Yarn Crawl

Weekend!

Another weekend's here, and this time I don't have too many plans (which is OK!) Today, starting at 12:30, my time is all mine. Nothing scheduled at all for the rest of the day. It's sunny out (though cool) so I may sit outside with Broderie or Paloma, as I want to finish those up. Later tonight I want to sew, and maybe I can talk Jim into staying in tonight and letting me try to cook something new. I have two halibut fillets in the freezer that I bought from Whole Foods a few weeks ago, and maybe he'll be up for that. I'd like to try making those, as I love halibut and have never tried cooking it before.

Tomorrow we are going to our friends' place downtown in River North for her homemade gumbo, but other than that, no plans!

Everyone have a great weekend!

RTW Disappointment

A few days ago, I was obsessed with finding a pattern to make a gray crisscross bodice knit dress like Sandra Bullock wore in The Proposal. I can't find a good picture of it online (here's the best I found) but I at least thought it crossed in the front (doesn't look like it here....) There didn't appear to be any that were exactly what I wanted among any of the pattern companies (amazing!) so I found an actual dress that I thought was like it on sale at Nordstrom.com and ordered it. This is a picture of the red version as it shows the design. Strangely, the red version was on sale for $50 less than the "galaxy" (what color is galaxy, anyway? apparently a yucky navy blue) but only came in large. I went ahead and ordered the "galaxy" color in a small, which was super unusual for me as I haven't bought a dress or any other garments since the sewing bug hit, probably over a year or more. I figured I would at least be able to knock off the construction, even if it didn't fit or I didn't like it.

I got it yesterday - HOW DISAPPOINTING. It was Nicole Miller, so a decent brand, and originally priced at $255, and the fabric was...I can't describe it as anything but "yucky"...and the picture was misleading. It ended up having all of these gathers under the bust, many more than it looks like, and wasn't at all what I was looking for. And they called this thing a "special occasion dress". And the crisscross construction consisted of two ties that came straight down out of the V-neck (kind of like attached i-cord, in knitterly language, but wider and flat) which then criss crossed in front and tied in the back (all the better to complete the maternity look.) The sleeves were also about 2" too long. It was a trainwreck and is going back today. I would show it to you, but it's already packed back into the box and it doesn't really look like much anyway (and is navy blue, so it doesn't show the details that well.)

So this whole experience reaffirmed my belief in sewing my own stuff, from a quality, fit, and cost perspective. I like my fabrics way better than the one they used for this dress.

I'm kind of thinking of turning this pattern (New Look 6729)

into a dress, just by extending the skirt section. I made it before as a top, so I know it works on me. I would just use a gray ITY jersey or wool jersey for it, which I think would really change the look. Anyone know of a pattern that already does this?

Hump Day

Wednesday...this week is actually going by kinda fast. When I just got on the scale, I lost another pound already as compared to yesterday - this lifestyle change is working! I am curious to see where I will plateau out.

Jim mentioned that I should have shown pictures of the bike the other day when I showed a picture of myself on the bike so here they are - he thought you might like to see the "Candy Root Beer" color in the sun:

There are a few other pictures out on my Flickr photostream today of it, but they look pretty similar to these. I will say that I am really enjoying the bike. I originally didn't think we needed to upgrade from the smaller-sized Sportster, but the ride is like night and day and this one is so much more comfortable and "solid". The friend we sold the other bike to rides with us on occasion, and so Jim can still "visit" the old bike and knows it has a good home, so it all worked out.

On the knitting front, I have almost 4" from the bottom band knit on Broderie and we have our earnings webcast this morning at 9 am, during which I always knit, so I should have another inch or so done after that. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the weekend, as I have both sleeves done and everything on the body except the bottom 4" and the neckband done. I will have to sew the sleeve seams and set in the sleeves, plus find a few buttons, so maybe it will be next weekend, now that I'm thinking about it. After that I plan to finish up the orange Leaf Yoke pullover (just needs a hem and neck/armhole edging) and Paloma (just needs little cap sleeves and a ribbon at the neck.)

Hope your week is going well!

IK Preview and Misc. Update

The Interweave Knits Fall issue preview is up and I really like a number of the designs. I also must say - THANK YOU INTERWEAVE for putting up so many bonus photos for each design and in so doing, giving me a unique page to link to for each design. This is super helpful. I'll just talk about the garments, not the accessories, as that's what I pay attention to in each issue.

I like Scoop Pullover, though I'm not sure how flattering it will be on.

I like Maple Street Pullover because it capitalizes on the big ruffle trend going on - it kind of reminds me of Wendy B's "Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardigan" though.

I'm a sucker for a fair isle yoke pullover (I already have more than one in my queue) and so I like Freyja. I have to finish Mirepoix before I begin any more fair isle projects, but I do plan on finishing that soon.

LOVE Slanting Gretel Tee - could this be any cuter? I love the whole layering thing for fall and winter.

Angelica's Coat is gorgeous , though I'd have to scale it down to look right on me.

Not crazy about Barcelona Jacket - I don't think this one is a very flattering shape. Seems like it would make anyone look wide around the waistline.

French Braid Pullover - cute, but probably not too body-flattering.

Clasica Coat - cute, but anything that says it's modeled with "plenty" of positive ease scares me. It does start at a 38". so the 3.5-3" of positive ease for that size would be enough for me - I don't need "plenty". is I know it's a coat and all, but my coats are really only 3-4" of positive ease at the most. Being a smaller person, I just can't pull off that kind of positive ease.

Nordique Swing - not sure. It has that "Swing" word in the name which usually means (for me) RUN! RUN AWAY! But it really doesn't look that swingy on the model and I like what I can see of the lace pattern. I'd have to see the schematic to see the real shape and determine if they pinned it on her somewhere.

Trellis and Vine Pullover - I really like it, but I feel like I've seen it before.

Berry and Bramble Cardigan - this is really cute, but I don't know how flattering it would be. I'm undecided.

Big Montana - Very pretty, but I won't be knitting it. Just a little too chunky. Maybe if it were 3 stitches to the inch instead of 2. (Now watch - I will probably get a wild hair to knit this one weekend and will cast on some Friday night and model it Monday morning. It's perfect for that sort of thing. But did they have to call it Big Montana? I know the yarn is Tahki Montana, but yikes. )

Alpaka Tunic - I LOVE this EXCEPT for the extreme A-line-ness of it. I'd have to modify that to make it only slightly A-line. I also probably would not make it in alpaca, as it would be ungodly hot. I've discovered that although alpaca is wonderfully soft and supple to knit with, I can't handle the heat of most of the resulting garments unless it's the dead of winter and I'm outside in it.

Everyway Wrap -eh. I'm not wowed by it. I really don't need my garments to become different things.

Farmer's Market Cardigan - I'm on the fence on this one - I think I have to see this on some real people before I decide.

Rosamund's Cardigan - cute, but I need to see it on some real people. I'm not sure how flattering it would be - usually I don't like anything that buttons at the neck like that if it then swings out, but this one seems more fitted throughout the body so it might be fine.

So that's the Fall IK preview. I'm liking it! A lot of sweaters, and no fugly designs - woo-hoo! I like this one better than the last few for sure.

So what else is going on? I lost 1/2 pound - doesn't sound like much, but after getting off the water weight from my adventures on Thursday and Friday night by Monday, 1/2 pound down the next day was good as I know it's real weight. I've been studying the Making the Cut book by Jillian Michaels that Jenny recommended and I love it. I took the quiz and I'm a balanced oxidizer - I need a balance of carbs, protein and fat at each meal (which is what I've been gravitating toward lately anyway) and my metabolism is a medium speed. Surprise, Jim is a fast oxidizer - metabolizes food quickly and must have lots of protein and has no interest in carbs.

Also, last night, I asserted myself and made dinner instead of going the path of least resistance and going out and made us two baked Perdue italian seasoned chicken breasts and two servings of medium shells with Prego sauce. I also added a "just for one" broccoli and cheese (45 calorie) serving to get some vegetables but the smell made Jim gag so now I need to save those for lunchtime. Nothing fancy, but it saved the usual restaurant meal and $80-$100. Perfect. I'm really feeling great. My diet during the day is better than that (yogurt, tuna, fruit, sashimi) but the end of the day is my challenge as it needs to be a compromise with Jim PLUS usually I am the hungriest at the end of the day. That's why restaurants have been an easy option as he can get what he wants (a piece of prime rib or a porterhouse) and I can get what I want (a piece of salmon and some rice, or a chopped salad or something.) We're still going to do restaurants and everything, I just want to get out of the routine for every day and we're working toward that.

Weekend Update

I had a fabulous weekend - first off, Cavalia was a great show! What I didn't know before I got there is that we had the "Horse Lover" tickets, which meant that we were in the first four rows, AND got to go "backstage" and see the horses after the show. I would have liked to pet them, but that wasn't allowed. It was amazing to see them though and I wish I could have taken pictures! They really were beautiful!

At the 50th birthday party I went to on Saturday, we took the bike (about an hour ride) and as we don't drink when taking the bike anywhere, I drank COFFEE. That is bizarre for me at a party, but I really enjoyed it. I wasn't tired and I was really into making conversation with everyone. I think coffee may be my new beverage of choice at parties....I must be getting old.

On Sunday, I finished the second sleeve on Broderie, and got all 191 stitches evenly picked up on the bottom half of the waistband. I have about an inch done below that now. Loving this project, it is just so much fun to knit with the two stitch patterns and I love the Cashcotton yarn.

I'll sign off with a funny picture Jim took of me yesterday after he washed the bike:

Me on my bad-ass Road King...

Weekend!!!!

The weekend's finally here after a really long quarter end week!! Last night's Lia Sophia party was really fun and I should be getting some great jewelry -pics to come!

Right now I'm sitting at the train station ready to go downtown for dinner at Brazzazz, a Brazilian steakhouse, and the Cavalia show. It will take about an hour because it's a midday train, but I have my Broderie sleeve to work on and my ipod.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Seven Personality Traits

I was reading Debby's blog and she had a meme posted in which you describe seven personality traits, so I thought I'd play along. It's not as easy as it might seem. What are my dominant personality traits?

1. Love of variety and exploring new things - this is the trait that comes to mind about myself first. I get bored easily and love trying new things.

2. Optimistic and lucky. These two items go together for me. Luck has played such a role for me in getting to where I am - probably equal to hard work. When people say fortunate circumstances or luck didn't play a role at all in their success, I think they are a bit ungrateful to the things that have worked in their favor behind the scenes. I feel like you can "make your own luck" by keeping a good attitude and staying open to the gifts that life can bring your way. (Wow, did that sound sappy or what? "Irreverent smart-ass" should be on the list.)

3.Spontaneous/like going with the flow. This one has really developed over time - it's a learned behavior from hanging around with Jim for the past fourteen years :)

4. Hate to feel tied down or trapped - see #3. I really don't like feeling like I have no choices.

5. Fun-loving - sometimes too much so. I can overdo it sometimes.

6. In contrast to #5, I also need quiet "alone time". I don't think it makes me an introvert, per se, but I need to balance "people time" with "quiet time" in order to feel centered.

7. Intuitive - I often know things about people or situations without knowing how I know it. The logical side of myself has questioned this in the past, but I've learned to go with this and "trust that little voice". I believe that there is much more to life than what you see on the surface, and I am pretty spiritual/New Agey despite my exterior veneer. I strongly believe in karma and making a conscious effort to do the most good you can for others in every situation. I don't succeed all the time, as my snarky tendencies get in the way sometimes, but I do make an effort. I believe with all my heart that you get back whatever you put out into the universe tenfold, both positive and negative. A bit of a tangent there...that should all probably be another trait.

Rowan 46 and New Health Kick

I got my Rowan magazine #46 yesterday and I really like it. I had considered dropping my subscription after a few mostly-wacked out issues, but I'm glad I stayed the course. There are a lot of just beautiful, classic sweaters in this issue. Here are only a few of the sweaters I like as some of the others must not have uploaded to Flickr this morning (I had set them up to upload and then got into the shower without rechecking first.)

Bourne (I think this is really pretty, but I'd have to get over my phobia of Kidsilk Haze)

Lochalsh (I would make this without the silly pom pom ties)

Addison (I would make this for my nieces, or maybe even one of the larger sizes for myself, given the amount of ease Rowan usually designs in)

Marple (I like the texture of this, which I think is achieved by holding together Kidsilk Haze with another yarn)

Guiseley (though I'm still not sure about the belt over a sweater thing)

Chartwell (very pretty, but not sure I'd make it)

Here is a link I just found to a page with all the sweaters if you want to check them out. I also like the Melford Dress (though I'd make it just as a tunic), Sissinghurst, Skye (though I'm not sure I'd knit it, it looks gorgeous on the model) and Stockport (though it's impossible to see the cables in this picture.)

They also have a new yarn called "Alpaca Cotton" which I am eager to see "in person". I was thinking maybe it might be like the Cashcotton I love so much - cotton blend so the stitch definition of that fiber but softer because of the animal fiber. Then again it could just be a heavy, drapey mess, as alpaca and cotton are both heavy, drapey fibers. I would just have to swatch and see. Definitely not one to commit to before swatching! As I told Debby the other day, I have to test drive my yarns before I marry them!

So far my health kick has been going well - aside from my overdoing it on Saturday. I decided to tally up my workouts for the month to date, as I've been keeping track in a log. I've really only done the treadmill this month, with a few outside walks with an audiobook and iPod - no Bowflex or yoga, which I need to get back to. But anyway, with the workouts I have done, it's totaled 534 minutes of exercise (almost 9 hours), 25.5 miles and 3,099 calories burned.

I've also eliminated many processed foods (it really is difficult, they are everywhere) and am eating Activia every day. I'm also trying for six 16-oz bottles of water a day and am trying to stick to water to drink when I'm in restaurants (which is practically every day, which could be better.) However, even though I'm in restaurants, I'm ordering the healthiest thing on the menu and usually only eating half of it, even the salads. I've discovered that Ra Sushi has a sashimi combo of TWELVE pieces of sashimi (just the fish, without the rice) with a small miso soup and salad for only $11.95, so I've been trying to eat that for lunch a few times a week. I also try to plan what I'm going to eat at a restaurant before I get there (today I'm going to Brio with our tax research vendor, and ordering the salmon salad with no dressing and no feta or onion straws.)

My goal in all of this is to lose ten pounds. (Wow, I admitted it to all and sundry.) I've pretty much weighed the exact same thing since I was 27 (TEN years ago) with a few small exceptions - a few years ago when I lost seven pounds on NutriSystem (never again, impossible to maintain without eating their food and it's not that good) and before that when I had gained five when I broke my foot and couldn't work out and Jim was on a kick of making me desserts and Cosmopolitans at home to "spoil me" (which was incredibly sweet, but not good long term.) So, even though I've weighed the same thing for so long, I've noticed just in the past six months it's harder to stay there - like my set point wants to be just a pound more and I have to keep fighting it. I'd also like to be leaner and in "fighting shape" as a sort of pre-emptive move before hitting 40 in a few years. I feel OK about myself but I'd like to feel GREAT! Already I feel better by improving what I eat and working out every day. I'll let you know how it develops.

Dating in the Dark

Since I have no knitting to show besides a half-finished second sleeve, and my sewing mojo has completely left the building, let's talk trashy reality TV shows.

This morning on the treadmill I watched the new show Dating in the Dark. In case you haven't heard about it, they pick three single men and three single women in their late 20s/early 30s(each episode) and over some indeterminate time frame the singles only interact while in a pitch black room.

They go on a group date first to see who they click with just out of the group, then the producers tell them who their compatibility match would be based on questionnaires and profiles completed prior to the show. They then spend the majority of their "dating in the dark" time with this compatibility match, though they can still "free date" by choosing to spend time with the other two singles of the opposite sex (at this point - I'm sure there'll eventually be a gay episode, but at this point it's all hetero.)

So anyway, after a certain amount of time of "dating", they then do a "big reveal" by getting each "couple" in the darkroom, shining a light on the individuals one by one, but neither person is allowed to say anything. Then after seeing what their potential partner looks like, they have to individually decide whether they want to see the other person again after the show. They do this by either showing up on the terrace where the other "half" of the couple is (maybe) waiting, or leaving the house alone. On this episode, two of the three couples chose to see each other again. I really felt bad for the one guy that got rejected as he seemed like a nice person.

The stereotyping is really bad though - I'd say they pick one "very attractive", one "nice looking, average" and one (perceived) "not so attractive" person for each of the sexes. The thing is, there's always something attractive about everyone (in my mind) and no one was unattractive enough to discard them just based on looks. At least to me. The very attractive girl ended up with the average guy and chose to see each other after the show, the very attractive guy ended up with the "not so attractive" girl and chose to see her after the show, though he said he had some misgivings (jerk) and I found it ironic that the "average" girl rejected the "not so attractive" guy (who wasn't ugly by any means - he just kind of looked like a younger Bill Murray) based solely on his looks. But she wasn't any great beauty or anything!

In my single years, I was never someone that dated based on looks - in fact, I got a lot of grief because of it because people thought I should be more picky on that criterion. I just find personality way more attractive than traditional good looks. The few times that I was with someone who was "considered to be" very good looking, it ended up being a total trainwreck. So I am very very dubious about using looks as a sole criteria for relationship potential. Chemistry and a connection, absolutely!! That is key and a must-have, and the average girl/not-so-great looking guy in the episode had that in their darkroom adventures (they kissed and said they had a connection and shared a lot of stories about their lives/families) so I couldn't understand why the girl didn't want to pursue it. I guess this show is meant to illustrate how people make bad choices in who they choose to date! Or from a more cynical perspective, maybe it's scripted and the producers tell them what decision they have to make.

More Ebay Stash Enhancement

RYC Cashcotton DK - "Red Pepper" - I actually got 10 skeins for $35 although only six are pictured here!