New Inspiration

It’s been nearly a year and a half that this ol’ blog has been silent and I am not too sure if anyone out there will still read me, but I have been incredibly inspired by Katie’s blog and her Simple Woman’s Daybook posting.  I thought that this would be a good chronicle of the changes taking place in my life.

As a little refresher, life has changed quite a bit for me in the past few months.  I am now a mother to a beautiful little girl, that, on the blog will be named as Little Gal.  She was born in April of this year and she is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.  Life changing for sure…I am also now, temporarily, a SAHM which gives me both more and less time to do some of the things I’ve been meaning to do (like knit).

As for crafting, very little of that takes place in actuality right now, but I have thoughts and dreams of projects I would like to complete.  As they (if they) do get complete, I am hoping to chronicle them here as well, like I used to do.  In the meantime, I would like to post weekly with a “Daybook” and maybe some other stuff as well.

Today

Outside my window: My neighbors are chasing around their toddlers.  Parents are yelling and kids are squealing with delight.  It makes me happy, and yet I am somewhat disturbed and distracted by it all.  However, I can’t bear to close with window as the evening breeze is glorious.

I am thinking… about diets.  I have started a diet (Jenny Craig if you must know) and have been successful in my first week.  But that always happens.  It’s the second and third weeks that kick my ass.  So I am wondering about what it takes for someone to lose 50/100/200 lbs and keep it off.  I am wondering what they have that I don’t.  Motivation, perhaps.  But I am determined to get these 25 lbs off.  And the weight loss isn’t just about physical change.  It’s about learning to accomplish things.  Lately I feel like I haven’t been finishing anything (hello UFOs from hell) and this is something I want to finish.  A little rambling I realize, but whose thoughts aren’t?

I am thankful for… the ability to stay home to be with my daughter for a while.  I realize that it’s not a permanent thing, so I am enjoying it as much as I can.  I am grateful for the chance to connect with my daughter each day, all day.  And I am grateful that I’ve been able to connect with my parents on a deeper level during this time off as well.

From the learning rooms: Portion size.  Now I’ve always been a big eater.  I don’t eat unhealthy, just in large  quantities.  So relearning portion size is tough.  I still tend to bulk up on salads (ginormous salads), but I am realizing that I don’t need to be stuff to be happy.  It’s a hard concept for my little brain to accept, but we are learning…

From the kitchen: A whole lot of processed Jenny Craig food.  Blah…not my fav, I must admit.  However, lots of salads are making their way out of the kitchen.  In the next coming weeks, expect some homemade dinners to be finding their way outta my kitchen and into my mouth.

I am wearing… Army green shorts (in the biggest size I’ve ever worn) and a black tank.  Sexy, no?

I am creating… From a crafty perspective, I am working on some cross-stitches that I am hoping to show you all in the next week or two.  They are super cute and you’ll love them.

I am going… To wake up Little Gal for a bath, a feeding and a little play time before hitting the hay for the night.

I am reading… “The Luxe” on my Kindle.  I am loving my Kindle!  It has re-kindled (pun intended) my joy of reading.  This book is a guilty pleasure book before a tackle a couple of self improvement books on my bookshelf.

I am hoping… For better sleep tonight than last night.  A bout of tummy troubs kept me up last night and as a new mom, I need every ounce of sleep I can get!

I am hearing… My husband lifting weights in his newly created “gym” in one of our spare rooms.

Around the house… There is a dishwasher is full of clean dishes begging to be put away and towels screaming to be washed.  Tomorrow will be perfect to accomplish these tasks.

One of my favorite things…kissing Little Gal’s soft, chubby cheeks.  Better than dessert!

A few plans for the rest of the week: A little housework, some reading, and researching homemade housecleaning solutions.

Central Park Hoodie

Pattern: Central Park Hoodie raveled here.

Yarn: Tahki Donegal Tweed in a lovely chocolate brown color.

Needles: Knit Picks Options size 6 and 8

Size: 36″ Bust

Good: Wow, I love this sweater!  I love the color of the yarn and the tweed flecks are perfect.  I don’t know about you, but I tend to be a bit turned off by most tweedy yarns because of the flecks.  Most times they look like fuzz or the colors don’t coordinate.  But not with Tahki’s Donegal Tweed.  I love not only the color I chose, but a dark blue colorway too and its tweedy flecks were equally cohesive.  The pattern was well written and this sweater is universally flattering on all who have knit it.  Oh, and it gave the the opportunity to learn how to cable w/o a needle.  If you’ve never tried this, please do.  What a timesaver!  The best thing?  Aside from a bit of scratchiness, this sweater is so comfy and warm.  Like a cup of hot cocoa…

Bad: Nothing really…

So-so: As I mentioned before, the yarn is scratchy.  It’s definitely not as scratchy after a soak in some wool wash, but it’s still scratchy.  A smart cookie sort of friend of mine suggested a soak in some hair conditioner, so I will give that a try some day.  Also, in a moment of infinite wisdom, I decided to not knit a button band and instead thought I would make some sort of toggle closures.  But my procrastination and lack of motivation have kept me from completing this task, so until then, I will keep tugging my cardigan closed.

Right now I am currently working on a pair of these, just for fun.

Are you holiday knitting?

Ophelia

It’s taken some time, but she’s finally finished.

Pattern: Ophelia which is also Raveled here

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton in Tomato

Needles: Size 8, Knit Picks Options

Size: Large, or 36″ chest

Good: I love it!  It is still in need of a closure of some sort, but I haven’t quite decided what I will do about that.  I love the fit (post-blocking) and the lace patterns are beautiful.  The pattern was fairly well-written and any mistakes that were made (and believe me, there are mistakes) are purely operator error.

Bad: My ability to follow directions.  When the time came to separate the fronts from the back, there are directions to garter stitch the first two stitches on either side of what will become the armhole.  I believe this is done to keep the edges from rolling in.  But, in my infinite wisdom and with my impeccable eye for detail, I forgot to do this on one armhole opening.  So of course one armhole rolls in, as is typical of stockinette fabric.  Oh well…

So-so: The yarn.  Let me tell you how lovely it was to knit with cotton that wouldn’t make you want to cut your hands off.  The light twist and loft of the yarn is very similar to a softly twisted wool.  The yarn is light and lofty and incredibly soft.  And one only needs to look at the color to understand why I chose this particular shade.  Simply FAB!  So why is this so-so if I am so incredibly in love with the yarn?  KNOTS!  Yes, I said knots.  Nearly every hank of this yarn had knots in it.  And if there weren’t knots, the yarn was separating from itself.  There are still a couple of ends that are visible from the outside of the vest and I need to figure out a way to hide them.

Special thanks to Monique for the photo shoot.  For more pics, go here.

For those of you still around, thank you for reading.  I am still knitting and still wanting to blog.  But life has been incredibly strange and crazy this year.  A pregnancy and a miscarriage still haunt me from time to time.  And a recent decision to go back to school to get my teaching credential is enriching my life, but sucking my knitting time up.  Whatever small amount of energy I have left gets bled out of me slowly by my job (hence the decision to go back to school).  All this and I am still in good spirits and loving life.  I must thank my amazing family, both immediate and by marriage.  They are the BEST support.  And a shout out of course to my friends of the crafty sort who continue to inspire me each and every day!

Out of the woodwork…

Vote today, it’s important…

MeMeMeMeMe

Life can be crazy sometimes…really, stinking crazy.  I have been knitting and sewing though, so more to come with that, if anyone is still ready.  If you are, thank you for being patient with me while I get through some tough stuff.

Thanks to Fig and Plum Jess for the inspiration to at least post something…

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago would have been June of 1998 and I would have just finished my second year of college.  I was still enrolled as a psychology major, but was seriously considering a big, fat change to philosophy since my sophomore year had been FULL of delicious, thought-provoking philosophy classes, including the one with the alcoholic professor who was absent while he “dealt with his shakingissues.”  Little did I know that I was about to meet my husband who would shortly encourage me to major in business so I could be more “marketable.”  Bless him, otherwise I would have been some hippie living in the park contemplating existentialism and collective consciousness.  At this time I had just left the Disney Store and had just started working for HotelChain, which I stayed with until last July.  I was in a good place, with very little worries.  What wouldn’t I give to go back to that lack of responsibility…

2. Five things on my to-do list today?

• Grocery shopping
• Call my cousin, Jennifer
• Call and wish my FIL a happy birthday.
• Begin “Modern Baby Blanket” pattern.
• 1 Hour of cardio (damned gut)

3.  Snacks I enjoy:

• Licorice, red and black, but must be Red Vines brand
• Brie cheese on slices of Italian bread
• String cheese
• Thick-cut potato chips
• Lots of fruit

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire (no particular order):

I would quit my job, first and foremost, but I would continue to get my yoga instructor education.  Travel to about 10 countries, including India and Iceland with my husband, mom, dad, and brother.  Set up a trust fund for my niece and nephew’s education as well as for my future kids.  Buy an ocean side home in Maui.  And an apartment in Florence, Italy.  Buy a hybrid car.  Spend my free time helping to get healthy, whole foods in schools and donate a lot of $$ to Revolution Foods.

5. Places I have lived:

• Long Beach CA
• Lakewood CA
• San Pedro CA
• Westminster CA

6.  Jobs I have had:

• Sales person in Lady Foot Locker
• Cast member at Disney Store
• Outdoor vendor at Disneyland
• Front Desk Clerk at HotelChain
• Sales Manager for HotelChain
• Front Desk Manager for HotelChain
• Sales Rep for fitness company

 

I just flew in and boy, are my arms tired

Phew, time has flown by me so fast I’ve hardly been able to keep up with the laundry, let alone blogging.  Not your fault, of course, dear readers.  Just tons of work travel to NYC (thanks Spiders) and to DC.  At least the travel time allowed for lots of knitting and podcast listening.

Speaking of podcasts, have you been listening to the Knit Picks podcast with Kelley Petkun?  It’s a lovely little podcast with tons of helpful information.  I must say that the first time I heard of it, I was quite skeptical.  I really thought it would primarily be focused on the yarn lines and couldn’t bring myself to try it out at first.  But after a lull in Cast On podcasts, I gave it a try.

And while Kelley does mention the Knit Picks yarns, it’s generally only because she’s knitting with it or making a reference to a specific type of fiber and refers to the KP yarn as an example (probably assuming that we must be familiar with KP yarns because really, how else would we have found out about the podcast and honestly, who doesn’t know about Knit Picks).

But otherwise, wow, what a delightful podcast.  I love the organization of each podcast.  It’s divided into 3 main sections.  The first section focuses on the topic; an interview with someone on the staff or a famous knitter, fiber types and how they differ, cables, and my favorite: what Kelly keeps in her knitter’s toolkit.  These sections are always incredibly informative without being dry and humorless.  Kelly has a great knack for incorporating personal stories into the informative section and this keeps it light and “real.”

The second section is about books.  As an avid booklover, Kelley often reviews books, both recent and not so recent.  Sometimes these books are pattern books while other times, they are mostly meant to be inspirational or to help with a “fix.”  She even discusses the books she likes to listen to while knitting and cleaning the house.  I find that listening to this review section often inspires me to consider a book that I never thought much of before.

The final section is just all Kelley.  Here Kelley discusses what’s on her needles and the progression or completion of these projects.  She also discusses her trials and tribulations too.  Is it wrong to feel more normal when you know that others are suffering from boredom or the inability to read a pattern properly?  Kelley makes me feel like she’s just one of us, I guess, because she really is just one of us.  I look forward to this final section of each podcast because it’s just so conversational and real.

So if you are looking for a new podcast to try out, give the Knit Picks podcast a try.  You might like it too!

In update-y sort of news, we had to put our poor sweet kitty Sydney to sleep earlier in Feb.  He’s definitely not suffering any longer and although we miss him dearly, there is a sense of relief about it all.  Hard to explain, but if you’ve had to put down a sick animal, I am sure you understand.

The ol’ CPH is coming along.  I am working on the final sleeve which will only leave the seaming, hood and button band to complete before it’s finished.  I am looking forward to its completion and hope to be able to wear it by my birthday, March 26^th (dirty thirty, here I come).  I am already scheming on a couple of smaller projects I’d like to work on and am contemplating my next sweater-ish project too.

Still Kicking (and knitting and sewing)

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and words regarding our poor Sidney cat.  We toiled long and hard about what to do with our sweet boy and decided that we’d wait it out a bit longer.  Mr Wonderful (the hunky hubby) bought an herbal supplement and a contraption that aerates the water to make it more appealing , I suppose.  It’s a right noisy thing, but the cats are amused by it. 

So yea, Sidney is doing quite a bit better, to be honest.  The supplement seems to be helping and he’s eating again.  His appetite is generally for treats and a few nibbles of kitty pebbles here and there.  I’ve been trying to coax him into eating various concoctions of wet food: ground vs flaked and  fish vs. meat vs. poultry and gravy vs. no gravy.  Sidney says “nothing doing.”  He gives it a couple of licks here and there and a general sniff around while the other two cats break into a full-fledged conniption fit.  And people say cats have no personalities…right, right.

All the while, I have decided to start 2008 off right, with a brand new cardigan.  The Central Park Hoodie, to be exact.  I have finished the back (progress pics to come this weekend) and have started on the left front.  So far, it’s moving along in such a lovely fashion.  I chose to use the suggested Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed in the Dark Chocolate colorway.  It’s so yummy…all chocolately with flecks of tomato red, royal purple and mustard yellow throughout.  I must admit that I haven’t really been a huge fan of tweeds but I am quite appreciative of Tahki’s choice of colors for their tweedy bits in this line of yarn.  It will definitely be a potential go-to yarn for future knits.

In other craftiness, I have finally signed up for a sewing class.  It is a beginners’ course to familiarize ourselves with a machine, patterns and some basic techniques.  While I have no real sewing skills to mention, I am not a complete stranger to the sewing machine.  I’ve made a couple of panel skirts and a Pocahontas costume for a Halloween several years ago.  I am itching to dive right in, while the instructor seems to think that we should take a bit more time to discuss threading a machine and pattern cutting.  Boring.  I have recruited my pal, Monique, as my sewing mentor, as she is becoming quite the accomplished seamstress while having a knack for perfection that I could only dream of achieving.  We’ve scheduled a sew-in this Saturday to help me get started so I can be off and running by my next class.  Can’t wait.  Expect progress shots of my sewing adventures this weekend too. 

Failing

Failing kidneys. That’s what the vet said on Monday, after a trip to the vet on Saturday for a check up and some blood work. Our sweet kitty, Sidney is sick. We’ve noticed quite a bit of weight loss over the last couple of months and now, he’s pretty bony and lethargic. And all the while, he’s still got some pep. And the always present whining meow that has, at times, made us think that we’d prefer Chinese water torture over one more second of needy mewing.

Think of us this week while we come to terms with what will likely become the inevitable.

knitting fearlessly

Welcome to 2008!  And welcome to my new blog!  With a new year in front of me, I felt that I needed a new start at blogging again and I wanted to start fresh.  I plan on leaving some of the personal stuff aside and incorporating a bit more of the other interests in my life right now, such as cooking and my desire to learn to sew.  Thank you for hanging in there with me.

Today, Knitting Daily, posted an email that sparked some thoughts on knitting and how we might like to grow in our craft for 2008.  My knitting suffered for much of 2007 and I really have this desire to dip back into things for the new year.  I am now using Ravelry (find me…I am knitaholicsky) full-force now and it has really created this new energy surrounding my stash and knitting.  I feel like a new knitter, well almost…

Thanks to Knitting Daily for getting me to think today… 

Is there something you haven’t tried because it seems too scary?  Right now, it has to be colorwork.  I really want to try to knit up some Anemoi mittens or Endpaper Mitts and I have the yarn, but I am freaked out.  Suggestions on a practice knit or should I just go full force into one of these?
Is there a technique you want to learn, or learn to do more skillfully?  I would really love to be able to read a knitting pattern and thoroughly understand it before I dive in.  This applies mostly to chart reading and having more patience to interpret what the pattern calls for.
Is there something that stumps you?  Chart reading and I just don’t get along so well.  But I am determined to get it this year.
Is there something that you are dying to try, in your secret knitter’s heart, but haven’t dared because you think you’re not a good enough knitter?  Knitting a lacy shawl out of laceweight yarn.  Again, this ties in with the chart reading mostly, but laceweight yarn frightens the panties off me (almost).

Are you always knitting The Same Old Things, and you’d like to try something new?  In 2007, I feel like I knit projects that resulted in the quickest results without giving a lot of thought to usefulness or actual desire for the finished object.  So in that sense, I tend to knit  the same old items.  But this year, I am starting off with a cardigan.  I am learning that while knitting cardigans/sweaters in one piece eliminates the need for much seaming, I really do like the feeling I get when I finish a piece of the garment.  So on my current project, I am knitting the back, two fronts and sleeves.  I know I am a bit crazy for this, but I think it will result in a finished garment instead of some blob of yarn hanging out in the WIP basket.
Do you always knit for others, and never for yourself? Or perhaps you only knit yourself accessories, but never a lovely cardigan or pullover to wear? I cannot say this is true.  I knit for myself primarily, because at least I know that my efforts will be appreciated.  But I haven’t knit or at least completed a garment for myself in quite some time.  This year, I plan on changing that.

This year, I plan on changing quite a bit…