This is a picture heavy post.  This is a beaded that I did.

Same scarf.

Second beaded scarf.

Same beaded scarf.

Third beaded scarf.

Same beaded scarf.

Fourth beaded scarf, but a different pattern.  This yarn was originally a

cream colored yarn, but when I slid the beads onto the yarn, the inside

of the beads put this black looking stain along the yarn, so I dyed it this

color. 

Same beaded scarf.

Fifth beaded scarf.  I had only worked the first half of the scarf when

I took this photo.

Adamas Shawl

Swallowtail Shawl

Close-up of the Nupps.

Ethereal Shawl

That’s what I’ve been up to these past many months.  Hopefully I won’t wait as long to update next time.

I’m still working on my never-ending (so it seems) mitered blanket.  Slowly, but surely, it’s getting done.  I have also started another beaded scarf.  This one is with white sock yarn and beads that have peacock colors in them.  I have the other half to finish and then I will do a three-needle bind off to join the two.  I’ll post pictures in my next entry.

Enjoy the weekend.  I know I hope to!

The colors are a lot more richer than they appear in these photos.

My friend Beverly gave me this sock yarn about 2 and a half years ago and I’ve been waiting to use it.  Since I don’t knit a lot of socks, I thought this would be the perfect way to use it.  I bought the beads from my friend Millie who is a seasoned knitter as well as a beader.

I plan to resume knitting on my mitered afghan now that I’ve finished the scarf.  I plan to put Elizabeth Zimmerman’s applied icord around it one I finish with the body of the afghan.  Hopefully I’ll finished it this winter so that I can use it straight away.

Until next time, take care.

1.  Still knitting.  Currently, I have the Wonderful Wallaby sweater in the works, as well as a mitered square afghan.  The afghan is individual mitered squares.  Instead of knitting a bunch of them and then sewing them together, you pick along two of them to form the next one.  I also knitted a friend’s daughter a scarf back toward the beginning of the year.  Per her request, she wanted purple.

Wonderful Wallaby

Mitered Square Afghan

Mitered Square Afghan (adding new square)

Traveling Leaves Scarf

Yes, I know there’s a ratty dishcloth hanging on the sink.  The cotton ones that I knit tend to be used until they fall apart.

2.  Went to Amsterdam last Christmas and New Years; had fun.  Here’s a link for pictures:    http://www.flickr.com/photos/colamanknits/sets/72157623140302191/

3.  Still doing accounts receivable work.

4.  Glad summer is about over.  The older I get, the less I do well in the southern U. S. heat.  I’ll be glad when fall gets here.

5.  I turned 49 in August.

6.  On my weight loss journey (started a year and a half ago), I lost from 165 pounds down to 120.  I’ve put back on a few pounds, but I expected that.  I haven’t been walking that much this summer due to the heat and humidity.  Even early morning or late evening, it was just too hot and sticky.  Hopefully I’ll be able to start again on a regular basis once fall comes in.  I’m thinking about getting a custom bike.  The city I live in is not very bike friendly though.  We’ll see.

7.  I have a new car.  It’s a manual, white 2009 Toyota Corolla.  I bought it new at the end of 2008.  Me likey!

Hopefully, I’ll keep this blog going this time.  Not promising anything.  For everyone in the U. S., Happy Labor Day weekend!!

Below is the insert that Barbra allowed to be included in this release.  It’s basically a note from the production crew and actors stating what a great time they had working with Barbra on this movie.

This is a two-disc release.  I’ve watched the second disc that has all the extras on it and it’s absolutely fabulous.  My roomate just got a 56-inch hi def  TV, so I’m going to wait until Saturday to watch the movie itself; that way I’m not tired from the work day.  I know that it’s going to be wonderful.

This past Sunday, I was at Best Buy mainly just looking around and came across this:

so I bought it.  I remember renting this on video years ago, but kind of forgot about it until it was released on DVD not too long ago.  When I rented it on video, I really didn’t sit down and concentrate on the movie, so I didn’t have an opinion about it.  I sat down with my roomate Sunday night and we watched the DVD.  I really did enjoy it this go round.  The disc also has special features on it.  This was filmed in the early 70′s which also adds to the nostalgia of the movie.

On to knitting.  I finished another hat.  Since I’ve been doing a lot of walking as part of my weight loss goal, I’ve needed a few hats.  I’ve already knitted two in the past, but wanted another one, so I knit this one.

I am not a photographer, so I apologize for the bad pictures.  It’s hard to make out, but the hat does have motif in it that’s done with a cable needle.

A mug shot of me wearing the hat.  It’s larger than I would like it to be, so I’m going to have to turn the brim up when I wear it.  If I make this again for myself again, I’ll probably go down a couple of needle sizes.  You’re right, I didn’t do a guage swatch.  I know, I know, bad knitter.

I still haven’t put the edging on my cardigan yet.  I haven’t felt much like working with it lately, but I do need to finish with that.

Weight (as of 02.01.09):  150.2 pounds (down from 152.8)

Body Fat:  24.6 (down from 25.5)

Weight loss as of 02.01.09:  15.4

Body fat loss:  2.1

Until next time…be well.

Edited to add:  I just visted my blog to make sure that you could click on the pictures to enlarge them and of course you can’t.  I don’t know about these things sometime, so my apologies to you.  I’ll have to see what I did wrong for my next post.

Below is a picture of the cardigan.  As you can see, I still need to put the edging around it and add the buttons.  Slowly, but surely, I’m getting there.  I think this sweater is okay, but I don’t know that I would knit another one that is complete garter stitch.

Today while my roommate and I were out walking, we met up with these two dogs that we’ve never seen in the neighborhood before.  One of them was a chocolate colored lab mix and the other was a lab/pit bull mix (I think).  We walked for an hour and they walked the entire way with us.  When we got back to the house and went inside, they stayed on the car port for at least a couple of hours.  We were afraid that they wouldn’t leave and would have to call the pound.  The chocolate colored dog looks as if she had just had puppies in the not so distant past because her milk glands were still long.  I have a feeling that someone dropped them off in the neighborhood to get rid of them.  I just cannot imagine someone doing that to another living thing.  My roommate already has a dog and I have my cat, so it really wasn’t an option to keep them.  I hope that they’ll be okay.

My weight loss journey continues.  As of today, January 25, 2009, I’m at:

Weight:  152.8 (down from 165.6)

Body Fat:  25.5 (down from 26.7)

Weight loss as of today:  12.8 pounds

Body fat loss as of today:  1.2

I hope that you have a wonderful week and until the next post….be well.

For the past few years, especially the past couple or so, I have noticed my weight sky rocket and my health starting to decline (high blood pressure and higher cholesterol) to some degree.  I’m at the heaviest weight that I’ve ever been in all my life.  I’m on medication for the above mentioned things and grant it, some of this stems from family genetics, but a lot of it also comes from being overweight/obese.  I know that as you get older, this just happens (but not to this degree) due to being less active.  I used to love going for walks and hiking, but for some reason all of it stopped.  Because of this, I have become a very unhappy and somewhat bitter person.  I look physically bad and that affects how you look.  I feel so unattractive and my self-worth is at rock bottom.

This is not me having a pity party, but writing things down so that I can physically see the words.  I remember when I was working a temp job a couple of years ago, I applied for several positions, but would never be hired full-time for the company I was temping at.  I kept thinking to myself when I would not get hired on, you’re already short in height, but now your overweight and an older man.  Who would want to hire you?  Needless to say, this did very little for my confidence.  All this being said, I have made a decision to try and turn this around.  I’m 47 and I want to feel desirable again, to find a man that I’m attracted to and know that he’s attracted to me and wants to be with me.  I guess I’m ready for another relationship.  Foremost, I want to feel GOOD about me again.  To feel GOOD about being out and around other people again.  I want to feel EXCITED again about fixing myself up and shopping for new clothes.  This is something that I’ve not felt like doing in a LONG time.  IT’S TIME!

If you’re family or friends, please be advised that I’m going to post a couple of pictures throughout this journey to show my progress.  I will not have a shirt on so that I can be honest in how I look.  Yes, this embarrasses me, but it has to be done.  So, skip ahead if you don’t want to ruin your eyesight.

WEIGHT:  165.6

BODY FAT:  26.7

On the knitting front, I’ve finished the sections for my cardigan.  I now need to seam it up, do the edging and put on the buttons.  Hopefully I’ll have a finished product to show you next time.

Until then…be well.

                                       FELIZ NAVIDAD

                                                                        JOYEUX NOËL

I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far and looking forward to Santa Claus.  I hope that he’s good to everyone.  Don’t eat too much!    I’ll try and post again before Christmas, if not, HAPPY HOLIDAYS everyone. 

Until next time….be well.