I was rocking out the SparkPeople goals, I was feeling more fit, feeling proud of my accomplishments; I had managed over a week of exercising everyday and being mindful of what I put in my mouth!!
Valentine's Day...around 4pm I started to get a tummy ache. It got progressively worse until we decided to go to the hospital and check it out. Appendicitis. So the evening of the 15th I had surgery. My first time. Yikes! (More yikes because of the shenanigans at the hospital and the lack of clarity surrounding whether it actually was my appendix!)However, I did go ahead with it. Laparoscopically...so I only have three little holes. They said it's an easy surgery, go home the next day kind of thing. Truly, compared to my roomie at the hospital I did have it easy - but it didn't feel like it!
When we returned home Spyros and I looked up the surgery on YouTube, oh strange humanoids that are out there, there were of course a few videos available!! No wonder it hurts! They really tug & pull when they are in there.
I spent a couple of days mostly lying around, doing laps around our kitchen to get a bit of movement happening, taking pain medicine, drinking lots of water. I had informed all of my friends and family and the response was overwhelming. Offers to hop on a plane to come & help out (and this was just an easy surgery, imagine if I had lost a limb or something!). So I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself, but mostly lucky that there is so much love in my life and so many good friends.
Needles: The first few days I didn't even knit. I know, I know, everyone thinks that if you're just stuck in bed it's the perfect time for that type of hobby, but I don't like to knit while lying down...however I have gotten my mojo back and finished my SWAP project in plenty of time! YAY! Will post photo once package has been received!! I did complete the hat for my brother in plenty of time! He liked it (which is a feat in and of itself for a 16 year old!) and has been wearing it regularly.
The next on the list?! I think I need to get the darn slippers done now! Birthday & SWAP knitting is completed and I want to get those thrummed slippers done for me next!
Travel/Visa: Still haven't had any luck hearing back from Immigration about my Visa application, thought at this point we aren't really expecting to hear anything until May.
It's getting to crunch time here with the moving...it's looking like we are headed south, back to the lower mainland.
Now that I am feeling a bit better I have taking to walking around the block, though Spyros holds the dogs leads as I don't want to get pulled abruptly! On Friday I can remove the steri-tape that is covering the wounds (1 dissolving stitch in each), and hopefully next week I will be able to exercise a bit more normally.
For now?! I have a bunch of podcasts to catch up on again!
Since my last post I have been doing pretty good with the exercise goals. SparkPeople does seem to do me good as I think about the fact that I have to keep track of my food & my exercise, and it makes me more accountable. I have had a bit of chit chat with other members as well, so I feel like I have company in my struggle. Plus Friday weigh-ins...ugh!
So my video podcast obsession is my inspiration for my title as there have been a lot of titles in a similar vein "Must knit all the things", "Must write all the things". I think it's awesome as there is not enough time in a day to do everything we all want to do.
A list of my current loves: - the handspun and handpainted squishiness that the podcasters I follow are showing each week in their stash enhancements - the fun and funky knitting project bags that the podcasters show their projects in! - Days when the sun is shining bright & I can just feel the vitamin D! - the way I feel when I have kept my promise to myself to exercise each day - when I learn a new technique and see how awesome the project looks - daydreaming with my hunny about everything we plan to do when we get to Australia - being able to drop in at my mum & dads because we live so much closer now
Valentine's Day is coming up. Not sure that DH & I have any plans yet though. Hopefully we will figure something out. Since we work together, live together, are together pretty much 24/7 we don't really seem to be making a lot of time for "romance". So maybe taking some time for a special time would be good!!! Nothing really of note happening lately. Had a heavy fog blanket for several days in our area. It's a bit dreary all the grey, along with it though came a lot of hoar frost on all of the trees which was SO gorgeous. It makes everything look crisp and lovely. We wanted to take a photo or two, but it started snowing and I wanted to get home quickly because I thought we might not make it up our hill because it does tend to snow more about half way up our hill! Oh well - just a few more weeks of that particular drama. Now it's just the where oh where to live drama. Needles: I have cast on the hat for my brother...it's on Ravelry and it's called Sockhead Hatsince it's made of fingering weight yarn. Now I was always a worsted/chunky lover. My first socks were Light Fingering (and felt like they lasted FOREVER). My first shawl was Fingering (and it was starting to wear on me too). But I made a few bulkier projects in between and I am really enjoying the feel of the smaller yarn right now, and I am about half way through!
I have the yarn and pattern finally settled for my SWAP. There are a bunch of people already DONE! Yikes! I just need to get the appropriate needles and then I can cast on that one too!! Spinning: I haven't done anything with my last bit of spinning. It's just sitting there waiting to be plied. I just wasn't sure how to go about it - but I think I have it figured, so now I just have to get to it! Then I need to get some more fibre so that I can try to spin with it!!!
Hmmm.. I am not sure if I should try to post random thoughts more often, or actually wait until there is something major to say! When I started blogging I was traveling and it was very easy to have something interesting to say everyday when in a foreign country!!
I love my Google Reader - keeps me updated on all the blogs & podcasts that I like to follow...and all the fun things everyone says and posts! This tickled my funny bone something fierce! Kim @ Craft Stash posted this - I don't remember this episode of Fraggle Rock, but I can sure appreciate it now!!!
January 1st is the day that people make resolutions, lay out a plan for the year, and stop smoking, start working out, quit a job, join a group...I did none of that! So I have decided that February is Fitness month. For me at least. It's time I jumped on the fitness bandwagon. I haven't been happy about myself, my body, my fitness level in quite sometime. I recently started watching a podcaster who mentioned on her Ravelry group that she is on SparkPeopleso I checked it out. Joined up. From what I can see it seems similar to what everyone says online Weight Watchers is like.
Now I begin tracking what I am eating and getting an idea of caloric intake. I begin tracking my exercise (so that hopefully I do more!!)...also hoping to make friends and contacts to help keep me motivated.
Fitness Goals: 1. Exercise everyday (even if it's just a walk) 2. Monitor food intake daily 3. Eat less junk 4. Stop snacking in the evenings 5. Treat myself when I reach certain weight loss goals 6. MAKE THIS A LIFE LONG CHANGE!
In other news - I joined the SWAP, I have a partner (she seems great!), and I am starting to formulate a plan! Since it's a February Swap the idea is red colour & I am thinking just in general--Romance and Valentine's Day. So it should be fun! A trip to my LYS should result in the yarn I will need to create a gifty for my swap pal! It's a long one, we have until the end of February to get the package sent off since we have to make something!
I have been podcast crazy, watching quite a few and taking note of my favourites, so I will be adding those to my list of Blogs etc. that I watch! Then you can all check them out too.
I completed the spinning of the fibre I had. I had some roving in batts from my lovely friends over at Llamas in the Raw, you can check out their blog and what they are hoping to achieve here. It was a bit rough, the drum carder they were using had quite spaced apart needles. It was great for the gorgeous art yarn that Lynne creates, but harder for me to try to make consistent! However, after watching many other people drop spindling online I did pull apart my roving and pre draft it a bit. The first bit was all natural white. My second bit was the same, but I had 2 batts of some pretty springtime birthday roving that I got at a class I took with Lynne. So I divided it evenly throughout the rest of the roving and I spun it all up. I believe I will ply them together...but I am not sure how I am going to set it up here at home yet - but I thought I would show you what I have done.
In the photo from Right to Left there is the first yarn I spun at a Spinning workshop at Llamas in the Raw. It is Navajo plied. The middle yarn is the stuff I spun before the last post that will be plied with the leftmost yarn, which is the most recent that I had spun. It's much more consistent than first attempts. My yarn so far is definitely a lost more rough and there are more thick and thin than most other beginner spinners I have been keeping an eye on! So I feel kinda sad about that, but I will keep on trying! I would like to take another class...and now I need more roving! LOL
Needles: Last time I wrote I has cast on a baby boucle hat. I made 2, and have gotten a headband done as well, still working on the flower to attach to it though!
Soon I will be casting on for my Swap partner. I also want to get a toque done for my bro - it's his birthday this month.
Knitting Goals for 2012: 1. Make a sweater! 2. Learn a new technique 3. Make a blanket 4. Take another spinning class 5. Do a pair of socks 2 at a time (magic loop OR 2 circs) 6. Make 5 things for people who responded to my Facebook post RE: handmade goodies 7. Make a shawl w/beads 8. Make a felted something! 9. Do one KAL 10. Make at least 1 item for a charitable cause
Otherwise?! No Visa news. We are relocating though - our lease is about up so end of February we are going to be moving. Into town, or back to the coast. Not sure, depends how much work comes our way here in the next month. Wherever we end up is where we will be sticking until the Visa gets approved or Spyros has to leave because his expires...whichever comes first!
