Binding Off

First and foremost...I just want to say thanks so much for your support. The fact that ya'll even check this anymore tickles me pink...and I can't say enough about the kind comments you left me. And now I of course couldn't post again without and FO!


Just a little one...but better than nothing! It is Calorimetry from knitty.com. I adjusted the pattern by casting on only 80 stitches, and didn't do nearly the amount of repeats of row 5 as suggested...as it seems i have a little head and otherwise it would be much to big. Plus I like the headband look. I finished it the night of my last post and it felt really good to not only start something, but finish it just about an hour and a half later. So if any of ya'll need a pick me up this little guy is a great project!

And just to give you some more pics to drool over....

Pumpkin Muffins from the Post Punk Kitchen. The only adjustment I did was replacing half the oil with applesauce to make them a little more "figure friendly" hehe. And they are absolutely scrumptious!

Who needs chicken?? This is super-yummy (baked) "chicken-fried tofu" mmmm

These little beauties are "Sunny Blueberry Corn Muffins" from Isa's cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance. You can find the recipe sans blueberries on www.theppk.com.

And to end this post I leave you with a story of my day. It seems I put off my laundry until I had at least 3 loads to do. This would be fine if i was, lets say...still living with my mom. But I'm not and it now costs me quarters. No not money...I am not concerned with the dollar amount...its the constant need for quarters that drives me bonkers. I am constantly one measly quarter short of being able to finish my laundry. And do you think they would have a quarter machine in the laundry? No of course not. Now i am not gonna walk 45 minutes to the closest grocer to ask for a freaking quarter (this is probably why my laundry got all the way up to 3 loads worth). So finally today I remember I need quarters and I make sure to get a couple dollars worth at the market before going home.
I load in my laundry and push go on all the washers...being a bit ocd I recount my quarters to make sure I have enough for the dryer. I don't. I am one. quarter. short. Now I am just totally steamed and I decide there has got to be a way. I must be able to find a quarter somewhere. And thats when the neon glow catches my attention. The pop machine in the corner. Oh sure I could put in $2 to buy a soda and get 3 quarters back, but a) I don't drink soda, and b) would rather not support soda companies. SO...my mind is ticking away and I start thinking...What if I pretend to buy a soda. You know...put the money in and then say...eh...nevermind. And push the change back button. So I do...and ...are you ready for this??? Out pops quarters!!! I have beat the system. My friends this is one for the little people. I came back with a handful of not-quarters change and traded them all in for quarters.
Glorious. Truly Glorious.

Casting on...

For the past few weeks I kept trying to schedule in knitting. Which is just crazy. I have no reason to "schedule in" knitting...I just need to pick up the needles and do it. I have time...I do. But for some reason night after night I found that I wouldn't.

Until tonight. I picked up my needles, and my favorite yarn and I cast on. And as I twisted the yarn around my needle to measure out how much I needed, my heart hurt a little bit. And as I cast on those first few stitches...tears began to well in my eyes.

And thats when I realized why I haven't been knitting. Knitting for the past 3 years wasn't an activity I did on my own. It was something that I shared with someone very special. And although that someone wasn't a knitter...that person was there for almost every stitch I cast on...for every mistake I made, stitch I dropped, new skill I learned...and the countless stitches I proudly picked back up. This person cheered me on thru every project and congratulated me on every FO(finished object for you non-knitters) as if I was the first person to ever do such a thing. This person sat next to me in a sea of yarn gently feeding it to me little by little as I knit and purled it into something warm and comforting. This person proudly wore anything and everything I knit without ever complaining of a small little hole here or an itchy yarn there.

This person is no longer here as I gaze at my yarns trying to pick colors. Or waiting patiently at the bookstore as I contemplate buying my millionth knitting book. As I excitedly bind off a washcloth that just happens to have the most perfect colorwork I have ever done...I find that the only person to ooo and aahh is myself.

I had no intention of ever writing about this. Its a very personal matter and one that is painful to try to express. But I found it spectacular that a little piece of yarn and a size US #5 needle could bring out emotions that I have tried so hard not to feel. Knitting, as well as so many other crafts and hobbies, hold for us our memories and our feelings. As we sit and click our needles and feel the yarn pass thru our hands, our thoughts and surroundings are forever set into each little stitch. And this my friends is such a beautiful thing. And although sometimes it brings out sadness that we try to bury...its only because we have to feel that sadness before we can truly feel happy again. I feel sad, but I am feeling happier and by gosh...I'll Knit If I Want To.

Ya'll I'm one busy little bumblebee!

Well last time I posted was (almost) a month a go. So I am still a slacker in blogland. But for all good reasons. First off that weekend I went to Chicago and got to hang out with my sister Meggy-mae who just moved there and with lots of old friends I hadn't seen in years. (Ryan in the middle there is one of them). The whole weekend was a blast and I was fortunate enough to be tipped off to this little gem. And I will be the proud new mother of one of those teacup yorkies (someday...someday...the name has already been picked out..heh heh). And speaking of new mothers my friend Saskia just recently shared the wonderful news that she is expecting a baby!! Yay Saskia!!!

I mentioned in my last post about my new job and I have to say it is really wonderful. I have learned loads and have quickly become queen the of the cakes there! It has also helped me to move back towards veganism which I am really enjoying. I feel healthier and am learning so much. Not to mention I have been baking some amazing vegan cupcakes and muffins at home. As well as Ancho Lentil Soup with Grilled Pineapple that was absolutely yummylicious! And that little diddy up there is a new sandwich I made up that is fresh and delicious. It is my homemade bread with avocado, strawberries, marinated grilled tofu and a little balsamic syrup. mmmmm. Now all of this has helped solidify a big decision I was trying to make....................

So my friends, I am going to Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago for Baking & Patisserie in August. And I am sooooooooooooo excited! I am a bit sad to be leaving Austin so soon as I was just beginning to settle in, but I think my new life in Chi-town will be amazing and full of opportunities. Some of which I am not quite ready to talk about...but all in due time :)


Now I don't think I had ever posted any pictures on here in the past of the tree I had on my back. But well...lets just say that was not a happy tree...it looked more like the evil tree in the carebears movie I watched as a kid. (Which if you ask me was a direct representation of the whole experience of getting that tattoo, the artist wasn't the nicest man in the world.) Since then I met a lovely lovely woman named Annie Mess. She has done a few others for me (including sunshine there on the back of my neck) and I asked her if she could do anything to make my tree more like me...happy and girly instead of dark and scary. And this is what she came up with...i l.o.v.e. it! Especially the little blue blossoms and cute little chickadees.

As you may have noticed no knitting has been mentioned in this blog. And I am sad to say that is because no knitting has been done! I have been working lots and walking lots and baking lots and well its been so warm here...and i know...there are no excuses for such behavior! I hope all the links I included will help feel that little hole i left!