Knitting & Losing

June 27, 2005

I got a lot of knitting done this weekend. I'm working on the baby sweater and i've finished the back, the two front sides and one of the sleeves. The sleeves i thought would be difficult because there is a cable strip that you make and then you pick up stitches and knit the rib and then you pick up stitches on the other side of the cable and knit the sleeve and i cannot believe how good it looks, the edge is even. I think it's the yarn, i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that yarn. So I have another sleeve to finish, already started the cable strip. I should have that finished tonight and then i'll piece it together and then knit the collar and button bands.

I found some more Cotton-Ease to hoard. :) I bought 3 pink (the proper name is Bubblegum) and 7 turquoise (Popsicle Blue). I have no idea what i'll make with it. But i'll find something.

Here's a pic of me from Sat. when i went downtown to pick up my mom's coworker who was visiting from CA with her twin sister. We went to dinner and i really had a nice time. They are both home-economists and have very interesting backgrounds. One of their husbands just became an episcopal priest, as a second career. Very interesting.

The feeling blue part is just a lot of things that i'm dealing with. I know it'll work out, i know that the Lord is guiding me, but it just feels really icky today. I went to church yesterday with my friend John, and then we went to breakfast, i was feeling great. Then i called my mom and she said she had to talk to me, and it was re: a letter that my cousin sent her re: me and that she's worried about me, and thinking i'm in a depression....long story, but i had a good heart to heart with my mom and i feel better about that.

Then last night, kind of late, i got a call from my x-boyfriend in CA....like that's what i needed. I just found some pics of him and I together and i had been thinking of him. This is my x from HIGHSCHOOL....and he's still calling me. He's telling me how he still loves me, how he can't sleep at night thinking about me....ya, that's what i need to hear from a man who's unhappily married, who was one of the biggest loves of my life, when i'm not feeling great about things, and would really like to have someone to share things with. His sister is dying of cancer and i think that is where this is coming from. He's very emotional and we have always related well to eachother. He's upset about her being sick. He swore he wasn't drinking, but i don't know if i can believe him...

June 25, 2005

Cotton Ease

I'm becoming a Cotton Ease hoarder. After seeing some other knitting bloggers stash and then how beautifully this yarn knits up, well, I had to get some! :) I went to Joann's and they did have it on sale but not at $1.00 a skein like some people are finding. :( Still very affordable, so I found 7 skeins in a pretty lavender and 5 skeins in a nice spring green. They had some other colors but not enough of one color except this sunflower yellow and I wasn't sure I liked it well enough to stock up. I was going to take a pic of my find but left digital camera at home (I'm at work this a.m.) I did go look at Walmart and Michaels but they did not have any Cotton Ease.

So then I had to start a project with it and I've been owing my mother a baby set for awhile for a coworker, it's one of those projects that I've been commissioned to do and I've started probably 3 different projects for her, and I hate the yarn, or I hate the pattern, or I hate the two colors together, it's just been a real struggle to get this done for her. And then when I talk to my dear sweet mamacita and tell her about other projects I'm working on....then I feel bad and guilty, but she never says anything about it. I have the best Mom in the whole wide world. So anyway, long story short, I'm getting her project done and I'm using the green Cotton-Ease. I'm making a patterned cable sweater and a hat. I started last night and really got into it, I finally had to put it down around 1 a.m. and get to bed. I woke up and knitted some more. I'm at the point where I don't have to refer to the pattern, I can knit as I go and see the stitches, I love that! I'll post a pic of my progress as soon as I can. But this yarn is lovely, I really am enjoying it. Now I have to go find all the Joanns in the area and check our their stock.

I work at a yarn place that also serves food and drinks, I really like it there but I'm having trouble getting hours, really disappointed about that. I called today and I don't work tomorrow and am not scheduled for the week. I usually work atleast on Sat. afternoon and 4-6 hours on Sunday. Thank God it's a part-time, I'll have to look for something else to supplement. The local bead shop is starting to carry yarn and teaching knitting so maybe I can do something there.

Going to meet for dinner tonight with my mom's coworker who is here visiting from CA. She's a really nice lady. I'm picking them (her and her sister) up in Minneapolis and we may go to the Mall of America to one of the places for dinner. Looking forward to that.

June 23, 2005

Stitch Markers and my Uruguay Scarf

Kind of testing to see if I can figure how to post a pic. This pic of my first set of stitch markers that I created. Much thanks to my dear friend Mkay-the professional beader. She was very encouraging and she's such a dear friend. I'm going to make some more sets and see if the yarn place i work at would sell them. Now the hard part is to set a price, i'm thinking $10.00 for this set of 4.

Well, it seems that I figured out how to post a pic but i'll have to work on the sizing. I did resize so I'm not sure what that is about. So here is a pic of a scarf i finished last night. I'm very happy with it and I'm calling it my Uruguay scarf. The yarn is a single bulky merino, hand dyed in Uruguay. This is really beautiful yarn, each skein is a little different. The feel of it is wonderful. It took only 1 skein, about 220 yards to finish this scarf and i think i like the decorative ruffle edge that i added to it. I got the pattern from another blog and i thought it would show the yarn off well. I think it has.

Fighting a migraine today, had to leave work and get something to eat around 10:30. Think it's going to go away now. But i have my migraine medication in my purse if i have to take that. Trying to give the food a little time to work.

I guess i don't have much to report on the weightloss efforts today. My focus is getting rid of this headache.

June 17, 2005

Starting a Blog....

Who knew how easy it is to start a blog. I've found many blogs that i find myself going back to time and time again, relating to knitting or losing weight. So that's what my blog is going to be for. I'm going to use this blog to chronicle my weightloss efforts, perhaps share triumphs and failures (no, no failures anymore) and also i'm going to show my work in knitting, spinning, crocheting, tatting, whatever i'm working on. It'll be a good way for me to keep track of things and I can share it with friends or family or whomever chooses to read this.

Knitting projects i'm currently working on: 1)Pink cotten leaf patter scarf 2)Finishing the afghan for Sally and Terry 95% complete (I'll post pics as soon as possible)

Weightloss efforts today: Well I guess I should say first that I am doing LA Weightloss and i think it's a great program. I've been on it since 1/4/05 and i lost 17 lbs, then gained a little and i'm still down about 13 lbs. But i'm struggling to get on the downward side again. So today the goals are to drink my water (atleast 64 oz.) and to be OP (on program).

I Bought Gary's Book - Did YOU?