...four weeks later!

Hi there! Long time, no see. I’ve been meaning to write, but you know how life gets in the way?

So, since we last spoke?

Well, I got married.

(Awesome photography by Thorson Photography – I actually looked like a warthog, it’s all in the camera angles ;)

(Awesome hair, well, my hair, Heather’s and Sarah’s by Johanne’s Hair Do’s)

(Awesome flowers by Manuka Flowers)

(Wedding dress by Halo from La Belle)

(Veil from Brides of Manuka)

(Bridesmaids dresses from Events)

We went on honeymoon to Vanuatu. Many cocktails were consumed and massages enjoyed. All three and a half bikinis were needed (No proof of bikinis, children may be present).

I had to be removed with a crowbar. (Excellent house-sitting by Silkydoll)

We opened all our wedding presents and our jaws hit the floor. People are so thoughtful and generous – thankyou! Thankyou cards are in process… life just keeps getting in the way! The gifts of money allowed us to buy a (desperately needed) new fridge. October 23^rd is Fridge Day for the rest of my life! Thankyou!

I went back to work. Hurrah.

My surname has sort of changed but I’m still a Ms. This is very confusing to the under-16s. I have given the Miss, Ms, Mrs lecture to three classes so far. The girls either nod knowingly or gasp in comprehension and become feminists before my very eyes… and the yr 8 boys sadly ask me why they don’t get a special title (I’ve tried to explain, believe me).

My garden exploded while I was away and my Grannies Bonnets that were shoe-sized before I left are now shrubs. It is a very happy situation (except they set off Monkey’s hayfever). The irises I planted, hoping they’d be out for the wedding because they match my bouquet, are finally out. I LOVE them. And the roses are cusping

Life is good

Ms Spider xox

PS. No-one says you have to change your nom de plume when you get hitched, so there.

Excuse me Maude, I seem to be coming over all conservative..

Something old (my grandmother's moonstones we had set into earrings)Something new (my veil)Something borrowed (my grandmother's moonstone necklace)Something blue (my garter)Something inconvenient.... the weather!

Wish me luck :)
Ms Spider

update on drama

Ok, so thanks for all the support after my last post. It's been really nice to be told that my frustration was justified. So, here's what I've done.

I called up and canceled my regular spot with K. I then asked if there was a spot with L later in the week. No problem.

On Wednesday I was 30 min early so i went and worked out on the cardio equipment before my appointment. I had a slight panic when K arrived 5 mins before my appointment (What if the girl on the desk misunderstood???) but L showed up in time.
I explained to her (gently) that i wanted to see her from now on, and gave her the reasons it wasnt working. I tried really hard to be nice about it, but i think it was pretty obvious how stressed it had made me.

And the best part? I've finally lost 10 kilos since February! I'm not yet at my goal weight, but considering how much of a change there's been to my body in terms of actually having muscle covering now.... I dont know if I'm all that concerned if i don't lose any more. I'm really happy with what I've achieved, and while it'd be nice to look like a fashion model, I also feel healthy for the first time in at least 15 years. I can actually do push-ups now!

And i went to the doctor today and my blood test came back... and it's good news! It's pretty clear that I do have Coeliac's because the change in my blood since September (and the point where i started to do the gluten-free thing) in clear. However, if i want a proper diagnosis i have to eat gluten for a month (!!!!) and then have a biopsy. So, i know what my body does if i accidentally eat a teaspoon of wheat and that's enough of a diagnosis for me :)

There was a slight wedding drama when i discovered that another bridesmaid had bought the wrong dress but she's eternally efficient and the situation was sorted within 24 hours. Basically it bodes well for the wedding: my girls arent going to let anything get in the way of a good day!

It's all feeling very close... 53 days! But things seem to be falling into place. I'm determined to stay positive!

Hope everyone else is well and happy :)

Ms Spider xo

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

we have a guest!

Last week we moved an old mattress out of our carport to take it to the tip, and a rather startled possum ran out from behind it. He scooted up into the roof of the carport where we are storing some old doors and has been there for a week. every day or so I go and check he's there - i can usually find him from a bit of fur squished between the doors, but today was a special case.
I was going back inside after staking the peas and noticed a black lump.
then it uncurled.
When I got underneath I could see he was having a sleep and had slid down into the gap between roof and door.
priceless.

In other news, the wedding plans are coming along well. we now have a photographer, invitations and a hairdresser. Research of bridal magazines suggests that brides are always caucasian and do not come in a size larger than 12 (and the 12 are often referred to as 'plus sized. Hello, fashion industry? GET A GRIP) and this has been quite distracting. The bridesmaids dresses are sorted and next step is for me to weave stoles for them.
I've been knitting a lot and losing my mind a lot more.
Have now lost 4 kilos but have plateaued, much to my annoyance. I have best results from jogging but have the most excruciating calf pain for days afterwards despite stretching. I really want to be able to jog everyday but once those muscles hurt I just can't do it - it feels like my legs will collapse or explode. I cant even bend my legs and kneel without a great deal of pain. maybe i need a sports physio (Hooray! more expense!)
work has been very stressful. I'm on school break at the moment, but go back on tuesday. and I'm dreading it. I'd only just started to shake the feeling of desperation and now I have to go back. blech. (i still love the teaching, it's the whole stupid system that wears me down. Apparently I'm still far too idealistic. Once I have been beaten down til i have no hope of anything working properly I will find the job bearable, or so I'm told. sigh).

Anyway, the possum is cute!

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

it's 2009 already?

whoops! It seems being on holidays has not improved my time-keeping any. I've been playing with flickr mosaics (havent we all) but before I show you that, I'll quickly squeeze in the last few knits for 2008.

My Nightsong Shawl, knit from my own 2-ply lace-weight hand-spun, from EGMTK's merino/silk in Octopus' Garden.
The last couple of repeats really felt like they were dragging but when I actually checked on ravelry.. it took me 8 days. I think that's my new record! and it's full-sized too!
I havent got around to snapping it after being rescued from blocking - that's our queen-sized bed it's blocking on to give a size indication. I love it! :) You can't really see but each point has a clear silver-core glass bead threaded onto it.

Also, on New Year's Eve I finished off my Naive socks in Trekking. These were almost instantly gifted to the lovely Heather, my future SIL. (and no, I can't be bothered fixing the photo. They're socks, whatever way up.)

As for wedding stuff - blech! We're planning, tentatively, for October 2009. And it is doing my head in! Finding a balance between 'dodgy' and 'affordable', 'inviting who I like' and 'not pissing off the rellies' and 'doing it all myself' and 'forgetting about it til the last minute' is... well... I'm glad I'm on holidays.
In some respects I am very lucky. My parents are total hippies with no ties to tradition and my Mum really doesnt care. This has the wonderful silver-lining of meaning she doesnt think I should have to invite rellies who openly hate me or havent seen me since I was 1. This also has a down side: my Mum really doesnt care. So I can't mention it to her or she just says "oh how horrible, why don't you just elope?". Which, while I see her point, is rather like knitting someone a very elaborate and mind-numbing lace shawl and being told "why dont you just buy them a scarf?".
It's early days and I am still in enough of my senses to be vaguely on top of things. Our net being down for three or four days REALLY didnt help, so I'm fairly confident I'll get it together... if i can only work out what sort of dress I want (no, not knitted. am not quite that mad yet.).

Oh ok, mosaic.
I was going to do 2008 in knitting and spinning but got bored so here is the last 6 months or so.



1. Handspun Nightsong Shawl 2. Indigo Ripples Skirt 3. Starburst Sweater 4. Starburst Sweater detail 5. Sea Surf Scarf (handspun) 6. Flora cap 7. Loop-through scarf 8. Naive socks 9. Casablanca 10. Slubby handspun, Hippie Heaven 11. navajo plied BFL/soy, Boutique Skies 12. Scalloped Edge Hat (handspun) 13. Jaywalkers 14. Flutter Sleeve Cardigan 15. Catch-me-if-you-can-socks in HappySpider Kelp Forest 16. Process of spinning for Nightsong shawl 17. BFL/soy fibre from EGMTK 18. Sock-it-to-me scarf (handspun) 19. Laceweight handspun with 5c for scale 20. Sayuri Sweater 21. Viking Battle Bonnet 22. Catch-me-if-you-can-socks 23. Scallop-edge beaded necklace 24. Devil hat 25. Owl 6-ply socks 26. Mohawk beanie 27. short-circuit scarf 28. BSJ in HappySpider Pansies 29. Felted clogs 30. Hanspun merino 2ply 31. Felted clogs 32. Spider Socks in Swamp Beast 33. Square for Jet blanket 34. handspun tinsel 35. Merino and Angora, navajo plied in Big Top from EGMTK

Ok, and now I'm being told it's bed time.

Happy New Year, I hope everyone has the best 2009 possible.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xoxo