An FO, a UFO, and a haircut

I officially love Fetching! As I was working this pattern, I realized that working on DPNs is my favorite way to knit. I definitely need to learn how to knit socks.

In the meantime, I learned the cable cast-on, how to make a thumb (using waste yarn, pulling it out, then picking up stitches), and do a knit picot bind-off with this pattern.

AND, this is a feat for me. I finished it in TWO DAYS! I started it at our WWKIP (World Wide Knit in Public) Day event and finished it last night (and not late either). I worked on it while I was chatting with ladies at my church's 3rd Annual Ladies Spa Day so I got a good chunk done there.



I still need to work in the ends, but it's basically finished. I also made sure to start the next one right away so I (hopefully) don't get catch "second-sock syndrome" (a knitters "illness" in which the second item in a pair is not made, or delayed, because the knitter loses interest in the pattern). We'll see how successful I am, considering the number of UFOs I've got stashed away. People, I am sick. SICK!

Speaking of UFOs....here is the Clapotis. Horribly neglected for the past few days, but still in my WIP (Work in Progress) bag.



I love this pattern, and I love this yarn. It's such a beautiful color and texture. I think it will be my favorite scarf for the winter in San Francisco.



I think it's kinda weird that I've been so interested in knitting cold-weather items. Perhaps I'm subconsciously preparing myself for the colder climate in SF (sheesh, I'm talking like we're moving to Wyoming or something, ha!), and using this as my therapy. All I know is that I'm going with it!

Hopefully I'll finish that tank top sometime before summer ends so I can actually wear it. Or maybe I'll end up working on it in the winter so I can feel closer to summer. I am so weird.

Lastly, going back to my Ladies Spa Day reference, I got my hair cut! I also got my eyebrows a bit more under control, thanks to the wonderful women at my church. For the past three years we've done a spa day where brunch and various treatments are available to the women and guests for FREE! It's an awesome opportunity to spend time together and fellowship as women and be pampered. A number of women in our church are skilled in various areas, so it makes for a fun day.

This is kind of a weird picture - it's at a funny angle, but I was having a hard time getting Nathan or I to get a good picture. Most of you who read this will see it in person soon enough anyway!



By the way, if you look closely, you can see that my shoulders got a bit burnt at WWKIP. I wasn't expecting to stay as long as I did, and I paid for it - I really need to find my sunscreen!

PS: I forgot to mention the cool new sidebar gadget. I discovered My VisualDNA through Tracy and Chauntel's blogs. And I liked it so much that I personalized it and put it up here. It's pretty accurate in describing me if you go to the website and view the details of each "label". I don't know where you gals find this stuff.

Not Dieting and an FO

Lately I've been researching and starting to put my hands and feet where my mouth is (more like where my brain is...I don't really talk about this stuff much, but it's been niggling the back of my mind for a long time) and simplify my ways of living, and start being conscientious about what my money supports (fair trade? sweat shops? local business and farms? the environment?) in terms of regular living (produce, groceries, cleaning supplies, clothes, amenities, etc), stuff I waste (electricity, plastic bags, paper packaging) and so on.

One natural outcome of this has been that it's encouraged me to be more resolute in eating healthier as well. If you are trying to eat organic, locally grown, and bulk foods, it's going to be a lot easier if you're eating healthier!

Honestly, I feel more FREE not worrying about tracking points, or counting calories, or specifically limiting certain foods, or whatever. I don't want to diet the rest of my life...I just want to be HEALTHIER, even if it means not losing weight as fast (although I have started losing weight again! Yay!). I don't want to be scared, or feel guilty about, eating something I enjoy either (like CHOCOLATE!). But when I'm generally eating healthier, I do notice I don't crave junk as much.

Anyway, Crazy Aunt Purl Posted today about this same subject of "Not Dieting" and I just love this quote. It put into words what I've been feeling lately:

"Sometimes it feels INSANE to trust myself enough to pick out my own foods without a diet telling me how. It feels CRAZY to let loose and give up dieting forever and just eat whole, nutritious food and once in a blue moon have a piece of warm sourdough bread straight from the oven."

Yay for not dieting! And for being healthy!

Lastly, I have an FO! Yippee Skippee! I haven't really worked on anything since I finished this Sunday, but I'm almost done with the crocheted bag. Only the last couple inches on the handle and doing the finishing and I can add that one to the FOs.

I made up this pattern as I went, and I like how it looks and how nubbly it is for scrubbing. I plan on making more for various cleaning purposes (I might crochet rather than knit, though) and also create some other house and body cleaning tools (I'm thinking of trying to make a cotton version of a shower poof). What I like about these things is that they are both reusable and WASHABLE, so they are more likely to be sanitary and also more likely to last longer.

So, here's my little dish washcloth: