WIP Wednesday: February 18, 2014

I started this week working on some UFOs, but later in the week cast on a couple of new projects!

MAPLE LEAF the Ninth!

Yes, really!  It’s been sitting around since December, and I finally picked it up again.  I was sick over the weekend and spent two days sitting on the couch watching tv, so I got quite a bit done.  I’ve finished the first of the five corners, and should be totally done with knitting this shawl before next Wednesday.  I’m not sure if I’ll get it blocked or not.  My new-to-me floor loom is currently sitting in the dining room, in front of the table I use for blocking.  I’m not sure if I have enough leaves in the table to block a MAPLE LEAF shawl or not.  If I don’t, blocking will have to wait until I can move the floor loom into my home office.

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Sassy Bee Cotton Candy Corriedale

I finished plying this fiber while at spinning group the first Saturday in February.  I have it wound onto the niddy noddy.  I just need to tie it and wash it to set the twist, and it will be done.

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Narwhal

This is the first new project of the week.  This is part of a narwhal-along in Ravenclaw Tower.  I cast on last Saturday, and expected to finish it that day.  Instead, I went to buy a floor loom.  I still have to sew on the flippers.  I’m also going to find something different for eyes because I think the beads I used are too small.

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Scarf

On Monday evening, our cat Pepper did not look well.  She was straining to use the litter box, but nothing was coming out.  She would get out of the litter box, rest for a while, then try again.  She also tried squatting in inappropriate places, like the cat’s toy basket.  I realized I was probably going to have to bring her to the emergency vet, and that I didn’t have any knitting that was mindless enough to work on during a midnight wait at the vet.  I quickly cast on this scarf, knit one pattern repeat, and bundled Pepper off for an enema at the vet.  I got about 4″ knit while I waited.  I knit a little more while waiting for dinner to finish yesterday.

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Crochet 365

I finished the star-rating index three weeks ago, but haven’t looked at this project since.  This week, I started looking at the 90 one-star patterns, contemplating the order in which I want to crochet them.  I made three separate lists: one of patterns that use a solid color, one of patterns that use multiple colors, and one of patterns that the author’s note identifies as a “good beginner square.”  Along the way, I made notes on the patterns, identifying stitches used or techniques, and contemplating the end uses of these 365 squares.  Some of the squares will definitely be dishcloths.  Some of the squares might be afghans or scarves.  I need to have some ideas so that I can pick out appropriate yarns.  My head was spinning a bit after looking at all the information, but it was a good start at determining the best approach, given my modest crochet skills.  I hope to make the final project list this week.

Wearing o’ the Green(e) Socks

For the past week, I’ve been focusing on getting these socks finished.  Last Sunday, they came with me to Kennedy Space Center, and I worked on the legs while we waited for Space X to launch a rocket.  They scrubbed 2 minutes before launch (an idiot at the local power company managed to accidentally cut power to the range radar), but I got an inch of knitting done.  I finished the leg by Wednesday, and brought the socks to knitting night at my LYS so I could pick up for the afterthought heels.  And I finished knitting the heels and weaving in the ends on Valentine’s Day, because I spent that entire day lumping on the couch, wiped out with a head cold.  At least the knitting got done 🙂

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WIP Wednesday: February 4, 2015

As expected, I haven’t had a whole lot of crafting time over the last two weeks due to office rearrangement.  I finished rearranging the furniture and I set up the new computer.  I’m now sorting through all my files, throwing away as much as I can.  This is step 3 of household organization using the method Marie Kondo describes in her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  I read that book last September and have slowly been working my way through it.  I had three file cabinets in my office.  One was already empty of files, but being used for storage.  The second was half storage and half files.  The third is all files.  I’d like to get two of them out of my office entirely, in order to make room for yarn and fiber storage.  My yarn is currently in my bedroom.  Some fiber is in the bedroom and some is in my office.  I’d like all my fiber craft tools and materials to be in my office.  I expect to have the office totally finished by the end of February!  In addition to working on my office, I have been crafting three projects.

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UPDATED: Breed Specific Fiber Inventory

Since I posted my original Breed Specific Fiber Inventory, I ordered additional fiber from A Little Barn (italicized in the list below) and from The Woolery (bolded in the list below).  Here’s the updated list!  Both orders have been shipped; I expect The Woolery order on Tuesday and the Little Barn order on Thursday or Friday.  Also, because I think this project will take more than a year, I’m adding the tag ‘Breed Spin.’  I previously said the tag was BreedSpin2015, and I am going to keep that tag; I’m just adding the more generic one.

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