Weigh Ins, First Week, Castle, and Cats

(Cross Posted 9/5/2014)

My first week back on Spark People is coming to a close. I'm weighing in tomorrow to see how I did. Overall I feel like I did well; I drank loads of water, tracked my calories, etc. I didn't get quite as much exercise as I would have liked, but Overtime at work and weather unfortunately played against me. 

I'm bought a Spark People workout DVD "Total Body Sculpting", that I want to try out.
I also plan to try a couple of the 10 minute resistance band workouts in the video section of the site.

 I'm making my way through my Castle DVDs in anticipation of the 6th season coming out on DVD soon. "Fool Me Once" from Season 2 is ending momentarily and then it will be off to bed for me. I have more overtime tomorrow morning. Thankfully not a full day, just a few hours.

I heart the Firefly references in this show, of course. Especially the "comic con" style episode. 

 
In one of my previous blogs from 9/1/2014 I talked about some behavior issues with my cats, and mentioned that I was going to get them some toys to see if the interaction helped at all. I got some catnip, a cardboard scratching thing (into which I stuffed some catnip), and some catnip filled toy mice. Oh yes, and the obligatory laser pointer.
I had an empty wrapping paper tube on hand, and some heavy duty yarn, so I attached the yarn to the tube and tied a mouse to that. They were fairly enthusiastic about them at first. Not quite so much now, but that could be because they are in their "down time" phase of the day. I should try and observe them more to see when their more active phases occur.

Over all I have been bugged a little less for attention by Avalon, and Osiris is slightly less of an A-hole. So all in all it was worth the money spent. I also alternate which toys I use on which days, because I don't want them to get tired of something. I don't know if cats/pets can get tired of things, or if that's something humans impose on them incorrectly, but what the heck. Nothing to lose.  

 After work tomorrow I will try and engage their interest again and see if they are more playful earlier in the day. I don't know anybody else who has cats (which is odd, because I think us Cat People tend to gravitate towards one another). So I can't really ask anyone else. 

 
My inlaws have a cat, BUT, that cat is basically a lump. She's kind of like a living teddy bear thing. She doesn't play, just lays there and lets you squish on her for hugs and such. Or she pretends to be a road block and refuses to move out of the way. lol.

Anywho, enough rambling out of me for one night. I will probably have a short post tomorrow (Saturday) after I weigh-in. It will either be joyous and ecstatic or annoyed and sadfaced.

Labor Day Tennis, Plateaus Broken, Cats & Craftacularness

We are watching the live stream at USOPEN.ORG. Tsonga and Murray are duking it out on the court.  Murray leads in the 1st set 3 to 2, but Tsonga is serving and if he holds, there will be a tie.

Some good tennis happened earlier between Djokovic and Kohlschreiber played before this match and it was pretty competitive. I always like watching Djokovic play.



 I weighed in this morning. After a three week plateau, which I didn't think would break, it finally broke! I'm down 4 pounds.  This makes me very happy, as I have a follow up with my doctor on Wednesday morning, and I was feeling a bit discouraged to think that I would be going in there with zero loss for the entire month. But, I know that plateaus are common, so I tried not to let it get to me too much, and hopefully it won't happen again for a long long time.

This week, I plan to kick it up a notch (bam), and get on the treadmill more than I have been. I am also going to buy a single serving blender so I can go back to making my shakes/smoothies, because those helped me cram alot of my fruit servings into my day. Little tweaks here and there keep me on track and get me back on the path.  

I checked out some of the articles on the Spark People site this morning also. I had NO idea there was such an extensive treasure trove of things to read about! I even found articles about pets which makes me happy, since I have 2 cats.

One (Osiris) is a bit of an a-hole; kind of aggressive, not overly friendly all the time. He tends to be nicer to guests though, so at least there's that. He has a bit of a deformity near his tail so anytime someone pets him anywhere near his back end he gets a bit rawr.
The other cat, Avalon, is a needy, needy, little thing. You would think nobody EVER pets her highness, or gives her any attention whatsoever.

Cats & Exercise
Indoor pets require engaging activities, which I knew, but didn't realize the full importance of the fact. I have some cat toys I use occasionally, but it's mainly when I have time, which I would say isn't often. But if I'm looking at all the things I spend my time on, I do, in fact, have plenty of time to set aside to play with them. So that's one of my goals now.

I'm going to invest in a couple of things like a laser pointer and a couple of things I can make a DIY cat toy with. Hopefully it will lessen her neediness and his aggressiveness.  We shall see!

Today is the first day of the September Stashbuster Challenge. I have two projects I am trying to complete this month (which I mentioned in the previous post here). Neither one should take a super long time to make, but for me, the objects of the exercise are

1. Use some of the mass quantities of yarn I own
2. Force myself to make time to just sit and focus and be in the present (mindfulness is one of my overall life goals). 

 

Stay Shiny and Keep Flying!

Hiatus: Over. September Challenges, Stashbusting, and Weight Loss

Good afternoon everyone!

It's been a little while since I last posted :-\  I am terribly lax, I apologize. 
I've been working on some personal goals, and haven't had much time for designing or being crafty.

I re-joined sparkpeople.com which is an online weight loss/healthy living support network. I was there a few years ago, and decided to go back. I like the social aspect of it; lots of message boards, teams, and things to challenge myself and keep me motivated.

One of the teams I joined is a crafty team called United Stitches, and they are doing a September Stashbuster Challenge. The object is to see how many yards of our stashes we can get through over the 30 day period. I picked two projects to work on this month and set up Ravelry pages for them so I can keep track of the progress.

GoT-Inspired Dragon Egg Wristlet
I guestimated based on the pattern page that I will use about 200 yards of yarn for this one. 
I chose a Madeline Tosh Vintage Worsted in Ember and Blue Hosta

The First Egg I Made in Brown and Green

Open Work Knit Shrug
I'm going to start with the amount of yarn used in the pattern (320 yds), but may use another 80 yards if the original size doesn't fit properly.

(This is a picture from the pattern's site. I haven't made this one before)

So my yardage total is 520 minimum.

In other knitting/crochet news, not related to the stash bust challenge,

I am also taking a shot at my first knitting Fair Isle-Style piece (stranded color work). I have never knit in this manner before, but it doesn't look like it will be too difficult, since I asked someone how to read the chart. I've never had to read a chart before, so I'll be learning something new!

The pattern is called Knitted Sea Waves, and I found this pic on the Joann's Fabric site. It was a knitting class I was going to take. Since I already paid and bought the stuff for it, they gave me the pattern even though the class was canceled. Nice of them :-) 

I may attempt to design something in this style in the future. The concept is basic: graph paper and color coding instead of symbols. I'll have to play around with it a bit though. Bust out my colored pencils and stuff lol.

So, I have my needles ready and just need to get my yarn wound off the skein and into a ball, and I will be ready to start the needles clicking and clacking tomorrow when the stash bust challenge begins.

Stay shiny and keep crafting!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

 DID YOU SEE THE SHERLOCK PREMIER?!?!?! I had nearly forgotten it was airing in the US last night. I was squeeeee beyond belief. So many theories about how he did it; and he's not telling which is correct.  I can't wait to see where the storyline goes.

In other news...

We are 20 days into the new year, and I hope that 2014 has been treating you all well thus far.

I have been lax in making any blog posts, and you have my apologies for that. (My apple-ogies as Hugh Laurie would say in Blackadder.)

After the Glacial Melt Scarf, I took a break from pattern designing to do some knitting and crocheting of other people's patterns for a change. After doing several beginner-level patterns I want to try and expand to something a little more complex than one stitch. It's a learning process to be sure!  

In fact, I purchased a book from my local used book store (Half-Price Books for those of you in the Cedar Rapids area) called Crochet Master Class. It contains a plethora of crochet techniques. I tried the Double Ended Crochet, using a Tunisian/Afghan hook and it came out quite nice.  I just made a very small swatch of about 8 or 9 rows using some light purple baby yarn and some Tatamy Tweed. 

Basically, double-ended crochet creates a reversible fabric rather than the one-sided fabric that Tunisian crochet usually makes. With a double-ended hook you can also to Tunisian In the Round, which I hope to explore at some point in the future as well. 

I am considering making some tutorials at some point, but they will probably only be for patterns I design. There are so many tutorials out there already for basic crochet stitches that I think mine would just be lost in the crowd. However, when I design a pattern that is a little more complex than my past patterns, I will try to include text tutorials for the stitches I use.  

Let's see, what have I been working on lately...In my downtime I made the Autumn Splendor Wrap by Darlissa Riggs. It is in the bin of Things That Need Blocking at the moment, waiting on me to purchase a blocking board. I created mine with JoJoLand Tonic in colorway 252AW (light green).

I also made my first ripple blanket! I am very proud of that one. I always thought they looked so complicated, it took me forever to get around to trying it. But it's really so easy. I am thinking about making another one.  I used the Swatch Guide pattern from a small book called Learn to Crochet Ripple Afghans. I believe I purchased it in the yarn section at Wal-Mart. I created it from 3 colors of Caron Simply Soft: Dark Country Blue, Light Country Blue, and Ocean.

I made my first cowl also! It's been a month of firsts. Frosty Night Cowl by Deborah E. Burger. This is not only my first real cowl, but also my first Mobius. It was difficult to get started, for me, because I was unfamiliar with the concept of stitching around both sides of the foundation in a figure 8 pattern. But I am glad I persisted, because it came out really nice in the Ella Rae Lace Merino Worsted, Colorway number 4.

And for my fellow fans of the Hitchhiker series, there is an e-book of 4 knitting patterns available, written by Martina Behm. Hitchhiker: A Trilogy of Four Patterns.

Worth every penny :-)  I made the Hitchhiker pattern from Zitron Trekking XXL, Colorway 463 (orange). It's a very fiery yarn. Hitchhiker  . 

In other news, I have been fairly productive in my writing endeavors. I am 8 chapters into a nifty tale about a woman who finds a time capsule in her back yard. I am also planning to submit a portion of my YA Romance manuscript in the hopes that they will find it worthy enough to warrant a publishing contract.  So I have been keeping fairly busy.

To Do List: Buy a stitch dictionary. Upload pictures of finished projects.

 

Glacial Melt

Glacial Melt Scarf

Developed by NCC-1701 for V Studios

Level: Intermediate Beginner / Knitting

Stitches Used:

YO = Yarn Over

K2tog = Knit 2 sts together

Materials

Size US9 knitting needles

Approx 170 yds Bernat Baby Softee in Blue Denim Marl (or other soft DK weight yarn)

Gauge

Not important to this project.

Finished Dimensions

5.5 inches wide up to 10.5 inches, depending on how blocked you want it

52 inches long, unblocked

Blocking opens the pattern nicely, but leaving the FO unblocked makes for a more textured piece. If you choose not to block, at least block the corners as they will curl in on themselves.

Blocked

 

Unblocked

 

CO any even number.

I used CO 30

Row 1: K all stitches (30 sts)

Row 2: K1, *YO, K2tog* repeat from * until there is 1 st remaining. K1. (30 sts)

Repeat Row 2 until scarf is desired length.

(I did 255 rows not counting the first and last knitted rows.)

Repeat Row 1 one more time, then BO in whatever manner you prefer.

Questions? E-Mail,or leave a comment on this post :-)
You can also find me at Ravelry.com NCC-1701

(you may sell any items made from this pattern, but please link back to me either on ravelry or my blog and give credit where due. You may not reprint and distribute this pattern for profit without written permission. Easily obtainable with an email.)

Fiber Arting Again & Yarn Bombing My House

Hello, everyone. 

It's been about 6 months since I last posted!  I took a break from the fiber artistry for a while; other things had to occupy my time. The move, setting up house, starting a new job. 

The house is fantastic. There is a black wrought iron railing on the upper of the split levels that is just begging to be yarn bombed. The paint scheme is very neutral, so it's a case of anything goes color-wise. I am dragging my crafty friends into the mix, as well. My crochet guru/mentor made a beautiful, bright pink wrap for one post. She added tons of neat geometric shapes and bright colors. It's going to be spectacular when it's finished!

Oh yes, and since I am now a home owner, I have decided to start a small garden. The former owners already have some beautiful flowers planted along the back of the house so I won't be touching those. I am going to add Hostas to the front beds in the spring. 

But yesterday I planted bulbs for Tulips (Queen of Night and Rainbow Mix), Snow Crocus, and Grape Hyacinth. There is a half barrel planter on our back concrete patio, and it seemed like the perfect place to put some flowers. I also found two pots and planted some bulbs in those as well. I am hoping to have some beautiful flowers next spring. I started a gardening journal to keep track of what I plant and where, and will be adding pictures as soon as something blooms. 

In other news: I started a new job. I am contracting at an insurance agency doing data entry, which is something I'm really good at. Eventually I am hoping to become a permanent employee, but I am happy with my current situation.  I am able to listen to my mp3 player while I work, since I don't do any phone work, and I have been listening to Sue Grafton's Kinsey series, and Lilan Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series. Great books!

Last but not least :)  I am working on designing my first knitting pattern!  I am really excited about it.  It all started because I wanted a really simple shrug that I could throw on over a tank top for work, or a strapless top for evening wear. The problem is, there just aren't that many super simple patterns for shrugs; at least none that caught my eye.  

Sooooo, I decided to wing it and write down my notes to make a pattern.  I am hoping to be finished with it in a week or two and have it blocked out so I can take pictures and finish writing the pattern.

I am hoping that it comes out as nifty and what I have envisioned. And hopefully it will be popular enough that others find it easy to work with and fun to make. 

For now, I bid you all adieu, and I promise I will try not to be such a stranger :)  I am considering expanding my craftiness, and hopefully that will lend some fodder for my blog as well :)

Have a wonderful week!

Update!

Hi everyone!  It's been a bit since I posted. Sorry about that!

I got married last weekend, so I've been busy planning that and all. It went off with out a hitch, and the day was awesomely perfect.

Next Friday we close on a house, so that has been occupying a lot of time too.

I've updated my Ravelry projects page however, which it was badly in need of. I made images for the frogged, hibernating, and "image coming soon" projects.

I will do a more thorough update after some projects are blocked, so you can all see what I've been working lately!

-Have a wonderful weekend!