Blanket Project: Week 12

I forgot to edit and post a picture of the socks last week. Here they are, Steve's DNA socks. Aren't they fantastic?

Seven squares made this week:

 

69/776, instead of 84

I am nearly through the cuff of Mandi's socks:

When the Nerd Wars challenges come out on December 1, I plan to cast on socks in at least one of these yarns:

Blanket Project - Week 11

I'm a day early because I don't know how much computer time I will have tomorrow.

More squares were made this week!

I also finished Steve's socks, but since they are Thanksgiving socks, I am not going to let him wear them until tomorrow. I will edit to add a picture tomorrow night, or Friday.

I've only done a few rounds on Mandi's sock... there is barely any visible difference.

62/776, instead of 77

Sewing Tuesday: A Preview

Today I pulled out fabric for pajamas for my sister's kids for Christmas. I didn't sew anything, but I did plan the nightgown.

The purple, pink and bright aqua is for my niece. The blue flannels are for the boys.

I didn't start because I realized I need the boys' measurements... /fail

Blanket Project- Week 10

I finished those projects that were keeping me from working on my blanket, and (surprise!) worked on the blanket! There are seven new squares this week (big squares count as four). It has been a while since I pulled out the sock yarn stash basket, because I didn't work on the blanket for a while, and then when I did work on it I had new sock yarn to contribute. This coming week, I will finish a pair of socks, but that will only cover 1 square of the seven. I am not planning to make big squares for a couple weeks. Due to that decision, I pulled out the basket this morning to look at what I have.

My collection is pretty similar to what I started with, though I have less small scraps. I have a friend who is making a sock yarn blanket too, and I gave her the indigo because I have a bunch that I am using for another project, and will probably have leftovers, and pulled the purple spice because there was enough to make another pair of socks. Of course, there is new yarn because I have finished many pairs of socks in the last 2.5 months. Armed with this yarn and the blanket, I pulled out a chart I started in my journal at the beginning of the project and decided yarn placement. 

What? Some people don't completely geek out over the prospect of planning out a project? Are you sure?

Looking at my leftovers, I wish there were brighter colors. Still, I am really excited to work on the blanket this week. I just have to remind myself to balance squares with other projects... Like Steve's DNA socks, or Mandi's thigh highs (that I CO last night).

55/776, instead of 70

Proof of Love

Have you read The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman? I did. I think I read it when I was pregnant with Mara. I recommend reading it - past the religious overtones is a really good anthropological look at how people understand and express love. While reading it, I instantly recognized gifts as my sister's language, and acts of service as mine.

Yesterday, I got a package in the mail. I knew it was coming; my sister gave me a heads up on Saturday that she sent it. I spent a lot of time checking out the window to see if the postal worker was here yet. At 3:36pm he pulled in. I tried to wait patiently for the thud against my front door. Mara woke up as I was waiting. I scooped her up as the package was set against the door, and made my way down the stairs. I opened the door and found this:

So exciting! I took the box up to my room so I could open it in peace (read: without children on top of me). I opened it and found this:

I expected the circular needles and grey yarn, both to make a pair of thigh highs for my sister, and the purple to make a pair of arm warmers for her as well. The green, though... that was a surprise. I picked it up, and squished it. I set it in my lap, and looked for a note. No note. The following text convo ensued:

Me: Is the green for me?

Pooks: Green is just for you because I thought you'd like it.

Me: I love it! I opened the box and squeed.

Pooks: Yay! I don't know what you'll use it for, but I'm sure you can think of something.

Me: I can't find my arm warmers, so I think I will use the green for those. I was actually thinking about how much I miss my hand warmers this morning. The green is perfect!

Pooks frequently gets me gifts I didn't realize I wanted, but when I get them I am not sure how I lived without them.

Yesterday, I worked very hard to finish two projects so I could get to the projects for her. This morning, I started on her arm warmers. This afternoon, I finished them. Tomorrow I will post them. 

Saturday Seven: Weeks 11 & 12

Week 11: 
I took more stuff to Becka this week. She didn't have any pairs of jeans because hers were lost in the move, so I gave her two pair - one that I stopped wearing months ago because they were too big, and another that I do not like the coloring (they have bleached whiskers). Both have been in my closet since before Mara. (2 things) I also gave her a grey t-shirt that I found in storage, still in the packaging (1 thing).

Also from the storage room, I have a bag full of stuffed animals for donation. (4+ things)

This week: 7 things
Total: 131 things

Week 12:
We found Becka's jeans that she lost during the move, plus her mushroom beanie, so she took those home after we had dinner yesterday. (2 things)

When the donation truck came on Wednesday (in addition to garbage bag of stuffed animals, and the garbage bag of clothes) I set out a diaper box full of books. (1 thing) Next time they come around, I am pretty sure I will be setting out another two...

On Tuesday I donated a stack of handmade scarves to the charity at my library that distributes them to people in need for winter. They have been sitting in my closet since pre-Gabriel. That is a long time of wasted usefulness... (5 things)

This week: 7 things
Total:  138 things

Blanket Project: Week 9

This week, I didn't work on the blanket at all :( I have been really busy trying to finish a couple projects that have to be in the mail by the 15th. The first project is done, and the second was almost done, but then... I realized it was going to be waaaay to big. I frogged it this morning. I am trying to convince myself to CO again, but... my convincing isn't working so well.

Instead, I've been working on socks:

The pair on the right is for my mom. I really love that the stripes don't match, but I'm kinda worried she won't love them. They are ribbed, and the ribbed pattern says "mom" in morse code. I am about an inch shy of the heel. I might do an afterthought heel, but I'm not sure. I will look up a few heels this afternoon.

The pair on the left is for Steve. they are going to have a DNA cable pattern on the front. The yarn reminds me of Thanksgiving dinner. Working on it makes me want a slice of pumpkin pie, and a piece of pecan pie.

I really miss my blanket, though. I think I might do a square or two tonight.

42/776, instead of 63

NaNoWriMo Update

NaNo is stealing my ability to put words elsewhere on the web. I am waaaaaay behind my goal word count there, but it still manages to steal all my attention from the blog.

Blanket Project: Week 8

Wow. Two and a half weeks with no blanket progress, then this morning I sat down and did six squares, and started a seventh. Which technically makes me behind on the project. I forsee a distinct lack of blanket knitting in my immediate future because of holiday crafting. I plan to still work on it, but I probably won't get back to one square a day for a little while. That is okay, though - I will probably knock out a bunch of the squares in January, since that is a break month for Nerd Wars and I probably won't start holiday crafting that early.

This week, I started a pair of socks for my mom using this yarn:

The yarn is self striping, but I didn't match up the stripes. I received the yarn last holiday, and the dye lots don't match. I'm sure if my mom decides she hates them because they don't match, my sister will be happy to take them off her hands.

Speaking of my sister, she might be commissioning me to make a pair (or several) of thigh high socks for her. How awesome would that be?

Now back to the blanket. Here is the progress I did make:

42/776, instead of 56