Knitting the Fabric of Life

'Twas the day before Christmas

2011-12-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

It's the day before Christmas and I feel relaxed. All of the festive events are over. I no longer have to stress about making a dish or getting a gift for an event. I don't have to worry about shopping for anything else because the Christmas budget is long gone. Today, I can relax. The only things I have to do are: finish a Button Scarf that someone ordered and attend the Christmas Eve service tonight at church.

"Christmas" always stresses me out. I've thought alot about that this year. I've come to the conclusion that it's the busy-ness that stresses me out. All of the parties and events and gatherings. The gifts I have to buy for those events, the food I have to prepare. All of that stresses me out. And this year, money was so tight that wondering how I was going to buy the food for that dish or that extra gift (or, gas for the car so that we could make it to that event) was also stressing me out. But those events are now over. We made it to them. Somehow, everything worked out. Now, Christmas is almost here and it will be what it will be. I look forward to the candlelight service tonight at church because, for me, that is Christmas.

Soon, I will have pictures to post, but not today. I also have new items to add to my Etsy shop. If you're interested, feel free to visit: AngeliasKnitting.etsy.com

I wish you and your family a blessed Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then I wish you & your family a blessed Sunday.

Soup

2011-12-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

Every Fall, I get this urge to make homemade soups. I'm a vegetarian, so I rarely eat soup when I go out to eat (most soups either contain meat/poultry/seafood or are made with chicken stock). Making my own soup is a way to be sure that I know what ingredients are used.

The first soup I made this Fall is a Lentil Tomato soup. I found the recipe in Taste of Home magazine (I think it may have been the November issue). This soup is yummy - and easy to make. It's also pretty nutritious. I followed the recipe. The only "extra" thing I added was a little curry (I made the curry & keep it on hand). Oh! I also added kale. I'm on a mission to eat more kale. This soup is hearty & the curry gives it a nice, slow heat.

This week, I decided to make two soups. I made the Lentil Tomato again. I also made the Yarn Harlot's Emergency Soup. This is another simple, hearty, oh-so-yummy soup. It contains carrots, potatoes, leeks, garlic and chickpeas. I don't love chickpeas by themselves - it's a texture thing. But in this soup? LOVE them! I used a hand-held blender to blend some of the soup. This made it look like a cream-based soup (but there's no cream in it). It also helped to make it nice & thick.

I have been taking soup to work for lunch every day this week. This is a great thing. It means that I don't buy lunch. It also means that I eat a healthy lunch. I know that I feel better when I eat healthy, it's just that it's too easy sometimes to buy lunch from someplace. That's when I end up eating things like cheese fries.

Now I'm craving root vegetables. I think my next soup will be Roasted Root Vegetable Ital Stew from Bryant Terry's book, Vegan Soul Kitchen. I love this book! There are stories and suggested music to listen to while you're preparing the food. And, the book offers Soul Food without the meat and all of the animal fat that Soul Food usually contains. I read through the book and get so hungry and want to make so many recipes (even if I've just eaten).

Etsy Shop

2011-11-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of getting my Etsy shop up & running. I signed up for it 5 years ago, but never added any items. I recently designed a Button Scarf that I want to sell on Etsy. I will have some ready-made scarves. I will also take custom orders for scarves. Some of the scarves will feature hand-made (by me!) ceramic buttons.

I'll post pictures of the scarves soon.

The shop: AngeliasKnitting.etsy.com

Knitting Again

2011-11-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I am knitting again. I'm not sure why I stopped knitting. I kind of think it has to do with the things that were going on in my life. Now that I'm knitting again, I wonder how I survived without it.

It's soon Christmas. Last night, I realized that my mental Christmas knitting list may be a little unreasonable. Part of me still believes that I can finish everything in time.

I am on a hat and button scarf knitting kick right now. In the past month, I have knit two hats. I have another on the needles. I have also knit one button scarf. The second button scarf is currently on the needles. I have at least 4 more hats to make and 3 button scarves...

I have to get back to my knitting now! MAKE it a great day!

A New Endeavor

2011-04-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of starting a business. This is very exciting - and scary. It could be a huge thing for me. I will still get to help people and I will be doing something I'm passionate about.

Pennsylvania has alot of resources for people starting a business. I have started looking into them, I've set up a website for the business, I've looked into business checking accounts, I have a name for the business. I know where I'm going to "debut" it. There are things I still need to figure out: funding, where I'm going to make my product, local, state & federal reulations of my product.

I have some amazing friends who support me, encourage me, are my cheerleaders & my helpers. They believe in me even when I start to doubt myself. I am so blessed.

I will give you more information when things become final.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-04-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Ten on Tuesday topic for this week is...10 Favorite Snacks. Here are mine:

1. String cheese. I love it. I love that it feels like I"m playing with my food. I try to pull off thin "strings" with my teeth. It's a skill.

2. Popcorn. I usually make microwave popcorn - it's quick & easy. I also usually add some real butter to my popcorn.

3. Combos. I like the pretzel & cheddar cheese kind. I don't eat these very often (because of the high sodium content), but I do like them on occasion.

4. Tortilla chips & salsa. I prefer unsalted chips (like you would get in a good Mexican restaurant) & salsa that I've made myself.

5. Chobani yogurt. I love the thick creaminess of this yogurt. I love that it's fat free, has the live active cultures, no gelatin, and that the sugar content (in the flavors) is not too high.

6. Green olives - the big ones, with the pits. I love to eat these while reading. I put one in my mouth, suck out all the brine & then chew up the olive.

7. Planter's dry roasted peanuts. Planter's is the only brand I like. I like to eat these while reading, too.

8. Popped amaranth. Amaranth is considered a pseudo grain. It's very good for you. I pop mine in coconut oil. I actually crave it most days.

9. Ezekiel sesame bread. I eat mine toasted with some butter.

10. Apples. My favorite variety is Honey Crisp. I also really like Empire. Apples are portable & are a nice complex carb to eat when I'm eating my (lean protein) yogurt.

What are your 10 favorite snacks??

Mandalas!

2011-04-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of some of the mandalas I've drawn. They are so soothing to my brain. I'm working on another one, but it's not finished yet.

This is the first mandala I drew.

And #4 - I think this is my favorite, so far.

MAKE it a great day!

It's Been A Long Time

2011-04-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've been here; since I've had something to say - or to ramble on about. Isn't it funny how life can be so busy, but not much is going on? I haven't been doing much knitting. Actually, I haven't knit in many months. I'm not sure why. I just have not been feeling that need to knit.

I have been doing other creative things - like mandalas. They are soothing and they help me to sort all of the thoughts in my head. I learned how to make them from Honey and Ollie's blog. I love them. One of the things I love the most about them is that the finished mandala looks so complex, but it's really just one piece added at a time. Kind of like how knitting is just one stitch at a time, but the finished object is amazing.

I truly think that work is killing my creativity. It stresses me out to the point that I just want to nap when I get home. I think it is sucking the life right out of me. Something needs to change. I feel like I'm a juggler, who is juggling many balls. Keeping all of those balls in the air is a challenge. Well, some of those balls are starting to fall & that's not a good thing.

I have been a vegetarian for the past 20 years. I have plenty of reasons why I chose vegetarianism. I will not share those here today. For 20 years, I have believed that eating food as close to its natural state as possible is healthier than not. Recently I came across a YouTube video that showed a study done on 6 people with diabetes (four of the people had Type 2, two of the people had Type 1). These people did a 30-day study where they consumed a raw, vegan diet. The results were amazing.

Over the past year, I have had health issues and have been prescribed a number of medicines to correct those issues. The medicines make me feel bad - tired, dizzy, nauseous. I don't like being on them & feel that there has to be something else. While I always believed in the power of eating healthy food, I didn't realize all of the benefits that come with a healthy diet (until I watched that video & started doing some research).

Here's one video about the program.

This led me to the decision to make some changes to my diet. I am eating more raw food and less processed food. I am eating foods that are high net-gain (food that leaves the body with alot of usable nutrition once the food is digested and assimilated).

As part of this switch, I am eating alot of salad greens. This led me to making my own salad dressings (fresh, raw ingredients with healthy oils and no added refined sugar, no chemicals, no artificial colors, no gluten). They are mainly vegan, although I do plan on making several dressings that contain honey (which is generally not considered to be a vegan food). The dressings are so amazing tasting! My co-workers and I have been eating them (daily) for the past two weeks. We love them.

This has led me to thoughts of starting a business. A raw salad dressing business. There are several farmer's markets in my area where I could sell the dressings. I can use local produce (in season) for the dressings - that is an important thing for me. I would be doing something I'm passionate about (I'm passionate about healthy food) and I would be helping people. That's also something that's important to me.

I'm looking into the business aspect - I have signed up for a SCORE mentor, to help me with the start-up. I think finances will be the main issue. I do not have good credit and I do not have my own personal start-up money. I am hoping that something will work out & that I'll be able to start this business (and leave my current job). I guess that time will tell.

Helping Haiti

2010-01-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

I read the reports out of Haiti & want to cry. It's estimated that 1/3 of the population was killed in the earthquake. The people are in desperate need of foof, water, and medical care.

Here are some ways to help:

Doctors Without Borders: doctorswithoutborders.org

Lutheran World Relief: lwr.org

Mennonite Central Committee: mcc.org

You can also text "Haiti" to 90999 - $10 will be charged on your phone bill & will be given to the Red Cross.

Please consider helping. Even a small donation ($5) can make a huge difference. Many of us spend at least $5 a day on things we really don't need (lunch, coffee, soda, cigarettes, whatever). Imagine if 100,000 people each gave $5 - that would be $500,000.00! Imagine if a million people gave that much!

Thank you. I'll get off my soapbox now (but my heart is still aching for the people in Haiti).

Final Grades

2009-12-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Well, the term is over & all of my final tests and papers are turned in. This week I have no classes and it seems a little odd. Next term (starting in January), I am taking 3 courses (I usually take 2 per term). It's not as rough as it sounds - one of those courses is only 6 weeks long, and another is an online course.

But I got my grades for the Fall term. I got an "A" in Introduction to Software for Business and a "B" in Sociology. I'm happy! I wasn't sure what Sociology would be - there was one test that I got a "D" on, and I wasn't sure what grade I got on the final test. I do have moments that I have to remind myself that a "B" is still a good grade (sometimes I feel that I should only get "A's". Most of the time, I'm pretty content with the grades. :-)

I have no new knitting to show you. I dug the company car out of the snow yesterday & I am feeling it today. My hands, arms, shoulders all hurt. I'm not sure if I can knit right now or not. I have to finish a hat for Christmas, so I guess I'd better suck it up & knit. :-)

A Knitting Machine...

2009-12-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

I am a knitting machine lately! I spent a long time (I think it was actually over a YEAR) without knitting and now I'm a knitting machine. Knitting helps to relax me. Lately I've been stressed (mind, body, soul, heart), so I've been knitting.

I started the blue scarf. One day I decided to knit on it while I watched a movie (SWAT - I've seen it many times, but love the part where LL Cool J says, "Tell Daddy how you want it." - but that's a completely different topic!). When the movie was finished, I had knit about 12 inches of that scarf. A foot! Well, more bad days/nights followed. And then there was the weekend that I was putting off writing my 5-7 page research paper for Sociology...and before I knew it, that scarf was finished.

The hat was next. That took me a total of maybe 6 hours (spread out over 2 or 3 days). So now the entire set is finished and is ready to be given as a Christmas present. And it's only December 3rd! I am not one of these people who has their Christmas shopping done early. In fact, I rarely have anything done early. I don't usually knit Christmas presents either, because I tend to not finish them. So the fact that I have a knitted set finished (by December 3rd) is so amazing!

The second hat does not have a matching scarf. The recipient already has a scarf that's this color (that he bought), so I made this hat to go along with that scarf.

Ok. I started this post December 3rd...it is now December 19th! I had to load the "finished" pictures from my camera & every time I thought of doing it, I didn't have the time. So tonight I finally uploaded them.

Today we are having a blizzard here in PA. It sucks. I am not a big fan of snow. Tonight I had planned on going out - a girl's night out. But that all changed when the snow that started in the early morning hours was still going strong at 4PM. It may still be snowing, I don't know. I haven't looked outside lately (if I ignore it, it'll go away). Anyway. I'm not happy about being stuck in the house.

My friend/co-worker's church was supposed to have a Praise Mime concert tonight & that was re-scheduled. My church was supposed to have a Christmas cantata tomorrow & that has been re-scheduled. Snow sucks!

Well, enough of my snowed in sob story. It's time for me to get to bed. :-)

Some knitting pictures.

2009-11-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

This is a scarf that I started (11-18-09). I'm making it as part of a hat/scarf set to give to someone as a Christmas gift. No - that person does not read this blog. In fact, that person has no idea that I have a blog. Strange, how a person's life can have compartments.

The scarf is now over 2 feet long & I have started on the second hank of yarn. The yarn is Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Worsted. The color, #813 (that's a hot name for a color, huh?). I bought 4 hanks of this yarn. I'm thinking that I will use a little over one hank for the hat, the rest will be for the scarf. I am knitting it using KnitPicks Harmony needles in size US 6 (4mm). It's a simple K2, P2 ribbing. I cast on 32 sts. It looks very narrow as I'm knitting it, I'm hoping that blocking will help it to be a little wider.

The blue is darker than it looks in this picture, and it has some teal or green fibers in it. It's very pretty, very soft, and I'm pleased with it. Hopefully the recipient will like it as well.

The hat shown above is a "test" knit of the pattern I'll use for the hat to match the scarf. The pattern is from the book, One-Skein Wonders 101 Yarn-Shop Favorites edited by Judith Durant. The hat pattern is called Ribbed Cap, and was designed by Hannah Fettig. I love this pattern. It's very simple. It's a good "guy" hat. The ribbing goes the whole way through the hat (into the decreases). It was a quick knit for me (it's knit in the round). I used size US 6 (4mm) KnitPicks Options needles for this hat. The yarn in the test hat is Caron Simply Soft Shadow. I'm not sure what the color is called. It was a partial skein of yarn that I had laying around.

I'm still getting the hang of blogging/adding pictures. I didn't think to add captions for the pictures as I added the pictures. I added all three pictures & then realized I couldn't get between them to add text. I do love that Blogger now has the ~~strikethrough~~ feature.

That's all I'm knitting right now. Not very exciting, I know. What can I say? I love the K2,P2 ribbing because it's "mindless" knitting for me - I can do it while watching TV, or while thinking about something else.

Oh! I got the final shipment of the 2009 Rockin Sock Club (Blue Moon Fiber Arts) yesterday. I have LOVED every single shipment: the yarn colors, the patterns, the extra little gifts that are included, Tina's Dyer's Notes. I can't wait for next year's Sock Club to begin! Socks That Rock yarn is my favorite sock yarn. I love how it feels, how it holds up, the colors...I love it! Whenever I get a shipment, I feel like Gollum, walking around the house, holding the yarn, saying "my precious....".

That's all I have for now. I've spent most of the day knitting (the scarf) & watching movies. I lead a very exciting life. :-)

Welcome!

2009-11-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Knitting the Fabric of Life!

A few things about me:

I am a knitter
I am a single-parent, of a pre-teen
I am a non-traditional college student
During the day, I work helping those affected by chemical dependency to achieve a better quality of life and become productive and accountable individuals

This blog is my second blog. The first, Angelia's Knitting, died. I stopped posting to it. Life happened. Things changed. When I got back around to thinking about blogging, it had been so long that I decided to let that blog stay dead. :-) My life is somewhat more complex now (did I mention I'm a college student - 20 years after graduating from high school!), so I wanted a blog that reflects that.

Knitting the Fabric of Life. I love to knit, but had stopped that for about 6 months. Why? I'm not sure. It's not that I no longer enjoyed kniting. Those of you who knit understand - knitting isn't just a hobby, it's a part of you. Maybe I was "too busy". Or, maybe my life was going smoothly. Anyway. I'm knitting again. Right now, my life is pretty stressful (knitting helps to calm me). I'm busier than ever, but NOW I manage to find time to knit. Go figure.

I will post pictures soon of what I'm currently working on, so check back often. :-) Right now, it's all Christmas presents (I know that the recipients don't read knitting blogs, so it's safe to post pictures on here).