Still Listening

Happy Day After 4th of July

Im still around, knitting, crossfit, cooking and all the rest.  As much as Ive wanted to keep writing here something always comes up and it doesnt happen.  Hasnt happened for a year.

Boy what a year.

I got my passport and actually used it – twice.  Both times to London.  Both times for work and not much site seeing was done.  May be going back later this summer, we’ll have to see. 

But on that note Ive got two words for you Virgin Atlantic. I flew with them my first trip.  The stewards were awesome, even in the cheap seats.  Second trip they were really expensive due to the short notice and I flew on Air Canada.  Dont.  Just dont. I thought that maybe I had cranky stewards on the way over, anyone can have a bad day.  But same on the way back?  Im stuck for 10+ hrs just as they are and thats too long to be stuck with bitchy people. Dont care about the cost of VA, thats who I will be with next time, if there is a next time.

D and I are still doing Crossfit.  18 months now and have been going 4 days a week for a year now.  Still loving it. Im getting muscles which is cool but not losing weight as fast as I would like which sucks but still fits with how my body likes to screw with my brain.  Being in medical menopause, being over 45, this flesh bag holds on to fat like feathers on tar. I will get skinnier, it will just take me a long time to get there.  Im ok with that.  I may look fat but I can back squat 150+, bench press 100+, front squat 130+ and deadlift 200+.  Not many out of shape, almost 50yo can do that – female or male.

We tried doing a keto diet.  I lost 15 lbs pretty quickly but my workouts tanked.  Couldnt keep up in the workouts and my weight lifting took a big hit.  I should be lifting heaver than I am, I was close to these numbers last fall, before keto.  Had to start over in Mar/Apr when we stopped.  For me, carbs help with my workouts.

Ive stopped looking at the scale and even measuring, going off of how Im feeling and how loose clothes are.  Keeping carbs low but not Keto low, no sugar, whole foods with veggies, no pasta. Close to Paleo.

This summer Im teaching DL how to cook.  I taught P when he was 14, DL got to wait until 17.  With summer Im not battling school & homework.  No excuses for him and the meals are much easier.  P knows the way around the kitchen and a recipe and enjoys cooking.  I can be assured that he can survive living on his own and not only have box mac & cheese or ramen every night.  Now the work is for DL to do the same.

Knitting – I got my first sock done in 2016 and Ive started my 24th pair this year.  I love wearing my knitted socks and wear them almost daily.  The AC in the house keeps me cold.  And they are great for gifting! I am knitting other items, mostly shawls and socks though.  Sweaters take me too long and those need to be somewhat fitted and that can take too much braining.  Since its summer, Im in a kal for socks.  So far Ive knitted 3 pairs with #4 close to gusset and #5 finished with toes and working on the foot.  I love having a pair of socks close to the foot for easy brainless knitting.

Signing off for now.  Hope to keep this at least a weekly talk and not a yearly talk.

Too early?

P wanted to switch up when he did crossfit as the 4:30pm class was cutting in his day weird.

So this week we are doing a 6:30am class.

Getting up that early isnt bad for me.  Im usually up at 5am as the duo of chaos start demanding their morning food that early.  Now its thinking time.  Can I get food in my bod with enough time between eating and working out so I dont get a cramp?  Answer for today is yes.  Oatmeal (zombie brains) with blueberries made a perfect breakfast and one I could scarf down and give myself time before the workout.

Workout was good.  No hot or humid like its been during the afternoon class.  And now its done!  No more workout until tomorrow.

Socking

Not even close to the heel on socks I started last month, I started another pair over the weekend.  Im totally blaming D for this.  Went out to the dollar store for cleaning supplies and he asked if I was going to the yarn store.  Well hell wasnt planning on it but know its in my brain and must go!

I went to Craft Warehouse looking for one color, didnt find it but came home with Premier Vegas Lights

Wonderfully bright colors and screamed to be made into socks for a friend.

Knitting over vaca last month got me confident with my knitting and Im no longer tied to looking at everything I knit as I knit it and can now read (a sentence or 2) before having to look.  Knitting by touch – booya!

Spectrum

Quick update to share my progress on Spectrum

Just started part 5 of 6.  Not sure if I will have enough of the dark pink to finish the shawl.  Will have to wait and see.

Ugg

We had a week off from Crossfit thanks to a wonderful vacation at the beach.

Well we did try to do the metcon part of the WOD on Monday, did pretty good workout, but the winds the rest of the week were crazy and we were on vacation so didnt really push to do any part of workouts.

Bad adulting us.

Its Tuesday morning and Im already feeling yesterday's WOD in my legs.  Lots of squating thanks to wall balls and back squats.

I did make a PR for back squats, 100 lbs!  

Knitting

Not much knitting done yesterday.  Had bad restless leg syndrome issues after dinner.  Almost hurt to try and stay still.  The legs finally calmed down close to bed time (thank gods) and I was able to get a few rows in on my Spectrum shawl by Joji and found a new design element that Im just leaving in.  Im up to ~100 stitches a row and the new element is 6 rows back.  It doesnt impact the design too much and Im not tinking back that many rows to fix it.

Hello World - Again

Im still around, just havent been blogging for over a year.  

Ive been knitting and hanging out with family and got into Crossfit.

Knitting

Looking back at the blog, yes - I did finally make socks in 2016.  In fact since my first pair, Ive made 10 pairs of socks.  2 for gifts and the rest all mine.  Ive gone from making one sock at a time to two at a time (taat).  I prefer making taat as you get a pair of socks ready for wearing when you're done.  How cool is that?  Ive also dialed in to what is the perfect sock for me;  2.5 mm needles, using 2 circular needles (prefer Chaigoo to Addi but those two over all others atm), sock construction is always toe up, vanilla pattern (stockinette and boring) and the sock yarn needs to be at least 80% wool, 20% nylon. 

Socks are now my 'go to project that I dont have to do any thinking on and can just zone out'.  I always have at least 1 pair on needles and close by so I can pull them out for a few rows.  

Im almost shocked at the number of people wanting/expecting me to make them a pair.  Its worse than shawls.

Hand knit socks arent cheap.  The good yarn is ~$20+, then the pair takes a minimum of 2 weeks to complete and that is only if nothing else in life is going on and I have motivation to only work on socks.  So thats time cost in addition to the yarn.  For me the min I would charge is $50 a pair and the min time would be a month for completion.

Current socks Im working on:

Pattern: Sundae Socks by Shannon Squire
Yarn: Knitted Wit - Death to Sexism colorway

Non-sock projects are all shawls. I have yarn for sweaters but I have braining to do for those to make sure all the work done ends up with a item I can actually wear.  The one sweater I had on the needles for me has been frogged as I hated how it looked.  The fabric I was ending up with sucked.  I need to go down a needle size and make sure the yarn/stitch count works for the pattern.

Crossfit

D and I started working out with a plan late in 2016.  We wanted/needed a class where you werent just a number and you could reserve a spot for and not just first come last no working out for you today.  A place with structure and a plan to get you where you wanted to end up.

He came up with Crossfit and we went to a couple sessions and have been hooked.

I love it.  I get sorta stressed right before class.  Will I be able to complete the WOD (work out of the day) and/or without having an asthma attack (its happened once so far).  But after class and we are all home and gooey gross from the WOD I feel so pumped!

Its not just all weight lifting but that is part of the workout.  Its getting you moving and stronger and healthier.  Im not seeing much in the movement of the scale but I am getting more weight on my lifting and getting more WODs done without feeling like Im going to die.

We have the boys going to the same classes we take - its the only 'gym' they are getting and since they come with us I feel better they are getting some exercise.

RCYC 2016 Clue 2

Clue 2 is completed!  Late Friday nite but done

Clue 3 was released Wed and I have hardly worked on it. 

Sat was spent shopping and no knitting.  Sunday was strangely spent doing other things and no knitting

Today I had the pleasure of getting 4 fillings replaced.  Not fun with TMJ but its one of those things Dentists are wanting to get done these days. Spent a good part of my day sleeping (no knitting) then a trip to Joanns to get fabric for a journal cover and more yarn (cause sales people! and no knitting) then getting dinner ready.  In between all this is counting down the time to when I can take MORE ADVIL! (no knitting).

I would like to spend sometime tonight knitting as really is the only activity I can do that lets/causes my jaw to completely relax.

D made a joke this weekend (Sat in fact while shopping) that “oh you have to knit do you” and I answered yes immediately.  Really – it is the only thing that allows my jaw to relax.  Else I am clenching those jaw muscles till they cry.  Even when sleeping I will wake up cause I am clenching that hard.  Thank god for my mouth gard!

So – Find that one activity that will let you relax completely as you cant even count on sleep letting you do that.

RCYC 2016

Socks are on the back burner so I can blast through the RCYC 2016 KAL.

This year its a cowl using a bike ride through Portland, Or as its theme and using two colors of yarn.  Mine is a gray blue and a rainbow-ish blue and both have cashmere.  Sooo soft.

As of this week 2 clues have been released that have 3 different stitch patterns.  I have 1 & 2a completed and started 2b tonight.  Im hoping I can stitch fast (but nice) enough to finish by Wed when the next clue will be released so I can stay on task and finish in time to wear mine to the crawl this year.

Now for the pics!

Colors: Knitted Wit-Oregon Sky and Dream in Color-Cloudy

Clue 1 completed

Clue 2a completed – this was with flash so the second color would show up a bit.  They both have bits of the same blue gray tones.

Socks take 2

I have a toe!

Reduex after the nasty start of yeasterday.  Much thicker yarn and bigger needle and single sock.

I can see that my only main issue from yesterday was missing the one kfb that I really couldnt go back and fix since I had two socks going.  The fact that only 2 rows in and it was looking fugly was ok and it would work all the fugly out in due time – I just needed to give it that. Oh and get all the correct stitches in.

So I will work on this sock and see if I can get it finished.  Work all the kinks out so to speak on a sock that wont get a sock-friend but will be cherished as being First.

For those interested, here is the pattern Im ‘working’ off.

https://libbazet.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/how-i-knit-socks/

Im not doing M1 but kfb instead. 

M1’s and I have agreed to disagree and stay in our separate corners for now. 

Socks

I couldnt wait and tried casting on two socks on one circular needle AND proceeded to miss a stitch in row 2

And my transitions look like shit.

But this is all in the time honored tradition of learning right?

Its why I am playing with large box store yarn and not my Sassy Santa by Knitted Wit or Octoberfest by Zauberball.

So if the yarn Im playing with gets split to hell or breaks its only $6 and not $20.

Bring it on

Happy 2016!

Hello and Happy beginnings to 2016!

2015 was a busy year for me craft wise.  It was all knitting all the time.

Starting in Feb a new project with the RCYC got the shawl bug going.  It was during the crawl that I decided to make shawls for giftmas and lots of shawls were made!

In total, including the RCYC KAL shawl (not pictured) I completed 6 shawls.  Wonderful way to battle stress and get relaxed.

 

 

For 2016 I have a couple of shawls for ME that are using the patterns of the last two shawls pictured above, Nurmilintu and Groovy.

And as per crazy I started a new project on 1/1/2016 but I am keeping quiet on it for now as it is a surprize for a special friend and Im not sure where they lurk.

SOCKS – 2016 will be the year of the sock for my knitting learning.  I have a couple skeins that are screaming for Socks to be made from them.  For my Birthday, D drove me to the shops and I was able to get wonderful Twist circular needles so I can do two socks at a time.  Yup – go full out sock crazy or go home

October

I cannot believe it is already October. 

One more shawl down and the 5th one of the year started

I finished Carrie late Sept

It still needs to be washed and blocked but the blocking on this one will be easy. 

And here is the next shawl Groovy!

This one loves to curl in on itself and I cant wait to see how it looks.  Its normally a 600-800 yd project but Im going for only 1 skein of 420.  There are others who have made them small like this and they look fine.

Im working to get this one done as quickly as I got Carrie done.  I have another shawl or 2 I would like to see if I can complete before Christmas.

Carrie Update

Update on Carrie.  Just getting started on the 5th lace repeat 

#knitting 

April Challenge Finished

Final post for the April workout challenge.  This week I set goal:  Try and get as close to 28 miles as possible with having 2 days less than a full challenge week.

As of today, Ive walked 26.4 miles for exercise!

Im thanking the beautiful weather this strange spring has brought.  The wonderful sun pulls me in to getting out and moving so I try and get out for a minimum of a mile for lunch.  2 miles if I can squeeze it between meetings and have 30-40 min to spare.  Add to the pacing while waiting for trains and the three miles every morning and it all adds up.

Today’s 2 mile walk took me to the waterfront and the toddlers were out in force, playing in the sun and in the fountains and other fellow office dwellers were getting out running, walking and biking.  I love taking in these sights.

Total miles for April was 106.2

The May challenge is minutes exercised.  I will be using my Fitbit active min for that, a bit less tracking noise that way.  And I need new shoes

I have another success for April, I finished a thing!

Washington Park Shawl

And then I started another thing!

Nurmilintu shawl

Its wee in the pic but its growing fast. 

Zombie returns

This week marks Week 13 of workouts.  After my last post, I came down with a nasty cold that D shared.  While his went away as most colds should, mine morphed into full blown bronchitis.  Which with my past I took things easy and made sure lungs were well before starting back into any workouts.

This week I got back into the swing of things with a bang.  Instead of getting to work and changing for the gym, I dress for the gym.  One more excuse eliminated from the possible outcomes (no time to change).  And I get 5-10 extra minutes added to my workouts.

Im still taking things a bit slow as Ive been a total slacker during the last 6 mo or so.

Monday-Wed – Walking for 30 min

Thurs – can you believe a bad muscle spasm?  O M G!  Death I tell you!  Happened right as I was getting ready for the day – lucky I could get my panties on all by myself.  Anything dropped on the floor stayed there or I would get stuck.  I made it to work but wasn’t willing to work out so wasn’t dressed to workout.  Slow and easy people.

Friday – Back is still letting me know this whole working out thing is not part of its plan but damn it – Im the ruler here.  So off to the gym again today for 30 min.

Sat – no walking like I wanted.  Minion #2 (DL) is now 14 and the party involved 6 additional teenagers for a LAN party.  Oh boy the noise.  Still got a bunch of steps in running around as one tends to do with parties.

Other fun stuff than walking has been going on.

Looking back through this blog I see I havent shared anything about the pretty Im making.  A friend got me into making a mystery shawl.  It was for the Rose City Yarn Crawl and while I didn’t finish it time to wear it while we crawled Im still working on it and determining to finish it.  Im on the last part now and cant wait to be done.

So here is the timeline

2/9 – Just getting started (2/7)

2/18 – Close to finishing up the first part

3/15 – Finished up part one and two

3/22 – Showing part 3

3/26 – On to the final – Part 4

4/4 – Almost 1/2 way done with the final part

There’s nothing like jumping in to a new project where you know there are areas you have no knowledge of and at the end you have learned so much there is nothing to hold you back from flying ahead.

This Crawl marks 1 year since I started knitting and I cant believe Im here – making a shawl that has lace work in it and have two sweaters on needles and plans to make more lace-work shawls!

Im having so much fun!

Happy New Years!

Did everyone stay up til the crack of Midnight to ring in the new year?

We just managed.  Midnight is getting to be too late for us old fuddies (in our 40’s sad to say).  The neighborhood didn’t let us down.  The big displays started around 11:30, guess they couldn’t wait until midnight to get started or try out some of the cannons.  Then some when straight past midnight and kept going (not too late)

2014 year round-up

I can sort of recall most of whats happened in 2014

We went on family outings twice, trailer and all.  Already have one for 2015 planned.

I have a senior in the house!  P is in his last year of High School and boy have the years flown by for this.

I learned a new life-skill – Knitting.  Never thought I would get this trick down until the PDX Yarn crawl early 2014 and a friend gave be the best tip, just let it go.  Its been a great meditative phrase for more than just knitting and now I have another travel easy hobby.  Oh and a new area to get lost on the internet on.

D and I celebrated 25 years together.  20 of those married.  No regrets.  He is my best friend and I cant imagine him not being part of my life

Those are most of the good stuff and that’s all I care to focus on

Sweater update!

Ive got a great start on my newer sweater. 

Im trying to get to the body part so I have a great mindless project for the train, round and round knit stitches.

Sadly it looks like a misshapen hat

Off to see if I can get to the body by Sunday!

Hello There!

Have you missed me?  Ive been busy and then busy not doing anything and actually enjoying some time off from work and play time with the family and just plain me time.

Holidays were nice.  D gave me my present early, which was wonderful as I was able to use it to make gifts for the boys

Isnt it pretty?  Lots of buttons and it takes some getting used to.  I just wanted a sewing machine to do simple stuff.  P has been wanting one to make items for SCA and D has been wanting to use one as well.

A perfect family use item.

I broke it in by making microwave warmers for the boys

I used 100% cotton flannel and thread, cut a section about 12in x 14in, sewed up a short and long side then filled with 5-6 cups feed corn (not cracked).  To make it a bit nice smelling I added 3 STRONG smelling peppermint tea bags for P and vanilla tea bags (no staples please!) for DL.  P’s does smell of pepper mint and corn when heated, DLs just smells like corn.  While its not very strong, Im hoping the corn smell diminishes with time so they get the tea smells.

We heat them in the microwave for 1 min 30 sec max

Feed corn is purchased at our local feed store.  Luckily I was able to get 5lb bags as I don’t need a 50lb of anything.  Feed corn was pretty inexpensive, $5ish for 10lbs and the feed corn stays warmer longer than rice.

My next project for sewing is to make a knitting bag

The pattern is from AllPeopleQuilt and is called Grab Bags

I like the idea of this type of bag as the handles are thick and shouldn’t cut into my wrist while Im carrying my knitting.  And its cute.

Below are the colors Im doing for my first one.  Orange is for the outside and yes, it is bright!

Sweater Update!

I have been busy as you can see

The back and both front sides are complete

Im 3/4 complete on one arm.  Im not going to have this done in a month but its such a nice brainless project.  Just knit and purl.

Now cause it’s a new year and I need to follow tradition and start something new, meet sweater #2

This is a knit from the neck down version and its called Flax by Tin Can Knits

A pic from their site of a finished Flax sweater.

They have a bunch of freebie knit projects for us newbies and great instructions so you can get started and hopefully finish!

Im knitting this one for P in black but the size should fit me if he decides he doesn’t want it (picky child that he can be)

Finally for something new and very tasty.

Atlas is a local brewery in Oregon (Bend) who makes wonderful Hard Cider.  The newer flavor Ive found from them is blackberry and it is fabulous!  And Im not generally one for blackberry anything – too sweet.  But its perfect for hard cider.

Checking in

The health issue talked about in my last post became a bit more annoying, Im thinking due to the making of a date, and so I moved the date up.

Surgery was this past Tues and Ive been recouping since. 

My bod HATES the drugs they use for surgery, post-op and all opioids (vicodin, oxy-anything, anything-codone).  So Thurs – Sat were beyond not fun.  Today is the first day back towards the human side of life.

So its just me and a big pill of Motrin, which we (the bod and I) have used before and have agreed to be ok with for now.

For those interested in a UFE, the only pain Im dealing with now is cramping.  Which is what I expected and can totally deal with.  Everything above with the other drugs is specific fun just with me and my bod – also expected by me but not part of the expectations of a normal UFE.

On the flip side, before I went in I was able to finish the back of my sweater.

And I got started on the left side (no pic).  I havent picked up my needles since going in.  Cant find a happy resting spot to sit long enough.  Soon though, Im working on soon.

Another fly-by posting

Things are busy.  Work and home and health.

Another body part has been given notice and eviction is happening in Dec.  That wonderful fibroid talked about here and here has just kept growing and growing and growing.  Thanks to the ovaries not being there and possibly keeping it in check and now hormones giving it wonderful food.  It is now quite large and causing other health issues.

Now instead of a hysterectomy Ive opted the UFE route.  As its large, any hysterectomy is not going to be fun and would be more invasive then if I didn’t have the fibroid.  Having the UFE doesn’t rule out a hysterectomy but Im hoping if I do have one later, the fibroid wont cause additional issues as it could be much smaller or gone.

So Early Dec, I will have the UFE and plan on taking it easy during the Holidays and letting my body heal.

Now on to fun stuff!

I have been busy the last couple months.  Knitting is my main craft atm.  So easy to knit on the train!

Cowl – This was done using the bamboo stitch.  Im not sure how much I like it, is acrylic so no blocking but it isnt as long as I had hoped.  So the end tail has not been snipped or threaded in for that moment of when I want to frog and start over with some other project.

Oh the next BIG project!  Meet my first sweater!!  Its for me and will be a cardigan.  The piece below is much bigger now but I havent taken a newer photo.  Its lion brand wool-ease so another no-blocking project.  But much easier for washing.

Look!  Its another cowl.  Simple, k2, p2 two rows and swap p2, k2 two rows.  I havent worked much on it but its another piece that is perfect for not thinking.

Look Pie!  Now its fall and the PacNW is finally getting wet weather, its time to break out the fall/winter foods.  And this is a veggie pot pie (2 of them of course).  Walking through the house while these are cooking is heaven.

Our last camping trip of the year.  This is the Oregon Coast, In October!  T-shirt/shorts weather!  At the Oregon Coast, In October!  Im still amazed at how perfect the weather was.

And that is that for now.

Progress

Ive made a good dent in the skein using for the bamboo stitch cowl.  I started the weekend at about row 4-6 and its now around row 26.  There is still a bunch more to go til the end of the skein.

I am pleased with how this stitch is letting the colors come through.  Wonderful jewel tones throughout.

Thinking of cool

Its getting to be that time of year again in the northern hemisphere and thoughts are moving towards warmth (even tho its still hitting 90’s on some days).  Im blaming start of school for most of this.

I picked up this lovely ball of bulky yarn during the  PDX 2014 Yarn Crawl earlier this year

I wanted to so something fun with it but a heavy pattern (cables and such) would be lost in the multi colors of this yarn.

Ive chosen to do a cowl using the bamboo stitch.  I think it will create a nice cowl that will show off the colors as they should be while still being able to see some of the stitch.