Vegan Knitting...and then some

FO: Slouchy Copy Cat Hat (for me!)

 

Pattern:  Slouchy Copy Cat Hat
Yarn:  Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton - 613 (black)
Needles:  Size 6 bamboo circs, and size 8 aluminum circs (both 16")
Mods: Knit about 7.5 inches before decreasing.  Modified decrease substantially so that it matched pattern rather than just being K and K2tog. 

1. sl1 k1 psso, p2 - repeat
2. k2, p2 to end
3. k2, p2tog - repeat
4. k2, p1 to end
5. sl1, k1, psso, p1 - repeat
6. k1, p1 to end
7. sl1, k1, psso to end
8. repeat 7 until around 8 stitches left, then draw end through and weave it in.

Notes: This hat is super warm due to the "cabling" and fits really well.

The top and the bottom (click for larger photos)

Resolution check-in #2

I'm going to be checking in on these for a month or two so that I make sure these are habits to stay.

1.  Yoga - Last week I went twice, once to a Vinyasa class that gave my arm, chest, and shoulder muscles a real workout, and then to a Hatha class where you work up to a single pose through various simpler poses and stretches.  I really liked that class and am doing another one today.

2. Eating - Here's an example of dinner:  La Tortilla Factory low-carb tortillas used to make a quesadilla.  No cheese, just filling with pinto beans (cooked with olive oil, broth, and lots of spices) and onions, red pepper, corn, and Chipotle Field Roast sausage.  Topped with avocado, green salsa, and a spoon of Toffutti sour cream.

3. Knitting - I finished my grandmother's mini shawl.  I'm working through her larger one and am almost done with the HP scarf.  However, I made a warm hat for myself ( featured soon) in two days, and am about to cast on for a pair of socks.  I am also planning to make a matching cowl to go with the hat.

4.  Keeping in touch - I've maintained a good balance of home and social life.  I need to call my father and see how he's doing but I checked in with my aunt and am staying in touch with others, and even getting in touch with some long-lost friends via Facebook.

California Dreaming (a photo essay)

 1. Potato Tacos, 2. Horchata, 3. Chocolate Ice Cream, 4. Fish Tacos 2, 5. Fish Tacos,

6. Jackfruit Burrito, 7. Jackfruit Tacos, 8. Pistachio Date icecream, 9. Oreo Cheesecake and Chocolate Banana Ice Cream, 10. Mojito,

11. Chili Pie, 12. Veggie Burger Wrap, 13. Gluten-free Spaghetti and Meatballs, 14. Shepherd's Pie, 15. Miso Soup,

16. Salmon Roll, 17. Bread n Spread, 18. Roasted Brussels Sprouts, 19. Black Eyed Pea Fritters, 20. Spinach Salad with smoked tofu,

21. Mole Tamale, 22. Potato Tikka Cake, 23. Mushroom Risotto, 24. Asian Yuba Roll, 25. Pumpkin Tiramisu,

26. Chocolate Midnight Mousse Cake, 27. Ginger Pear Cake, 28. Sorbet sampler, 29. Grilled Seitan Satay, 30. Corncakes,

31. Yum Gluten (Larb), 32. Kabocha Squash Curry, 33. Mussamun Curry, 34. Aloo Tiki Cholle, 35. Patata Vada

FO: Mini Shawl

Pattern:  Wool Weaver's Mini Shawl

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Light Country Blue
Needles: Size 10 Boye Circulars
Mods:  needle size to meet gauge
Notes:  I had a slightly smaller yardage than the pattern so I just knit until I was close to the end, and then used yardage counting to figure out how many yards each row took, and how many yards I'd have based on weight.  I could have gotten one more row out of it but it's fine as it is.
You can wear this shawl in a few ways but my favorite way is with both flaps overlapping (as I was about to do in this photo - thanks husband!)  However, you really need a shawl pin or brooch to hold it closed so I'm going to see if I can find something before mailing it to my grandmother.

 

I'm copying Earthchick and presenting my Finished Objects from 2008!

Total knits: 29

Hats: 7
Socks Pairs: 5 (once is shown twice)
Neck scarves: 5
Shawls: 1
Fruits: 7
Sweater: 1
Fingerless gloves: 1
Slippers: 1

Items for charity: 6
Gifts: 17
Items for me: 4

To be finished in 2009:

Wool Weaver's Mini Shawl (knitting is done, finishing isn't)
Gryffindor Scarf (knitting is done, finishing isn't)
Cozy Shawl
Lamb Pillow
Liesl Sweater (knitting is done, finishing isn't)

On the queue for me in 2009:

Mini Tuscany shawl using Habu XS-45 Bamboo
Copycat Slouch hat using Blue Sky Alpacas cotton
matching cowl
Another lace shawl using my Yarntopia Hand-painted Tencel
Falling Leaves socks using Crystal Palace Panda Soy

Resolution Check-in

Just wanted to report on how I'm doing with my resolutions.  I've also been posting about it on VegFamily's  Be a Better Vegan Challenge, which I forgot to mention. 

1.  Yoga - I went yesterday so I managed to sneak it into last week.  I plan to go tomorrow as well.

2.  Eating better - I'm still successfully making much healthier choices and drastically reducing the refined grain carbohydrate content of my meals.  Like this!

 

Plain soy yogurt with 1/2 banana, a few currants, and some ground flaxseed.

3.  Knitting for myself - haven't done any of that yet, but I did finish one of my projects, a Weavers Wool Mini Shawl for my grandmother (in Caron Simply Soft), and am making progress finishing the other three.

4.  Staying in better touch with friends and family - I've been commenting on more Facebook statuses, as well as sending more e-mails to friends.  I visited a friend recovering from surgery this week, and spoke with my father.

New Year's Resolutions

I just returned from a week in CA and will post about that later today.  In the meantime, I wanted to post some resolutions that I made this year.

1.  Yoga class at least once a week.

This isn't hard.  It's a few minutes' walk to the studio from my house, and classes are only $5 each!  I really like the teachers, too.  I didn't go last week since I was in CA, but I will go tomorrow.

2.  Choose at least one ingredient when cooking that is healthier than what I'd normally use but still an ingredient I like, so I don't feel deprived.

This has been a big success.  I can already get into my smaller sized jeans without feeling like a sausage.  Some examples of my choices:

• Veggie Burger in a spinach wrap instead of a ciabatta roll with salad on the side.
• Oatmeal with almond milk instead of Silk creamer, and ground flaxseeds on top.
• Quesadillas made with low-carb tortillas instead of white flour tortillas.
• Mac n Cheese made with tofu-almond ricotta instead of commercial vegan cheese
• Horchata to drink and no dessert.
• Whole wheat spaghetti instead of white pasta, with broccoli thrown in at the end to boil rather than fried in oil.

3.  Knitting for myself at least one third of the time.

Last year, I only made three out of twenty-eight items for myself.  I do love to knit for others but I'd still like a few more items myself.  Right now, I am working on three projects for others.  Once I'm done with those, I will be making myself a pair of Lombard Street Socks using Crystal Palace Panda Soy in a bright red, my current favorite color.

4.  Stay in better contact with friends and family.

I can get bogged down in whatever project I'm working on and neglect to e-mail or call the people I care about regularly.  Once I get out of the habit, it can become extremely difficult to get back into it.  It's partly an emotional thing.  But partly habit.  Facebook has definitely been helpful in getting me back in the habit of staying in touch with people in other cities.

I've been enjoying reading about other people's resolutions and experiences.  If you have any suggestions or similar resolutions, I'd love to hear about them!

DIY Month - Project 3: Baking Bread II

As I wrote about last week,  we've been baking bread in our bread maker.  Once we experimented and found a recipe that works well for us, we've still had a few challenges.  The last loaf had too much yeast and fell in the middle.  The breadmaker booklet recommened decreasing the yeast by 1/2 tsp, which, as you can see, did the trick.  It rose just the right amount and the texture of the bread is wonderful.  We adjusted the crust setting to "light" so that it's no longer hard on the top.  However, you can see there's still a problem!

What is causing the loaf to be several inches higher on one side than the other?  I made sure to put the ingredients in evenly.  The machine is level.  But as Ms. Clavel said, "Something is not right!"  I'll be calling Zojirushi once they return from their holiday break but in the meantime, I'm open to suggestions!

Even with it's leveling issues, I'm so happy we have gotten this far.  It's so nice to wake up to fresh bread.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year's Day everyone!  My husband and I celebrated New Year's Day with some veganized Hoppin' John from the Joy of Cooking, with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts and homemade tempeh bacon.

I'm very excited to have finally figured out how to use the macro setting on my camera (after 3 years!)  It wasn't included in the manual but I found it online.  I've got several posts planned for the coming few days including coconut fudge from My Sweet Vegan, DIY Month project 4, and New Year's resolutions.  I'll have to plan them out in advance as on Tuesday, I fly or drive (haven't decided which yet) to California to attend my Master's thesis defense meeting.  It's very exciting but also a bit nerve-wracking.  I've been in the MA program for five years and will be very happy to be graduating with my MA in special education.

I'm sorry to report that my aunt who I made the chemo hats for passed away yesterday morning.  I'm glad that she was able to wear the hats for about a month during some very cold weather.  It was the right time - she was on heavy morphine and no longer able to interact with anyone - but that doesn't make it any easier, particularly for my grandfather, who my aunt lived with and cared for for several years.  Right now the family decision is not to tell my grandmother, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's in a nursing home, unless she realizes that my aunt isn't visiting and can tell something is wrong.  For people with short-term memory loss, the repetition of the early stages of grieving can be very hard.  I wish that I could visit my grandmother, but since I live thousands of miles away, I'm swatching to make a capelet for my grandmother out of a soft washable yarn in one of her favorite colors.