30 August 2010
Of the knitting variety, that is.
I think I’ve lost track of all the projects I have on the go, and someday I will even get around to completing most of them, but I tend to think there’s always room on the needles for just one more.
This time it’s a test knit for KT: a garter stitch shawlette with lovely shaping and a bobbled bind-off that has me slightly intimidated (thankfully, I still have about 18 rows to knit during which I can psyche myself up for the aforementioned bobbles). I have a feeling it’s one of those knitting exercises that will need to take place when I have utter peace and quiet. Unfortunately, peace and quiet are highly prized commodities around here so I may have to settle for a dull roar. Either way, I have a week to finish off this project and I should have it bound off and blocked with time to spare.
Test knits are very appealing to me these days: they force me outside my comfort zone and encourage me to dig into my stash instead of letting yarn sit waiting for the “perfect” project. And, to be fair, I enjoy looking for errors in other people’s work and actually get a little thrill when I find typos/inconsistencies/poorly worded instructions. It’s the little things that make my day. Ah…
And now, back to the knitting. I’m on a deadline before yarn for my next sample knitting project arrives.
Tags: eydi fichu, test knitting
24 August 2010
I’m so tired of feeling tired all the time. And while my ever-present coffee certainly provides some much-appreciated bursts of energy, the fatigue is often overwhelming and leaves me feeling like not doing much of anything.
So… I’m once again trying Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live program. I was fairly successful with it several years ago and it was incredible how much energy I had — but once Adam arrived and I was plagued with jetlag followed by bouts of depression, healthy eating dropped to the bottom of my list of priorities.
The initial program is six weeks long and I am counting today as Day 1.
This morning I did Week 5, Day 1 of C25K (I gave up on trying to run 10 K and am instead aiming for half that) and came home to a delicious smoothie, which kept me going straight through to lunch. This was good, since I ended up glued to the computer for hours (the knitting was neglected while I found myself in the html coding zone).
I was still at the computer (albeit on the other side of the kitchen table) when lunchtime rolled around so I filled a mixing bowl with salad-type stuff and sprinkled all the yummy veggies with lime juice. Very satisfying and easy to take bites in between flashes of design inspiration and checking out the Eat to Live member forum for other meal ideas.
My hope is that after six weeks I will have formed better eating habits (just because something is vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy) and will have enough energy to keep up with Adam and Leah’s rather exhausting games. By then I should also have finished the C25K program and will be in a better place altogether, physically and emotionally.
Feel free to pester me about my progress (or lack thereof) — I need all the motivation I can get!
Tags: c25k, eat to live
16 August 2010
Nothing rounds out a birthday (or two) like cupcakes!
As per Adam’s request, we made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting (both recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World). Only, to make things more “awesome” we filled each cupcake with a spoonful of apricot jam.
Personally, I thought it was a slightly odd combination, but he and Leah enjoyed them, so who am I to judge?
And as for my little baby Cupcake, I only wish she ate more than the few bites she managed to consume before declaring herself “all done.” We met with the dietitian at SickKids again today and Leah has neither gained a single gram nor grown a solitary millimetre since her last appointment four weeks ago. Ugh.
The plan for the next few weeks is to keep the eating routines the same but to lower the cream-to-milk ratio in her sippy cup. In theory, if she is getting fewer calories in her beverage, she will make up for it at meal times. I’m not sold on it but am willing to try since her g-tube surgery is less than two months away and I will do just about anything to avoid it. Time will tell.
Tags: Adam's birthday, cupcakes, dietitian, g-tube, leah's birthday, sickkids, vctotw
14 August 2010
Happy birthday, Adam! You are five years old today and this will be the last year you can demonstrate your age with the fingers and thumb of just one hand. Next year, you’re going to need to borrow a digit from your other hand. You’re getting old!
Adam, I look at you and see a determined, generous, creative little boy who never fails to entertain me with stories, songs and plays. Over this past year you have certainly developed a flair for the dramatic and I love being an ever-present member of the audience. Though your sense of humour occasionally leaves me scratching my head, your patience in explaining the jokes that I miss more than makes up for it. I am so proud of the ways in which you have embraced your status as Big Brother, striving to both watch out for and watch over Leah (you seem to have developed the parental eyes in the back of your head rather early in life). Each day brings with it a new reason to feel blessed to be your mum.
Tags: adam, Adam's birthday
11 August 2010
Let me distract you from my lack of sewing projects with knitting photos!
First up, I finished my Tulip Socks that I started last week.
These socks practically knit themselves they went so quickly and I love the quirky little scallops along the cuffs. Rather than sub in my standard sock toe, I followed the pattern’s star toe which, while hardly anatomically correct, flows well with the instep stitch pattern. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit very well and I’m probably going to have to rip these back and reknit them if I want to wear them. On the other hand, if my mom would like them, they’d probably fit her fine and she’s welcome to them!
And I’m still making slow but steady progress on the Moderne Baby Blanket.
Hmmm… now that I think about it, the baby is due in just four weeks, so I’d better pick up the pace on this one (or at least stop getting distracted).
As for my sewing projects, I have a bunch of things I’d like to work on (bags, dresses, quilts) but I need some quiet, focused time that is free of distractions (i.e. Leah) to get started. Maybe after the blanket is knit…
Tags: csk, indie socks, moderne baby blanket, tulip socks
