Sunday, August 19, 2012

This Week's WIP: Handspun Henslowe (And the beginning of my weight loss journey)

I stumbled across Purl Verde Textiles online some weeks ago.  My goodness her handspun yarn is pretty.  Needless to say, I 'had' to have some:

Purl Verde Textiles

This is 100% Falkland Wool in a fingering weight and the colourway is October Mums.  Doesn't it just make you dream of Autumn?  I love the subtle variations in the depth of the colour.  And the yarn is beautifully sproingy :)

I searched online for something to make with the 446 yards of loveliness.  The ravelry pattern search is perfect for this task: I knew I wanted to make a shawl and simply plugged in the weight of the yarn and the yardage into the pattern search tool.  Amongst the many beautiful results was Henslowe.  Yes, that was the one for me.

Handspun Henslowe

I've made pretty good progress this week on the garter section of the scarf, and have now started the lace pattern.  Thoroughly enjoying this knit.

I've been loving working with this yarn so much that I did a little repeat purchase this week:  Hidcote Lavender.  What a great colour for a winter shawl.  (The colour was very difficult to photograph and is far prettier in person than I could capture with my camera).

The other important thing that happened in the last couple of weeks is that I started to diet.  I hit a weight/size where I just wasn't happy with myself anymore - how I felt, or how I looked.  So it was time to take charge and make a change.  So far so good:  3lbs lost, and another 17 to go.  Slow and steady wins the race right.  One of the hardest parts is finding tasty ways to prepare fish, chicken, vegetables and keep it interesting.  If I discover any gems, I'll also be sharing them here.  This week's fave was a simple tilapia fillet with thinly sliced lemons that I broiled.  Very yummy indeed.  This week I added some fresh parsley and last week was dill.  Pick a herb you like and serve with steamed green veggies.  Yum! 

Now it's off to the farmer's market to get some more healthy goodies for the week.

Hope you have had a lovely week,
Sam xxx

3 comments:

Andi said...

Who is the enabler now? That handspun is gorgeous! That Lilac color is insane! yum.
Good luck on your diet. Sounds like you are already on the right track with the knowledge that slow and steady wins. :)
Your recipe sounds delish.

Kim said...

That handspun is gorgeous! What is it about autumn that brings out the knitting mojo?

Congrats on the three pounds! I'll be cheering you on(I feel like I am constantly fighting the battle). I'll keep my eyes peeled for some good recipes.

I hope to see you soon :)

Donna said...

The yarn is beautiful. I'm with you on the weight loss trip. I started 2 weeks ago.