I've moved~

Hey just wanted to let you know that I have moved my blog to the uber stylish helliebee.com! Please follow thanks!

I found them!

Once I gave up on my tapestry needles, I found them in my purse! I DID look in my purse. There is a lot of stuff in my purse however, LOL. 

Of course, the front of my sweater/shell is coming unraveled but that is easily fixed. I will post pictures soon!

End of Fast...

Okay guys, I have a confession. I didn't make it today. At the baby shower there were tons of hoers d'oeuvres and they had lunch and because I didn't feel like I needed to explain to 20 people why I wasn't eating, I had a bit to eat. I know! You're not supposed to end the fast that way! I'm a little disappointed too. I didn't have much but sure enough 2-3 hours later I started having stomach cramps and let's just say I had to make a somewhat unpleasant trip to the bathroom when I got home. I feel a bit better now. It was the coconut shrimp! My kryptonite!

I did start on with a half day technically, so while I did make it to ten days I wasn't exactly lined up properly. I don't think that I will be up to driving in to eating tomorrow either so I probably will drink the orange juice as planned. I know that I shouldn't have gone but it was my friend Lauren's baby shower who I haven't seen since high school and I was going with my friend Christie and we always have fun. Oh, and I didn't plan this but Stephy was there too and she is awesome. Lauren's family is really sweet too. Her brother is so nice and her dad and mom both remembered me from high school which I thought was kind of amazing since I haven't seen her in at least five years. I met a bunch of people too whose names I will try to remember but will probably forget LOL. Anyway, it was a nice get together without any stupid baby shower games like guess the chocolate bar. Ewww...I know its just a melted chocolate. I'm actually more concerned about the chemicals in the diapers. They all have weird "crystals" and other mysterious moisture wicking properties. 

Day 10 of the Master Cleanse!

I made it! It was hard, but this is the last day! I think that I will quit today. This is my first time and I should try taking it easy. I especially don't want to intimidate myself into never doing it again, LOL. 

Also, I decided to join a Stanford weight loss study and they probably want me to adhere to some special diet or other. I hope it isn't Atkin's. The last thing that I really want right now is a meat based diet. I guess I could give it a try. The data on the long term effectiveness of Atkin's is good. I just don't find it all that appetizing and I wouldn't be able to eat fruit all that often and that really is my favorite food. Probably more importantly I don't think that it is environmentally responsible to eat a mainly meat diet. Oh well, I have an interview on Wednesday and until then I will just have to wait.

Today I am going to a baby shower. I actually didn't end up making anything and I had to buy a gift at target to my utter shame. I think it was because I couldn't really find the right yarn to work with and I just procrastinated until it was too late. It happens more than I like to admit, LOL. 

Wow, Day 9 on the Master Cleanse

I'm on Day 9, crazy. It's strange but it doesn't feel like its been nine days since I had anything to eat. I feel pretty good today. No crazy spiritual awakening like the book says, but maybe you have to be a believer to do that. 

I'm kind of sad, I stopped losing weight on the diet. I knew my metabolism was slow but this is a little ridiculous. I should probably try to get more exercise. That will help speed things along and free up some fat cells to "detox", or what have you. I haven't been taking as much maple syrup as my friends did when they dieted. Apparently they used WAY more than what's in the book and that's what I based my first Caloric calculations on. I forget what it was, but something like 1700 a day or so. I suppose that's fine if you have healthy metabolism and an active lifestyle but I've been having 700-800 Calories a day and apparently that's enough to keep up this fabulous bod, LOL. Dude, if we went into a famine and NO ONE had any food I would definitely survive. Or maybe I should use more cayenne? I feel like it is the key. Ugh, I already have to chug the drinks I don't think that I could put much more in it sadly.

Anyway, to continue or not to continue? I really don't know at this point. I am kind of curious when my fuzzy tongue will clear up...

Master Cleanse Day 8

Yesterday was hard to get through. I have never had that many cravings in one day! I also had the lowest energy that I've had this entire cleanse. You know the book said that the hardest days are the  2nd, 3rd, and 7th but I thought that was just in people's minds but it really is hard to get through. 

I wonder what sort of process your body is going through during the cleanse? I'm sure that juice fasts have been studied before. I should check it out.

Well, I made it through somehow! Now I'm on day 8 and almost done. My tongue is still fuzzy and I am thinking about doing the fast a little longer. Not sure yet. I do miss eating...blah...

Day 7 on the Master Cleanse

Bleh, I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I'm kinda bloated and really tired today. I think I'll take a nap for now and take the rest of the day pretty easy.

Master Cleanse Day 6

First off, HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! 

Okay, now that it is out of my system, today is my sixth day on the Master Cleanse Diet! I've started taking the cayenne mixed in with the drink instead of in capsule form. I really have to chug the lemonade now to get it down, but its alright. I should probably just put a little less in. 

I'm not hungry at all anymore, but I miss eating. My energy levels are pretty good. They aren't particularly low or high. I have been thinking about exercising more. I've been doing little walks but I really didn't want to overexert myself and pass out or something. Nothing too strenuous of course because I'm not getting any protein to rebuild.

I've been thinking about going longer on it. 10 days is supposed to be the minimum but you can go up to forty days. That's a bit long, but I might do another week. According to the book you are free of toxins the day that your tongue is no longer coated with a while film. I know too much information! Honestly? I think it's coated it's because you've been drinking a sugary acid all day. Your body acclimates eventually. Anyway, once you have a healthy pink tongue you're all clean. Or something. 

I'm not sure if my friends will like it if I go longer on it. They feel like they can't eat around me and that I am socially rejecting them. It is hard to think of activities to do outside of  going out to lunch or to dinner. Why is our society based solely around food? 

Today I am going to work on my business and making something for this baby shower I am going to this weekend. 

Finally, another project!

Hey look! Here is that scarf that I have been talking about for so long, LOL. It's slow going but it's fairly long now. I am probably just going to use up the whole skein of yarn. I'm debating whether or not to put tassels on the ends. 

Master Cleanse Day 5

I made it through to day 5, hooray!

I have decided to stop taking the salt water flush. I really don't need it to get things going in the morning. Also, today I tried the tiniest bit of cayenne pepper mixed in with my morning drink. Apparently taking the pepper through the mouth is supposed to give extra benefits that you won't get by taking the pills. I'll see if I can transition to more later. Or go back if I get really grossed out.

What is on the agenda today? Well it is my weekly stitch and bitch day. I will bring my camera along this time so that I can take some pictures. Actually that reminds me that I need to get a tapestry needle to finish up my sweater. My needle is too big and won't go through the fabric, bleh.

Master Cleanse Day 4

Well! I have officially made it to day four of the Master Cleanse! This morning I woke up with lots of energy which is good because I am supposed to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today. Oh, that reminds me I really need to charge my battery for my camera! I just did the Salt Water Cleanse. It doesn't really get any easier, but at least it is over quickly. 

Still I think that the laxative tea from last night works really quickly with me because I have been trying to hold off the urge long enough to drink the salt water. Maybe I should take it a little later in the day? The problem might be that I have been taking it an hour or two before bed. Your body metabolizes things at such different rates when you are asleep vs. awake.

I do have a confession to make about last night. Last night I stayed up late looking at food porn. I just clicked on the Cooking Light magazine page and kept looking at all the different recipes. Now at this point in the diet I'm not really hungry but I really miss eating. In any case I am really glad no one walked in on me because they would have caught me drooling over a picture of a quiche or some chicken vindaloo recipe.

End Of The Third Day of the Master Cleanse!

Today was a bit harder. I'm not sure if it was just because I woke up so early or that I couldn't get back to sleep, but I definitely felt a lot hungrier today. I suppose that makes sense. The days 2, 3, and 7 are supposed to be the hardest. I was REALLY tempted by just about everything that I saw too. I managed to hold out somehow. 

I'm also out of lemon juice and need to get some more first thing tomorrow. I think I will also look for the liquid cayenne to see if I can stomach it. It's supposed to be milder than the powered stuff, but its not really the hotness that sets me off. I just don't like the taste of the pepper and the maple syrup. It is just so gross. Oh well, if I don't like it I will have to just stick with my pepper pills, even if they don't give you the full benefit.

I did check out some of the videos of other people that have completed the Master Cleanse on youtube. Some people have done it for over a month! While I am sure that is an amazing experience I think that I will probably just stick to ten days.

Master Cleanse Day 3

Ugh, I woke up having to go go go today! I think that I seeped the laxative tea too long, LOL. Well at least I am all cleared out. I didn't even have time to drink the salt water flush this time. Gross.

Anyway, it is 4:30 AM and I hope that everyone else is sleeping a bit better than I am tonight.

New Sweater (Shell) Photos

It's been a long time coming but I have finally finished the last sleeve for my sweater. Now the hard part; sewing all this stuff together.

Mater Cleanse Day 2

It was a little hard getting to sleep last night. I seem to get tired for short periods and then I have energy again! I think that the laxative tea also keeps me up a bit. I know there is no caffeine in it I think I just stay up because my stomach is gurgling so much, LOL.

Ugh, I just did the Salt Water Flush and I am waiting for it to kick in. I wonder if I will ever get used to taking the salt water? I don't think so. Anyway, I just try to think of it as sea water and somehow I get by. I wonder if people that like to eat sea urchin would actually enjoy the salt water flush? To me sea urchin tastes exactly like sea water. 

I woke up a lot later today at 7:20ish. Still, that is much earlier than I usually get up. Also, I was a bit groggy today. I think it might be a much lower energy day than yesterday. That's ok because it is a friday after all, LOL. Although I do have a lot of things with friends planned. Actually I am kind of excited because we might go to one of those color me mine or other paint your own pottery things which I have never actually done before. I've always wanted to try but then never actually done it.

I should probably get some stuff done today too. The funny thing is I was so effective yesterday I finished most of my short term goals. Now all I have left are the long term ones. Well, they say that the most effective people are the ones that separate long tasks into short ones, so I better get creative and find a few more things to knock off the list.

Master Cleanse End Of Day 1

I made it through the day! Hooray! I hear that the first day is the hardest to get through. Most people have trouble the first 2-3 days but after that it starts to improve. I have been sorely tempted by quite a few opportunities to eat but I have resisted! 

Actually I had good energy for the entire day. I even got a lot of things done. I wonder if it is just the placebo effect? I mean really, even the diet guru doesn't expect you to have increased energy immediately. I hope that tomorrow also works out well. I did have a dip in energy at about 2-3PM. I tried to take a nap but couldn't really sleep. Surprisingly just laying down seemed to help and I felt better after about 30 minutes. Besides that I haven't noticed any other major changes. My skin is a bit greasy today but not overly so.  I think I will get on the scale tomorrow. I've been a bit wary about that but I might as well just suck it up and get it over with.

I just had my nightly tea and feel pretty tired. Ugh, I accidently used the same mug that I used last night for the Salt Water Flush. It tasted a bit salty at the end of the tea, which was pretty gross. I hope that it doesn't have any effect tonight. 

I will keep you updated with my progress!

Ye Gods! An Actual Project?

I know! I was surprised too. Actually I guess its because I have been trying to keep my mind off of food but I got a lot of things done today. For one, I had this raggedy old folding laundry bin that had completely fallen apart on me. Now as you can see the former "basket" was made of this cheap plastic-ky material and has been slowly ripping apart since the day I got it. Of course it's from IKEA. I probably bought it in some Scandinavian furniture daze for a few bucks. I was pretty useful up until it fell apart.

I didn't use a pattern or anything, and I was actually using a foot pedal and power cord I bought online to replace my old ones, so I am REALLY surprised that it came out alright. Will this inspire me to sew more things? Don't hold your breath, LOL. 

What I did was buy about 2 yards of sturdy fabric from Joann's (on sale of course) and some matching yarn. Then I cut out a big piece and sewed up one side to make a "tube" and then sewed a square to the bottom. I finished up the rough edge and had the main laundry bag. I couldn't really sew it to the bag, so I made some straps and sewed those on. 

Update: Apparently my mom had the same problem with her IKEA folding laundry basket so I have been commissioned  to make another one. Is this a common problem with these things? Maybe I should just start making them and sell them on etsy.

My Tragus Piercing Might Be Migrating or Rejecting >_<

I'm not sure if you can see it in this photo, which I have doctored in order not to disturb you too much with my horrible skin, but my tragus piercing is developing a "bubble" next to it. Now on the outside it looks like any regular old pimple but it actually goes all the way through my ear. I hope that it goes away soon. While it is gross, I also read that it is a sign that my ear might be migrating or rejecting the piercing, which would suck majorly.

Anyway, while I was poking in my ear today I found this little sucker. Gross, isn't it? I was HOPING that this would drain the bubble but no luck. No it looks like this thing is here to stay for the time being anyway.

Day 1 on the Master Cleanse Diet

Well! So far so good. I started taking the lemonade in the middle of the day yesterday, which I know that you are not supposed to do but I figure that my body will work it out in the long run. Actually I used to fast all the time when I was more on a health kick and it was never really that hard for me. I guess it's just nice not to worry about food all the time. My worst thing is that I usually forget that I am on the diet for short periods!

Well I took the laxative tea last night and boy did it go to work! I had to chug the salt water flush really fast when I got up just so it could be my first "act" in the morning. Anyway, both were effective. Also, I think that I push something out whenever I take the Cayenne. I know gross, forget what I just said.

My energy is good! In fact I woke up very refreshed this morning at 6 AM, which NEVER happens! I like my sleep and tend to get a little more than the usual dose. I took advantage of the extra time this morning and read all my Reader articles, bought my brother his birthday gift (T-shirt of the month club at Threadless, am I not the best sister?), did some gentle yoga, and wrote a list of things to get done today. I'm just about to hang out with one of my friends and I hope that together we can figure out why exactly my door won't close. I think that it is actually the weather striping that has warped and made it impossible to lock the door from the outside. Well, in any case that is the reason that the dead bolt won't lock. The other lock is also broken, but I am sure that it is broken is such a way that I cannot fix it. Poop. 

If we do manage to fix or lock the door so that I way leave the house I was also thinking about making a sack for my folding laundry basket. My poor laundry basket is made of some horrible plastics based bag and has ripped in twine and is completely useless. Using the motto reduce, reuse, and recycle I have decided to take the foldable frame and make a new bag to hold my soiled linens. I will probably use some cheap canvas or denim to make the bag, with perhaps some fun cloth for a cute border. I'm not sure, it depends if there is a sale at Joann's and if I am able to make the bag successfully.

Spicy Lemonade Cleansing time

I've decided to do the Spicy Lemonade Cleanse by Stanley Burroughs. I know, it's pretty kooky but I tried it once in college and just couldn't get past the taste of the maple syrup and the cayenne together. Luckily, this time I bought capsules to take instead! The lemonade is actually pretty tasty, also I spiked it with limes.

Why would I ever do this to myself? Well I just need a change in perspective. I used to be pretty healthy but once I started the office job I just got off track. Now people become pretty concerned when you say you are going on a juice diet but the reality of the situation is that I will be consuming about 1727 calories a day. That is hardly starving! The main thing that I am worried about is how I will cope with no protein for 10 days. Anyway, it's more about getting back in touch with the old bod instead of losing weight. Although I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds along the way ;).

I was thinking about doing a before picture but then I decided I was too shy so you will have to fill it in with your imagination! Wahooo!!!

PS I have NOT forgotten about my sweater. I'm just getting the end of project procrastination. Also, I started another scarf in a self striping yarn and a horseshoe lace pattern. Oh, and one of my friends from high school is pregnant so I guess that my baby bootie from last month with serve as a test dummy for an awesome homemade baby shower gift. Stay tuned!

Baby booties!

Baby Booties! This is my first attempt at making a baby bootie. They are pretty easy to do, but they take much more yarn than I thought! This bootie is made from the scraps from some fingerless gloves I made a few weeks ago. It's a merino silk blend and not very washer friendly, so I think that I'll just keep this one as a concept bootie rather than making a pair.

These are awesome gifts for baby showers! Just pick up some easy care yarn in a variety of colors and make a set. 

The final piece!

Almost done! Just this one little piece and  I have to sew everything up. I hope that they fit together all right. If they don't I'm going to be inconsolable for a few days lol.

I'm thinking of renaming this sweater from the ugly sweater to the forever sweater. Seriously this sweater has taken over a month to finish!

New iPhone!

Sorry I haven't updated on a while. The shell is taking a long time to finish and I haven't started any otherprojects although this will probably change soon because my friend just got me a whole book of do it yourself projects! Yay!
In other news; I thought it would be best to get a cellphone after all this time without one. I got an iPhone and it is great! I can even make posts from it!

Ahh hot chocolate

I love love LOVE hot chocolate. It is so warm and delicious I just can't get enough of it. I found this little place in Saratoga yesterday that has the best drinking chocolate! It is thick with a dark chocolate base and you can get it in 4 different flavors! Yum! I tried the chili pepper and it really hits the spot on a cold lonely night. It's aptly named Saratoga Chocolates and I will definitely be making a stop there before Valentines day.

In other news, my first comment! Yay! I am so excited that this blog is actually being read!

Oh sweater, when will thy sleeves be done?

I just finished the front piece and have started with the first sleeve of the shell. Of course because the project is nearing its end I am starting to feel an urge to wonder off to other things, lol. I just hope that I can finish this sweater by the end of February so I can actually start wearing it!

My First Ugly Sweater (okay, so technically it is a shell)

I have taken the next step in knitting; making a full size garment. NO longer will I be limited to hats and scarves, now I have the freedom and the experience to move unto more challenging projects.

For my first garment I decided to make this shell from Hot Knits. I am told that sweaters have buttons down the front so I guess this is a shell. I choose a nice bamboo /microfiber blend yarn that was on sale at Joanns. I bought 8 balls just in case I ran out of yarn but I think I will have 1-2 skeins leftover at the rate it is knitting up. It's fairly warm but not overly so. I was looking for something to wear over a regular shirt and this will do nicely as part of an ensemble for spring.

So far I have finished with the back piece and I am about 2/3rd's of the way through the front piece. I have made so many mistakes it's almost laughable but I thought that it was more important to finish the thing than to get every stitch perfect so I decided to power through until the end. It looks fine from a distance but up close some things don't quite match up if you're used to looking at knit pieces. I guess that's a secret we'll keep between us knitters, shhh!

More things are coming on the horizon. I have started making my own patterns and will be testing them out in the up coming months. In other big news, I am starting my own knitting shop! I have all the business paperwork finished with and am currently in the process of finding yarn and needles retailers! 

Homemade wash cloths

These little cotton washcloths are amazing! They are made from all organic cotton and feel so soft and lather so well. They are also a very quick knit which I really appreciate! They only take an hour to an hour and a half and only use half a skein of yarn!

I found a pattern on instructables for something similar but I really didn't like it. It was confusing; for example the number of cast on stitches really didn't correspond to the actual pattern. I tweaked it a bit and switched to a smaller size needle to make these little guys.  Hope that you enjoy them!

Doctor Who mania

Recently I discovered the new Doctor Who on netflix and I have been hooked ever since! I especially liked Chris Eccleston's portrayal of the Doctor. He just REALLY captured the essence of the role; a timelessness and an excitement for adventure. I'm watching season four right now. They don't have season 4 on netflix yet, but I bought it on itunes. It's a shame but I just couldn't wait. Actually I still have to wait because they have only released up to Silence in the Library.

I finally finished my scarf!

I have finally after what seemed like months finished my remainder scarf! I love Malabrigo merino wool and I have been saving up some yarns from other projects just to make this scarf. It took almost a month to get it to the right length but I am very happy about it! Kya!!! I love the colors. The only thing is that I wish that I had a little more pink to balance it out. I only had the tiniest bit and it is on one side of the scarf. It's funny because I don't really like pink as a color but it helps with the vibrancy of the other colors. I know, no pictures! I will take some and add them later.

I have actually been working hard on a lot of projects. I have just made a set of handtowels and I have finally started on my first sweater! Although, my mom says it is technically a shell because sweaters have buttons. Who knew? I will post those soon!

Instructables is Awesome!

Is anyone else addicted to Instructables? I LOVE IT!!!! I think that my first project will have to be the 5 minute Mug Brownie.

Sorry guys...

I have been really sick over the past few days. I'm starting to get better now but I still have really low energy. I'll be updating again soon! I promise.

While I was gone I made several knitted projects along with my very own homemade marshmallows! I took pictures for you to see but for some reason I can't find the cable for my camera. I remember seeing it a few days ago but I was way too tired to write anything then. I know! Lazy-lazy. Ahh here it is! Pictures will be uploaded in a few minutes.

Peek-a-boo!

This is a homemade tea cozy! They're not quite as popular here in America as they are in England, but the basic concept is that they are "sweaters" to keep your tea nice and warm! It can also double up as a beanie in an emergency, lol.

Whenever I think of a tea cozy I think they are haunted because of the short story the Haunted Tea Cozy by Edward Gory, lol.

I had the opportunity to drop by the local Japanese bookstore and treated myself to some beautiful origami paper. I really only remember how to make paper cranes and boxes. I was thinking about expanding my origami knowledge at some point. 
Now this little bracelet came out perfectly. Did you know that these knitted bangles are selling for as much as $180? They are so simple to make too! I found a guide online to make them but I ended up just winging it and it turned out fine. I really didn't like the stitch that the other pattern called for so I substituted with some cables and knit it in the round on some double pointed needles. I was using the remaining yarn from the fingerless gloves that I made a few weeks ago and did not have all that much yarn to work with. In the end I had to stretch to make it fit but the overall effect is quite nice.
Ahh... homemade marshmallows. I was inspired to make these after I tried the marshmallows the neighbor of my best friend from high school made. They are soft and oh so melt in your mouth! Now I had no idea that you could make your own marshmallows. For me, marshmallows were this bizarre confection that surely must be made with specialized equipment but that is so not true! All you really need is a hand mixer, a saucepan, and a couple of bowls and you are on your way to making your own delicious marshmallows!

New Years Resolutions

1. Blog everyday

2. Make a sweater

3. Exercise more

4. Cut back on junk food

5. Remember to take vitamins everyday