Tee hee!

I've gotten virtural flowers and an honest to Gods postcard from my secret pal! And the postcard was of two bobbin lace makers from Belgium, which is so cool because I would dearly love to try and learn bobbin lace.

Thank the Gods I get paid tomorrow, I can start getting stuff together for mine. Though, I don't think she'll mind a couple of hand-made gifties. At least I hope not!!

Warning: This post may piss people off.

Stuck between a Rock and a hard place: This is where I am in my everyday struggle with weight. The reason: Artificial sweetners.

I am allergic to both Nutrasweet and Splenda. A miniscule amount of either will give me a headache that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Nutrasweet is the worst, and now that manufactures have listened to the consumer, you find it in everything. And the bad thing is that now they don't have to have the big Nutrasweet logo on things because everyone is just calling it by its generic name of aspartame.

Case in point: I purchased a package of Wrigley's Doublemint gum a few months ago. After chewing one (1) piece for about 10 minutes, I noticed the distinct aftertaste that aspartame leaves in my mouth. Five minutes after that, I have a headache. Fifteen minutes after that, I have to leave work so I can go home, take massive amounts of pain killers, lay down in a dark room, and try to go to sleep.

Now, why would a gum that is not sugar free to start with, have aspartame in it? As a flavor enhancer, not a sweetner. Thanks to Wrigley's, I can no longer chew gum, with the exception of Bubble Yum, and that gets old after a while.

Flavored water is another product on my no-no list. Anything listed as "light" is verboten. I got a "light" frappacino from Starbucks on Sunday, thinking it would be lighter in fat, but it also had Splenda in it, so I again had a headache which lasted most of the evening. You'll even find aspartame in children's vitamins.

Aspartame breaks down into several different, highly poisonous chemicals when exposed to temperatures above 86 degrees F. One of them is formaldhyde. You know, the stuff they use to embalm people.

I won't go into all of the details of how GD. Searle and Company basically lied to the FDA and the American public about the safety of aspartame. Do a Google search for "ban aspartame" and you'll find reems of info. Just do me a favor: keep the crap away from me.

T-Shirts I want to see...

Or bumper stickers. Either would be good.

Mommy drinks because I whine. (In honor of my 5 year old)

I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Go Adam! Mythbusters)

There is no such thing as "too much yarn."

Don't knit and drive.

Will work for yarn.

This week has been crazy. Not 5 minutes after I walked in the door from my weekend with the girls, Sean starts going nuts. Yeah, he missed me, but damn, does he have to start acting like a ferret on a double expresso? And hubby is slumped in his chair, looking like "oh, I had such a rough weekend by myself." Not. My SIL was at the house all weekend, so hubby didn't really have to do a whole lot, other than make sure Sean got to bed at a reasonable time, and not eat too much sugar. He was also nursing another one of his sinus migraines, which no doctor believes he has. The last doctor he saw about them tried to blame all of his troubles on his weight. Sorry, I don't buy that, and neither did he.

On the knitting front, I'm working on a pair of little jester booties from Zoe Mueller's Double Knits for Kids. They are so cute, and easy to make. They are for the daughter of my boss, who is having her 3rd boy in about a week. Moms always get screwed on kid #3 as far as new stuff goes, especially if it's the same sex as the other ones.

I've also signed up for Stephanie's Knitting Olympics. I'll be doing the Mamluke socks from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks. I may try to do them toe up, and on 4 needles, as that is the actual way the original ones are made. I'm also still slogging along on Eris and the other 3 or 4 pairs of socks I keep around. There are times I wish I was a tiny person. I could finish sweaters in a flash. I'm knitting Eris in the largest size, and it takes forever to do one row. I'm doing the cardigan, so it's not all in the round either. I really want to make another Rogue for myself, but will have to enlarge the pattern for my zaftig frame.

I've got to get my butt in gear for SP7. My pal will think I've forgotten her! I've got something to send off, so while I'm thinking about it........

Dullsville

That is what Sundays usually are around here, and today is no exception. I even sat down and watched part of the ass-whuppin' the Colts were getting against the Steelers.

I've had the stomach flu the better part of the week. Cons: I missed work. Pros: I lost 10 lbs. Not that I recommend this as a way to jump-start a diet, but hey, whatever works. I hope that I can keep this trend up. Both DH and I need to lose the equivalent of a small third world country. He's decided to join a group of people at work, mostly the entire IS department. Computer geeks tend to have weight issues. I'm just trying to keep myself busy, though I didn't knit for 2 days when I had the worst of the flu. It's kind of hard to knit when praying at the porcelain altar.

The diet will probably go out the window next weekend. It is the annual Adult Women's Only Weekend at my friend Kim's In-Laws lakehouse. I know what you're thinking: a lakehouse in January? But this is actually the best time. We've survived the holidays with our families and this is our treat. 48 hours of scrapbooks, stamping, knitting, beading, drinking, talking, and just being us. Did I mention drinking? And food. Kim is a wonderful cook, but her DH and DS are pretty picky eaters, so she doesn't get to cook much. I personally, am not much of a cook, so I am more than happy to indulge her in what she likes to do. We always joke about finding a big house that we could move both families into, then she could cook for appreciative people, and I'd handle the "Mom, I need a (insert craft here) for school!" requests that usually come at bedtime the night before. Ah, Utopia.

I'm trying to figure out what to send my pal for her first SP7 gift. And, I haven't actually heard from the one who has my name. If you're out there, give me a sign. Of course, that goes for anyone who is stalking my blog and not leaving notes. Like Franklin said, I blog for the comments.

Secret Pal 7 Questionnaire

I've been SO looking forward to this. I have no life right now.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?
I love being able to knit with natural fibers, but realize that having washable sweaters and things is not a bad idea.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I spin a little on a drop spindle, and recently bought a charka wheel. I do crochet, but only under duress.

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a box next to my knitting spot that I just tend to throw needles in. I also have a crock on my sewing table that holds some.

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I learned to knit when I was 7. I figure that I'm probably pretty advanced in some areas, but haven't tried other things. I'm not much for intarsia knitting. I like cables better.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Nope.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Vanilla

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
What knitter doesn't? My favorite is chocolate covered caramels.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I scrapbook, do some rubber stamping, and I sew...a lot. We do medieval reenactment.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I'll listen to about anything, except rap. I love Celtic, both traditional and modern (like Ashley MacIssac and Flogging Molly).

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love yellow, green, blue, true red (more bluish, not orange), and I love jewel tones. I do not like pink.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married with a 5 year old. We do not have any pets.

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes to everything except ponchos. They make me look like a barge.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I like wool, especially soft ones. Cottons are nice too. I've knit with angora, but it made my nose itch.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
metallics

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Socks made with the self striping yarn.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
So far I've pretty much liked everything.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Which one? 4 pairs of socks and the Eris sweater.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
You bet.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Depends on the application.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I've used them all. Again, depends on the application.

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I do, but both are hand-me-downs from my mom, so they are old. And, I can't find them right now!

22. How did you learn to knit?
My grandmother taught me.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Let's see, at least 10 years. It's a pair of stockings for the medieval reenactment, knit on size 0, and I've got huge legs.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Bugs Bunny, Tinkerbell, horses.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween (Samhain)

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides dust bunnies? Not anymore.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have any. Mom gets them all, so I just raid her stash.

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I'll have to think about that one.

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'd like to learn to throw my yarn with my left hand, so I could learn to do two color stuff.

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I am a sock knitter. I wear a women's size 12 narrow shoe.

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
30 November

Let the games begin!!!

News Alert: FINISHED OBJECT!!!!

Adamas is finished. Done. Finito. Blocked even. And here are photos to prove it!














The finished size is approximately 52"x 26". This was done with one skein of Knit Picks Shadow in Oregon Coast. I think it's a nice scarf size. I've got 7 more skeins left (one of each color). Should I tempt Fate and try for another one?