Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

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dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:46:00 +0000

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Popping my head out, but not for long

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:08:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I've written a real post. I actually started 4 posts, but deleted them all.

Life has overtaken me. I've been on the real estate whirlwind again for the past coupla weeks. And the wind hasn't calmed down yet. Can't say more. At this point, I don't even want to say more.

Then there's AKD business to tend to, with deadline, designs I've been negotiating about, and parties and gifts to plan (hubby turns 50, brother turns 50, mother turns 70, daughter turns 30, son graduates). I am so swamped. And I can see how things are just gonna fall by the wayside. I can only handle so much.

And in between it all, we need to get this house sold and buy another one. Hyuck, Hyuck.

So, I'm retreating back into my turtle shell 'til the coast is clear. It may be awhile!

repost

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:08:00 +0000

I'm reposting the links to some of my more popular patterns and 1 book for Help for Haiti. 50% of proceeds will go to Doctors without Borders, from now until March 12th, 2010.

This applies to the following patterns purchased on Ravelry only. Each link takes you to the design on Ravelry.

Newly added: Baby's Crochet Flower Blanket

Newly added: Butterfly Baby Blanket

Newly added: Chunky Cabled Vest

Newly added: Felted Citrus Tea Cozies

Newly added: Irish Chain Afghan

Flower Baby Blanket

Watermelon Baby Blanket

Twisted Cable Neck Warmer

Breath of Spring

Interlocking Cable Hat
Spring Lace Wrap

Snowflake Tea Cozy

Beehive Tea Cozy

Tree of Life Tea Cozy

Cap-Sleeve Summer Cardigan

Double Knot Cable Scarves

Curvaceous Cables book - all patterns associated with the book have been tagged.

How much is being raised is listed in my sidebar. I update the amount as it grows!

not work snow!

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:16:00 +0000

I love it when it snows just enough to make everything beautiful again, but not so much that it means I gotta go outside and shovel!

So, today I lucked out - just beautiful snow, not work snow!

Which is good, as I am tired. Been working for many days, until 9 pm last night getting a design submission ready so it could go out to a magazine today. It's their 25th Anniversary issue and I was contacted as I used to have many designs in their magazine and on their covers. Should get there by Friday's deadline.

Also have had a showing every day since Saturday. Woulda had one today as well, but it was put off til tomorrow. Because of the snow. Thank you, snow! Not to mention all the usual laundry and cooking.

Woulda had a hard time dealing with all that today. I got up, took my meds and OJ and crawled onto the loveseat, hiding myself under my Lopi afghan.

I love that afghan. Warm, fuzzy, lightweight. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, there's no wool warmer than Icelandic wool. It's not Eco, I know, as it does have to hike here from Iceland, but it is a pure breed. And we need to save specific breeds as we do heirloom (non-hybrid) seeds, which, of course, is done by keeping up a demand for their use.

Back to afghan-land and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. How apropos! Then to play with some mosaic charts later on.

Love

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:56:00 +0000

"...the one single person in the world who fills your heart with joy."

Love.

The air, water, and food of life, hidden within 4 letters.

You've Got Mail has been playing. And playing. And I watch. And watch. And always cry at the end.

I'm such a simp. But true love always chokes me up.

Happy Valentine's Day to All!

Help for Haiti

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:17:00 +0000

I've just designated some of my most popular patterns and 1 book for Help for Haiti.
50% of proceeds will go to Doctors without Borders, from now until March 12th, 2010.

This applies to the following patterns on Ravelry only.

Flower Baby Blanket

Watermelon Baby Blanket

Twisted Cable Neck Warmer

Breath of Spring

Interlocking Cable Hat
Spring Lace Wrap

Snowflake Tea Cozy

Beehive Tea Cozy

Tree of Life Tea Cozy

Cap-Sleeve Summer Cardigan

Double Knot Cable Scarves

Curvaceous Cables book - all patterns associated with the book have been tagged.

I'll keep you posted on how much is raised!

Cheesed out, Designing, Love day

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:04:00 +0000

We are cheesed out.

First, it was ravioli. Then hubby made his Sicilian pizza last weekend. Then chicken cutlets with sauce and mozzarella. Then, as I eat pasta almost every day for lunch, (as it gives me some energy when I need it most), I gotta put some mozzarella on top, lest it go bad, sitting in the crisper - cheesed out.

So, last night, I pulled out of the freezer, the remains of a (sale) sirloin roast beef I made last week and turned it into beef stew, using the night before's glazed carrots, sauteed onions, green beans and leftover pasta, with the usual broth, tomato paste, red wine, and herbage.

And made a small batch of onion soup, as we bought a big ole bag of onions last Saturday on sale.

And another batch of yogurt smoothie.

And another batch of iced tea. Ad nauseum.

But the winter stew bit is wearing on me as well. Spring's salads are too far off.

Designing

Still swatching. Have 1 more submission to get out, soon, soon. Am woefully short on color variety and yarns.

If anyone has odds and ends (part skeins welcome!) of Cascade 220, their 128, their Eco yarns, or other similar basic wool yarns from Kraemer, Plymouth, Peace Fleece, etc, that are just clogging up their stashes, and wish to sell/swap for ?, do drop me a line.

I finished that 2nd pair of Viking socks, Will have to CO some CIC socks, so to have some thinking/pondering/ruminating knitting on hand.

Love day

With Valentine's Day coming up, I should think of something special to make, that's not chocolate. I used to love chocolate and sweets, but ever since chemo, with its adjusted daily diet, I just don't hanker for the stuff. No coffee, no cocoa, no candy, no cake, co cookies. Too weird, for me, but there ya have it. I'm healthier without all that sugar and caffeine, for sure. Not healthy, quite, but healthier.

So, maybe a lemon meringue pie for pookie. He really likes that. He can always bring some to the lady he does work for or the guys at his job.

I'm much more a do-person. I don't want to eat something special or even get something special, I want to DO something special. GO somewhere different, SEE something different. It's the doing that leaves real memories. And so, of course, it's the doing, seeing, going that my life is woefully short of. Ain't that always the way!

In the meantime, I think I've finally swatched something I like, so must get it done, as part of tomorrow is slated for cleaning in preparation for a Saturday morning showing.

Can you hear my foot tapping?! This is beyond patient.

just the thoughts of the day

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:35:00 +0000

The robins are out. A small flock of them were swarming the lawns today. I'd take it as a good sign for spring, if it weren't for the 12" of snow due tomorrow.

Designing
Well, what with the state of wholesale shop pattern orders these days (read: nil) and retail pattern sales these days (read: slim), all understandably, as we all still struggle through this mess called an economy, I'm being more proactive, and 2 opportunities have suddenly come my way.

I haven't actively submitted to magazines or books in ages - I just couldn't do both submissions and self-publishing while dealing with life, Cancer and this long, drawn-out torture called house-selling. But I've been approached by 2 nice ladies to submit designs, one for a book and the other for a magazine.

Hence that mad rush I was under the past few days.

Today I'm taking a break, while cogitating upon the last submission, and continuing with another pair of Viking socks - same Sirri yarn. It softens a little with washing. But softness is not what I'm after. Warmth is what I'm after and they are warm. And light. Surprisingly light, considering this is a dense, non-stretchy yarn.

Simple socks are ideal for pondering and fretting. We're gonna ponder and fret anyways, might as well have a pair of socks to show for it, no?

The next 4 months will be a whirlwind - 5 birthdays coming up - 4 of which are big 0 birthdays, 30, 50, 50, and 70. There's also 2, 20 birthdays.

Then there's son's PhD graduation I gotta hope my bod can be well enough to fly to, in CA.

Then a trip to the Columbus TNNA show for a day or so - AKD business to tend to (I'm a board member) and I'd love to finally see faces to go with names, after 13 years of being in the biz. It's also good for business to meet others in the industry

So, these socks will fly off my ndls whilst I cogitate, ruminate, and speculate how I'm gonna manage all this. I wonder if 1 pair of socks will be enough.

The rest of this post has been pre-empted due to a change in topic.

I hereby sing my praises for Ronald Coleman, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Greta Garbo, Jean Arthur and all those fabulous 30's and 40's actors. In those wonderful sets and wardrobes.

Hubby may laugh at my choice of films. May? He laughs all the time. And groans. Big, Deep Groans.

He knows very well I like my share of modern films. But there's something about those old black and whites. A crappy day can turn on a dime, and a good day can be made even better, after 90 minutes of a 70-year old movie.

They're like little magic happy pills. On celluloid.

Hair Ball

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:52:00 +0000

The past 3+ days had me scrambling to get 2 good design ideas swatched and plotted for a book submission.

I worked right up until bedtime last night, which was way too much work for my still energy-deficient body, but it had to be done.

So I ended up with a screamer of a headache and then couldn't sleep, so at 3:30 this morning came downstairs and took 2 no-no Ibuprofen, telling myself, screw the edema, as Tylenol just wasn't gonna do it, then curled up on the loveseat to try and fall asleep (as I didn't want to get my heart rate up going up the stairs to bed), and continued with my painful, non-sleeping night from hell.

I rushed off the submission this morning while having my tomato soup (coffee and me don't get on much any more), then I looked in the bathroom mirror.

It's official. I look like I feel - something the cat barfed up.

fudda

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:46:00 +0000

Mamma Mia! was on again the other day, so, of course, I have a song stuck in my head. Sing along with me - Thank you fudda music...

Viking Wool Socks

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:56:00 +0000

I'm trying to get inspired to design, but am falling flat. No desire, no inspiration. If only this house would sell, I'd finally have something to be excited about, which would surely spark my creative juices. In the meantime, they're more like creative mud.

So, simple knits. Always. Need. Socks. Especially socks that will fit in my new-ish shoes. Yeah, they're a year old, but my shoes last forever as I don't get many chances to wear them!

So, as I had some of that Sirri Yarn I have previously posted about here, I thought it would be perfect for sturdy and rustic (boy is this yarn rustic!) socks.

It has no stretch, so a size 4 (3.5 mm) ndl was the smallest I was comfortable using. You could go tighter, but the yarn is rough, so if your hands are up to it, go for it! Mine aren't up to it right now.

The pair weighs just 97 grams. I didn't weigh the 2 colors beforehand, as I didn't realize then what I was gonna knit and if I'd want to post about it. So, from the looks of it, I'd say about 2/3 of it is the natural cream color and 1/3 is the sheep's grey color.

The yarn comes in 100 gram hanks. I got it here.

They only have 1 color and weight on the site now, which by the yardage looks to be the heavier weight - a worsted. This 3-ply is more like a DK in thickness.

Here's the importer where you can also order online.

Here's another shop that has it, but not the 3-ply.

Here's a site that calls it Viking yarn - I like that. No yarn that I can see, just garments.

And on that site are these Faroese slippers just like in, oh geez, one of my Nordic design books, which are all packed away, but I think it's in Nordic Knitting.

They came off the ndls and went onto my feet - so take pity on the pic quality as they are unwashed/unblocked.

OK, pattern.

Viking Wool Socks

Size: woman's medium
Finished Dimensions: 8" circ foot, 10" long from back of heel with sock folded flat

Size 4 (3.5 mm) dpns
1 hank each 2 colors of the 3-ply Sirri yarn, sheep's grey (A) and cream (B)
Gauge:5.5 sts/1" in Stockinette

Cuff
Long Tail CO in k1, p1 rib 44 sts in A. Rib 2 more rnds.
(Rib 2 rnds in B. Rib 3 rnds in A.) 2x.

Leg
Knit 17 rnds B.

Heel Flap
The heel flap is in a simple 2-st diced pattern.

(K1 A, k1 B) across next 22 sts, turn. Evenly distribute remaining sts on 2 ndls.
(P1 A grey, p1 B) across, turn.
Repeat last 2 rows 7x more = 16 rows done, end after finishing a WS row.

V-Heel Turn.
The heel turn is divided down the center in 2 colors. Even if you can do v-heels in your sleep, go slowly, so you remember to strand the unworked color across, thus padding your heel.

Pattern 11 sts, ssk B, k1 B, turn.
Sl 1, k1 B, p2tog A, p1 A, turn.
Sl 1, k1 A, k1 B, ssk B, k1 B, turn.
Sl 1, p2 B, p1 A, p2tog A, p1 A, turn.
Sl 1, k2 A, k2 B, ssk B, k1 B, turn.
Sl 1, p3 B, p2 A, p2tog A, p1 A, turn.
Sl 1, k3 A, k3 B, ssk B, k1 B, turn.
Sl 1, p4 B, p3 A, p2tog A, p1 A, turn.
Sl 1, k4 A, k4 B, ssk B, k1 B, turn.
Sl 1, p5 B, p4 A, p2tog A, p1 A, turn = 12 sts remaining.

Gussets
Sl 1, with A, knit remaining heel sts, and pick up and knit 11 sts along right gusset. Knit across 22 instep sts. Pick up and knit 11 sts at left gusset and with same ndl knit 6 of the heel sts. Rnds now begin at center heel.

Knit 1 rnd A. On next rnd, with A, knit to 3 sts before instep and ssk, k1, lnit across instep then k1, k2tog, finish rnd.

With B, knit 1 rnd. Then knit 1 rnd, work decreases as before.

Continue alternating 3 rnds A with 2 rnds B, ending with 3 rnds A, decreasing at the gussets on every other rnd until the original 44 sts remain.

Foot
Knit 17 rnds B.
Repeat 13-row stripe pattern: 3 rows A, 2 rows B) 2x, 3 rows A,.

Knit 9 rnds B.

Dawn's 6-Point Star/Round Toe
On next rnd, dec 2 sts evenly = 42 sts. Knit 1 rnd even.
(K5, k2tog (or ssk, if you prefer)) 6x = 36 sts. Knit 2 rnds even.
(K4, k2tog) 6x = 30 sts. Knit 2 rnds.
(K3, k2tog) 6x = 24 sts.
(K2, k2tog) 6x = 18 sts.
(K1, k2tog) 6x = 12 sts.
(K2tog) 6x = 6 sts.

Break yarn leaving a tail. Thread yarn onto tapestry ndl and pull through remaining sts.

Then bring yarn across top of toe and stitch under 2 halves of the sts opposite where the yarn exits that last st. Weave in on the WS or do as I now do and find a column of sts nearby and weave in and out of the ditch between 2 columns of sts about 5x. Then weave back up through the same ditch twice. Cut off yarn end.

The yarn end will disappear into this ditch, but can be found, if and when the toe needs to be reknit. It also keeps that yarn end from irritating your toes.

Góøur Knitting!

Sunday = Food

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:25:00 +0000

Today was a a tired and resting day, until 2 pm, when I dragged myself off the loveseat and spent 3+ hours making a roast beef, gravy, glazed carrots, mashed potatoes and sauteed onions, while hubby was off at his 2nd job.

I also whipped up a batch of yogurt smoothie, which helps me take all these pills!, and a batch of iced tea. Dessert is the apple crisp I made yesterday. Boy, I'm good!

Back to the loveseat and some knitting, while hubby cleans up the cooking mess.

I did catch the last few minutes of a PBS cooking show (I hadn't seen before) with a woman (I don't know who she was) making Julia's Beouf Bourguignon. One of these days I'll make one.

I have a small sirloin roast in the freezer I can cut up for it - just need wine, mushrooms and more bacon, as I cooked the package of bacon I had yesterday, despite hubby insisting that *he* was gonna do it, as my first attempt was much less that perfect.

But I finally got it right. Very low heat and drain all the fat from each batch of bacon before putting in more strips, or else the pan ends up with enough fat to swim in and splatters like mad.

America's Test Kitchen was doing maple-glazed pork tenderloins and thick, pan cooked pork chops. I'm not a big pork fan, it's just so hard to digest.

Lidia was doing a chicken with beer recipe and dumplings with speck. Eh on the beer. There was chicken stock and unfiltered apple cider to simmer the chicken in, which sounded good, but beer? I've never liked beer.

And the dumplings, like German knödel, looked really yummy - milk-soaked old bread cubes, grated cheese (looked like parmesan), cooked diced speck (prosciuto) and it looked like onions (missed bits of this show while I was cooking), chopped parsley and chives, salt, pepper, a little flour to bind it all. Make soft balls, roll in flour, then boil til they float, coat in melted butter, sprinkle on more cheese. Gotta try these one day.

Stuffed I-cord, AKD

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:13:00 +0000

I'm as irritated by infomercials as the next person.

But one infomercial has been scratching at my designing mind, and that's the draft stopper made of what looks like plastic and foam inserts which slides under doors and windows to keep the drafts out. Draft stoppers in general have been permeating my head lately - just the nature of that beast we call Winter, and it's co-hort, The Heating Bill, particularly this year, with all this single digit and low double digit temps.

For awhile now, every time I see it, all I see is 2 tubes of I-cord with a stockinette section in the middle. And as this sounded familiar, I pulled out my 4 EZ books, and lo and behold, she did something similar - her I-cord belt.

Except. Her belt was in garter stitch, which is too thick for this application, and it was only 7 sts wide, with 2, 3-st I-cords and 1 separating stitch.

Now, I figured that, even if I could get a useful draft stopper made, it probably wouldn't suit for under doors, BUT, most people have way more windows than doors to stop up every autumn, and as a stationary piece, this might actually do the job.

Because lordie, I do hate having to caulk 40 some odd windows every autumn, then uncaulk them in the spring.

So, I began swatching. I figured 3-st I-cords would be a bit too skimpy. So I tried 4-st cords. And the stockinette section in the middle has to be wide enough to fit under a window, but not too wide, as, ideally, the I-cord poofs should be taught against the window and windowsill, when the window is lowered onto the draft stopper.

I began with some Country Roving by Briggs & Little. Love the wool, not good for this app - too thick and not easy to pull those I-cord sts tight.

So I swatched again with B&L's Atlantic and size 10.5 (6.5 mm) ndls. Ah. Nice sturdy wool, 3-ply. And as one would want these things to last many years, it should be able to take a licking and keep on ticking.

Now unlike typical I-cord, there is not sliding of the sts to the other end of the ndl. The pattern would be a 2-row pattern, but easy to remember.

My window frame is 1.5" thick, so, serendipity reigned, as I had put 5 sts between my 2 cords and when flattened out (as the window will do) it spanned the 1.5" tautly. (At least in the swatch that worked, I later had to rip out1 row of cord and add 2 more rows.)

But after a few inches the inevitable struck. The middle stockinette section was buckling. Why? Those cord ends were only worked on every other row, but the middle was worked on every row. So *that's why* EZ used garter stitch - smart woman!

OK, not to be defeated yet, I tried k1, p1 in the middle - no go. Then I tried a sl 1, k1 pattern - which worked, but made the middle part too thick.

In a thinner yarn, the garter stitch center panel would probably be fine, but a thinner yarn would make a smaller I-cord.

So, back to the drawing board. It turns out that a simple long stockinette strip with applied I-cord at both of the long edges works best, and won't be too fiddly to knit in a roving into the center of the I-cord. So that it resembles that infomercial item and the extra wool padding means extra insulation, making the I-cord tubing do its job better to keep air from creeping under the windows.

But. Isn't there always a but?! The darn thing doesn't work. The swatch worked. I could close the window tight and still close the window lock, but when trying to close and lock the window against an entire strip of wool fabric, I couldn't close the window tight enough to lock it.

Some ideas do this. They sound good, but the execution of them leaves much to be desired.

But. Another but.

The Stuffed I-cord idea is enticing me. I immediately thought of making a long Stuffed I-cord strip for a rug, coiled up and sewn together, or maybe crocheted together - who wants to sew?

Right now I'm working on a smaller version - a mug mat, to see if it works.

I would have posted yesterday, but had a phone conference AKD board meeting (Association of Knitwear Designers) and spent much of the rest of the day emailing each other like mad with ideas and thoughts.

I'm a board member and on a couple committees. We're the behind-the-scenes worker bees turning our organization into something it's never been before - THE organization to belong to if you're a knitting pattern designer. It can take alot of time and work, but is well worth it.

a wee bit more patience!

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:49:00 +0000

I've been good lately about posting every day, and don't want you all to think I'm slipping. I'm working on a long post and a free pattern. But first gotta finish the sample, block it and see if the idea actually works.

If it does work, well, actually, even if it doesn't, it has the germ of another good idea in it - all sidetracking that Fana design a bit. But when the muses begin to sing, one dare not ignore their melody!

Later today the earliest, maybe tomorrow...

Brainus Fartus

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Every other evening, I put 2 qts of water to boil to steep iced tea. I could drink the whole half gallon every day, but I try and be good and compromise by drinking just a quart's worth and a quart of water every day.

In the morning, I strain the bags, add sugar, heat it up a bit to dissolve the sugar, add lemon juice, and refrigerate.

Except this morning.

I took the lid off the pot. And there was no tea! OK, who took my tea? And left just a pot of water sitting here (insert sound of foot tapping.) Fleeting images of hubby running off with a jiggling, splooshing pot of tea, just to confuse me, runs through my head Then I remember. Oh duh.

PS

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:02:00 +0000

I wasn't totally happy with my new pic - looked like I had huge dark circles under my eyes.

Vain. Yes. I admit it. Take away my Feminist card! So, I changed the pic again. Not perfect, but I think I like it more than the other one.

Now onto more important work.

Sleep = weight loss

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:18:00 +0000

No joke!

Since I turned 40, a whopping decade ago, I've been forced, by my body, to try and figure out what it needs. Until then, I just went through life, eating as well as I could and running myself ragged, as most mothers with 2 careers do! And the bod just behaved, for the most part. Then 40 hit and the game changed.

Of course, what the bod needs changes. Especially through those 10 peri-menopausal years. I'm finally past that hump, (Insert happy dance.) but this last year, it was all exacerbated by the Cancer. Menopause and Cancer at the same time is no easy task. And completely confusing to the body and the owner of said body.

But I've learned. To Listen. VERY Closely. To My Body.

And I think I've discovered something new.

I hadn't been sleeping well for about 2 weeks. Change in magnesium formula and lackadaisical progesterone supplementation = toss and turn and wake up in the bleak hours unable to easily return to lala land. And my weight was up a few lbs. With the edema, I never know if it's *real* weight or water weight. It hardly matters, as the jeans don't discriminate by weight cause, they just won't fit, regardless.

I can't tell you how this is so not like me. Anyone that knows me knows I sleep like a rock. I like to do everything with passion, even sleep!

I recently switched to a liquid progesterone formula, instead of the creams I have been using for years. The liquid is super cheap as it lasts forever, and does the job. But I'd usually take it during the day, as that was easiest for me to remember.

So, a couple nights ago, I decided to try taking 1 drop (the usual dose) under my tongue or on the inside of my cheek 1/2 an hour before bed, and take a 1/2 pill of this new magnesium (I'm incrementally increasing the dose, trying to see if I can handle full doses).

(I had tried this with the progesterone cream, but it didn't work the same way. I have read that the cream on your neck or face before bed helps you sleep. Ha, not me it didn't!)

Now I'm back to sleeping like a rock. And, I've lost those extra lbs and an extra one on top of it. I haven't seen 137 in? can't remember when. Haven't exercised (the edema works overtime when I work up a sweat, and that's another gripe I have with this stupid edema - I'd like some muscle tone back.) I haven't dieted. In fact, yesterday, I had pasta with chunks of melted mozzarella for lunch AND dinner, and a small piece of marshmallow-iced chocolate cake.

So, I googled, Sleep and weight loss.

Looks like it's not my imagination! So, if anyone else struggles with weight (don't we all?), look at your sleep patterns and see if there isn't room for improving the quality of your sleep. Could be a simple fix out there, to not only get us the sleep we desperately need, but make those jeans fit a bit more comfortably. I love killing 2 birds with one stone!

I'll report back periodically, to let you know if it's still working.

Dawn's Feeling Radical

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:36:00 +0000

It's infuriating.

That in our society, we are led to believe that we can have blind faith in doctors.

That because they did all those years of study, they actually know what's good for us.

But there's 2 lessons my mother taught me, which are ingrained in me: Choose your friends carefully, and Question Authority.

As an Aries, I almost don't need to be reminded to question authority, it comes naturally. And I'm grateful for that.

Because if we let them, doctors will have their way with us, ruining us a bit at a time, 'til we're completely dependent on them and hospitals for survival. Survival, not Living.

True there are exceptions, but they are few and far between. Most doctors don't think outside the box. Cut 'em up and drug 'em is what they know. My anathema for them grows, as I see, yet another person afflicted with side effects of an idiotic and unnecessary drug recommendation.

We have, finally, a strong-enough Earth/Eco movement, growing slowly, but growing, and this time, not likely to fall by the wayside as it did in the 80's.

But what we also need is a larger network of health care professionals, like my radiology oncologist and my nurse-midwife gyn, who not only don't pooh-pooh alternative health practises, but advise them, when applicable. As adjuncts to traditional Western medicine. Depending on the problem, start with Nature. Start with remedies that aren't alien to the body, start with Nutrition and herbs.

We've chemicalled our world into a dying state. We're chemicalling our bodies into a dying state. We can no longer trust that other people know what is best for us. But then, I'm not sure there ever is or was a time we should trust someone else's judgment over our own.

A healthy Earth populated by healthy humans. It shouldn't be just an ideal, a dream. As with all ideals, they are powered by individuals. You, me, us. Demanding more. From ourselves and the professionals we rely on. Until Change Comes.

new me

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:07:00 +0000

Ha.

Tried to take a new picture of myself to post instead of the baby pic that's been here and Shaun, on Twitter.

Oy.

I'm not half bad to look at, but am NOT photogenic. Especially with this droopy eye from the retina surgery. (By the time you get to be old, all these doctors have rearranged your face and body til it's not recognizable any more.)

So, after about 100 attempts to capture a decent representation of my countenance, one thing seems to be blatantly clear. I'm in my "candlelight" years and should be avoiding bright daylight like a vampire.

So as all the pics made me want to hurl, I had hubby take some pics, and it only took him about 25 pics to get a decent one. Whew!

House of Cards and Doggie Day

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:03:00 +0000

House of Cards

I spent much of yesterday going nuts seeking out info about the most bio-available form of magnesium supplement that won't send me running to the, um, ladies' room. So far, we have 2 different full bottles of the stuff, all of which I'm too sensitive to.

Just some of the magnesium varieties:
Magnesium Oxide
Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium Citrate/malate
Magnesium Aspartate
Magnesium Carbonate
Magnesium Sulfate
Magnesium Chloride

It's too easy to give up and not take the supplement. But too many body functions, including sleep, which is eluding me lately, rely on getting enough and most people don't get nearly enough because we don't eat the foods that have it the most.

I try to be good about taking all my pills, but I always get to a point where I can't stand to swallow another pill and back off the supps, taking just my absolute necessities, the meds.

Until the body recoils. Hacking and sputtering like an ill-timed engine. Geez. Whatever happened to just going through the day, eating food, and it being enough? But no. The bod can't function on its own. Lately, I feel like I am nothing, absolutely nothing more than a bunch of hormone creams, meds and supplements, without which I'd be a miserable pile of degenerated goo.

Or a House of Cards ready to tumble at the merest breeze. Yup, there goes Dawn, blowing away in the wind!

Doggie Day

It's Friday. To some that means TGIF. To me, it means Doggie Day. When the local shelters put pics of some of their animals available for adoption in the paper.

Well, today held an embarrassment of riches. There was Little Bo Peep, a rabbit that looks like a sheep.

Andy, a poodle mix, and his brother, Amos.

Thelma, the beagle, and her sister, Louise.

And my favorites, name-wise - Stormy, a tri-colored cockatiel, with his sisters Sunny and Skye, and brothers, Rain and Drizzle.

But then we get to the ferrets. God, they're so cute! There's always a few listed and always with similar descriptions. Bella, a 3-year old black sable ferret, gives kisses and loves to play and dance. Well, that's me! I musta been a ferret in another life!

Julia via Barbara

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:45:00 +0000

Missed yesterday's blog post - my only excuse has been that I spent 2.5 hours cooking and baking - glazed carrots, hash browns, pan-fried steak with a simple wine sauce, 2 apple/carrot cakes and brewed iced tea. And of course, washed a boatload of pots, pans, bowls and other culinary accoutrement. And I was knitting.

Sweet friend and acclaimed author, Barbara Bretton, sent me this book

For those now in the know, it's Julia Child's story of her life in Paris with Paul, her husband, after the war. It's a wonderful love story, and a story of a woman who discovers her life's main passion. It is the book upon which the movie Julie & Julia was based.

Thanks so much Barbara!

Of course, I am just one of the throngs, waiting with baited breath, to read Barbara's next installment of the Chloe and Luke Saga!

Cooking and Knitting - Just The Math Ma'am

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:27:00 +0000

Cooking

I missed Lidia's Italy this week, as we were busy cooking. Hubby was making lemon and garlic-seasoned, breaded and baked flounder, to which I decided to make a sauce to go on top.

I began with 2.5 cups water and threw in a small bag of frozen shrimp shells. Boil, then simmer, covered. I do that with fish remains, instead of smelling up the garbage with them. Let simmer about 15 minutes.

As he was also making stuffed mushrooms, I absconded with 2 of them, chopped them very fine and sauteed them in some butter, adding some onion powder (had no shallots, but add that to the list of things I want to grow), then a good sploosh of Asti (had no white wine).

Then added all that to the pot of simmering broth and simmered the entire mixture another 10-15 minutes.

It wasn't alot of shrimp shells, so though the aroma said, Fish, the resultant sauce was delicate, not fishy.

I then made a roux with 2 TBL butter and 3 TBL flour, to which I added the strained liquid from the simmering pot, and whisked. Add salt and a bit of pepper to taste.

I'd love to try Julia's Beurre Blanc, but at 3 sticks of butter in the sauce, it would mostly go uneaten, or kill us if we did eat it all!

Knitting - Just The Math Ma'am

As I finished that errant Kimono Fana sleeve and am about to join all 3 pieces and shape the yoke area, I needed to do all the math first, for all 5 sizes, so that I know, at least on paper, that it can work. What happens once I knit it is something else and can muck up the entire thing.

Problem.
I'm not finding in any of EZ's books, and the Spun Outs and WG's which I have, though I haven't them all, nor in PGR's Knitting in The Old Way, ANY reference to shaping a square set-in sleeve in the round.

Oh sure, I could work the front and back to the shoulders, either separately or add 2 more steeks at the underarms, BO and seam them or bind them off together, then sew in the sleeves, or bind off the live sleeve sts into the armholes, or?

But no, I feel there's gotta be a way to do it in the round, no sewing, no more steeks, just the one at center front.

So, the one piece of knitting instruction I'm working from is EZ's Spun Out #21 (orig. WG #12, March 75), which details a set-in sleeve pullover, worked in the round.

So, the first thing to do, after trying to digest the instructions and figure out the *why* of each instruction, is to eliminate the shaping that occurs first, which is for the curved inset part of the sleeve.

I just want the straight up and down shaping part, so I'm gonna begin with the 2nd part of the instructions, which has you dec 1 st at each raglan point (not that this will be a raglan, but you know what I mean), on every 2nd rnd until half the sleeve sts are decreased out, then dec on every rnd til a few sts remain, then she has you do some back and forth work, which I haven't grasped yet.

Well, it all just makes the armhole depth too deep.

After running numbers, it looks like a 2/3 to 1/3 ratio works just about perfectly. Dec until 2/3 of the sleeve sts are gone on EOR, then dec the remaining 1/3 of the sleeve sts on ER.

Another issue is the % of underarm sts to be put on hold. Usually it's 8%. BUT EZ does the tops of her sleeves at only 33% of C = WAY too tight.

The sleeves for this design are at 41% of C, and as she suggests in the Spun Out, one then needs to put about 12% of C sts on holders. I find that 10.5% of C works, as I aim for about 2" worth for a size medium and that works out to be 10.5%.

Now, to get some uninterrupted hours to knit through this and see if it will work. But not til after another showing today, if she shows. She was supposed to show the house once before, but never showed up, and didn't call to cancel, so she's not on my good agent list, yet. Had 1 return visit on Saturday, and a showing and agent preview yesterday. It's all go here lately.

Now if this printer and computer would stop jerking me around - I'm trying to get a selection of designs and 1 each of all 7 of my books printed to send off to a new sales rep.

Coming up tomorrow - Barbara Bretton does it again!

The Little Engine That Couldn't

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Off to the chemo doc this morning to get this port flushed. I am hoping beyond hope that the extra cash we're giving to any agent, who gets us a signed contract by Jan. 30th, will finally get us a buyer, so I can schedule the removal of this port.

It's like an umbilical cord, that keeps me tethered to the chemo doc's office, feeding his till and his need to be overly cautious. As if he thinks I'll *ever* agree to have chemo again. They'd have to find me first.

Almost got that bad sleeve reknit. Then will tackle EZ's set-in sleeve but not. I want a square set-in sleeve, not a shaped set-in sleeve, so have read through her directions in Spun Out #21 (orig. WG #12, March 75), and will edit out parts of the shaping to end up with what I want. Hopefully!

I whizzed along on it, whilst singing and dancing to Mamma Mia! last night on the tube. Which apparently was too much excitement for me, as I was then all tuckered out and headachy. These damn diuretics. And I had 9 Klor Con yesterday, 3 more than my usual, as my energy has been low the past few days, but this bod just ain't well yet. I know I'm a slow healer, but this is tedious.

I know some (not naming any names - wink) might say it's Encrouching Old Age, but one doesn't go from spiffy quick and capable to a pile of goo overnight, when growing old. Decrepitude usually creeps up on people. I feel like I've been stopped in my tracks. I keep wanting to get the engine to rev up and roar up the track and it keeps sputtering and spitting out clouds of soot!

Knitting Begins With The Word

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:56:00 +0000

It's no wonder that I haven't wanted to knit. That there's been no spark, no fire, a knitting emptiness. All my knitting books were packed away, ever since that last buyer, who wanted to move in right away, so I began packing, then they backed out, leaving us high and dry and in a state of dishevelment.

I can't knit without my books!

I know. One usually expects a knitter to say she/he can't knit without their needles or certain yarns. But for me, knitting begins with the Word.

The word from the great knitting masters. At my side. I enjoy the doing, the creating, but it's only with their words by my side, quietly waiting under soft and hard covers like a patient teacher, that I feel capable, inspired, plugged in to the stream of knitting thought.

So when this realization hit me, I darted into my shipping room where the boxes were stacked and Xacto-knifed through the carefully taped boxes, diving feverishly through the layers of books, searching for my backbone books - everything EZ, PGR and AS. And sighed with relief, as if I had found a precious gem I thought I had lost. The pile now sits reassuringly on the floor next to the loveseat upon which I knit.

The world has a lesson coming up.

We're tossing books aside, as if they were relics of yesteryear, quaint, but unnecessary. And embracing Kindles and websites. And we rationalize it with Saving a Tree. Pish.

I've been doing my part to save trees for about 35 years, if not longer. It's no reason to not have books. Save paper somewhere else, not with books.

They are more than just paper and ink. They are what they do to us. It's as if every feeling or thought connected with that book becomes tangible, as one reads. It's not the same when reading pixels on a screen.

I love computers. They are great tools. But that's all they are. Tools. Same for all the other electronic gadgets taking over our lives. They have no soul. When you pick up a book and begin reading, you relinquish your connection to the here and now and allow yourself to take flight.

We need to do that. Humans need to disconnect from the world in a way that enriches us. We mustn't forget how much we need books. And authors. Or else risk becoming connected only to our tools.

Just One Shining Candlestick

dawn@dawnbrocco.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:00 +0000

What a day!

Sat in one of those breezy hospital gowns for 1/2 an hour waiting on the rad onc for my 3-month checkup. The patient before me apparently needed way more than the usual amount of doctor interfacing.

BTW, hospital gowns should come in 2 weights - that short-sleeved, cotton summer weight and a long-sleeved, thick flannel weight for winter. I sat there with my down jacket on over the gown, lest the cool breeze they call heat, that was blowing from the FHA ducts, turn me blue.

Which made us late getting home, which made hubby late for work and me to get some food finally into my stomach. Which made me tired when I shouldn't have been!

The dog also decided to leave me a trail of *gifts* down the hall and on the rug. I kept reminding myself, he's 15, he's 15, he's 15, instead of yelling at him.

Which meant I had to get out the carpet cleaner, again, and clean the family room carpet.

I already had enough to do today, but ain't that always the way when Murphy's at it.

Yesterday was also stew day, so out comes the arsenal of ingredients and cooking paraphernalia, in between 2 loads of laundry to do, and all the dishes, then an email from our agent - a showing for today. I do a quick mental appraisal of the house, and am glad I cleaned the carpet and not put it off! But add clean the bathroom again to the list.

But leave it to my husband to add levity to the house-prep chores.

I'm walking around the dining room table this morning, collecting all the silver, while he's staring at me wondering why I'm doing this.
me, reading his mind: They have to be polished.
him: No they don't.
me: Yes, they do, they're getting tarnished. Can't have a bunch of dull metals in the house dulling the house up for showings. Could you get me the brass candlesticks, so I can polish them too?
him: ALL of them?
me: No, just one. YES, all of them!
him: From the dining room AND the parlor?
me, groaning: YES!
him: With the candles or without?
me, thinking I should have just gone and got them myself: Oy, with the candles, so I can put the right ones back into the right candlesticks. You belong to the School of Lazy Man Housework, don't you?