Works in progress and things I forgot

There are some things in progress and a few items that slipped my mind when I was posting yesterday.

Let's start with the Finished Objects. First up we have a Gryffindor bookscarf. I joined the Harry-thon Knitalong group on ravelry.com. As we reread the novels from 1 through 7, we have projects that go along. There are three options for each year, but I chose to go with a Hogwarts: A History project which just required something in house colors, something about Hogwarts, or even school supplies. I didn't want to take on a big project so I was delighted to find the pattern for this bookmark.It is knit in a tube on size 0s using DMC Pearl Cotton 5. It was the first thing I'd ever knit on size 0 needles so it could count as a First-years Boat Ride (something you've never done before) project too. I haven't quite decided on a project for year 2.

Next we have my slight dishcloth binge. This is the Petal dishcloth from dishcloth boutique. I had this yarn with which I'd started a garterlac dishcloth, but I just didn't enjoy it. I don't think the yarn is particularly pretty or anything. So I just wanted to use it up and be done with it. Petal is actually the one that used up the very last. I had to use some extra orange cotton to finish it off.
This was the first cloth I started to try to use this up and get it out of the stash. I've made 3 or 4 of these now. It's the Four-corners dishcloth from Abigail at 1870 Pearl. The pattern is in her sidebar.This is a granny's favorite dishcloth that has been on the needles for a long time. I started it to help a friend learn to knit. I finally started decreasing it so I can get it off the needles. I'm tired of carrying it around in a half-finished state. Here ends the dishcloth binge. For now.This is the current state of my Mystery Stole which all mystery-stole-knitters now know as the Swan Lake stole. I've been stuck a few rows from the end of clue 3 for far too long. It's just a pain because I really can't work on it with the kids around. There's too much chance of them bumping me and knocking stitches off the needles, not to mention trying to referee their spats while trying to keep my place on the chart. I've had to do surgery on it a couple times already when a stitch got dropped a few rows. It was very nerve-wracking and I don't want to have to do that again!I'd like to take a break here for a short rant about blogger. They REALLY need an "undo" button, much like the one in Excel, where if you accidentally delete something, you hit "undo" and it's back. While trying to get rid of what appeared to be a space, I deleted the granny's favorite photo and had to re-upload it. What a PITA! The ability to drag and drop the photos in the compose view is definitely an improvement (or a neat discovery if that's something you've always been able to do), but an "undo" button would be great too.

This WIP will be a pillow cover. It's from Speed Knitting. I've been looking for something to do with this yarn for years now. It didn't want to be a Big Sack Sweater. It didn't want to be a Very Cropped Top Hoodie. So far it's doing all right as the pillow cover. We'll see if it behaves and actually gets completed. I have something like 8 skeins of this yarn so maybe I can get two pillow covers out of it. The pattern is pretty mindless since you knit across on the right side then k1, p1 across on the wrong side. My hands apparently don't like the bulky yarn though; I'm having a little bit of a tendonitis flare-up and my hands just feel tired when I'm working with it. The yarn is Wool-ease chunky. I've lost the label so I don't know the colorway.
This is my Froufrou cardigan for MEEEEE!!! I made one as a Christmas gift last year and have wanted to make myself one ever since. The yarn is Wool-ease worsted in Forest Heather which is actually a much darker green. I can not get the color to photograph true. Anyway, it's my crochet project for when I need a break from all the knitting.

Other things going on in my world right now: 1. Ds is doing great in kindergarten. I was so anxious for him and it turns out he's doing fine!
2. My dad's doing ok. Still on chemotherapy and his appetite is therefore suffering. It's hard to get him to talk much lately so I usually try to talk to my mom sometime after I talk to him to find out what's REALLY going on. Turns out he fell six times last week. SIX! He's very stubborn and I know it's humbling to have to use the walker, but if he doesn't use it, he falls! He has to learn everything the hard way. Now he's using the walker more and falling less.
3. My dd started preschool and loves it. She has two little girls she hangs out with the whole time. Having her in preschool two mornings a week and ds in kindergarten every morning has given me a few precious hours to myself. Ah!
4. The addition is finally coming along! After being completely stalled for two whole months, we had to fire the first contractor and go with a more reliable one. Unfortunately, besides being difficult to contact, the first contractor also seems to have cut some corners so some work has had to be redone. *sigh* We're definitely learning some life lessons on this project. Currently, the exterior is almost completely done and the interior is getting close. Drywall has to be finished, repairs to the existing house drywall need to be done, trimwork and doors hung, electrical finish work (i.e. put the fixtures and switches in), then the carpet will be the very last thing and it will be livable! Woo hoo!
5. I am eagerly awaiting my package from my ravelry.com Footballalong group swap! This is my first ever swap, and I hope it is a good experience. I enjoyed shopping for my spoilee. I hope she likes what I sent her! I had an email from my spoiler the other day saying she hadn't made it to the post office by the deadline, but she'd be sending it out that day. I'm stalking the mailbox! I'm in a couple of fantasy leagues related to this group too. I think I'm 1-1 in both of them.
Keeping my housework and laundry under control is about all else that's going on around here. Wow. Two updates in two days. Don't get used to it!