Monday Update

Sunday was the Montreal Knits meet up at Cafe Castel and what a great turn out. New faces!!! A very friendly time and I look forward to the next one I can attend. I thank Peggy and Molly Ann for the advice before I embarked on my Fair Isle experiment with the hat I began Friday night while stitch and bitchin' at Effiloche.

The pattern is of a type of Norwegian style snowflake and wasn't toooooo hard to follow. i did make mistakes and had to go back and fix. Some got missed though, as I look at the finished band, but i'm not ripping back that far. Still looks good. I am content with my first Fair isle project. The color in the photo isn't very true. Its actually a dark navy blue as the main colorand a greyish blue in the pattern.

After I left the MKs I headed to Effiloche for YARN (and the appropriate bamboo circular needles). Yes! I made a purchase of delicious yarnage for my first sweater. It will be for Ben and the yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca. Deep red/burgundy is my main color and a denim blue heather tone that goes great with it will be knit in as a patterned band across the chest, either in a textured stitch or a color pattern. Not sure yet what I will come up with. I got to play with the swift and ball winder since the yarn was sold in hank skeins , not center pull. Now I have these tidy little wound balls to play with...heeheee.

I'm yarn contented. sigh....

What Would a Real Knitter Do?

I am in a funk. Lush yarns beckoned to me with their luxuriant fibers and sumptuous colors, and I purchased none.
WHY? Because I could not make a decision, thats why. Would I buy superwash wool to craft a sweater for Cameron or Ben? Or would I buy the cashmere, wool, silk blend aptly called Sublime, to make a summer sweater for myself? And how do I hide the evidence of such a large expense of yarnage? Because the good stuff ain't cheap. And someone who makes the money in the household would get a bit pissy at the expense.
No, I fought my urges and purchased the needles I needed to knit HM a double toque.
Feeling kinda crappy today so no knitting took place. Cammie has seen fit to spread the germs of his sudden cold.
sigh. I think a big bunch of luxury yarn would make me feel better.

Day 9....how time flies

I have not been doing my mile because I was busy etc etc...but the eating changes have remained.
So yesterday I drank my water (about 2 or 3 liters)...had squash soup for lunch, had chicken and salad for supper followed by pistachios (the crack cocaine of nuts in this house), a small amount of popcorn, and an apple.
Today:
Foodlog: 1 espresso and one cappucino,
Water: 750 ml
Workout; Probably not because I have a play room to organise/clean and laundry piled up.

Supper tonight is going to be an Eating Well recipe for Ropa Vieja, which is a lowish carb beef stew.
Richard commented last night that it had been a week since he had any chocolate..a record possibly. When he goes out for lunch he does eat carby things but tries to make better choices than before and has avoided desserts. He also admitted that it is kinda hard, no smug "This ain't so bad don't know why you always complained and then fell off the wagon.." comments at all. I gave him a little bit of what for because I have spent longer on this (technically he started on Monday, my day 5) so if anyone should be making comments its me BUT I am very proud of him for doing so well. He really is doing so well and makes no complaints. I hope the changes pay off for both our bodies. I know that even though I have consumed more caffeine thanks to Dirty Babe the new kitchen beast, I am also feeling less fatigue and bloating which I do experience with a carb rich diet. With heaps of carbs in my diet I would still get really bone numbingly tired and caffeine didn't help. I still need to work on portion sizes though. And stop eating when I am not really hungry just feeling munchy. Gum might help.
Hmmm...what else....OH did I mention my Zimmerman books arrived AND the instructions dor the hat I want to make are kinda there... basically the idea I outlined. I may get adventurous and try adding color to it with stranded knitting. Need my circular needle though..could not find one while shopping yesterday. Couldn't find polymer clay either so my homemade needles aren't made either. Grr..
I briefly mentioned the play room plan. Its not very messy but basically you cannot find anything and the organization of it has gone to pot... There is no school today so I will have helpers that are going to sort the communal toys, get rid of some, and organise the rest so that all the Lego are again together, cars with cars, blah blah blah. It WILL be done..eventually.
Tonight I am off to Effiloche and will most likely find my needle purchase THERE and perhaps indulge in some yarnage. I am looking forward to it so much because I really love the atmosphere of the place.

Oh Yummy

Put skinless boneless chicken thighs between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound out until bigger and thinner. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning or herbs of choice. Lay on a paper thin slice of prosciutto. Roll up the chicken into a little bundles. Drizzle lightly with a vinaigrette type salad dressing and Sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 350 until cooked.
Serve with whatever...we had salad.

Two Hour Tidy

The desk area in my dining room becomes a catch all for just about anything. I used it as an area to do my homework when in the Crescent Moon program but it became overwhelmed with everything else. It has been tidied (restacked and pared down) but never fully organized and decluttered until today. The kitchen phone is relocated to here now too.

Sock Hell is not sooo bad...

I finishsed that sock yesterday with a lot of worry that is wouldn't fit. Did I stop it too soon? Did I make the foot too long?
Once Husband Man got home from work I sweetly asked him for a loan of a foot. Actually as he came in I started yapping at him with panic in my voice " Gimme yer foot! I need yer foot! I'm having a sock crisis!!" with much impatient pacing as he tried to get his coat hung up and shoes off and all those little annoying things he does before you can really say he is "home". FINALLY he sat and whipped off a sock and put on his hand knit one. It fits perfectly with enough ease to the garment that if it does hrink a we bit in the wash, it'll still be just right but slightly more foot hugging. WHEW!! Now to make the second one...
Last night at the Montreal Knits s'n'b, I strated a Lovikka mitten (3 times) with Bernat Lana 100% merino in navy blue. Its nice and soft. Then I came home and ripped it out. Husband's hat that I knit in December doesn't stop the wind when he's out skiing so I thought I would make a nice double layer toque that I saw somewhere on the net. Problem is, its a pattern from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Around which Chapters said they could NOT get for me!!!
Screams of knitterly fury and frustration resonate with much bodily thrashing and flailing on the floor in a tantrum that would make any toddler proud to call their own.
So here is what I am gonna do. Go to Walmart and get me a 16 inch 4.5 mm circular needle and start knitting a sk8boi style brimless hat that I will guesstimate the number of stitches etc for, maybe get all crazy and attempt stranded knitting to make it pritty, then when its done, pick up and knit from the cast on edge and knit another, shove the second one inside the first, fasten and call it a ski cap.
Think it will work? Maybe the inside part can be made from sock yarn since the merino is pretty thick. And knits up so nice and speedy compared to sock yarn for a nice change.

Day 7 and sock hell

Water: 2+ liters
Food: yogurt and cottage cheese, salad, 1 latte, 1 cappucino, 2 espressos, 1 or 2 cups of coffee, haddock with pesto and steamed veggies, an apple baba at Second Cup that was made with splenda, prosciutto and cheese curds
Work out: none

Weighed myself at the veterinarian's office since I was there with Monkey to finally get him vaccinated and his appointment to get his nuts cut is the 14th..HA HA HA..no love for him.
Weight was 209 according to the big digital scale so when I got home I weighed myself here and adjusted my scale accordingly. So thats a pisser BUT the important thing is that NUMBERS are not important. The fact that my pants fit again is. Now for the sock stuff....
This is Richard's sock..#1 of the first pair I have made for him. I couldn't find a pattern like the one for the kids socks and I really liked theirs so I adapted another pattern. Sorta combined the two. But did I take notes..not really. Did I consider that the toe decreases on this sock had to be done differently because there were more stitches? Nope.. Not until the sock that would never frigging end was getting sorta..extra big. And I was running low on yarn left in that ball. thats when the light went on in my head that I had to graft the toe with more stitches left than usual. Coulda been worse. Now the fun begins because I need to make another sock that matches!!!!! OY! Why am I so stupid??? So I sat here and measured and counted and picked my own brain to rememeber what I did for sock one. And I Wrote it all down. Jeez I hope its right.
Why did I marry a man with such big feet???????

From This To That

Ok..I got the pics backwards but you can see the looser knit of the original bootie socks and the shrunk, felted, cozy version on my feet there in the top picture. They could be smaller but I am tired of running them through the washer and dryer. They could be fuzzier but I don't feel like taking the brush to them. They are however very slippy on the floors so caution must be used to not take any sharp turns at speed. To think, I had dimensional fabric paint in my hands yesterday at Walmart and put it back on the shelf. Oh well.
So there you have it. My Fuzzy Feet slipper socks from Knitty.com.

Maui Baby

In May the company Husband Man works for is having an educational conference in Maui, Hawaii. This means that for the first time, I get to leave the continent. The only other "foreign" country I have been to is again, the uS when I was 12. Was in Maine. Thats IT! I am an untravelled person! Was never even on a plane until 2004 (December). The excitement of adventure is palpable. We now know when we need to be there and have to get our passports (again..a first for me). The conference commences on HM's birthday in late May and we are discussing if we can afford to fly in a couple of days early because, come on, when are we ever gonna be able to do this again??? This is very exciting.
Whats funny is that the middle sister in my family (there are 3 of us plus 2 brothers) decided a couple of weeks ago to take a trip with her friend to Jamaica in March. Then Eldest sister found out her husband qualified for a conference in New Zealand in April. Then we found out HM qualified for this conference in Hawaii in May.
There will be slide shows galore at the next family reunion I be thinkin!! And our poor mother's mind is BOGGLING at the thought of her globe trotting girls. BOGGLING I tell ya.
2007 is a crazy year this far! ;op
Ok..what else...
Made a cool eggy breakfast this morning: Amounts depend on # of people eating.....
Throw some spinach in a hot sprayed pan (over medium heat burner) with a teaspoon or so of water or after having rinsed it. Put the cover on. Wait a few seconds for the spinach to wilt . While waiting, get your beaten eggs ready. Then pour in eggs. Put the lid back on and get some smoked salmon and grated cheese. Put a bit of smoked salmon on the eggs and then some grated cheese. Then pepper it. You could have added salt to the eggs. I forgot to tell you that. Put the lid back on. for a minute or two until the cheese starts melting nicely. Then fold it over like an omelette. When you are sure the eggs are set, dig in.

February 6 = Day 6

Water= 2 1/2 liters
Workout= none
Foodlog = 1 espresso with a touch of splenda, a chai tea with splenda and a splash of milk, coffee with cream and splenda, cottage cheese and peach yogurt, and another chai ( its friggin' cold outside and its my favorite tea!!! I do not have a chai dependency problem), salad with hard boiled eggs and 7 mixed beans and some beets thrown in, skillet stroganoff with rutabaga fries and cooked spinach dressed with lemon, olive oil and garlic, pistachios.

February 5th+Day 5

Weight- 205...thats 5 pounds of water weight gone. I do feel better.
Water- 2+ liter
Workout- one mile
Food Log- 2 coffee with cream and Splenda, scrambled egg , salad with smoked salmon, hard boiled egg, + havarti, deli type sliced turkey breast, pork chop, steamed mixed veggies (beans and carrots), salad, too many mixed nuts, decaf chai with splenda and a splash of milk

5 pounds down..even if its JUST WATER as everyone always says...I'll take it.

Here's something weird for ya........

I was in bed aroyund 3 AM this morning, sleeping, having dreams about goodness knows what. I do remember some knitting in the dream...Anyways, every once in awhile at one point I felt something poke me in the leg (don't be dirty, wasn't THAT). Just enough of a jab to disturb my sleep and change the dream. Teri said I must have a reset buttong in my leg.
Then it went from occassional jab to insitant. You know how kids start with Mom.....Mom...Mommy....mom.. And then get to Mom mom mom mom mom .. It was like that and the sensation was like a childs pointer finger poking my leg, trying to wake me up. But it WASN"T. The jabbing woke me enough to move my leg wheic meant I had to wake up enough to get comfortable again...and then I smelled it. Wood smoke...
I mumbled to Richard "I smell wood smoke.." which woke him enough that he got up to investigate because he smelled it too.
Here is our theory on why we got that strong scent of woodsmoke.......
Our airtight insert was running on low meaning the damper or draft or whatever its called was closed. During the night the temperature plummeted to minus 22 and because the stove wasn't burning hot, a cold pocket blocked the chimney from letting out the smoke which was not hot enough to push past. Smoke smell began to back up into the living room and come up vents into our bedroom, right above the stove. When Richard went downstairs he opened the draft and the door of the stove to blast some air into the fire box, get the fire burning for real and not just a smoulder and thus cleared the chimney cold air block. There was no visible smoke and the smoke alarms did not go off.
So who was poking me in my leg as I slept? Yes..common sense says it must have been a muscle spasm in that leg. But it didn't feel like one that I have ever had before. It felt like being poked not too gently by a finger or similar blunt intrument like a pencil (eraser end) or a very blunt large guage knitting needle..(I told you there was some dream knitting..). Very weird. Spooky even.

Cue Twilight Zone music here

Speaking of Knitting needles, I found instruction for how to make your own using wooden dowels and fimo clay at Glampyre. VERY COOL this is and may save me heaps of cash in the long run. I can also make DPNs! This will save money so I can invest in more circular needles and yarn. But first I have to finsh these socks for Richard.
Now I am watching You Are What You Eat. Holy smokes. Its British and aims to make the victim, I mean, person, eat healthier. They just examined what this girl was eating and there were NO vegetables in the run of a week and so much sugar even I felt sick. Also the chick was backed up, if you catch my drift, because of a lack of fiber and had to be sent for a colonic so that the health expert person on the show could examine the stool. EEEEEW. And they SHOWED IT. But I am learning some stuff. She weighs 16 stone..do the math.. and begins a detox diet now..This is really interesting. Gross but interesting.

Get Your Sexy On........

The Sexy Beast has a neighbor in the kitchen. Tall dark and sexy. As yet unnamed but I keep singing "Sexy Back" whenever I get near it so maybe Dirty Babe. Cuz cappucino machines are messy little buggers, you know. All those spent grounds and hot steaming milky foam.

And here we have Dirty Babe with its admirers, the espresso and cappucino cups and saucers. They have scenes of Italy on them. If my grasp of Italian is correct, and we have every reason to believe it isn't, they are dishwasher safe.
The espresso was complimentary from the shop owner (Cafe Creme on Fleury) where we bought DB and the cups and the nifty shiny frothing pitcher and two cappucinos for the grown ups and treats for the boys. They have fantastic Italian kitchen gear, foodstuffs, and delicious espresso drinks. Take THAT Second Cup bitter-ass crappy cappucino. I spit on you and the need for about 3 sugars to make you palatable! Pitooie!!
I cannot wait to steam something...mwhahahahaha. Don't worry..I know what I am doing. Had a coffeeshop for almost two years, don't ya know. I'd have a cappu tonight but I forgot to buy decaf. :o( Maybe I have some in the cupboard, but its not gonna be as good at the Cafe Creme espresso. Maybe just a vanilla steamer tonight.
Also, we went to Chapters and Indigo for books and book orderings. I will have my Zimmerman books soon. To keep me busy I got a People magazine at Loblaws and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Knitting Rules at Chapters. So now I have two outta 4 of her books. # 4 is due out in March I think. She makes me laugh out loud because the little observations she has about yarn, knitting, people who knit, and obsessions with all things knitterly are SO accurate. And funny. Funny because they are TRUE.
Ben and Cameron (oh yeah..kids..) were so well behaved that they each got to pick out a book. Even though I hinted heavily at books without pictures, Ben chose a Yugi Oh book and Cameron wanted Pokemon, which made for the trip to Indigo since Chapters was out. These are manga type books. I so dislike them but if the boys read them, terrific. Former English major and teacher wanna -be here! Reading is GOOD boys! Read MORE! They can read in two languages, you know. I'm so proud. ;oD

Got New shoes....

Sale! Sale!! I Love a Sale!!!!!!!!
I went to the local L'Equipeur (Mark's Work Wearhouse in the rest of Canada) and scored a great deal on a pair of 89.99 shoes.
Guess how much..just guess....you will never guess....


FIVE BUCKS!!!!!
How sweet is THAT??
I also got a couple of tops for 10 bucks each. I could have shopped more but I was getting dizzy from the sale fumes.

I got awesome shoooses..I gots awesome shooooeses.. heeeeeeheeeeee

Feb 3rd= Day 3

Food log: 4 pieces bacon, 1 1/2 cups coffee with cream and splenda, BIG salad with tuna, egg, cheese, salad again, chowder
Water: 2 liter
Exercise: .. 1 mile

My Sweetie is home

Husband Man returned from his crappy business trip last night. He is most happy to be back in his own space again. He and the boys are off to make up for the karate class they missed and then will high tail it to Mont Blanc for skiing. We had some new snow last evening and the temperatures are awesome for being out on the slopes. I will stay here thanks very much. My smashed right knee doesn't hurt hardly at all now but it still radiates heat. How weird is that? My ski pants are tight and my boots pinch my legs and make the rest of the leg ache. I don't want to go.
I have finally turned the heel on Husband's sock. These are taking much longer than the kids socks. I hope they turn out ok. I am adapting an adult pattern to suit my skill and patience level. Basically trying to make the same socks I made for the boys only much bigger. So far so good. On the gusset now.
I really really really want Elizabeth Zimmerman's knitting books. I heard about them via an early podcast of Cast On when Franklin Habit guest hosted. They sound interesting and absolutely useful for learning knitting techniques. Knitting Without Tears is the title he mentioned but there are several books and in my infinite greediness for all things bookish, I want them ALL. This creates a problem because while I CAN find them online, Husband is unwilling to reliquish his death grip on the credit card. He hates buying stuff online because of the well publicised risks. What we have here is a failure to gimme what I want. I must be patient..and wheedle endlessly until he breaks down. The reason I want these books sooooo bad is that she teaches how to knit sweaters without seams. I enjoy knitting in the round because I find it less clumsy than with straight needles. I really would like to commence with the learning how to knit sweaters after these socks are done and Cameron has expressed a desire for a mommy made "cothee" sweater since the socks mommy made are so beloved by the cozy boy. He loooooves his coziness. I would make it from some sort of machine washable non itchy wool and let him pick the color.
But I really want those books. sigh.

February 2nd+ Day two

Weight= 210
Workout= 1 mile
Food Log= cottage cheese and peach yogurt for breakfast, 2 cups coffee with cream and splenda, large green salad w/ 2 hardboiled eggs and cheese, 2 grapes, chowder(seafood), apple, orange, pistachios
Water= 2.5 liters

Its official...

I thoroughly HATE the elliptical trainer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hate it!!!!!
Will nOT be part of the daily routine at all. Hate IT.
Did the 1 mile walking workout with my Leslie Sansone dvd. I forgot how much I enjoy it. 1 mile is good for a beginning. Maybe I will do it in the evening too...eventually. Working up top the 2 mile..gimme a week or two. Its fast (15 minutes) and not totally dull. EAsy to fit into any schedule and if necessary can be done in jammies.
DAY ONE: 1 mile+, supplements (3-6-9, L-glutamine), Water intake= 2 liters
Yay Me!!



Want to try walking away the pounds? www.lesliesansone.com
I got my DVD 2 years ago at Blockbuster.

February 1st..again

Ok.
We got confirmation yesterday that Husband Man had earned us a trip to Hawaii for the big conference. Hawaii. Land of black sand beaches and bikinis. Me. In Hawaii. Are you seeing what I am seeing that is WRONG with this picture??:????
I am a white girl. Luminescent almost in areas where the sun hasn't been in awhile. Highly freckled everywhere else. Picture that on a black sand beach..I will be visible to satelites in space. In fact..I may garner attention from them as some sort of weird anomaly. "Whats that in Hawaii!? A large reflective surface appears to be positioned on a beach..Oh..wait.. Its just a fat white Canadian. Never mind."
Husband says at least he can't lose me on the beach since I will stand out so well agaist the sand. There is nothing I can do about being a fair skinned individual but being so fat is a whole nother thing.
The trip is in late May. It is now February first. This leaves me a whole bunch of days (you do the math..I am too stressed) to try and make a very bad physical situation less horrible. And PS: the no sugar thing died with my latest bout of PMS. I was doing good for awhile there and then I had to have cookies or ELSE. I also ate chip like snacks. But this is all just in the last 10 days.
It is a new day. A new month. A time for renewal.
I will stock up on salady stuffs, V8 juice, and frozen veggies. I must resist all things carby. Must resist!!!! And I must EXERCISE. Oh dear gods...this is gonna hurt. Out must come the elliptical trainer, the exercise dvds, and my sneakers. And..the scale. Yes..even the scale must come out.. and then go away again.
Be patient with this current obsession. I am trying to save my own life here.

February 1st, 2007 = Happy Imbolc!

Or Candlemas .
It is getting brighter out there in the frozen world as each day the sun stays a little longer. Welcome light into your life in its myriad forms! Tis the day of the Goddess Brigid (also a saint in Ireland ), a goddess of tranforming fire and deep wells, Matron goddess and saint of creativity, smiths, and childbirth.
The feast day of Imbolc celebrates the return of the sun and the quickening of the Earth under its mantle of snow ( its still pretty frozen here in the northern hemispherebut its a nice thought). Spring approaches, Winter is at its halfway mark. If you are a shepherd, your ewes would usually be lambing around now so offerings would be made for the ewes to have plenty of milk and healthy lambs.
Its a good time to do a cleansing of home and spirit. Meditate on the blessings in your life and banish those aspects that bring darkness (bad habits, baggage, hang ups, people). If you can, open a window and air out some of that mid winter staleness as you give the house a freshening. Light some candles in honor of Brigid to brighten and warm your heart and home.
Feast upon some fresh bread and cheeses, nuts and seeds, some of the traditional foods of Imbolc/Candlemas