BL Starts Tonight! and Restarted My Socks

Season 8 of The Biggest Loser begins tonight at 8:00! I'm excited because the previews look really good. There are always changes and sometimes new themes from season to season. This season focuses on second chances. Sounds like nothing new considering that's what the show is all about, but this season looks really positive. A former contestant returns and there's a contestant there who lost her husband and two kids in a car accident. It looks like the entire group meets together to introduce themselves, and they train with both Bob and Jillian rather than against each other in two separate teams. Can't wait to see it all start tonight!

On the knitting front, I've frogged and restarted Jared's lattice stitch socks since last posting. The unevenness of the stitch pattern from switching back and forth between knitting styles, and forgetting and not being able to see where I was (hello: black yarn) which resulted in errors caused me to start over. In starting over, I discovered that I'd gotten better at casting on 2aat cuff down. Knitting in one style, Continental Combined, has worked well with the purl stitches of the lattice stitch pattern. Something else I changed was to alternate Longtail CO with German Twisted CO (for the purls in my 1x1 rib). The CO edge looks entirely like longtail but will have some extra stretch from the hidden German Twisted CO stitches.

I have to mention the specifics on how I CO 2aat magic loop if it helps anyone else having trouble. I do the method where you CO all of Sock 2 followed by half of Sock 1, then the second half of Sock 1. Instead of pulling out the loop right away after CO all of Sock 2, I wait until I actually get to that sock on the 1st round so that I don't have to stress out over stitches twisting. After transferring Sock 1's stitches to the other side and facing the front side of those transferred stitches and holding the tail and working yarn, I turn the work around so that my left hand is ready to CO the second half of Sock 1 onto the same needle that holds Sock 2's CO stitches. The reason I CO Sock 2 first is so that when I turn my work around to begin the first round, my two working yarn strands coming from my single Ziploc bag aren't twisted in the home/starting position. Waiting to pull the loop out and knowing how to twist the tail and working yarn to CO the second half of Sock 1 made a BIG difference for me (less stress!). The same two principles could be applied to the other method where you CO half of Sock 1 first, CO all of Sock 2, and then finish CO the second half of Sock 1. I'm now seeing the appeal of why knitters might want to CO all stitches for both socks at once and pull out the loop for both so that your home position is in middle between the two socks. :-) You could hold off on pulling out the loop on Sock 2 with this method until you get to that sock on the first round.

Speaking of CO magic loop 2aat, I also read something I want to try for toe-up socks. Toe-up 2aat CO is super easy, but the increases at the beginning of side 2 for magic loopers can look crappy because of the cable separation. Some Ravelers suggested working each toe separately until the toe increases are done, then put both socks on the same needle. Sounds good to me! I'm going to do that on my next pair of toe-ups.

I also wanted to blog about a recent park visit but will wait until next time since this post is already long enough!

100% Bamboo?

Recently I read a thread on Ravelry that was very interesting, especially since I just bought a bamboo blend yarn. The Ravelry thread references a recent FTC Consumer Alert on the fiber content labeling practices of companies who sell clothing, linens, or other textile products. Here's the FTC Business Alert concerning bamboo labeling. These alerts were preceded by the FTC charging four companies with deceptive product labeling and advertising concerning bamboo. As of August 2009, all fabric labels now have to say something like "rayon from bamboo" or "bamboo rayon" rather than just "bamboo" since the majority of bamboo fabric is actually rayon. Also, proof (via testing) must be shown for products labeled as "bamboo" or those claiming to be derived from bamboo.

So what's all the hubbub about? Truth in labeling and possibly misleading "green" claims. Up until the FTC blew the whistle on the four companies, many products labeled as bamboo were in fact rayon derived from bamboo. Is rayon derived from bamboo still considered bamboo? No. Let me quote the FTC: Even when bamboo is the “plant source” used to create rayon, no traits of the original plant are left in the finished product. So, not only could companies sell rayon labeled misleadingly as bamboo. They could also get away with labeling products as bamboo rayon even if they were produced from cellulose resources other than bamboo. Their thinking? If there are no traces of bamboo left in the end product, why not use a cheaper cellulose source? With all the attractive qualities naturally inherent in bamboo, people might want to know if they're in fact buying bamboo or be certain that their bamboo rayon is actually derived from bamboo.

I'm no expert in the least. But from the little I've gleaned, bamboo can be processed mechanically or chemically. One process method that qualifies a fabric to be labeled as bamboo is mechanically crushing the woody parts and retting it with natural enzymes. Since this is the same process that's used for linen, sometimes the resulting fabric is called bamboo linen (or bamboo litrax). Chemical manufacturing processes and technologies other than the viscose process (to make rayon) are appearing which are more eco-friendly (e.g., the lyocell process, the process used to make TENCEL, can be used on bamboo cellulose) and are trying to retain bamboo's natural properties. See here and here for more information on how bamboo fabric is processed.

Truth in labeling and advertising. Are you getting what you think you're paying for? BTW, my bamboo blend yarn is labeled "rayon from bamboo." However, the website lists it simply as bamboo. The yarn is Spa by naturallycaron.com. Well, at least the yarn label is accurate. I found all this bamboo brouhaha interesting since it relates to yarn. I love my Regia Bamboo Jaywalker socks! I've also used SWTC Bamboo which is listed as 100% bamboo, and I have to say that I believe the label because it has a slightly scratchy, linen-like feel to it compared to some other bamboo yarns to which I've been exposed.

Verde: A Final Pic and Lattice Stitch Socks CO

Though it's been finished for weeks now, I finally braided the drawstring cord for my Verde string bag. I think it looks complete now so I thought I'd include a pic here, especially since it contains some new yarn in it (can you see it?)! On Labor Day, I used a gift card at JoAnns to buy some Country and Spa yarn (both by Caron) and some Serenity Sport Weight yarn ( a Deborah Norville line by Premier Yarns). The gears are turning inside my head as I plan exactly how I want to make Marie and Ian hoodies and Ian a pair of soft pajama pants. I browsed patterns on Ravelry last night to help steer me toward which features I want to include in my knits. At the moment, I definitely know that their hoodies will be pullovers, not cardigans. Everytime I make them a cardigan, it almost looks too fancy to wear at the playground. So this time I want a sweatshirt-style hoodie. Oh, and I do want to have either a handwarmer unipocket or two separate pockets on the front for their hands. Stitch patterns, cuff, hem, and neckline details are still on the drawing board for now... Eventually, I'd love to learn how to line my knits, especially hoodies and bags. Wouldn't that be nice to have a fully lined hoodie for chilly fall days or, at the very least, lined pockets for your hoodie?

Originally, I did a very nice tubular CO for Jared's Lattice Stitch Socks. Since you can really see the green and blue jewel tones, I decided to keep this picture. The second socks picture is the newly re-done German Twisted CO. Since that picture, I've finished 1.5" of ribbing and started the lattice stitch leg pattern. My borrowed audiobook of Pride and Prejudice is due tomorrow at the library, so I've been listening to the last of the CDs at night while knitting these socks :-) I'm so glad that I originally read P & P nearly last of all the Austen books because it's so superior to the others. That's saying a lot, too, because the other books are excellent. Each Austen book has a certain draw to it from the storyline. P & P has the best combined qualities of all the other books. ...In my opinion, of course.

While out shopping for yarn, I also went clothes and shoe shopping. Target had a bunch of stuff on clearance, so I grabbed some things for Marie and Ian. At Kohl's I found some Avia trail running shoes that are very comfortable and sturdy and some casual short sleeve tops that were on sale. My old running shoes were cold in the winter here because they only had thin see-through mesh on the toe area. These new shoes are all-season, so yay! Now that I'm equipped with the right shoes, maybe I'll finally make it through the winter here, running, for the first in a long, long time (college maybe, definitely high school). Winters were so mild in Raleigh that I've been a wimp each winter since moving back to Ohio.

Marie starts preschool tomorrow! It's hard to believe that from now on, she'll be in school most of the year. It's only 2.5 hours 3 days a week, but still... wow!

Lullaby Socks FO

Pattern: MSKS Vertical Lace w/Twisted Ribbing
Yarn: Stroll Hand Painted in Lullaby colorway
Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) KP Options fixed circs
Notes: Frilled CO 120 sts. Decreased down to 60 sts in ribbing pattern on 1st rnd. Garter-edged slip stitch heel. Standard toe (I think? The directions seemed slightly different to me.).

I love these socks! I actually stalled my knitting of them at times to delay their being finished. The yarn's colorway is beautiful, and the socks are very cozy :-) Next up are socks for Jared. He picked out the stitch pattern and the colorway of KP Stroll (midnight heather: black with jewel tones of green and blue).

After exactly one week off from mildly spraining my left ankle, I went running tonight. Marie wanted to go, too, so we took the jogging stroller. A good run! This afternoon we went to a cookout over in Hilliard where we had really yummy food. North Carolina was brought to mind with the pulled pork and corn casserole. Friday morning we went to the zoo with Karen, Brandy, and kids. The red panda (visible for once) and tiger (being fed!) were especially fun to see.

Green River Ordinance: Live @ The Basement

Oh my, what a fun night out! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening. It's been quite a while since I've gone out with friends and felt giddy and carefree. Last night was perfect because it was just me and my good friend Ronnelle going to see Green River Ordinance, my new favorite band.

We got to The Basement early enough to chill and have drinks, catching up on anything and everything while sitting on one of the many couches aligning the right wall. For the first time in a long time (years) I ordered a couple of drinks at the bar without having to worry about anything else at that moment. After a second drink (I actually got a beer for my second drink, if you can believe that), Ronnelle and I grabbed a spot along the upper railing at stage right. The Basement is a very intimate venue, so you can stand pretty close to the band. GRO started about 8:00 and played for about an hour, ending with their current hit single Come On. When they played my favorite tune Endlessly (click here for that performance) halfway through their set, I sang along softly and took it all in that I was listening to them live 15 feet in front of me and not on YouTube. So cool!

After GRO finished playing, we lined up for autographs and to purchase their CD. I got both the lead singer (Josh Jenkins) and one of the guitarist's (Jamey Ice) autographs on a poster. (Thank goodness for Sharpie markers because Ian later spilled water on my poster. >:-s) I also got a free promotional CD on which is an acoustic version of a song I really like called Piece It Together. Later after the line died down, Ronnelle and I went up to the lead singer so that Ronnelle could snap a picture of us with her phone. Neither of our phones have a flash, so what you see in the above pic is what you get. Editing could only do so much. Looking at that picture now, it makes me laugh because it looks like I'm leaning away from Josh. Ha, silly girl! It's just a picture.

Yesterday afternoon before the concert, I had emailed 107.9 (radio) to say that I liked Green River Ordinance and to please keep playing their music. Well, after getting home last night, I noticed that I'd received a response from the station operations manager who said that if I got his email in time and called, I could come to the station to watch GRO's interview and performance which, btw, played today around 1:00 PM. I would say "Darn, I missed it," but... Here's the podcast and photos!

Every day I have fun doing all sorts of things on a small scale. But I realized after last night that I need to get out more often. Not a lot, but just enough to allow myself to be giddy and carefree on occasion and remember what it's like to be me, Jackie, regardless of age, kids, or whatever. Here's a pic, which you'll probably recognize as my new avatar. Don't I look happy about my impending girls night out?!
Quick Knitting News:
I got my Knit Picks order of sock yarn in the mail today :-) Midnight Heather and Tidepool Heather Stroll. Yay!

Socks, Ankle Scare, and GRO Concert

My Lullaby socks are on the final stretch. So... I'm already thinking about ordering some more sock yarn, especially since I'm planning to make Jared some socks, too. He, of course, likes black and dark blue :-\ Good thing I'm getting some practice right now with dark sock yarn!

Friday night I almost sprained my left ankle, which would've been the third time. After getting up from the couch (knitting), I didn't realize that my left foot was asleep enough to make it vulnerable while walking. All I did was walk from the living room to the bedroom where I then lost my balance on my left foot. Luckily, I caught myself before putting my full weight on it. I only felt a slight pop and didn't notice any immediate pain or swelling. Saturday evening, I still went running and it felt pretty much OK, although I treated it cautiously and went running earlier than usual. Yesterday afternoon, I took Marie and Ian to the zoo where I walked around for a few hours. Today, however, I do notice some slight swelling and faint bruising. Darn! It's my running day, too. So, I guess it's time for RICE instead.

During this short post, I've had to get up to change a poopy diaper, change a DVD twice, get a box of crayons and markers, make some chocolate milk, move something out of reach, and have Ian beg that I share my lunch with him even though he already ate. So you can understand how excited I must feel to get out with a friend tomorrow night for a girls night out! We're going to a concert at The Basement to see Green River Ordinance and NEEDTOBREATH : featuring Griffin House. I've never heard of NEEDTOBREATHE or Griffin House. I'm just going because I want to see GRO! GRO opened for David Cook a few weeks ago, and I'm glad that they're back in Columbus so soon.

Can You See Any Purple?

Tonight while sitting out back before sunset, I took these pictures in the hopes that I could capture better the purple hues in my sock yarn. Not quite sure if I succeeded... But, at least you can perhaps see better the lace pattern I'm knitting. It's a 5-st vertical alternating lace with twisted rib. How long do you, those who regularly knit socks, knit your sock legs? I'm thinking of knitting this one about 6" maybe? Almost mid-calf is my goal. This has been such a fun knit, all because of the combination of yarn and pattern. I've got the simple 4-rnd pattern memorized and therefore can enjoy it from here on out. Love it!

I meant to mention on my last post that I've been listening to my first audiobook. I checked out Pride and Prejudice (thank you so much knit night ladies for planting the seed) and have been listening to it at night while knitting or surfing the net when everyone else has gone to bed. It's more enjoyable than I thought, listening to a book being read. Next, maybe I'll see if the library has the Jim Dale audiobooks for the Harry Potter series :-)

Outdoor Fun and Finished Socks

Oh, thank goodness. My strawberry latte anklets are finally done! Here they are:
Pattern: Simple Toe Up Anklets (Rav link) by Rachel Calado
Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted fingering yarn in Strawberry Latte colorway; Regia Bamboo
Needles: US 0 KP Options fixed circulars
Notes: I substituted a Sherman heel and reduced the length of the ribbing. Instead of doing 2x2 rib, I used 1x1 twisted rib. For my BO, I used EZ's sewn BO worked on the WS. Gosh, it's been so long since I did the toes, I might've changed the short-row method on those, too -- can't remember, other than that I used the Magic CO as my provisional CO.

So now I'm down to two projects OTN: Wright and Lullaby Socks. Knowing me, I'll get the itch to add a new WIP! I'm already thinking of making a sweater for Marie and Ian's Winnie-the-Pooh bear. Also, I love making pajama pants for Ian. ...and both of them will need a cardi and/or pullover hoodie for the fall ;-)

Speaking of fall, that's what it felt like on Sunday! I took Marie out very near where I grew up to walk and play at Prairie Oaks on Big Darby Creek. Before ending our visit at the play area on the west side of the creek, we walked the greenway trail from the east side to the pedestrian bridge. As we approached the bridge, we had to let a long line of people on horseback go first. Marie had a hard time budging me from my viewpoint on the bridge as I gazed at the winding creek. During our visit, we listened to the loud chorus of insects that are much amplified when visiting prairie or woods. I love that sound in late summer and early fall! The flowers and tall prairie grasses are so beautiful this time of year.

Yesterday evening, we went to the OSU football team practice at the stadium. As we walked along the Olentangy from the Lane Avenue bridge toward the stadium, we counted 6 blue herons fishing in the river. I love those birds! We had 4 resident blue herons at Lake Lynn in Raleigh, a 5-minute walk from our home. Every time I went running there, I'd look for those herons as I crossed all the many bridges that edged the lake. I'm so glad that herons live here, too. Marie, Ian, and I saw a huge blue heron at the zoo recently. It was standing in front of the lake as we headed toward the pedestrian tunnel. I've also seen a heron at an inlet of the Scioto while heading to the zoo on Riverside Drive. I think that a visit to Pickerington Ponds may be in our future!

Started My Lullaby Socks

It took several attempts and froggings, but I finally got my Lullaby Socks cast on Friday afternoon. For me, casting on two-at-a-time cuff down literally gives me a headache. When I'm concentrating on knitting one sock's CO sts, the other sock's CO sts get twisted. Once they're twisted, I have a hard time righting the stitches since I'm not able to tell whether I've fixed the twist or not, or whether it just happens to be loose between CO sts. When my head began to pound Thursday night from my casting on attempts, I decided to put off casting on again until the next day. Friday afternoon, I decided to try the Frilled CO mentioned in MSKS. Somehow I managed to keep all those stitches from twisting -- yay! Since taking the above pictures, I've completed 16 rnds of the lace pattern on the legs with 10 rnds of ribbing in the suggested rib pattern (P1, K2, P1, K1-b).

In other news, a friend's mom passed away this past week after a 2.5-year battle with cancer. Her name was Alice and she was 72. My friend is the youngest of her 10 children. Alice and her husband Robert had married in 1959 and lived on their farm for nearly 50 years. They recently had moved to Delaware to be closer to family. I feel bad for my friend because one of her sisters died from cancer back in 2004.

Tubey Tank Done

Here's my lastest use of scrap yarn: Tubey Tank. Luckily it turned out overly long as planned so that Marie can wear it next summer, too. I finished it while watching Pride and Prejudice which happened to be on TV last night :-)
Pattern: none
Yarn: various scraps of dk cotten blends
Needles: US 6 16" circs
Details are on my project page on Ravelry, but basically this is just a 3x1 rib tube top with a drawstring closure. The color changes are at the beginning of the round which I placed at the left side. I really enjoyed knitting this entire tube top in Continental Combined! It's not often that my entire project is ribbing. The last time I did a full project in CC was my Marine Tubey sweater and before that my Central Park Hoodie where there were columns of purl between cables and ribbing. It really does make all the difference in the world in evenly matching purls with knits and helping avoid the forearm fatigue from throwing (or the finger fatigue from flicking, if you knit Continental) the yarn on all those purls. It sure was nice to lazily pick both the knits and the purls, mirroring each other exactly in movement. Can we say, "Ohmmmmmm." Oh BTW, doesn't Marie look like she's wearing a big girly tube sock?!

Luckily, Marie actually likes this top (compared to the white halter tank I just made her). She says that she'll wear it. Whew... Good thing because I think it's cute. I like the colors, and I know it's comfortable on her. Until I finish Wright for myself, I'm going to not let myself CO for any more kid projects. ...which reminds me...

Good news: I'm down to just two (although soon to be three) WIPs! Wright and some Claudia Handpainted anklets. I'm frogging some sportweight socks today to make my KP US 1 fixed circs available to knit my first pair of MSKS socks in KP Stroll Hand-Painted Lullaby yarn (see previous post for pics). I still have a cell phone cozy on my US 1 dpns, but it's hibernating for now.

A Tracy Flick Moment and Yarn-y Loveliness

For those familiar with Reese Witherspoon's character Tracy Flick from the movie Election, you'll understand what I mean when I say that my husband had a Tracy Flick moment. I'd gotten tired of cleaning all the toys off the living room floor and decided to give up doing it until someone else wanted to lend a hand. That was weeks ago... Thursday night when I came home from my weekly knit night, the living room floor was clean. I guess hubby stepped on a sharp-edged toy and heard tribal voices inside his head, hence the Tracy Flick moment. :-D (Actually, you could also say a Rachel Barry moment, too, but you get my point.) He proceeded to have my daughter help him put away the toys. Ahhh... yes (sigh). BTW, the floor still looks good four days later -- wooHOO!

Note: Skip to end of post for pics of yarn-y loveliness if desired ;-)

Friday was our 10th anniversary. We took the kids to the zoo and enjoyed the afternoon. Then we all came home and had some Donatos pizza. Marie got hot at the zoo and asked if she could wear the Dream Swatch headband I recently knitted while walking to the car. So that's what she's wearing in this pic.

Since last posting, I celebrated my birthday. We went to see David Cook that evening which was fun because it had been a while since I'd gone to a concert. I loved the opening band Green River Ordinance, as many of you already know ;-) When I went to last week's knit night, I received a very nice present from my knitting bud Kristie: a signed copy of More Sensational Knitted Socks!! I've been wanting that book forEVER, and she surprised me with it. Kristie got it signed by Charlene Schurch at Sock Summit which we all got to hear fun stories about, not to mention fondling all the lovely haul of yarn-y goodness she brought back with her. Kristie didn't have a class with Barbara Walker, but she got to speak to her at an impromptu moment during the summit. She also had a class with Jess and Mary-Heather from Ravelry. Lucky woman! Nearly all, if not all, known knitting designers were at that event. How awesome it must've been to be there in the midst of knitting greats and enthusiasts!

Speaking of Barbara Walker and luck, that made me think of the really cool article I recently read in the Fall 2009 issue of Twist Collective. If you have time to read it, it's worth it (as is viewing all the nice fall patterns -- I like so many, I can't narrow them down yet to my favorites!). Elizabeth Zimmermann's goddaughter Joan Smith walks into a knitting shop. She introduces herself and asks to have a sweater EZ knitted her decades ago repaired. Besides the story, what's also interesting is the EZ sweater design because there are none like it in all of EZ's books. Next up to read, time willing, is the accompanying Twist Collective article "The Tale of the Green Sweater" written by Joan Smith.

Pattern: a modified Katja.
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby (yes, I still have some)
Needles: US 5 KP Options 24"
Notes: This summer halter tank is written for up to 24 mths. I sized it up to a 5T with a 24" chest circumference. I knit the tank seamlessly ITR, added a garter stitch division, and then added some 12-st feather-and-fan lace after a plain stockinette portion. So, I guess you could say this was a Katja-inspired tank for my daughter. She didn't like it at first, but warmed up a little to it when she noticed that Cinderella wears white... Maybe she'll warm up to it more next year -- that's what I'm hoping since I made it big enough for her to grow into.



Last, but not least: YARN-Y LOVELINESS!! This skein of beautiful sock yarn from Knit Picks arrived in today's mail. Squee! (Did I really just use that word?!) It's the Lullaby colorway of the new Stroll Hand-Painted. As with my photos and those on Ravelry, the violet shades don't show up as well. There is a good deal of violet in this yarn, about a 50/50 mix. It could be this dye lot, but I think it's just hard to capture on film. I love it all the same! This afternoon, I browsed FOs of all available MSKS patterns on Ravelry and made a list of contenders. (A little voice inside me is also pleading, "make Hedera or another Pomatomas." But I will not stray!) Next I plan on reading the book between now and Thursday's knit night, hoping to wind my skein into a ball while there (please, please Julane!). I wonder if I could get away with separating the skein into two balls using a scale (crosses fingers hopefully)...

Oh yeah, one more thing: it's really, really muggy outside tonight. How do I know? I went running around 8:00 PM. Though I've missed a couple of times for whatever reasons, I've been running since August 1. Tonight was a challenge, not only due to mugginess which I'm used to after living/running in Raleigh for 8 years, but also because all my running intervals ended uphill! Yeegads, that was tough. But, it felt good: I felt every last bronchiole (and their respective alveoli) of my lungs functioning and blood coursing through every last capillary. At the end of my run, I finished with walking lunges up the driveway and a set of lateral squats. I've worked up to 5 minutes of running at a time with short walking intervals in between. So, I'm running more than half the time. Once I make it 5 or 6 weeks in, I should be fine. I probably won't be running the entire time at 5-6 weeks, but my body will feel more up to the task at least and the habit of running will be developed.

Getting Things Done

Yesterday was all about cleaning up the kitchen and catching up on laundry. With two kids, it's easy to let things slide, especially in the summer when there are places to go and things to do. My return to running and working out seems to be what spurred this cleaning stint. Normally, I sit a lot throughout the day. But after shocking my metabolism by exercising for the last week, my body has been in recovery/adapt mode. I feel like I need to do something at times rather than sit... similar to the need to knit or do sudoku while watching TV to keep my hands and brain from being idle.

My goal is to run 3 times per week with off days of working out to my Cardio Max and Power Sculpt dvds (The Biggest Loser). When I alternated these two things last spring, my legs looked the best they ever have even though I didn't quite get down to my goal weight range at the time. The endurance built by running and the strength and power built through all those lunges and other aerocircuit moves are a good combination. Just yesterday, I was reading that the best way to maximize weight loss is to alternate two types of cardio (and be sure to include strength training, of course). That's exactly what I was doing last year, and it worked. Actually, I've been able to lose weight with just running. But by including workout dvds that combine cardio and strength training, I'm able to sculpt and tone my legs in a way that running isn't capable of on its own. Plus I like getting my upper body more muscular along with my legs so that I look more balanced.

My first time back running was last Saturday, and I followed that up with a run on Monday. The first run didn't make me that sore, but the second one sure did! Even my feet hurt (from all the extra weight I'm guessing). The first time I ran with my daughter in my jogging stroller, and the second time I didn't. Maybe I pushed myself hard to compensate for not having the stroller? My time on the second run was 36 minutes with 19 of that running. It felt so nice to be outdoors, alone with my thoughts and challenging myself. At the close of each run, I did some walking lunges up the driveway followed by stretching. I should've run or worked out yesterday.
But, after standing on my feet all day cleaning, I decided to postpone until tonight after knit night. Then tomorrow I'll run.

Now that I'm done with the Dream Swatch headband, I thought I should CO for an upsized girl version of Katya (a baby girl tank). I've already made the cups and straps and have joined in the round. The pattern is now tucked away while I knit rounds and rounds of stockinette with some possible rounds of purl/garter.

Dream Swatch Headband FO

Pattern: Dream Swatch Head Wrap by Wendy Bernard.
Yarn: Knit Picks Essentials Multi in Confetti, 1 skein divided and held double
Needles: US 5 KP Options

Notes: I only did 2 pattern repeats and CO 2 extra sts on each end (14 sts total). I ran out of yarn before the headband became long enough to use as a wrap. So, I sewed on a button with my last bit of yarn to use with the holes that fall naturally in the center of the headband (between pattern repeats). Since there are a series of holes, the headband is adjustable.

Now that I've made this, I might at some point have to make Calorimetry for when the weather gets colder. I have a blue fleece running headband, but it's not for extreme temperatures unless it's worn under a hat. I'd also like to make a beret or some other slouchy hats this fall/winter...

This weekend I made more flax seed hair gel (FSG). For the first time, I added some rosemary and oregano per a recipe variation. The rosemary smelled wonderful and mixed well with the lavender EO I added later on. However, my next batch will probably not have any herbs in it (or, maybe only the tiniest pinch of rosemary) because I like the lavender on its own. Many people add a variety of things to their FSG, but I like it very simple. The only extra ingredients I might add, other than the EO, are honey and aloe vera gel. This stuff works so well under regular storebrand gel. If it were strong and heavy enough, I'd wear it alone. But, it's too lightweight for my hair (like the weight of a mousse) unless I put in several handfuls. Anyway, I thought I'd share a pic of what the FSG looked like cooking on the stove. The whole process of making FSG only takes 10 minutes, 6 of which are for boiling. What a cheap and fast way to make an expensive storebought gel!

And finally, recent pictures of the kiddos:

Fall IK and fall previews; Return to running?

I got my Fall 2009 Interweave Knits in the mail today! Wow, didn't the preview just go up not too long ago? I haven't looked through it yet, but right off the bat I like the Farmer's Market Cardigan. Once I've taken the time to really scrutinize each pattern, I'll mention more patterns that I like :-)

Another knit blogger mentioned that Vogue Knitting has their fall preview up. Congrats again to Saunielle for her pattern which is in this issue (see this link for 360-degree view)! Also, Jared Flood has a very nice collection of patterns coming out for Classic Elite Yarns, Made in Brooklyn. His attention to detail is impressive as always. I've always liked his style. BTW, now that Knit Picks has City Tweed HW, I can finally make his Morningside Neckwarmer. Lastly, from looking at the Knit Simple fall preview, I'm interested again in making a moebius cowl. I want to do the moebius cast on that Cat Bordhi shows on YouTube. You work from the center outward in the round :-) If interested, here's a dissection of the different types of moebius construction...

Every time I get on Ravelry, I check to see the ever-growing stash and projects of the new Stroll Hand Painted by Knit Picks. I'm loving the Lullaby colorway -- WANT! The more I see Ravelers' stashes and WIPs, the more I'm liking Lullaby and Make Believe the best. BTW, I like how the Stroll Hand Painted is dyed like Imagination rather than Stroll Multi -- less chance for pooling.

My Dream Swatch Head Wrap is coming along nicely. I'm only doing two pattern repeats so that it's more like a headband. Also, I'm doubling the sock yarn, Knit Picks Essential Multi in Confetti leftover from making "Louie" (Lola) Bunny.

Tomorrow, the family's going to our first Clippers baseball game in the new stadium downtown. From the outside, it reminds me so much of the Durham Bulls' ballpark. Can't wait to see if the inside is the same, too! If so, it'll be classy and modern with the feel of a real baseball stadium. I love that it's downtown and in the Arena District.

Oh gosh, I almost forgot to mention that I... went running tonight! Actually, my intent was only to take a long walk. I had my daughter and the jogging stroller with me. She walked about 1/4 mile and decided to sit in the stroller for the remainder of our outing. She asked me, "Mommy, can we go faster?" I said, "OK, maybe a few sprints here and there." She liked it so much when I ran that I felt like I had to keep it up. I ran for 3-5 minute intervals, only walking long enough to catch my breath. What was strange was, despite being my heaviest ever (30 lbs overweight), I didn't feel bad at all. Normally when I haven't been running for a while, I feel pretty rundown only 10 minutes in, both my muscles and my breathing. Tonight, I felt fine. It was perplexing to me that I was easily pushing my 30-plus-lb 4-year-old and that my deltoids weren't burning too badly from the constant contraction. Well, I'm pleasantly surprised and feel the stirrings of motivation! Maybe I'll be able to enjoy running once again this summer. I need it. It's been a while since I ran regularly. January - May 2008, I trained for a 5K to shed baby weight. Though I did get back into decent shape and lost about 8 lbs, I didn't enjoy it thanks to some lingering postpartum issues. Since I didn't experience any issues on tonight's run, I'm looking forward to hopefully enjoying running as much as I did back in summer 2004 (pre-kids). That was the last time I truly loved running and was in great shape.

Lola Bunny Finished and Bequeathed A New Name

Meet Louie the bunny! This little guy is already snuggling with my 22-month-old boy tonight. Yet, I managed to take a few pictures before introducing him to his owner. The yarn is Knit Picks Essential Multi in Confetti; 2 skeins held double on U5 circs, magic loop. The only mods I made to the Lola Bunny pattern were to: 1) CO provisionally via the Magic CO so that I could continue working the opposite direction without having to pick up CO stitches; and 2) omit the tail. I did make a tail and sewed it on. But it ended up looking like Louie was, how shall we say, pinching something. So sorry for the foul description and resulting mental image I just presented to you. However, now you can see why I took the trouble to carefully remove the tail asap. Anyway, here are the pics!

Lola Bunny Progress

Here's the final picture of my Chinese Waves #2 dishcloth. Originally, it looked a bit ridiculous because I ran out of yarn halfway through. So, I folded it in half and sewed it closed. Much better, and I kinda like the spongy feel. I think I'm done with dishcloths for now. Although, if I feel motivated enough, I'll make some Tribble kitchen scrubbies.

I'm making good progress on Lola Bunny (see picture). I got a lot done while my daughter was away at grandma's! I'm currently working on the ears and have the bum, tail, and face after that. The face is done with embroidery floss, which I already have in my cross stitch supplies. Can't wait to see the end result -- Ian has already become interested in it and likes the colors of the yarn :-)

Sometimes when I'm checking the Ravelry forums, I stop and search for new groups that might interest me. Last night I thought I'd check to see if there was a group that speaks Italian. YES! When I went to their forum, there was an Intro thread entirely in Italian. Since it was too late, I only read the first page of posts. But, I plan on reading them all (9 pages) and adding one myself. It's cool to see a wide spectrum of skill levels from beginners to native speakers. I think I'll learn a lot. And they're talking about knitting! In addition to this new Rav group, I've favorited a couple of Italian knitting blogs and sites to check frequently, not to mention some links to real Italian recipes, all in Italian. It's a fun challenge. I'm still doing Babbel, too, where I've built up to 1085 words and 800 or 900 some phrases. For grammar, I've been reading some of my college texts. Re-learning and remembering all the different verb tenses is probably the most challenging thing for me and my 35-year-old brain. Funny, that, because in college my biggest hindrance was vocabulary which is now easy for me in comparison. Back then though, I didn't have interactive sites like Babbel to build up my vocab...

Ciao!

Verde Bag Pics

Pattern: Verde
Yarn: Knit Picks CotLin, 3 skeins (glacier, kohlrabi, lantana)
Needles: US 4, 6, 10

Knitting the lace mesh part of this string bag was my favorite part. The woven stitch at the bag top wasn't too unpleasant either. The only parts I didn't enjoy doing were the bag bottom and the fabric stitch strap. In the case of the strap, the extra time and effort was necessary to create a nice sturdy, nonelastic strap. The bag bottom looks like something unmentionable. Yet, it flattens out a little bit with ironing. The decreases and my nonelastic BO at the bag top created a narrow-diameter opening.

So... after seeing Marie model Verde and get all excited, I think I might let her have it. It's small enough for her to carry around and pretend she's Ariel collecting treasures. We could also use it to carry toys on-the-go or small knitting projects. I just know that it's not possible to be used as a regular market bag unless you're getting only small items. A cereal box definitely wouldn't fit. I think the next time I make a market bag, I'm going to do a rectangular bottom and be sure that the opening isn't narrow ;-)

I've decided to fold my latest Chinese Waves dishcloth in half and sew it closed to make up for running out of yarn halfway through making it. When I get a chance, I'll do that and take a pic. Next up is finishing my summer Berroco top Bright and some other projects that have been in letargo. I might CO for Lola Bunny today, too.

Two Dishcloths Down, Possible Tribbles To Come

With all the leftover Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn I have from last year's foray into dishcloths (and since it's summer), I thought I'd make some more. Having loved the Chinese Waves pattern the first time around, I just had to make another. The second dishcloth is a variation of the diagonal garter stitch DC with a textured center using skp and YOs.

FYI: If making the Chinese Waves DC, be sure to slip sts k-wise to get a holey look which includes the illusion that one "stitch" is split horizontally by two colors. In contrast to my Chinese Waves #1, I tried slipping sts p-wise this time round, and my dishcloth looked completely different and "wrong." So I frogged and started over. Go figure that a simple twist of a stitch makes such a difference. Next up: Tribbles. Great use of scrap yarn!

Tonight I listened to a few Knit Picks podcasts since I've gotten severely behind. Of course, the first podcast I listened to was the one about the new fall yarns from Knit Picks! Next I moved on to the Cookie A. interview and various snippets of other podcasts. I still need to listen to more... so behind.

On Ravelry, I saw that I have 6 WIPs... Hmm, maybe I should label some of those as hibernating? Anyway, the projects I'm actually working on now are: Bright (drape neck summer top), Verde (market bag), and soon a Lola bunny rabbit. My 2 pairs of socks and cell phone cozy have been on the back burner. I might frog the sportweight pair of socks because they're really heavy, and I'd rather use my green skein of Louet Gems on something else, truth be told. Maybe a hat? The ankle socks are suffering from second sock syndrome all due to my not making both at the same time. Hopefully, I'll get those finished in time to enjoy wearing them this summer! The cell phone cozy... dunno... My ultimate number of WIPs would be 3: one sweater/top, one pair of socks, and one kid project.

The new Knit Picks handpainted sock yarn, Stroll Hand Painted, looks awesome! I'm so happy that Knit Picks has come out with a machine washable handpainted sock yarn. What a pleasant surprise! As beautiful as Imagination is, I probably won't ever buy any more specifically to make socks since it's alpaca (I love alpaca, but not with socks), not machine washable, and felts very easily. The colorways of the new yarn are really, really cool!

We went to the zoo today -- always enjoyable. There was a 2-week-old orange-colored baby silver langur. Just as a zoo keeper was explaining that the female holding the baby wasn't the mother, another female came over and took the baby into her arms. Supposedly, all the females were passing the baby around. The kids and I decided to take the boat ride through The Islands, and surprisingly Marie was allowed to sit by herself in front of Ian and me. Both of them really love being at the zoo.

Low humidity=good hair day; Sara Bareilles' song Gravity

I just checked the current local humidity and dewpoint at 11:29 PM: 52 and 49, respectively... Meanwhile in Raleigh, NC (my former locale): 84 and 66. I actually got cold while outside with Marie before sunset. It's amazing how different 67 in Raleigh feels compared to here! The dewpoints in Raleigh never dip below 60 during the summer. My curly hair is loving this stretch of super-low humidity and dewpoints :-) Today was one of those good hair days that comes out of nowhere. Good hair days are few and far between for us curlies, so I enjoyed it all I could even though the only outing I made was to go grocery shopping. BTW, in addition to the low humidity, I've been doing two things differently: adding honey to my leave-in and adding gel after briefly plopping (not before).

On STYTCD, there will be new pairings Wednesday. Instead of going into all of that, I'll just say that I'm curious to see what happens this week. Last week's Mia Michaels dance is still in my mind, and I've managed to watch it a couple times each day. It's addictive, pun intended.

The Sara Bareilles song Gravity, which was used in Mia's dance, is so haunting and beautiful. It was a perfect match for Mia's choreography. I thought I'd share two different videos of it here. This link will take you to the music video, and here is a video from Sara herself with just her and the piano. This isn't the first time I've been impressed by Sara Bareilles. She did a beautiful song with Ingrid Michaelson called Winter Song that I found while reading someone's MySpace page. Recently, I found out that her most popular song, which I didn't care for until now, turns out to be written in response to her record label trying to pressure material out of her: "I'm not gonna write you a love song cause you asked for one, cause you need one..."

Last, but not least: I CAN TRILL/ROLL MY R'S COMPLETELY NOW. Not especially exciting to everyone else, but it is to me! It was only a few weeks ago that I finally figured out how to roll my double R's for speaking Italian. Then two or three nights ago, I had another mini breakthrough and could finally trill for several seconds without much effort or thought. Woohoo! I've been driving everyone in my household batty with my trilling. It's funny I never learned how to do this while playing the flute. But then again, I didn't need to because I was taught to use just my diaphragm to do flutter tongue (different from double or triple tonguing), kinda like lightly laughing super, super fast. It's like whistling, but to demarcate the notes you use your diaphragm muscle and not your tongue. Well... I can now cross off rolling my R's from my list of impossible feats. Yay!

Sheldon #2 Finished

Pattern: Sheldon
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport, green apple and sky (1 skein each)
Needles: US2 circs and US3 DPNs

Comments: For my second Sheldon, I tried improving upon little things here and there. The most prominent improvement is the applied i-cord around the shell. If you look at the picture above that shows both Sheldon profiles, you can see the difference. All I did was insert a YO before the PU & K a stitch through the shell and attachment panel. Then when you go to pass the slipped stitch over, you also pass over the YO at the same time. The YO acts like a connector and hides any blips of contrasting color. On my first Sheldon, you can see blips of purple yarn peeking through my green i-cord. Here's the tutorial from which I learned this technique. It's one of those techniques that gets long stowed away after bookmarking and then finally gets used for something. I highly recommend it, and will probably suggest it in the Sheldon forum.

Marie is not wanting her brother to have this second Sheldon. She actually was crying about it because she wants her Sheldon to "have a friend." Uh huh, right. She's jealous and still needs to learn that not everything is hers. Right now, Ian's Sheldon is next to him in his bed to greet him when he wakes from his nap. Did I mention that he calls Marie's Sheldon "C-Pa"? I bet that's what he'll say when he notices his new turtle :-)