take a deep breath now

So apparently now I have 62 days to go. Arg!

The dress has been delayed. Was supposed to be early June and now it won't be at the shop until September 2nd. Considering the wedding date is 3rd October, it's taking a concerted effort not to hyperventilate about this. Busiest time of year for weddings, 4 weeks to fit...
My veil also appears to be taking longer than suggested - why is white so hard to get a hold of? If I wanted cream I could have walked out of the boutique with a new one in a packet! Every wedding shop treats me like a freak of nature because white suits me better... I'm trying to take it as a sign that I'm special.
The jeweler ordered Monkey's ring in the wrong size - apparently Q and O are too hard to tell apart.

I finished weaving the bridesmaids stoles this week, which is a huge relief. it's not that they were at all difficult, it's just warping is a pain in the butt. Has anyone worked out a more efficient method than shoving loose bits of paper in as you wind up the warp? I also found these earrings at Diva, which i think are perfect for the bridesmaids. I love them so much that i bought myself a pair too.

On the weight-loss front, I'm doing really well. From February to May i lost about 4 kilos on my own, and then I joined Fernwood to give me a boost. Since I joined I've lost another 5, and i actually have muscle tone again. I feel like I'm getting my body back.
Through Fernwood I have had help through their Slimplicity program, but I have to say I'm ambivalent as to how helpful it's been. To start with, their daily food allowances gives you 1200 calories, and everywhere else I've looked suggests that this is way too low for my height and level of excercise. Dangerous even.
Also, I am doing a great deal of weights training, and the protein allowance for one day is 90g. This is less than a small tin of tuna.
So, basically, I've been ignoring it. I already ate quite well, but I've cut down on sugar and high-fat foods, and upped my already high intake of fruit and veg. I also read up on the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, which makes HEAPS more sense. Plenty of protein, enough carbs for energy but not so much that it's awkward for me (who doesnt eat gluten and is out of the habit of eating any breads etc). lots of fruit and all the veges i can eat. perfect.
Problem is, I am between two consultants at the gym. One, I'll call her L, is lovely. late 30's, motherly, relaxed and positive. Every gram I lose is an achievement and she understands that i'm modifying the diet to suit my needs. The other lady, K (late 20's), is driving me nuts.
Now, before i go on too much, I need to explain my position. I gained weight because i was sick, for a long long time. The coeliac's affected my vitamin levels and i was physically sick all the time, just working 5 days sent me spiraling into exhaustion at night and weekends, migraine headaches, fatigue, nausea (on and off since age 7)... plus medication for depression etc over the last 10 years that all cause weight-gain. My weight-gain was not due to lack of self-control. I do not eat 20 donuts a day, i have never eaten at McDonalds... I enjoy excercise. I have good eating habits, despite my sweet tooth. I do indulge, but i'm not stupid about it.
Now L totally gets all this. She is awesome. Unfortunately, without any real warning, half the time i end up booked in with K. K clearly has one approach to motivating weight loss clients - fear. when i re-gained 500g due to bloat she gave me a telling off like no other, despite my telling her I was having a shocker period and had probably gained. When i lost a kilo in a week, she tells me (very sarcy) "see what you can achieve when you follow the program?". For starters, I am NOT following their sadistic program, and secondly she needs to back off before i smack her in the teeth.
I dont think I'm being unreasonable to expect her to modify her approach for me. After all, I'm paying for the priviledge. I've rebelled so far by refusing to keep a food diary any more (she doesnt trust me, despite 2 months of identical daily food lists). It's all very passive aggressive - i just dont bring it and tell her i forgot. I'm honest with her about what i eat, i tell her i had a couple of minties a few days ago ("We just have to make sure it isnt every snack, mm-kay?" Knowing look, ARGGG).
She also tells me my weight and measurements like a) she is giving me a gift that she made herself and b) she owns this knowledge about my body and i should be grateful that she chose to share. I know what I weigh. I know my measurements. I measure myself every week to make sure my knitting is going to fit. She wants me to thank her for all the hard work i have done.
Any suggestions about what I do about this would be appreciated. I dont want to be nasty, and i dont particularly want to complain to her manager, but i also dont want to keep paying for a weekly reprimand (whether i do well or not).

In knitting news, I joined the ravelry group NaKniSweMoDo (National Knit a Sweater a Month Dodecathon) earlier this year and am quite chuffed to announce I am up to number 11 :D
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
Number 4
Number 5
Number 6
Number 7
Number 8Number 9
Number 10

Number 11 is Slinky Ribs by Wendy Bernard in Bendigo Harmony. More news on that one when i finish. More details for all projects here

ok, enough now. phew!

peace out,
Ms Spider xo

if you blinked you'd miss it

Ok, so I just happened to glance at the calender today... and it's over a month since i posted. I suppose the upshot of being completely hopeless is that nobody relies on you too much. But that is a pretty sad upshot really.

Anyway, I turned 24 without incident. i can't see any proper wrinkles yet, but it could be denial on my part.

I was fitted for and ordered my wedding dress, and we found the bridesmaid's frocks.

I had a bad bout of laryngitis which knocked me out for over a week. Much better now though.

I've also been on a healthy-eating and exercise bent and have managed to lose about 3 kg. I know it's cliched, but I'm trying to trim down for the wedding. I feel like I've been trying to lose weight for ages, but now that i actually am trying I realise that before I was only whining about my weight gain but not making any real effort. My health has only really improved enough for a concerted effort recently. I know I'm not huge, but my body doesnt feel like my body anymore and i figure the longer I leave this spare tire the harder it will be to budge.
I feel better for it. I don't know if it's obvious to anyone else, but to me i appear more toned. and my clothes are just that teensiest bit looser. not baggy, but more comfortable. So i intend to keep it up; at least with the Celiac's I can't eat much in the way of cakes, doughnuts, biscuits etc. it's easier to be good when the consequences of eating naughty food is three days on the loo!

I have been knitting.
Chunky Cabled Tam from Knit.1 Fall 2009
Bella's Mittens by Marielle Henault
Front pieces of Soap Bubble Wrap from Connie Chang Chinchio Silly Apple Cozy by Casey Newman (my fruit always gets squished when i run for the bus in the morning - this is remarkably effective!)

And yet another BSJ, for a friend of a friend who just had a little red-headed boy.

I have been weaving.
Using Bendigo Rustic 12ply in Pacifica, a birthday gift for my future Mother-in-Law.
And I have been teaching. this is the 6th week of term and all is well. I have some lovely classes and delightful kids.

And as a result of all of the above I am completely exhausted. And it's nearly 10pm which is well and truly my bedtime!

I'll try to be better from now on!

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

feeling hot, hot, hot....

Sorry guys, more weaving! Scroll down for knitting...

Wide stole using leftover sock yarn (10dpi). Was aiming for a sort of rainbow effect - the warp ran from green through blue, purple then pink and I tried a similar thing with the weft. Unfortunately a certain primate bumped the loom while i was warping and somehow it's much tighter on the pink selvedge. It's a nice width though, i think it may live in the loungeroom for guests who need an extra layer in cooler weather (if anyone can imagine such a thing).


A sort of narrow scarf or belt using my self-striping sock yarn in Gothic Princess. (10dpi)
My first attempt at houndstooth (10dpi). I used Bendigo classic 8ply in Blueberry and Spotlight basic 8ply in a sort of deep plum. I'm very pleased with the results!
And the warm weather made me cast on something that's been on my queue for a whild - Shetland Shortie from Knitty.com. At school we are theoretically not supposed to wear sleeveless tops but in this heat common sense prevailed. However, I thought this would be a good way to make some of my tank tops a little more wearable for work by the suggestion of sleeves.
It was quite a fun knit - the lace pattern is really clever and stretchy!
I used Cleckheaton Merino Bambino in cream and used just under 6 x 25g balls. I doesnt make me look quite as... well-endowed as in this picture, it's just to do with the proximity of the only good mirror ;)

School is going well, I have some really lovely kids in my classes. As always there is plenty of drama, but very little is to do with the kids and more to do with admin mix-ups. hopefully most craziness with have calmed down by next week.

Hope everyone is coping with the weather! We had to drag the mattress into the office and sleep with the air-con on last night. I actually slept right through til 7 am for the first time in months! I can't wait for the cool change though! Bring it on!

My birthday went well :) it sucked having to work but my lovely colleagues bought a gluten-free chocolate mudcake so it took the edge off a little :) and now I'm 24! time to invest in anti-wrinkle cream?

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

and more...

You were all already aware that I get a bit compulsive, right?

Wide scarf using Jet bought at the outlet store in an intriguing beige/lilac colourway. This may be for my grandmother.

Wide scarf using Katia Venus in a lemon/lavender colourway. I wouldnt weave with this again, it's basically a fuzzy single and was sticky and resistant.You can probably tell from the pictures that the tension is a bit off.

Skinny scarf using my own handspun (BFL/Soy from EGMTK, colourway forgotten). This was so much fun!

Skinny scarf using bendigo black 8ply cotton for the warp and the same handspun from the other skinny scarf for the weft.

After a couple of days sans knitting (yes, really) I had a break from the loom and whipped up this little guy. He's one of the lovable toys from last-minute knitted gifts and was quite fun. A nice easy pattern with a cute outcome. The other bunnies in my house approve.

Back to school tomorrow, darn it all to hell. I will never get over how quickly holidays run past, I really feel like it was only last week I was tearing out of there... but i suppose lots has happened.
We got engaged, booked a venue, found a dress, booked a celebrant, chose bridesmaids and some groomsmen, a make-up artist (or genius, if you prefer).... I think my plan to 'deal with the big stuff' before school went back was a roaring success, just quietly.
And a fair bit of knitting went on in that time, and in the last four days a great deal of weaving. I watched Gilmore Girls for the first time, all the way through (still sniffing away). I had three boughts of accidental-gluten-consumption sickness. I had my Coeliac's confirmed, as much as i can without a biopsy. I had an awesome road trip with one of the coolest women I know. I spent too much money on yarn. My attempt to eat healthily and excercise more has resulted in a 2 kilo weight gain (go figure) but I don't feel any fatter so I think I can deal.

And in exactly a week I turn 24. it's so odd. I still have to check myself because I always want to say I'm 22... I need to pause and add a year. Now it will be two! I'm also kind of dreading it, I always get a visitation from my black dog on my birthday - and to make matters worse it's the first full day of teaching for the year! But on the plus side, I'll be glad to see all the kids again. I've missed the little buggers (although I had a dream last night that some of them were shooting at our house.... premonition?).

Ok, off I go. Prepare for a sudden drop off in posts, school is a WIPEOUT! (if you do not have 60's surfing music in your head right now, your are either much cooler or much less pathetic than I).

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

warp speed

Some more weaving pics.

The loom in action.

my 2nd project: a skinny scarf using white merinospun and some of my hand-dyed 12ply singles.
A drapier, wide scarf using a collection of leftover sock yarn.


another scarf using an entire ball of Lincraft Hot Socks - funky tartan!
And I go back to work in 4 days....
eew.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

my Knitter's Loom arrived today!

and i found another use for leftover sock yarn ^_^