knittingbuddha

Whirlwind

We lead a pretty quiet life to most people’s standards, sometimes bordering on hermit status. However, lately, I have felt a bit caught up in the whirlwind effect. My mind seems to be flying from one thing to the next in rapid succession. It isn’tRead

Knits

Digital StillCameraI took this picture because I was excited about the seeds I was starting in our new mini greenhouse. Stuff was sprouting after just three days but I have to say, this picture is so last week. I will take some more over the weekend because they are really doing well. I think this might be the cucumber seeds and they are easily 4-5 inches tall already. Really, I wanted to post to see if my new setup is working properly. I think it is, but still have some things to figure out about it. I'm not convinced that this is the template for me, and of course only time will tell. When I first set it up, I thought there was a choice about having a front page so my current challengeis to either find that setting option, or just get used to the way it is and evaluate otherwise if I like it enough to keep it.

Seedlings…

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Seems to be a theme running through my days. In an effort to try something new to streamline my blogging into one blog, I was clicking around the wordpress themes and uh-oh, I thought I lost all my content. A few updates and clicks later, and my wonderfully awesome wife had it fixed. But it was feeling a bit out of date to me. You see, Knitting Buddha the car has gone on it's way... Digital StillCameraI got a new car in December and traded it in. It's sad to  no longer have this image greet me as I walk out the door, but it is on my computer desktop, so I do still see it every day. But that sadness is swiftly mitigated by the simple fact that I totally heart my new car. Not particularly Buddha of me, but true just the same. It makes me happy. So all this just to say, I am trying out this new look. I want to do all my various blogging and journaling from one source and it might look like this, and it might not. I am also going for a new look with the hair on Saturday, so very much like that, only time will tell if it was a good decision or not...

A new look…

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Not really, but it sure seems like it. I have been working on my Color Affection and will evaluate it tonight. It might be nearly done. From reading the pattern, I thought that the short row section went all the way to the second side, but having seen a few finished (and correctly) versions in person, I now know it doesn't. I need to check and see if mine looks like I have gone far enough with the short rows. My problem came from using the lesser number of rows in the first section and then again in the second section, knowing this didn't correspond to the same version which would result in my stitch count being off. I didn't think it would matter because the pattern seemed to indicate that the short rows go all the way across the third section. They don't. This is a shot of the shawl in progress from the point I was when we left for Rhinebeck. It was the only road trip knitting I took, and I really thought I would finish it along the way. Didn't happen. I made good progress, though, and I am going to be on a push now to get it finished, perhaps making it my constant companion. I recently tossed my stash and found about 8 WIPs that need finishing so once Color Affection is done, I am going to try to plow right through the rest of them. On another note, Clare was none too happy about modeling my first spin to knit finished object. The pattern is the Very Braidy Cowl. the fiber is from Three Waters Farm and I got it in a Ravelry destash. I spun it on a spindle and then chain plied it on my wheel. The entire time I worked with this fiber, I was thinking of my friend Lisa, so off in the mail it went to her and she likes it. Very squooshy and soft and definitely good colors for her. there is plenty of other spinning going on, have no fear... Houston has recently gotten its first Trader Joe's store and frankly, I was unimpressed. I can't really say what my expectations were, but I was somewhat disappointed. that said, we will in all likelihood be going back on a regular basis. First off, it was love at first bite of Mango Mochi. There are other flavors of Mochi, but I might be hopelessly devoted to mango. Then there are the little mini cracker things of both the plain and soy/multigrain varieties. Love them. The cranberry orange scones were also a delight. And finally (this go round), their mild Italian sausage is pretty near perfect. Last night I made the sausage with some onions, and escarole and peppers from our farm box. I have never cooked escarole before but at least now I know what to do with it. I have been using my enameled cast iron dutch oven a lot lately and it has become my favorite one pot pan. I sauteed the onions and peppers with some garlic in a little olive oil for about 5 mins until soft and then I added the sausage links and browned on two sides. I added a can of peeled and diced tomatoes with all there juices and a can full of water. Once that came up to a boil, I reduced the heat to a simmer and then added the escarole without stirring it in and covered the pot for about thirty minutes. Then of course, I went to spin and forget about it. After 30 mins or so, I gave it a stir and proclaimed it done. The sausage was very tender and the greens and other veg all nicely combined. Leftovers for lunch will be awesome.

All spinning all the time…

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In my last post, there are links to images that were the inspiration for the yarn I just finished spinning. On my new spinning wheel (more on that in a future post). Here is the finished yarn all spun up. Crappy images as I forgot the camera and have just scanned them in an effort to get a post up. This is my before and after compilation. The multi color is Figs, and then the coordinates are Coral and Plum. This is my second wheel spun yarn and I am pleased with my efforts. The pattern I am going to knit calls for more yardage, but I think I can make it work if I fudge it a little if necessary. I got 277 yards of figs, 306 yards of Plum, and 312 yards of Coral. The Color Affection Shawl is slated to be my road trip knitting on the way to Rhinebeck in October, but it might get knit sooner because knitting with my handspun yarn will translate to modifications I need to make to my spinning. The learning curve is pretty steep at this point.

Color Affection Shawl

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My loss of the month of June seems very fitting. It flows right into how I have been feeling in a why bother sort of way. Uninspired. totally. Since joining up with Farmhouse Delivery, my eating has been the most nutritionally sound ever. I am making every effort to not throw anything away and only passing on the items I know I will not eat. For example? Two weeks ago we got some okra and I had every intention of using it in a stir fry recommended by my friend Mariet that she insisted keeps the Okra fresh and crisp, and not at all slimy. I just didn't get to it and had to throw it out. So when okra showed up again last week, I passed it on to one of my coworkers who I know finds it delightful. Inspiring, even. I still have carrots from two weeks ago that are crisp and will cook them up tonight with some ginger and honey. I also still have an acorn squash that I am not yet sure how I will cook. Maybe baked and stuffed with wild rice, but the acorn squash has a longer shelf life so I can think about it a bit further. Tomorrow we see a new delivery. It might have figs or blackberries and I might eat them upon delivery because figs? Can't get enough of fresh figs, ever. Then there is our first garden. It is nothing short of a success where the tomatoes and cucumbers are concerned. I might turn into tomatoes and cucumbers. I have been eating them every day for lunch (at work). I bring in a cuke, and a handful of small tomatoes and if I have one, a small avocado. sliced up with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, or a dribble of balsamic if I have remembered to bring some.  Add to that a few stone ground wheat crackers and I am more than full on few calories. Possible too few, but what's to be done about that if full? I feel it's an issue of concentration in some way, and I just can't be bothered to find consistency in tracking. The fitbit was going strong for the first six months, but the last couple of weeks I have been a fitbit slacker and I am currently trying to get back into it. I feel that the inconsistencies are even in my thoughts as I am composing this post, and I fear that my incoherence is pretty blatant. I feel the best path for the moment is to just sort of go with it. My eating is under control for the most part, and I am definitely eating the right foods. The real exception to this is the peanut butter m&ms. I am better having them on hand then not. When I don't have them available, I resort to more of a binge sort of situation. When they are available, an ounce of them in the evening is more than satisfying. But still, I would rather not be eating them as much as I am, but at least it is under control for the most part. I can't seem to focus on tracking and eating well simultaneously, so I am going to focus on what I am eating and not worry about calories because with it being so produce heavy I am still moving toward improved health. I was hoping to have seen some progress by now, but the scale still doesn't move so I will focus as much as possible on improved health rather than weight loss.

What happened to June?

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I can't believe I haven't posted here since January. That's pretty pathetic. Many projects have come and gone and are now forever in the ether. At least in my ether though they happily reside in someone's reality somewhere, but there is no way I am even going to try to cover lost ground. It's just lost. About an hour ago, I got my juice that I made this morning out of the fridge. It's a yummy ginger, pineapple, watermelon. Then I got distracted with a little work (imagine that) and poof, the notion of the juice was gone just like that. But I just looked over and there it was on my desk, still happily in my reality. Therein lies the difference... I have certainly been knitting away over the past several months, and currently on the needles is a throw, possible a gift, possibly for us as I remain undecided. The yarn is super bulky and squooshy soft, and if the image actually posts, you'll see, a lovely progression of color. I just had to have it and it's a souvenir from our most recent road trip. I bought it at a shop on Long Island after having taken the ferry from CT while visiting friends. It was a lovely sunny day and perfect for an unplanned side trip. And not to disappoint, the unplanned side trip resulted in finding a lovely yarn store. Awaiting the needles is some more luscious yarn from the same company, http://handpaintedknittingyarns.com/. I don't know how soon I will start this kit. It knits up as a striped bias shawl with gradual color changes. There are a few other knitting projects going, but in other fibery news, earlier this month I went on a fiber retreat with 17 wonderful women from Yarnorama. the retreat was held in LAGrange , TX, about an hour and a half away. While there, I learned to spin on a drop spindle and have so far spun my way through 3/4 of lovely fibery goodness I purchased on the Marfa road trip back in February. What started out as this lovely bakll of fluff, now is starting to resemble yarn...like this...     The Dark Side welcomes you...

No, I haven’t taken a knitting hiatus…

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Not much happening here. I am doing fairly well with the eating choices for the most part. I feel that there is an ongoing shift in my resolve to be more fully committed to healthy choices with each week that passes. There is still an ongoing battle with peanut butter m&ms though there has been a shift with that, too. I feel if I am craving something, my body is trying to tell me something. The level of craving seems to fluctuate and when it is really high, I get them, no recriminations. I do my best to enjoy them with a healthy dose of reason. We joined up with anewish CSA sort of program called Farmhouse Delivery. They have been an Austin company and have recently begun servicing Houston, too. Unlike a traditional CSA where you prepay at the beginning of the season (or year in some cases), there is a weekly charge to your credit card and you can start at any time. Everything is locally sourced and if not organic, sustainably grown. We got our first bin from them yesterday and between that and the garden we have going, our healthful choices are going to be ratcheted up a notch or two. The mango we got yesterday was a bit too ripe to slice but have no fear, it didn't go to waste. I cut it open and got all of the fruit into the blender and then blended it with some vanilla ice cream. It was a perfect use for it. We also had a small pizza using a locally pre-made crust from the Farmhouse additional shopping options. I spread the crust with a tbs of olive oil and then sliced up one of the heirloom tomatoes we got, some basil from the garden and some locally made mozzarella. Oh, and carmellized onions. Tres delish. With the pizza we had a small caprese salad. Definitely a modest dinner compared to how we used to eat. I did my month of 1000 calories as suggested by the doc and the scale still hasn't moved an any appreciable way. I take that to confirm I am eating too few calories (even when I was eating 1500. So not I am going to shift the other way. The online calculators I have tried say to maintain my weight I should be eating any where from 2347 to 3818. My doctor said to make the math easy, 3000. The calculator that factored in the most specific info says 2700, and the average of the high and low is 3082. The last time I was actively losing, I think I was eating about 2200, and if I take the docs 3000 and take off 500 cals from that per day to lose a planned pound a week, that puts me at 2500 a day. For the next month, that will be my daily goal and we'll see what happens.

May is almost out the door…

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I try to never say never, but I don't think  I will be doing that again any time soon. I'm glad I did it and I am equally glad to have finished, but it wasn't in any way fun or inspiring. The experience has left me a little flat. I know that all my cons would be moderated had I followed through better with my planned training, but there just aren't any pros. I went to the website with the photos from the race photographers, and while I didn't expect than any of them would be flattering, I feel so much better than I look in these photos. Of course that makes me wonder if I am just deeper in denial than usual. I have a bruise on my right big toe under the nail and I am pretty sure it is from the 5k. I think my toe nail was a smidge too long to be walking in a sneaker that long, and I think as a result I injured the nail bed and have a lovely bruise. I am hoping I don't lose the nail, but that is what it feels like might be going on with it. I also had a huge blister post race on the underside of the same toe that has since resolved itself. I was expecting my shins would be sore, but they weren't, but for the 13,000 plus steps I did on race day (first time my FitBit went past 10k steps), I didn't get past 2,000 steps the day after because my feet hurt so much. Still a good weekend step average, but not something I want to be striving for. Just. Didn't. Like. It. The past week I have taken a sort of break from the juicing. I have still been doing the fruit blends in the morning but something is off with my digestive crud and I am trying to get that back on track a little. In addition to that, we will be on vacation for 2 weeks and I want to not be going from juice to not while on the road. Still undecided about packing the cooler. I think we will be making more effort to be stopping where there is a grocery store available so we can have some better choices. It's all good.

Post Race Post

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