Not Aspartame But Sucralose

Huh.  Well it appears the source of my problem is not aspartame but sucralose.  Nestea low calorie drink mix is made with sucralose which can be equally toxic.   It seems the heart palpitations, chest muscle pain and anxiety was caused by this artificial sweetner.  Anyway, I've cut it out of my diet and am drinking just plain water now.  Yuck.

Progress - Knitting and Beyond

I have managed to knit half the sweater so far.  I am done the body up to the armholes and am now at a standstill, unsure of how to continue.  I am a visual learner so written instructions confuse me.  I'm sure I can find a video on Youtube or Videojug that will explain it all.  No rush, I'm sure I will have it finished before the end of the cold weather...in June!!!

As far as my weight loss, I am doing fairly well, I have lost 13 lbs in five weeks.  I am still feeling too lazy to exercise, but I just received Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred in the mail and am going to check it out...tomorrow!   It's easier to cut down on calories.  I am still doing the Slim Fast plan but I've cut out drinking Nestea 5 calorie drink mix.  I think the aspartame is what was giving me anxiety and heart palpitations.  I always new aspartame was bad for you but I didn't think one little packet of Nestea drink mix would be enough to set off the mayhem of side effects.  It didn't happen right away, I was drinking it for a few weeks before I noticed these symptoms.  Anyway, I'm really happy with my results so far.  I've reached my birthday goal and am just two pounds away from my Oscar night goal.  Hopefully I will reach my goal to lose 30lbs by this summer.  We are going to Las Vegas and I want to buy a couple of fun dresses to wear.  That is one of the best parts of losing weight, an excuse to shop for a new wardrobe.  Actually my old wardrobe is still hanging in my closet waiting to come out of retirement.

The Rolled Brim Hat

I knit all day and finished the first of my list of projects.  My daughter requested a green pompom to go on her hat so I did my best.  Here it is.

I'm not terribly happy with the yarn, it's been recycled so it looks a little lumpy.  I think it will look ok though.

This Year's Knitting Ambitions

I began knitting my daughter a hat today and it looks like it's going to fit.  I'm really happy this didn't turn out to be a 'just for practice' project.  This is usually what I end up with when I decide to practice my knitting with whatever yarn I have laying around the house with whatever needles I decide to use.  Anyway, I'm winging it on this hat (my first) with size 8 circular needles and chunky yarn.  I am learning to knit a little more loosely too which is helping with the stiffness and cramping in my fingers and hands.  Now that I am off and running on a viable project I feel confident that I can accomplish a few neat propjects this year.  So here it is, my list of projects that I hope to accomplish this year.

1. One rolled brim hat for my daughter
2. Four pairs of socks
3. Love Bites-For Him sweater from the Vampire Knits book
4. Pulse Protector cowl from the Vampire Knits book
5. Sidhe Lace Shrug from the Vampire Knits book

Seems ambitious for a beginner, I know.  I'm very excited and motivated to become an accomplished knitter.  I finally received some of my yarn in the mail from Knitpicks, now I am waiting for the 29" circular needles I ordered on eBay to get started on my husband's sweater.  If by some miracle I complete all these projects, I will update my list.  I also ordered a couple of books from Knitpicks since they are having a 40 off sale right now so I have quite a few fabulous projects to choose from!

Feeling Homesick

As much as I like the people of Baker Lake as well as my job and the perks it brings, I have a heavy heart these days because I wish I could have stayed in Iqaluit.  My daughter could have gone to L'Ecole des Trois Soleils, the french school there and kept her friends from daycare.  She would have received a stellar French education as most of the teachers are from Quebec.  There is much more for her to do year round there, like swimming lessons, gymnastics and the movie theatre.  There was much more for me to do to.  I miss the little places I would visit on my days off like Baffin Flowers and the Fantasy Palace.  I went to that coffee shop every Thursday to have a coffee and read my book for a couple of hours.  I would then head over to Baffin Flowers and pick out a new nail polish or cute hair accessory for my daughter.  That store was full of everything a girl would want to shop for. I feel much more isolated here, the cost of airfare from Baker Lake to Ottawa is outrageous.  Iqaluit to Ottawa was still expensive, but manageable.  The view was prettier in Iqaluit as well, it is very hilly and little streams run across the community everywhere you go.  When I close my eyes and think of a happy place, it is usually a walk in a forest back home or Iqaluit by a stream in the summer.  Maybe some day I will be back...

The Oscar Night Challenge

I put it out there on the 3fatchicks.com forum that I am having an Oscar night challenge! Anyone who is a fan of the Academy Awards knows what an event this is and a big part of the night is seeing all the beautiful dresses on the red carpet. My challenge, therefore, is to lose enough weight by awards night on February 27th to fit into that special outfit you have hanging in your closet that you can’t quite fit into. You can celebrate by throwing a bash and having a blast that night!  My goal is to lose 15 pounds or enough inches to look reasonably good in my favorite red dress. Join me and update me on your progress!  Closer to awards night we can fill out our ballots and vote for our favorites in the top categories!




Here’s to fabulous you! Good luck!

Finally Knitting A Sweater

This year, I am making a commitment to knit something of value.  Not that dishcloths are not useful, I just don't think I am making use of my full knitting potential.  I recently purchased a copy of Genevieve Miller's Vampire Knits.  I has some very nice modern projects I can't wait to get started on, particularly the 'Love Bites-For Him' sweater.

I was happy that Knitpicks still had that particular yarn still available. It is Wool of the Andes in Coal colour.  This sweater is simple and I think I will really enjoy knitting it.  I hope my husband likes it!