Friday, April 13, 2007

Lucky 13

Friday the 13ths don't scare me. They're usually the days I get raises, win drawings, and get other good news. What's today's good news? Some loss in weight! Yay! I hang out at Sparkpeople.com where some of the members will whine about losing 'only' 10lbs that month. To them I say, "Bite me," while hoping to lose 10lbs in a year. (Actually, it takes my body about two months to realize we're not in a famine and that it's ok to let go of a couple of fat cells.)

But then, I'm sure there are those out there who'd say the same to me when I whine about how 'fat' I am. No matter who you are, there's someone thinner and someone thicker than you are.

I don't know if I've posted this story about body acceptance, but here it is. Once upon a time, I was at the gym, on a stair climber, working like a fiend to burn off not only the fat, but also the muscle. Why the muscle? Because I'm an apple and have frog legs. Let's pause and let my Mom stop scoffing/laughing at the imagery. Ok. Even when I was 115lbs (yes! I really was! Weird, huh? I even have pictures.), I had thick legs with not a bit of fat on them. Because I can't like what I have, my goal was to work off the muscle until my legs were nice and lean. Next to me, on another stairstepper, was a little ole gal with dancer's legs, working just as hard as I was. We got to chatting, because that's what I do, and lo and behold, she was trying to get MY legs. While I was working out and all the blood was going through the brain, I had an Epiphany. Instead of me kicking my own butt for thinner legs, and instead of her doing the same for muscular legs, why not each of us enhance and love what we have?

Except for that part around the middle. You know, the part that looks like a flotation device was put on BEFORE you put on the swimsuit.

In knitting news: UFOs include legwarmers for little Goopa, a purple cardigan for me, a primary color summer top for Fry, clogs for the clog-a-thon in our group, freeforming the brown yarns still, the Not-A-Poncho, and new this week's Alice Starmore Tam. Nothing lately has been done on the cardigan or summer top, the clogs only get worked on Saturdays at Java, and the Not-A-Poncho's front is DONE! Yay! Now the back, sew it up, then embellish. If the Tam doesn't kick my butt, I could have the whole back done by the time Jane returns.

For those of us more accustomed to cowboy hats than Tams, here's a photo from Knitting in Color:
In essence, it's a glorified beret without the extra floppiness.

Knitting In Color is a blog on my list of things to read, and Nanette is beyond great in her color knitting ability. Plus, who can resist a cute rabbit picture or two? This is also the only decent picture of a tam I could find. Once my own is done, I'm posting mine just so there's more than one. That, and my tam will have different colors.

3 comments:

ChelleC said...

FIrst of all, I MISS YOU!!!!! Second of all, I'm exploring color knitting as well. I'm taking a class at the Studio on this very thing. And my homework this week, like yours, is to do corrugated ribbing. Tee hee. I just found that Color website you are exploring as well.

Third of all, you and I are both doing so many projects at once. Only you are finishing yours, and I'm just starting mine and then letting them languish while I zip off to start another. You inspire me.

Congratulations so much on the weight loss. Good job! What are you doing that is working - share the specifics please.

Laura said...

Right back at you! I'm glad you called yesterday! Don't you just love Knitting in Color? She's so talented. I don't read her blog as often as I like, because it's so intense.

Don't worry, I'll tell you the secret on finishing projects AND weight loss. First, road trip, loooong road trip. Nineteen hours of nothing to do but knit. Plus, in the evenings, I'd knit while visiting. Not a lot, since I want to give relatives my attention, but enough to keep me from chatting their ears off.

Then, the weight loss. It deserves its own post. Later today, Saturday, I'll whip up a post on what happened in knit group AND the visiting relatives weight loss. :)

Susan said...

Well this IS exciting. Congrats on the weight loss. I was blessed (?)with great legs now somewhat disguised LOL and the hideous tummy that my mom also fought all her life. I was glad when my child bearing years passed so that folks would ask me how far along I was. Grrr.

And the colors. Wow!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race