Taking Stock

I'm still trying to figure out how I'd like my Year of Projects posts to work. I think Saturdays will be a good day for me to recap the progress I've made in the previous week on my YOP projects. My full list of goals can be seen here but to sum up, I'm aiming to complete 50 projects from 5 categories by the end of June 2013: works-in-progress, socks-in-progress, new non-sock patterns, new sock patterns, and patterns of my own design. Keep in mind I'm also still trying to finish 15 pairs of socks by December 2012. That part sounds crazy, I think. But who knows! I have so many partial pairs it could be quite doable. How about a little summary for each category?

1. WIPs
From this category, I am focusing on my Color Affection shawl. I will probably only work on one of these projects at a time. I am about halfway through the short rows in the third section. I have not been working on this much since I abhor untangling balls of yarn while I knit and for some reason lately the three balls and the circular cord and the shawl itself have all been tangling up a bunch.Grr.

The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga, colorways Nude, Common Emerald Moth, and Fierce Snake

2. SIPs
Nothing to see here, folks. I'll get back on this horse soon.

3. New Projects
I finished my Regina hat/Shiny Slouch, yay! I still need to block it before I can show you it in its completed form. I'm also still working on my Random Washcloth here and there. You can see the most recent photos in my previous post.

4. New Socks
I finally started a pair of my Fiasco socks for myself! I had a 4-hour diversity training yesterday and I needed a simple knit to get me through it and keep me from killing some of the closed-minded people who like to voice their offensive, ignorant opinions. Fiasco cuff to the rescue!

BMFA Socks that Rock Lightweight, colorway Sigur Ros

Of My Own Design
I've been focusing most of my energy in this category recently. I'm still working on my Lillypad socks and my Sasquatch socks for the 2nd and 3rd designs inspired by the How I Met Your Mother tv show (Fiasco being the first). You can see the most recent photos in this post.

I also recently submitted a design idea to Malabrigo for a cowl using their yummy Twist yarn. I am waiting to hear back. I am working on a design to submit for an e-book that Cephalopod Yarns and Cooperative Press are putting together to benefit Afghans for Afghans. Some of us in the CY group wanted to still contribute to the Afghans for Afghans effort, even though the charity knitting program had ended (although I think you can still send your items to A4A directly until sometime in August) so we thought a book of patterns designed to be quick, warm, and appropriate for A4A would be perfect. Hopefully people will be inspired to knit and donate the items while the proceeds from pattern sales will be donated to the organization. I'm super excited about this one.

Finally, after receiving some exciting news that I can't share with you just yet, I've decided to self-publish the design that I had originally submitted to KnitPicks for their special collection. It didn't make it in there, but I still love it. I'm working on knitting a worsted-weight version now and will be looking for testers shortly. Here is my Beribboned Hat, a cousin to my free pattern Beribboned Wrists:

Cephalopod Yarns Traveller, colorway Aokigahara

It has a pretty lace crown detail not visible here, but I'll have to wait until I can find someone else to model it, since my dear Fiasco is not the greatest of photographers.

So all-told, we have:
1. WIPs: 1/10 in progress
2. SIPs: 0/5 in progress
3. New Projects: 1/14 finished, 1/13 left in progress
4. New Socks: 1/10 in progress
5. Of My Own Design: 5/11 in progress

Not too bad! Sometimes it feels like there are too many things going on but I don't know how to do it any other way. Those that can knit on one project at a time fascinate me. I just don't seem capable of that. Do you knit just one thing at a time or a bunch of things?