Knit & Nosh

whoops

I just signed up for Enchanted Knolls Happy Hooves club.  5-6 ounce batts produced from an off the grid, solar powered farm.  The bank account groaned just a wee bit.

cheese, how fair thou art

As a knitting aside, I am having a real problem with this whole non-dairy thing.  I have been a vegetarian most of my life.  I remember meaty school lunches in elementary school, and while in college the only green things I ate were pickles or m&m’s.  Other than those short  college years, my diet has been cheese based.  Oh how I love cheese.  I love an artisan soft cheese as it turns from sliceable to spoonable.  I love a blue cheese that is so ripe it will not crumble.  I love a cheddar Panini in the middle of the night.  I love a baked pasta that drips with cheesy goodness.  I love a pizza on the grill topped with spoonfuls of Basil-Ricotta and shredded Fontina.  All of this is dead to me.

Non-dairy cheese SUCKS.  Hard.  Really, hard.  There are non-dairy cream cheese and sour creams out there, but they are simmering pools of MSG and so are off limits to me.  The first few of months of no cheese, I did OK.  Now?  Now I am pissed.  During the course of a day I will find myself hungry and will not eat only because there is nothing to eat that is appealing.  No pizza, no pasta, no cream based soups, no grilled cheese, no nachos, no quesadillas, no omelets, no nothing.  I am sick of green salads.  I am sick of chick pea salad sandwiches.  I am tired of avocados and tofu.  Holy crap!   Feed me!

Last year, when I learned about my MSG issue I stopped eating processed foods.  And really, there were very few processed foods in my house, still I lost 35 pounds.  Now, with this non-dairy thing I can already see more weight coming off.  My face is noticeably thinner, my bra is roomier.   Last week I purchased some capri pants that fit perfectly.  Today, they are too big.  I am not sure I can drink enough martinis to make up for the loss of cheese.  I would not be surprised to find myself back into a size 8 by year’s end.  This does not make me happy.

its not hard people

Dear School Administrators,

When you mail a postcard to the house informing us that there are new school hours and new "bus arrangements", and that we should check the website for information, it is helpful if you actually post the information on the website.

crossing over

I have been plugging along on this lace shawl.

 

You may recall that a week or so ago I paused to consider if I wanted to continue with this project.  I decided that I was close enough to Chart 2 to press on.  Chart 2 being the voice of reason between the frustration of Chart 1 and the drudgery of the edging.  This pattern has not provided any enjoyment for over a week.  I will not name the pattern, I do not want this post to be the one that comes up when someone does a search, but the thrill is gone.

This lace has me thinking about the stories of “the last women he slept with before becoming gay”.  This shawl may be that woman.  It is possible that this shawl will extinguish the flame of my lace obsession.

On a happy note, Oldest Daughter is much improved and eating real food.  Hazah!

god = popeye?

Taken from Rabbi David.

"“I am that I am” (Ex. 3:14)

• Says God
• Says Popeye
• Popeye =? God "

It is going to take me a few days to get my head around this.

what was i thinking?

After reading Anne's post I am feeling stupid for not attending Sock Summit.  Yes, I was being considerate in deciding to stay home with Oldest Daughter.  Yes, I was being (unnecessarily) frugal.  Yes, I planned a substitute yarn filled day here at home.  Still, after reading that post I realized all the great and legendary figures I missed.  Of course the chance of being able to actually chit-chat with those people would be slim, but still, I passed up a once in a lifetime chance.  Damn.

big shawls

For a couple of years it has been my goal to wrap my guests in shawls.  We regularly host deck parties, and often the cool breeze off the Puget Sound catches people off guard.  Tonight, I was able to clad two guests in warm wraps.  I need more, much more.  What is your favorite warm wrap?

will i throw in the towel?

Here we have Creideamh(rav) after 4 ½ repeats. 

Yeah, it’s a pile of lace, but I feel the need to show progress.

When I began this project it reminded me very much of the Faux Russian Stole (more rav). The stitch patterns are similar.  After finishing 4 ½ repeats I remembered that I hated the Faux Russian Stole so much that after finishing a full 50% of this humongous wrap I frogged the whole thing and re-skeined the yarn.  Yep, hated it that much. 

So, as I am working my way through the fourth repeat I had to think really hard about whether or not I wanted to continue with this project.  Even separating repeats by stitch markers is bringing me lots of tinking and furrowing of brows.  There is no way to read the lace, to see where you are are and if you are on track.  This equals no fun.

The pattern calls for 2 ½ more repeats before switching to Chart 2.  Chart 2 has things lined up, no worries there, and so I have decided to press on with this shawl.  But, it will no longer be at the front of the queue.  It will be worked on during quiet times and with luck will still be finished before the end of the month.

Note to designers:  Traditional Russian knitting patterns are meant only for people snowed in for 6 months of the year.  People who have run out of vodka and are knitting with intensity in order to make the snow melt.