Knit, Purl, Repeat

As always, I have been knitting up a storm.  I knit when the boys are in bed, outside playing (sometimes), and on the weekends during their nap.  When we go to the indoor playground, I will bring my projects and knit while the boys play.

Here is what I have been working on!

I got the yarn below in my monthly Yarnbox subscription.  It is not something I would ever purchase for myself (although it's lovely).  I started a simple seed cowl in wide stripes for this yarn.  I have made more progress since the below picture.  I really need to pick this project up again and work on it some more.  

Yarn credit:  Artyarns

I have a ton of leftover sock yarn and a couple of projects bookmarked so I decided to start on them.  This project is going to be one of those that takes YEARS to complete.  See that cute little hexipuff below?  The project that I am working on requires that you knit 384 of them.  

How cute are these?  They take about 45 minutes to knit and I love that it uses scrap yarn and not some special skein. I have completed about 12 so far.  Only 370 something left!  When complete, these will all be attached and made into a Bee Keepers Quilt.  Picture a huge honeycomb blanket.

I ordered the yarn below from my favorite online store, Yarn.com.  The yarn on the left will be socks (of course), probably as Christmas presents for little boys that I know.  The yarn in the center is one I have had my eye on since someone posted it on Instagram.  It is discontinued so I had to buy a skein before it was too late.  I made a beautiful cabled hat with it (see below).  The yarn on the right is a bulky yarn I picked up for some slipper socks.  

Yarn credit:  Plymouth Yarn, Madelinetosh and Berroco.

Here are the completed slipper socks.  And the hat on the right is another bow hat someone asked me to make them.  I think that is my sixth one I have made.

Is there anything cuter than tiny baby socks?  I don't think so.

Yarn credit:  Plymouth Yarns

I have an obsession with socks.  I love how yarn self stripes.  I am always on the lookout for fun colors.  I bought this yarn because the picture online looked like they would make great Christmas socks.  Not so much, but they are fun anyways.

Do you know what I love most about socks with self stripes?  That they don't match.  I know some knitters make a point to start the yarn in the same place so they have a matching pair.  Clearly, I don't do this and it's better that way.  A couple of people have posted on my Facebook that their OCD couldn't handle it.  Oh well, I won't knit you a pair than!

Yarn credit:  Berroco

This yarn was originally for another project, but I lost steam.  They were very time consuming faux argyle socks and I just couldn't finish them.  That sock got frogged and made into a simple sock.  This yarn is amazing!  It's made out of bamboo silk and worsted wool.  So soft!  I started on the other sock but haven't finished yet.

Yarn credit:  Crystal Palace Yarns, Panda Silk

Here is the finished matching pair of my crazy Electric Kool Aid Acid Test socks.  I love them.  This pair is staying with me.

I have to confess that I figured out that my gauge was off on my sock knitting.  I corrected the problem but boy, I wish I had figured that out sooner.  It would have saved me from too big socks.  

Yarn Credit:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock

Here is the finished cabled hat that I used with my discontinued, coveted yarn.

Pattern:  Ryland's Cabled Hat

Yarn Credit:  Madelinetosh

This hat will be for my sister for Christmas.  She already knows, so it isn't a surprise.

My husband needed a new beanie so I used a skein I had on hand.  I think this took me three whole hours to knit.

Yarn Credit:  Lion Brand

That is it for now.  Of course, I have a huge project list that I want to do, but what knitter doesn't?  I have sweaters I want to complete for Christmas, more hats for my boys, more socks......The list is never ending!

Radio Silence

Sorry for the lack of posting lately.  It has been a pretty rough couple of months in our house.  With two deaths in the family, memorial services, and my father-in-law being in the hospital after a minor stroke, it's been tough.  Plus, I have recently gotten back to going to counseling and I weaned off my anti-depressants.  Even though my moods have leveled out now, it was a bad week or so.

I will get started on posting again, now that everything seems to have calmed down.  I will get a Weight Watchers post up soon as well as a knitting post and probably a random picture post of my boys.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Projects Lately

I have been on a sock kick these days.  I love knitting socks and I can't stop!  In between socks, I have done a couple of hats.  Want to see my latest projects?

I wish this picture turned out better.  The yarn is a really beautiful shade of deep yellow, almost like a cross between a mustard and a pea green.  Sounds totally gross but it truly is beautiful.  The yarn is Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Oak.

Look!  Socks!  Yarn credit:  Berroco Vintage in Promenade.

I have made this hat before and was asked to make a few for friends.  Yarn credit:  Berroco Vintage in Aster.

I love how these socks don't match, even though they use the same yarn.  Yarn credit: Schoppel Wolle Ambiente in color 2183.  This yarn was great to work with.  It had a bit of stretch to it, plus I love when yarn self stripes.

This was my first pair of patterned socks.  You can see the rib pattern all the way through it.  Yarn credit:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in Farmhouse.

Here they are finished.

Isn't this yarn fun?!?!?  I posted this picture on Instagram to show that I love turning and knitting the heel.  It's always my favorite part of the sock.  Yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.  Yes, that really is the name of the yarn.

Finished!

Here is another patterned sock.  I am not sure I will finish these or not.  This pattern is awful and is taking FOREVER.  I get burnt out when I don't see results quickly.  It's a faux argyle pattern that repeats throughout the entire sock.

Yarn credit:  Crystal Palace Panda Silk in Aquarium.  The color is a really beautiful aqua and the yarn itself is super soft, made out of silk, bamboo and another fiber.

Yarn credit:  Plymouth Yarn Diversity in Palm Pink.

Here is that hat again!  This one is going to my friend Amanda.  Yarn is Berroco Vintage in Petunia.

I hate this sock. I should probably make the other one but the yarn is icky.  It just teaches me never to buy junky yarn again.  Someone did say that this looks like a Bomb Pop.  Maybe I will call them my Bomp Pop socks.  

I have so many other projects in stages of completion right now.  I have 1.5 baby socks knitted.  A blanket, a cowl, and several more.  My goal is to not buy any yarn until September because I need to use up what I have in my stash.

My Boys

Oh my boys, how I love them.  They test my patience many, MANY times throughout the day but they are funny, smart, and active.

Their absolute favorite person is Nana as evidenced by this picture.  They spend every Friday at her house and she spoils them rotten.  I have had to tell her recently not to give in when they ask to go to McDonald's for lunch or to Monkey King (an indoor play place).  She is retired and even though she isn't on a limited budget, they will bleed her dry!

They had a blast on The 4th of July.  I let them eat what they want on some holidays, because I can't be militant about what they eat all the time.  Let them be kids!  This resulted in two pieces of watermelon each, a hotdog and some chips for dinner.  And several cups of pink lemonade.

My kids are incredibly picky eaters.  I have blogged about my frustration about this before and nothing really has changed.  I try to find healthy, fun meals that our whole family will eat but 90% of the time, they won't touch it.  The foods they will eat are as follows (and I am sure I will forget some):  Cereal, toast, most all fruits, yogurt, cheese (usually Cal only), cherry tomatoes (Jack only), applesauce, pizza, nuggets, macaroni and cheese (not homemade which kills me), peanut butter and jelly or Nutella sandwiches, quesadillas, hot dogs (yuck), lunch meat, and sweets.  Notice the very apparent lack of veggies.  Even though I put some on their plates every night, they sit untouched.

They are active!  They love to go on walks, they run, chase the dog, play outside most days when it's nice, dig in the dirt, search for bugs, love to go to the park, Dizzy Castle and the jump place.  I will take them to Dizzy Castle every 3 weeks or so since we have passes.  They are able to run, climb and jump all they want while I sit and enjoy a coffee and knit.  I will climb around in the play structure with them too, but mostly let them play independently.

This is Cal's cheese face.  He does this every time I try and take a picture.  Crazy kid.  Most days they play decently.  They do make each other cry quite a bit and Cal is usually on the end of screaming and screeching for the most part.  There are some times when they will actually PLAY and it is so nice.  Out in public, Jack is very protective of his brother and looks out for him.  He introduces himself and always tells people "This is my brother Calvin".  One day I hope they get along.  

Jack is in speech therapy right now and he's doing amazing!  He has only had three sessions and can already self-correct himself on his F's.  He was pronouncing them as S's.  For example:  One, two, three, soar, sive.  Now he can say them correctly.  

Cal is getting over a nasty stomach bug.  He had terrible runs for about 2 days and wouldn't eat anything.  It was pretty pathetic and I am grateful he is feeling a bit better.

Both of my boys still nap.  Yes, they do!  People find this hard to believe but when they RUN and JUMP and PLAY so much, a nap is needed.  Some days Jack doesn't sleep but that's okay.  He still has to have quiet time.  

They will both go to school in the fall.  Jack will be attending Pre-Kindergarten and Cal will be attending Pre-Preschool.  This will be Cal's first year and I am excited to have him go.  I know he is going to learn so much.  He already is asking if he can go to school which is really cute.  

I could write novels, I really could.  But I will leave it with that.  Oh my boys.  Crazy kiddos.

Recipe Round Up

As always, I have been cooking a lot lately.  Here are some yummy recipes that are all Weight Watchers friendly. I have put the Points Plus values in parentheses if you follow the Plan.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce (7 Points Plus)

I made garlic Udon noodles and blistered green beans to go along with the meatballs.  Yummy!

Healthy Baked Fish Sticks with Lemon Caper Sauce (5 Points Plus)

Corn on the cob and a side of sauteed spinach.  Delicious!

Angel Hair Pasta with Scallops and Tomatoes (9 Points Plus)

I am trying really hard to incorporate more fish into our diet and the above counts right?  My kids won't touch seafood but I keep trying.

Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts and Feta Cheese (3 Points Plus)

I always have chicken thighs on hand so it is nice to just have to buy two ingredients to make this dinner.  You can also see that we eat green beans a lot.  I found a new way to make them and Jason and I are hooked:  In a pan over medium high heat, add olive oil.  Add beans and saute until cooked through.  I always add salt and pepper and garlic as well.

Turkey Burgers with Zucchini (4 Points Plus)

Don't forget to add extra Points Plus for the bun.  The oven fries in the picture are from here.  Very tasty!

Tortellini Soup (8 Points Plus)

I made the boys some sausages with the soup so it wouldn't be vegetarian (my husband just about dies at the thought of no meat) and I made myself a bagel thin cheese sandwich.

Pork Chops with Mint Pesto

I have a ton of mint in my garden that I needed to use up.  I whipped up the mint pesto from this link.

I can't recall what I calculated for the pesto to be honest.  It was very good though!

Honey-Teriyaki Salmon (7 Points Plus)

I have never cooked salmon at home because, well, we don't really like it.  But again, in an effort to branch out and try more fish, I made this recipe.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Isn't that picture crazy?  It is very colorful thanks to my purple cauliflower mash and my roasted pineapple (I mixed a little brown sugar and cinnamon and roasted in the oven for about 15 minutes).  

Coconut Chicken Strips (13 Points Plus if you include the rice)

I love cilantro so I will jump at the chance to include it whenever I can.

Crock Pot Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup (6 Points Plus)

Yummmmmmm!  I made cornbread and a veggie to round out this meal.

I have made a couple of other meals lately that have been pretty good too, but I don't have pictures.

I hope everyone has an awesome 4th of  July!

In My (Knitting) Bag

I thought it would be fun to post what I keep in my knitting bag.  Obviously, this post is only interesting if you are a knitter but if not, I suppose you can enjoy the fun colored yarn.

Here is my fun bag.  I bought it on my mom's co-op for $6 (really).  It has handles a zipper top which is great.  It is large and stores a ton of stuff. 

Here is some leftover yarn from a hat that I just finished.  I should probably put it in my stash since i don't need it in my bag.  Yarn Credit:  Berroco Vintage in Aster.

I always have a ton of needles for projects I am working on or have finished up.  I occasionally go through my bag and put away any needles that I am done working with.  Needle Credit: Hiya Hiya, and ChiaoGoo,

Here is some yarn for projects I haven't started with.  The purple will be for a hat and the turquoise for some socks.  Yarn Credit:  Berroco Vintage in Dried Plum and Crystal Palace Panda Silk yarn.

My notions box is a mess.  I need to clean it out.  I always keep this in my bag because it has all my necessities:  Scissors, tape measure, stitch markers, crochet hook, cabling needles, darning needles, needle gauge, needle caps and extra needles.  The box was from Michael's and think it cost a whopping $2.00.

Oh look!  A finished sock.  I started on the other one yesterday.

Random pattern.  I have every intent to start this.  I have the needles and yarn.

Project bags.  I use these bags to keep yarn and projects I am working on.  They are actually produce bags but I re-purposed them for something else.  

A cotton farmer's market shopping bag I am working on.  Yarn Credit:  Berroco Modern Cotton in Bluebird.

Yarn for the sock above and the new one I started.  Yarn Credit:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock in Farmhouse.

Work in progress.  A slipper sock that is complete.  I just need to start the other one.  The yarn is gorgeous and incredibly soft.  It's made from baby alpaca.  Yarn Credit:  Foothills Yarn and Fiber.  I believe the name is Clematis.  It was hand dyed at their shop and you can't buy it online.

Seeing all of this makes me motivated to get some projects done!

WW - WWFM

Weight Watchers, What Works for Me.  That is what the acronym in the title line means.

I am currently on week a million (okay not really) of Weight Watchers and doing really well.  I am down a total of 36.6 pounds and although my losses have slowed down, I am still trucking along.  I figure a loss is a loss, no matter how small.  Most weeks I only lose about a pound and sometimes even less.  I have a long way to go but these tips really have helped me stay on track.  I am not going to lie, sometimes I veer off course.  But I always go back on Plan after a mistake.  If I don't, I am going to end up where I was before, 36 pounds heavier.

Here are some things that have worked for me.  Maybe some of these tips will help others.

* Don't feel bad about being boring:  There are many days where I eat the exact same thing for breakfast and lunch.  You know what?  That's okay.  I like these things (bowl of Kashi Go Lean, wrap sandwich, Greek yogurt) and rarely get bored with them.  It's okay, I like being boring and I am not going to feel bad about it.  If you like something, eat it!  Who cares if you ate the exact same meal yesterday.

* Make dinner interesting:  This seems like a strange tip after my comment about being boring.  I love to cook and find new recipes.  I find if I am inspired and interested about dinner, I am way more satisfied about how I have eaten that day.

* Make room for splurges:  There are certain things that I look forward to everyday.  My morning coffee is the first thing, and something sweet after dinner while I am knitting is the second.  I always save some Points for both of these splurges.  My morning coffee is 4 Points Plus because I use flavored creamer.  It makes me happy and gives me a good "boost" for my day.  My dessert always happens.  Always.  I usually save 2 or 3 Points for an ice cream bar, my 3 Point mug cake or a homemade healthy muffin.

* Keep going:  It sounds obvious but even if you aren't losing how you would like, just keep going.  A loss is a loss no matter how small.  Most weeks I only lose .6-.8 pounds but I just keep going.  If I keep going, my goal will be here sooner than later.

* Be accountable:  I manage a check in on the message board that I frequent.  If I don't make a weekly post, I feel guilty. That check in keeps me accountable for staying on track with my eating so I can be an inspiration to others.  I also post a lot on Instagram and follow other IGers who are following Weight Watchers.  Watching them lose and cook healthier meals keeps me accountable since some of them follow me.

What works for you? How do you stay on track on those hard days or weeks?