Sunday, September 25, 2011

Loving Things That Are Bad for You...

It seems I've spent my entire life, loving things that are bad for you. It sometimes makes me wonder if life is worth living at all--and then something comes along that's really good for you, and well, you just can't get enough of it.

Take oatmeal, for example.

It really is good for you. The real stuff is easy to make in almost any amount, so you can cater to your diet accordingly. It's heart healthy. It tastes pretty good, and if you add some cinnamon, it can taste even better.

And today, because we left the milk at the grocery store yesterday, I had to run in to get said milk this morning before breakfast, because I was literally CRAVING oatmeal.

Sadly, though, oatmeal doesn't stay with me for more than 3 hours, I find. By that 3 hour mark, my tummy is rumbling angry and loud noises. As "stick to your ribs" as oatmeal is, you would think it would last longer--at least to lunchtime! But alas, I am usually munching on something else before lunch, between my meals. Sigh.

Diets Suck.

And so, I knit. My latest:


A pair of these. The pattern calls for 4" of 1x2 ribbing on 38 stitches, but these are pretty snug--next time, I'll cast on 40, repeat for 4" (I did 5") then cast off a 2 stitch buttonhole (I think 3 would have been better), and then cast those 2 back on again, and 1x2 ribbing for another 4 inches (which I did).

The entire thing is an inch too long, and not because I made the 5" change. 4" beyond the buttonhole is TOO LONG for the negative ease to "take up". So my next pair will be only 3" above the buttonhole, which will take me to my first knuckle on my hand. I had to fold these down inside. Then I snapped the picture, not realizing that Mandy decided to get in on the action. So it looks like I'm about to grab her, but really, I am several feet from her. Look how she plays for the camera! (Actually, she doesn't like the flash, so she turns all wary or shies away.)

And then, I began work on a cowl for JoAnn's. This thing is a really simple pattern, but the coloring is what makes it. The pattern is here and the yarn is held double throughout, giving the look of variegated yarn. There are some ends to weave in, but the result is pretty stunning. I made mine on 70 stitches, instead of 64. The pattern is free. The yarn is at JoAnn's and during Coupon Commotion, you can get all 4 skeins for under $12. You can then make one for you and one for your sister, slightly changing the colors around so that the two aren't so much ALIKE--or you can make both the same if you happen to have a twin (I don't, but I do have a sister--a couple of them in fact, and this turned out so pretty, I may decide to make one for every female member in the family!) So I'm off to weave in ends, and then will post a picture. I'm not the most beautiful model in the world, but my husband takes terrible pictures...check out this one:


Too close to the light source, I suppose, and horribly over exposed, but you can see that I folded them over. I might just undo them when I get them back from JoAnn's to make them the proper length. That won't hurt a thing. Or I can just make another pair, as I'm sure there's plenty of yarn left--even so you can make them out of anything. Use almost any "insertion" pattern (say, for instance a cable, or a lace panel), of course, placement is key if you're going to try something like that, and I think I'd make the wrist another inch longer and increase (gusset) near the thumb, but that's just me. I don't like the way these stretch where the buttonhole is. I think the pattern needs modification, but for someone who would like a quick, easy gift, this is the pattern. It took just a few hours to make both. The cowl took me an evening, and it was FUN to watch the colors change in the fabric. I even "liked" it on Facebook. Not many patterns get that kind of attention from me.

So eat your oatmeal and get ready for church. It's that time again. Happy FALL!

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