Knit Once, Purl Forever

My Yarn Store

Saturday afternoons during the last hour they're open: that's my favorite time to visit my favorite local yarn store. With no other knitters present, I can browse to my little heart's content and fondle any skein or ball of yarn without bumping into anyone or, much more likely, having someone bump into me. And, as the only customer, I get all the attention.

I also get the scoop on knitting trends. Usually this is in the form of the latest hot new yarn or pattern. This time the hot topic was local yarn stores and local economics. Specifically, the fact that we have too many local yarn stores for the number of local knitters. Oh, and knitting is going out of style. Funky scarfs and ponchos are out and knitting is no longer the hot, trendy thing to do so business has been impacted.

More yarn for me, I say.

Here we have Reynolds Lopi for felted clogs in Hawkeye colors and four balls of Tahki Bunny Print, which is soft and fuzzy at 50% Merino Wool, 25% Alpaca and 25% Acrylic. I have no idea what I will knit with the Tahki, but I had to get it because it was half price. Had to have it. I'm thinking scarves for my nieces for X-Mas.

It's hard to pass up a yarn sale, especially when it's a yarn that I've eyed before.  Some of the yarn store talk centered around yarn sales per customer and I was surprised to learn that we have at least one local area knitter whose yarn budget totals $20,000 per year. Yes, that is $20,000. As in 20 K.  I don't keep track of just how much I spend at the yarn store, mostly because I'm afraid to know. But I'm sure it's no where close to that.

At a prior place of employment, we once attended an off site vendor meeting to discuss some deficiencies in the level of customer service we received when we were inadvertently privy to the wrong handout. This interesting little handout revealed that our company was one of the "Little Dawgs" while also listing all the "Big Dawgs". We weren't very happy to learn of our standing because we suspected this shed a lot of light on the level of customer service issue.

So this experience, combined with the recent yarn store talk, leads me to wonder if local yarn stores have such customer lists. Do they have a list of "Big Skeins" and "Little Skeins"? And does this effect the level of service received?  I don't have any complaints as I've always received the right level of help to match my needs, but I do think it's an interesting question.

Alpaca Yarn Cloud

First off, I just want to say that I have the best blog readers EVER. Ever, ever, evah! You crack me up! You all are so funny and supportive, I truly appreciate and adore you.

To answer the questions (and maybe a couple extra that you didn't ask) in your delightful comments:

• The yarn cloud in question is Suri Elegance Alpaca.
• You should use this yarn at your own risk.
• And you can't say I didn't warn you.
• I think it really might be laced with crack. Pun intended.
• You know what they say: Crack kills.
• Ripping was a no brainer, because this stuff is such a treat to knit that I wasn’t sad for one instant when faced with the inevitable (right word??? a better word choice escapes me) need to rip my first attempt at the shawl.
• I'll do anything to prolong this knitting experience.
• Well, maybe not ANYTHING.
• But I do love this project SOOOO.
• Yes, I'm currently reknitting this again with the same yarn(no photo cause it's pretty much the same as before, minus mistakes and only 4 inches long or so).
• So far, so good.

Lessons Learned

In a word: lifeline, lifeline, lifeline.

Okay that's three words, but you get the point. I'm now using a lifeline and moving it after each pattern repeat so that if I have to rip, all won't be lost again.

I have to finish this project some time, you know.

Ripped Pants

My obsession with the Icarus Shawl is still going strong. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this Alpaca yarn is what clouds are made of. This shawl is as light, fluffy, and airy as a cloud. A soft, fluffy shawl cloud.

A mistake ridden cloud.

Somehow I've ended up with mistakes here and there throughout this project. I noticed there were problems, of course, but I chose to ignore them. I ignored them, but they didn't ignore me. They've been mocking me the whole time.

Mistakes, mistakes everywhere!

So I ripped the whole thing out. All 240 plus stitches times however many 80 gazillion rows. And I didn't care. One. Bit. I was HAPPY to rip. I whistled while I ripped.

How very very scary!

All She Wants

Crazy people walkin' round
with yarn in their eyes
And all she wants to do is knit, knit
Too hot to venture outside
who wants to melt?
And all she wants to do is-
And all she wants to do is knit
and make the Icarus Shawl
She can't spare the time to post a blog entry
She wants to purl
She wants to yarn over
And all she wants to do is-
And all she wants to do is knit!

Knitting lace. Wow!  How addictive. Who would have "thunk" it?  I'm loving the Icarus Shawl. Although I'm not even to the fun part of the detailed lace pattern yet, this is my first experience with lace-weight yarn and wow, I'm blown away. It's also my first time knitting Alpaca. Wow, again. It's all a rush. I can't stand to put it down.

And I'm already planning my next shawl.

Wow. All I want to do is knit lace.

And since this is all meaningless drivel, here's a little Sunday sky on the side.

Extreme Vacation

 

See you all at the end of the week! There might even be a little extreme knitting to report if I play my cards right...

The Trekxplorer

To make up for my lame June hike with my Trekking sock, I made a concentrated effort to do it up right this time although it really wasn't all that difficult. I've been exploring the exercise trails behind my office building. We won't mention the fact that I've worked in this area for nearly a decade and am just now exploring these trails. No, we won't mention that at all.

We'll just get on with the Trek Along: (As usual, click any photo for a bigger view.)

Before the Trek Along. See how peppy I am?

And I was peppy and excited to explore those trails because I don't have many opportunities to be one with nature. As I took in my surroundings, it really seemed as though I was one with the beautiful scenery along the way.

Of course, I remembered to stop along the way just to smell the flowers.

The knitter in me can't help wondering if I can spin this?

Just when I adjusted to the scenery, nature's creatures started appearing left and right.

The Trekking sock enjoyed the sights as well.

Of course, there were other signs of life.

Three hours, 112 pictures, and one giant bottle of water later, I've never been so happy to see my car.

Priorities

Cross my socks and hope.

I have a million bazillion things to do prior to our getting out of town and onto our long-awaited family vacation. Lots. To. Do. So what am I doing?

Oh, I'm doing all the important things. I'm reading and commenting on blogs because I'm all about the time management. I'm leaving short, quick comments so that makes it okay, right?

And I have packed a few things for the trip already and I've been contemplating what else we should bring. Of course, all of these items involve yarn and knitting projects. I haven't packed anything else. I'm trying to find something I can knit for eight hours straight in the car. I'd like that something to be a simple something that doesn't require a lot of concentration or pattern reading.  Oh, and it must not be socks or anything on DPNs as the Hubby likes to tailgate so I have this fear of becoming the Knit Once Shish Kebob at the hand of my own needles. Not a pretty thought.

It is the middle of summer so I'm thinking that it can't be something heavy or scratchy.

So what to knit, what to knit... My mind is drawing a blank, but I do have a finished object to post, so that's one good thing.

Sock Garden Crew Socks
What does one do when one only has one ball of sock yarn and not enough yardage for full-length socks? One makes crew socks of course!

Specifications
Yarn: Knit Picks Sock Garden in Zinnia

Needles: Size 3 US DPNs

Pattern: Totally made up with a 3x1 ribbing for the band and stockinette for the foot.

Time: This was a really quick knit in that it only took about two weeks off and on. More off than on, actually. I love this colorway and the sturdy feel of the yarn.

The Big To Do

This is the week before we leave on our family vacation, the same week the boys return from out of state at their dad's, and two weeks before the big project at the office kicks off. Things have been more than a little crazy here, so I'm all about the meme. As seen over at the Knitting Doctor.

Life's to do list - I've bolded those I've gotten around to:

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon --We're planning to do this on our upcoming vacation!!
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

Oooopsy!

I'm sorry to say that I don't have the promised Trek Along update after all as a certain Carrrrrazzzy blogger forgot that today was/is her wedding anniversary. Can you say ooooops? Fortunately (or unfortunately--I haven't decided) the Hubby remembered. (Oh, the guilt.)

In my defense, we usually celebrate by taking a little weekend getaway. However, we took this trip earlier this summer, so somewhere in my warped mind I thought we already celebrated our anniversary.

On the Hubby's behalf he completely surprised me by cooking a healthy dinner (salmon, brown rice, and steamed asparagus--cooked all by himself!!) because he thought I was psyching him out to see if he had forgotten. First of all, I don't play games like that, but I like that he might think I'm trying to keep him on his toes.

It was a sweet surprise. So, I'm off to spend a little time with the Hubby. It's the least I can do.

The Trek Along will just have to wait. I think I underestimated the time it will take to post that anyway as I will have to sort through over 100 photos I shot that day. Just more of the crazy! =)

Garden of Disconnect

In embarking on this lifestyle change in my quest to become fit, I've realized that there is a vast disconnect between what I believe works and what actually works.  I think the disconnect is part of the reason my past attempts were less than successful. So, I've been focusing on a different area of disconnect each week.

Week 1: The Food Disconnect
I'd like to lose 20 pounds by the end of August as I have a wedding to attend and I would like to fit into something in my closet or maybe even purchase a sizzling new dress in a much smaller size. In the past, I would have followed the latest diet craze or fad in hopes of achieving my goal. Over the years I've followed them all: the carb diet, the protein diet, Atkins, South Beach--I even tried some grapefruit diet I read in a women's magazine once.

None of those diet plans work for me. Sure, I would sometimes lose a little weight here or there on one of those diets, but it was never permanent. Once I returned to my normal eating habits the weight would return as well. I need to address those eating habits as they are the main reason I'm on this quest.

This time I'm doing this the old fashioned way. I'm keeping track of my calories and logging everything I eat. That said, I'm really not limiting what I eat because this is a lifestyle thing and I can't realistically say that I will never eat candy, cake, or chips again. If I choose to eat one of those sinfully good but diet busting things, I keep track of the calories and log it. In doing this I found that just one tiny bite of the Hubby's cake or whatever is often enough.

I'm learning to eat healthy foods in the proper portion size and to avoid my habit of eating when I'm bored. I'm learning that it's okay to feel hungry, although I really haven't been all that hungry.

I still need to address the eating late at night thing. We often have dinner after 7:00 p.m. and it's not unusual for us to eat as late as 9:00 p.m. When we do eat early, I find myself consumed with the urge to snack late at night. I need to work on eliminating the late-night snacking even though I'm snacking on healthy food.

Week 2: The Water Disconnect
I know I need to drink eight glasses of water per day as a minimum, but I don't like to drink water so this is a constant challenge for me. I know all the tricks to this: the Crystal Light, flavored water, lemon, ice water to burn more calories. I just need to do it. Every. Day. This will continue to be a challenge for some time.

Week 3: The Exercise Disconnect
Exercising first thing in the morning works best for me in regards to my schedule. Hitting the treadmill at the gym early in morning allows me to get it out of the way and get on with all the things I need to do in regards to my job and my family. This causes the least amount of impact to my family. The disconnect is that I really don't enjoy running on the treadmill and there aren't many classes available this early.

The exercise plans that have worked in the past include fitness classes where I paid a small fee and walking outdoors--not walking on a treadmill. So, I've been walking daily and decided to sign up for a couple exercise classes at the gym. I plan to attend all of the available classes next week to see which classes I like best.

Progress Update
So far, I've lost seven of the 20 pounds I would like to lose by the end of August. It's just a start--I still have a long way to go in achieving my overall goal of losing 40 pounds total, but I feel healthier already. Better yet, I feel that I'm on the right track to making this a permanent thing.

Added Later: Tune in for a Trek Along update tomorrow.