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Knitting Friday

Let me start with knitting and end with dieting.

#1 The baby blanket

This baby blanket had to be done by the end of November and I hit a snag from the get-go because I only had small skeins of Peter Pan acrylic on hand which would be mean a lot of knots or Russian joins. I scurried to Michael's, coupon in my sweaty palms, but I didn't use it because the Lion Brand, Pound of Love was the most superior baby yarn there and that was already on sale. I like the color and the feel of the yarn but I'm unhappy that it had two knots since the whole idea was no knots. I just wasted the five yards between the knots so I only joined the yarn once - not happy about that either. Additionally, it was impossible to find and easy yarn end to use from the inside of the skein. (From reviews of this yarn, these are common, frustrating problems.)

But there were a lot of pluses to this knit, the main one being it only took me two days to complete and I had more than enough yarn to make this 35" x 40" including a slight ruffle border.

I used a slanted shell stitch (1sc, ch1, 2dc) in every ch1-space across. (It's a Lion Brand pattern which I can't find but I'll post when I do.) As I remember it: ch 3, *1sc, ch1, 2dc* in each ch1-sp across, and end with a dc in the ch3 from the row below. You start with the typical foundation chain, working the shell into the 5th chain from the hook and then every third chain across. I don't know if you know this but I just learned not to worry about having two many chains for your foundation row. Just pick out the ending chains you don't need. The directions called for working a shell in each space around the blanket for the border. I went up one hook size (J to K) and did that but I also worked a single crochet in the 2nd double crochet after each space. That gave it the slight ruffle.

I started the blanket experimenting with *1 sc, ch2, 2 hdc* but stopped because I had a time crunch. But I do think it would be fun to tweak the stitches on this fast, pretty knit. A book of Barnes and Noble and this blanket will be ready to be wrapped and given.

#2 Modified Birch Vest

At right, is the modified Birch Vest. Remember I had trouble linking to this pattern, (see 11/2/12)? So google Birch Vest and then click on: Pdf Birch Vest Kristin Omdahl - Knitting Daily. I love this pattern for it's yoke. You can see the cable needle I'm using to close the top and the body is one row of K and one row of *YO, K2tog.* So easy and making the cast on underarm stitches with a foundation single crochet eliminates any need to fix the gaps (no gaps at all) in these stitches later.

#3 Birch in cotton

At the left is another modified Birch in heavy cotton. Not the easiest knit but I'm using Chiaogoo needles so that helps. This body is 5 knit rows and 7 rows of: 1 row *YO, K2tog* 1 row *K*, ending with the YO row.

As I said before, I'm going to tackle the Birch pattern again. This time, I'll work the top in the round so there will be no need for that cable needle.

#Matches a lot of tees

And finally in Paton wool, another top. This time with 5 rows of stockinette and 9 rows of lace. This started life as a different bigger top so I tinked back to the neckband, eliminated about 15 stitches in the body and worked the bands of stockinette. I think these bands help to pull the top in and help to make you look slimmer.

Speaking about slimmer, I've been promising a posting about my dieting (started at the end of August) so this would be a good segue.  First of all, for anyone reading this with a weight problem, I don't mean this as an "Oh, look at me, I lost weight." I know what a difficult problem it is to lose weight and the physical and psychological toll it takes on you. All I can offer is some of the things which helped me this time; and there have been so many times before also.

Here are some of the things I did:
1. For the first week, I didn't change my eating habits but exercised every day whether by  walking or using that disc on ropes thingie to reduce my upper arms. I didn't get on the scale, I didn't take my measurements, I just added some exercise to my routine.
2. In the second week, I eliminated all sweets since that was the easiest thing for me to forgo. (I like salty snacks.) So while I started some dieting in the second week, I didn't
"feel any pain" yet.
3. All the time, I told myself: You're going to slip. Don't beat yourself up over it.
4. During the two months (and I'm still dieting), I always had a go-to snack. For me, it was popcorn which I made from 1/4 cup of plain kernels and a packet of Splenda microwaved for about 2 minutes in a small brown bag closed by one staple. (Google this method, it's out there.) Whenever I felt hungry, I would make two bags and just munch. Once and a while I "cheated" with Jolly Time Kettle Corn where the salt rather than any fat is a problem with me.
5. By the fourth week, I was in a rhythm. I started using the treadmill at the clubhouse 20 minutes a day (up to 50 minutes now) and I had a food regimen I used every day. (Though at a party, I did eat moderately.) For me, knowing what my diet was going to be day in and day out helped; others might find this deadly.
6. My daily diet: Breakfast: fruit and coffee; Lunch: a lot of greens, a good protein source, cheese, baked potato chips (sometimes); Dinner: 6 ozs of Greek yogurt topped with slivered almonds. And of course, the daily vitamins I've always taken. My main meal was lunch and sometimes I used Healthy Choice (no more than 13% salt) and added a lot of vegetables to it.
7. I also practiced saying "No" to food since food is a comfort and too often in the past I justified "only one truffle" eating which always led to "only x number of truffles" eating.
8. It hasn't been easy and while I did wear a straight black skirt for the first time in two years I didn't start this diet only because of vanity; I was feeling lousy. Weight just drags you down. I was feeling a tightness in my chest and getting out of bed was more of a roll than the usual "jump up." Those feelings are gone and I know that's got to be more healthy.

I guess the bottom line of advice from me would be: Get onto a healthy diet and healthy exercise. Try to remember a diet should be a blueprint for good lifetime eating. It's going to be a slow haul ("on by the tablespoon, off by the teaspoon") and there will be disappointment. And finally, you should try to get to a healthy weight, not a fashion model weight. (Oh, and always consult an MD first, though I've never found my MDs to know much about good eating but they can monitor you for any problems.)

Good luck and tell me how you're doing.

Next week: I just found the rattiest skein of used burnished gold wool which consisted of about 15 separate strands. After splicing it, I crocheted a scarf. I'm about ready to wash it in conditioner and if this beauty comes out OK after blocking, I'll give you a less-than-one-skein-ratty-wool pattern. Bet you can't wait! Happy knitting.