I will admit that I am a snob when it comes to books.  I am much more likely to pick up a non-fiction book about some obscure science or history subject than I am to grab the new HOT fiction book;  about once a year I get into a mood for fiction, and I plow through a few notable titles and then settle right back down.  I don’t even remember the last time I read a mass market paperback… I don’t get into genre fiction that much.  Of course, I won’t say never because… well, I have been reading genre fiction over the past week.  Oh my gosh.

Back in September, I got kind of addicted to the new HBO show, True Blood.  It is about vampires and supernatural creatures and this barmaid named Sookie, all of them co-habitating in rural Louisiana.  I followed it each week and even spent some spare time speculating about the show (who is the killer?  what clues were in the previous episodes?)  Luckily, I was not the only one who was doing this, and I found a great community on Ravelry (Knit One, Dead Too) who was into the show too.  Each week we discussed episodes, and I found out that the TV show was based on a series of books.  Click. My birthday came around, and so did a gift certificate, and a few days later, I got the Sookie Stackhouse Boxed Set on my doorstep.  I waited patiently to start - the season finale of the show went off, and as the credits were rolling, I picked up the books…

I read all seven books in 4 days - Thanksgiving break.  When I entered the book store on Sunday night to find Book 8 (after reading all the rest in a marathon reading session) I felt like a strung-out drug addict looking for my next fix.  I stumbled into the Mystery/Fantasy section and there it was.  Waiting for me.  Luckily, it was in stock (they are bestsellers right now) and I had a coupon.  Sweet. (Photos above are me pouring over Book 8, From Dead to Worse - yes, see my wide-eyed enthusiasm and my dropped jaw?  I was into it…)   I had a small twinge of regret that I had read through them sooo quickly and here I was now purchasing the latest book in the series; setting myself up to wait until Book 9 is released in May 2009.  A whole six months?  And even longer before Season 2 of the show…  I guess this means I will have to get back to my science and history books… and wait wait wait… at least Thomas Friedmanand Malcolm Gladwell have some new books out too…

Lolly meets her guilty pleasure - who knew it would come in the form of vampire books?

…The irony of a peace-loving vegan addicted to vampire books is not lost on me…

No, I haven’t read Twilight yet.  (YET is the operative word there…) I did see the movie last weekend and I liked it… and now I am planning to read the books.  I have heard very mixed reviews, but at this point, I am pretty resigned to the fact that I have to read them because I just want to KNOW.  A co-worker said that she can give me her 13-year-old daughter’s copies.  Ha, yep, that’s me.  Reading what the 7th graders read :)  but I figure I am not the only one.  There is a reason these books are flying off the shelves, and it is not just tweens and teens reading them!

Hey, everyone’s got one (a few?) guilty pleasure, right?  I figure that if my diet precludes me from eating sweets and rotting my teeth, I can read vampire books that rot my brain…  I have a million justifications for my actions, but honestly, I don’t know why I care so much.  I read them because they are fun.  That is enough.

…Then came a sale at the LYS… which happens to be located right next to my yoga studio, so I just stopped in for a look.  Hmmm.  Should have known.  Hook - line - sinker.

…Then came my birthday… beautiful yarny gifts from family and friends. Ahh, so kind!!

So, yeah, I have some new yarn now.  And it is beautiful.  And I love it.

Guess what was on sale at the LYS?  The full line of Jo Sharp…. all that tweed!  all that amazing texture and beautiful color palette.  Yeah, I walked out with some really nice yarn.  I bought enough for all sorts of nice accessories, and enough for two garments… vests probably

Lovely gift from my lovely sister, Mimi~ variegated linen!  I need to find a perfect pattern for this.  Any ideas?

And my dear friend Jenna sent along a great package - new yarn and a new scarf!  (Actually the scarf is part of a swap, and Lolly had better get busy and finish her end of the bargain.  I suck at swaps.)  I love the colorway name of this yarn - “Jenna Pink Monkey” to remind me of my dear friend on the other side of the continent.  It is a handpainted fingering weight from Actual Size Creations!

I am a little burnt out on socks right now (say it ain’t so!) but this would make a lovely scarf or some mittens, yes? I will find a pretty pattern for it, no doubt! (and who knows, the sock love may return…)

Jenna just learned to crochet a few months ago, and she is already churning out this amazing scarf! This is the Boteh scarf from Interweave Crochet. She used Claudia Handpaint yarn and a small hook (details, J?) It is so beautiful! and I love it!  (More Boteh photos here)

…okay, now I can go back to stashbusting… :)  I have cast on for a few new projects with old yarn in the past few days.  That totally counts for something, right?

…The Georgia Aquarium was quite wonderful…

On Sunday, while Kris was at the convention, I headed over to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to see the fall blooms and the beautiful greenhouses. There was so many amazing things to see there - the Gardens’ orchid collection was by far my favorite. Orchids are just so photogenic.

[Many more orchid photos here!]

Atlanta is a very nice city, and I wish that there had been more chances for me to explore. I didn’t even make it to a yarn shop! but I did find an amazing vegan restaurant, Calabash Vegetarian Kitchen. (Although the name says “vegetarian”, I was assured by the servers that the food was in fact vegan.) Delicious food with a Caribbean and soul food flavor. Absolutely amazing. I had collards, black-eyed-peas, quinoa, and baked tofu with bbq sauce. Totally recommend it if you are in the neighborhood! We went with a group of people - vegans and omnivores - and everyone was loving it.  The reggae music was a big plus too!

PS - thank you so much for your sweet comments on my sweater and all of the birthday wishes!

Francis Revisited
Pattern: Francis Revisted by Beth Silverstein (free pattern link to Ravelry)
Yarn: Wool/Alpaca/Silk blend cone
Source: School Products, NYC
Needles: Size US 7 and US 9
[All photos of Francis here]

I started this sweater on November 2nd for the NaKniSweMo knitalong, and I bound off only eleven days later. Such a quick and simple knit! the thing that took the longest? washing and blocking her. I soaked the sweater to soften up the wool and laid her out on the blocking board. I left to go to Atlanta for a few days, and when I got back last night, she was *still* wet. Luckily, by the end of the fourth day, she was dry enough for a little photoshoot! Voila!

The yarn was from a large cone that I bought in New York City last April. There was a sign on the table that designated the cones as a wool/alpaca/silk blend, but I think it was pretty heavy on the wool, and maybe even absent of silk. The washing and blocking brought out a little fuzzy halo, which made me wonder if it had a little mohair in it too.  The cone itself was not labeled with fibers or yardage, and since it was sold in bulk I guess there is no way to really know!  Either way, it was a nice yarn, and I still have about 500 yards - maybe more - for a colorwork project.  No shortage of patterns to chose from on that front!

The pattern was such an enjoyable knit that I am already thinking of all sorts of variations and options for future Francises. After I finish up a few presents and my current WIP (I decided on the Bloom vest and I am already a few inches in!) I may very well start another version of this, slightly altering the gauge to suit some nice blue alpaca blend I have in the stash.  There were a few minor things that I changed in the pattern.  I chose to do a kfb increase rather than the m1 increase that the pattern called for… the m1 left a small hole.  I could have gone and tidied it up afterward, but I preferred the look of the other.  If you decide to knit this, you can decide which look you want.  When I got to the cowl collar, I contemplated making a regular turtleneck instead of the oversized neck.  In the end I chose the cowl, and I like it on this particular piece, but this is definitely a sweater that can be modified in the neckline - easy to “turtleneck-ify” as well as “funnel-ify” or even “crew-ify”.  You could play around with textures (seed, ribbing, etc.) to create the look you want.  I chose to make my sleeves 3/4-length, but it would also look great with full sleeves.  I did not do as many increases as the pattern specified as I didn’t want too much of a bell sleeve. (Bell sleeves have gotten me in to trouble more than once… especially in the kitchen)  Changing from the stockinette to seed on the cuff, I did one single increase for an ever-so-slight bell effect.

I totally recommend this pattern; it is perfect for beginners as well as more experienced knitters who want a basic form to elaborate and embellish.  And it is SO quick!  Great for stashbusting as it uses a relatively small amount of yarn for a sweater because it is knit on larger gauge needles. 

Plus, it comes just in time for the chilly winter temperatures! The deep cowl is cozy and warm, and the texture of the stockinette and seed stitch really works well together.

I have some pretty photos to show you of my Atlanta excursion… we managed to have a lovely time even though it rained and the skies were gray.  Stay tuned!

…do I look older than when you last saw me? I celebrated my birthday last Saturday

Kaino :: Bottoms Up :: Bloom :: Sexy Vesty :: Drops Vest :: Tryst

[All links lead to Ravelry Project Pages]

…and better yet, I have yarn in the stash that seems to be a perfect match for all of the vests above!  The stash is in serious need to “realignment”, and vests seem to be a way to self-correct.  They are  quick to knit, use enough yarn to see a dent, and are infinitely wearable. 

I have wools, cottons, alpacas, linens, and several blends to choose from… at this point, I am planning to make ALL of these vests.  The true question is where to start!  I am leaning towards Kaino, Bloom, or the Drops vest to knit first, because the yarns I have in mind for them are yarns that have been in my stash for awhile (Jenna’s policy of first in-first out applies here!)  Following that maxim, I should knit up Bloom first because I am planning to use the Dalegarn Sisik that bought in early 2005.  The lovely wool you see here is my Tess Yarns Merino, bought at MDSW in 2007.  I had a vest planned all along, and I had a false start last year with the cabled vest (I still love that pattern, but the cable pattern was a little too much for me at the time - I may give it another try at another time!)  This yarn seems like a wonderful fit for the lovely Kaino vest, designed by Norah Gaughan.  Terhi’s version (it is always Terhi, isn’t it?) allowed me to see this vest in a new light, and I started to think about it a lot… so, I decided that I needed one too. 

Alice’s adorable Bottoms Up top seems like a great piece that can transition well from spring to summer and from fall to winter if knit up in a good yarn.  A garment like that needs some flow and drape - but not too much - so I thought about the linen in my stash (at right - Euroflax Linen in Cedarwood colorway), as well as the cotton/silk blend yarn, Dalegarn Svale.  Maybe this should be a New Year’s knit?  preparing for springtime temperatures? 

I am feeling a little obsessive here - is anyone else so cerebral about their knits?

…well I will be making up my mind very soon… I want to have another project to take with me on our short trip to Atlanta tomorrow through Sunday.  Airport/airplane knitting is a good thing.

***

I read about the 8 Colors of Fitness in one of my favorite magazines, Experience Life, over the weekend.  (You can read it here - opens to a PDF) and because I am obsessed with fitness right now, and I love the color concept, I did the test and found out more about my “fitness color”. 

The author of the book bases her research on the well-known Myers Briggs Type Indicator test that asks you a series of questions.  From these questions, it estimates your personality type, and assigns you a four letter analysis that tells you more about yourself.  Like most tests, it is never “spot-on”, but it can be educational and enlightening to analyze yourself in this way.  From this test, the author uses these personality traits and matches them with different exercises and fitness philosophies that you may hold.  She encourages the reader to try new activities that they may have not discovered before, thinking that they may be a good match with personality.

While the Myers-Briggs official test is often administered for a cost (usually in the workplace, or in a school) there are similar personality tests that can give you an indication of your personality type.  I found a free useful online tool at this website.    With the results of that test, you can take the results and apply them to the 8 Colors philosophy.  The 8 Colors of Fitness website also gives a beta test that you can use to determine your fitness color too.

I have taken the test twice, and I keep on getting SILVER, so maybe there is no denying the fact.  Reading over the description on the website, it gets pretty close to me, but there are still some things that aren’t quite right… but I find that I have some of the other color traits… and maybe that is all the more true - silver reflects other colors! :)  According to Myers-Briggs, I am an ENFP personality.  This also puts me in the group for the RED fitness color.   While I see some bits of myself in that description, I don’t think it really fits me.

As I stated above, fitness and wellness have become a major part of my life in the last few months.  When I first started my weight loss journey in 2006, I had great success in a relatively short span of months.  However, as time went by and complacency grew, I gained some of the weight that I had lost back.  My weight fluctuated thorughout 2007 and early 2008.  When I got Lyme disease and some associated illnesses this past June, I knew that this was the time to truly focus on my health.  While I could not exercise when I was most sick, I focused on my diet.  In late July, I made the switch to a full vegan diet.  Having been a strict vegetarian since I was 14, it was not extremely hard for me to stop eating dairy and egg products.  When I found a great doctor to help treat my Lyme, she urged me to also cut out sugars and gluten products to eliminate any associated risks of re-infection.  And because my health (and my life, in no uncertain terms) depended upon it, I gave those two things up over night.  Fruits are okay, but no added sugars.  I have had a few little slips with sugar and gluten - mainly in sauces - but things are really going well on that diet front. 

Once my energy levels started to come back after my first course of treatment and supplements in September, I was able to slowly start exercising again.  This truly made my heart happy.  I genuinely love exercise and it was hard for me to remain sedentary.  (That is how I read so many books at that time!)  Since I am finding such marked improvement due to these medications and my diet, I am challenging myself further with new fitness opportunities.  So this little test comes at the right time!

Before I got sick, I had started to research the idea of entering a yoga teacher training program (YTT) in order to deepen my own practice, as well as share my love of yoga with others.  According to my fitness color - this is a very SILVER thing to do!  So, if all goes as planned, I will be starting YTT in January 2009.  I recently reconnected with a friend from college (through Ravelry of all places!) who just finished up the YTT at the same studio!  it seems like fate to me! :)   I am practicing yoga daily - four studio classes a week and several home practices.  So, with exposure to many activities, I guess one can naturally gravitate towards the activities that best suit their personality traits.  I know this is the case with me:  I love yoga, as well as spinning (group cycling), hiking, and weight training.  Finding what you love and finding the ability to stick with it:  that is the key! 

If you are interested in reading more about my own regimen, I have started to update my Weight Loss page again - I will be doing another entry this week to record more weight loss! (yea!) I am also planning to write up an informational page here on my blog about Lyme disease and the associated co-infections:  I receive questions about it each day, and I want to provide links to some of the great resources available.  SO, if you are interested in either of these topics, please stay tuned!

…in the meantime, take the little fitness test and share with me what color you are!  even better, update me and let me know if this inspires you to get up and go! 

__

**Autumn photos above taken on our weekend hike with the dogs.  Beautiful fall!

This is my third year participating in the National Knit a Sweater Month “NaKniSweMo” knitalong, hosted by Shannon Okey at Knitgrrl.  My first knitalong year - 2006 - was very successful.  I made two sweaters that November, Cherie and Kolsva.  Last year - 2007 - I made my first colorwork garment, my beloved Aftur yoked pullover.  For 2008, I have set my sights pretty high.  I want to finish a sweater, but I also am planning to focus on some of the vests in my Ravelry queue - and if I can fit at least one of those in this month, I will be thrilled.

First things first: my sweater!

I cast on for Francis Revisited, a top-down raglan sweater with an attached cowl neck(Ravelry project page and free pattern link here).  The pattern caught my eye on Ravelry earlier in the year.  It reminded me of a great red sweater that I had in college that I loved to death - I wore it often and it pilled like crazy in the wool/acrylic blend.  I almost cast on with one of the red yarns in my stash, but then I decided that this heathery green wool/alpaca/silk blend would workvery nicely.  And so far, it has!  This yarn was a cone of approximately 1100 yards of aran weight that I bought at School Products in New York earlier this summer.

Are you up for the challenge of knitting a sweater in one month?

Only two days in - you have time to catch up! Check out the Ravelry NaKniSweMo headquarters!

“Breezeway” Noro Socks
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock, colorway S269
Pattern: Classic Socks in Folk Socks, by Nancy Bush
Needles: Size US 2 / 2.75mm

Started for the Project Spectrum AIR element back in June, I finally finished these socks in Socktoberfest. I have never met a Noro yarn that I did not like - but I am not wholly convinced that this yarn is suitable for small gauge sock projects. The yarn broke on me several times, all while doing k2tog decreases (and I don’t knit particularly tight) for the gusset, heel, and toes. The yarn would be much better suited for a project on bigger needles with looser tension: shawls, scarves, and garments. The yarn created a thick and warm fabric with the size 2 double pointed needles.  The yarn does have some thick and thin spots - another factor that led me to think that this yarn would be better suited for a different kind of project.  I will definitely wear these socks - their thickness relegates them to boots more so than my regular work shoes.  They would also be perfect house socks, but that feels a touch indulgent, considering they are silk, and they would just end up with dust bunnies and dog hair all over them ;) 

Completing these socks, and my Laila’s from the last post means that I actually met my goal for this year’s Socktoberfest!  I finished both of the single socks on the needles.  With a few days to spare even… in the meantime, I am already planning ahead for plenty of warm sweaters and scarves, and even another pair of socks too…

Laila’s Socks
Pattern: Folk Knitting in Estonia by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill (Loden), Louet Gems (Mustard)
Needles: Size US 1 / 2.25mm

The stranded colorwork was a lot of fun.  The pattern was easy to remember, and the colorwork is ideal for a beginner.  The heel was fun to make - combining short rows and a heel flap, with a little padded cushion of slipped stitches at the bottom of the foot.  I chose to make a solid heel to match the toe - the pattern calls for single row stripes of the two colors.  (You can see all the others that people have made on the Ravelry Project Pages.)

 Once I got rolling on the second sock, I had it finished pretty quickly (for me).  It wasn’t until after my sister’s wedding reception that I realized that the sock was the same color as my bridesmaid dress… of course, I would not have worn them for the ceremony (strappy brown heels with folk socks, anyone?) but it definitely would have made for some fun photos if I had finished it up a little earlier :)  By the way,  thanks to everyone for your kind comments about the wedding photographs - my sister and Andrew read my blog, so once they return from the honeymoon, they will be thrilled to see so many well wishes from all of you! 

These are my seventh pair of socks for my long-term Nancy Bush Compendium Project (you can see all of the completed socks for this project in my Gallery), and the second pair from this book, Folk Knitting in Estonia.  The book includes some beautiful mittens and gloves, as well as socks.  With so many charted colorwork (and some lace) patterns, I could easily use the mitten charts to make socks too… The book has a great history section at the beginning too.  If you have read my blog for awhile, you know that I love Nancy Bush’s work.  I was even honored to interview her for the 2006 Socktoberfest (you can read the transcript and listen to that here!) Her new book on Estonian lace looks beautiful - and someday when I have the courage to do lace like that, I will definitely turn to this book :)  …In the meantime, I have four other Nancy books to keep me busy!  I am planning to focus on Folk Knitting in Estonia and Folk Socks for my next few sock projects - there are some great patterns in both that really jive with my newfound love of stranded colorwork! 

The Ravelry Socktoberfest group remains a busy discussion area for all things SOCKS, and a great place to show off your finished socks and your works-in-progress.  The Socktoberfest group on Flickr is also brimming with new activity.  Add yours to the pool!

Thursday: Setting Up / Decorating

Entitled: My sisters are tulles

Hanging Wreaths :: Aisle Decorations

Friday: Bachelorette Brunch / Decorating Hall / Rehearsal at Church

All of the ladies met up and went to brunch at a local diner (hey, it was Sarah’s choice!) Afterward, we headed to the reception hall in order to set up the tables and chairs and number the tables. We went back to my parents’ house to prepare for the rehearsal at the church and the dinner following. We ran through the ceremony twice at the church and had a lot of fun doing it Andrew’s family hosted the rehearsal dinner at a lovely restaurant in nearby Annapolis. (It was so great that I didn’t take a single photo…)

Saturday: Wedding Day!

I snagged Andrew for a few seconds to get a photo with my new brother! I have to say, they have been together for so long (six years) that the wedding just made it official. He was already a part of the family After the lovely ceremony, we did some photographs, and then headed to the reception hall. It was a perfect crisp fall day; complete with a light breeze and falling leaves. Couldn’t have hoped for anything better!  We got inside and had a lovely meal waiting for us, some fun music, and a perfectly delectable cake to photograph.  Mimi and I had a lot of fun putting together a list of the “Top Ten Things that Andrew Needs to Know About Living With Sarah” to share at the reception (a little sister roast) and it was so funny - we got the intended reaction out of Sarah! 

 Everything turned out so well!  They are so happy together!  When they return from their honeymoon, they will be heading to their new apartment in Virginia. 

[The whole wedding photo set is here!]

Congratulations Sarah and Andrew!!