fiddlesticknitting

Clean: Day 16

Oh hai. Sorry, I'm still going strong on the Clean diet. It's the beginning of Week 3!

Week Three Weigh -In: 130 lbs. Um excuse me? That's what I weighed LAST week. I swear I am skinnier than I was last week. Grrrr.

How did I feel this morning: I felt great until I ate lunch (see above pic, sorry it's blurry. I'm still trying to figure out my iPhone camera). My lunch was amazing: broiled salmon with asparagus, kale salad--a version of this, quinoa tabbouleh and a little bit of hummus with cucumbers. I've had an upset stomach for most of today, kind of like heartburn. Too many greens? How can that be?

A summary of last week and the beginning of this week:  I mentioned in my last post that last week was my time of the month. Omg. It was amazing. No cramps, no bloating, no bitchiness! In fact  it was almost like I was in the complete opposite kind of mood. Guess who's doing this diet one week a month?

I am a bit pissed that I supposedly haven't lost anymore weight, not that I really need to, but it's been great feeling lighter. My skin looks great and my eczema has improved a ton, now it's just like dry skin. I can handle that. Today was an off day. S is sick again, I didn't sleep well, I feel fat and old. Tomorrow is a new day. 

Yesterday I decided that I don't want to stop doing this diet. I feel too good (despite today). So even though my detox officially ends next Monday, I plan to continue, with a few amendments. I love having smoothies for breakfast and I really look forward to lunch. I love eating lighter for dinner, but if I choose to eat dinner at some point, it will be fine. I really love the 12 hr fasting after dinner. Drink some water, you'll be fine! So my attitude is going to be: this is the way I eat from now on, if I decide to eat dinner, or whatever, like eat pizza, one day/night won't throw me off. I like this attitude better than going back to eating the way I did prior (which really wasn't bad, but this is way better) and then having a juice detox "the day after" when I need to clean out my body. Make sense? Hope so because I'm tired and now I'm thinking about pizza.

Lots of friends are now interested in Clean and I think that's awesome! Yay!

Here's to the beginning of another good week!

Clean: Day 8

Whoa. Missed a few days here, huh? And sorry, I don't have a picture today of greeny goodness. Total slacker, I know. But I'm still doing it and doing great!

Week Two Weigh-in:  130 lbs. SIX POUNDS LIGHTER BABY!!!!

How did I feel this morning: I felt great this morning. My skin has cleared up a lot, the eczema goes in spurts (still holding out for two more weeks that it will go away), my skin looks brighter as well as the whites of my eyes.  I feel lighter in general and have a spring in my step. 

Breakfast Smoothie: I cannot remember for the life of me but it was green and it was good :)
Lunch: hummus and cucumbers, lentil salad from Saturday's lunch, sauteed red chard. I was in a hurry so I had to eat fast and I don't think that I ate enough. 

Snack: handful of cashews and almonds. Definitely needed the snack today. 

Dinner Smoothie: was a total failure. I don't know how I went wrong but it was just plain gross. So I made another one. It was better, but still, not as great as they've been so far. Looking forward to a good one in the AM.
Water consumption: Tons. After a couple of days of not drinking enough, I definitely made up for it today. Probably close to 12 glasses.

Exercise:  This weekend I returned to doing my usual workout and it was a bit hard, but at the same time easier. ? Today, nothing. Ran around doing errands. 

Extras: I dropped some $ today to get some Dr. Hauschka skin products.  Lovey has been using them for a couple of years now, with me all proud that "I barely have to wash my face, it's so clear". Well, I'm off my high horse and we'll see if I see a nice improvement in my sensitive skin.  Tonight I did a steam bath for my face with one of the products, which felt great (I love to sweat when it doesn't have to do with weather!). And then I topped it off with a charcoal mask. We'll see how my skin looks in the AM.

What I've learned today:  I read that Week Two can be the hardest.  So far, and I know I just started it today, I don't think so at all.  Now that I've upped my protein and eat like a pig at lunch, I am totally fine. And to be honest, as much as I daydream about pizza  I can't imagine going back to eating like I used to. And I am a healthy eater! Although, I do think it will be nice to have dinner again. I feel kind of left out at the table. I will need to be really big on my protein even more this week as it is that time so I am curious to see how I feel at the end of the week, and if I need to kill someone for chocolate. 

 

Clean: Day 5

 

How did I feel this morning: I still have laryngitis but I actually feel really great. I didn't get a great night's sleep, but I had plenty of energy this morning. Facial skin has improved, eczema flare up isn't too bad, but skin is very dry. My mood has definitely improved :)

Breakfast Smoothie: blueberries, pineapple, frozen peaches, avocado, kale, almond milk, coconut water
Lunch: (pictured above) salmon with capers, thyme and olive oil. roasted zucchini, sauteed red chard (love love love!), quinoa tabbouleh. Was definitely full after this, but it has gotten me through the rest of the day

Snack: no snack needed today

Dinner Smoothie: raspberries, peaches, blueberries, pineapple, avocado, kale, almond milk, coconut water.
Water consumption: I was awful about my water consumption today. Trying to drink a ton now. But to be honest, I still peed a ton and didn't feel dehydrated at all. 

Exercise: This afternoon was an errand-running, bill paying kind of afternoon. I am still going to incorporate the yoga into my routine, but I feel ready to go back to my regular workouts. So that will happen tomorrow.

Extras: none

What I've learned today: I'm definitely feeling the positive effects of this detox. I was trying to hold off weighing myself until Monday, but I was curious to see if I had lost weight. 4 pounds since Monday. My clothes definitely feel looser. I have already done my menu planning for next week and am very excited about the meals. I am loving my green smoothies too. Need to get a bit more creative with what I put in them, but they've all been really tasty for the most part and include my greens, so I'm happy.

Speaking of green smoothies, Jackie asked why is it better to drink green smoothies, rather than just eat all of the foods that you're putting in the smoothie. Good question. Right off the bat I thought of two reasons: easier to digest and they contain more fiber. I decided to google the question, and this site had a lot of good reasons.

I hope everyone has a good weekend, and I hope it's filled with greens and yarny goodness. 

 

Clean: Days 3 & 4

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I'm sure you were all dying to see what color smoothie I had, right? :)

Day 3

How did I feel this morning: sluggish. I had taken some (children's) cold and cough syrup before bed and I think that had to do with it. I was basically in a slump all day, sadly. 

Breakfast Smoothie: cashew butter, almond milk, coconut water, avocado, blueberries, frozen peaches, a tsp of cardamom. (pictured above)
Lunch: Tilapia with zucchini, lemon and thyme. A little bit of leftover quinoa and some sauteed red chard. My favorite way to saute chard or kale is with ume plum vinegar. Y-um.

Snack: an apple.

Dinner Smoothie: blueberries, avocado, pineapple, red chard, baby bok choy, cashew butter, almond milk. Meh. With all those yummy things it was a pretty bland smoothie. 
Water consumption: I'm pretty sure I'm getting at least 7-8 glasses a day. 

Exercise: I did Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown. (30 min). It's definitely not a true yoga practice, but it's good and it's been a while since I've done yoga on a regular basis so there was definitely some wobbling!

Extras:  Now that I can breathe through my nose again, I am focusing on breathing more deeply.

What I've learned today:  Lunch was yummy, but definitely not enough food. I usually have a huge appetite and need to make sure that I feel very full at lunch, like I have on the earlier days. 

Day 4

How did I feel this morning: I slept well, haven't had insomnia for two nights now. I am hoping it's the detox and not the children's cough syrup (less than a tsp!) that has helped that. My eczema on my right hand/arm is better. Not clear, but better. Face skin still gets red, but my skin looks more firm. Oh, and my clothing is definitely looser :)

Breakfast Smoothie: the bland one from the night before. It really wasn't that bad, but didn't have as much punch as the past green smoothies.
Lunch: I had Day One's lunch: marinated kale, quinoa tabbouleh and hummus with carrots and cucumbers. This is the best lunch ever and very filling. I think I might have this like every other day for the rest of my life :)

Snack: handful of cashews. 

Dinner Smoothie: blueberries, pineapple, frozen peaches, avocado, kale, almond milk, coconut water
Water consumption: 7-8 glasses.

Exercise: It's only 8 pm so technically I can still do some sort of exercise. But in reality, I think I'm going to be sitting pretty on my couch tonight.

Extras:  Deep breathing

What I've learned today: I need more protein in my lunches. Wednesday was a very low energy day for me, more than usual and that annoyed me. After eating my awesome lunch today and tonight's smoothie, I actually have energy tonight and don't feel like going and passing out in bed! Hurray! I will be planning some of the heartier recipes for next week's lunches, like beans and rice, lentil salad, a macro salad. Looking forward. Oh, and every smoothie and every lunch will include kale or chard. I am obsessed. :)

 

 

Clean: Day 2

How did I feel this morning: surprisingly good, seeing that I had insomnia again. Felt well rested when I got up. Was hardly hungry when it was time to "eat" breakfast. Eczema is still bad. Face skin is better, although just a bit. Already feeling lighter!

Breakfast Smoothie: kale, avocado, mango, almond milk, coconut water.
Lunch:"Big Green Salad" (see above picture). This salad had everything in it. Greens, spinach, dandelion greens, avocado (i just can't get enough!), soaked almonds, cukes, radishes, carrots, green onions, sunflower sprouts, and a yummy dressing (fresh herbs, lemon juice, grapeseed oil, garlic, agave.) 

Snack: handful of cashews. 

Dinner Smoothie: cashew butter, almond milk, coconut water, avocado, blueberries, frozen peaches, a tsp of cardamom.
Water consumption: Definitely not as much as yesterday sadly. The busy factor got me there today. Probably 6 glasses. Still a lot of peeing.

Exercise: Today was a busy day. When my day ended at 7:45, I had intended to do some yoga, but some necessary mommy and S time was needed. Tomorrow I have plenty of time to get some exercise.

Extras:  None yet.

What I've learned today: Raw green onions and I don't really get along. I need to make a note of that. I thought that the cardamom in tonight's smoothie was going to be overpowering. It was actually quite awesome. I'm looking forward to drinking it again for tomorrow's breakfast. I do think though that I need to make a point of adding at least one green in each smoothie. Tonight's was really yummy, but it kind of felt like dessert. I got a bit hungry after I finished teaching (before my dinner smoothie) and had a momentary panic attack of omg can I really do this for 19 more days? I think it's because I didn't drink as much water today. Will make sure that improves tomorrow. Oh and yes, I CAN do this for 19 more days. I already feel lighter, cleaner and I'm not puffy anymore. This sh*t works quickly! :)

I always look forward to lunch. :) Very exciting. 

I am going to bed now, crossing crossables that insomnia doesn't visit me (nor a 3 yo child) in the middle of the night. I hope to actually post some damn knitting this week too. Maybe by Friday? Stay tuned.

 

 

Clean: Day 1

Well hello again insomnia. You are one of the things on my list of "things that I hope improve on the Clean program". I'm crossing crossables because I think you really suck.

Anyway, on with my post!

Day 1

Weigh in: 136 lbs

How did I feel this morning: pretty shitty seeing that I was up most of the night coughing and obsessing. My eczema has flared up horribly on my right hand and arm, which is what it's been doing off and on for a week (for the first time in over a year)

Breakfast Smoothie: kale, avocado, blueberry, pineapple, coconut milk
Lunch: quinoa tabbouleh, hummus with cucumbers and carrots, marinated kale. (this lunch was absolutely amazing and very filling. I don't think I'll ever go back to store-bought hummus again.)
Snack: handful of cashews and half a cup of rooibos tea.
Dinner Smoothie: kale, avocado, mango, almond milk, coconut water.
Water consumption: 8 glasses. Lots of peeing.

Exercise: I plan to focus on yoga at least for the first week of the program. Sadly, no exercise happened today. Instead, I did 12 loads (t.w.e.l.v.e.) of laundry. 

Extras:  The book recommends doing some extra exercises for the program: 5 minute meditation, dry brushing, hot/cold plunge in the shower, sauna, supplements. I plan to work up to the 5 minute meditation, dry brushing and shower plunge. I don't plan to add any extra supplements and I wish I could do an occasional sauna, but I don't see that happening, time-wise.

What I've learned so far: Food prep takes time if I really want to be successful in this. I spent the majority of my morning prepping today's lunch as well as preparing some things for the rest of the week.
Also, not the greatest idea to go to the grocery on day 1. I needed to pick up few things and went mid-afternoon when I was getting a bit hungry. Everything looked good but it was the bread that really got me going. I was a good girl though and came home to a handful of cashews and rooibos tea.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Oh, btw, I did indeed take a scary-ass picture of myself, my face to watch how my skin improves. It's too scary-ass to post. Sorry Catty B!

That's It.

Well hi there. It's been a while huh? Not that I haven't been thinking of you all, but it's been a hell of a month (or so). It's the  middle of the night right now, I am having an eczema flare up, something got in my eye that I can't get out so it's nice and irritated and my daughter has the cough from hell. So I'm wide awake.

January was a good month. On Dec 26th I decided to quit caffeine, sugar, dairy, and meat, and really get back into working out. It was great, I lost some weight but more importantly felt great. Slept better (no insomnia), was happy to be working out, my mood improved significantly.

On Jan 30, Lovey got sick. Four days later, S got sick. Four days later, I got sick. And the household has been sick ever since. Today is Feb 21. Count the days. Count the weeks. I am so over it. S finally got better and then had a lingering cough that has now really gotten bad, especially when she's trying to sleep. She's in great spirits, so I think she just needs to ride this one out.

I was feeling better as of Thursday, found the energy to work up two submissions, delivered them Friday, felt great and happy and ready to move on from the sickness. And then it was as if I got hit over the head with a frying pan Friday night. Couldn't swallow, headache, chills, you name it. I was sick again. And very miserable this time. Basically didn't get out of bed on Saturday. Had to let go of the guilt that it was a "hey Satya, let's watch movies and cartoons all day, ok" kind of day. (BTW, we got rid of our TV service and our dvd player broke about a month ago. Netflix and Hulu are the way to go). Felt better yesterday and was somewhat productive, and have a better outlook on the coming weeks. February is basically a write-off at this point and I just need to look forward.

 
 Over the weekend I read Clean by Alejandro Junger. I have been wanting to read it for a while, but lately it's really been a desire. So that's what I did all day Saturday. This detox program is exactly what I need. Fortunately I have (for the most part) kept up with my "diet", and when I have cheated a bit,  I've been bitten in the ass every time. (Hello Valentine's Day? Chocolate +cheese + bread= total disaster. I looked puffy and that I had aged ten years the day after. Not fun.)

I am a firm believer that our diet affects us in every way, as well as the environment that we live in, on so many levels. Clean was meant for me! I was going to start the program on Tuesday, but with this eczema flare up (first one in a year), as well as still not feeling well, horrible mood, complete lack of patience, redness in the face (wtf, ever since S was born I have some weird skin issues. I used to have completely clear skin. argh.) and the desire to still lose some weight, it's starting today. 

The plan focuses on two liquid meals and one regular meal. The liquid meals are Breakfast and Dinner, with the solid meal at lunch. I spent 1.5 hrs yesterday menu planning to make sure that I could prepare my own food as well as offer my regular home cooking for dinner for Lovey and S. I am thinking it was time well spent.  Many of my lunches will be what they ate for dinner the night before, so I think we're set.

I'm tired now so I don't feel like getting in to the details of the program, but I plan to document my journey over the next three weeks (yes, it's a 21 day program. Bring it!) here on the blog. I am so curious on how this is going to help me, change me. I have a lot of confidence in the program and am excited. 

So stay tuned. I'll be back later with my weigh in and perhaps a scary-ass picture of myself to start off right!

 

Inspiring Women. Innovative Designers.

I spend a lot of time on the internet. It kind of comes with the territory of having your own online magazine. I rationalize by saying that I'm studying (which I am....most of the time. Oh btw, have you checked out Pinterest? OMG).  I am constantly inspired by the patterns and designers out there and thought I'd share my top 5 faves. This of course is just the tip of the iceberg, but they are the designers that inspire me the most.

Teva Durham. I love her designs. Her first book, Loop-d-Loop was the second knitting book I ever bought. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with her at TNNA in June and it was really *a moment* for me. Awesome. 

Susan B. Anderson. Who doesn't love her? She is so talented, prolific and so creative. She is kind and generous and just all-round one of my favorites in the business. (BTW, did you see the post she wrote about me?!?!? LOVE HER!)

Ysolda Teague. Again, who doesn't love her??? She is amazing. Incredible. Brilliant.  For someone so young, she just blows me away. 

Kirsten Kapur. I was looking through Kirsten's patterns today on Ravelry and holy crap that woman knows how to design. I mentioned on twitter that one could be set just knitting Kirsten's patterns...and be very happy. Everything she does is awesome. I especially love her use of color.

Stefanie Japel. Another amazing woman. Another amazing designer. One of the first patterns I ever knit was Stefanie's "Boobholder" and fell in love with top-down construction immediately. (Isn't Stefanie a hottie modeling the minisweater?? Wow!)

If I can become half, or even a quarter, the designer that these women are, I would be happy.

 

Peek-a-Boo Hoodie

 

I wanted to design a sweet little swing coat with a hood that had an added element of surprise. I chose to add a surprise color to the inside front panel, sleeve cuffs and the hood, to give it a little pop! To me, the surprise color says “Peek-a-Boo”, just like the popular children’s game.

Peek-a-Boo Hoodie

Sizes Available: 12m[18m, 2T, 3T, 4T] (Shown in 12m)

Yarn: Cascade 220 

Buy Now $6.00 USD

There is a back story to this design, but I don't know if I'm ready (or if I'll ever be) to share it. Just know that a lot of work and craziness went into this design. 

My absolutely favorite element to this design is the hood. You can't really tell by the pictures, but the hood is completely double knit, using pink as the peek-a-boo color.  It takes a bit of extra work (double knitting= double stitches!), but it is so worth it in the end. Double knitting makes everything all cushy. After knitting the hood and some other places DK in this design, I seriously considered knitting everything DK for the cushiness. I was also completely delirious when I came to this decision :) Got over that one after a good night's sleep!

I have many wonderful people to thank in helping me get this design out:

My Dad, bless his heart, dealt with my craziness and helped me knit it.

Brandy took these great pics of her LG. The size shown here is the 12m version and LG is a wee bit older, so it's a bit too small for her. Please keep this in mind when choosing the right size for you to knit.

Kristen TenDyke is a wonderful person and a great tech editor to work with. I learned a lot working with her for the first time and I look forward to future projects with her!

Jill Zielinski (aka Knitterella).  Jill is amazing and so patient! She designed my logo, and my new pattern layout. I know nothing about making pretty pdfs and she has led me by the hand. I am sure things will be easier next time (crossing crossables!)

Susan B Anderson. She just put me in a great mood today :)

*************************************************************************************************************************

Since this pattern is published with my new pattern layout, I figured I would update Boheme and Boheme*Mama (including updated math) as well, so go check those out as well! 

While you're at it, why don't you check out the interview I did with Theresa at Little Turtle Knits today? There's a great pattern deal going on there too to celebrate Peek-a-Boo's release!

2010 Knits

I finally got around to taking pictures of recent (and not so recent) FOs that I wanted to share with you. I need to make a pompom (first one failed) for Lovey's golf club cover, and then I'll take a picture of that, but here's everything else:

Most recently finished (12/28): Serendipity Mittens by my dear friend Brandy Fortune! They are a super quick knit (two Glee episodes worth) and used less than one skein of Spud and Chloe Outer. My Rav Info is here.

Finished at 4:30AM Christmas Day. Someone in this house likes Olivia (Nickelodeon), and I think she's a  pretty cool pig. I've named these Olivia Warmers and they used about 1/3 of a skein of each color (tutu and red hot) in Spud and Chloe Fine. Rav Info.

(No that's not a bunch of crap on my sweater, that's a bunch of crap on my mirror! It has since been cleaned thankyou!)

Finished Thanksgiving week (I think....) Here is my short-sleeved version of the Oatmeal Pullover. I am lazy and knew that I would never finish this sweater (although it's super quick to knit) if I had to knit two sleeves. So, I took the easy way out, but here in Colorado we do like to layer, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! I used Quince and Co. Puffin in Peacock. I love this sweater and wear it a ton, so I guess it's a winner! Rav info.

(This one was a b*tch to photograph. I promise it doesn't look like vomit in real life!)

This was finished in Feb 2010. It's the Modern Garden Cardi. It turned out quite wonky, but I still like it, and it's my very first (finished) sweater! Rav Info here to learn about the wonkiness. I used Araucania Limari, which was fun to use.

(My god, isn't she an absolute doll? I LOVE her!)

This was finished as Satya's Christmas present last year. I am sure I finished it in the wee hours on Christmas morning. I love this little beret, it's the Petite Beret by Hadley Fierlinger. I used Spud and Chloe Sweater in Moonlight and a little bit of Knitpicks Palette (doubled) for the i-cord. What's cool about this beret, is that it fits me too! Rav Info.

See?

If you'd like to see Satya gussied up in all handknits.....

She's pretty fancy, isn't she? If you'd like to see a sneak peek of my new design (pattern to come out this weekend!)......

(picture taken by Brandy Fortune)

 

I think 2011 is going to be a great year. I have already changed my attitude into quite a positive one, and I have a lot of plans. My word for 2011 is Determination. What's yours?

Have a wonderful and very safe New Year's celebration and Best Wishes for 2011!