What I'm Up To

I have been itching to capture some of the knitting and spinning I've been working on. Since I recently got a brand new camera (yay for SLRs!), I felt compelled to blog.

Spinning up a storm am I...

I recently spun up some Pagewood Farms hand dyed BFL that I bought from Tempe Yarn & Fiber. I did a traditional 3-ply and I'm gaga about how it turned out.


I decided to buy several novelty yarns and splice them (thanks to the dynamic and brave Terry at TYF) to knit them with my lovely turquoise BFL. Here is the ball of spliced novelty yarns by itself and alongside it's future neighbor.



Then, I spun up some BFL from Laughing Rat Studios. I am lovin' the BFL. I specifically bought this colorway for Sam, since she loves the green. I navajo plied it. Some pictures:






I have also been having a ton of fun at Expressions In Spinning, which is a group at TYF. We are inspired by different themes each month.

Last month's theme was Harry Potter:


This month's theme was poetry and we chose Shel Silverstein. This reminded me of elementary school so I chose primary colors. I hand blended the colored, spun them thick and thin and then coiled/beaded them around a core.



With all this spinning, gotta make it a point to still knit.

I'm taking a class with Chris (she's my knitting super hero) at Knit Happens. Try toe-up, 2 at a time, magic loop socks... yes, seriously... on size 1 needles. These are for my DH. He chose the yarn, which I think is an unusual choice, but they are for him and he can have whatever his little heart desires.


I'm really into sock knitting. I've knit a couple pairs, but always top down. Here's a single that needs a companion.


Here's a sock that I'm working on for Sam. I prefer the 2 circular needle method...


I'm still doing a bit of baby knitting for my niece Zoey who is due in January. I can't wait to meet her. Here's a baby dress, pattern by Tora Froseth. This picture did not come out great... still learning about lighting. It's actually pink and yellow. I think it's totally appropriate for a baby named Zoey.


And, of course, where would I be without my trusted-partner-in-crime - Sammy! Here's a couple of super cute pictures of her.



... and her amazing knitting. This is a sweater folks...


SO much fun! I can't stand it. Well, gotta go knit some more.

Fill 'er up

I wish I had taken pictures today to capture such a monumental moment, but really I was so scared to death about the whole experience that the thought didn't even cross my mind.

Today was my first fill!

I've been dreading this day since I made the decision to have band surgery and now I know that no one is lying, getting a band fill truly doesn't hurt.

I had been following a thread via the smartbandsters group on yahoo, hoping that I could overcome my fears. A couple of people suggested lidocaine ointment. I called my surgeon's office last Friday and yesterday the called in a prescription for my-new-best-friend.

I put my-new-best-friend on in the car as Ben was driving over to the surgeon's office. It takes 30-45 minutes to work. We got to the office and I started to get extremely nervous. I watched the clock like a hawk, hoping they were going to get me in before my-new-best-friend stopped making magic. At 30 minutes, I asked the guy at the front desk if they were running behind and I should apply some more. He suggested I do that. So I did it.

Then, they called me back and explained that the NP that is supposed to do my fill (who I love) has a couple more surgeries and wouldn't be able to do my fill today. I could see a different Doc or come back on Thursday. I said that I would let him feel my port and if he thought he could hit it easily, I would consider letting him do it.

Ben and I went into the office and Ben got to step on the scale (he's been dying to do this) that tells you a ton of information, like what percentage is body fat, water weight, etc. Ben, of course, is 17% fat. So crazy. So, Doc came in and explained that he had done hundreds of fills. He felt for my port and said it was easy to find. It really hurt, quite a bit actually, when he continued to push down on it. I freaked out and one of the staff came in. She was also afraid of needles and knew just what to say to get me to calm down. I calmed down and we did it.

They have you lay down. They put a needle in your stomach. They put a couple of ccs in, take a bit out (to make sure they've hit your port). Have you sit up and drink some water - to make sure you are not too restricted. Pull it out and walla.

I've started with 2 ccs. They don't want to put too much in you right away, they want you to get used to the restriction.

I've lost a total of 16 pounds in about 5 weeks. This is nice steady weight loss. I've even gained some muscle mass.

I met with the nutritionist who said I was doing great and that I should continue to keep up the good work.