Still Slow

I have still not found my "tidy house" mojo. I say this surrounded by various bags of stuff I've tidied up, and I think that may be the cause. I have two big old bags of clothes, unopened toiletries and handbags which I guess all need to go to the charity shop. There's also a bag of stuffed toys. Yes, they're finally going. I have gone through my t shirts (includes vests, t shirts, some tops for work in summer) and split them into piles. Some went in to the charity bags. I've packed the 13tog duvet and all the spare pillows (except those for the futon, as we'll need those to dress that as a bed) into a "jumbo" vacpack. Here it is waiting to be hoovered. I've packed all of the yarn from my yarn chest, well that which I'm keeping, into two "large" vacpacks. I have a lot of yarn! Since I'm not buying any yarn now, until after we move, that's all of it - except for the in progress stuff. I still have yarn to knit available! Other than that, I've filled two smaller bags with yarn which is going to knit-night on Monday with me for destash. All of the lace and sock weight full balls have been claimed, but I still have some unclaimed DK and Aran, and a box of leftovers of varying amounts. I've been doing some knitting too. I'm knitting something for Fiancé's mum, for her birthday. I do intend to show you the second turn a square hat that I knit for him too. The first one, which I mentioned before, is fine, but not quite big enough, and not really his colours. So, I cast on another. I may see if my dad is interested in the other. I have also cast on (and frogged, and cast on again) the swallowtail shawl, which is quite a pleasant knit. Here's how far I have got: I love the yarn, it's Violet Green, 2ply merino. She doesn't do this particular one any more. The colour is called "peonies" and the picture on my screen looks just like the yarn! (I love the macro setting on my camera!) Back to the gym tomorrow. We were going to go this morning, but we were out last night. We weren't out that late in the end, so we probably could have managed it. I didn't want to get up that early, and after about 10am the gym and pool are mentally busy on a Saturday! I bet early Sunday is nice and quiet, so all we have to do is get up! I think I'm at the end of my fourth week, which means I should be switching to the next phase of the program from next week. That's fine if I have the time - the new programs always take longer! I am enjoying the current program though, which is important to me. The lack of cardio is really a good thing! And, the laid back approach to diet is nice, though I am being more laid back than I should, which may tell in tomorrow's measure/weigh in. Well, I'd better consult my plan to see what I aught to be doing in the scheme of tidying the house. Staying out of the way of Fiancé while he finishes the kitchen is definitely up there!

Slowly...

I know, I haven't posted much lately. I am sorry. As you know, I got engaged, so some time was spent ring shopping. I've also had a short spell of being unwell, some hectic work time and a general desire to just curl up away from it all.

Anyway, I've posted a couple of times over on the diet blog, as my training is going quite well. And I've been on facebook rather more than I care for.

I've not done a large amount of knitting, and what knitting I have done I don't have much to show for. I've been working on some socks for some time now, but I'm not really enjoying knitting them and they're not really fitting right (gauge swatches may occasionally be of use!) so they're currently hibernating, waiting to see if they learn their lesson. I suspect I may frog them.
I've started some more socks though, this time not for me. I'm doing two at a time magic loop, to see if it's any easier to finish a pair that way!
I've also cast on a small gift for FMIL for her upcoming birthday.
And I've been itching to cast on some more lace (which is funny because I have lace on the needles, just it's a scarf and I'm apparently incapable of completing scarves!) so I'm all ready to go on a Swallowtail shawl. Except I've frogged it twice already. The first time was going well, but I thought I'd lost a stitch and I'd made an error at some point prior to that, so whoosh; off it went. Second time I found I'd lost two stitches, which probably meant I'd missed some yarn overs or something. So it's ready to cast on again now. Tomorrow.

Otherwise, we're going to be house hunting soon. Currently we're trying to get this place up to scratch so we can sell it. We've got to finish the kitchen (I say we, but I mean he) and there's an unimaginable amount of tidying to do. I've filled two charity bags and one bin bag and I'm only about half way through the bedroom! I've also used some JML Vacuum Bags, which are surprisingly good! I got two of the large size and have packed away all of our spare linen and towels (like beach towels etc) and all of our holiday clothes (except for the trousers from the diet blog) into two of them and they take up much less space now I've sucked all the air out!
Wish me luck, there's one-and-a-half chests of drawers, two wardrobes and some random stuff to go through yet, plus then the back bedroom...

And I keep spending time looking at wedding dresses (I've concluded that I don't really like many of the commercial ones at all) or at shawls.

Announcement

Boyf and I got engaged.

Haiti

You must all have seen the news about Haiti (more here).
Read this blog from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Yarn Harlot).
Then click here to donate something to help if you can (UK Link).

I have some news, but it can wait.

Start-itus

I don't know if it's the new year, or the amount of stuff going on at the moment, but I have a terrible desire to start new projects at the moment.
I've knit a new hat for Boyf (pictures soon) using Jared Flood's Turn a Square (Rav Link) using some lovely DK yarn I got in a swap a while ago. I'm pretty pleased with it!
However, this hasn't sated my desire for more new knits. And it's not like I don't have enough on the go already!
However, I did work on the Elephant today, one ear completed - that leaves just one more ear, eyes and blocking to go.
I've also turned the heel on my first welly sock.
But none of it calls to me. You know, that feeling that you want to get home to pick it up, that you could stay up for just ten more minutes...
Well, then there's the cardigan. I'll get back to that soon, I do like the yarn, I love the pattern I've created, it's fab - it's just a bit cumbersome, and I'm not a fan of the needles I'm using to knit the sleeves in the round. (I could switch to some circs, but my gauge might change)

To combat this, I've been doing a spot of appliqué, on a quilt that NotMIL bought me a couple of Christmas ago. It's lovely, and will eventually have chickens on. Currently it has one heart on it.
I've also been doing a spot of beading. After the success of the bauble, I've made myself a necklace. It needs fastenings attaching, but I'm pretty pleased with that too!

The gym-going is going well though, we made it three times this week just gone, and I've done both programs all the way through now. It's an hour worth of stuff though! The diet is pretty easy to stick to as well. It's all a combination, the food, the gym, and ignoring what everyone else says.
I don't care if you think the diet is too complicated. I don't care if you think that just giving up beer is enough. Not for me it's not. I want more than just to lose a couple of pounds. I'm going to be that woman that you see on the beach and think "Bitch" - almost as if to say "how dare she look good when I don't?" Well I intend to look great. I've seen what I can do with weights - I bought some size 12 jeans at Gap the other day. I've not worn a 12 for over a year. Okay, so my weight hasn't gone down, but looking back at my Diet Blog from this time last year I've dropped some fat %! (Wicked!) I'll be keeping some track of stuff over there, unless it goes the way it clearly did last year!

Well, perhaps I have earned the new sports bra I've just paid for...

One more thing 2009...

I realise that I did miss out something fun at the end of the year. My 2009 knitting show-and-tell!
Enjoy

No Purl Monkeys	My shawl for the Feb wedding
Baby Jacket for Baby JJ	Funky socks for Xmas
Little Shrug for cold shoulders	Corsica, frogged now
Death!	Jaywalkers from Wendy Happy
My new favourite shawl	Handspun mitts
Pretty Thing Cowl	Martini glass dishcloth

Trek, Work, Stuff

Dear boyf bought me the "good" Original Crew Star Trek Movies for Christmas, and we've been watching them. (For those not in the know, that's 2: Wrath of Khan, 4: The Voyage Home, 6: Undiscovered Country)
I'd forgot how much I enjoyed them! Especially Voyage Home, there were some class moments in that movie! Anyway, he also got me the Generations box set on BluRay for my birthday, (how much does he love me?) which we'll be getting through too, AND the new Star Trek movie (the one with Karl Urban in as Bones, and Chris Pine / Zachary Quinto) so I'm pretty Trekked up this year!
So, that's been taking the edge off working this weekend. It's actually not the weekend working that's the trouble, it's when we get to Thursday and it feels like Saturday because I've already worked 5 days... Plus, they've re-jigged the parking and while I used to have a space from November-February, now I don't have one at all. I'm not going to go into car-parking politics, but suffice to say I either get on a bus (and double my journey, not to mention getting to the gym...) or we might have to think about paying for parking, which sucks so much. Bah.

Anyway, enough work woes.
I got some lush yarn at Xmas too, though I'm not sure what exactly I'm going to do with it. I also got some lovely knit picks interchangeables (knitters go: oooh) - just the introductory set, but they are lush! I'm itching to cast something on to them, and to have a stab at magic loop with my new long addi needle. And I want to make Perdita, which is beaded! Heck, I wish I had time to do some knitting!

Anyway, with working the majority of my waking hours this weekend I'm pooped, so I'll be off to bed early. I'm hoping to get myself along to knitting group tomorrow, so I'd better make sure to have some knitting of some description in my bag! Annoying that after a week and a bit holiday, I feel like I need a holiday!

I bought myself one of these fashionable long chunky knit sweaters, which makes me look like a Romulan. (I'll get a photo if I can) The geek in me loves it. And the Trekkie. And the part of me that likes to be warm. So sod everyone else, I like it :)

Happy New Year

As the new year starts on the first day of my next year I am often tempted to make several rash resolutions, which I know I will not (and can not) keep.

I set some goals for myself last year. Here’s what they were:

1. Double my squat weight COMPLETE! Yes, I managed to go from squatting 25kg to a magnificent 70kg at my best. Brilliant. More on weights later.
2. Lose Girth Sadly, not complete. If anything my girth is as big now as it was when I wrote that. Still, all is not lost.
3. Spin enough yarn to make a pair of socks Also not complete. I haven’t done much spinning, really. I did spin enough yarn to make a pair of mittens though.
4. knit myself a jumper Technically complete. You see, I completed Corsica but I was unhappy with it, so I frogged it. The yarn is now becoming a new cardigan, slowly!
5. Find a new job Not complete. Given the state of the economy, I’m pretty happy just to have a job, but that’s not really good enough. This time last year I was under way too much pressure and that hasn’t changed. I need to do something about that at least. Getting a new job though? That’s a step too far at the moment. I earn enough, at the moment, and have other things I want to sort out. Perhaps I am approaching it in the wrong order, but we will see.

So, what’s different this year? How am I changing my approach? Well, I think I need a plan. (and we need a plan, the boyf and me)

I’m heading out to buy myself a diary, not for future events but to keep a note of how I feel, whether I slept well, what I’ve eaten and drunk and what workout I have done. I think that self image is very important, if you feel like a failure then you will fail.
I was given a book for Christmas called “The Female Body Breakthrough” by Rachel Cosgrove. (I asked for it, this wasn’t someone being cheeky!), I’ve read it once already. I need to read it again, and fill in some sections. Anyway, one of the things she suggests is to write down the things I mentioned above. This is partly to make myself accountable (to myself, sounds odd, but I get it) and to help keep track of the things which “trigger” my bad eating behaviours.
The other thing that I (we) want to do is move house.
I’d like to have space for my crafting that isn’t the guest bedroom; I’d like to have room to keep some chickens. I’d like there to be some cover for Boyf when he’s sawing or whatever for DIY stuff. (A garage, large garden and at least 3 bedrooms) But it’s also important that we don’t overstretch ourselves. So we need to get a good price for our current house, we need to save up for all those fees (such as stamp duty, yey).
Planning. We need to make plans for these things, and we need to stick to them. The body stuff, I have a pre-made plan in the book. All I need to do is make it happen. I’ve got to decide which days I’ll go to the gym on, but otherwise it is possible. (I can use my diary for that too! Or perhaps not, maybe I also need a planner of some sort.)
Planning for the house, that’s a different kettle of fish. But we do need to do it. Somewhere I read If you fail to plan, then you should plan to fail.

Happy New Decade! If I see half the amount of change in my life this decade as last, who knows where I will be in 2020!