By Jove, It's Working!

South Beach, that is. After 2 weeks in my lamented carb-less existence, I have lost 6 pounds! Though I have suffered loudly and proudly - I swear I am worse than an ex-smoker - my clothes are certainly fitting a bit looser. This is what keeps people on diets - just that little bit of positive reinforcement. I was considering what to take for my snack tonight for my evening class break, but now I know it will be a cheese stick and a few nuts. This is huge!

Weight: 127 pounds
Breakfast: 1 Egg, chicken bits, Romaine leaves
Lunch: More chicken; diet yogurt (but with fruit - Phase 2 rocks)
Dinner:The cheese stick?

I spent another Saturday at the Farmers Market - It was quite a yarn-y, felt-y day. I spun a good bit too, spinning up a lovely white Shetland lamb and oatmeal roving. Later I hit the plying head, but with only 2 bobbins available, I will have to ply daily to keep up with my spinning.

Color change yarn has been selling. I need to 1. make more yarn and 2. write a pattern to boost sales. I think that pattern/yarn kits should sell nicely at the market. I started writing the pattern for the 'boyfriend hat.' Unfortunately, another Etsy seller has taken that name, so I think I'll call it the 'Guy hat' for my internet customers.

South Beach Continues...

Day 4 - Still on the diet; still okay with it. and I feel great! My Sweetie and a friend on Rosedale told me they went through feeling 'weird' and my sweetie felt quite deprived that he had to pass on a beer with his friends. I am just fine. I may be eating a bit more than I should, but since it's all legal foods, I'm not all that concerned.

Weight: Unknown - the Scale at B&J's said 128, but J confirmed that it's a few pounds light. The college health center is closed; so I will remain weightless.
Breakfast: bacon (quite lean) and egg over easy
Lunch: leftover chicken from yesterday, dollop of cottage cheese; cut up raw veggies
Last evening's treat: Breyers CarbSmart fudge bar Yum!!. Not sure how legal it is, but darn - it was good!

Actual knitting content: Sage Green hat about 3/4 done during staff meeting. Still managed to take notes, contribute to the discussion and make my presentation. When in doubt, see Franklin's article about the value of knitting! You are my hero!

Biggest accomplishment of the week so far: finally got onto the SAFF site to update it! Yeah!!

Work is calling. Deadline looms.

South Beach Day 1

No, I am not in Miami. Yes, I am on the South Beach diet. Although I have sworn many a time that I'll never go on those ridiculous high fat diets that don't let you eat an APPLE, for crying out loud, I guess I am face up to my carb addiction. If I lose 7-10 pounds, I'll be okay with that too.

I love carbs - cookies, candy, fruit, chocolate, beer. Then there is pasta, rice, corn on the cob. I will say that I never eat fast food -ok hardly ever - and I prefer brown rice and whole grain bread and I've only had one donut since Dunkin' Donuts opened and it made me feel really, really guilty. Still, I just love carbohydrates - cereal and fruit for breakfast, cookies after lunch, a yummy starch at dinner. Maybe a wee desert later. Sugar or honey in my tea. You get the picture.

So after about 20 grueling minutes of graduate-level research I selected the South Beach diet. I truth I found the book in a 'free' box at a yard sale, but I did read the fly leaf and a couple of the random case studies that pepper the book. The good doctor makes sense, so I am out of the sugar shack.

Beginning weight: 133 lbs (as of last Wednesday)
Breakfast: an egg, ham bits, romaine lettuce.
Lunch: sardines, cottage cheese, romaine lettuce.
Dinner (planned): Turkey slices, steamed spinach, asparagus.

Exercise units: several - yesterday 4 hour hike on Roan Mountain; today 2 walks across campus to run errands, one carrying heavy boxes to post office.

Actual fiber content: smokymountainfibers.etsy.com has had a good little run lately, thanks to my good customers. Note to self: get better at predicting shipping to Canada. Knit in the car while traveling to the Roan yesterday, sweet hat. This evening I'll be sitting the gate at the Grey Eagle dance, so more knitting time. I've been crock pot dyeing and spinning too.

Summer Knitting - and Dancing

For some people this means shells or other strappy summer tops - fun to wear RIGHT NOW. For others, it means socks - easy to pick up and put down, not a lot of heavy sweater parts to drag around. They also fit nicely in the travel knitting and strategic present reverse categories. I have done all that (though I have not made a cute little cotton top in a few years). but I'm knitting hats! Wool and mohair, cozy winter hats in 90+ degree weather!

In the past couple years I got way behind in my hat knitting and I don't want that to happen next winter. Work knitting: felt hats. I have a lot of reading to do to get ready for workshops that I am going to teach - so, knit and read! At home: Windy City hats and handspun hats. It's a good time of year for spinning too - then I'll have lots of yarn for knitting and for sale.

I've also gone back to making baskets. They are a nice thing to make on the screen porch - a bit wet, so a bit cool. I made a number of garlic baskets for sale at the Farmer's Market shop - sold one the very first day! I made a larger basket too - still a bit of work to get back up the learning curve. I think I need to loosen up my weaving, hard to tuck in the spokes!

On the dance front, the OFB's dance hall, Bryson Gym on the campus of Warren Wilson College recently suffered a ceiling collapse. Luckily no one was in the building at the time, but it is currently closed to the college and the greater community, including the Old Farmer's Ball and Summer Soiree. But, intrepid dancers that we are, the dance has moved to the outdoor pavilion. I called the week after the collapse with the Plum Creek String Band from Oberlin, Ohio. Band was great, dancers had lots of energy, but it was very crowded and the floor has an interesting 'bias.' We knitters know what that looks like - the dance lines curved decidedly stage left! It will be an interesting season until the building issues are resolved. These photos were taken by Dennis, one of our dancers - here is his web page. You'll find photos of the Bryson Gym interior here.