My Neglected Blog

Hi Blog....

I've been neglecting you haven't I? I've been so busy! We've been working late, getting home from the office way past my bed time it seems.

And again my two interests have been sadly neglected. Again I've been eating rubbish, and not getting much knitting or craft done.

I have however still been working on Dad's patchwork knitted blanket.

Today, I started work on some hexagon motifs. I've been using Paton's Big Baby (verigated greens and oranges) and Spotlight Baby 4 ply in white. I've been using a 3.5 mm hook to test the tension, and I think I might actually go a 4 - 4.5mm hook. Reasons for it is the motifs are turning out quite stiff, and I want them nice and soft. I intend to stitch a whole heap of them together and make a baby blanket. I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? I'm not even pregnant yet and I'm making baby blankets!

I'm so tired lately, and I just know it's because I'm not eating right, and not exercising. I sooooo want to walk at lunchtime, but I just don't get a lunch break anymore. If I take one I feel guilty because my husband doesn't take one, and neither does my business partner. Somehow I've got to manage though, or I won't have a healthy pregnancy when I do get pregnant. I guess DH (dear husband) doesn't think of that...all he thinks is business, business business! To him, there's nothing else.

Anyway....enough of my whining!

Mandy

A Difficult Few Days

What a shocker of a day I've had! I stuffed up majorly at work, it's going to cost my business (it's my own company) a lot of money to correct my stuff up. I don't even know what caused it, but it's really got me down at the moment. I really think I've bitten off far more than I can chew. Granted, I'm only a small wheel in the company, my DH and business partner are the real driving force. Both of them are really disappointed in me at the moment. They can't be more disappointed than I am though. God only knows what happened, major brain bleed is all I can put it down to.

Because I've been so down, my diet has blown out. I worked until 11pm last night, ended up with junk for lunch and pizza for dinner. PLUS no time to exercise. Thank God my Pilates class starts again tonight. I just hope I can get out of this damn office in time to get home for it. Not sticking to my diet is another reason I'm feeling really down.

Onto my crafty endeavours. I've included some pictures today. One is a picture of my work to date on my Dad's knitted afghan. I'm making it for him for Christmas. It needs to be sturdy, so it's made from Panda Magnum Acrylic in 8ply. I'm knitting with my 4mm LisaG needles. I bought these needles especially for this project. The needles are hand-made wooden ones. I get a lot of pain in my fingers when I knit, and I find the wooden needles help with that. (http://www.lisag.com.au/) I've made 5 stripes for this afghan so far, and have 4 more to go to make it square. It's a simple pattern. Cast on 32 stitches, knit garter stitch until that colour is square (it varies with tension, for me that's 60 rows), change colour, knit garter till another square completes and so on and so forth. Each stripe starts with a different colour to make the patchwork pattern.

Also, I've included the beginnings of this damn pineapple doily that caused me so much greif to start with! I'm about a third of the way through now. I'm using DMC Cebilia Cotton #40 in Ecru, with a 1.25 mm crochet hook. I've forgotten the brand of crochet hook now, but I like it because it's got a plastic handle. I find that the plain steel hooks react with my hands and give me a rash, so the plastic section avoids that!

My First Attempt at Tricot

I received my Tunisian Crochet kit from Crochet Australia yesterday. The kit came with four hooks, and an instruction booklet.

I had a turn today, and I think that I didn't do too badly really! The tension is a bit off, and the edges are uneven, but generally, it's ok, you can tell what it's meant to be. The picture shows my very first attempt. I think with some practice I'll be able to make some lovely things.

In other news, I took my last contraceptive pill today. Hopefully we'll get pregnant soon!

Got on the scales this morning and I've actually lost a kilo! It's finally working. Mind you, I have a fever, so I think I may be ill, that could explain the weight loss.

Pineapples!

Hi Blog

I've started crocheting a doily from a book I purchased from Crochet Australia (www.crochetaustralia.com.au).

It's called 'Pineapple Doilies - Book Two' by Mary Werst. I have to say I'm having a bit of trouble with it. I much prefer my patterns to be in the form of charts rather than written. This pattern is oblong, which makes it quite difficult to remember the repetitions in each round. I'm up to the 15th round and it seems to be taking forever!

I did however finish another one from this book. I think it's pattern number two, and it's shown on the front cover, right under the title. I used a different cotton though, and hook size. I was just using up some left over cotton. I need to block it out yet, but there's a picture below.

As for my diet, I'm struggling again. Last night was a late night home from work. We didn't leave the office until 7.30 and got home at 8. I was so hungry I did the usual thing and stopped and got KFC on the way home. BAD BAD BAD! Every time I try to stick to this damn diet, something happens and I fall off the wagon.

To top it all off, yesterday I walked back to the office from the train station in a pair of sandals. When I got in, my feet were sore, and when I checked them I had a blister on the under-side of each big toe. About the size of a 20cent peice each of them. The skin had all pulled away from so much friction. They're very sore.

Anyway's, best get back to it. Heaps to do, and so little time. Plus, I don't want it to be another late night.

Mandy

Tricot Crochet

Hi Blog

I finally received a book I ordered from eBay on Tricot Crochet. It's something I've been interested in for a long time, and haven't been able to find any information or instructions on how to do it. This book, "The Complete Book of Tricot" by Rebecca Jones, seems to be quite a comprehensive guide, I've used her guide for Tatting and that was good too. Now I need to find myself a tricot hook. Not a lot of people seem to be doing Tricot now (or Tunisian Crochet), so finding the tools may be difficult. I'll again have to keep an eye out for one on eBay or something.

Struggling with my diet badly today as well. I didn't eat breakfast, and now here it is at 11.21am and I'm STARVING! Wasting away to a block of flats I am! I so want to be good for lunch, but I didn't bring enough food, so it's either go hungry, or brave the local mall in search of food. Wish me luck blog, because I don't think I can go without.

I did exercise a lot yesterday. I've discovered I can knit while cycling on my exercise bike. It makes the time go so much faster, and I get to mix something I hate (exercise) with something I enjoy. I'll have to keep that up, that way I won't resent the time I spend away from my projects while I have to exercise.

Had a friend tell me they had to have their dog put to sleep this morning. My heart goes out to them, I know the pain of that, and this friend has had this dog since he was a child. Sometimes animal lovers don't understand that grief over a lost pet can sometimes be the same as loving a relative or other friend. My thoughts are with him.

Anyway, must get back to work blog...more later.

My First Post

Hi Blog

This is my first post, and to be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing! My hopes for this blog are to use to show my crochet and knit work, and also to write about my weight loss struggles.

First step is to learn how to post pictures up here! Which it looks like I have done.

To the left is one of the many afghans I've made over the years. I used a Patons acrylic 8ply yarn. I took the pattern for each square from an old library book.

As for my diet, I'm really struggling with it. I've just started again, and again I have messed up. Despite a 70 minute walk, I'm over my calories, fat and protein...I'm so tired I don't think I can do more exercise, but I have to!

Mandy