Eighth Year of Projects - Weeks 27 and 28

Happy New Year everyone!!  I missed last week (first time I have missed a week in some time!  Maybe even the first missed week in YoP 8!!).  Anyway, life was busy and I just did not get around to posting. 

I have a couple finishes  from the last time I posted and I have significant progress on one other project!

1) I finished the Boyfriend Hat for my husband's Christmas gift.  He loves it and it fits him well.  And I can't figure out how to rotate this.  It looks right in the file and turns on it's side when I move it here...

2) I finished knitting my Advent Scarf 2018!  I actually finished the knitting on Christmas Eve!  I still have to block it and hope to get that done soon!  I don't really have a good picture of this one yet...

3) I have made significant progress on my Rowe Cardigan!  I have finished the front pieces and have sewn everything together.  I am currently working on the ribbing that goes all the way around the front of the garment (up the right front, across the back of the neck, and back down the left front).  This involves a TON of stitches!!  I have 430 stitches all the way along the piece and it is to be knit in 2x2 ribbing for 8 inches!  I have ten rows complete and estimate I need at least 45 rows to reach 8 inches.  This is my focus project right now and I plan to not work on anything but this until it is complete!!  It is impossible to get a decent picture of this since the stitches are all bunched up on the cable but here it is in a plastic tub:

One of my New Year's resolutions is to knit a bit more monogamously.  I am finding that this suits my style the best.  Even though I love casting on new projects, I find that I only tend to work on a few at a time and the rest languish.  I am planning to keep my number of WIPs to a minimum during 2019!

I posted a new podcast earlier this week and will be posting an update in time for next weeks update here.

Until next week! 

Eighth Year of Projects - Week 26

We have reached the half way point on our Year of Projects!!  I suspect it is time to revisit my list and see if I am anywhere near what I originally planned or if I have ventured way off track!  Maybe I will redo my list!

This has been quite a productive week!!

1.  I have finished the design I was working on last week and it is set for publication in the near future.  I am allowed to show pictures of the design before publication, but am not allowed ot share the pattern.  Here is what the finished socks look like:

2. I have caught up on my Advent Scarf again!  This includes progress from December 13th through December 22nd!  Only a few more days to go and we are all done with this.  Next week I should be able to show you the finished and blocked item!!   

3. I have picked up my Rowe Cardigan again and managed to get some work done on the two front panels.  This will be my focus project once I am done with my Advent scarf and Christmas knitting is done.  I would love to have this complete before 2019 arrives!  My progress is from the blue marker.

4.  I have one last minute cast on to report...  I decided to make a last minute Christmas gift.  It is the Boyfriend Hat and it is knitting up very quickly!  I have about four inches done and need about six before the decreasing.  I hope to finish it up today, but still have tomorrow as well!

I posted a new podcast yesterday where I talk about each of these four projects.

Until next week everyone!!  Have a very Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate) and I will see you again soon!

Eighth Year of Projects - Week 25

Welcome back to another week of my Eighth Year of Projects!!

This week I have focused on two projects: my Advent Scarf and a new design.

My Advent Scarf has seen some progress but I am falling behind schedule a little bit!  I have completed the clues to the end of December 12th.  I plan to get onto that again later today or tomorrow and will soon be caught up again!  Here is what it looks like now (my progress this week is from the orange marker and each of the other markers shows the end of each day's clue)

I have spent the past few days working on a design that will soon be published!  The deadline is today!  I need to finish up the knitting (almost done!), fine tune the written pattern, and get some pictures of the finished object!  Here is a (poor quality) picture for you to see - I'll be able to post better pictures later!

I won two lots on an online auction earlier this week!  I won an antique J. Farnham spinning wheel!!  It needs a bit of TLC but is is wonderful condition considering it's age (likely from the early to mid 1800s!)  and it should be up and running fairly easily (I hope). 

I also won a few other random items which include several vintage (maybe antique?) items.  I have posted a couple videos about everything I won if you want to go check it out!

And I have been keeping up with Vlogmas!  Please feel free to check out my playlist with all my vlogs.

I also have posted a new podcast - episode 14!!

Eighth Year of Projects - Week 24

We are almost half way through this round of our Year of Projects!! 

I have had a fairly productive week and have a finish to show off!!  I have finished my Vanilla Christmas socks!  I love them!!  I suspect I will be casting on another pair of Christmas socks soon, but have another project that needs to be finished up first!

I spent a fair bit of time this week knitting on my Advent Scarf and am keeping up with the clues nicely!  I have not done today's clue, but I will be knitting that now that I am home from church for the afternoon!  Here is what it looks like now (my progress from last week is from the first orange marker - the second is marking where I left off after I filmed my podcast a couple days ago):

I have also been working on a secret project.  It is for a publication that will be coming out in the near future and I need to have the sample done by next Sunday.  I am about half way done the knitting now and will be focusing on this and my Advent scarf during the upcoming week.  I'll post pictures of the knit once I am free to do so!

I have been keeping up with Vlogmas this past week and am loving it!!  Here is a link to the playlist with all the Vlogmas videos included.  I also updated my podcast and published Episode 13 yesterday!  I can't believe I have been doing this for 13 weeks already!!  Here is the latest episode:

I have not been keeping up with posting for the Holidailies...  Oh well, something had to give in this busy time of year! 

That is about all!  See you all next week!!

Eighth Year of Projects - Week 23

Welcome to my Eighth Year of Projects post for Week 23!  It is hard to believe we are almost half way through the year already!  And I think I have posted every week so far!

Life is keeping busy.  We have one more week of classes to go and then one week for final exams and then I am off until early January (I think we need to be back for an all day faculty development day on Thursday January 3rd and classes resume the following Monday).  I have my students writing their final exam on the Wednesday of finals week and plan to get the grading done up quickly and turned in.  My online class will have to turn in their final projects by the end of the day on Monday during finals week.  That allows me all day Tuesday for grading that before my other class writes on Wednesday.  If all goes according to plan I will have all my grades turned in before I go home on Wednesday!

Enough rambling about work related stuff - you are here for my weekly update aren't you??  I have made some progress on three WIPs.  I have spent some time working on my Vanilla Christmas socks and I have about an inch or two left to knit on the feet before it is time to begin the toe decreasing.  Maybe you will see a finished object next week!

I have made little progress on my Julenatt Mittens and I am falling farther behind...

I have spent most of my spare knitting time this past week working on my Advent 2018 Scarf.  I have been keeping up with this one so far mostly) and that makes me happy!  Here is my progress up to the middle of yesterday - I will finish yesterday and today later today (each marker indicates the end of a day):

I am also participating in Vlogmas where I am posting a vlog each and every day throughout the Advent season.  I may continue after the 25th, but we shall see!  Check out my Vlogmas 2018 playlist on YouTube to see my daily postings.  Here is Day 0 (posted on December 1st):

And Day 1 was posted earlier this morning:

I also posted my regular podcast yesterday:

And finally, I am participating in Holidailies where I will challenge myself to blog every day in December!  See you again soon!

Holidailies Day 1

Hello and welcome to Holidailies 2018!!  I am challenging myself to post each and every day throughout the month of December.  I am also participating in Vlogmas and will likely link several of the vlogs into the blogs...

My "theme" for the Holidailies will revolve around my knitting, vlogging, and my general activities throughout the days.  I have three Advent calendars that I will open each day until Christmas: a tea Advent calendar, a chocolate Advent calendar, and a sock yarn mini Advent calendar.

Here we go!!

NaBloPoMo 2018 Day 30

And we have made it through NaBloPoMo 2018!!  30 consecutive days of posting!  YAY!

I continue to keep up with my Advent Scarf. Here is my progress up to the end of today:

The next challenge I am making for myself in the month of December is two fold.

First I will be participating in Vlogmas 2018 where I will post a vlog each and every day from December 1st through December 25th.  I might continue until the end of December, but we shall see.  I will post a vlog on December 1st that will explain what my plans are.  I will film that today and will post it the morning of December 1st as Day 0.  On December 1st I will film all sorts of my activities and will post the video for Day 1 on the morning of December 2nd.  Hope this makes sense!

Second I will be participating in Holidailies 2018 where I will challenge myself to post a blog post each and every day in December!  Hopefully I will manage this as well, although December is lining up to be a busy month! 

Keep posted to see how I do on these challenges!

NaBloPoMo 2018 Day 29

Second last day of NaBloPoMo!!  I'm going to make it!

Yesterday I managed to continue to keep up with my Advent Scarf and have finished up Day 5 now (and am ready to work on Day 6 over a cup of tea!)  Here is the newest progress picture:

And I spent a bit of time working on my Vanilla Christmas socks last night.  They are getting closer to completion, but still have a little way to go, especially since I have large feet...

I hit my NaKnitMo goal yesterday!!  I have knit 51,286 stitches so far this month!  And I have two days left to go so I will have a few more stitches to add to the total!

It seems that my posts are getting shorter and shorter as the month progresses!  I suppose there is less to chat about when I am here every day!

NaBloPoMo 2018 Day 28

Only two more days after today left in my NaBloMoPo challenge!! I think I will make it this year!

Yesterday I managed to keep up with my Advent Scarf and finished Clue #4.  I'll work on Clue #5 this morning over my cup of tea before I head to work.  This evening we are at church so I will work on my Vanilla Christmas socks there.

And I finished the first cuff on my Julenatt Mittens.  The next clue came out this morning but I still have the previous clue to finish.  I suspect I may give these away as the cuff is a drop snug on my hand.  I don't have the right size needles to go up a size either. Oh well.  Here is what my cuff looks like:

NaBloPoMo 2018 Day 27

Hello everyone! Another day of working and trying to squeeze a bit of crafting in!

So far today I have managed to finish the daily clue for the Advent Scarf and I will be spending some time later today working on my Julenatt Mittens.  I am hoping to finish the first two clues on at least one mitten before Clue #3 comes out tomorrow morning...  I am not sure if I will make it or not.  We are hoping to go watch the movie Ralph Breaks the Internet this evening so that will use up some of my knitting time.

Here is what my scarf looks like now at the end of day 4:

I also thought I should give you an update on my NoKnitMo challenge - my goal is to knit 50000 stitches in the month of November.  So far I have knit 46148 stitches.  It looks promising that I will hit my goal!!

Until tomorrow!

NaBloPoMo 2018 Day 26

Almost done with NaBloPoMo 2018!  4 more days to go! 

Today's entry is short and sweet and very late!  It was back to work today...  We were out the door fairly early and are finally back home almost 12 hours later.  Not much on the crafting front was accomplished today.  All my productivity from last week was not my "normal" - it was the benefit of having time off work where I could sit at home knitting to my heart's content!  But I am back to the real world again.  Yesterday I worked on my Vanilla Christmas socks and managed to add about 5 more rounds to both feet.  I also finished up the second clue on my Advent Scarf.  Here is what the scarf looks like before I started on Clue #3 this morning (and only completed three rows this morning - I will be knitting this evening for a while!)

WIP-it Down Week Thanksgiving 2018 - Day 10

Well today is the second last day of my WIP-it Down week...  I plan to spend the day working on a couple projects.  I finished the first clue on my Advent 2018 scarf (I had done the ribbing the other day and the regular clues began this morning).  Here is what the scarf looks like after today (each marker will show the end of each clue):

And next up is to work on my Julenatt Mittens.  I hope to get the cuffs done or to complete the second clue on one sock today. I have yet to decide if I am going to do one sock first or do them two at a time in tandem.  The second clue was released this morning and I have done 8 rounds on the first clue on the first sock.  Maybe I will catch up today! 

And I filmed and edited my podcast this morning - I will upload it later today once it finishes exporting to my hard drive. 

I plan to go and watch a movie with the hubby - and knit.  It is a rainy, dreary day here!  Until tomorrow!

WIP-it Down Week Thanksgiving 2018 - Day 7

Here we are back for another day on my self-imposed WIP-it Down Week! 

Yesterday I got a goodly amount done, plus we went out and did some shopping too.  I finished the ribbing section on the two front panels of my Rowe Cardigan.  Here is what it looks like now:

And I cast on the ribbing portion of my Advent 2018 Scarf.  I think my hand dyed yarn will work out just fine!  I am excited for the new clues to begin coming out every day later this week!  Here is what the ribbing looks like:

We also went out and did some shopping yesterday.  I found a few things - a couple knitting books, some little Christmas decoration things (lights - which will probably make an appearance in my next podcast), and a laminator (found this at my local Goodwill for $4 - I have no sheets for it so I will have to wait to test it out!)

I am not 100% sure what today holds!  I am thinking I may do some sewing and work on a project bag - I just need to decide on what pattern to try!  I suspect it will be a drawstring bag with a boxed bottom.  And the first clue for Skeindeer's Mystery Mittens (Julenatt) came out earlier this morning.  I imagine I will cast those on today as well.  The second clue comes out on the weekend.  I think I may be missing the point of my WIP-it Down Week!!  hehe  Here is my yarn selection for the mystery mittens:

Eighth Year of Projects - Week 21

Today is Week 21 of the Eigth Year of Projects, NaBloPoMo Day 18, and Day 4 of my self imposed WIP-it Down Week!  Whew!!

I have had a good week crafting even though I had quite a few work commitments interfering with my crafting time!  My WIP-it Down Week began on Thursday and I have been able to give some attention to a couple languishing projects!  

I finished the sleeves on my Rowe Cardigan!  I am happy with that and now am ready to begin the two front panels.  This sweater is getting closer to completion! YAY!!  My progress this week on the sleeves is from the green marker:

I shook the dust off my Sock Scrap-ghan too!  I tucked in some tails, I sorted all my sock yarn balls into two baskets - already used in the blankie and still need to be used in the blankie - and I added three little squares.  Hopefully I can add several more squares later in the upcoming week when I devote a second day to this project. The red, brown, and blue squares are the new ones:

And I have spent some time on my Vanilla Christmas Socks.  I am now ready to pick up and do the gussets.  I usually gauge myself as around half way through a pair of socks once I begin the gusset decreasing!  My progress from last week is from the blue marker:

I also did a couple rows on Texture Time, but will wait and show a picture next week as it looks very much the same as last week!


And finally I dyed three skeins of yarn to begin the Advent Scarf 2018 pattern!  I will cake up the yarn and cast on the ribbing this week sometime this week. The regular clues will begin to appear daily on November 24th.

I also posted Episode 10 of my podcast last night!

NaBloPoMo 2018 Day 14

Hello!!  I had another busy day at work and today looks about the same...  Tomorrow I begin my Thanksgiving break and will be home with plenty of crafting time until we go back to school on Monday November 26th!  I plan to do a lot of knitting this upcoming 11 or 12 days!!  Plus there is a winter storm that is expected here tomorrow - a perfect excuse to stay home and indoors!  YAY!

So I did no knitting yesterday, but I did get my editing done on my WIP-it Down week intro vlog (which I will post tomorrow morning) and I dyed some yarn for the Advent Scarf that I am going to be making.  The yarn is drying now and I hope to get it caked up tomorrow.  Then I can cast on and get the preliminary clue knit up (the ribbing).  The remaining clues will begin coming out every night beginning on November 24th and will continue until Christmas Eve.  I am excited to work on this project!!  Here is what my yarn looks like:

I am hoping it is not too tonal for the design.  Time will tell.  If it is too tonal, I will redye it and even that out.  We shall see if it is necessary or not!

Until tomorrow!