I've been overweight far too long. If there are any excuses it's that I've had a thyroid problem. I know, that's what everyone says...But almost 5 years ago I had to have half my thyroid removed. Since then I've been on medication to regulate it. The dosage has changed several times since then. I had such hope of weight loss and more energy once I did get it worked out. However, that hasn't been the case. But the other reason is that I just plain like food!! This is not a weight loss blog, but it is about my life and my knitting so I will be talking some about my weight loss for the next several months. This time the talk of weight loss and knitting go together. Since I started knitting almost 7 years ago, I've wanted to knit certain things for myself like cardigans and pullovers but I didn't want to waste the yarn on knitting for a fat body!! However, I've knit a cardigan for my Mom and a pullover for my niece and I'm about to start two Humpty Dumpty intarsia sweaters for my nephews. But now that I've started this weight loss I'm having thoughts of sweaters and other fitted items for myself!!! One of my favorites is http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/PATTviveka.html .
Another of my favorites is Provence Women's Floral Cardigan by Celeste Pinheiro from the Classic Elite #9071 book. It's got huge floral designs on it, but it's not overpowering or bulky. And my new favorite is the Classic Coat by Deborah Newton in IK Fall 2009. I don't usually go in for hand knit coats or bulky yarn but there's something about this coat that just grabs me! Now, I'd probably do a completely different colorway for all of these, but the patterns are lovely!! I'll let y'all know how the weight loss is going and also the knitting!!!! I'm very excited about this!!Now on to things I've knitted but haven't blogged about. In the last post I mention two UFO's that are waiting for me to finish this baby blanket. One of the UFO's is a pair of socks from Opal Harry Potter yarn that my parents gave me for Christmas. I mentioned that back in my January 1st post. I also mentioned the pattern - the Horcrux sock pattern. I completely finished the first sock and am down to the heel on the second. It won't take me very long to finish it. But here's a picture of the completed one:
This sock and it's mate will look much better on me when my leggs are thinner!!
I named him Winston. He's a precious little duck that my friend Alice sent to LSSK. He was fast fun and easy.Well, I guess that's about all I have to say this time!Knit On and more later,Shama D
I touched on this last time but I thought I'd talk a little more about it now.
Every once in a while I feel a little out of sorts with my knitting. I will finish a project and if I can't seem to get the next one going in a timely manner or feel frustrated with what I'm working on, I get blah about knitting. It never lasts for very long but I hate that feeling.
Another thing that sucks the life out of my knitting is having too many projects going at once. For example, I am working a baby blanket right now, but I also have about 2/3's of a sock and an unfinished market bag still hanging over my head!! It's dragging me down!! As soon as I finish this blanket I must finish those other two projects so I can start my Christmas knitting with a clear head!! I know most knitters have multiple UFO's, some even have many UFO's, but it just doesn't work for me.
But something has now happened to my knitting life that I think will keep me inspired for the rest of my life!! It's called Ravelry!! In October I will have been on Ravelry for two years. Everyone goes on and on about how much they love it. To be honest, I've enjoyed it and played around on it a little but I haven't understood all the obsession. Howeverrrrrr, I've suddenly jumped on the Ravelry bandwagon!! I have a feeling I've just touched the tip of the iceberg, but I'm having fun!! I'm looking at patterns- either specific ones or searching for a type of pattern (i.e. shawls) I've joined several new groups and dropped a few I was in. I've never really participated in any of these groups, but I think I will now!!
Anything knitty makes me tingly!! I love knitting patterns (like Dumbledore), yarn, and knitting magazines, not to mention all the gadgets that go along with it... Along with Ravelry, these things keep me endlessly inspired.
Another thing that not only inspires me, but teaches, me is blogs. I don't read a ton of them but I have a few I love. The first one I started reading was Wendy Knits!! I've learned so much from her. She's amazing!! Right now I'm trying to catch up with Faith of Flash Bang Fibers/The Needle and the Damage Done and Jasmin of Better that Yarn blog and the Knitmore Girls podcast! When I read a blog I must start from the beginning. It took me more than a year or two to get completely caught up to Wendy. That's probably why I don't read more blogs...Yet...
What inspires you/brings you down?
Now, a project I knit earlier this summer. My husband's boss and his wife had their first baby back in April. Chuck had asked me to knit something for them. At the time I was working on the Harry Potter blanket and I couldn't take on anything else. But I finally got around to knitting her a little dress. The pattern is... http://fortheloveofyarn.com/Issues/07Summer/patterns/jumper.shtml
I knit it out of I Love This Cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby. I can't remember the colorway. You know how you knit a gift for someone and the response makes it all worthwhile? This was one of those!! They told Chuck how much they loved it!! How it was something they'd keep forever!! Then I got the sweetest Thank You note!! WOW!! It makes me want to knit for them again!!
Here's the dress:
Last fall I got an equally satisfactory response from two little jumpers I knit for my friend Kim's little girls. Here's a picture of them wearing their jumpers...
More later and Knit On,
Shama D
I haven't blogged in a few weeks!! I didn't realize how long it had been!! It's been kinda crazy around here.
At the end of July we had a weekend at my parents where we got together with my Sister-in-law's family!! We have a great relationship with them and we get together a couple of times a year!!
Last week Logan got his first car!! My parents got it for him for his graduation present! He's such a good boy and he really deserves it!!
So that took up a couple of days last week.
But more than that I've kinda been in a funk. Kelby wanted me to knit him Poppy Pig from Knitted and Felted Toys. I hate this more than anything I've EVER knit!! I can't even bring myself to take a picture of it!! Did I mention that I hate it?? But I did knit something that I LOVED!!! A friend of mine (Hi, Alice!!) sent me a really cute pattern from Ravelry called Hamsterbeans. I kinda went nuts with them! I made 13 of them in just a few days!! The first two I made were for my nephews. We were trying to get my older nephew (who's 2 1/2) to say hamster. He got it right the first time. After that he called them "spinsters" and "banksters". We decided that banksters were bank robber mobsters!!
Anyway, here are a couple of pics of the Hamsterbeans:
They were so much fun to knit!! And so fast!! I'm sure there will be more in my future!
The last thing I started and finished was my own design. I actually designed this dishcloth 2 years ago. I didn't take a picture of the FO because it was a surprise. Since I knit the original one I gave it away to my aunt (along with some other dishcloths both knit and store bought and a prayer shawl) after the death of my cousin! I had planned to enter it into the design contest that LSSK has every summer! But a dear friend of mine designed on just after I designed mine. She had no idea about mine due to the secret nature of the project!
One of the things I love is flamingoes. I don't care for the color pink unless it is on a flamingo!! But they are my favorite bird, so without further ado:
Felicity, the Flamingo dishcloth:
Sugar and Cream in a carnation pink color
Size 7 needles
*Mistakes on rows 20, 26, 27, 28 - now corrected! Sorry for the errors...
Cast on 40 stitches
Note: At the beginning and end of each row are 4 seed stich border stitches - 4B - you should used any border you prefer.
Rows 1 - 4 - Seed stitch*
Row 5 - 4B, K32, 4B
Row 6 - 4B, P32, 4B
Row 7 - 4B, K32, 4B
Row 8 - 4B, P17, K3, P12, 4B
Row 9 - 4B, K14, P1, K17, 4B
Row 10 - 4B, P17, K1, P14, 4B
Row 11 - 4B, K14, P1, K17, 4B
Row 12 - 4B, P17, K1, P14, 4B
Row 13 - 4B, K14, P1, K17, 4B
Row 14 - 4B, P17, K1, P14, 4B
Row 15 - 4B, K14, P1, K17, 4B
Row 16 - 4B, P17, K1, P14, 4B
Row 17 - 4B, K13, P2, K17, 4B
Row 18 - 4B, P16, K2, P14, 4B
Row 19 - 4B, K13, P1, K1, P1, K16, 4B
Row 20 - 4B, P16, K2, P14, 4B
Row 21 - 4B, K14, P1, K17, 4B
Row 22 - 4B, P17, K1, P14, 4B
Row 23 - 4B, K14, P1, K17, 4B
Row 24 - 4B, P17, K1, P14, 4B
Row 25 - 4B, K14, P1, K17, 4B
Row 26 - 4B, P17, K2, P13, 4B
Row 27 - 4B, K13, P2, K17, 4B
Row 28 - 4B, P16, K4, P12, 4B
Row 29 - 4B, K11, P6, K15 4B
Row 30 - 4B, P12, K10, P10, 4B
Row 31 - 4B, K9, P16, K7, 4B
Row 32 - 4B, P4, K19, P9 4B
Row 33 - 4B, K8, P19, K5, 4B
Row 34 - 4B, P6, K19, P7, 4B
Row 35 - 4B, K6,P18, K8, 4B
Row 36 - 4B, P9, K17, P6, 4B
Row 37 - 4B, K6,P3, K1, P12, K10, 4B
Row 38 - 4B, P12, K10, P2, K2, P6, 4B
Row 39 - 4B, K6, P2, K3, P8, K13, 4B
Row 40 - 4B, P17, K2, P4, K2, P7, 4B
Row 41 - 4B, K7, P3, K22, 4B
Row 42 - 4B, P21, K3, P8, 4B
Row 43 - 4B, K9, P3, K20, 4B
Row 44 - 4B, P19, K3, P10, 4B
Row 45 - 4B, K8, P1, K1, P3, K19, 4B
Row 46 - 4B, P19, K2, P2, K1, P8, 4B
Row 47 - 4B, K7, P2, K3, P2, K18, 4B
Row 48 - 4B, P17, K2, P4, K2, P7, 4B
Row 49 - 4B, K8, P2, K3, P2, K17, 4B
Row 50 - 4B, P17, K2, P2, K4, P7, 4B
Row 51 - 4B, K9, P6, K17, 4B
Row 52 - 4B, P17, K6, P9, 4B
Row 53 - 4B, K9, P5, K18, 4B
Row 54 - 4B, P19, K3, P10, 4B
Row 55 - 4B, K across, 4B
Row 56 - 4B, P across, 4B
Row 57 - 4B, K across, 4B
Row 58 - 61 - Seed Stitch
BO in pattern
*Seed Stitch - (K1, P1) across the row. Turn work. On the way back you need to knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches. This is a very good way to learn to read your knitting!! (If you don't know how already)
I've knit this twice so I think I've got the kinks worked out. However, if you find a problem please let me know. I'm also thinking seriously about trying this in intarsia in the next few weeks.
OK...About the diet. I won't drone on and on about it. I'm on the HCG diet. It's only 40 days at a time, then 6 weeks off, 40 days on, 8 weeks off, etc. I'm only on day 9. I'll get pictures of my progress probably more for my encouragement, but in case anyone is interested you can track my progress!!
More later and knit on,
Shama D
