Solids & Quatros, and it will most likely come in three cuff sizes. The jury is still out on that. I may make it for only two sizes. We'll see how things go. 


That means my lists look something like this:

Children's Items 

1. "Little 16" Newborn Socks
2. Toddler Socks
3. Alvin Sweater
4. A New Sock Monkey
5. Stig
6. Greyson
7. Vested Baby Boy

8. Milo

  

Items for Me (Selfish Knitting FTW!)

1. Rose's Wrist Warmers
2. Viking Bag
3. Campfire Socks
4. Red Dwarf Socks
5. Zombie ViXen Fingerless Mitts
6. Ardys 

Household Items

1. Halloween Creepy Cloths (1)
2. Halloween Creepy Cloths (2)
3. Assorted Harry Potter Cloths
4. Assorted Doctor Who Cloths
5. Grrlfriend Market Bag

Designs (which may or may not be sooper seekrit - obviously the sooper seekrit ones aren't listed)
1. Little Man's Baby Blanket
2. Susan's Hat (4 versions)
3. Assorted dishcloths (set of 12?)
4. Traveling Vines Scarf
5. Traveling Vines Socks (baby and adult-sized as well)
6. Pinwheel Market Bag
7. Anything else that comes along (I have a notebook or two or seventeen somewhere with potential designs and random ideas)

 

 

I keep thinking about starting another project for Little Man or for one of my expecting friends...I know I shouldn't until I finish my Monkey Socks or something. But the allure of small items is almost too much. I expect that by next week or the week after, you'll see another project on my WIP list. ::sigh::

 

 

In real life events........

 

Today is Husband's birthday. He is a whopping 32 years old today. We don't have any special plans but I expect something will come along. He spent a couple days in Las Vegas this past week. His company paid for it so I'm not objecting.  

Little Man had his two and a half year old appointment with his metabolic geneticist at UCSF Hospital in San Francisco. Unfortunately I woke up with a bit of a bug so Husband came home from work early and the three of us went to that appointment. Little Man is perfectly normal for his age. He's now 3' tall, 32.1 lbs, and his head circumference is 19.2" (49 cm). He's hanging out around the 50th percentile for everything. In addition to that, we talked about getting Husband and I tested for the disorder. They'll probably just test one of us initially (probably me since I'll be the one taking him to the clinic) and then we'll go from there. Nothing major. 

I also went to Alameda this past Friday. One of the shops in town is going out of business and she has a small selection of yarn. It was never big enough to be called an LYS but they did have knit nights...and sewing nights, and kids craft days, and so on. Anyway, everything was 30% off. I shouldn't tell you but I wound up coming home with 23 skeins of yarn. Oops. However, I do have plans in my head for almost all of it. I think some of it will become a Milo Vest for Little Man and the Greyson Sweater (also for Little Man) and maybe a toy or two. We'll see. I might even have enough to make a sweater for me :) I doubt it but I can dream...

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely week :)

Y2: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - Update #21

Happy Sunday, dear readers and bloggers and friends and random others that are visiting :) Here in the United States, summer has unofficially begun as tomorrow is Memorial Day. Apparently that marks the start of the summer tourism season. 

Today we're having our Memorial Day/Housewarming party. But that's not until this afternoon so I don't have any photos or anything. Perhaps later this week...

We're not here for that anyway. We're here because it's Sunday and time for my Self-Imposed Year of Projects update. I'm heading into my twenty-first week...I'm not quite to the halfway point but I'm another week closer. Let's see what's going on, shall we?

Finished Objects (FOs)

1. San Francisco Fog Fingerless Mitts: started January 2, 2013; finished January 10, 2013
2. Don't Blink: started January 16, 2013; finished January 16, 2013  (links to one I made last year using the same yarn)
3. Dalek Dishcloth: started January 16, 2013; finished January 21, 2013 (links to one I made last year using the same yarn)
4. Woven Rib Dishcloth: started February 8, 2013; finished February 11, 2013
5. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010; finished February 14, 2013
6. Little Granite Dishcloth: started February 16, 2013; finished March 2, 2013
7. Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth: started March 4, 2013; finished March 27, 2013
8. Garter Stripe Baby Socks: started March 3, 2013; finished April 4, 2013

9. Petal Dishcloth: started May 21, 2013; finished May 22, 2013

10. Petal Dishcloth: started May 22, 2013; finished May 23, 2013
11. Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2): started June 29, 2012; finished May 24, 2013 

If you didn't notice, I started and finished TWO projects this past week (blogged about on Friday). They were both small projects and they were the same pattern but I started and finished two of them. They're quick and quite addicting. I'll probably wind up making more of them, if only for my sanity...plus, they'll make good stocking stuffers or something. Not that I have any stockings to stuff other than mine, Little Man's (which he doesn't have) and Husband's (which he also doesn't have).

I also finished up one of my "big" projects. It's kind of a misnomer to call them "big" because, really, they're just socks...but they seem to take me forever. I finished them up while watching Ella Enchanted on Friday night. I'll probably write up a post about them for Friday. So, I'll just say that they're basic stockinette socks, double gusset heel decrease, and the stripes don't match (of course). It means that my WIP list was looking a little small...so, of course, I started something else. 

Works-in-Progress (WIPs)

1. Eat Your Monkey Socks: started November 29, 2012
2. Freeport Vest: started March 7, 2013
3. Petal Dishcloth: started May 24, 2013 

I feel like I should have more going on...I don't but I should. I've worked here and there on my Monkey Socks but I just can't seem to find the desire to work on them. Maybe it's because it's summer and I don't get to wear fancy socks in the summer...I don't know. I don't have winter to wear my fancy handknit socks anymore. Do people wear their fancy handknit socks with shorts? Is this a thing in which I should be partaking? I'm just wondering. I don't think they look very good with my running shoes. Or my regular shoes. Thoughts? 

I also started another Petal Dishcloth...which may be finished by the time this actually gets posted but, you know, we'll see :)

This means my lists look like this....

Children's Items 

1. "Little 16" Newborn Socks
2. Baby Surprise Jacket
3. Toddler Socks
4. Alvin Sweater
5. A New Sock Monkey
6. Stig
7. Greyson
8. Vested Baby Boy

9. Milo

  

Items for Me (Selfish Knitting FTW!)

1. Rose's Wrist Warmers
2. Viking Bag
3. Campfire Socks
4. Red Dwarf Socks
5. Zombie ViXen Fingerless Mitts
6. Ardys 

Household Items

1. Halloween Creepy Cloths (1)
2. Halloween Creepy Cloths (2)
3. Assorted Harry Potter Cloths
4. Assorted Doctor Who Cloths
5. Grrlfriend Market Bag

Designs (which may or may not be sooper seekrit - obviously the sooper seekrit ones aren't listed)
1. Little Man's Baby Blanket
2. Susan's Hat (4 versions)
3. Assorted dishcloths (set of 12?)
4. Traveling Vines Scarf
5. Traveling Vines Socks (baby for sure, maybe adult-sized as well)
6. Pinwheel Market Bag
7. Anything else that comes along (I have a notebook or two or seventeen somewhere with potential designs and random ideas)

I've only changed two things to these lists. I removed the Petal Dishcloth (obviously, as I made TWO of them and am working on a third)...but I also added the Milo vest (to the Children's Items). I think Little Man could use one...we'll see. You'll also notice that I no longer "need to purchase" anything because I bought everything. I sold some of the yarn from my destash and I used the money sitting in Paypal to get those purchases taken care of....and a couple more that I've been thinking about for later (next year, perhaps). 

Soooooo...it looks like I need something new to work on. Part of me wants to go for something small (almost instant gratification) and part of me wants something for the "long" haul. Or both. Probably both. Have you met me? I'm one of those people that take on too much because I can.

Anyway, here are some photos from this past week :) While unpacking last weekend, I found some of my old toys. In this case, I found my plastic picnic basket with some of the stuff still inside (two plates, two forks, two spoons, a butter knife, two teacups, and a thermos). After giving everything a wash in hot, soapy water, someone was enthralled. These are from two separate days of playing. He likes to give me pretend food and water. He doesn't know what tea really is but he knows water goes in cups. So, we have pretend water and...something. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

FO Friday!

Happy Friday!

This weekend marks another "long holiday weekend" in the United States. Monday is Memorial Day. It's the beginning of the summer tourism season. Of course, summer doesn't officially begin until mid-June and most schools are still going into June...but it's when summer starts.

Anyway, that's not the point of this post...

The point of this post is that today is Friday and that means it's FO Friday! I have FOs to show off...two of them, in fact....and probably not what you're expecting.

I've been wanting something new to work on for awhile. I'm in the middle of my vest and I've got two second socks going and those are "big" projects for me. I wanted to work on something smaller, quicker, and somewhat mindless. So, I went to my Self-Imposed Year of Projects lists to find something small, quick, and mindless.

This is what I came up with :)

#1

#2

Pattern: Petal Dishcloth by Hazel Schrock
Time Frame: started May 21, 2013; finished May 22, 2013 (for #1) and started May 22, 2013; finished May 23, 2013 (for #2)
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease (#1) and Lily Sugar 'N Cream Ombres (#2)
Needles: US #8 (5 mm) straights
Size: Whatever size it came out (it measures about 10" across)
Modifications: On #1 I did all slipped stitches purliwise. On #2 I did all slipped stitches knitwise. The pattern doesn't specify so I just went with it.
Thoughts: Easy and quite addicting. I imagine I'll be making more of these in the future. In fact, I probably will make more. They only take me a couple hours...not that they're difficult or overly time consuming but I do have a toddler to keep an eye on. I can get through a repeat in about 15 minutes so I made both of these while watching Wreck-It Ralph (a few times) over the last couple of days.


Anyway, I hope you enjoy! For more FO Friday fun, please visit Tami :)