Left Foot, Left Foot

Can you tell I have been reading Dr. Seuss's The Foot Book a lot lately? My kids adore it. I have finally finished one of the two Herringbone Rib Socks. I love this pattern, but I will say that the herringbone pattern does not have much give to it, which makes the sock a bit challenging to get on and off, but once on it fits perfectly. I am hoping some blocking will make this a bit easier. The foot area is much more forgiving than the leg, because the bottom of the sock is stockinette instead of herringbone.

On a side note, I have really been wanting to switch to Continental Style knitting to gain some speed and in hopes that I will increase the evenness of my knit and purl stitches. I taught myself how to knit using the English (yarn in the right hand) method, but I often get hand cramping, my stitches are tight, and my knit stitches are much tighter than my purl stitches resulting in an uneven fabric when knitting flat stockinette stitch. Nothing majorly noticable on the finished fabric, but enough that I notice the difference in tension while knitting. I am hoping that "picking" rather than "throwing" will fix this and in the long run give me speed.

I have knit Continental before, on my Snowflake fair isle socks I actually used a two handed method with one color in my right hand and the other in my left, but have never made the switch. Most of this has to do with the fact that I have never wanted to start mid project and affect my gauge midway through and partly because I am faster at English style right now, and so I always go to it. I am sure with practice though, my speed and ability will grow. I may just bite the bullet and start an easy new project and do it all holding the yarn in the left. By the end of the project I am sure to be a pro!

Has anyone else ever made this switch?

 

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Charles Street 12 and Feeling Good in My Own Skin

Yesterday I did a 12 mile race in Baltimore called the Charles Street 12. It was a bit humid, it was long, and I loved every minute of it.

This is me at the start. I even managed to knit a few rows on a sock before the race.

I haven't written about my post-baby return to an active an healthy lifestyle, but this has been a huge part of my life over the past 6 months.

Like most women who have had babies, my body was wrecked after the twins. Although a lot came off easily (mostly water weight) in the first few weeks, the rest stuck around for over a year. I was also nursing, and you can't run with infants until they can hold their heads up (about 6 months old) and my husband was commuting 4 hours a day. Oh, and add in a move in the middle of all that, and needless to say, my focus for a whole year was not on myself.

Then January came. I stopped nursing, I finally felt again that my body was my own again to do with it what I wanted, instead of what these two little creatures needed. I looked in the mirror, truly looked, for the first time in a long time. And here is what I realized: I wasn't happy with my body and it wasn't just the way I looked. I wasn't as active as I wanted to be, I was eating pure junk, and I didn't feel good about myself, even though I did feel good about what I had done. I had carried two beautiful children to 37 weeks, dealt with bedrest, gone through labor and surgery, nursed them almost exclusively for 6 months and partially for almost a year. Our bodies are pretty amazing, right?

I decided to change the way I was eating, and started running more again. I signed up for a half marathon in March. Races have always been a good motivator for me to get out and actually do the workout. I bought an elliptical for my basement so that I could workout over the winter even when the weather was bad and the roads were icy. I also used it to sneak in quick workouts after work. No excuses, even with kids. I pushed a double jogging stroller when I had to get a workout in. I have run 12 miles while pushing my daughter. This time to focus on myself has made me happier and healthier. I can't say my diet is perfect, but I at least started eating less. I lost a lot. 25 pounds actually. Other people noticed, which made me feel good. I bought some new clothes that fit my new, post-baby shape (because trust me ladies, even if you lose the weight, pregnancy changes things). I feel good in my own skin again. I weigh less than I have in years (even pre-baby).

I don't have any secrets for losing weight. Its really very simple and at the same time incredibly hard. Work out more, eat less. Its all about the calorie balance. Try to eat fruits and veggies. It's really not about what you eat, its about how much you eat (sorry organic and all natural folks, if you eat too much of even good foods, you will gain weight). Personally, I have to focus on both diet and exercise. One or the other alone isn't enough. Count everything (calories and exercise). There are some great apps out there that make this so easy. I like MyNetDiary, but I know many who use MyFitness Pal. It doesn't really matter which one you use, its about making yourself accountable for everything you eat, and giving yourself credit for the exercise you do while also making it clear in writing that you skipped a workout or over ate. I still have days or weeks where I struggle and eat too much, or don't make working out a priority, but overall, I am a much more active and healthy person.

I enjoyed this race. Moving is never an easy process, but my favorite way to explore a new city if by running it. You really get to know the character of a place on your own two feet. I was worried this race would be too warm (Maryland in August?) but actually it started early enough and at the beginning it was a bit overcast, so it was not really hot, just a bit humid. There are a few hills, but after the first few miles, it is mostly downhill, albeit a gently rolling kind of course. And the race swag (an Under Armour long sleeve that if I were to purchase outside of the race would have cost me almost my entire race fee) is hard to beat. So far the Baltimore race swag is pretty great. The Baltimore 10 Miler also has a great race premium. Its almost worth doing the race just for the running gear!

I will definitely look forward to this race again. The only negatives I will point out are that the start and finish being so far from each other is a bit of a pain for parking (they do offer a shuttle to the start though) and that there weren't that many spectators out, even once we got in the city.

I ran a good race, not my fastest time, but one I was very happy with, and getting out on a Saturday morning and running 12 miles with 2000 other people, priceless!

 

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Some Light Reading Material

I stopped by for the Wednesday afternoon knitting at my favorite local yarn store, The Black Sheep, this week, to check out their new space that they just moved to and enjoy some knitting time. Sometimes this is the only time I get during the week to knit, although I recently discovered I can now knit with my children in the room when we are watching Sesame Street or Thomas the Train without too much interference. The kids love to steal my measuring tape, and will play with the ball of yarn, but they actually seem to like to snuggle up next to me while I knit, which in my mind is a crafty and mommy win.

While at The Black Sheep, I picked up a new copy of Enchanted Knits, a magazine put out by the same authors that did Jane Austin Knits a few years ago. I love all the whimsical patterns in this magazine. My favorites are Rumpelstitskin's Wrap and the Hunger for Rampion Pullover. Just gorgeous. If only the wrap didn't have so much seed stitch. My hands hurt just thinking about it!

I also picked up this handy little book, Cast On Bind Off. This is a great reference manual for all sorts of different ways to start and end a knitting project. I am always on the hunt for stretchier beginnings and endings, so I am sure this one will be used a lot.

I really like the Black Sheep's new space. The parking is better, the lighting is much better, and all in all, I think I will enjoy spending time there. I do miss the charm of the previous location, but the advantages the new space has outweigh my nostalgia.

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Easy Chicken Shredding

Do you have a lot of recipes that involve shredded chicken? I sometimes avoid dishes that call for it because it seems like a lot of work to cook and then hand-shred chicken or use two forks to shred.

Enter a new method that I discovered in my internet travels to shred chicken: I use the dough hook of my KitchenAid mixer! No mess, easy cleanup and fast!

I boil the chicken breasts first for about 10 minutes. Then put them whole into the mixing bowl with dough hook attachment. About 10 minutes on a low speed. Here is the chicken before:

And after:

In this case, my recipe called for some taco seasoning, so after the chicken was shredded, I tossed this in and let the mixer go for a few more minutes, and my seasoning was nicely dispersed:

I am so glad I found this method, as I no longer avoid shredded chicken recipes!

 

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Variegation on a Shawl

This week, I started a project that satisfies my need to have an easy project on my needles that allows me to read or watch TV while knitting (I think the break in the middle of the last season of Mad Men will nearly kill me). As an added bonus, the large amounts of stockinette stitch in this shawl happens to show off hand painted or variegated yarns beautifully.

I love to buy beautiful yarns that have lots of interesting color variation, but struggle to find patterns that show off the beauty of the yarn, and don't have so much patterning in them that either the color or the pattern get lost.

This is the Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief, and it is a free pattern on Ravelry. The yarn is Schaefer Yarn Company's Anne, which has been discontinued, in a color way called Mr. Green jeans.

 

I can see already that this pattern will be a quick knit, and the pattern can easily be modified to do more or less repeats to make a bigger or smaller shawl to utilize maximize yardage. It's amazing how addicting plain old stockinette can be.

 

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Stash Surprise

Do you ever come across something in your stash that you didn't even know you had? This week I was going through my stash for a certain fingering weight yarn, and came across this lovely Madelinetosh merino light. It wasn't listed on my Ravelry Stash, and quite honestly, I don't even remember buying it.

I usually remember where I have bought almost all my yarn. It has memory to me of the places I have travelled and the yarn stores that I have explored in different cities.

I am not sure what I will use this for yet, but I certainly was excited to find this mystery yarn hidden in my stash.

 

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Freezer Meals

I love to cook. But a little over a year ago I had twins, and cooking with them around is, well, to put it mildly, almost impossible. So I have had to adapt, lest the whole family go hungry. Now I try to prep big meals all at once, usually after the kids are asleep. And any time I make a big meal, I make a second one to put in the freezer for later.

I have described my method to some other twin mommies, who were intrigued, so I thought others might be interested in how to go about this. Once you get started, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

You really need extra freezer space to make this work. Before our kids were born we invested in a stand alone freezer that used to reside in our garage. We moved it with us to Maryland, and it now is in the unfinished portion of my basement. A freezer is well worth the extra money if you have the space. I prefer a stand up version for organization purposes but a chest freezer is even more economical if you are looking to get one on the cheap.

I keep all-purpose disposable baking pans on hand at all times. They stack nicely in the freezer and allow me to make freezer meals without putting a casserole dish out of commission until we eat the frozen meal later on. Usually, I stock up when they are on sale for buy 2 get one free.

 

Some freezer meals that are in my regular rotation:

Lasagna (Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book- I use turkey instead of ground beef)

Creamy seafood lasagna (Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Peach bourbon baked pork chops (hubby approved favorite)

Turkey baked ziti

Oven baked fajitas

Mexican lasagna (personal recipe- basically using burrito wraps as the "pasta" layer with shredded chicken, taco seasoning, black beans, sour cream, salsa, Mexican cheese, corn; all baked in the oven just like lasagna)

Turkey tetrazzini

Confetti Mac and Cheese

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Chicken Nuggets (I use coconut milk instead of egg for M)

Eggless BBQ meatballs

Meatloaf (Betty Crocker Cookbook - have to come up with an eggless version for M)

Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake (new recipe I tried for the purposes of this post)

This is not as gourmet as I used to cook, but the recipes are crowd pleasers and easy to make in large amounts.

I write the instructions for baking right on top of the tin foil so I don't have to pull the recipe out when it comes time to cook the meal.

Usually I freeze things right before the point you would have put the dish in the oven, but do all the cooking and prep that the recipe has you do up until that point. Bread crumbs I usually hold off on putting on top until I pull the dish out of the freezer and am ready to bake. The chicken nuggets and meatballs I fully cook and then freeze in ziplock bags to pull out a few at a time to heat up for a quick easy meal for the kids.

One of these Bacon Ranch Pasta Bakes is ready to be frozen, the other one I will cook for this week.

Here are my nicely stacked meals in my freezer.

 

I have to admit, I got a lot of my ideas for how to go about doing this from Saturday cook-ins at my church, MPC, in Pennsylvania where we made a lot of meals at once for our Deacons to give out when people were sick, or just had a baby and needed a meal. We would pull one of these meals out of the church freezer and deliver it when it was needed. What a great way to have a meal on hand if you have a friend in need!

I have yet to try pre-preparing crock pot recipes for the freezer, but many other people do this. I have done a rice casseroles successfully, and also a quinoa casserole, but both were a bit bland. I am still on the hunt for a great rice based casserole.

Here is the cooked Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake. I have to say, this recipe is delicious. I think it's the bacon. Let's be honest; it's always the bacon.

What kind of meals do you prep for your freezer?

 

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A little February in May

I posted about this finished project a long time ago, but had to show you some pictures of M actually wearing it. The Elizabeth Zimmerman February Baby Sweater:

 

 

 

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To Knit or Not to Knit

The last year has been busy. I had twins. And life with twins is crazy. And if you think trying knit with one baby is hard, try having both hands full at all times. I took a one year hiatus from knitting. The twins are now 15 months old and a little ray of sunshine has emerged. I am running more. I lost all my baby weight. And I am knitting. Mostly after bedtime, but I am back. Little pieces of the things I enjoy are back in my life and it's wonderful.

These are the socks that I picked up to get me back in the swing of things.

Herringbone Rib Socks in St. Elias from Pagewood Farms

It's amazing how quickly obsession returns once you pick it back up again. I am loving the subtle color changes of the Pagewood Farms yarn.

 

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Wooly Weekend

This weekend I went to Maryland Sheep And Wool. I have wanted to attend for years now, but now that we have moved to Maryland I just have no excuse not to attend! So on Saturday morning, G and I got in the car and headed over. I left M with the hubby, and I have to say I was glad I didn't have the double stroller because some of the barns were pretty crowded. I didn't take many pictures, but here is one of me wearing G and enjoying the nice day. He wasn't so into the yarn, but did like the sheep, so we alternated yarn barns with sheep barns to keep everyone happy.

 

I was surprised that I actually kept myself in check and didn't buy crazy amounts of yarn. I have so much unused yarn as it is, that it really had to be special for me to pick it up. G tried to convince me that I should pick up spinning. He grabbed some beautiful roving off the shelves. But I told him I just don't have time for any more hobbies right now. Someday, I hope to pick up spinning, but right now is just not the time in my life.

 

But I did pick up 6 skeins of this lovely yarn (Shepherd's Wool in color Denim) that will likely become a sweater in the future.

And a sock yarn that was too yummy to pass up (Studio Sock by Neighborhood Fiber company)

 

 

Overall, it was a great festival, and I will definitely attend again. I might leave the house a little earlier though. At 8:40 am the line from the highway to the Fairgrounds of cars was pretty incredible. But knitters are such nice people that everyone just waited their turn.

 

And G loved the sheep so much he brought 1 home with him.

 

 

When we got home, a pleasant surprise. The yarn I won from Brenda Dayne arrived in the mail. A really pretty Regia Extra Twist Merino to make her Tintern Abbey Socks! So all in all I had a fiber kind of weekend!

 

 

 

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