gains, losses, introspection, and changes

so, um, hi.

apparently i was on a little bloggy break.

i’ve found that if there’s one constant amongst many/most/maybe all bloggers: lots of new content=deficiencies elsewhere in life, quiet blog=life getting in order.

i can’t be expected to blog and do dishes. puh.
i’ve been sewing. i’ve been crocheting. i’ve been cleaning and cooking and boo-boo kissing and book reading and exercising and Weight Watching.

okay so it’s basically those last two that pushed me over the edge. there’s a definite Outer Limit to just how much my brain can reasonably organize and coordinate at one time. and in order for me to focus on actually, actively losing weight and getting healthy something else gets shoved aside.

the high blood pressure that’s shadowed me since five was born was one thing. i didn’t have to blame myself--that wasn’t “my” fault. that was from the pregnancy. but then routine blood work showed i was also sporting a cholesterol level of 230-something…well. can’t blame that on the baby.

it was time to buck up. time to face the facts. baby got {too much} back.

so first i joined weight watchers online. why does it bother me to say this? i’ve spent some time psychoanalyzing myself. i’ve decided it’s not me. despite the jennifer hudsons and the jessica simpsons…WW has a definite “old people’s diet” vibe they can’t seem to shake. which they’re obviously trying to.
but the fact is it’s a good diet. i can eat with the family, i can have things i want and not feel deprived.

so i’m happy to announce that, with WW’s help, i’ve lost elliot, finally.

and by that i obviously mean the last lingering five pounds from growing her in ma belleh. gigi has proven to be more challenging. two pounds disappeared, only to return and bring a third last week. boo. it fits though. gigi is a stubborn little stinker. makes sense the weight from carrying her would be, too.

then i made major change number 2: i joined planet fitness. hard to beat $10/month gym fees. (although i sprang for the $20/month to get my five minutes in the massage chair after every workout. totally. worth. it.)

i’m really, really enjoying it. gasp! i KNOW, right? i’m pushing myself—cardio and weights and 30 minute circuits and ellipticals—and i’m starting to see the results. within 2 weeks of starting my new routines i almost passed out while stretching. HOW EXCITING! no really. because i came home and my blood pressure was 109/54. and after a few days of that i called my doctor and said NO MORE BP MEDS, please??!?! yup, it was that fast.

the way i see it—$10/month for BP meds or $10/month for the gym.

plus, the fact that their logo looks so much like the hitchhiker’s logo is a point in their favor…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

come on now. what’s not to like about that?
judgement free zone meets don’t panic. just what i need.

i have two more months before my cholesterol gets checked again. if i’ve lowered it i’m golden. i will have avoided adding a second medication to my daily roster. i shouldn’t need one of those huge am/pm pill organizers at 33.

this will become routine. it already sort of is. and then i can turn my attention back to posting witty accounts of my adventures in sewing. or whatever it is i do here.

branches

i was so determined that she would wear this dress on sunday—despite not being finished.

jeremy, can you make the little girls some eggs or something? my fingers were flying along that last sleeve. the sleeves had given me trouble saturday night—frogged twice before i set it aside at midnight in favor of sleep.

the pattern only went up to size 12 months. my chubby 17 month old was pushing it. but the stretch of the yarn + an additional couple of rows made it do-able.

do-able now—not 2 months from now, and with the way this kid grows maybe not even 2 weeks from now. so this sunday it was.

and NO. you absolutely may NOT take away her book and try for a nice full body shot. you will suffer the wrath of Child Approaching Terrible Twos.

pattern found {here}, yarn is caron simply soft in what i believe is called antique white, and black. i added 4 rows of black to the bodice and left off the last row of scallops on the hem because i couldn’t figure it out. i also changed the sleeves to make simple flutter sleeves.

i’m pretty sure my favorite part is the back button placket. i’m pretty dang proud of how that turned out, considering i’ve basically been crocheting for about a year.

the openwork of the skirt is nothing a black diaper cover and tights can’t compensate for.

diaper cover basic pattern from {here}. i eliminated the leg cuffs and did two rows of the v-stitch on the dress pattern around the leg openings.

what i also should have done was made the elastic in the waist a little smaller—okay for sitting pretty, not so much for running.

(guinevere’s fall colored bias strip dress blogged {here})

i feel like a Real Crocheter now. i’ve branched out—tackled more than a basic scarf or hat. crochet makes sense to my brain in a way knitting doesn’t, and i find i can move faster and easier—the repetitive motions are relaxing.

i’m still working on my blanket, and i said to jeremy last night that when i look over the length of what i’ve done i’m amazed to think that my hands have done every single one of those tiny stitches. i’ve literally touched every single thread of that blanket.

hopefully i’ve filled it with love. because that’s definitely what i feel as i’m working on it. ;)

better late than never

i was thoroughly inspired and intrigued by the weekly challenges on the last go-round of project run and play. i love that blogger challenge.

when all the themes were announced my head was spinning—i had so many ideas for each week! i was gonna do it! keep up and add my contribution to the flickr friends pool every week!

umm…no. whomp whomp.

i started the first week: a pattern remix of no big dills “very biased skirt”. the plan in my head came to fruition—but with a LOT more work than i expected.

a simple sheath, with bias cut strips grading from a deep rust to a salmony orange to bright orange to light orange to white.

i bought each color in two different fabrics: a satiny solid and a sheer chiffon, and alternated and overlapped two of each fabric weight on each color layer.

i cut a front and back out of muslin and sewed the bias strips on each separately, then sewed the dress up and put a facing in the neck and arms. the pattern doesn’t match up perfectly on the sides, but it’s definitely close enough.

i seriously underestimated the time it would take me to sew all.those.strips.on. like, by DAYS.

my room was flooded with strips of fabric in autumnal colors. they were everywhere. and in the end i had enough left to make another entire dress, but i couldn’t stand the sight of them anymore. shhh…i threw them all away (a first class sewer sin, i know)

in the end, as usual, it was worth it. a one-of-a-kind dress that my girl loves. it’s definitely eye-catching. paired with black tights and shoes, sometimes a black cardigan, and we’ve even added a simple black sash at the waist. love.

oh! and the back:

a big black exposed zipper. i’m a big fan of the exposed zip—edgy without being over-the-top.

so here it is: the one and only project i did for the last project run and play, a mere month or so after it ended. yippee.