Jun 22 2006
Lacking a Common Thread
I usually like to have a theme, or a common thread in my blog posts… but I just have too many disparate topics and pictures to discuss, so the whole thing went right out the window - it is all about randomness in this post!
My recent Carla pullover took 497 yards off my total yarn count. Plus, I sent the remaining 3 balls (213 yards) to Amy, so that is 710 yards gone from my stash! However, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to reveal a lovely gift I received from Lu at Maglia!
She has an Etsy shop - all her own hand-dyed yarns. Amazing colors!
So, for those keeping track: two steps forward, one step back! (but what a beautiful step back!) Thank you Lu!
(76454) - (710 )+ (400) = 76144 yards in the stash
I decided on a pattern for my Trekking XXL #108 for the Trek Along with Me and Summer of Socks knitalongs. I started the "Heeless Sleeping Sock" in Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. However, I am planning to make a heel in the sock, and I doubt I will ever actually sleep in them. I neglected to take a picture yesterday when I cast on, but imagine a traveling diagonal rib… and imagine the beauty of Trekking sock yarn rolled into one sock. There, now you have it! 
I am planning some fun "treks" with my sock, so stay tuned! Also, for the Summer of Socks, I am planning to clean out some of my sock WIPs, and incorporate Project Spectrum colors for July and August, all of which will achieve my goals for a Stashbusting Summer.
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Tomorrow morning, we are leaving for our beach vacation! It is only 5 days, but I love going there! The only part I don't like? Leaving my doggie girls behind. Sure, they have great accomodations at the pet hotel here, but look at Bella's face. Sad, no? |
We are heading to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, to North Ocean City/Fenwick area. We have made this trip for many years - even before we were married - and I look forward to it every year. Lazy days of reading and knitting, walks on the beach, shopping at the great used book store and the Sea Needles yarn shop in Bethany, and buying the fresh produce from the farmers' markets.
And this year, we are taking our bikes! I am hoping to ride all along the coast.
I hope the weather cooperates! But if not, I am taking some good books, and some great knitting with me. I just finished reading A Year in the World, by Frances Mayes. This book sounded so good from the synopsis - I love a good travelogue - but I was kind of disappointed with it in the end. I started a new book last night, Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood, and it is very interesting so far. It will be a good companion at the beach.
Many thanks for your kind and encouraging comments and emails about my weight loss. I actually set up a page with more information about my "journey", including my exercise regimen, my diet, and some helpful tips and articles. I will update the page periodically with new pictures and information. This site is really for me - as a record to see how far I have come - but I am happy to share it with you, if it can provide any inspiration. I welcome any comments or questions. Check it out on my sidebar (right above the monthly archives): Weigh Down.
For that last little bit of randomness, I created some Flickr mosaics of my photographs from my study abroad trip to Israel, which occured six years ago this month. Those of you who have read my blog for over a year may remember my photographs and explanations at the bottom of all of my June 2005 and part of my July 2005 posts, celebrating my five-year anniversary of that life-changing trip.
While putting these mosaics together, I noticed that each one of them showed off the amazing blue sky - and since this is a special blue month, they need to be shown!
Have a lovely week and I will be back next week with beach pictures and some knitting progress!
Alias Grace is one of my favorites - I think you’ll really enjoy it! Your vacation sounds perfect!
Have a wonderful vacation! It sounds so idyllic.
Have fun! I’m heading down to Bethany in a couple of weeks - I’ll take some notes on places you love!
Isn’t it always that way with the stash - use a little, get a little!!
Have a wondeful time, Lolly!!! And give your puppy girls many cuddles from me and Bayou!!
have fun!
see you soon!
Have a wonderful vacation! I hope you have great biking and walking weather. LOVE the yarn you got - incredible color indeed.
D’oh, didn’t change my blog url on the previous… Whoops.
Have a wonderful time and let us know how that book goes. I was reading over at amazon about it and it sounds very interesting.
You look amazing. I was looking at your new page and must say that I’m impressed. You are a trooper, my friend. You should be really proud of yourself.
Have a great time and take lots of pictures!
Have a lovely time at the beach!!
Beautiful pictures! Have a great vacation.
Have a great trip, love the photos.
I love Bethany Beach and Fenway. This year I won’t be able to make it but you have fun. It’s one of my favorite shore places.
Hello,
your weight loss is amazing its really amazing your discipline!! Big congratulations. I only read one Book from M.Atwood, something with tales in the title (sorry I know only the german titel). Kind of horrifying and terryfying.
Have a lot of fun during the vacations
Have fun on your vacation. I have to agree though. That’s a very sad doggie face.
Oooh, that blue yarn is beautiful! Hey - you have a cute new profile picture! - or am I just slow to notice
have a great trip!
We used to go to Bethany every year and I always took my bike — so much fun to ride in the early morning on the ocean highway (plus: bike lanes! woohoo!).
I hope you have a great vacation! The blue sky in those pictures is gorgeous. I’m having fun watching everyone knit up project spectrum colors. Maybe my life will have slowed down enough next time around so that I can join.
I hope you enjoy your vacation. What a perfect time to go to the beach!
Have a wonderful vacation at the beach, Lolly! You know how much I love the beach. Take lots of pictures!
Ah, I’m going to miss you when you’re gone! Have lots of fun though, especially out on your bike. You’re a very lucky gal to receive that beautiful yarn. Don’t worry about the addition to your stash, you’re getting through it. Don’t go too crazy at Sea Needles though. The info and pics from the weight loss are amazing, I’ve known youthe whole itme but you look like a different person!
mwah, have fun at the beach!
have a great time on your vacation!
and congratulations on your weight loss regimen! i’m also a vegetarian and i know how hard it can be to cut back on calories when you’re already eating a lot less than the meat-eaters around you. your program sounds really great! the only thing that i would add are daily multivitamins if you aren’t already taking them. i have almost the same diet as you and work out almost as much (i wish i had the time to work out as much as you! you’re awesome!)
after about 4 or 5 months of doing it without a break, i was feeling very tired and run down and realized that i wasn’t getting enough vitamins! now that i take them everyday, i have much more energy to tackle all of that activity. you’re doing really great!! keep it up!
you look great lolly!!
You and Chelsea are inspiring ME now with this exercise thing… how do you find time?!
Have fun-sounds like a fantastic trip ahead!
And you have always been beautiful Lolly, but I must say you are looking especially hot nowadays-way to go!!;-)
xo,
-T
have a nice time! sounds very relaxing. there is nothing better than being on the beach and having time to knit and read!
Have a great vacation — you earned it! I love Bethany Beach — I love that it’s unapologetic that everything closes early, so you have to spend time with your family.
And continued congrats on the weight loss! Woot!
Beautiful yarn and pictures. I went back and looked at the Israel shots. I was there in 1985 and the pictures of the blue skies really take me back. I remember taking pictures of the water in Eilat just because it was so incredibly, unnaturally blue.
Enjoy your vacation!
When we rread Alias Grace in high school, the whole class hated it - probably because we had to think about it and analyze it SO much. When I reread it a few years later, I liked it much, MUCH better.
The book Sibylle is talking about would be The Handmaid’s Tale, which would have to be my favorite Margaret Atwood book.
You’re an inspiration Lauren! Thank you for taking care of yourself. You totally deserve it.
Also - I just read Alias Grace and really enjoyed it. Let me know if you’d like to discuss it when you’re done!
BEACH WEEK! Oh the memories that I have of Ocean City. Fun times. I hope one day to go back. I think the kids would love “horse” island. I can never remember exactly what it’s called, but I am sure you knowthe island I mean.
Have fun!
Have a wonderful, fun, relaxing beach vacation, dear! I hope you enjoy Alias Grace. Atwood is one of my favorites and, even though each of her novels is so different, AG is one of the best!
Ahh! Is that Israel? I swear I have a photo standing with the same pilar. Too cool! Enjoy your trip.
Have a wonderful time at the beach — there is nothing better than riding your bike along the ocean and seeing those wonderful views! I’m hoping to visit the area someday, so I’m looking forward to seeing your photos and hearing about the places you visit. And all of your knitting, too!
My sympathies to you — I hate leaving my cats at home when we go away. The pet sitter is wonderful, but still, I see cats on vacation, and practically get weepy!
Have fun at the beach. I hope the weather holds out so that you can have a great time.
Have a great time at the beach! And I imagine you’ll have lots of wonderful sky and ocean pictures when you return.
Enjoy the beach Lolly!
Have fun on vacation! And super congrats on the weight loss!!
Have a lovely time!
Have a wonderful trip.
Amy
Have a fun and relaxing vacation Lolly!
Have a great time at the beach! I hope the weather is lovely for you and can’t wait to see the pics upon your return. If you have time before you go, stop by my blog and tell me what you think of my latest brainstorm-a flip flop swap! I’m not sure if the plan will come to fruition yet, it depends on the interest, but let me know if you are interested. (Same to anyone else who happens upon this comment!)
-Your birthday twin
lolly, you ROCK! i will be keeping up with your “weigh down” because i am fascinated by your discipline, and wish i were as disciplined as you are. and if i miss-used “were” vs. “was”, well, … that just goes to show that i don’t fully understand the definition of “disparate” , but i LOVE the look and sound of the word
… (and i will start using it!) i read another book by margaret atwood … _the blind assassin_ ((it was different for me, but i did (eventually) enjoy it)) … and may be up for another one of her novels. i always love your pictures of israel … they take me back to boliva 10+ years ago. it’s amazing how such an experience, though brief (… mine, 6 months), can leave such a lasting impression. “viva bolivia!”
hi lolly! have a great great vacation - and i’m looking forward to hearing more about what to do out there since i’m going for a week to bethany with my family at the end of july. i’m definitely thinking about renting bikes, and i’ll also have to check out the farmer’s markets, thanks to you
you look fabulous and happy as can be, yay lolly
Have a wonderful vacation doing the things you love with the one you love!
Have a wonderful vacation - you deserve it!
What a lovely blue sky! I hope that you have a lot of blue skies during your trip to Ocean City.
Have a great time Lolly!!
My boyfriend and I took our third annual trip to Rehoboth in May and we finally got around to exploring some of the other nearby beaches/towns. Bicycles are a wonderful idea! That’s going to be a great trip.
I love how your Carla turned out–it looks fabby on you, too. I have enough Cotton Tape in Glint to knit Thrill–you’ve inspired me.
Your beach vacation sounds lovely - have fun! I wish you many hours of knitting, biking, and reading. (Alias Grace is a good book - enjoy).
I was at the beach last weekend! It was fabulous but I didn’t knit at all! Have fun riding your bike. I wanted to take mine but it had a flat tire and my husband couldn’t fix it in time. Enjoy your vacation and try not to miss your pups too much. I brought mine home a crab shaped dog cookie and all was well.
Have a great time on your holiday!
Have a great beach vacation hon!! There’s really nothing more relaxing, is there? Alias Grace is an excellent book - I truly enjoy just about anything by Margaret Atwood. Your Carla pullover is fantastic by the way - what a great fit and a great summer sweater. Good job!
Have fun on your beach vacation! you will love Alias Grace. great book!
Oh, I loved Alias Grace. Have fun at the shore!
What amazing yarn from Maglia! I love the blues! Your right, the sky is amazing in those pictures! : D
I see a common thread - blue! That yarn from Lucia is beautiful, she does a really nice job. It’s definitely worth the “step back” in yardage. Have fun at the beach - I’m jealous! I wish I lived closer to a beach.
Have fun on your beach trip… and i really enjoyed those pics of Isreal last year, thanks for posting somemore! wow that sky is beautiful!
I hope you have a wonderful vacation and I have to say, you impress the heck out of me for so many reasons! You’re so positive and energetic, and appreciative of what’s around you. I wish you were my neighbor (and I mean that in an un-stalkerish kind of way… : )
Way to go on the weight loss - that is absolutely awesome! I admire your workout schedule - zoinks. : )
Beautiful blue photos, too.
Enjoy your vacation, it sounds delightfully relaxing and energizing at the same time.
Have a great trip! I love that area. I also really liked the book Alias Grace, I’m a huge Margaret Atwood fan so I hope you enjoy it too. Your workout schedule is so inspiring that I’m headed into the gym today. Thanks for the inspiration!
check out all my camp pics!!!!!!!!!
:) 
:) on my blog of course 
peaceouuuttt.
I went to your Weigh Down section - you go, girl! Your progress is amazing. I used to weigh about 60 more pounds than I do now, so I know what you’re going through. I lost my weight through exercise and Weight Watchers, which teaches portion control. I’m so much happier now with my lifestyle change. I’ve gone from a girl who would eat 2 hotdogs as my afterschool snack and sit on the couch and crosstitch for 7 hours straight to an Ironman triathlete! (Of course, I could still sit on the couch and knit for 7 hours straight.)
Anyway, keep up the good work!
Stephanie (Eunny’s friend from Nashville)
you are looking amazing lolly! well done!
Great job on the health regimen. I’ve been reading your blog for the last couple of months, and you regularly inspire me to exercise more and eat less. I wish I had time to work out as much as you, but with two kids that doesn’t happen. I have managed to exercise every day of this month except one - I’m pretty happy about that!
Have a great vacation.
Can you pack me in your bags? No, better yet, can you abduct me and send the Maryland State Board of Law Examiners a ransom note? That way they’d never pay it but I could get out of taking the Bar Exam.
Sorry I didn’t deliver on the April PS postcard swap; Leah and I have agreed I’d mail it to her after the Bar. Thanks for noticing I was so swamped; I should have told you myself. Bad Claire! Hope you won’t hold it against me.
Have fun on the Eastern Shore! Hope the rain didn’t hit you too hard. Show us the pics when you get back!
I can’t wait to hear about your trip. You’ll have to tell me about where you go and stay. Grant and I are always looking for short trips.
What a great vacation you have planned! And I love the Israel pics, too. I’d love to make it to the Middle East someday.
I’m loving all this PS blue I’m seeing everywhere! Sock-a-month is swarming with blue socks! So pretty!
Summer is for randomness alright! Have a great trip!
Have a wonderful time on Fenwick (I was just there last summer - fantastic!). I have to run and check out Maglia! before my yarn diet starts in 3 days.
Have an amazing vacay! Hubby and I just got back from Mexico. I am posting pics on the blog soon!
Looooove your site on your workouts and eating regimen. Great job! I am so proud of you for taking control!
When I lived in MD, I used to go to Ocean City all the time. I just loved it there! I’m sure you both will have a great time judging by what you have planned!
Hope you’re having a fun vacation, despite all of the rain! The upside, lots of knitting time and shopping ; ) Lets get together when you get back!
Have a wonderful time and I know you will even if it does rain! Can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back! Look at that puppies face…ahhhhh.