Blankets! What I've been up to: Lots and Lots of Project Linus

I have been making blankets for Project Linus lately. I inherited a LARGE amount of Red Heart yarns, perfect for charity knitting, especially since Project Linus can't accept any amount of wool, due to the sensitive conditions of the kiddos that we are giving to. This is what I've done since December, I haven't properly followed a pattern for any of these, and the vast majority are 100% my own designs. I hope you enjoy!

Thank you for checking these out, stay tuned to see more of my work!

Sweet Sips and Swift Stitches: Episode 4- Happy Birthday to Me

It's been a long time coming, I know, but here is the latest edition of the Sweet Sips and Swift Stitches podcast. If you are interested in getting the yarn that I got check out yarn-store.com for Angelika's Yarn Store, She's also got a page on Facebook. Or check out Missouri Star Quilt Company, msqc.com for some really cool quilting tutorials and lots of fun pattern ideas for all the sewists in your life. I hope you enjoy this week's episode, and hopefully I will be back next week with lots more knitting adventures!

Sweet Sips and Swift Stitches: Begin Again

Time for a makeover! Introducing the new and improved spinningknitting1's podcast! Now with a proper title: Sweet Sips and Swift Stitches. Check out the new video!

This is an example of my Magical Machine Knitting skills. I am just learning, and there are mistakes in it, but I am pretty happy with it. I made this cowl on the Brother 260 bulky machine, using fingering weight acrylic yarn. I used the snowdrop lace pattern from Knitting Stitch Bible, a book for handknitters. I transferred the stitches on the bed by hand, and then knit the rectangle, and bound off, and seamed up the side using a modified mattress stitch. I steamed the yarn, and since it was acrylic it killed it, and gave it a lovely drape and a little bit of a sheen. 

For my first Daring Design I am making a simple V-stitch crocheted rectangle baby blanket for Project Linus, a charity that gives blankets to children that are ill or who have experienced trauma. The yarn is Caron One Pound, and I am using a US Size J hook. 

My next Daring Design is a preemie blanket for the local children's hospital. I am making a simple stockinette rectangle right now to show off the yarn, but when I add in the next stripe I will add in more interest in the knitting, either a lace pattern, or a knit and purl pattern, I haven't quite decided yet. I am working the blanket on US Size 4 needles using Wendy Peter Pan double knit yarn and Sirdar Snuggly 4ply yarn.

Also using Caron yarn, this time a Caron Cake, which is 20% wool and 80% acrylic, made to celebrate Caron's 100th birthday as a yarn company, I am making an asymmetrical triangle shawl. I am increasing on stitch on the same side every 4th row, and working the whole thing in garter stitch. It's a relaxing project, and the yarn makes it fun.

Last but not least of the charity knitting in Daring Designs is a prayer shawl that I am knitting for my local church. I am using Deborah Norville Everyday acrylic in the Lilac Field and Mist colorways. I improvised an eyelet border and then am striping the two yarns, working Lilac Field in garter and Mist in stockinette.The finished shawl will be 24" by 60". I am using 9mm or US Size 13 needles.

This is a top down cardigan that I am designing working Malabrigo sock in the eggplant colorway. It is a fairly slow going knit, and I am working it on US Size 5 needles, on the Knitter's Pride Karbonz interchangeables that I have.

This is the second sweater in Daring Designs. It is a bulky weight sweater. I worked the back as a 2x2 rib rectangle, and then picked up stitches at the shoulders and am working the two front halves down two and a time, on the same needle. I have increased the stitches, so now I am at the bottom of the front with a 4x4 rib on each side. I worked them at the same time so I could be sure and make my increases the same. I am going to seam up the sides, and then work elbow length sleeves, and then make a large shawl collar around the front of the entire sweater.

The last of the Daring Designs are a pair of socks for my boyfriend.They are worked in a self striping On Live sock yarn, and Cascade Heritage Sock in the Christmas Red colorway. The instep is a 2x2 rib and the sole is stockinette. I am working them on US Size 1 needles.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the new format. I'll be trying to pick apart my design process and lay out what goes on in my head a bit.

Vegan Cleanse: Day Six, Day of Fail

Today started out really well, I had a bowl of gluten free cereal, with coconut milk for breakfast. Then I watched church this morning, except for the internet was a little glitchy. I watch Church of the Resurrection United Methodist every Sunday morning. Then, while the internet was spazzing out I made vegan banana pancakes. I made them really thick.

In a blender I put about a cup of coconut milk, a banana and a cup of gluten free oats, and I blended it. Then once it was blended I cooked the pancakes, about two spoonfuls per each pancake in a skillet on medium high heat. I saved the pancakes in the fridge, and I'm going to eat them for breakfast this week. This will help me in the morning, making it easier to get out the door in time.

I also made Jasmine rice in the rice maker, just so I would have more of it pre-made to put in dishes this week.

For lunch I put about a cup of rice on a plate, and then put about half a cup of green chile refried beans on top. The I microwaved it for a minute, and put black bean salsa on top of it. It was good and filling.

I watched some Olympic Judo, and then decided to work out myself. I planned to run on the elliptical for 10 minutes, and then be on the bike for 35 minutes. I did not succeed in this goal. I did run on the elliptical for 10 minutes. It was rough, and I was sweating profusely, but no pain no gain, right? While I was on the elliptical I watched the dramatic last few minutes of the Women's Cycling event. Anyways, I got on the bike, and was pedaling as best I could, but at 20 minutes I just hit a wall, and couldn't push through. So, I only exercised 30 minutes total today, but it was pretty rough on me, so I think it was a good hard workout.

After exercising I watched some more Olympics. And then I went to the all church picnic with my mom, and that's where I fell down.

I tried to eat as clean as I could, and I didn't eat any meat, but I did eat cheese and pasta. If I'm completely honest I could've just skipped the pasta salad, or not eaten the pasta part. And I really didn't need to eat the macaroni and cheese, but sometimes things are really tempting, and I only have so much willpower. Then I started having anxiety, and I came home without hearing any music or playing any games. I knit just a little, but overall, didn't accomplish a lot.

Then I came home, and coffee was calling my name, it had been five days since I had had any coffee, and I couldn't finish the drink that I made myself. I put it in the fridge for tomorrow morning, so I can have coffee at the all-district training session. I think I will pack my lunch tomorrow and hope for the best.

Vegan Cleanse: Day Five!

Well, last night my boyfriend did come over, and he brought Arby's! The sandwich wasn't too tempting, but oooh, those fried mozzarella sticks! They did look good. I did not succumb however. I did eat the chocolate cake that I made, it was pretty delicious with strawberries and blueberries on top of it. I used a gluten free cake mix and just added in extra oil instead of eggs. I guess I could have used apple sauce too, I have heard of people using that as a substitute as well. As in women in my families when they run out of eggs, not vegans, but I think it works well for both circumstances.

I haven't had any more chocolate cake today. The thing that really kills my cravings is green tea. I'm not sure if anyone else has discovered this, (I'm sure they have), but when I drink green tea I don't feel like I'm missing out on things as much, especially not sweet things. Fruit helps with sweet things too.

This morning I woke up and had another bowl of gluten free granola cereal with coconut milk and the left overs of a green smoothie. It had a banana, flax seed, kale, frozen tart cherries, and coconut milk in it.

Then for lunch I had leftover brown rice pasta and tomato sauce that I didn't heat up, and it made me sad that there was no cheese on it, but I ate it anyways. (It was much better last night, I probably should have heated it up). I then had to leave for a reveal of my sister's wedding dress, so I grabbed a bag of dried fruit, that would have usually been delicious, but I couldn't stomach much of it today, I'm not sure why.

When we came home I heated up  a Tastee Indian dinner that was saag daal, meaning spinach and lentils, and I checked the ingredients, and it was totally vegan, but it was made in a factory that processed animal products, so they didn't mark it as vegan. Maybe it is just me, but if there are no ingredients going into my food that are animal products I think it is good. Going the extra step and making sure the factory is totally clean too, is a little too nit picky for me. It was marked vegetarian, so there was no contact with meat, even indirectly, so that's good too.

So then I tried to clean my room (unsuccessfully). I have started using the KonMari method of cleaning about a month or so ago, and made real strides, until I got to the part where I needed to organize everything, and there I have just kind of fell on my face. For those of you who don't know, the KonMari method is where you go through all of your things and touch them, hold them in your hands, and ask "does this spark joy?" and if it does, then you keep it, and if not, then you discard it. Either donating the item to charity or throwing it away. I threw away very few things, but those were actually trash, and/or items that needed to be thrown away.

After my foray into moving things around in my room without really cleaning anything at all, I came upstairs to eat dinner. I made green beans, with garlic salt and oregano on them. Then I heated up some brown basmati rice, and sauteed mushrooms, onions, and sweet red peppers, with pad thai sauce on them. It was a good dinner. Then I made a smoothie of a banana, strawberry, peanut butter, and honey with coconut milk.

Then I watched some of the Olympics, most specifically some of the men's gymnastics qualifying rounds, and women's weightlifting. I watched some women's basketball and men's water polo while I was downstairs failing at cleaning my room (read starting to crochet together granny squares that I found and was trying to finish instead of having to organize them in the stash again).

I just now finished exercising. I tried to do the elliptical that my father got me, but that sucker makes you take huge steps! My poor little chubby belly is not ready for that kind of action! So I got the rest of my half hour in on the stationary bike, which is my exercise means of choice.

And now to drink the other half of my smoothie and enjoy another relaxing evening.

Vegan Cleanse: Day Three and Four

So yesterday was another lazy day, and I ate my vegan diet with no interruptions, or exceptions. I did go to UMKC with my mom to get my classes set up, and I'm now enrolled and have my books and am ready to start getting along with being a student there again. I then went to Costco, and the temptations were everywhere! Costco gives out samples, and not much was both vegan and gluten free, although I did find a few things, and things were a lot better than they've been in the past. There was a lot of gluten free products that they were marketing, so that was kind of fun to see. I don't think veganism will catch on to be as much of a craze as gluten free has though, but maybe that's just me.

I came home and made a smoothie, and saved half of it for this morning, which was a good thing, because this morning was a bit of a doozy!

I then went to shallow water aerobics, and got wore out by the class, that hasn't happened to me in a while, and it was a really strange feeling to be just beaten by a series of exercises. I was really trying to keep up too. It made me think either this diet isn't that great for being active, or I'm not in as good of shape as I delude myself to be, maybe a combination of both. At any rate I came home and went to bed, exhausted, and then...

I woke up when I had planned to wake up, ate a bowl full of gluten free granola with coconut milk, and drank the rest of my smoothie. Then I went to the site that I thought I would be training at this morning, only to find that it was the wrong site, so I got to my designated site, I thought 10 minutes late, but it turned out that they had started at 8:00 and not 8:30, so I was 40 minutes late. Oh, and it was raining when I came in, so I was soaked when I made my late appearance, and had to sit there in damp clothes for the training. And I felt so awkward already that I didn't even get out my knitting, although I will give them that it was pretty interactive and engaging, so I didn't really feel bored either.

On my way home I was having some serious cravings, most seriously for Taco Bell, and then for Chinese food. But I did not give in to either, and came home and ate rice with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and black bean salsa for lunch. It was pretty tasty, but it's hard to say no to oozy gooey cheesy Taco Bell, or maybe that's just my weak point.

Then I came home and slept because I was still worn out from water aerobics, and now I'm up and about making brown rice pasta, having eaten sweet peas with hummus and apples with peanut butter. And I'm baking a chocolate cake from a gluten free package, and I just didn't put eggs in it, and put extra vegetable oil in it instead.

I'm getting ready to hunker down and watch the Olympics opening ceremony with my boyfriend, so that should be fun.

Vegan Cleanse: Day Two!!

So far in my little experiment everything has been going well. I got three pimples last night, and had a "moving" experience, but other than that everything has been just honky-dory. Last night I also went to shallow water aerobics for the first time! I had been to deep water, but shallow water was different in it's own way.

Today I ate a green smoothie and an apple with peanut butter for breakfast.
For lunch I ate brown rice and quinoa with black beans and peas. I seasoned my black beans with Chinese ginger, and garlic salt and onion flakes. I put garlic salt, and pepper on my peas. I had a lot left over so I just stuck it in the fridge.

Then I rode the bike for 50 minutes, which is a personal record! (I'm trying to build up endurance to walk a 5k, I think I'm almost there!).

Then I made another green smoothie. I put in frozen mango chunks, a banana, kale and flax seed powder with water and coconut milk.

Then I did some resistance band strength training for my arms.

After I had done that I was getting kinda hungry so I put fresh spinach on a plate and put on some cold rice, quinoa and beans onto it. I ate that and some pear compote for dinner. For my pear compote I put in 5 pears, a bag of dried berries, and about three tablespoons of sugar into a pot with water and cinnamon. I let it boil down until it's the consistency of applesauce, only made with pears and berries instead.

In addition to this I got two blankets finished for Project Linus! They are both crocheted.

The first one I inherited the granny squares in the middle from someone, I'm not even sure who, and then I did different borders, mostly puff stitch and half double crochet around it until it was large enough.

All that color changing means there will be a lot of ends to weave in though! I usually finish all the actual stitching on the blankets before the meetings, and then sit and weave in ends at the meetings, since nearly everyone else there is sewing on something, and I'm just not that much of a sewer.

The second blanket is a corner-to-corner throw that is from a pattern published by Red Heart, and it's done in very old Red Heart Super Saver. This blanket, although it's small was about four and a half skeins. There are not near as many ends to weave in on this one, and I think the pattern and the yarn made an interesting, admittedly dizzying design on this one.

Tonight I will work on my next blanket, and there will be a progress report tomorrow.