Something Different

And now that all the knit gifts are done, I decided to work on some cross stitch.  This will become a very ornate butterfly.

Knit on...

Ruffles, Tiny Ruffles

So I have been on a ruffle binge as of late it seems. This scarf was knit out of premier yarns starbella flash. Of the two ruffle yarns I have used so far, I prefer the bernat ruffelina. I still have one more ball of flash left so I will be making one more ruffled scarf. Right now though I am working on wanderlust from the new winter knitty.
Knit on...

Afghan of Fuzziness

Behold the completed afghan with my queen sized bed for scale.  This used 10 skeins of lionbrand homespun yarn in 5 colors.  Thanks to an awesome Thanksgiving day sale the thing only cost me 15 dollars to make!
Knit on...

Two Ruffled Scarves

I knocked out two more Christmas presents this week. I hate to admit it, but I actually liked working with the bernat ruffelina yarn. It wasn't nearly as annoying as I figured it would be.
Knit on...

Two Big Socks

Hey, look!  I finished the second stocking!  Hm, now what do I knit for the next two days?

Catch Up

There's been a lot going on since I last blogged.  I have been knitting up a storm and managed to finish up some projects that have been on the needles for a while. 
The reason I have gotten so much done is sad though.  On Saturday,  my grandmother lost a long fight with pneumonia.   She passed away peacefully and I am thankful for that.
So this week I am with my parents getting ready for the funeral.   While here, I have been knitting a pair of Christmas stockings.  Here is the first one.

First Progress

The opening night of the Olympics led to the back spiral being knit on the In the Pink shawl.  Here is what was completed day 1:

I have now knit way past this and have completed the two side wings, the triangles that connect the wings to the center, and am now on the border that is knit around the length of the shawl before beginning the edging.  One thing I have noticed now is that the shawl looks like a giant blob and is not photogenic.  Probably will not post much the rest of the week given the crappy shots I will be getting, but I will post once I get some edging done and can take a better picture of the shawl as a whole.

Over all, it's an interesting knit and a very odd construction.  I am enjoying working on the shawl though and I find that I am not losing interest in it.  I say that now, but the edging is coming :oP

Knit on...

It Begins

I sat on Friday night with Renee, eating pizza and quite possibly the most awesome milkshake ever and watched the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.

Why I chose Singapore to take a picture of, I'm not sure, other than I was getting tired and was starting to pack up my things to head home.

I have been knitting furiously all weekend and I made some good progress on the shawl.  More on that tomorrow.

Knit on...

The Olympics

I look forward to the Olympics more than I do any other sporting event.  I love the non-stop TV coverage and I look forward to the stories of the athletes who have trained their whole lives for these events.  I cry, I cheer, and I celebrate each victory whether it be a Team USA winner or any other country on the planet.  It brings us all together and I love that about the events.

Tonight, the opening ceremonies will be broadcast starting at 7:30 PM EST on NBC.  I am going to go over to Renee's, where we will have Olympic-themed food and yarn.  When the opening ceremonies begin, so does the Olympic knitting.  Turns out that we are both knitting the same pattern, so that will be fun to have someone to talk to about the same thing while we bawl our eyes out at the grand spectacle that is the opening ceremonies.

So, wherever you are, go cheer your country's athletes and give them love.  They have all overcome many obstacles to get where they are and they are in for the challenge of their lives.

Knit on...

Weight Loss Update

Since I didn't give an update last week, I thought I would give you one this week.  I'm now down 7 pounds from when I started 5 weeks ago, so I am thrilled about that.  Better yet, I was able to get into an older pair of jeans again, so now I have two pairs I can wear without being uncomfortable. 

I am on a tight budget, and this means I can't really go out and buy new clothes.  When I started gaining some weight, I was annoyed because I had all these nice work clothes that were getting too tight.  So, I got some new clothes for my birthday and Christmas. 

Now that I'm dropping inches, I'm glad to be able to get back into those clothes again.  I'm still a long way from getting into the ones from when I was at my lowest weight, and honestly, I may never get into some of those again because I am not running myself to death this time and don't intend to go into the 150s the way I did before, which everyone, including myself, agrees was verging on freakishly thing for a nearly 6 foot tall frame.

So, I'm just plugging along.  I feel good and my body appreciates getting much healthier fuels now.

Also, I am now done with Eat and Run.  The book was fantastic and I can't wait to make some of the recipes in it.  I think first up will be making my own rice milk since I have cut out milk from my diet (was starting to upset my stomach.  Can still do cheese though, so I am not a complete vegan as of yet).

Knit on...

One Down, One To Go

I finished one of the peach socks now and I'm already working on the second one.  Nice thing about using larger needles is that the socks are flying off them quicker than they normally would if I was using traditional sock weight yarn.  So, now that I have one of the socks done, I am contemplating putting some non-slip soles on them since they are slipper socks for my grandma.  Have any of you out there used those suede soles that they sell in craft stores before?  I never have, so if Grandma consents to having them on the socks, I will be trying them out for the first time.

Anyways, here's a finished sock shot for you all:

Knit on...

The Peach Begins

I started working on the peach socks this weekend for my grandmother.  I decided on a size 3 needle for these as the yarn is heavier than a fingering weight, but not quite sport weight.  It's not as bad to knit with as I thought it would be, and it is very soft, which was one of the requirements my grandma gave me for this pair:

I'm going to try to knock this pair of socks out quickly as I want to have them off the needles in time for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Knit on...

Finished Socks

I finished the pair of Nutkins this weekend, so I am very happy about that.  I always enjoy having a new pair of socks to put on my feet and these turned out just lovely despite the crummy picture I took of them:

I loved knitting with this yarn and I really do like the colorway on it.  The yarn was Malabrigo Sock and I forget what the colorway is called.  It's blue and black, which is all I could tell you now that the ball band is long gone.

Now, on to the peach socks...

Knit on...

A Decision

I have finally made a decision on my olympic knitting project this year.  I knew I wanted to use the new Patons Lace yarn I picked up this weekend at Hobby Lobby, so I went in search on Ravelry and found the pattern called In the Pink.

After seeing how well some peoples' finished projects looked, I chose the pattern.  Here is what it looks like on the Ravelry pattern page (link above) (oh, and it's a free Ravelry download pattern, so check it out) :

I think this will be an epic knitting olympics project.  I honestly do not know if I will be able to finish it in time, but I am sure going to try.  I think it's going to be fun though and I'm looking forward to it.

Knit on...

Sock Progress

I am trying to finish up my paid of Nutkins this week so that I can work on the slippers for my grandmother before the knitting olympics start up and I'll be hunkered down with one project for a couple of weeks.

So, here's the progress on sock 2 of 2:

It's coming right along, and as you can see, I'm past the heel turn now and am in the home stretch.  I made a lot of progress on this while watching the IronMan Championships on TV on Sunday.  I enjoy watching the recap from this event almost as much as I enjoy watching the Olympics.  They profile several competitors and their stories are always very inspirational to watch.

Knit on...

A New Book

I have been waiting with anticipation for a book to be written by Scott Jurek.  For those of you who have no clue who he is, Scott Jurek is an amazing ultramarathoner who fuels his body on a completely vegan diet.  Since I live an almost vegan lifestyle, I was very interested in reading his new book Eat and Run to see how he does such incredible distances while not consuming any animal protein.

My copy arrived on Saturday and I am now reading a little bit each night before bed.  I'm enjoying the book so far and everything about what he has done is absolutely amazing and inspiring.

So, if you are a fan of the book Born to Run, go out and pick this one up.  If you've never read a book about running before, pick this up and read about one man's journey to ultramarathoning dominance.  You won't be sorry you did.

Knit on...

Yarn!

So this weekend I went out on an old lady date with Renee and we decided to go to Hobby Lobby as I was in need of a very specific yarn color.  My grandmother asked for a pair of soft slipper socks in peach yarn.  I don't have any peach yarn in my stash, and since these will need to be machine washable and smooshy, I decided to go look at baby yarns as they come in the color range and meet the requirements of care.  I found the yarn I needed and then we moved on.  While at Hobby Lobby and admiring all the whimsical crap that they carry, we came across several baskets full of yarn that were all on sale.  I was surprised to see Patons Lace on sale for $3.89 per ball.  So, I grabbed a couple of balls in a tan and peach colorway.  I honestly think this may have been a subconscious move on my stasher self to make sure I now have some kind of peach colored yarn in my stash.  So, anyways, here's the haul:

Peach worsted weight and two balls of Patons Lace.

Knit on...

Tour De Fleece Update

Yeah, there's not much to update you on in the spinning world.  It's hot.  Wool is hot.  Fans don't work well with fiber control.  So, here's how much I've done since the tour began:

Yeah, that's about the same amount that was on it last week.  In other words, I think I fell off the bike and need to get back on it.

Knit on...

Hooking

I haven't posted the fish progress in quite a while, so I thought I would do that today since I have no other knitting-related content to show you :oP

I'm about 3/4 of the way done with it now, so it's coming along.  I'm glad I chose the pillow size to do since I don't have all that much interest in this project aside from just getting it done soon.

Knit on...

Skinny Rules Update

Ok, just a quick update on week 3 of the Skinny Rules.  I lost another 2.2 pounds this week, so I am now down 7.6 pounds in 3 weeks.  I'm more thrilled with how well my clothes are fitting again and how I'm starting to firm up some now instead of being a complete marshmallow. 

On a funny note, I talked to my mom on Saturday and she mentioned that she was reading this book by Bob Harper called the Skinny Rules and wanted to know if I had heard about it.  Well, turns out that we're both following the plan and that was completely un-planned.  Mom seems to be liking the concepts in the book as much as I did, so I'm glad we get to go through this journey some together, even if we are several states apart.

On a sad note, while talking with my parents, I learned that one of my favorite softball coaches and his wife were in a horrible car accident.  His wife did not survive the crash and he is currently in critical condition.  Mark's team was one of the most enjoyable teams I ever played for.  I loved everyone on that team and am still friends with a good majority of them.  I received several messages over the weekend about the crash and each one made me want to cry.  If you're reading this, please send prayers for Mark Matheson, his daughter Emily, and the rest of his family.  I know I sure am right now.

Knit on...

A Finished Sock

Well, I'll admit, there has not been much knitting going on now that it hit 105 degrees outside.  It's taking all I have to get up in the morning and exercise in this heat much less cover myself with wool.  I did however manage to finish the first sock in the new pair of Nutkins:

So hey, there has been a little bit of knitting anyways!  I'll just use the heat excuse and say that I'm just getting ready for the Ravelympics :oP

Knit on...

Weight Loss Update

We interrupt today's Tour with a brief update on the weight loss journey.

This week, I lost two pounds, which brings me up to 5.6 pounds lost in two weeks.

I'm not worried so much about the scale, but it is nice to see it go down.  What I am enjoying more than anything is that some people have already started noticing.  I've had several comments from family members, and one from the guy who sprays for bugs at the apartment complex.  It's nice that even after two weeks people are already noticing a difference.

Here are some things I have noticed this week:

My skin appears much brighter

I bounced back from a cold much faster than I normally do

I still am finding that I'm not craving sweets.  I did add a little honey to my wheat farina breakfast and it almost seemed too sweet for me.

I am still very satisfied hunger-wise

Knit on...

Tour De Fleece Day 2

Here is my progress after day two:

The cop of fiber is growing!

Still enjoying the spinning from the batt.  I was enamored with the way it looked when fluffed out on the ground, so I thought I would share:

It's a jewel-toned explosion on my floor!

Knit on...

Tour de Fleece Day 1

Here is my progress after day one of the Tour De Fleece:

This is by far the most wonderful batt I have ever spun from.  I normally like roving more, but I couldn't resist this batt when I saw it at Stitches South.  I'm so glad I picked it up.  It's a dream to spin on the spindle.  On the other hand, I don't think I would enjoy spinning this fiber on the wheel as much as I do on the drop spindle.  It's funny how you find certain fibers lend themselves to certain spinning styles.

As you can tell, I'm blogging about my progress on a delay of several days.  I'll try to update daily on the spinning progress, but it will be blogged about after the fact since I don't always get on the computer every day to blog.

Knit on...

Touring

It's that time of year again.  No, I'm not talking about time for sweltering temperatures, which it appears it is also time for.  I'm talking about the Tour de Fleece. 

I decided to join at the last minute this year after I saw several people posting about it on Twitter.  I'm now out of the ankle boot, but the brace I am in and the tenderness in the ankle has made it hard to spin on the wheel.  I really wanted to play with fiber though, so I decided that I should join the Tour with my trusty custom-made Golding drop spindle.

So, this is what I will be working on:

The fiber is a lovely 4 ounce batt from Knitty and Color.  The colorway is called Quick Sizzle, which I thought would be appropriate considering it's about 103 degrees outside as I type this.

Knit on...

Ravelympics

Ok, so by now, unless you live in a hole or don't have access to Ravelry, you've probably heard about the Ravelympics debaucle with the USOC.  To recap, the United States Olympic Committee sent a very nasty letter to the founders of Ravelry stating that their Ravelympics event fringed on their rights to use the word Olympics and was an insult to the athletes of the US Olympic team.  I find the whole thing rediculous and the apology offered by the USOC to be more of an insult to injury than an apology.  Don't piss off the knitters, I'm tellin' ya.

So, will I be watching the Olympics?  You better believe it.  I support the USA's athletes and I will never forget the experience I had in 1996 when I was able to go see the US softball team take the gold medal.  That event will always stand out as one of the most amazing things in my life and something I will always cherish.

Will I be participating in the Ravelympics?  You better believe it.  I may not be the athlete that I used to be and now I have a new thing to obsess about: knitting.  I participated in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics when she first started it and I knit my first sweater.  The next summer olympics, I was holed up in a hotel room in Thailand with sun poisoning, so I knit 4 pairs of socks.  The winter olympics 2 years ago were spent in Korea, knitting a child's dress, a sweater, and a few other small projects.

This time, I don't know what I am going to knit.  I am toying with some possibilities of sweaters, lace, or something nice and challenging.  So, I'm going to throw this out there: What will you be knitting?

Help a girl out.  I need some ideas!

Knit on...

Fruit

My new obsession is fruit.  I always ate a ton of bananas, but that was about it when it comes to the fruit content in my life.  Since my taste has been revived so much, I find that bananas are just too sweet for my liking with no acidic bite to counter it.  So now, my fruit bowl looks like this:

Peaches from Georgia, golden delicious apples, and June apples from a local farmer at the farmer's market.

June apples...mmmm

Ok, I have a major like of June apples.  They hold a special place in my heart.  They are tart and have a slightly acidic bite to them.  They also used to grow in my grandparents' back yard until the tree eventually died from a bad ice storm years ago.  My family would drive up from Florida in June to visit my grandparents and I remember always wanting to get the June apples off the tree and pick green beans with my grandpa.  The squirrels got more of the apples than the people did, but this never seemed to bother anyone as there was always more apples than one family ever needed.

And I swear I'll eventually have some knitting content on the blog again soon.  I haven't been knitting much recently.  Sometimes you just hit a lull and need a break, and that's what I am doing now.  I am plotting some knitting olympics projects, but that is for another post.

Knit on...
Oh, and I should probably mention that this is my 1000th post!

Tomatoes

My tomato plant has gone nuts in the windowsill while my pepper plant kicked the bucket.  I had a bit of a gnat infestation that seemed to be targeted to the pepper plant, so it did not handle that well.  While I am sad to lose the pepper, when I removed it, I was struck by how pretty the tomato looked in the window:

It's now looking more like a small tree and I kinda adore it.

Knit on...

A Week In

I mentioned on Wednesday that I was starting the Skinny Rule program by Bob Harper.  Well, at the time I am writing this, I am one week in.  Here are some changes I have noticed:

1. I am not hungry even though my calorie content is lower than I have been eating.
2. My taste has come back in ways I didn't think was possible.  I think this is directly related to cutting out all artificial sweeteners.  It has been a week now and I have not had a single ounce of the stuff.
3. I have more energy and am sleeping better.  Again, I think this ties into the artificial sweeteners. 
4. My cravings are no longer for sweet things.  When I eat something sweet, it is usually fruit.  I have had one serving of homemade almond honey ice cream, made with all natural ingredients including local spring honey.  This tasted wonderful and I didn't want anymore like I do when I make it with splenda.
5. I have lost 3.6 pounds in the first week.  My weight has not budged since I have been off my feet for over a month now.  I still can't do much for exercise, but it was nice to see how my body adjusted to this new way of eating.

So, all in all, I am very pleased with the results this far.  It's an easy program and allows for many different choices.  I'm looking forward to continuing with this program and discovering tastes that I have not experienced in ages.

Knit on...

Skinny Rules

This week, I began following Bob Harper's Skinny Rules.  I'm not usually big on following a celebrity plan, but this is a common sense approach to dealing with food.  I read the book, prepared some food, and I am now ready to dive head in to my food issues.  It will take some time to detox my body from the crap I have been feeding it, so I expect that it won't be easy to say the least.

What I really want to address is my food issues.  When I lost all the weight a few years ago, I did so by literally running myself to the ground.  I literally fell on the ground from abusing my body by being too competitive and not listening to the warning signs it was giving me that I was about to blow a hamstring.  And you know what, I did.  In a race.  That I still finished despite the terrible injury.

Fast forward two years and I've gained almost 50 of those 80 pounds that I lost back.  The reason?  I never really changed my eating lifestyle.  Sure, I cut back on calories, but as I started running, I started consuming tons more of them because I could.  I started running longer distances because I could eat more.  And it worked, but it did not give me control when I couldn't run suddenly.  The weight came on very fast.  Within three months, I had already put on almost 20 pounds.  This caused me to get upset, and so I did what I always did before: I turned to sweets.

I'm going to be detoxing from sweets and the artificial sweeteners.  Nutrasweet is going to be hard for me since I drink diet drinks.  Now I will not be.  I will be only drinking stuff I prepare from scratch.  That will be water, tea, and any sodas I create in my kitchen with natural ingredients.  No more crap.

I've already started losing a little weight in the past few weeks because I started trying to eat less.  Now I'm ready to tackle what I'm actually eating and give my body better fuel.  It'll help my ankle healing and it will help me feel better.

So, here we go!

Knit on...

Weaving

On Saturday, I went to a workshop at the art museum on Navajo weaving.  Of course I forgot my camera, but thankfully the phone had one, so I was able to get a few crummy pictures of the things talked about.  I was absolutely fascinated with the whole weaving process.  This artist actually spins all her wool on her Navajo spindle and then weaves it in the traditional ways.  She demonstrated the spindle, which was of course my favorite part of the workshop.  We played with churro sheep fleece a little and then she showed us the weaving process.

I now want a loom.

I'm giving this picture to my grandfather, who I am hoping will be able to replicate this small loom so that I can experiment with another branch of the fiber arts.  I'm very excited about this possibility.

It seems very simple to build.  The weaving process is not so simple, but it's something I think will be fun to play with if Grandpa is able to build this device.

Knit on...

Sewing

This past week, I decided to do some sewing and make a skirt that had big pockets.  Little did I know, but the new pattern that I picked up already had the seam allowance in it (I would have known this if I had read it, but meh).  So, I cut the fabric and sewed the skirt together only to find it insanely large and poofy.  But, it's comfortable, so I'll give it that.  Here's my little sewing project:

Knit on...

The Garden in Bloom

My window garden is cranking up right now.  Let me illustrate:

Cherry tomato, about to be picked and eaten.

Larger tomatoes ripening and others just starting to come on.

Violet that decided to come out and play.

Pepper plants are a'blooming.

And so is the orchid.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Knit on...

Foot Update

I went back to the doctor this week and the swelling had gone down enough in my foot to take me out of the soft cast.  I am still in the lovely boot, but now I can remove it to drive and can walk around without crutches or a cane, so that makes me very happy.

I am still in the boot for another two weeks though, which is a tad bit annoying given that it is hot and the boot is even hotter.

Note to Puma:  Next time you decide to swipe my feet out from under me, can we please do that in the winter when the boot would be a welcome heat source?

Knit on...

And Now Back to Knitting

I decided that it had been too long since I last knit a sock.  Also, I just have not been motivated to work on the baby blanket now that it's hot enough my air conditioning is on.  So, I grabbed a skein of Malabrigo Sock that I had in my stash and started thinking through what kind of sock to make from it.  I knew I didn't want just another vanilla sock, even though I very much enjoy knitting those.  No, this yarn is special sock yarn, so it needed a special pattern.  After going through my previously knit socks, I decided it was time to make another Nutkin.

My first Nutkin was made out of a cotton blend from Knit Picks, and I adore the snug fit the sock has.  I also really like that hemmed cuff of the sock and have been pleasantly surprised and how well it stays up compared to my usual ribbed cuff.  So, I got to work and I managed to get this much done so far:

Still adore the pattern and I am enjoying the yarn even more.  Can't wait to have these on my feet!  I think I am going to try to get these done for the day I get the boot off as my present for having a healed ankle again.

Knit on...

A Finished Project

So I finished up my needlepoint from last week and I'm very happy with it.  It was fun to do something a little different, and I also appreciated that this was not a super large project to introduce me to needlepoint.  I made this mistake with cross stitch when I first gave that a go for a school project and realized it takes a lot more time to finish than a 16 year old might realize.  I also have a fond memory of me stitching non stop and then when my hands got tired, my mom stitching so that I could get it done in time for the class project deadline.  Thanks, Mom!

This needlepoint took me a few days of working on it and not knitting at the same time.  So, without further babbling, here it is:

Cute little coin purse, and I think my friend will enjoy this.

Knit on...

Books

This week at the college, they have been weeding out some of the older books to make room for new ones that students have requested.  Before they donate the books, they gave the employees of the college a chance to go through them and pick out anything we wanted.  I hobbled over to the book table and found some that I thought needed to come home with me.  Most of them were books like this:

The Shakespeare books are from the 1930s and have notes scribbled in them from past students.  I have enjoyed flipping through them to see what the students were writing about then and what they found interesting about each work I picked up.

I also picked up a Rudyard Kipling collection of short stories and poems from 1926 and a volume of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning from 1884 that is stamped with the old school name of the Kentucky Female Orphan School, which I found very interesting.  Here is my haul:

Knit on...and go read something!

Yarn!

While I am very upset that I can't use my wheel right now (darned double treadle) without my other foot (should also mention I could probably use it, but I like the double treadle action and I'm not very coordinated as evidenced by me being in a cast.  I probably couldn't keep it going very easy with one foot), I did manage to finish a skein of the Bob's Favorite Bird before I fell.  If you didn't see the story of how this colorway got its name, you should read the comments from a couple weeks ago where Yarn Geek explained it.  It's worth a read!  So, without further ado, here is approximately 213 yards of a fingering weight Shetland yarn for your viewing pleasure:

Knit on...

And Now For Something Completely Different

While being laid up with the foot, I decided that I would dig through some of the craft cabinet and see what new thing I wanted to make.  I wanted something other than knitting since I had worked non-stop on the shawl for several days.  So, I found a needlepoint coin purse I had picked up at Hobby Lobby ages ago.  I've never done needlepoint before, so I figured, what the heck?  Might as well try something new and get ahead on a Christmas present for this year.  I'm not very far along on it, but here it is:

I am enjoying it so far.  I've done cross stitch pieces before, so I'm not new to needlework, but this is different.  It's rather fun though and very simple.

Knit on...

The First Fruits

My tomato plants have started producing now and I'm happy to report I have harvested the first few fruits from them.  Here are my little ones:

These are going to go wonderfully with some tuna for my lunch!

Knit on...

When You Have All the Time in the World

What do you do when you can't drive, can't go up and down stairs easily, and there is nothing decent on TV?  Well, you grab some yarn out of your stash and start a new project, of course!  I had a long weekend away from work because of Memorial Day, so I decided I wanted to knit another Citron shawl.  I did complete the shawl over the weekend and now that I am able to block it (the protective boot on my foot has made life much easier even if I am still on crutches), here it is:

The yarn is from my stash and is Patons Lace Sequin.  I actually kind of adore this yarn even if it is mostly acrylic and I usually have a bias against that.  The sequins were just fun and added some entertainment to the very simple knit.  It took 1.5 balls of the yarn and now I have to figure out what to do with the remaining yarn.  I'm leaning towards sparkly coin purse or headband.  If I have enough, maybe both!

Knit on...

A Wee Problem

So, on Thursday last week, I had a bit of a problem.  You see, I have this invisible puma that follows me around according to DF.  It lies in wait, just being patient for that one moment when I am vulnerable.  Thursday was one of those moments.  I was walking into Renee's back yard, when suddenly the puma struck.

I heard a snap, I went down, and I went down hard.  I thought I had broken my ankle for sure.  Renee grabbed some ice and I hobbled over to the chair where we took assessment of the situation.  The puma was long gone at that point, and I was left with a decision: To ER or not to ER.

I chose UTC instead and Renee drove me there.  They were pretty sure I had not broken the ankle, but that I had a high ankle sprain.  They wrapped the foot in an ace bandage and sent me on my way.

Fast forward to Wednesday of the next week when the ankle was doing worse and was even more swollen than it had been before.  I went to a foot and ankle specialist who took x-rays and assessed the foot.  She was horrified that the UTC people had not casted my foot given that it was a high ankle sprain.  So, I left the doctors office in some high fashion footwear:

The doctor was concerned that I couldn't move my toes.  I am happy to report that as of Friday, the piggies are moving again, so hopefully the worst of this is over.  I go back on Wednesday to make sure that is indeed the case and to have them figure out the rest of the treatment for this lovely puma-induced injury.

So that is the fun story of how a puma kept me away from my blog and all the people that I like.  Damn you, puma!

Knit on...

Health Update

For those of you who saw my post about my blood pressure being up, I wanted to give you an update as to how I am doing now, about one month later.  My blood pressure at its last reading was back in the normal range.  I have dropped a few pounds and my clothes are fitting a little looser now.  Overall, I feel better and will continue to add more walking into my daily routine until I am at a weight that will allow me to run without pain to my hamstring.  I've been enjoying my walks around the local parks where I live and am increasing my distance a little each week so that I can be up to walking 5k on a regular basis again.  I'm hoping by the time another month rolls around that I will be up to that and will still be enjoying my now healthier lifestyle.

Knit on...

Spinning

I also have started working on the shetland roving I picked up from Yarn Geek this weekend.  This colorway is called Bob's Favorite Bird.  When I bought the roving, I wanted to make a laceweight yarn, but the fiber seems to have other ideas.  It will probably turn into a heavy fingering weight yarn by the time it's all spun and plied.  I'm still thinking it will be a shawl, but a heavier one than I had intended.  Here's the spinning process:

I really love the feel of this wool and the colors it has in it.  It's delightful to spin and I would totally recommend Yarn Geek to anyone.  Plus, the pair of them were fun to talk to and I always enjoy buying lovely fiber from lovely people.  They have an Etsy store, so go check them out!

Knit on...

Blanket Progress

I worked a little bit on the blanket this week and it's now grown decently.  I can definitely notice that one black square, so I'm glad some more of the black is about to get added after this last pink section:

And sorry for the very wonky photo.  This is what happens when you try to take progress pictures after having a glass of wine with your dinner (I rarely drink, so a glass will have this effect).  I'm still trying to decide who to give this blanket to since now it has come to my attention that several friends are about to have little girl grandchildren in the near future.  I'm leaning heavily towards one right now, so we'll see if that's who this eventually goes to.

Knit on...

The Goodies

So, I couldn't leave a fiber show of any kind without purchasing something.  I decided that this year I was only going to purchase fiber while at the show this year since I purchased mostly yarn at Stitches.  I perused the tents first, then went around and second, third, and fourth time before finally narrowing down exactly what I wanted.  The first purchase of the day was 4 ounces of Frabjous Fibers sparkle merino:

I then wandered around and decided on a challenge fiber that I had never spun before.  This is 4 ounces of nylon roving from LunaBudKnits:

Lastly, I picked up 8 ounces of shetland roving from Yarn Geek Fibers:

If you haven't noticed, there seems to be a trend in my color choices.  I hadn't even really noticed until I showed a friend the yarn on Saturday afternoon and she made the comment that those must really be my colors.  Yep, guess you could say that now since I also picked up nearly the same colorways from Dragonfly while at Stitches.  Go figure.  Guess you can call me an earthy blues person!

Knit on...

The Farm and a Fiber Fest

Hello, everyone.  No, I didn't drop completely off the face of the earth last week.  Rather, I left the city and went to the farm to house sit for some friends of mine.  While on the farm, I learned several valuable lessons.  The first is that if a horse wants to smell your hair bad enough, it is possible for him to inhale so hard that your head may get stuck in his nostril.  Or at least enough hair to feel like your head.  Also, when removing your hair from the horse's nose, remember to not scream out obscenities at it as this upsets said horse.  Thirdly, a shower is necessary after a horse inhales your hair.  Fourth, horses, or at least these horses, do not like the dinging noise a car will make when the door is open and the car is running.  Lastly, do not attempt to pet the pony after previous mentioned dinging noise has upset them as this will cause the pony to shoot you such a death stare that for a moment, you wonder if you might be having an out of body experience.

I ran away from the horses and back into the city to once again get around animals that have the ability to sniff my hair into oblivion.  Saturday was the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival and I went to that.  There was a wall of bamboo:

There were lots of vendors, including the lovely ladies of ReBelle:

There were sheep of all kinds:

There were alpacas, llamas, and cashmere goats:

And there were fleeces:

Oh my, were there fleeces:

And yes, I did manage to keep my promise to myself that I would not buy and process a raw fleece again after my last attempt with Charlie's fleece.  What did I buy, you might ask?  Well, that is for the next blog post!

Knit on...