Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #44

Happy Sunday, fiberistas (yes, I just made that word up)! It's time for another installment of my Self-Imposed Year of Projects. I'm heading into my forty-fourth week...which means only eight more weeks until I start all over again...and only eight more weeks until my birthday...and only six (or is it seven?) more weeks til Christmas...

::sigh::

Good thing I've been doing some of my holiday knitting, right?

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

I've finished three projects since last week: the Candy Cane hat (which I wrote about this past Friday), a mini version of an unpublished hat, and Sweet Girl's Hippo! Okay, so she still needs a face...but she's done and stitched together otherwise. I'm going back and forth in my head about whether I want to use black embroidery floss, white embroidery floss, or the pink yarn to do the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. I'm leaning toward either the white thread or the pink yarn because I'm afraid the black would get lost because she's a bit of a grape color (actually, I'm pretty sure that was the color of the yarn - grape). So....what do you think? White embroidery floss or the pink yarn to do the eyes, nostrils, and mouth? Or do you want to sell me on the black embroidery floss? Most likely I'll have a FO Friday post all about the hippo, complete with photos :) She may still not have a face.....


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
5. Little Man's Sweater: started October 23, 2012

Finishing up the hat and the hippo means, of course, that my WIP list is a teensy bit shorter, right? Oh wait.....Startitis. ::sigh:: The sweater. I've dubbed it "Little Man's Sweater" because it's intended for him but Nikki (the lovely designer) has called it the Joseph Sweater. So, eventually it'll link up in my project page but for right now, I don't have it linked (the pattern isn't "live" yet as it'll be for publication). 

I've spent the majority of the last week finishing up the hippo, the hat, and starting the sweater. I suppose that's to be expected. I did take some time on Thursday prevening, however, to go stash diving. I was bound and determined to find at least one skein of the Briar Rose (I had two stashed somewhere) so I can finish up my Icarus Shawl sometime this century. I swore that I had dug through every yarn bin I had. And, honestly, I did...but I didn't dig far enough. In the closet in the spare room I have five bins of yarn (keeping in mind that I have eight - yes, eight - more sitting in the room, not in the closet)...I had dug through them but I hadn't actually removed everything. I just kind of pulled half of the yarn out of each bin, dug around a bit, and if I didn't see it, I put everything away. 

But Thursday morning, I had a vision: the yarn was in a bin with a bunch of other yarn that was already wound into cakes. I knew it was one of the solid (not see-through) bins that was in the closet. So, after a particularly rough day with Little Man, I had him play with Husband for awhile while I spent some time with my fiber and my books. I pulled out those bins and started at the bottom (of the stack of bins). Wouldn't you know, in the very bottom of the bin of the bottom most bin, I found both skeins of Briar Rose. I caked one and went on my merry way. 

So, Icarus Shawl knitting can continue and I can, hopefully, have it finished before we head back to Wisconsin in December :)

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


Anyway, that's about all I know with regards to my Self-Imposed Year of Projects. I've been pondering my Second Self-Imposed Year of Projects again...but I think that's partly due to the Startitis. Oh well.


Perhaps I'll be back for WIP Wednesday this week. I should be back for FO Friday...we'll see if I can get my act together. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and that your weekends were as equally fabulous :)

FO Friday

Hoooooooray! It's Friday :)

In the fiber world, thanks to Tami and others that I don't know about, it's FO Friday.......and I have something finished! Unfortunately, because this item is a Christmas present and the recipient may or may not read this blog, I don't want to tempt fate by posting photographs.

So, what can I tell you on this FO Friday? Well......I finished my Go Pack, Go! hat on Wednesday and the information is below.

Pattern: Brandon Ribbed Beanie Hat by Mindy Vasil
Time frame: started August 18, 2012; finished August 22, 2012
Yarn: madelinetosh DK in Moorland (green) and Candlewick (yellow) - not even a half-skein of each
Needles: US #7 (4.5mm) 16" circular & US #6 (4mm) DPNs
Size: medium/large (see modifications)
Modifications:
* I CO for the medium size (70 sts) using a smaller needle than called for in the pattern
* Did "version 3" of the pattern - but instead of doing the two different stripes from that version, I only did the first kind twice
* Added one more row of MC between the stripes
* Made the large size in length (and I'm glad I did)
* Used even smaller needles for the crown decrease (which was more of a matter of not being able to find my US #7 DPNs than aesthetics...)
Thoughts: The pattern is a very basic ribbed beanie hat and while I think I need that in my arsenal, I wasn't a fan of the stripes (well, not of the ones I did anyway). They don't look bad or anything but they were cumbersome to knit and my yarn kept getting tangled and I wasn't exactly sure if what I was doing was right or wrong or what. My FO didn't look like any of the ones that are pictured in the pattern...which makes me think I did something wrong. It works...but I wonder what I did differently. I also found that the modifications I made worked out better than they would have if I had done what was written. I think the hat would have been too short if I hadn't added length to it (i.e., if I had followed directions). This was also my first two-color project. I mean, I've made items that have had more than one color before (i.e., stripes) but this was the first one where I had to carry yarn and have floats and all of that. I think I did pretty well for being completely clueless. And the floats aren't too tight in the back so the hat actually fits properly and doesn't pucker inwards while sitting. Will I make this hat again? Perhaps. I'll leave out the stripes or do some basic stripes instead. Nothing too fancy.

Overall, the pattern is lovely but I do recommend checking gauge (something I just don't ever do, really)...I may have done better if I had actually checked my gauge. Or something. I don't know.



Anyway, I hope you're having a fabulous day and for more FO Friday fun, go visit Tami's blog (the link is at the beginning of this post).

FO Friday :)

Happy Friday!

In the world of knitting, it's FO Friday and I actually have something to show for it! I'm kind of surprised, to be honest. It's been awhile since I had something to show on a Friday and I thought this was going to take a lot longer than it did.

Anyway, let's see pictures already!

Here I am in all my pre-blocking glory!

Pattern: Little Pumpkin by Susan B. Anderson (from Itty-Bitty Hats)
Time frame: started May 31, 2012; finished June 4, 2012
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK (orange), and some green and some brown that I bought...I don't know what they are off the top of my head but I have the bands (and almost entire skeins of yarn) somewhere amongst the packing in the bedroom.
Needles: US #6 (4mm) - 16" circular and DPNs
Size: 0-6 month...sort of... (see modifications)
Modifications: I have several modifications that I did with this pattern. First of all, I CO for the newborn size on US #7 needles and the hat would have fit me. Obviously my gauge was way off (which is strange - my gauge isn't usually that bad). So, I ripped it out and CO for the newborn size on US #6 needles. That time around, the hat was so small that it wouldn't have fit a Cabbage Patch. So, I improvised and CO for the 0-6 month size on US #6 needles and I'm pretty sure it'll fit when it's supposed to. I guess that's not really a modification. Oh well. I also did more of a proper ribbed band instead of the one written. I started out with five rows of [K3, P1] followed by five rows of [K7, P1, K3, P1, K3, P1, K7, P1]. Then I started following the pattern.

I know that hats generally don't take that long but I was surprised at how little time this seemed to take. I started it last week Thursday and was finished by Monday afternoon. That's a pretty good turnaround for me. Then again, it's a baby hat. It's small. There were periods of time, especially after I was working on the main part of the pattern, that I thought it was never going to end. It was good, mindless, TV knitting...but it got boring when I hit the 3" mark and still had another 2.5" to go before I could start the decreases.

Overall, it was a cute pattern and I really hope that the recipient actually wears it. It's headed off to Maryland for Sweet Girl's new baby sister, Husband's not-yet-born niece.

Anyway, that's all I have for you today :) For more FO Friday fun, visit Tami!

Frustration!

So, I've been working on a hat of my own design (that will eventually get posted or something somewhere once I actually finish it). I was probably 35 rows in and I decided to try to find out where, exactly, I had managed to drop a stitch. I knew I had dropped one somewhere but I hadn't been able to find it and I didn't notice until 6 rows later, at least. So, I kept going, thinking I messed up my own pattern.

Nope.

After 30+ rows, I stopped to actually look and see if/where I had dropped a stitch. And there it was. Fifteen rows back and unhooking itself as I went along. I didn't have enough give to be able to pick it up...so, I frogged it.

And now I have to start over and I'm FRUSTRATED! I had to share.

Oh, and I played knitting model today.

Lost...

I'm lost on ideas. I've finished my sweater and I still have some projects on needles. However, I'm at a loss for what to work on. I'm not really "into" some of my projects and have no desire to finish them, though I probably should for posterity or something.

I don't want to finish my sock. First of all, I didn't follow any sort of pattern (except to do the heel and gusset and such) so I'm not entirely sure it'll fit. I'm thinking of frogging it and using it to knit socks using a real pattern. Or fingerless mitts. I haven't decided which, yet.

I'm debating about frogging my felted bag. I really like the idea of felting something and I love the colors I picked for the bag (and the yarn). I may just finish it and suck it up. I'm not following a pattern, I'm just winging it again. I do that a lot.

I still have Sherri's shawl on the needles but I haven't touched it in over a month. I should work on that, finish it, and love it. And then give it to her.

I also have a scarf that I've been working on for damn near a year now. It's over half-way done and it's not something I can work on at knitting group...well, maybe I can NOW because I'm a better knitter. I love the pattern (it's something I found in a book) and the yarn is grand. I know I'll finish it...but I don't think it's something I'll wear. *sigh*

And...the hat. Another London Beanie (it's on Ravelry). I'm not sure it's going to fit my fat head either. I'll just give it to Cameron (Sherri's son).

But, what should I work on? I don't necessarily want something "big" but I need something new to work on.

Anyone? Ideas?


Bueller?

FOs and WIPs...I promised :)

So, I've been working on many things and have even finished some things here and there. I thought I'd share some of these wonderful things with you. Enjoy :)

First of all, I should share my Tardis Dishcloth This didn't take me very long to do. It's done with Berroco Love It (obviously I used blue).



Secondly, I started my first sock. There is no pattern...I just kind of winged it. It will probably end up being way too large for me...but I'll wear them anyway because I made them. It's not finished. I'm past the heel flap so I'm just working on the foot. And then I have a whole other sock to do. I started working on it in June or July.



Thirdly, I'm working on the Andeal Treasure Shawl. It was supposed to be a Christmas present for a friend of mine...she just didn't say which Christmas.


Fourthly, I'm working on a sweater. I'm almost finished with it. I started it at the end of September, thinking I'd have it done by the end of October. Yeah, not so much...but, it's almost finished now. I have the front and back done, the sleeves are almost done (I'm doing them at the same time). All I have left to do is sew the front and back together, finish the neckline, and sew up the rest of it. So, this is what the front looks like. Oh, and it's the Devon Sweater.


And lastly, I got a bug in my pants to make a hat for myself. I picked out the London Beanie. I made it almost to the recipe...and it was way too short. So, I'm going to give it to my friend's daughter for her 2nd birthday (which is tomorrow, actually).

Charter can DIAF.

I'm canceling my cable/internet service in favor of something that is, hopefully, more reliable. I hate Charter. Every other month, they're raising their rates on crappy cable and internet services. So, they're going. They can DIAF for all I care. We have enough TV/Movies on the Apple TV to accommodate...and Hulu and Boxee...and the internets. I think we'll be okay.

Also, I'm canceling my land line. I'm a little heartbroken about that as I have had that same phone number since 1983...but no one calls it except for telemarketers (the ones that get around the law) and the occasional wrong number. So, it's a wasted $60/month that we can use toward the new internet.

As for the internet we're getting, we're getting AT&T DSL and bundling it with the mobiles. So...we'll be spending $250/month (probably less) by bundling (Brian and I both have iPhones) rather than $75/month on Charter, $60/month on the land line, and $200/month on the mobiles. So, really, we're saving money, getting rid of cable, and acquiring internet sanity all at the same time. Glorious.

And then there's my knitting...my sweater is oh-so close to being finished. I have to finish the arms (I'm about 10 rows away from being done with both), connect the front and back, do the neckline, and sew up the seams. Hmmm...it was supposed to take me from the middle of September to the end of October. And then school happened. So, it'll be finished by the end of March, so long as I didn't mess up anything important along the way (like the front being longer than the back or something silly like that). We'll see.

I'm still working on my first sock, as well. I'm past the heel and working on the bottom half, which is boring because I just keep knitting and knitting...and then I have a whole other one to make. I might have them finished by this time next year.

Sherri's shawl is still on the needles, too. I haven't worked on it much...trying to get the sweater done. I made a London Beanie a week or so ago...and it is way too short for me so I'm giving it to Sherri's daughter, Jazzlynn, for her birthday (she'll be 2 tomorrow).

Anyway, that's about all I have to say for now.