Beck Take Two

With the "Fit" part of the blog being next to non-existant, I think it will really help me by remembering to mention it from time time.

Grr- I'm disgusted with myself currently. After saying for a year that I needed to get back on track, here I am, near the end of 2009 and 25 lbs heaver than I was when we started this year.

And I feel it this time. I am huffing and puffing as I climb stairs, and I'm too young to be feeling this cruddy.

So I decided to go ahead and buy the Beck Diet Solution workbook (I had checked out the book from the library last year and liked it, but didn't implicate all the changes last year)

I think this, with Turbo Jam for cardio, ChaLean for strength training, and Weight Watchers for eating guidelines will help me.

Just a quick update

I don't seem to remember the blog exists half the time, and when I do remember, I don't ever have much to say.

My camera is dead, so no photos for a while, unless I want to do camera phone pics or I can convince Steve to let me use his.

Its August, and the time of the year where I start planning what I am going to knit for Corwin for his upcomming birthday. Every year, since he turned one, I have knit him a sweater for his birthday present. There was Trellis, Scoop (minus the intarsia), Childhood in a solid bright red, and last year the green hoodie with cables (that I never put the zipper in Oops). I've been scouring Ravelry for sweaters for him, had a few to show him, and he didn't want any of them.

What does he want?

Spiderman!. He is obsessed with spiderman. I think we have settled on a hat and mittens for this year, and I'm going to have my mom put a zipper in last year's hoodie. I think I might re-size the mittens for fingerling, or try my hand at designing something, so I can do everything with the same yarn, and only have to buy a a few balls from Knit Picks. I can pick up the yarn to make this for $10 from Knit Picks, which I will be doing soon.

Until then, I'm trudging along on the Smock Coat for Kaylee. This coat is nothing but Seed stitch, with a little bit of garter stitch thrown in on the hem and collar. Its good mindless knitting that takes forever. I'm having to force myself to work on it some days, but others I can't put it down. I 'm making the 2-3 year old size to fit my big girl (18 months tomorrow and has been in 24 month clothing for months), but I think I miss judged, and made it one inch too short. Trying to decided if I'm going to stress and fix it, or just deal. I have the back, one sleeve, and half of the left front done, and just have the rest of the left front, the right front, other sleeve, and collars to go. I'm only on ball 5, and if I have enough left over, I think I'm going to knit a matching tam for her to wear with it.

My February Lady Sweater has been neglected these last few months. Since I took up spinning so hard core, and have been working on gift knitting, I just don't have time for it that often. I have it next to the bed for that "I'm up, showered, dressed, and have 30 minutes before I have to get the kids ready" time, but since Steve started classes in Dallas, I've been sleeping in longer, and not having that 30 mintues of veg time to start the day with. I'm still only on the second skein of yarn, and think it will only take 4 of the 5 that I dyed for it, maybe leaving me with a skein for a hat.

I've been obsessed with looking at hats on Ravelry lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe it has to do with spinning, and hats being a good option to do for small amounts of yarn. Who knows, but I see some hat knitting in the near future. Which is odd, since in all my years knitting, I have made a grand total of one, yes one hat. Cowls would also be a good thing to knit with hand spun, and I could give those as gifts. Hm, to ponder.

On the lace frount, I have stalled out on the GoddesKnits again. I' m just not feeling the love for this shawl, and have been thinking about frogging it and using the yarn for something else. This could be due to the fact that I just knit Aeolin out of the exact same yarn, color and all, and I'm tired of this color for now. Who knows.

I've taken a break from wheel spinning for now, and have been working on finishing up my two big SIP's on spindles. I also really need to stain the wheel, and hope to do that this weekend, now that Steve has a break from class and can wrangle the kids for me a bit. But I know my dad wants to see me spin on it, and I don't really want to break it down until after I can show it off.

Rambelings on Knitting

I can't believe its been over a month since I last posted anything, again. I am turning int a bad knitblogger. I blame Ravelry. It makes things so easy, and makes it seem silly to write about the same projects on multiple places, but I miss being able to ramble on about knitting in an environment where my friends don't think I'm crazy.

Ravelympics- I finished not one, but two objects! Laminaria, which was my main project. The shawl turned out so lovely, and will more than likely wind up being my MIL's Christmas present this year.

Pattern: Laminaria by Elizabeth Freeman

Pattern source: Knitty.com Spring 2008

Yarn: Lone Star Arts Catalyst

1 Skein, about 800 yards

Purchased at DFW Fiber Fest, April 2008

I finished early, and wound up finishing Helena for the WIP wrestleling. We have had a few cool enough mornings this week for Kaylee to wear it to daycare, where it had much oohing and awwing. I just hope they don't decided to wash it for me. I do need to get some photos of her wearing it, but for now, Corwin's spider man sheets do a good job.

Pattern: Helena by Alison Green Will

Pattern source: Knitty.com Summer 2008

Yarn Knit Picks merino Style, 4 skeins,

over dyed with Koolaid in a gradaded pattern

I'm almost done with Lisel. I have just one sleeve left to knit. This is the first time I've knit with MMMMMMmmmmalabrigo yarn, and I'm in yarn lust! I want to move to a colder part of the country so I could wear it in more than an airy cardi. The pattern has been easy to follow, but has been taking a long time due to getting other things done.

I wasn't too sure about this colorway to begin with, and part of me still wishes I had gone for the blue-green one. But I have told the husband that more MMMmmmalabrigo would make a nice birthday or Christmas present for me this year.

Corwin's yearly birthday sweater is coming across fast. His only requirements were that it be a green hoodie. I searched and searched Ravelry for a free child size hoodie pattern that wasn't girly, but no luck. I broke down and ordered the Little Cabled Hoodie pattern from Gardiner Yarn Works, and I am enjoying this pattern. Its well written, and easy to follow, and I have my eyes on other patterns from them that I want to knit. I think I will have the hoodie finished this weekend, and then I will need to find a zipper and sew it in.


I think I should be finishing up the green hoodie and Lisel this weekend. Which means I can get back to working on the Mystery Shall 4. I'm using the Alpaca Cloud in Iris Heather and bead from the forgotten Moroccan Days shawl for it, but I'm not loving it 100% . I need to start a new sweater, and I have had everything for the Apris Surf Hoodie for months, but found the pattern for A Cardigan for Merry which would only fit Kaylee this year. But the Apris surf hoodie yarn has been in stash, and it is perfect weather to knit and wear it. I'd cast on for both, but they both call for the same sized needle. Decisions decisions.

And I'm happy in a geeky way that I finally figured how to link photos from Flickr so I can put them in where I need them, and not have to load them all up at the start, and hope they come are in the same order that my train of thought is.

Some Blog Cleanup

I've cleared out some abandoned/frogged items from the WIP bar. The Mommy Snug, while it looks like a good idea, isn't working out in the yarn I had for it, and the more I thought about it, the worse the idea of a knit sweater in Texas while pregnant sounded. That's 4 or 5 abandoned projects that the box of Cotton Ease has been through, and probably not the last.
The Mystery shawl was going well, but I wasn't loving it. I think working on that was part of where my non-knitting has come from. I had to force myself to work on it, and when I saw the direction that clues 5-7 were taking, I was less than motivated. To make matters worse, I lost track of where I was in the pattern, and repeated a 10 row section 30 rows back from where I was. I tried tinking/frogging to that point, but wound up frogging the whole stole in a spray of black beads of doom.
Instead, I have been working on Venezia, thinking maybe I can get the sleeves done to get a FO picture done soon before my belly gets too huge. I kicked out the rest of the first sleeve in a weekend, and know started on the cuff of the second sleeve this weekend. I couldn't remember the mistakes that I made in the first cuff, so they won't match 100%, but I think with careful blocking, it shouldn't be too bad. I don't think I'm going to worry too much about getting the stripes on the sleeves to match up, I'm just going to go with what ever surprise the ball of yarn I pick gives me.
The second PFS does get some work, here and there, but not as much. Maybe its because I have already knit the shawl once that the mojo isn't really there, but I want to get this done so I can use the salvaged black yarn from the MSA to knit something for my twin for Christmas/birthday time.
I haven't had DH take any recent belly shots, but its there, somewhere under all the flab that is getting pushed up and out. Ugg. I told myself that I was going to be in better shape and thinner when I got pregnant again, but oh well. We had a good midwife appt last week. Finally got to hear the little stinker's heart beat. S/he was hiding under the pubic bone, and didn't want to be found.
The Fall semester is getting ready to start on Monday, so this is crunch time (and overtime season) at work, so there won't be much knitting going on.
My parents sold their house, and are signing the paper work today. And I am in a bit of a funk about that, but since they are both retired, there is no way they can afford the old house, and now they can move to the beach and be bums for the next few years.

The Pregnancy Blogging Blues.

I'm still around.

I just haven't been knitting that much over the last few weeks.

DH and I have has some issues come up that are taking up all my brain function, and I have been spending hours in deep thoughts instead of with yarn and needles in my hand.

I am falling behind on my MS3 clues. The first 3 clues I had done before Sunday night. I was almost done with Clue 4 when C hit the needles out of my hand, while I was on a border section, and the lace laddered all the way down to the life line 50 rows back. I have done some work on it, but I'm only 1/2 done with clue 5, and clue 6 came out this morning.

The second PFS shawl gets maybe 4 or 5 rows worked on a week. That's it. I was hoping to have it finished this summer, but I don't' see that happening.

I have been working on a pair of socks. Monkey's in one of the yarns I picked up last month. I got the first sock done in 10 days, and have been working on the cuff of the second sock for just as long.

Venezia is still in hibernation. With us hitting the 100's here in Texas for the foreseeable future, it is going to be another few months before she will be picked up again, and knowing that I won't be able to wear her, or even try her on when she is done is a real downer.

In some ways this pregnancy is harder on me than when I was pregnant with C. Maybe its because I'm in my 30's now. Maybe its because it is a second pregnancy, but I was nauseous for most of the first trimester(even if I haven't thrown up), and have been so exhausted every day, that I come home from work and take a 20 minute nap while C is watching a cartoon off of the DVR.

I'll try to be a better blogger, Heck, I'll even try to remember to take photo's every once in a while.

Is it nap time yet?

The Knitting Blues...

For the last three weeks, ever since I found out #2 was on its way, I have had the knitting blues. I'd knit some, but quickly lose interest in what was on the needles. I'd have to force myself to get to the end of the row. Sure, I finished Rusted Root, but really, it is too short, and I really don't care right now. I have had some progress on the first sleeve for Venezia, but more often than not, it has sat there, on the arm of my couch, the next balls of yarn rolled and sitting all alone on the coffee table.
So Friday, came the first clue for the Mystery Stole 3, and I printed it off at work, and spent the next 9 hours looking at the charts (because I left my knitting stuff at home, silly me) and trying to guess what it would look like knitted up.
I cast on as soon as I got home from work, between snuggles from DS and all, and managed to get most of chart A done before bed time. I had a few struggles with putting the beads on, wondering what the heck I was thinking, getting beads that were smaller than the ones called for in the pattern, but they were the only ones the craft store had that were the right color that I wanted. Saturday I finished chart A, and started on chart B, when the perfect way to handle the beads, and not break my tiny hook, came to me. I started licking the yarn before I put the bead on. Not only did it make the beads slide on easier, but the yarn was less likely to split in the process. It went from taking me 5 minutes to put each bead on, with much yelling and screaming, to less than 1. I finished chart B last night, and with it, clue 1, and I realised that I missed knitting lace.
I haven't had a finished lace project since March, just two attempts at the Alpine Knit Scarf, that both wound up in the frog pond. I decided to break my one lace project at a time rule, and ran to the stash for a skein of the Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Tide Pool Heather that was waiting to be cast on for a second Peacock Feathers Shawl. The only problem was my favorite lace knitting needles were in use with the Mystery Stole 3, and my size 4 options were in use with Mommy Snug. But, I remembered something about the options, I could just put the Mommy Snug on hold, and "borrowed" the size 4 tips for the PFS2. So I did, and I cast on last night, and I feel the lace knitting groove starting back up.
Will I return to Mommy Snug before the bump is born next year? Will I finish the sleeves for Venezia? Who knows. But I will say, most likely not while it is Summer in Texas and way to hot to knit sweaters.

Black Lace and a Dark Movie Theatre Don't Mix.

DH and I took off early yesterday to go see Pirates 3 while C was still at daycare. Thinking we were going to stop off at home before heading up, I didn't bring one of my main knitting projects with me to work on before the show.
DH had other plans, and we went from work to Wendy's and straight to the Cinamark.
He had the Harry Potter books with him on his PDA to read, and he told me to go ahead and knit something.
The only thing I had with me was the Alpine Knit Scarf, which is on size 2 needles, in black lace weight. While we were standing outside the theater in the light, it was fine to knit, and I got a good 3 rows done. After we were seated, it was a different matter. They had the lights turned to the almost off, and hadn't started playing the onscreen pre-movie adds that theatres play now.
I managed to wedge myself in the seat so I at least had the white screen as in front of me without holding my knitting up to my eye level at all times, and got another two rows knit.

The movie ROCKED! Both DH and I left the theatre saying we HAD to go back and see it again after we got paid, (Or Monday and put it on the CC, and its been a long time since we felt that way after seeing a movie.

I'm still podding away on all three knits, and looking ahead to what is next.

Next lace will be the Peacock Feathers Shawl, again, but this time for me, in KP's Alpaca Cloud Tide pool, but I need to finish both The Alpine Knit Scarf and Venezia, since I currently have my size 3 cir busy with that.

Next Fair Isle will be the Bauhaus Fair Isle from the Spring 2007 IWK (Unless Eunny publishes another amazing pattern before then). I've been looking at Subs, and I think Knit Picks Telemark will work best, but it leaves me pondering. If KP Telemark is a sport weight yarn at 103 Yards per 50 grams, why does KP WOTA, a worsted weight have 110 yards? But it looks like the Telemark knits up to the same gauge as the called for Heilo, at $3 less per skein.

Next "Anytime" sweater will either be Wicked or maybe Saharah or the Simple Knitted Bodice, or any of a thousand projects that will come across my eyes between now and then.

*ETA*- Black Lace, Work, surfing Bloglines while knitting the row where the pattern changes don't mix either. I lost count completely after I read about Glampyre's good news. Since I don't have a Word Press Account, and can't commit on her blog, I wanted to say CONGRATS! here.

I've Been a Bad Blogger Lately.

Not only am I not updating the blog as often as I would like to, when I do its at work and without any photos.
Since I broke the screen on my laptop, and have to use a monitor screen, its just not as easy to get on the computer at home, and now I find that C has taken the cable that allows me to download photos and hid it somewhere.

Saturday I did a lot of knitting on Venezia. I started the arm steeks, and am almost done doing the decrees rows there, then I have 48 rows without any increases or decreases before I start the neck. I think I might be able to have the body done in a few weeks.

Sunday I finished Leaf while watching the Ninja Warrior marathon on G4. I do have some cruddy bathroom photos to post as soon as I can. I sucked it up and did the i-cord edging around the body, and except for a few spots where I missed a pick up stitch, it looks pretty decent.

I then cast on for Rusted Root in some old Cotton Ease that has been in the stash for 2 years. While I love how the knitted fabric feels, I forgot what a number the cotton ease can do on your hands. I think this is going to be a slow knit for the most part, but that's ok with me.

C has been sick all weekend, I stayed home with him yesterday, and DH is home with him today. Since C has gotten worse last night/this morning, DH is taking him in to the Doc's in about an hour.

I finally got a chance to look through the Summer Interweave Knits, and it just reaffirmed that this is one issue I won't be buying. The few things that looked like I might knit didn't look as good to me in print.

Sleepy Thursday

*Yawn*
The PBSJ is officially finished, but the FO shot needs to wait until I have the time/energy to steam block the seams and can get DH help me get some decent photo's of it. Seaming it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be, and by far, I think it is my best seam job yet. But I will wait and talk about that later.

I have picked up steam on the Alpine Lace Scarf. As predicted, once I got past the border, this is going a lot faster, and I have been trying to get one repeat of the rose leaf pattern done each day, and sometimes two done. Even the P2tog's aren't as annoying as I first thought they were. I pretty much have the entire pattern memorised, and only have to look at the chart every once in a while.

The Deep V Argyle Vest keeps growing. If I stretch it out, it comes to the right measurements, but is a tad long...But I knew that was going to be a problem going into it. I'm approaching this project as a big learning experience, and since the yarn is all leftovers from other projects (a lot of leftovers) I don't feel quite as guilty for it not being at gage. I'm on the increases at the waist, and should start the neck steak tonight or tomorrow morning.

I have been thinking about what my next big project will be. I am thinking that I will either give Lucie another shot. I have the yarn for it in stash, and its a lot of straight knitting. It might be boring, but I have started finding joy in the 'boring' knits. My other "maybe" project is the Equestrian Blazer from the winter 06 Interweave knits. I have been thinking of frogging the unfinished and way-to-big Mariah (my first sweater, no swatching done) and using the Plymouth encore from that for it, but I'm not sure. That would be a lot of ball winding, and unsttiching and unweaving of seams. If I can hold off until July, I can buy Cascade 220 at the Simpatico Fire Cracker sale for about $35 ish. Decisions decisions. Lucie and lace can keep me busy until then....
Also on my "to knit" list is Eunny's Venezia, also from the Winter IWK. I saw a two color version on Craftster and have been thinking of doing that as well, in either a chocolate brown with pink/purple or teal or a Blue and cream version, or a tan and brown. I will use KP Pallett to save on money.
But I am really thinking that I will make myself finish the Alpine scarf before I start anything else. Its been three weeks and I have hardly made any progress on her.

Rosebud....

I've had that going through my head ever since I started the Rose Leaf pattern on the Alpine Knit Scarf last night. I think I'm finally getting on a roll with this baby. Of course every time I try to work on it, C wants my attention, but that is life.

Progress on the Deep V has slowed down some. I am mostly working on that in the car (when DH drives) and at lunch right now, so I am only getting a few rows done a day. But since I started the color work last Thursday, and I'm on row 31 today... um, about 6 rows a day?

I'm still working on seaming the PBSJ. I have the back, yoke, and fronts joined, so all I have to do is the arms and side seams, pick up and knit the neck band, and steam block. If I put my mind to it, it won't take that long. I will try to finish that before spring break, and I will try to finish the Deep V during Spring break (yeah right).

Speaking of Spring break, DH and I are also going to try to get a lot of home improvement stuff done. We are going to tear out the old shrubbery, plant new Rosemary shrubs, paint C's room and the hall bath, and take C to the zoo one day. We decided to keep him in daycare for most of the week :( but that's the only way we can get a lot of this stuff done.

Thursday Morning Ramblings

C has an ear infection, and was up half of the night screaming. I am trying to wean him (finally), and he wanted his Boo. DH would take him in the other room and cuddle on the recliner, and C would calm down afterwards, but when they came back to bed C would smell be and start crying for his Boo again. I tried getting up, leaving the room and sleeping in the guest room (which surprised Ying) but C wouldn't stop screaming. I finally caved at 2:30 and gave him Boo, but and he slept latched on for the rest of the night, which meant that I didn't get any sleep at all. *Sigh*
This isn't working anymore. I told DH that co-sleeping needs to stop if C thinks that I will be his all night pacifier. When we get the tax refund I want to get him a twin sized bed to go in his own room, so we can lay down with him at night. DH thinks that we can move the toddler bed in his room, but he hasn't yet in the 7 months I have been asking for him to do it.
Weaning C has been an ongoing struggle since Thanksgiving. I know I made the promise to myself to nurse him until he was two, and after that to play it by ear, but now I am regretting nursing him so long. He will be 2 1/2 next month, and is more attached to the boos than I though he would be, but I am so resenting all the nursing we do at night. At least he hasn't attacked me after work the last two nights, and has waited until we were doing the bedtime routine to ask.

On the knitting front, I have 17 edging repeats left on the POTW stole, and should finish it on Saturday. The PBSJ has not seen much action this week, and the arm is taking much longer than I anticipated to knit. I am on row 47, and not even halfway done with the first arm.