Must... Stripe... Evenly

Hello friends! Last week I talked all about the socks that were being knit over here. This week I'd like the share the neckwear. I finally finished my last Christmas knit, the Deep Sea Wanderer cowl for my brother.

Connor was kind enough to model it for me, but then he started making sounds about how nice it was and that maybe he'd like to have one at some point. I have a feeling this isn't my last dance with the pattern.

I also finished up weaving a University of Kentucky themed scarf. I used the fibonacci sequence as a starting point, but didn't stick to it 100%.

Meanwhile, I still love socks. I started my Christmas socks...

And promptly abandoned them in favor of finishing my Denature socks. I'm not sure how everyone else decided to get things done, but I check things off the list by what is bothering me the most. The Denature Socks have been on the needles since July and I'm ready to have them finished.

Connor and I watched Stranger Things and I was able to power through much of the leg of the second sock. Just last night I got to the heel and realized that my stripes were not going to match. Mismatched stripes are too much for my little knitter's heart to take, so I ripped back, got some spare grey that I had wound off the ball earlier, and made the grey stripe before the heel longer.

Although.... now that I'm typing this, I'm thinking that I might rip back again and make the green stripe before the final grey stripe a little longer so I can hide how thick the grey stripe is.

Something tells me the saga of this sock is not over. Is anyone else out there as obsessive about their knitting as me? Or you you more of a "No one will see that mistake" kind of knitter?

Sock Fever

I've seen people talking about a thing called "Socktober." I didn't know this existed. It sounds exciting, but honestly I don't need a specific month to motivate me to knit socks. I have a fever and the only thing that will cure it is knitting more socks!
Observe exhibit A. I have finished the socks for my mother-in-law. It's the Primavera Sock pattern knit up in Tosh Sock Shire color way.

Somebody is going to have toasty feet for Christmas

Then there are these beauties hot off the needles. I managed to finish my Halloween socks with time to spare. These are knit up with Stray Cat Socks' amazing Trick Or Treat color way.

I'm still working away on my Denature socks. This is also Stray Cat Socks, but in the Silver Star color way.

Of course getting all these socks off of the needles meant that I could treat myself to new yarn! Just kidding. I bought the yarn before I finished any socks. It may come as a surprise, but I treated myself to some more Stray Cat Socks. Left to right, the color ways are Blue Moon, Sherbet Fizz, and Hipster. Subtly hiding behind hipster is a mini skein of black to be my cuff/heel/toe for the Sherbet Fizz socks. I want them to be my CMYK socks.

Just one question. Now that my Halloween socks are done, is it too soon to work on Christmas socks?

If you guessed that this is Stray Cat Socks, then you would be right. It is the Joyeux Noel color way and a complimentary brown.

I Am A Shark Now

Last Halloween I wanted to be a shark. We couldn't find a costume that I liked and was in my size. A whole year has gone by and I couldn't shake that thought: I needed to be a shark.

Yesterday my yearlong dream came true. I am now a shark.

I think the costume brings out my eyes

It arrived on our doorstep and as soon as I could, I put it on and headed outside to take it for a test run. Our neighbors across the way saw me walking down our steps and started shouting, "It's a shark!" "Hi shark!" Both the kids and adults were laughing. These are people we don't really talk to. They have kids, we don't. All our lives are so busy. But for a moment, we were all friends and able to bond over how silly I looked. It was great.

Connor and I took some pictures before heading back up. Before we got through the door, our next door neighbors saw and had a good laugh. Then we started sending silly shark pictures to friends and family. In the space of an hour 13+ people had a laugh.

Connor says it looks like I'm having a graduation photo

It is a goofy costume, but I think I've figured out the source of everyone's amusement. The comedy in a shark costume is dependent on the knees. If the shark doesn't have knees, it clearly can't be funny.

I told Connor he is married to a shark now. I don't plan on coming out of the suit any time soon.

The List Is Long And Full Of Terrors

I'm sure we've all had a time or two in our lives where the list gets longer than a trip to the moon and you are about to crack. At the moment, I'm not sure if I've cracked or am about to, but the list has gotten rather long.

Indefinite Projects
*Drawing/ Editing/ Uploading the daily comic - This is a big time sink. It's hard to know if it is worth it, but at this point I've spent nearly half a year on all the editing, so I think I shall just keep going.
*Keeping the household relatively clean - (Haha.) When the mold in the shower starts to become sentient, I clean it.
*Blogging approximately once a week - This includes thinking of something to talk about and taking pictures. I do like keeping my writing skills polished, which was the reason I started the blog in the first place. It's also so that all the family members who don't see us all that often can discover what we've been up to.

I draw four comics per page in my sketchbook. When editing it for the internet, I crop out each comic so it can be posted individually.

Long Term Projects
*Souvenir Patch Quilt - While it is kind of an indefinite project because of the continual collection of patches, most of the work is embroidering the USA and quilting the rest of the of the quilt.
*School - Luckily I like what I'm learning, but I'm a little stressed out about deciding how far to take it. Do I want to just learn some things or do I want to go for another degree? For now my decision is to not make a decision.

It took me two and a half hours to embroider Maryland. I don't have positive feelings towards the state of Maryland at the moment.

Projects Where The Finish Line Is In The Distance
*Christmas knitting/ weaving - I don't usually do handmade gifts for more than one or two people, so this year is an anomaly.
*A thank-you woven scarf - There is someone who I can only thank with a handmade scarf. The only deadline I have is my personal guilt of not doing this sooner.

This is one of the last Christmas gifts left to do

Short Term Projects
*Most of these are the annoying things that come up to prevent me from finishing anything else. Things like a doctor visit, taking the car in to be looked at, and various other errands. All important, but I wish I didn't have to.

Projects On My Mind But On The Back Burner -
*Comic Stories - I have four distinct comic story ideas in mind. Unlike the daily comic, they all have a definite end. I've tried to forget about all of them, but all the ideas swirl around in my head, so I occasional write or draw a little thing about each one to stop it from bothering me.
*Other Book Ideas - I have three other book ideas. One a humorous depiction of Silicon Valley and two others that relate to business and creativity. I've been taking notes for them whenever inspiration strikes...which is usually in the bathroom.
*Painting - While I am taking a watercolor class (thank goodness, or there would be no time carved out) I really would love to have a little time to make a small painting or two to apply what I've learned in class and have a little creative release.

This is a quick color study for a much larger painting due my class

It's tough to know what to give up when it comes to all these lists. They all seem like personal projects, but at the same time there is limited payoff because either I'm not getting feedback or the project is starting to feel like a slog. My bad habit when all my projects aren't feeling like fun is to start a new one, but as this list is showing me (and maybe you) is that a new project is probably ill advised. So I'm not really sure what to do except lean into it and get some things off of the list. If anyone has any advise or commiseration, please do share. I'm sure many of you also have a list that is long and full of terrors!