Finished Project

A few days ago, I finished the counted cross stitch project that I  last showed with only one color finished. I am still not sure where to hang it or possibly who will receive it as a gift.  For now it will go into my stash of wall hangings. :)

Paleo Diet

Looking to eat more whole foods and regulate my insulin and blood sugar levels, I am working on "going Paleo." I have a friend who has done this successfully who loves this way of eating. As always, incorporating lots of seasonal veggies is always heathier than processed foods, so I expect this to help my overall health. 

In the past I have enjoyed throwing a "dinner party" where friends come to my house and we put together freezer meals.  These are raw food meals that only need to be thawed and cooked.  Everything for the main dish is in the bag.  Side dishes like a vegetable or salad are made while the main dish cooks.

I just discovered a set of 40 Paleo freezer dinner recipes at savingdinner.com and invited my friend K to join me for filling the freezer. We typically spend at least 6 hours on a Saturday morning chopping veggies and meats, adding spices and condiments and filling the bags. It is fun and takes a huge bite out of the preparation time for future dinners. The new recipes are created to make 20 meals at a time. I'm not sure that we'll do more than 8-10 recipes at a time, because it gets expensive and takes too much time. We both usually divide each meal (meant for 4-6 people) into 2 bags so that we have the right sized meals for our households.

Cross Stitch!

Last Sunday afternoon, my mom was giving away some needlework kits that she has been saving. One SIL was taking some of the stuff to sell.  There was one, small, counted cross stitch kit that I commented on how much I liked it, so Mom did not offer it up to sell.  Later that evening, I was tired of knitting on my jacket and asked if I could start the kit. She prefers crewel embroidery over cross stitch of any kind and gave me the kit. Just a few days later I have all of the white finished and am starting on the next most used color. (It is a small project, only 5" x 8" after framing.) White is the main color as the picture is of a sheepdog. It has been so much fun working on it, that I may finish and then go back to working on a large underwater scene that I started several years ago. I don't think I have worked on counted cross stitch since 2003.

I'm Back.

The afghan has been finished for almost 2 years, now, and can be seen here. I've also finished many, many other projects in my hiatus from this blog. 

Currently I am in the Knitting Daily KAL, working on the Pan-Am Jacket. I am using Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool. Like so many others in the KAL, I found the start was difficult, at best.  I ended up just adding 2 extra stitches at the cast on and then 2 more extras when making the final cast on for the neck shaping.  This results in the 2 stitches on the front edges being in addition to the charts, which I find much easier to work.  My yarn choice and other details are here. I wanted it a little longer, but not wider, so I am working the center back increases every 6 rows instead of alternating every 4 then every 6.  I started to do this after the yoke was completed as I did not want to alter the fit through the shoulders.

I have finished the yoke and am working the body, having removed the sleeve stitches from the needles.  There are very few increases remaining, so I don't need to focus on the charts so much.  I have memorized the pattern and am enjoying being able to watch TV while knitting on this cardigan.