Monday, January 24, 2011

New Hats for the New Year


Corkscrew Tassel Hat
Originally uploaded by craftytails
Project-wise, there has been a lot going on these days. During the holiday break, I finished the Mr Greenjeans cardigan and it fits like a dream. The project is a particular success because I wore it to work and no one asked if I knitted it. This may sound odd, but I am happier when someone can't tell if a garment is handmade.

Crafts aside, my main project for the year is a major overhaul on my home. Many possessions will be donated, tossed or sold within the next few months. The yarn stash will also be pared down to exclude anything I will never use. The prospect of simplifying my life is really exciting and the first round of purging already looks promising. Hours were spent organizing the button and bead stashes and everything is now stored in plastic ziplock bags in shoeboxes. This probably doesn't sound too interesting, but there is a sense of relief that comes with never having to worry about finding a specific button or buying something I already own.

Speaking of organizing, I have become addicted to making lists. The month of January has been spent on various hat-knitting projects: After knitting a few more hats, perhaps I'll make my first skirt. There are a bunch of choices out there and in making the list, I have noticed most of the patterns come from one of my favorite online resources, Knitty.In hindsight, a skirt should have been started before the cold snap. Possibly, I may be able to start on a smaller size in a few weeks after my new exercise routine is in full swing. Losing a few pounds should help me feel more motivated when picking garment patterns. My next order of business should be locating some websites with healthy, low-calorie recipes. Any ideas?

4 comments:

Deb G. said...

I love the skirt patterns!

There are a lot of great cooking blogs out there, so poking around should be a lot of fun! How about:

http://glutenfreegirl.com

http://www.domesticgoddess.ca/

If you want healthy, do not-- I repeat: DO NOT!-- look at The Pioneer Woman's blog.

My favourite healthy cookbook is New Maritimes Seasonal Cooking by Donna Young and Marg Routledge. It's written by women accustomed to cooking for actual people as part of an actual life so the recipes are ones that make sense in a down-to-earth real life home.

Have fun!

Clarine said...

Wow, thank you so much! The recipes look pretty enticing and I am looking forward to unearthing some treasures on the internet. After checking the Pioneer Woman's blog, I agree with you. There is a lot of comfort food there and it won't help me lose weight. It felt a little like leafing through a Paula Deen cookbook. Fun, but dangerous.

Natalie said...

I've had the Belle Skirt on my Rav queue for quite awhile. One day I will make it and it will be a skirt that prefectly fits my shorter than 5' self!

Deb G. said...

I just remembered I didn't tell you of the great and wonderful Mollie Katzen. Light, vegetarian cooking-- usable in your kitchen day-to-day, easy, and very, very good. Here are two of her books I use often:

http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Broccoli-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081266/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298048052&sr=8-1

Possibly my favourite.

And:

http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Cookbook-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081304/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298048052&sr=8-2