Friday Photos

It's been a while.  I haven't taken a whole lot of pictures, but I have some new ones of a couple of finished knitting projects, so here goes.  The first two are a pattern called Damsak, knit in Wollemeise.  The last two are a patten called Annis, knit in Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga!  The last one is an old picture of Boomer.  I think it's from last year, because the mum plant next to him is much bigger now.

 

 



Happiness is....

...8 years of marriage.  Yesterday was A's and my 8th anniversary.  YAY us!

Cheating on my diet

I didn't think I was cheating that much, but I must be.  I am at the same weight again.  At least my scale says so.  My body doesn't.  I definitely felt thinner the last few days.  So, what to do?  Well, I'm going to relax a little this week on the diet.  I'm not going off the reservation.  My plan is to continue to eat healthy foods, but not worry as much and hopefully avoid the cheating that sets me back.

To frog or not to frog

I think I'm going to frog.  For the non-knitters - that means to basically undo my project.  Sometimes it means just going back a few stitches or a few rows.  In this instance, I think I'm frogging the whole project.  I like the yarn.  I like the pattern.  I like them together.  What I don't like is the gauge at which I'm knitting it.  I started this project a couple of years ago when I first took up knitting again - and took it up seriously.  I still had a lot to learn - not that I don't still have a lot to learn - but I know a lot more know than I did some 3 years ago when I started this project.  (Note - I just went and looked at my project page on ravelry and I started it almost 3 years ago to the day.)  So, it's been sitting there, I decided to take it back up again.  It's a wrap I started for my mother-in-law.  I put it aside when I realized that I could not finish all the projects I had planned for Christmas, so some things had to be back-burnered.  It was a long burner!  Anyway - here's what I have learned - if you substitute a different weight yarn in a pattern, you may want to increase the needle size accordingly.  This pattern called for fingering weight yarn.  I decided to use DK weight.  Thing is, I used the needle size recommended in the pattern, bur remember the pattern is for fingering weight yarn.  I should have increased the size of my needle.  The gauge at which this is knitting up will not get me the nice airy effect of the lace pattern that I would like.  So, I'm going to frog this.  The next real question is do I re-knit with a larger size needle or do I put the yarn towards another project.  Last Christmas, my MIL showed me a shrug she had and asked me if I could knit her another one like it.  The one she has is a very simple rectangle, just seamed to create armholes.  So, I think my best bet is to go forward and knit her the shrug she requested.  If I can reuse this DK yarn for that - cool, it's a color I know she likes.  Otherwise, I will set this yarn aside and decide what to do with it that later and just get some other lovely yarn for the shrug.

still on those last 5 pounds

UGH I was doing well last week, then big party on Saturday - there went that.  I'm feeling a bit defeated - but I'm not giving up.

9/11

Most of us will go on about our daily lives today, taking a moment to remember.  To remember the innocents who were murdered.  To remember those who fought to save them, and in doing so died along side them.  Remember also those who came after.  Those who searched for survivors.  Those who worked to bring their brothers home.  Those who toiled upon the pile to bring closure to the families of the victims.  We don't know the effects of that work, those months on the pile, what that did to them psychologically, what it did to them physically.   Take a moment today to remember them all. 

Tribute

Some things can not be adequately expressed, yet cry desperately to be told
told to those you know and love
to those you meet in passing
told to the children of today
and to those who are yet unborn
You need to tell them what you saw that day
And make them see....
the ones who fought with hand and axe
and took the stairs by twos,
who looked into the face of death
and stayed its hand,
if only for a moment,
with a calm ferocity of spirit
the ones in uniform and those without
who vanished in the coming of a madman's dream
the fatherless...the motherless...the childless who remain to mourn them
Tell them of the great heart of a great people
And let them ask, and let them hear your answers.
To our friends and colleagues at the New York City Fire Department
To the men and women of the Police Department and emergency medical services
To all who have sacrificed and those who will.
We will tell your stories.
We will remember.

Getting back on track

With my calf injury, I got a little sidetracked.  Considering the weekend on the Cape and some other events, the damage wasn't too bad.  But, I seriously need some refocusing.  I feel like I'm there.  I went to walk this morning - but the rains came 5 minutes in.  So, off to the gym tonight.  I started back to waking on Saturday, taking it slower.  I had been seriously focused on maintaining a brisk pace before my injury, but I've backed off that.  I do not want to get re-injured.  Now I just need to figure out how to motivate A to get out there and do some cardio of his own.