Kris and I headed down to the ATL last week for a quickie trip. Kris had an aquarium convention (don’t you know that is his “thing”? he even has a blog about it!) and I had a birthday, so we decided to make a little trip out of it. Unfortunately the weather was quite uncooperative … you have heard of “Hotlanta”, right? Well, this was more “Wetlanta” and “Foglanta”. Not the most ideal situation for trekking around the city with the camera in hand… so, I spent a lot of time in my hotel room, in the hotel fitness center, and then took a few trips out when the sun decided to poke through the clouds ever-so-briefly.

…The Georgia Aquarium was quite wonderful…

On Sunday, while Kris was at the convention, I headed over to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to see the fall blooms and the beautiful greenhouses. There was so many amazing things to see there - the Gardens’ orchid collection was by far my favorite. Orchids are just so photogenic.

[Many more orchid photos here!]

Atlanta is a very nice city, and I wish that there had been more chances for me to explore. I didn’t even make it to a yarn shop! but I did find an amazing vegan restaurant, Calabash Vegetarian Kitchen. (Although the name says “vegetarian”, I was assured by the servers that the food was in fact vegan.) Delicious food with a Caribbean and soul food flavor. Absolutely amazing. I had collards, black-eyed-peas, quinoa, and baked tofu with bbq sauce. Totally recommend it if you are in the neighborhood! We went with a group of people - vegans and omnivores - and everyone was loving it.  The reggae music was a big plus too!

PS - thank you so much for your sweet comments on my sweater and all of the birthday wishes!

Francis Revisited
Pattern: Francis Revisted by Beth Silverstein (free pattern link to Ravelry)
Yarn: Wool/Alpaca/Silk blend cone
Source: School Products, NYC
Needles: Size US 7 and US 9
[All photos of Francis here]

I started this sweater on November 2nd for the NaKniSweMo knitalong, and I bound off only eleven days later. Such a quick and simple knit! the thing that took the longest? washing and blocking her. I soaked the sweater to soften up the wool and laid her out on the blocking board. I left to go to Atlanta for a few days, and when I got back last night, she was *still* wet. Luckily, by the end of the fourth day, she was dry enough for a little photoshoot! Voila!

The yarn was from a large cone that I bought in New York City last April. There was a sign on the table that designated the cones as a wool/alpaca/silk blend, but I think it was pretty heavy on the wool, and maybe even absent of silk. The washing and blocking brought out a little fuzzy halo, which made me wonder if it had a little mohair in it too.  The cone itself was not labeled with fibers or yardage, and since it was sold in bulk I guess there is no way to really know!  Either way, it was a nice yarn, and I still have about 500 yards - maybe more - for a colorwork project.  No shortage of patterns to chose from on that front!

The pattern was such an enjoyable knit that I am already thinking of all sorts of variations and options for future Francises. After I finish up a few presents and my current WIP (I decided on the Bloom vest and I am already a few inches in!) I may very well start another version of this, slightly altering the gauge to suit some nice blue alpaca blend I have in the stash.  There were a few minor things that I changed in the pattern.  I chose to do a kfb increase rather than the m1 increase that the pattern called for… the m1 left a small hole.  I could have gone and tidied it up afterward, but I preferred the look of the other.  If you decide to knit this, you can decide which look you want.  When I got to the cowl collar, I contemplated making a regular turtleneck instead of the oversized neck.  In the end I chose the cowl, and I like it on this particular piece, but this is definitely a sweater that can be modified in the neckline - easy to “turtleneck-ify” as well as “funnel-ify” or even “crew-ify”.  You could play around with textures (seed, ribbing, etc.) to create the look you want.  I chose to make my sleeves 3/4-length, but it would also look great with full sleeves.  I did not do as many increases as the pattern specified as I didn’t want too much of a bell sleeve. (Bell sleeves have gotten me in to trouble more than once… especially in the kitchen)  Changing from the stockinette to seed on the cuff, I did one single increase for an ever-so-slight bell effect.

I totally recommend this pattern; it is perfect for beginners as well as more experienced knitters who want a basic form to elaborate and embellish.  And it is SO quick!  Great for stashbusting as it uses a relatively small amount of yarn for a sweater because it is knit on larger gauge needles. 

Plus, it comes just in time for the chilly winter temperatures! The deep cowl is cozy and warm, and the texture of the stockinette and seed stitch really works well together.

I have some pretty photos to show you of my Atlanta excursion… we managed to have a lovely time even though it rained and the skies were gray.  Stay tuned!

…do I look older than when you last saw me? I celebrated my birthday last Saturday

As I put my finishing touches on Francis (yes! it was that quick of a knit! Soaking and blocking tonight - photos tomorrow, hopefully!), I am already thinking about what to cast on for next… I made up my mind awhile ago that I wanted to make a vest this winter. There are so many great patterns for vests, and they seem so wearable. 

Kaino :: Bottoms Up :: Bloom :: Sexy Vesty :: Drops Vest :: Tryst

[All links lead to Ravelry Project Pages]

…and better yet, I have yarn in the stash that seems to be a perfect match for all of the vests above!  The stash is in serious need to “realignment”, and vests seem to be a way to self-correct.  They are  quick to knit, use enough yarn to see a dent, and are infinitely wearable. 

I have wools, cottons, alpacas, linens, and several blends to choose from… at this point, I am planning to make ALL of these vests.  The true question is where to start!  I am leaning towards Kaino, Bloom, or the Drops vest to knit first, because the yarns I have in mind for them are yarns that have been in my stash for awhile (Jenna’s policy of first in-first out applies here!)  Following that maxim, I should knit up Bloom first because I am planning to use the Dalegarn Sisik that bought in early 2005.  The lovely wool you see here is my Tess Yarns Merino, bought at MDSW in 2007.  I had a vest planned all along, and I had a false start last year with the cabled vest (I still love that pattern, but the cable pattern was a little too much for me at the time - I may give it another try at another time!)  This yarn seems like a wonderful fit for the lovely Kaino vest, designed by Norah Gaughan.  Terhi’s version (it is always Terhi, isn’t it?) allowed me to see this vest in a new light, and I started to think about it a lot… so, I decided that I needed one too. 

Alice’s adorable Bottoms Up top seems like a great piece that can transition well from spring to summer and from fall to winter if knit up in a good yarn.  A garment like that needs some flow and drape - but not too much - so I thought about the linen in my stash (at right - Euroflax Linen in Cedarwood colorway), as well as the cotton/silk blend yarn, Dalegarn Svale.  Maybe this should be a New Year’s knit?  preparing for springtime temperatures? 

I am feeling a little obsessive here - is anyone else so cerebral about their knits?

…well I will be making up my mind very soon… I want to have another project to take with me on our short trip to Atlanta tomorrow through Sunday.  Airport/airplane knitting is a good thing.

All signs point to SILVER for me.  However, I see little flecks of saffron, green, and red in there too… is it possible to be a rainbow? 

***

I read about the 8 Colors of Fitness in one of my favorite magazines, Experience Life, over the weekend.  (You can read it here - opens to a PDF) and because I am obsessed with fitness right now, and I love the color concept, I did the test and found out more about my “fitness color”. 

The author of the book bases her research on the well-known Myers Briggs Type Indicator test that asks you a series of questions.  From these questions, it estimates your personality type, and assigns you a four letter analysis that tells you more about yourself.  Like most tests, it is never “spot-on”, but it can be educational and enlightening to analyze yourself in this way.  From this test, the author uses these personality traits and matches them with different exercises and fitness philosophies that you may hold.  She encourages the reader to try new activities that they may have not discovered before, thinking that they may be a good match with personality.

While the Myers-Briggs official test is often administered for a cost (usually in the workplace, or in a school) there are similar personality tests that can give you an indication of your personality type.  I found a free useful online tool at this website.    With the results of that test, you can take the results and apply them to the 8 Colors philosophy.  The 8 Colors of Fitness website also gives a beta test that you can use to determine your fitness color too.

I have taken the test twice, and I keep on getting SILVER, so maybe there is no denying the fact.  Reading over the description on the website, it gets pretty close to me, but there are still some things that aren’t quite right… but I find that I have some of the other color traits… and maybe that is all the more true - silver reflects other colors! :)  According to Myers-Briggs, I am an ENFP personality.  This also puts me in the group for the RED fitness color.   While I see some bits of myself in that description, I don’t think it really fits me.

As I stated above, fitness and wellness have become a major part of my life in the last few months.  When I first started my weight loss journey in 2006, I had great success in a relatively short span of months.  However, as time went by and complacency grew, I gained some of the weight that I had lost back.  My weight fluctuated thorughout 2007 and early 2008.  When I got Lyme disease and some associated illnesses this past June, I knew that this was the time to truly focus on my health.  While I could not exercise when I was most sick, I focused on my diet.  In late July, I made the switch to a full vegan diet.  Having been a strict vegetarian since I was 14, it was not extremely hard for me to stop eating dairy and egg products.  When I found a great doctor to help treat my Lyme, she urged me to also cut out sugars and gluten products to eliminate any associated risks of re-infection.  And because my health (and my life, in no uncertain terms) depended upon it, I gave those two things up over night.  Fruits are okay, but no added sugars.  I have had a few little slips with sugar and gluten - mainly in sauces - but things are really going well on that diet front. 

Once my energy levels started to come back after my first course of treatment and supplements in September, I was able to slowly start exercising again.  This truly made my heart happy.  I genuinely love exercise and it was hard for me to remain sedentary.  (That is how I read so many books at that time!)  Since I am finding such marked improvement due to these medications and my diet, I am challenging myself further with new fitness opportunities.  So this little test comes at the right time!

Before I got sick, I had started to research the idea of entering a yoga teacher training program (YTT) in order to deepen my own practice, as well as share my love of yoga with others.  According to my fitness color - this is a very SILVER thing to do!  So, if all goes as planned, I will be starting YTT in January 2009.  I recently reconnected with a friend from college (through Ravelry of all places!) who just finished up the YTT at the same studio!  it seems like fate to me! :)   I am practicing yoga daily - four studio classes a week and several home practices.  So, with exposure to many activities, I guess one can naturally gravitate towards the activities that best suit their personality traits.  I know this is the case with me:  I love yoga, as well as spinning (group cycling), hiking, and weight training.  Finding what you love and finding the ability to stick with it:  that is the key! 

If you are interested in reading more about my own regimen, I have started to update my Weight Loss page again - I will be doing another entry this week to record more weight loss! (yea!) I am also planning to write up an informational page here on my blog about Lyme disease and the associated co-infections:  I receive questions about it each day, and I want to provide links to some of the great resources available.  SO, if you are interested in either of these topics, please stay tuned!

…in the meantime, take the little fitness test and share with me what color you are!  even better, update me and let me know if this inspires you to get up and go! 

__

**Autumn photos above taken on our weekend hike with the dogs.  Beautiful fall!

November is probably my favorite month - with October being a close second.  Amazing autumnal sights, my birthday, holidays with family… and sweater knitting!  What is not to love?

This is my third year participating in the National Knit a Sweater Month “NaKniSweMo” knitalong, hosted by Shannon Okey at Knitgrrl.  My first knitalong year - 2006 - was very successful.  I made two sweaters that November, Cherie and Kolsva.  Last year - 2007 - I made my first colorwork garment, my beloved Aftur yoked pullover.  For 2008, I have set my sights pretty high.  I want to finish a sweater, but I also am planning to focus on some of the vests in my Ravelry queue - and if I can fit at least one of those in this month, I will be thrilled.

First things first: my sweater!

I cast on for Francis Revisited, a top-down raglan sweater with an attached cowl neck(Ravelry project page and free pattern link here).  The pattern caught my eye on Ravelry earlier in the year.  It reminded me of a great red sweater that I had in college that I loved to death - I wore it often and it pilled like crazy in the wool/acrylic blend.  I almost cast on with one of the red yarns in my stash, but then I decided that this heathery green wool/alpaca/silk blend would workvery nicely.  And so far, it has!  This yarn was a cone of approximately 1100 yards of aran weight that I bought at School Products in New York earlier this summer.

Are you up for the challenge of knitting a sweater in one month?

Only two days in - you have time to catch up! Check out the Ravelry NaKniSweMo headquarters!