One Word

I was reading through my Bloglines and I found two instances of this "one word" reference. One of my friends, Laura, also formerly from Southern California saw it on one of the blogs she reads, Rainy, and as it turns out she was one of my friends too.

So let me explain this a little... The way I see this is you chose one word that you will use as your mantra or target for the new year. The one word that will inspire you and either drive you towards your goal or gives you safety or solace when you're not at ease.

I thought about this for a few days and in multiple ways of how it would influence me.

My word for 2012 is Arcadia

Merriam Webster defines it as "a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet"

the Origin of Arcadia:

Region of ancient Greece frequently chosen as background for pastoral poetry

First Known Use: circa 1890

Those of you from California or familiar with Southern California recognize the word by the city or Arcadia. After reading the definition, I didn't think of the City as how it feels to me.

I started with the word Paradise and looked for a synonym that was more fitting but held the same feeling for me. When I saw the word Arcadia and read the definition, I saw how I could apply the word to my life. I want to create a place of solace in my life. I will strive for simple pleasures. You are probably wondering about me wanting quiet... I want to strive to find quiet in my mind. Easing of the stress in my life that just feels so counterproductive and doesn't help anyway. When I lay my head down at night, I feel good about my day and my mind is free of the noise I can't control. When I lived in California, I would often go to the ocean and find solace. Feeling so small next to the power of the ocean and feeling the breeze wash over me cleansing my soul. I want to find that place in my mind that can give me the release feelings because I'm not near the ocean anymore. Better yet is to change how I see my life so I'm not holding onto the burdens that would make me want to drive to the ocean to purify my mind.


When I listen to music and hear mind stimulating questions I often pose them to myself or question my life choices. My life is never empty of questions, sometimes simple and some are deep or complex that requires one to question your emotions. Some questions ask you to learn about subjects that may feel foreign but it's all good. I thirst for knowledge and new experiences that lead to new questions. I see my life as a poem or song but sometimes the background isn't always what I hoped for but when I apply Arcadia to my life I hope I can make the canvas of my life more pastoral, simple or clean. I see it this way, if life is like a song then you not only want to feel the meaning of words but hear the melody in your head. The lyrics often speak to me but if the melody doesn't feel good then it feels incomplete or vise-versa.

Arcadia, my word for 2012

OK enough of the deep thought :)

Life is Good

It's winter here in Iowa.....

Yesterday it was 57F and I was able to take a nice hard bike ride but the weather went crazy late last night. This morning there was snow on the ground and it snowed pretty much all day.
This is the view out the back door....

This was the view out the front window.

The National weather service says we had 6 1/2" in the last 24 hours. 12F isn't that cold when you are shoveling and walking behind the snow blower. It was good exercise anyway.

Many of you may not know that I'm attending school full time and I finished my week's work today. We finish a class every 5 weeks and the new week begins each Tuesday. My time from now until next Monday will be spent reading a how to manual on the Canon 7D camera. We are shooting a wedding in about 15 weeks and I want to be proficient with the 7D by then.

I talked about providing some pictures of the first bobbin of my latest spinning project...

The color is a little off but here it is. The card with the fiber says it's Ruby Red. What a joy to spin the BFL. I'm looking forward to the next two ounces.

update... I ate 1416 calories, exercised 1248 calories away. The net of 168 calories against the 1996 calorie budget. 

Off to spin a little bit before I turn in for the night.


Life is good

The last hurrah before the cold white stuff comes...

We had a 57 degree day with snow looming for tonight and single digits.  So I took this opportunity to take my last ride before the cold weather shuts down the bicycle riding season for a few months. We have a nice bike/walking path about a mile from the house. An hour of hard riding and burning 930 calories felt good. For those of you who care, my food intake for today was 1381 calories. Today was the weigh in day and I lost two pounds for the week.

I'm spinning the BFL and will finish the first two ounces late tonight. I forgot how easy and fun it is to spin BFL. The fiber drafts so well and the spinning looks so soft and even. Tomorrow I will take some pictures of the first bobbin and show you all.

Time to spin some more now :)

Life is good

 

spinning the green

I finished spinning the "greener pastures" tonight. The singles are finished and I still need to ply it but I want the singles to rest overnight.

It looks pretty good and feels really soft. I'm anxious to see how it looks plied.

Next on the spinning wheel is going to be a mixing experiment. I have two braids of fiber that I thought were the same colorway but I was wrong. I should have looked closer at the braids on the shelf. One is dyed oatmeal BFL and one is South African Fine.

The one in the upper left is the South African Fine. The BFL is the darker braid. My plans are to split these and make 2 two plies and then cable ply them. Sooooo, it will be 2 ounces of the BFL and 2 ounces of the SAF and then make a two ply yarn. Repeat that process and when I have two 2 ply yarns of mixed fiber I will cable ply the two to make a 4 ply totaling 8 ounces.

Yesterday I went for a bike ride for almost an hour and since I was riding alone I felt the need to really push myself hard. I burned 893 calories in the 59 minute ride. Almost 20 mph with the wind and 15 mph against the cold wind in my face. It was 42F so wearing the thermals and a wool hat were required. I felt really good though and my efforts are going to pay off soon. Yesterday I burned 4017 calories and ate 1478 calories . I'm working to keep my daily intake under 1500 calories per day.

Tonight, I made something new for dinner and it turned out pretty good I think. Behold my three cheese spinach Manicotti.

Quite good and only 480 calories on that plate too. It would have been easier with a pipping bag but it was not that hard. Here is the recipe if you wish to try it. I used non-fat cottage cheese and part skim ricotta in my version.   I know I was going to talk about White Buffalo today but I will have to put that off for another time.

Life is good. 

Happy Friday everyone.

I'm working on keeping the gut from coming back. A few months ago we took a trip to see a long time friend Renata from California who moved to St Paul MN. She shared that she was using something called a FitBit to track her daily activity. It's more than just a pedometer with some pretty cool software that runs on your pc and smart phone. It tracks your activity throughout the day and even shares how deep you sleep at night.

I was using a calorie counter on my phone for the last month. Yes, I was counting calories and realized how bad my eating habits were and the amount or portion sizes of the food I was eating. I changed counters today to Lose It because it auto syncs with the Fitbit and the exercise app Endmondo that tracks my efforts on the bicycle and my walks with the GPS in my phone.  Why all the effort? I'm trying to get back to 185lbs and stay there. Last Summer I was really sick with gall stones and kidney stones at the same time and was down to 183 lbs but my poor eating habits and lack of exercise took over and I was back to 208lbs again. No this isn't going to be a diet blog I just wanted to share my struggles. The counting calories will end someday when I can reprogram my mind to eat what I need and not what I want and to get off the couch a little more and use the gym that hides in our basement. We have a bowflex and a lifecyle elliptical that go unused most of the time like most of the same gear in other homes. Daily use is my first goal.

Usually I have my phone with me next to the water bottle so I can listen to music but I positioned the phone on a bookcase across the room on a timer to capture this self portrait....  Yes my head almost hits the ceiling.  This week I'm trying to "run" on the elliptical for 30 minutes each day on the "hill" program level 9 at 80 rpms. This works out to about 470 calories burned in 30 minutes. Next week I want to raise this to 30 minutes twice daily.  Burning an additional 900 plus calories a day will improve my cardiovascular health and make the weight loss less focused on diet and more balanced with exercise.

OK, enough about that..........

Here is a the first bobbin of spinning for the new year.

I'm spinning this in a semi worsted style and with a new approach. I've pre-drafted and slowed way down giving me a more even single with better consistency. The colorway is "Greener Pastures".  Not sure what it will turn into but the green is really growing on me. It will become a two ply fingering weight, maybe for a hat or ??? Last week I found a group on Ravelry that is promoting that you spin a pound of fiber a month. I'm not sure I will get that ambitious but I'm going to try to spin a braid (4 oz) a week for as long as I can.   The change in spinning direction to accommodation the change to continental style of knitting was quite natural so far. The brake was not working the way I liked it since installing the woollee winder a few months ago. The wooden bobbins were reacting differently than the plastic Majacraft Style bobbins that came with the wheel. the manufacturer of the wheel included some cotton line for those sensitive to the sound that the Dacron line may make. I swapped the brake like and now it works like a dream again.   Tomorrow I may share my thoughts on White Buffalo and my appreciation for warmer "sturdy" fibers. The Canadian's know cold.
 some fun reading. 1

Life is Good

Happy New Year everyone.......


Just a few updates; Tonight was my first Iowa Caucus. I participated and it was quite interesting to see how this works after voting for 32 years in California. It was held at one of the local High Schools here in town. I thought we would be in the Gym but they had a HS basketball game going on so we met in the cafeteria.  I read about what was going to happen before I arrived so I sort of understood the goings on.

These are the people who live around me or at least the ones who showed up. I sat down and met some nice people and partook in the process by casting my ballet. Before the vote, each candidate had one supporter speak in support of them by one of the constituents. No voting booths, just a slip of paper with all the names of the candidates in my party. They came around with a paper grocery bag to collect the ballets. They tallied the votes before I left and there were only 74 votes cast. I could have became a delegate if I really wanted to. We could select 5 people and three alternates to go to the state meetings later this year. I passed on the opportunity but maybe in two years.

I did take advantage of the time and knit a little.  My first caucus and so why not knit at my first caucus? I didn't see anyone else knitting but when has that stopped me from knitting? I'm not a caucus virgin anymore.

Last post I talked about the snobby swap I was in. Well, now that it's over for me I can talk about it in detail here.  Here is the package I sent.

This was the cowl I sent. Pretty Thing by the Yarn Harlot.
My down stream swap partner was 8 months pregnant when the box arrived. She asked for a WPI gage so I ordered the one I love from my Etsy source. I included some fun candy that I enjoyed as a child and a baby knits book so she can create some toys for her new daughter. As a bonus I shared 5 ounces of pin drafted Cormo for her to spin.

You can read the thread here if you want.

This is what arrived today for me....

 Clockwise from the top; A handspun hand knit fair isle hat. a beautiful card with a lovely sentiment from a magnificent spinner knitter. 2 ounces of purple cultivated silk. Three local treats from her home in Idaho. Huckleberry jam, Huckleberry coffee and Moose poop( chocolate chunk toffee).

The people in this swap/group on Ravelry are amazing spinners. The yarn looks machine spun and the construction is flawless. I felt honored to participate.

I'm spinning some merino right now. 4.2 ounces heading towards a 2 ply fingering weight semi worsted yarn.

I'm working on converting my normal knitting style to continental so I'm spinning this counter clockwise and will ply clockwise. Green is not my normal color but it's growing on me.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to the new year like I am.

No goals or resolutions this year, I'm just going to do the best I can at being me.

Life is Good

secret project update

I know I haven't been writing as much as I had hoped but I wanted to share an update on the super secret swap project. I finished plying the yarn last night. The soaking and drying happened in the last 24 hours and I'm off to the races as far as the knitting goes.

The fiber content is 40% Cormo, 32% Optim and 28% Bamboo. Total of 1255 yards of light fingering weight yarn. I drum carded this to blend and spun long draw from 4 two plus ounce batts. This is the softest woolen spun and my most consistent spinning to date. The Cormo and Optim give it such softness and the Optim and Bamboo give it a sheen like silk. This was the first project I spun using the Woolee winder and it worked better than I expected. Being able to spin for 30 to 40 minutes without stopping made this go really fast. The project calls to knit this up with undyed yarn and to dye the yarn after it's knit up to achieve the pattern. I can't share the pattern yet but I think it's going to look really cool when it's finished and I only have 17 days to knit this up so wish me luck. :)

A new swap

Just a little update here. I joined a holiday swap yesterday.  Ravelry has a group called "Snobby Spinners" and they have an annual swap of like minded fiber snobs. Here is the outline of the swap. Participants will spin a skein of yarn and then create a single skein item for their assigned recipient. Items can be knit, crocheted or woven. This is what is expected along with the simple little goodies that people include with the main swap gifts. I looked over the pictures from last year and was pleasantly surprised. The norm was a hank of handspun fiber and one F.O. from another hank of handspun along with the goodies. These are the people who love spinning with fine fiber. If you have been reading my blog very long you know I prefer the fine and near skin soft fiber/yarn. Sounds like a promising swap to me. The partners will be pared up this week so I can start the stalking and planning.

I finished the 2nd four ounces of the blue Rambouillet Sunday night.  I will post pictures after I send it to the bath.

Speaking of pictures....   I'm apprenticing under a professional photographer so I can be her 2nd or 3rd shooter when she shoots weddings. In preparation for this I'm going to update the stash photos and load them into Ravelry. I have the stash in a master spreadsheet but just a fraction is in Ravelry. So I get some shooting practice and my stash will get entered in Ravelry. One of the positives is using a Canon 5D with a wide array of professional lenses and studio lighting.  Win Win

Life is Good

Reduction in number of gadgets

About a year ago I had an accident with my MP3 player. In my mind this was the day music died. For 6 years I carried this 16GB magical transporter of music everywhere and it provided countless hours of enjoyment. For days I tried to recover the 16 gigs of music but wasn't successful....  I was given an 8GB Ipod Touch to use and it helped but it was just a loan. A few months ago Susan's brother and his family came for a visit and when we talked about music he told me he used his phone as his MP3 player and when I saw that we had the same model phone it made me realize I didn't need to get a new MP3 player but just buy a memory chip for my exsisting phone. The chip is tiny but holds 16GB of memory.

I inserted one of these into my phone and enjoyed portable music again.

 Oh did I mention that I have a purple Blackberry?  What other color would I buy if they offered a purple version.  LOL  After spending an hour or so of selecting music and syncing with the computer, I had an even smarter phone or felt smarter because I was using more of the features that was available to me but I didn't realize how easy it would be to use. I prefer to spin with music playing. In the near future I will record my guitar playing using the microphone.  Score one for the reduction in gadgets.

Life is Good

A date with a Spanish lady

Tonight I had a date with a Spanish lady....  I started lessons with a classical guitar teacher tonight. It didn't include dinner and a movie but we made sweet music together, the guitar and I, not the teacher LOL. Seriously, when you stop playing, you lose so much of the muscle memory and the callouses are gone. I have some pain to go through in the next few weeks but the end result will be well worth it. I don't have the skills yet so I will share some of what I'm aiming for. Some of you will recognize the first piece in another style.

and maybe this...

I can listen to this artist for hours on end...

The homework is pretty serious this week with the teacher trying to see where my limits are. I'm looking forward to the hard work and feel the music flow again. Here is a link back to the post where I described the guitar.

Am I 20 again? No but it was fresh in my mind.

I had a few flashes of what it feels like to be 20 again. Let me clarify things a little. Many years ago I was a competitive road cyclist. I used to ride every day and couldn't find enough time to ride with having to work and other priorities in my life. Like many other things, this was an obsession too. I saw the movie Breaking Away and the next day I went out and tried to buy a bike to race. I found out that being 6'5" in 1979 wasn't a good thing when looking at racing bicycles. Eventually I found a shop who also sponsored a cycling team and this led me to ordering a custom bike that fit my body. The owner had the passion of cycling and even though he sold the commodity bikes to pay the bills, he had a small section in the shop with the latest, state of the art racing toys. 6 long months later I took it for a test ride and my smile went from ear to ear. I went on to race for about 10 years or so and when we started having kids, the bike stayed in the garage more and more. It was dormant for the last 8 or so years and Saturday morning was the first time I went for a spin on her is what seemed like a life time ago. It was a short ride of about 8 or 9 miles but it felt so good. Having been sick a few months ago made me appreciate this even more.I felt the burn that used to make me push myself harder and harder when I rode with my former team. My legs are so weak and my lungs are no where strong enough to ride like I used to but I felt the rush of speed in short burst. The same rush that kept me riding for so many years before. It's like the feeling an finished object that has been on the needles for so long. Inspiring me to want to ride and take better care of myself. I feel like it was a huge step to be healthier. I kick myself for letting the bike literally rot in storage.  I spent a few hours today looking for a picture of me in 1980 standing on the front lawn next to my brand new bike in my racing clothes. The look is priceless, I have this glare like I'm trying to be intimidating or something. Seriously, I was 20 years old, 6'5" 150lbs, 4% body fat and it almost looks comical with the intense look, nobody was ever intimidated by the look :) I'll take a pic of the bike and maybe me on it later this week. I promise if I find the pic from then I'll share it too.

Last week I watched part of a special about reversing your heart trouble with only your diet. Bill Clinton talking like a vegan and claiming he is better than ever. I'm not having trouble with my heart but I was curious about the book they all talked about but found it was another extremist book that eliminated any food that came from a mother or ever had a face plus no oils. So you are a vegan who cant have nuts or olive oil.  I would prefer a less extreme diet and my research led me to body weight exercise book with guidelines for the amounts of protein, carbs and fats. Yes they let you have fats on this life modification but it's all about raising your muscle mass as a way of burning calories instead of reducing your weight by eating less. This is non-gym, do it in your living room stuff in the vein of the P90X but free san's the cost of the $9.99 kindle book. I'm not taking a turn and heading down the diet blog but I thought I would share.  

I am knitting a little and spinning almost everyday. Here is 4 ounces of Rambouillet spun up into 453yards of light fingering Navajo plied. The second half is another day or so away before I ply it also.

The knit shop holds it's weekly knit nights and were all enjoying the weekly visits and it keeps me inspired to knit and spin. I offered the shop that I would offer beginning spinning lessons in her shop on my wheel for free. I know she has a business to run and I suggested that she charges the cost of an ounce or two of fiber for the price of the lessons so she sells product too. Just my way of paying forward the craft and helping a shop survive just.
I hope all of you are doing well. I know some of you have had some health issues lately but I hope the path to recovery is close.

My birthday is rapidly closing again. I just sent my Father a hand written letter in his birthday card. He turned 79 this year and he is my inspiration for knowing it's ok to grow old. I haven't written a letter in years. We all email and text but since I started writing with the fountain pens lately I decided to hand write my thoughts. He appreciated the Purple ink and we talked for an hour on the phone the day he received the box. I included some pictures that Susan took of Jen(the DD), my Dad and I playing catch last year a few days after her HS graduation. It was a glorious day when we can play catch. I know it sounds simple but all three of us love it. I wish we lived closer so we could enjoy it more often.

Life is Good...

No more importing....

If you wish to read the other post from "Two Books" you can find them here

Imported from Two Books One Cover 8/08/2011

I'm having a lot of "learning opportunities" with the somewhat simple lace cowl currently on the needles but resolving these little roadblocks is giving me lots of confidence to venture out to more challenging designs.  Each project has given me little tidbits of knitting knowledge and now its time to start swimming in the deep end of the pool of the fiber arts. I have some ideas that I hope to incorporate into some patterns and take others and manipulate them to my liking. More about that in a few minutes...
Those of you who have Ravelry accounts, do you go through periods of wanting to be inspired and start favoring patterns that either inspire you or that instantly go onto your "someday I want to knit that" list? I looked back at my history and it shows a definite pattern of inspiration in blocks.
The last few weeks I'm looking at more lace shawls and lace garments. One that has been on the list to knit for some time is the Triangular Summer Shawl seen here.  I plan to hand spin Cormo and leave it undyed. Lace weight spinning is becoming my favorite lately so why not enjoy the spinning and knitting this beautiful shawl with my own handspun? The next is the Myrtle cardigan, and maybe the Batik pullover.
Tonight was the latest inspirational nudge. This started a few months ago when I had the opportunity to watch a documentary on the Bohus Stickning.  Further stimulation from other knitters on Ravelry led me to read "Poems of Color" from cover to cover tonight.  I'm already planning to dye the fiber to match the number of colors and spin it to make one of these magical garments of my ancestors. I'm part Swedish and it felt natural to attempt one of these sweaters the more I read about it. The fact that the ladies responsible for creating these works of art held true to only using the finest materials in the finest gauge makes it even more desirable for me to attempt. I love the hand of a fine gauge knitted item. The patterns call for a 60/40 % Rambouillet & Angora blend.  The idea of knitting an adult sweater on size 1,2, and 3 needles I think separates the weak at heart if the color work doesn't. I plan to knit a sample from the book Homespun Handknit called "Northern Lights".  I will test the color choices that I plan to use and hopefully it will turn out to be a matching accessory for the eventual sweater. I have some high grade ultra merino and Cormo that may turn out to be the fiber depending on some test swatches. I feel lucky to have have so many choices of near skin soft fiber to chose from to make one of these stunning sweaters. It might just inspire me to make a second pattern in the fiber I don't chose for the first. I begin to question, do I make the whole sweater blended wool/angora or just the colorwork? The fiber is uber soft already and the angora is added to give the halo on the yoke and to soften the wool but when the wool is already soft, should I make the body out of blended fiber too?  I guess the angora would even out any tension or short row blemishes in my technique. One downside to knitting such a fine gauge sweater. Usually I'm a stickler for being true to the pattern or technique but I already plan on using my own variation of colors so it is already not a true Bohus rather an inspired by Bohus Stickning.  I don't plan on changing the color chart layout and I intend to keep the look so it will be easily recognizable as what inspired the design. For those of you who know the Bohus designs, imagine a "Purple Shimmer" or the "Large Lace Collar" in multiple hued mostly Purple, black and white tones over a white sweater body....
The last thing I was contemplating is a variation on the Hanami stole where I modify the pattern into a 5 or 6 panel skirt. I saw where someone made the stole into a wedding dress and it validated my thoughts although I wanted to make it shorter and in the skirt style as opposed to the dress. The stole is pretty but in a skirt it would be so light and airy made from a light gauge yarn.
These are the thoughts running through my head lately since the knitting and spinning bug is keeping me looking forward to new fiber projects.

Starting Anew imported from Two Books One Cover 9/7/2010

Welcome to my new blog. If you came here recently then welcome, if you are an old friend from my twisted knitster blog then I'm glad you found me. I linked the blog if anyone wants to see where I came from.
A little about me for those of you who are getting to know me and a little to update old friends. March 12th I flew to Iowa for a job interview and a week later I was moving from sunny Southern California to my new home. I lived within 10 miles of where I was born until just a few months ago but this felt like the right time when I needed a change. Life is full of twist and turns and part of this was that my life with Debbie has come to an end. After almost 10 years we parted amicably. Our views on life caused us to go our separate ways and she moved back to New England to be close to her family. I wish her all the best.
A little about me..... I'm a middle aged man who still is in touch with my inner child. Always optimistic and looking for the best in everything around me. Taking time to appreciate the little things. The sunrise each morning that brings another day. I still pause and marvel at the sunsets, the waves crashing into the sand and the millions of stars that fill the night sky. I know it sounds like I'm a Pollyanna but I love that movie too, "look for best in everything and you will find it".
I know by now some of you are wondering OK, where is the content?
I spun some South African Fine to get back in the spin of things. It's been about 8 months since I've been behind the wheel but it felt good. I have lots of fiber in the stash to spin and this lovely fiber came from Jen at Moonlightbaker's Etsy shop. I loved the way it reminded me of the sky when I would go to the beach. White fluffy clouds and beautiful blue skies. This is already being knit into a pet sweater right now. Not many pets get a hand spun/hand knit sweater but why not huh?
I'm spinning some Milk fiber right now and will post pictures soon. The test pieces are swatched and oh my is it soft after the wash. I do love the near skin soft fibers.
Yes I'm still reading and I will give you a teaser here once in a while and maybe post a review on the book page if I feel moved either way about the book. I know other readers are always looking for a good book to read.

Resurrection of the Twisted Knitster blog

I'm coming back to this blog because I really don't like WordPress and I prefer the format of this blog.  I will merge the posts from the other blog into here shortly.

Starting anew

As my life has changed, my blog is changing as well. The Twisted Knitster blog is coming to an end.  I'll always be just a little twisted in a good way and I'm still knitting but to follow my new adventures, come join the fun at Twobooksonecover.  I hope all my friends, family and readers choose to follow.

Jerry

Good Music and a long life is a good thing.

Hi everyone,
By the time you read this it'll be Thursday and I'll be thinking about my 2nd class of the semester.  The first class was last week and I think I was the oldest in the room besides the teacher.  I was asked to transfer to the intermediate classical guitar class because I have a basic understanding of sight reading of the sheet music. I resisted the opportunity because I wanted to strengthen my skills.  The class was full of younger *kids* who seem to think it was a class to learn popular radio hits. I think their may be a little attrition after he continued to stress the technical purity of the classical style.  Before we left for the night he played the selection to receive an A for the class. Here is someone I really love to watch on You tube doing almost the same arrangement


Scarborough Fair....  I found out it was originally an old English tune but made popular by Simon & Garfunkel in the movie "The Graduate".  I hope I can play something that resembles the video LOL

Monday night we took a ride to Wally World to renew my BP prescription. Three months for $10.00 was the same price that Walgreens charged for the single month. I dislike going to Wally World so much but I thought if I can save $80.00 a year, I can deal with the pain of walking into the den of Satan LOL. I'm not used to the packaging though.  I reminds me of the containers that birth control pill come in.  After about 40 days on the meds my BP is 111/72 with a resting heart rate of 78.  I asked my Dr to prescribe the meds because I was feeling a little sluggish before and he was surprised that I would ask for the help since I was just slightly borderline hypertensive. I know that if I can lose the extra 15 to 20 lbs I will probably not need to meds but I feel so much better. I have a lot to look forward to in my future and I plan to be around to enjoy it.


Life is Good!

Hold me

Hi everyone, not much knitting or spinning lately but I see an increase in the future. I'm starting my class on Thursday, Beginning Classical guitar.  Read down to see the new guitar.  Oh I named her Kay. She's Spanish and I thought Latin name and loved the recommendation of Kay, Kay Cidea,  I know it's may be a little silly but it's perfect.

I've been listening to some music lately and heard one last night for the first time in a long time. Do certain songs reach out to you or touch you? The first time I heard this song it struck me as if someone looked into my soul. It's not what you would think of as a typical man's point of view. He looks at himself as the weak one and looks to his soul mate as the strength that keeps him safe. The hollow wanting voice that is searching for her. He feels lost without her. The crescendo of him begging for her to hold him and give him strength. Very telling, exposing his soul to the world. 

























Life is Good

Music to my ears

I had new years resolutions in years past but I tend to let things slip. This year I just jumped in and started before I could procrastinate my dreams away again.

Step one of 2010.

Go back to school
I enrolled in a classical guitar class at the local college. School starts in a few weeks but I had one problem, I needed a classical guitar. If you know me than you know the whirlwind of research and hours of scanning the Internet and reading everything I could to pick the the right guitar while weighing the cost/benefit and factoring in my probability to continue in the genre.

The requirements list slowly grew as I learned the fine points of classical guitar building. The top of the list was buy a Spanish made guitar if you can. Second, if you don't have a fortune on the guitar then a cedar top is the best bet. Lower priced spruce is cut from young trees, is less than stable and may twist over time as the wood "opens up." Ebony fretboard is most desirable. Rosewood back and sides, solid is best but laminated sides and back is ok on guitars less than $1k

The brand is Almansa and she sounds heavenly. You know I love to name my toys. What should I call this beautiful Spanish senorita?


Life is Good

Potpourri on a Sunday

Mrs Twisted gave me the option to pick what I wanted for my birthday this year and here is what I picked. The Kindle 2 from Amazon. It arrived Saturday and it looks like we will become good Friends. I know we will still go to the library and even buy books, but I can see a lot of time reading what I already have loaded on this amazing piece of wireless technology.

No the hand didn't come with it but Amazon took a better picture than I did.

I've tried most of the features and the screen is so clear it seems like you are reading from a page in a book. The Whispernet works everywhere you can get a cell signal. I downloaded a book while we were at the beach this afternoon in less than 30 seconds. Most of the classics are free or near free because of being public domain. I've tried some of the other e-book sites and some 3rd party software to format it so it's Kindle compatible. I was happy to find a Kindle group on Ravelry along with an E-book group where lots of info is shared.

Saturday morning I participated in a charity ride for fallen Police officers. A guy I work with mentioned it a month or so ago and I thought why not... The proceeds of the ride went to the families of two officers killed in the line of duty. The station is in East L.A where there is a lot of gang activity. We started in Fullerton and rode West towards Los Angeles in a pack of 500 plus motorcycles. Some of the officers who participated in the ride just came off duty and the crowd looked a little rough but they were all here to support the families.

Since the police were in charge of the ride we had the best traffic control. The Fullerton fire department blocked the intersections and we queued up the on-ramp until we were all ready to go and the CHP had the traffic block in place on the 91 East. For those of you who have traveled on the freeways in Los Angeles you know about how much traffic was have. This was like the freeway was closed and we had a police escort. The 30 miles on the two freeways were amazing since we had every on-ramp blocked and the interchange controlled. When we arrived in East LA, the streets were blocked and the residents came out and waved like it was a parade. Towards the end of the ride we paused for a few minutes while some dignitary spoke and thanked us for giving to the officers that protect their neighborhoods. The local businesses provided some raffle prizes for the riders and we even had a local newscaster who gave it some publicity by riding with one of the station captains.
We ended the ride at a local steak house for a free lunch and live band. I'm planning on next year already.

I did some fiber dying a week or so ago and plan to do some more, maybe later this week. Some of my friends are getting project amounts of Cormo to spin when I finish the dye work.

This is the first batch that turned out pretty good. The next will be a little darker and less vibrant per the recipients request.
Hope you all have a great week

Life is Good

Spinning and the birth of the French Dip

A little spinning was happening this weekend.


Some BFL that I purchased a few months ago.
I'm spinning it woolen so it may look a little uneven but it's just extra soft.
Here is what it looked like in roving form.

Last Friday I joined a plurk post card swap because it's working out better for me than the other swaps or I guess I should say most of the other swaps. I did have a few really good swaps but a few real stinkers too.

Saturday we went to Philippe's in downtown Los Angeles for the first time. I know a native of Southern California should have eaten here before but I hadn't. The hype was all true. This was where the French Dip sandwich was born. We saw the segment on Huell Houser and decided on the visit. If you get the chance, try the roast lamb, mmmmmm good.

I hope you all have a great week.

Life is Good

I've never done " "

I hope everyone had a good weekend.

Today's entry was inspired by a show I sort of have on in the background each morning before I go to work. They were talking about things they have never done but most people their age had. It was surprising to hear that someone had never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or never had a cup of coffee. Some of these things I just took for granted, like driving a stick shift car and riding a bicycle. Yes those are things that some of the people on this show had never done.

So it made me think of the things I've never done in my life. Let me qualify this by saying just because I haven't done the things on this list doesn't mean I want to.

• I've never gone skiing. Most people in this area learn to ski in their teens when they go to the mountains during High School breaks. By the time I was old enough to go skiing, my feet were too large to easily get ski rental boots.
  
  
• I've never smoked a cigarette. Coming from a non-smoking house I was quite against it because it was so foreign to me.
  
  
• Never went to a bar and had a shot. Never uttered the words "bartender, I'll have shot of (insert any hard liqueur) As most of my friends know I'm not a drinker of alcoholic beverages because of taste really. The whole "I'll have a martini" or so many drinks that sounded to cool to order in movies are better in theory.
  
  
• Never sang Karaoke probably because of the previous statement. I'm sure many of you also have never sang Karaoke either but probably because of other reasons.
  
  
  Do you have anything like this in your life history? Something you just never did?
  

Earlier today I rode the bike over to a Monthly event that I just found about a few weeks ago. While looking at musical instruments on Craigslist I saw an advert for a monthly musicians swap meet for Los Angeles and Orange County. Not knowing what to expect but hoping for the best I was pleasently surprised. I didn't buy anything but it was fun to look around at all the equipment.

One last note, our quaint little town just opened the new Library and to replace the original one that was outgrown. I know we will be going there a lot in the future just because of the open space and increased facilities at our disposal.

I'm back after a long break from the blog

I know I've been gone for a little while and many of you have sent me e-mails. Thanks for the wishes and I really appreciate the good thoughts. Everything is good here at Casa De Twisted.

I'll try to keep the updates brief and go forward from here.

A few weeks ago my son came to visit on his own and took his first flight. I know you are all thinking what's the big deal but normally I have to go see them and now he is growing up and now he is coming here. My oldest Brother hosted a little BBQ in his back yard and for once in 5 years we were all together(my dad & the 3 brothers and my Son). I know the family should get together more often but it's easier said than done. I talked to my oldest brother and mentioned he was coming and in a few days it went from just us to a whole full blown family get together.




I thought I would share this one too because it reminded us of the cell phone advertisement with the bars in line. This is my oldest brother and his wife. Just for a frame of reference, my brother is six feet tall. My Brother and I have connected again and it was so nice to see him open up and bond with My son. I won't bore you with rest of the family pictures that are meaningless to everyone outside our little family.
One of the places he wanted to visit while he was here was Amoeba in Hollywood. Some of you may be familiar but for those of you not it's a wonderful place to find used CDs of any genre. Between the three of us we came home with 23 new to us CDs. Another surprise was how he has grown in his taste for a wide variety of music. He made his music loving Dad proud.

We had a wonderful time while he was here and already planning for the next visit.


Yesterday at lunch I finished another book that had me on the fence until the end. My lunch hour is like my mini escape from work where I lose myself into the book of choice and sometimes with my MP3 player drowning out the noise surrounding me at the lunch place du jour. I know a lot of you are carnivorous readers including Mrs Twisted but I tend to read a little less than most and I've just resolved that my 'lunch" is one of those reserved blocks of time. The book was called "Black Olives" and it reminded me of the movies they used to put on "Lifetime" where the woman was betrayed by her long time man and she didn't get over him like it appeared he got over her. They cross paths 9 months later and she takes you on a sometimes creepy journey where she tells the back story. While I was reading it I would have given it a 3 of 10 but after finishing it it was a 6 of 10. No she didn't button it all up nice and tidy but it sure changed my opinion of the lady in the story. It was a nice change of pace for me and more than once I caught myself talking to the book "No don't go there you silly woman!"

On a fibery note.....
I received two very large boxes in the last month and I will not have to purchase any spinning fiber anytime soon. Seven more fleeces arrived from Morro Fleece Works. Yes that was 7 more Cormo fleeces pin drafted and ready to spin. I just barely put a dent in last years fleeces but now I have plenty spin for sweater quantities. I haven't taken pictures of the fiber because I'm leaving it in the boxes so it won't take over the room. Those of you who buy a bump worth at a time know what I'm talking about. Since we last talked I also bought more dye in various colors to broaden my color pallet so I should have some dye pictures soon.

Another break ended recently . After more than a year, I felt inspired to play guitar again. Even if it's just small steps it feels good to be in a good place with my hobby.

That's enough for now.


Life Is Good

The Lady in Red

Hi there...

I've been in a little fiber funk lately but I think it's only temporary.

The fiber purchases have stopped since I'm not really spinning it right now and the room is full of yarn/fiber and music already but that hasn't stopped us in the past.

A week ago I ended the research and searching for the perfect motorcycle. It's not perfect but I think it was a good find. It's a 2004 Honda VTX 1300. The original owner bought this new in March 2005 and only put 2,477 miles on the bike. We came to find out that he bought this for his wife and they had many many bikes. This wasn't used much so they decided to thin the heard. The price was way way under blue book and less than half the price of a new bike. If you know Honda products, you know they just run forever and this really isn't even broken in yet. It's been about 20 years since owning a bike and it took a little while to get used to the size of this beast. I'm used to a light nimble bike and this thing weighs 700 lbs but the saying "Just like riding a bike" really hold true because I feel quite comfortable now.

For those of you wondering, I'm already enrolled in a state sanctioned motorcycle safety course. I found out the insurance companies really appreciate the fact that you took the class and lower the rates. The class happens over one weekend, classroom work and on the bike training. They provide the bike, helmet and all you need is a pair of boots. I have all the gear but you still ride their bike for the class. the weekend of the 18th is booked and I'm actually looking forward to it.

Many of you know we name everything and so even the bike has a name, Wendie Jo. You may ask why that name. The name is inspired by the late Wendie Jo Sperber, beautiful, strong, confident and sure of herself. Sadly she passed away in November 2005 from a long fight with breast cancer.

We made a little video (with sound) for your enjoyment. Well, I had fun too..

Life is good

Something Fiber this way comes

Doing lots of fiber buying and not much spinning or knitting lately.

I'll talk about the fiber in a few minutes.

I've been looking at some alternative modes of transportation. I know most of you would be opposed to this but I really miss the way it feels to ride.

I was looking at one of these
The problem is I'm 6'5" and my feet feel like they would drag and the feeling of my feet forward of my hips and shoulders just feels wrong to me. I used to ride motocross when I was younger and I prefer the feeling of my feet below me and not the Barcalounger position that most cruisers put you in.

Next was the research and the realization that buying an Italian sportbike is not a great idea for a daily commuter. The Ducati was hard to pass on but it's the opposite of the barcalounger and close to the head first luge. A few weeks ago I took a little roadtrip and looked at lots of bikes and think I've settled on this.
This is a Buell, the engine has it roots in the Harley but the rest is sport bike. I think it's a lot like buying a spinning wheel or even a car. You need to feel comfortable and it needs to fit you. This fits me and it very comfortable with my body size. I know what you are thinking, they're so dangerous and if this was a BB gun it would be "you'll shoot your eye out".

ok on to safer things. LOL

We attended the hand weavers conference in Riverside this last weekend. A lot of fiber vendors were there so it was like going to Stitches West for fiber with out having to go to Santa Clara.

This came before last weekend but it's been a while since my last post. I also have 28 ounces of black merino and 20 ounces of merino seacel and some merino silk that I won't bore you with the endless pictures. oh on to the endless pictures of what I just bought lol
I'll go in reverse this time. The family shot.
This is softer than I can share with you in pictures. It's 80/20 merino silk. Not my normal colors but I really reaching out of the box. The fiber came from a local source "Susan's Kitchen.
Here are some Batts from the same source.

Here is something that looked just like the name. One of my freinds had a booth with her hand dyed fiber and soaps Lisa. The fiber is merino tensel colorway Pearl
Some more fiber from yet another friend Lori Lawson. This is way out of her box for color selection. Merino tussah and so soft.

and last but not least some dyed fiber from Margie who was in the Capistrano Fiber Arts booth.
ok so I didn't completely go out of the box with color.
Now I need to start spinning it.

Oh my annual Cormo fleece(s) are heading to Morro Bay till June or so. more on that later. So much more to say but I need to head to bed soon.