Does This Count?

We all want to avoid the dreaded SSS. Second Sock Syndrome is a deadly disease. I have been doing my best to prevent the disease. This is as far as I have gotten on Mansock two:

That's right I have....a ball of yarn! Stabbed with dpns. And topped with a little skein. Which is the yarn that I have pulled from the center of my center-pull ball as I cast on. Twice. Tinked back once. And ripped out three times. Apparently, I can't count to 2. Which is a little dismaying, as I spend my days at work counting. In multiples of 5 usually. But still....a person with a university degree should be able to count to 2. Hell, a a little child could probably do this. Yet I can't.

Does this mean I have SSS? Is this why I am having problems with it?

Is Prosecco a cure? Lets hope so. Since it is an easily administrable medication.

Man Sock the First

I finally managed to take a picture of the first hubby sock, attempt #2.

This sock only took me 1 week to knit up. I think that's the fastest I've ever knit up a man-sock!

Look how shiny it is...

Best of all, it fits! Yippee! Time to cast on for Man Sock the second...

ciao

Branching Out

I haven't been blogging lately as I was getting ready for a weekend girl-getaway. I went to visit a girlfriend I haven't seen in person for a few years. Very exciting stuff. Hold on to your knickers, folks.

My friend? She owns a bead store. That's right. Owns. A. Bead. Store. I've never beaded before in my life. I was a beading virgin. I have busted my cherry. I found the store to be an overwhelming kaleidescope of colours and textures. I now have knitting colour combos floating around in my head from visiting a bead store. I hope that isn't blasphemous.

Before I show you my virgin works of art, I want to add a disclaimer that the pictures aren't great as the lighting in my house currrently is crappy. Due to the fact that outside my house looks like this:

Enough excuses. First up is a bracelet.

Basically, it's four strands of wire twisted around each other with beads randomly looped on. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. The second project was an illusion necklace.

I told you it was exciting stuff. I hope y'all managed to contain yourselves.

I did do a little knitting on the weekend. But I don't feel like taking more crappy pictures. Maybe tomorrow.

Ciao

I'm Knitting! I'm Knitting!

Really. I AM knitting. I cast on the grey hubby socks. This time it is going much better. I would have pics to show you today, but I ran out of daylight. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

I am amazed at the amount of cardboard my household generates. Mostly because I absolutely detest bundling it up. Even if I was bad (gasp) and just threw it out instead of recycling, I'd have to break the boxes down. Which is the part I hate. The hubby helps, and it is still a job I can't stand. I really wish that I didn't have to save it up for 2 weeks before I get rid of it. In Europe they have bins periodically along the street where you put your recycling. Personally, I like that better.

After the ant invasion of 2006, I am antsy (hee!) about storing food related recycling anywhere near my house. Which means that alot gets thrown out that could be recycled. If I could just bring it to a handy-dandy receptacle, I would be more inclined to recycle it. As it stands now, I have to store the garbage recycling for 2 weeks somewhere. (they pick up cardboard and paper one week, tin cans & plastics the next) I have no garage. The local bylaws won't let me put it out front as it is "unsightly" and putting it in the back leads to it being thrown out since it is too far away to be convenient.

I want to save the earth, but really, there should be an easier way. Or options at least.

Well, Crap. Times 2.

Filed my taxes. "Crap"#1. Turns out I owe the government even more money. After all my deductions for a small business, saving for retirement etc, I still get taxed at a 22% rate. And that's not counting the 5% GST and 8% PST I pay on pretty well everything I purchase. Oh yeah, and the gas taxes. The taxes in this country are ridiculous. It wouldn't irritate me so much, but what are my taxes going for? The infrastructure in the country is starting to rust away, the health care system has huge problems, and the military don't have equimpment that is even remotely modern. I suppose my taxes go to help the disabled. Umm, wait! I wear 2 hearing aids, the likes of which I couldn't work without, and the government only funded 12% of that cost. Welfare? Could it be that much of the budget? Oh wait, it's my member of parliament. They get a huge paycheqe, get 3 hour lunches, work 4 days a week for only 6 months (if that) a year. Sweet gig, if you can get it.

Enough ranting. (I do this every year at tax time. It pisses me off) Time for the knitting.

This is "crap"#2. My Leaf Tank. Looks like it is almost ready for the shoulder straps, doesn't it? Yeah. Not so much. When I started the decreasing, I merrily knit away with a "YO k2tog k2" When I should have been "YO K2tog k1"-ing. Or something. I was pissed off last night and just bundled it away. I will sort it out on a day I am home during the daylight hours. It may not be an entirely bad thing though. I think it is a bit long for me. So ,since I will be frogging anyway...I just may frog a bit more to make it shorter. Some mulling over of said project is called for.

ciao

Tabata Results

It's been 19 days on my health-conscious program. It consisted of 2 parts. The 'grandma Diet" and tabata exercise.

The grandma diet is one I made up myself. If a grandma wouldn't recognize it as food, don't eat it. That has the effect of cutting out most junk food. Although things like chocolate and strawberries with brown sugar & sour cream are fine. Basically, mostly highly processed crap gets cut out.

The tabata was to be done 3 times a week. I did miss 2 workouts, so I did not adhere perfectly.

I wasn't obsessing over the scale, although I did lose 2 pounds. I measured myself on March 30 and again today (April 18). I lost an inch in the bust (boo) and an inch on my waist (yay). My hips stayed the same.

I'm going to be brave and show you...

The front shot does not show much difference really. But you can see that Raven wanted in on the picture both times.

The pictures from the side show that the tummy has shrunk a bit.

The waistband doesn't cut in as much.

I guess the upshot is that I should continue. I will try.

would you knit it?

Some odd things I've seen around....

Bacon scarf



Mr Hankey



Beer

The Wheel

Ever feel like this is your life?

Chasing around in circles and getting nowhere?

That's what my world seems to be like right now. Nothing good, nothing bad, just running around and not feeling like I'm accomplishing anything. Life is a giant hamster-wheel.

I tossed the stash and came up with another contender for hubby-socks. I know he'll like the colour and it IS lovely yarn.

It's Sweet Sheep Yarn! It's a lovely, shiny sock yarn. It's not red, but I'll bet it's not splitty, cursed yarn either. It might be grey but it's a shiny, seductive, multi-tonal grey.

The Leaf Tank continues, slowly. It's not really fun knitting with black yarn when it's dark out, and lately most of my knitting time has been in the evening. Or I've been too tired to do anything except sit on the couch in a stupor. I have even been too tired to read! Which makes me very tired indeed.

Ciao

Ragging

I have decided I need a new purse. My current purse was a felted one . Kinda hot and itchy for summer. I have been saving the old, worn out jeans in our household for a while, thinking that I could make something out of them. Then I saw somewhere on the internet, a purse knit out of strips of denim cut out of jeans. Unfortunately, I think it was on Magknits, which has been taken down, so I can't show you my inspiration.

At any rate, I have started cutting up the jeans into long strips. I plan on cutting a small slit in either end of each strip and looping the "yarn" together. I suspect this is going to be a project where the preparation takes forever. So far, I have found that I can only cut up one half of a leg of jeans before my hands start protesting. If I ignore my hand, my still healing tennis elbow soon joins the chorus. So, I guess I will be doing a little bit at a time. Slow but steady. Tortoise, not hare. Yadda yadda......

Ciao

I Think It's Cursed Sock Yarn

I think the Sisu sock yarn is cursed. The first time I tried to use it for my Campanula socks, it was a nightmare, splitty and hard to work with. This time around, I was using bigger needles so the splittiness wasn't an issue. Gauge was. Here is red sock number 2.

This is the one with the mods so that it will fit my hubby's foot better. It is still too big on the instep. The leg fits well. the toe fits fine. The instep does not. I am tired of this yarn. It was supposed to be my colourful, happy project. Riiiiight. Colourful, yes. Happy? Not so much. Therefore I showed it who's boss.

Apparently, Raven is boss. At least he got some fun out of the damn sock.....

What? Who? MEEE????Naw....

Nope, no progress around here. Instead, an entertaining video...

Yeah, I'm trying to distract ya.....

Mostly Reading, Some knitting

Not a whole lot of knittin' goin' on around here. I've been obsessively reading the Henry Fitroy books by Tanya Huff. Good stuff.

However, my work knitting has been seeing some action. Last Saturday saw some serious sock action. I'm up to here:

Umm, Raven, would you mind? Alrighty, attempt umpity billion for a clear sock picture. (Achieved while holding said cat in one hand. How's that for mad photography skillz?)

I now have to get his highness to try it on before I start toe decreases. It looks about right, but I want to make sure first. After all, I already have to rip back the first sock. Don't want to do that on this one too!

Ciao

Idle Musing

Is my husband the only one who can't seem to remember to put a new bag in the kitchen when he takes out the garbage? Or is it something about a "y" chromosome that makes this happen?

Tabata Update

So, today is day 15 of the Tabata experiment. I started on Good Friday, so, yup. that's how long it's been. Doesn't seem as long. At any rate, today I decided to try Tabata burpees . Oh. My. Gawd. The first set had 12. The last set barely had 4. And I was forcing it. My throat is still raw and it's 2 hours later. So the squats are not nearly as difficult. Who'd a thunk. Only 17 more days. If I survive....

ETA: I didn't do the push up part of the burpee...I went into plank position and then back up to the beginning. I think it might have killed me if I did the pushup....

Feminist Rant

So, I am filling in at a pharmacy in town a few days ago. Both of hte regular pharmacists are men at this location. Anyway..the phone rings and it's one of those old should-be-retired doctors. He asked for the pharmacist, I said,"speaking" and this is the rest of the conversation:

dr:Oh, you're a girl.
me:yup. I'm filling in today.
dr: wow, they let you gals do anything nowadays, eh?
me: (thinking, what a reactionary old coot he was) yup, and if you old guys would just retire, the new ones could move up in the world.

I know this guy of old, and he was just trying to be funny or get a rise out of me. He does this to every female pharmacist, that I know of. Jerk.

Granted, I tell him off in my own sweet way, but really, why can't he just call in the prescription and stop wasting my time?

And I will note that he has never called us "ladies" it's always gals or girls. Which happens to be a pet peeve. No-one says boys in the same sense. For men, to be referred to as a boy, means you are being silly. Boys will be boys...etc. For women, girls is just another form of address. A condescending one at that. Argh....

Shiny and New

As an incentive to keep with the clean living and healthy food thing, I booked myself in for something called a Slenderquest Body Wrap at my local esthetician's. It's supposed to make you lose inches (although not weight) and detoxify.

First you strip down to your bra and panties. They measure your arms, bust, waist etc. Then they spray you with the amino acids and smear you with seaweed enriched mud. Then the giant tensor bandages get wrapped very firmly around you from ankle to neck. Then they put you in a pod to let the treatment work. The pod is basically a vibrating maassage bed with a lid so that only your head sticks out. It then circulates very warm air around you. For 45 minutes. Quite relaxing, actually.

Finally they pop you out of the pod and unwrap you and re-measure.

I lost a total of 8 inches. Sounds good until you realize that it is from a total of 6 sites. I lost 1 inch off of each thigh accounting for 2 of those inches. The rest were half an inch here and there. One odd side effect is that my guts cramped up something awful a total of 3 times over the next 8 hours and, umm, cleaned themselves out? Did I phrase that genteelly enough?

Overall, it was an interesting and weird experience. I'd rate it a 7 out of 10.

Then I went over to the mall to get my nails done. Yup, it was girly day today! On my way across the parking lot, I saw a shiny new penny. So of course I picked it up. Not 5 steps away I found another penny. Not nearly as new. From 1974, to be exact. That is one old penny. I took it to mean that if you don't look after youself now, you won't stay shiny and will look like the old penny. That had clearly been eroded by salt and sand.

Decreasing

Red sock number 2 is coming along. This time I did some decreases along the back to accomodate the hubster's delicate little paw.

And I have zoomed on down and turned the heel:

Now for the decreases in the foot...

In other decreasing news,

To whit...Tabata-ing. Still aiming for 3 times a week. Did another set of squats yesterday, BUT then I pedaled at a leisurely pace on my stationary bike for 10 minutes. Keeping the blood flowing has minimized the day-after stiffness, it seems. Yay! I am also trying to decrease the amount of junk in my diet. You know, no junk food etc. It is hard. At the moment, my craving is for Pepsi.

I read an article in a magazine somewhere where the author did everything she could to be healthy. Exercised an hour every day, ate low fat, low sodium, non-processed food. Didn't use hairspray because the fumes might be bad for the lungs. Applied sunscreen religiously. Made sure she got enough calcium, folate etc. Everything.

I thought I might try something similar, but not quite so extreme. Hence, exercise and no junk food. And for 3 weeks. supposedly it takes 3 weeks to set up a habit. So I am going to try for 3 weeks. And at the end, re-evaluate.

Ciao