faeriedreamz

Weighed in at 255.6 this morning. Did 30 minutes of cardio last night. I probably will need to do yoga for a few weeks before starting cardio again. I hurt a bit today. But it's a good start :)

Yesterday I weighed in at 257 pounds.  Before I start explaining, let me note that in 2018, I was 299. I've lost over 35 pounds and kept it off for over 2 years. I'm super proud of that, but the journey continues. During the stay-at-home mandate, I lost about 15 pounds. Healthy eating, cutting carbs, lots of veggies, protein and healthy oils. But then I gained all 15 pounds back after started eating more "normally". It's a combination of introducing foods higher in carbs and craving sweets so much. (I really think it's the sweets. I wasn't eating a ton of sugar, but i was constantly craving sweet things.) Now, since the 4th is over,  I'm thinking about how to get back to my healthier life style choices.  How do i keep my Calorie intake under 1500 cal/day? How do I implement the healthier lifestyle choices I want, but still sometimes have bread? Can I enjoy breakfast at my favorite joint on Saturdays and still eat "healthy"? If I implement...

Bead crochet is all the rage in my head. It's been a couple of months, actually. During the Christmas break from work, I had a dear friend over to play with beads - she has a small stash, and felt like she wasn't getting enough out of them.  I was thrilled to have a reason to pull mine out.  She wanted to learn bead crochet, but i started her on the peyote stitch, because my bead collection had been spread out, and it took me a bit of time to find all the bead crochet stuff. We never got that far, she fell in love with peyote; but I remembered how i like to bead crochet, and off i went. I'll share pictures of those bracelets, and my process and materials as I have time. In the mean time, I want to share something else... beading of course. Over the course of years beading, I have come to rely on the bead mats that are commercially available. The first time I found them, I was at my local bead shop - I have several available, but one favorite stands head and shoulders...

This year for Mother's Day, I found the perfect pattern about 6 weeks ago.  Now, understand that my mom has lost an incredible amount of weight! This makes sweater building in short time much more doable. This is Nicole.  Her chest is clearly larger than the intended size, but she was checking fit for me while we were out to lunch one day! This sweater is Tappan Zee from knitty.com. I modified it just a hair, and used commerical yarn I picked up at Webs several years ago. (I bought it site unseen, and the color was "scarlet". It's not any scarlet I've ever seen before!) My mods are slightly longer sleeves, so mom can lift her arms without exposing her arm pits - just a comfort thing, and extending the buttons down the front. Mom would have very little use for a cardigan that didn't have buttons all the way down.  She seems pretty happy with it - if the pictures can be trusted :) I have a limited amount of time, and unless I plan something super far in ...

I haven't started blocking that shawl yet. We got a rug last week, and installed it over the week, but I haven't gotten the shawl blocked yet. :( I have, however, been studying and reading Cat Bordhi's new book, Personal Footprints: for Insouciant* Sock Knitters .  It's really fascinating.  If you are a sock knitter, or interested in a different construction style for socks, you should check out her page about the book, and the successive videos. It's incredibly simple and soooo smart. i will say this, however, if you choose to deviate from Cat's instructions (such as figuring you will mark the lifelines later... ) well, you might regret it. I did! Pictures when i get the sock done... but i think my love affair with sock knitting will continue!

The largest project I worked on this summer was the Shipwreck Shawl from knitty.com. My dear friend at work, Nicole, saw the shawl in the Summer issue.  I hestitated because shawls are really big undertakings - especially "Pi" shawls. I haven't yet finished my first "Pi" shawl! I didn't know if I could do it. However, I am not above bribery - and Nicole can be very persuasive and also, insistent when she needs to be, and I desperately needed a software license for a problem at work. I wasn't getting one from the contacts I had, so i figured I'd ask Nicole. I offered the shawl as a bribe, and she accepted. (You also need to know that this is the woman who rushed me to the hospital when my husband was in a car accident - our only car -  and stayed in the ER till 3/4 in the morning to drive us home. Nicole gets bribed with shawls for a reason ;) ) She took care of my issue, and I started working on the problem. I also started trying to find yarn ...

It's been a busy year. So busy, that I just didn't update my blog since January 1. That is either a) a very busy year or b) a very lazy blogger. We'll just chalk it up to very busy, right? ;) (wow, i just checked, and I had 3 posts I never actually posted...) My job is going strong, and I am very grateful to be working; especially as people around me are worried about dropping like flies. My husband is doing well, and his shoulder injury has been completely healed. (His depression too!) We have moved to a wonderful 3.5 bedroom apartment with two full bathrooms and a full sized kitchen! I love it. Our kitties are doing well, and the knitting is going well too. A few weeks ago, I decided to dye my own yarn for my very own Shawl That Jazz . Now, before I tell you the about the dying process, let me tell you about the yarn. After buying the much lusted over pattern, I pondered what yarn I would use. The biggest difficulty in this decision being that the sock yarn the pa...

It's a new year and I thought I would share about my beautiful Christmas presents! My new hubby was a good boy, and got me stuff on my list. What was under my tree this year? - Knit Picks Interchangeable Knitting Needles - Knit Picks Interchangeable Wooden Knitting Needles - Jan Messent's Knit a Fantasy Story by Jan Messent - a vacuum cleaner (it was on the list, and it totally rocks) My knit picks needles are super impressive. They are comfortable, the su per flexible cables allow me to make anything without the extra strain on my wrists, and they are sooo pretty! Hubby also took me to the Cultured Purl in Erie, PA. This was a great visit, and I got some lovely sock weight yarns to make Maja . I am not sure it will work, but I am going to give it a try. I also made hubby a pair of warm gloves for removing snow from the car, and am working on a crochet scarf for my sister. My mom's February Lady Sweater is moving along at a snail's pace. This is, of course my fault, f...

I am being relatively productive lately! It's rather a relief to have them done, completely. But I will say that this method of sock making is wonderful! I really hope I get the Cat Bordhi book for my birthday, so i can make socks like a mad woman. I am severely tempted to start a new pair... but before I go on about that... here are some awful pictures of the finished products. Do me a favor and just enjoy that the socks are done.... cus the pictures really suck. I am also contemplating making myself another cardigan. I love the blue one, but it is such a particular color that it doesn't match many of the clothes I wear. I am considering this cardigan from Knitty. I have some lovely plum colored yarn from China, my friend Arpad brought back for me. The only problem is that there is only 500 yards... and the pattern is calling for about 565. My assumption is that it won't really end up mattering all that much... but who knows. I have to get gauge (and then maintain it) fir...

Feeling pretty crappy right now. Missing my trucking beau a bit more than I would like. It's good that I miss him, but I wish I could turn off the loneliness feeling sometimes. Right now, I am letting school and knitting and work keep me busy. My boss is working on a new book right now, so I am very excited because I get to put it all together, and get templates set up for InDesign and make the equations pop in the right spots... :) So that is generally a thing to be excited about. My Tolstoy class is making me fall in love with Leo Tolstoy. The short stories were not fun, but Anna Karenina is rather interesting, and shows what an excellent writer Tolstoy is. Long winded, to be sure, but excellent, none the less. And knitting has been actually accomplishing something recently. This is a gift for Brian's friends, they just had a baby girl. She was born about a month ago, but it will still be useful! I have to contact them to get together and give the blanket to her. Hopefull...

I would really like to be more accountable for my atrocious knitting habits... I was listening to the Lime and Violet podcast and realized that I probably have at least as many UFO's as Violet does. I think that is... impressive. Maybe "impressive" isn't the right word. I should probably do something about that... but I just keep putting it off, and casting on new things. (for instance, last night I wanted to make socks. Now rather than just pick up the yarn for a mate to sock 1, completed in September, I think; I just found new yarn and started a new sock.... yea, that is smart) i haven't spun in ages either. I could blame it on a number of things that are going on in my life, but it is probably mostly due to laziness. When I am free, I just want to veg out and watch TV or peruse the internet. I will probably pick it back up soon... because I do miss it; but I also want to take a class or two so that I feel more confident about what I am actually doing. In o...

Ok, so random blogging, but I really like this idea... Julie from Moth Heaven posted about it. It's called Mission: Possible 2008. I guess you figure out what 12 ufo's you have, and you get to it; committing to one UFO per month. I guess you can do more with this... learn new skills and all, but I prefer just to stick to the UFO problem. I have plenty of those. 1. Amigurumi Doll... I have 2 legs, and the start of a body. 2. knitted gloves posted on ravelry 3. mom's jungle socks (One is almost done... ) 4. Judy's Celtic shawl... started but not worked on recently .... Right now that is all I can think of that I actually intend to finish; however, I know that there are many more. I will post them as I come up with them!

A few weeks ago, when i was sick, Brian brought me some Bananas. He got funky little bananas; they were cheap, and there were a lot of them. They were called Nino bananas. Now bananas are not something I enjoy a lot, and I tried this banana, and it was just too sweet for me. Brian wasn't happy with it either, thinking that it was a grassy banana. It didn't take long for the bananas to darken, so we decided to make banana bread, and it is highly praised. There were about 12-14 bananas on the bunch, so I made a big batch. fabulous banana bread! 2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 cups margarine 4 eggs 8 cups of flour 4 teaspoons of baking soda 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice grated cinnimon (off of a stick) shake or 3 of salt 3-4 cups mashed nino bananas 1/4 cup milk Cream sugars and margarine. Add eggs and mix in. In a separate big, big bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and spices. Mix together. You can mash banana's by hand; or you can use a blender or magic bullet. Add...

but don't think that means you'll get pictures. because while I have all that awesome stuff, it's not with me. Maybe you'll get a shitty computer-camera pic.... I'll check and see what I can find. Anyway let me explain what I am showing you. First up is the hat I made using the StepYou are so lucky! You get halfway decent photos today. But only half way- don't be expecting too much! I'm having that time of the month. hanie Pearl-McPhee pattern . It is the second hat dubbed "tele-tubby" by friends (read: jerks). I got a bunch of heavy thick acrylic yarns from Jen, and honestly what better way to use them then to make big pretty hats and give them to charity. I only wish I could dye acrylic... the white is so... boring. Second up we have a picture of the poncho/prayer shawl I am working on for a friend of the family. She requested a poncho eons ago, and I agreed to make it... but the yarn is aweful, and I can't bear to work with it. So,...

Thanksgiving was wonderful, and I have much to be thankful for. Firstly is Brian getting a job, and secondly is finally moving out, and thirdly is rent money! The knitting front has been good. Made two quick hats out of the Stephanie Pearl-McPhee hat I linked to in the last post. The second hat I added earflaps and a loopy top too... My friends decided it looks like a teletubby. I hope that it will fit whomever gets it better than it fits me tho. I must have a "large-ish" head for a woman. The Flower City Raverly group is having a meet up on Tuesday Dec. 4th at SPOT Coffee. I hope I can make it. I would really love to meet some of the other knitters in Ro-cha-cha. I forgot to go to the WestSide Knitters group on Wednesday because I was busy baking pies and apple crisp. I remembered about 8:15, and by then it was too late to think about trying to attend. As it turns out, however, I don't think anyone else ended up going either. My roommate works on campus in the ...

Wow, look, I forgot to blog! (BTW, the super kitten on the knittin' is Kaylee, my sister's baby kitty.... I just had to throw some love in there!) Big surprise... anyway... It's finals week. Brian is over the road officially. He came back for a week to visit (YEA!) and then went out again. I expect to see him around Thanksgiving; should be fun times. Things got so much easier after those first few days of missing him, and school got MUCH more busy (or did I loose my focus?). I finished an entire project, but took pictures with the wrong camera, and don't have copies to share. I also did a quick chunky hat thanks to the Yarn Harlot, and am onto a second one. I am also working on a small prayer shawl for a friend. It is fashioned after the Interweave Holiday Gifts Candy Stripes Kerchief . I can't wait to finish it. I also pulled out some socks for me to work on. They were supposed to be for Brian, but it has been so very cold that I would almost prefer to be selfi...

Ever feel really really sad when you know you should be happy? Well, that is how I feel today. Brian left yesterday for N. Carolina. He was hired by Maverick, and while I am so excited about him driving and going around the country... my heart is sinking because I already miss him so much. i feel like someone has ripped a hole inside me. A big hole. You know what sucks the worst... he is doing this for me. For us, so we can have a future... and I can't get a hold of myself enough to shake the sense into me and remind myself of that. this job means that we have a future. It means that my husband will be able to marry me and become my husband. It means that he loves me enough to leave all his comforts and do something that he can enjoy and be paid well for.... and instead of being grateful that things are moving, and that we can move forward, I am crying my eyes out because my gut hurts were I feel empty. I feel like an ungrateful wretch. i feel like i want to die. And he mis...

Brian passed his CDL-A today! He is officially a trucker! He sent out an email with all the details to our friends and family today and I helped him. At this point I am just so grateful that he has passed, and can now take one of the jobs he has been pre-hired for. My hope is that he will get the Rochester area job, but honestly I don't care. Either one will work. In knitting news, I am almost done with my mom's birthday sweater. I think I forgot to post a picture, but it was almost done on her birthday. I sewed in one sleeve on Sunday and half of the other. All that is left is the inset neck adn weaving in ends. When I have access to a camera and halfway decent light, I will take a picture. For school I have been working on 2 socks on one long circular needle. I have done two mittens before, but this is the first time for two socks. As you can see I haven't gotten far, but far enough. I did top down this time, and worked with the heel gusset, usually not my favorite typ...

September is one of my favorite times of year. September is when the weather breaks. This happened on Saturday. Friday it was 85/90 degrees, and on Saturday I don't think it got over 50 degrees. This, while sad in a summer sense, makes me happy in a fall sense. I like the cooler crisper air, and the fact that the leaves are chanign colors and falling. I like watching the beauty of the season unfold around me; and there is something wonderful about that first cup of Hot Cocoa or first spoonful of homemade soup that warms you right down to your tippy toes. Am I sad to see summer go? Not really. Not this time. It was a beautiful hot summer, but me and my friends took full advantage. We went to the beach at least every other weekend. We had parties at the boys apartment, we spent the lazy evenings lying around in the A/C... It was a good last summer. But this new academic year promises to be exciting, full of adventure and fun. My friends and I moved out our parents homes and ...