29 Aug 2011

30 Day Shred: Day 11

OMG. Yeah ok so I need to learn how to do a plank position. That would make this workout of Level 2 a bit better. Besides that it wasn't really that bad. Instead of the double time (excuse the use of a Tae-BO term) jump ropes I did double time punches. I tried to do all the plank thingies but I modified some to be able to do something. I looked up on Spark People how to practice the position so I will give it a try later tonight.

I should probably not drink coffee before the workout but eh... gets the heart racing. Just kidding, don't do it. I am going to keep on trucking through it, and honestly, the weighted version of a backward crunch, you can do it. Without the weights I would have felt like I was doing level one but I can do that kind of weight lifting all day so it might just be me.

Tonight is Coq au Vin a la tallegatte noodles. I hope anyone on level 1 doesn't get scared for level 2, just practice plank position!!

28 Aug 2011

30 Day Shred: Day 10 & Rest day

So Day 10 of the shred wasn't doing the shred at all. I walked, a lot. I went to the farmer's market, up the hill (and I mean HILL) to my place, then to the beach for an hour of walking in the sand a surf, and then walking around the supermarket. So I did exercise just not the structure of the shred!! This is also the last day of level 1 so I am onto level 2 for day 11 after my rest day today!!

So for Day 10 I took my measurements:
Weight: 117.5kg (259lbs)
Waist: 116cm (45.6in)
Hips: 135cm (53.15in) *my only increase*
Thigh: 80cm (31.5in)
Upper arm: 42cm (16.5in)
Neck: 38cm (15in)
Calf: 48cm (19in) *yup exactly the same!!*
Weight to Hip Ratio: 0.87



Before and After Day 1 vs Day 10





You can see the difference in the waist, the little circle has moved a bit over on the shirt on how it fits. My bum is a bit smaller but not by much yet.

Looking great for the start of day 11 level 2.



26 Aug 2011

Coming up in the next 2 weeks!

I will be working on my blog and ravelry pages in the next few days!

Here is what I have to do:

  1. Show notes and blog post for Episode 8, 8.5 and 9
  2. Put up new yarn on Ravelry
  3. Put up new pictures on blog
For crafting? Sigh...
  1. Ripping the Stephen West KAL
  2. Ripping the baby hat and re-knitting it
  3. Rustic Autumn Shawl KAL 1.5 more repeats and a garter stitch edge
  4. Find a scrap Afghan pattern  Have one?? Please leave a comment!!
  5. Entrelac Bag -- may be ripped and redone in tunisian crochet
  6. Simplicity Socks
  7. Plurk Podcaster Challenge Project
  8. More polymer beads
  9. Spinning
  10. Dyeing
  11. Some in the works patterns as well!
Ok I think thats it... It will be over there ---> for the time being.

30 Day Shred: Day 7, 8, & 9

Ok, no I didn't stop! I have been super busy. For Days 7 & 8 I did my own exercise and not the shred video and I did do the shred today (Day 9). I feel it, I feel the abs mostly and my foot is doing some weird thing (but because I wear flip-flops it is probably because of them not the workout).

Workout:
I did kill out the jumping rope things and did punches instead. MUCH better!! My legs are not trying to rip themselves from my bones anymore. The arm raises with the sideways lunges, still bait difficult but not too terrible. The bicycles are finally coming together. Only one more day of level 1 then I move on to level 2 after a rest day.

Tonight is stuffed bell peppers and it should be fun! Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Episode 9: Back to normal...Somewhat (Almost)



Show Notes:
Plurk Podcaster Challenge
Yeah there was about 10 more min to that introduction but I cut it off...

Investment for the future:
My Heart Exposed
Turtlepurl
Highland Handmades

Testing the Hypothesis:

Null Accepted:

Centrifuging:
Bollywood Samples on Bobbin -- Destined to be in afghan
Hampton Artistic Yarn -- Destines for probably a beanie
ArtBatt -- Destined to go with another hand-spun

Null Rejected
Stephen West KAL -- Frogging it!

23 Aug 2011

Episode 8.5: Another Mini-sode



Show notes:
Miss Purl
Funhouse Fibers
Phat Fiber Box

30 Day Shred: Day 6

So after my rest day I got back to it!! I replaced the jump rope thing with bum kicks. This seemed to work a lot better for me!

So... I found out today my scale is a LIAR!!! LOL. Either my stupidity or my idiocy of my scale is to blame for this... let's blame the scale shall we? After taking it off the carpet and onto a wood floor I am now a new weight!

Weight:
117.5 kg or 259 pounds so thats 6lbs down!!!

Workout:
I did replace my jump rope with bum kicks. Being off a day didn't seem to affect the workout at all. My body is used to it now and I hope I lose more weight so Level 2 in 6 days will be good for me to move onto!!

Having beef, with cheesy potatoes and a good number of veggies!!

22 Aug 2011

30 Day Shred: Day 5 & Rest day

Yup, yesterday I did do the shred, actually really early in the morning. However, today is a rest day. Tomorrow will be counted as Day 6. Why no shred today? Because my body told me no, and it said it loudly. Technically you should do 5 days of workout with 2 days of rest inter dispersed. But I will be doing 5 days of workout and 1 day of rest (after day 5, 10, 15, 20, 25).

So here we go!

Weight: 120kg :( Poo.... Oh well. I can feel the muscles working and that's really all that matters!

Workout:
I changed up the workout, when doing those jumping ropes I decided part of the way through, instead of stopping to do punches. Some reason the calves just HATE that one mixed with the jumping jacks. I can do it in the last circuit when they are not together. Everything else is going great!! I think I am going to extend my warm up for my legs. Bicycles are actually getting a bit better, although my legs still shake too much for me to do the whole motion. But I am getting much better!!

I was awful in food for the last 2 days, I do not want to discuss it and I will strive to do better. Tonight is Organic pork shank on the George Foreman with buttered (farmers market butter!) rice and peas/green beans.

Hope your efforts are going well, whatever they are (I really wish I could do the chocolate diet but eh only in my dreams right? *laughs*)

20 Aug 2011

30 Day Shred: Day 4

Today I went to the Farmer's Market with my LBF and then we went to Kilamonjaro for a great Scottish breakfast. We came back to the flat and worked for a bit then were off again to two Craft Fairs on Prince's Street. After all that we both did the workout. My poor LBF didn't really do any of the exercises in his PE class so a lot of them were new to him entirely!


Workout:
Today the jumping jacks were ok but those darned jumped ropes are just a killer in the 1st workout and the last circuit! Everything else seemed to breeze by and I had to stop and help my LBF to get into positions he was not accustomed to at all! It wasn't as bad today but I did get on the scales in preparation for tomorrow... I still weigh more then my scales can show :( so my weight is 120kgish as of today. Normally I weigh myself in the morning before breakfast so weighing myself after a big meal probably wasn't good. I feel the muscles getting stronger and push ups aren't as bad anymore. I am going to push on through it. I hope by Day 10 I will be following Natalie not Anita... And speaking of Anita I do not think you should have an anorexic looking person be the "easier" version. Or at least have her wear a tank top like Natalie!

Anyways, tonight is organic chicken, rice-a-roni (don't get excited American living in the UK, I brought this with me on the plane), and farmer's market broad beans. Tomorrow is breakfast, no lunch, Neil Gaimen and Tapas for dinner.

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Episode 8: Nothing to show for it!



Show notes:
Investment for the future:
Jade Scott Jewellery
CraftsMeow
Fripperies & bibelots

In the shop:
Polymer Clay Beads -- TBS

Null Accepted
Preemie Hat -- Rainbow Smile Hat

Testing the Hypothesis:
Stephen West KAL -- Clue 2
Simplicity Socks
Rustic Autumn Shawl KAL


19 Aug 2011

30 Day Shred: Day 3

I woke up this morning to a sore shoulder and a very achey wrist. That ganglion hasn't completely gone away and those pushups are what is making my wrist unhappy. I caved again with the ice-cream but oh well, and I had a healthy dinner then a little bit of duck with noodles.

Workout:
I had to be in my flat for this workout so no cushy rug to workout on. I got through it and my wrist complained through the pushups but I did them, with a cushion under my knees so i could do them properly. The arm raises with the sideways lunge were much easier today. My muscles are remembering what they are suppose to do. My calf was misbehaving again during the first cardio and those jumping rope ones are just evil! I know its just my lazy muscles complaining but geesh. I look forward to when I can do the whole routine without them seizing in the first bit. However, the rest of the workout isn't too bad. The bicycles are still pathetic looking but getting much better.

For lunch will be mozzarella cheese, an apple, a banana, some raspberry organic yoghurt (really it is, its from a whole food store and all...), and some duck with noodles. Tonight is farmer's market honey&mustard sausage with rice stuffed in bell peppers. My oh My, I LOVE stuffed bell peppers!

So tomorrow will be the shred along with a farmer's market trip, craft fair trip, and a bus ride back. So we shall see how all that goes!!

18 Aug 2011

30 Day Shred: Day 2

So, the first day didn't put me off and with some encouragement from Mommy Needs Yarn and others on Plurk I plunged into Day 2. Yesterday, I had an apple, banana, and 2 mozzarella balls for lunch (due to being off the Depo I need to eat calcium containing stuff and mozzarella cheese being a soft cheese here it works and well, I LOVE IT). Then for dinner was home-made tomato sauce made from farmer's market ingredients and little salt and pepper. Along with wheat spaghetti and  some cream cheese. However, I did eat some ice cream, but I did limit myself  to how much I ate.

Work out:
Today, the workout did seem to be a little bit easier for me. I didn't feel like I was going to die halfway through, but the jump rope  part of the exercise still make my feet hurt. I am going to try wearing shoes tomorrow, hopefully that will help. My bicycle exercises were a little bit better but I still can't do them. However I know that I'm improving. Only my shoulders  were a little sore today, but I knew that was going to happen. It was really hard to do the lunges with the weight  raises, I think it'll take some time to get used to those. I had to stop a few times but I think after a few more days it will be is bad.

 I will probably be having two  apples  and a banana today for lunch. We had bacon and egg  sandwiches on artisan bread, with some  vanilla tea that I sweetened with honey and coffee that I sweetened with Splenda. Tonight, it's going to be turkey of some kind with probably broad beans from the farmers market.

 I will be doing my measurements after each 10 days and my weight every 5 days. If you want to find me on spark people you can click on the link in my sidebar and it will go straight to my profile. There are a lot of  podcasters that are doing the 30 day shred and a lot of people on  Ravelry who are joining in as well. It isn't easy enough work to do even if you're not fit,  so give it a try.

 Hopefully, I won't get the 2nd day stiffness tomorrow. I think there will be some paracetamol taking tonight. Have a wonderful day!

17 Aug 2011

30 Day Shred: Day 1

I had watched the DVD last week to see what I would need and what I would be getting myself into for these next 30 days. I knew I needed weights so I figured the small 50ml (500g or 1.1 lb) bottles of water would do great for starting out weights. I had my LBFs rug in the living room to use as a pad and enough space to do all the exercises.

So for Day 1 I took my measurements.
Weight: 120kg (264.6lbs)
Waist: 121cm (48in)
Hips: 134cm (52.75in)
Thigh: 84cm (33in)
Upper arm: 43.5cm (17in)
Neck: 40cm (15.75in)
Calf: 48cm (19in)
Weight to Hip Ratio: 0.90 (which makes me an Apple shape YIKES!)

So... Yeah, those measurements suck! I went off the Depo to lose weight and it seems I just gained more! But I am assured it will come back down again once my body levels itself out.

Workout:
Holy Moley, how out of shape I have gotten! I used to be able to do ALL of the exercises when I was in High School. Granted I was about 100lbs lighter, yup, I was 168 at my lowest in my Senior year of High School but lets be fair I was normally 180-200 so 70lbs. I was 205lbs when I started the Depo in July 2009 and I just came off it at 264lbs in July 2011. (You see why now, it was starting to wreak havoc).

So the sets feel like they take forever and some are like, oh ok moving on now? I can do crunches and reverse crunches but I CAN'T seem to be coordinated enough to do bicycles. The cardio is pretty easy except those butt kicks and jump ropes, by the time I get to them in the workout my feet are screaming (yeah, probably should wear shoes). The strength is ok but I can't seem to do those sideways lunges, well I can do them its the lifting the weights to my eye level thats hard. I blame that on years of backpack wearing, my muscles in my arms are so tense its like feeling a brick wall. Hopefully this will help.

I took about 30 min to cool off then I took the ever dreaded picture!

I look ever so happy to be taking this pic.

See that tummy and that butt?
Say good-bye to them!

I think this outfit will look much better when I lose inches.
It is the inches I worry about not the weight!

So there we have it! It is best to cool off completely before taking a warm (not hot) shower, if you are doing the exercises in the morning. That cools your muscles from one workout and then warms them gently for the every day stuff you have to do.

15 Aug 2011

Blog it.

I have been working hard on moving my crafting supplies to a new location. Unfortunately, this means that I am a bit behind in a few things. I have some things to do for the blog, ravelry, my personal website, and life in general! I will be doing some small changes over this next week, posting some real pictures, and on friday I will have my video cast as usual. I had an unfortunate set back but now I am doing much better and will commence my normal blogging schedule! I have so much to catch you up on and loads to redo BUT I shall press on!! I will be setting a list of my things I am doing over there ----->
in the next few days so you can see my progress and new things that I will be bringing here and everywhere else! Tomorrow I finish the move with my dying stuff and spinning supplies (Including Julie and Aaron). Hope everything is well with you!


14 Aug 2011

Episode 7: There is a monster afoot!

Sorry for the delay, I popped the cyst in my wrist and was unable to type up the show notes. Here they are now!!




Show Notes
Hope you enjoy the co-host this time!
Investment for the Future
  1. HilltopCloud
  2. Manda Crafts
  3. Seaglass Supplies
  4. Knittings My Bag
    Testing the Hypothesis
    1. Rustic Autumn Shawl KAL
      Null Accepted
      1. Cecil the Computer Monster
        In the Lab and Centrifuging
        1. Shropshire Frank’s Roving
        2. Shropshire Seaglass -- TBS
        3. Freyalyn’s Navajo Ply -- TBS
        4. Manda Crafts and My Heart Exposed BFL/Shropshire -- Humbugged Pistachio Ice Cream -- TBS 
        5. Shropshire Mom’s Colorway -- Three Rubies
        6. Art Batt from Greenwood Fiberworks -- TBS
          Under the Microscope
          1. Wild Color by Jenny Dean
            Crafty-logical Implications
            Going to Phil Jupitus Quartet at the Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!
            Going to see Neil Gaiman at BookFest TWO times.

            12 Aug 2011

            Review: Yiotas-Xstitch

            I was emailed asking if I would review one of Yiotas-Xstitch cross stitch kits. I agreed and promptly received a kit in the mail. I was pleasantly surprised from the get go. I looked in the package to find bobbin wound DMC thread shining back at me and a crisp photo of the pattern I was to review. She wanted a review more of the packaging, the supplies inside and the overall feel of the kit itself.

            Let's go through it step by step:
            1. Initial packaging:


            I received the envelope in my mailbox I think one day after she shipped it to me. Now, I don't know how close she is to me but it was impressive. There was a cardboard back and a paper front which clearly stated DO NOT BEND. The corner was ripped open and the pattern inside slightly crunched. I have contacted her about this and she is highly upset. She is sending the pattern to me again to see if it is improper handling or a flaw in their packaging design. To be honest I think it is the mail's fault not the packaging.

            Inside the envelope was a plastic vellum sleeve which contained the entire kit. Perfectly packaged. Looked professional and really made me happy. I am NOT a fan of these plastic adhesive sleeves but I completely understand why it is absolutely necessary.


            So as you can see all the threads were included and it looks like a kit you would get in the store. And because I don't do my homework before making the video below -- this kit is £15.40. Well, worth it! The amount of DMC thread given plus the 16inx17in Aida cloth along with the bigger chart, this kit is well worth that amount. I have strolled through John Lewis and cringed with the kits prices here in the UK. So the Aida cloth is well over the 3in allowance for the the project size and you get a needle along with it.

             So the kit does indeed come with all colours and all the recommended amounts of said colours. It has a 6 page chart, 1 page symbol page along with a few quick tips, and a lovely instruction page. And yes the colours are true to the DMC colours (since I quaintly own almost everyone of them to check). All the bobbins and threads are clean and very shiny. One of my niggles is that there are no lines for the symbols chart and it is hard for me to go over on the lines easily. However, that is just personal taste.

            I have started it and will be doing a further review as I go along. For now this is it and I have a video of my review below. Please check out Yiotas-Xstitch.



            5 Aug 2011

            Episode 6: Purple Hair







            Show Notes
            Stash Enhancement -- Investment for the Future
            IKnit London -- 120 Lace Addis, 100 Addi and 100 Knit Pro Cable
            Dyeabolical -- 2-ply lace weight and Australian wool with gift from Beagin
            Wollmeise -- Lace-Garn -- Feldmaus AND We’re Different Twin Standard Gemischt -- Petit Poison Nr. 5 and Verhext and Verratzt
            Soap -- Aromaville
            K1Yarns --St Magnus DK --Blackberry
            Caliope’s Fibre -- Stitch markers
            Spinning -- Centrifuging
            6catsknittingaround -- I like Purple -- Finished
            Manda Crafts -- Shamrock -- Finished
            Greenwood Fiberworks -- BFL -- Grapevine -- Finished
            Southern Mystic -- Polworth and merino -- Joss Whedon -- Finished
            Works in Progress -- Testing the Hypothesis
            Stephen West KAL -- Clue 1 --- Done! Homework -- Done!
            Entrlac Bag -- Artesano Hummingbird
            Cecil -- Need ears and two legs and stuffing
            Swirl Shawl -- No love
            Simplicity Socks -- Needed longer cables -- now have them!!
            Finished Objects -- Null Accepted
            Alpaca hat
            Tee-Shirt Yarn Crock pot place mat
            Lacey TC boyfriend Scarf and Mini Scarf
            Frogged -- Null Rejected
            Iris Mystery Shawl KAL -- Will be doing it in a different yarn!
            Future Projects -- Incubating
            Vacation Pi Shawl -- Wollmeise Feldmaus
            Book review -- Under the Microscope
            A-Z of Stumpwork
            Conclusion -- Crafty-logical Implications

            1 Aug 2011

            Fibre and Shop

            I am starting up my easy shop in October here is a preview!!










            And now for some T-Shirt Yarn Fun!!





            Stitch Markers!






            Hand Spun Yarn!!








            Mom's B-Day Colorway: Three Rubies







            Let's take a moment to mourn the loss of some good tee-shirts....






            Visit to the Yarn Cake

            Just some pictures of the stuff I got from the Yarn Cake in Glasgow!


















            Colorways Spun in 2012: A colorway = Every 2oz



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