Kim Werker just tweeted this crocheted Dr. Horrible. And made my night.

I also just finished my first run at a Jayne hat. Details to come when the kids aren’t trying to kill each other.

Time to conquer the giant pile of stuff that has accumulated over here. I go through these cycles every few weeks…starting everything I run across, then sorting through and finishing some and killing the ones that aren’t turning out as well as I’d like.

Still trying to decide what to do with the Monster.

Finished my box for HAP that can go out next week or the week after.

Getting ready to look at the spiral ‘ghan with a critical eye. I think that the way I constructed it makes it fatally flawed. I have an idea how I might get it to behave better, but I’m not likely to start again any time soon.

Decisions, decisions.

Because they multiply quickly, and because it’s fun. Not so much on the pictures this time, though, I’m afraid. The sun, the clouds, and the children have not been aligning favorably. Heh.

Designs: One new pattern is out for testing, another is in the writing-up stage. We won’t count the insanely long list of ideas that are the top page of the notebook that lives on my desk.

Charity: I make rectangles for HAP, which is an ongoing thing. I’d been sending squares all over charity-dom, but I have little time and less money and needed to focus, and this is the organization that I chose.

Other: This is where the list gets long.

On the too-hot-to work-under-because-we-have-no-air *sob* list:

–1 giant granny intended as a gift eventually, perhaps 1/3 done.

–1 spiral baby blanket. I’m unsure whether I’ll even finish this. I’m not completely pleased with how it’s coming out and I’m very much considering finishing it off as a doll blanket and giving it to the kids. They’ll probably steal the FO anyway, lol.

–1 Monster, which I could probably work on anyway but haven’t talked myself into just yet.

On the knit list:

–1 drop-stitch scarf (this one, to be precise), done in sock yarn on size 3 straights. It’s coming out wonderfully. I was going to put it in the big bag of gifties, but it might just have to stay here and live with me.

–One plain garter stitch scarf done in Bernat Softee Chunky on size 10 straights. I love making things I don’t have to look at. And it’s pretty, too.

–The dishcloth that lives in my lunchbag. This one is scraps for something vaguely log-cabin-ish, since I wanted to practice picking up stitches. Yes, I’m aware that my idea of fun is a tad off.

On the hook:

–Doris Chan’s All Shawl. I called it the “Immediate Shawl” in my Rav projects because I saw it and immediately grabbed yarn and a hook. *grin*

–I started making granny squares out of my Softee Chunky scraps. Which isn’t a WiP as much as it is me being sort of random, but it won’t take much to have enough for a lapghan, if a delightfully clashing one.

–It doesn’t count as a WiP if I haven’t started yet, right? But I’m fixin’ to get at least one more scarf out of my leftover Red Heart Soft that I’ve been steadily turning into scarves. That will probably get started later today.

First, the new design. Because I work Wednesday through Sunday and I won’t have a better chance. Also, if the light holds, I’d really like to redo the photography for the new pattern. It’s not bad, but I’m not happy with it the way I want to be happy with it. That will be out as soon as testing’s finished and I’ve made the inevitable corrections.

Not a bad list, ‘eh?

Not a very productive week on the yarn-y front. Made a couple of dishcloths. My pretty, pretty sock yarn that I was going to pass along and then didn’t and then decided to use anyway and then didn’t and then did has finally discovered what it wants to be, I think. I’m needing to write up a repeatedly-requested pattern but having trouble getting going. It was 98 degrees this afternoon and we have no air conditioning. The Mega Lo Mart is getting to be more fun/ less crazy-scary-exhausting (and now that I’ve said that, watch tomorrow be awful). My upsatirs neighbors and the downstairs ones are vying for who-can-be-weirder.

That said, I did finish a truly awesome custom order that just got shipped this afternoon.

And picked up a 5th day at work, which means that the roof over our head? Stays there, barring natural disaster or something truly strange happening. Gas has finally hit $4 a gallon here. And the heatwave? Supposed to be another day. Yuck.

OTOH, it’s got me thinking about all of the crochet cotton I’ve accumulated…

It’s been a while since we’ve done the parade-of-finished-objects around here. not in small part because I’m resisting figuring out what the hell broke the image uploader in wordpress with the last upgrade. Since I throw a pic of everything into flickr anyway (and I really should go back and do tags and descriptions and such, but I never really got into flickr and tend not to care *shrug*)…where was I? Oh, yes. I put it all into flickr so that it can go in my notebook on the Rav, so I can just link those pics here. Duh. I still want my blog fixed, but this is getting to be an unmanageable list anyway, so here you are:

My lunchbag:

Soon to be replaced, I’m afraid, with something that actually has insulating qualities, but I’m very pleased with it and will find something to use it for, in any case. I had several odd-sized dishcloths just sitting there begging me to give them a strap. So I did.

The Magic Scarf:

My oldest daughter decided that this would go to my husband. She’s very concerned that Daddy be warm enough. She’s a sweet kid. I used this pattern: Magic Scarf. I am ridiculously pleased with it. Simple, but it gave me great practice with basic knitting skills and the husband claims it’s the coolest scarf he’s ever seen. He’s a sweetheart, too.

Spacescape:

I found it almost impossible to get a good pic of this, but I’m terribly excited about the way it came out. It’s technically not quite a FO, since it still has to be readied for hanging, but I’m counting it because the creative work is done. Anyone know how to photograph black fiber successfully? ‘Cause I’m stumped.

And last but not at all least, Totes For My Unruly Children:

This is from a pattern I got as a Ravelry Download (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/enero-crochet-tote) and modified to get the sizes I wanted. I needed to use up some cotton that the girls damaged and I was feeling a little diabolical, so they got something to motivate them to pick their stuff up…disguised as a present! Bwahahaha!

I think that’s it for the moment. Enough, though, yes? LOL.

The more they stay the same.

My hook is *flying.*

I’ve been making a concerted effort to clean up after myself. I’ve started a huge number of projects and really, really wanted to start more…but I decided to kick myself (gently) and finish some of what I had before I started any more. So later today after I download pics I’ll wrestle with WordPress and get some FOs posted here. (The upgrade broke the image uploader. *headdesk*)

I’ve also been working on some charity projects, including this one. I’ve been working on squares for this month’s Charity Blitz at The ‘Ville, too. Past time to clean out my scraps, and what better way than to make something lovely for someone who needs it?

Work is going well. I’m really going to like this job, I think. Time will tell, but my first impression is very positive.

Now that I’ve finished a few things, I’m trying to figure out what else to start. Hmmm…maybe I should finish a few things more first, while I’m in the mood. LOL. I really need to start bringing this stuff to work. An hour at lunch is a long, long time when you don’t have to run all over the place. Yay for being too broke to eat out! Hee!

Back later.

I got a few things photographed that needed to be mailed off, I finished a package of charity square-lets I’d been working on, and I finished/photographed a few new dishcloth sets for the store. I also started the spring cleaning in earnest today, since it finally feels like spring here. I heard it’s supposed to last a whole day, ROFL. Have I mentioned lately that I love New England?

Next up: a pair of freeform projects that have been hanging over my head. And I’ll probably work on the magic scarf while we watch the Idol results, since that’s official goof-off time.

After those three things are finished, we’ll see what’s next. I have a couple of bigger things hanging around, too…

That sounds as awful as it is, doesn’t it? LOL. Seriously, I’m looking around my workspace and figuring that it’s time to damned well finish a thing or seven. I’m holding out a project or three that I desperately want to start right now as rewards.

Y’all, it’s so bad I’m not even sure what’s there. At least the girls pulled the needles out of my Squidge for me today, and since I was maybe a quarter done at the most I just frogged the thing. One down! ROFL!

I’m going to start at one corner of my desk and go until I hit the end. Wish me luck…I could get lost in here.

Love. Love love love. Love!

Here is the pattern.

I made a few boo-boos but nothing big enough to rip back for.

Easy enough for my first attempt at lace, tough enough to keep my attention…and can I tell you how neat it was to see the pattern forming as I knit? I think I’m hooked. *swoon*

Now if someone could just find those extra 4 hours a day I need to have *time* for a lace obsession, I’ll be eternally grateful. Kthxbai.

I’m knitting this.

It’s making me happy.

I would absolutely *love* to be updating here more often, but we’ve got so much going on in my household right now it’s just insanely difficult. By the end of the day I’m too exhausted to write anything that makes any sense.

One more run-though on that design, I think, and it’ll be ready for testing. I have one out for testing right now that the feedback is starting to come in on, too. So in the pattern category, we’re making pretty big progress.

In the stuff-I’m-making-up-as-I-go-along category, I’m really happy with one project I just started and really unhappy with the scarf I’ve already put a considerable amount of work into. I think that’s going to get ripped back and redone. And I’m not sure how I’ll need to handle the yarn at that point, so I’m a bit exhausted at the thought of it. I see possibly re-skeining and washing and making a ball out of it in my future. Which wouldn’t be such a pain if it wasn’t sock yarn and I wasn’t without appropriate tools. Still, though, we’ll see.

I think I’ve found my problem with knitting, which is that the projects I’ve chosen aren’t anywhere near hard enough. No challenge = boring = knitting? Why do people *do* this? So I’m going to have to find something that will make me crazy to do. Right now I’m leaning toward jumping right into lace. Of course, this will have to wait until I have a few dollars I can spend on appropriate supplies, which may be a while. But I’m not giving up on knitting until I’ve tried something insanely hard and still feel meh about it. I really think I won’t, at that point.

Also? I’m one of the three people on the planet who *likes* to purl. Heh.

And that’s about it for the moment. More details when I can provide them.

So my Finishalongapalooza list looked like this:

1 magic scarf…I’m still working on the first pattern repeat. Of course, I just started last night. Heh.

1 Irish Hiking Scarf, which despite having been frogged still makes the list because I’ve started it twice already and I WILL make the dratted thing, since it’s lovely and fun.

1 log cabin ‘ghan (starter panel done)

1 small rectangle granny ‘ghan (maybe 1/4 done, at the outside)

1 giant granny gift ‘ghan (probably 1/6 of the way into it)

1 Monster

3 small freeform projects

1 freeform project not yet started for submission

1 yellow pouch

2 little design projects

1 “fishy fishy”

and the design project that’s been costing me what hair hasn’t been leaping off my head of its own accord (oh, the joys of childbearing, lol).

And after most of January, it now looks like this:

1 magic scarf…I’m still working on the first pattern repeat. Of course, I just started last night. Heh.

1 Irish Hiking Scarf, which despite having been frogged still makes the list because I’ve started it twice already and I WILL make the dratted thing, since it’s lovely and fun. Abandoned to the whims of my pocketbook. It’s yarn diet time, hardcore. No going out to pick up yarn and needles for this one.

1 log cabin ‘ghan (starter panel done) Abandoned to the baby, who is using it as a teether.

1 small rectangle granny ‘ghan (maybe 1/4 done, at the outside)

1 giant granny gift ‘ghan (probably 1/6 of the way into it)

1 Monster

3 small freeform projects

1 freeform project not yet started for submission

1 yellow pouch

2 little design projects

1 “fishy fishy”

and the design project that’s been costing me what hair hasn’t been leaping off my head of its own accord (oh, the joys of childbearing, lol).

Not too bad. Not too bad at all.