I've been dreaming of knitting you for quite some time, but alas my chubby little self has prevented that. Now that my weight is dropping by an average of 1/3 rd lb per day you are now within my reach!
The pattern is now in my possession and I'm mulling over the materials. I'm seriously considering using Berroco Seduce, a silk and linen blend in Ice White, or maybe Euroflax again in Ice White.
Oh yes, you Dukan! (Say it aloud, for maximum effect.)
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1 8 oz package fat free cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar substitute
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest optional
1 egg
Preheat your oven to 350.
Line your 6 hole muffin tin with metal liners, or use ramekins etc.
Cream the cheese and sugar together, then add the extract, egg and the zest. Thoroughly mix.
Spoon evenly into the six cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until set.
Allow to cool, leaving the cheese cakes in the muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap then, pop them in the fridge to chill.
Once they have been chilled you may remove them from the tin and store them in the fridge in a plastic container.
Serve with Iced Coffee.
BTW, I've lost 3 lbs in a week with Dukan. That's equivalent to a small bag of real sugar! Go me!
Notes
1. This is suitable for all phases of the Dukan Diet!
2. Please ignore the Nilla Wafer cookie crust. I made some to share with others, hence the crust in a few of them. I simply crushed a few cookies with a spoon and sprinkled it into the bottom of each tin before pouring the batter. Omit this, unless you want it for your Celebration meal.
3. Feel free to double the recipe and make 12 and share with more friends.
4. I used Ideal Sugar substitute, which has no after taste. I made Beef Teriyaki with it and it flew past two teen aged boys without a twitch. Yes, it is that good.
5. And yes, you can use regular cream cheese and sugar if you want, which was the foundation for the tweaked recipe.
I've had lust in my heart for a Tablet for quite some time and today I will own a Galaxy!
TBC and Fly Boy thank you!
In the absence of knitting I have filled my time with reading copious amounts of books that I've downloaded onto my Kindle.
One the first day of each month a plethora of books are released for free from hundreds of authors and all genres. How wonderful!
On one such occasion I came across a Murder by Month Mystery series by Jess Lourey.
"Minneapolitan Mira James has been taking it easy since college graduation--too easy. Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job.
Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirtysomething high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hotdish best served cold.
A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel is the first in a series of cozies featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots."
I found the book to be a pleasant escape with hiliarious and realistic charcters that kept things interesting and made me wish I could live in Battle Lake. Perfect for summer reading.
Thanks to Lendle and Book Lending and a few clandestine purchases because I have the patience of a three year old, I have read all seven books.
Even though the odds of a single person being connected to a murder every month is highly unrealistic unless you are a Cop, I find myself wanting another installment!
I started The Dukan Diet on Friday and I'm pleased to announce that I have whittled 1.8 lbs in three days. I'm averaging a half pound a day. Not too shabby for a hormonal woman!
Should you have an inquiring mind about my weight loss journey simply click on the Dukan Diary at the top of the page. I will update this regularly.
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My knitting Mojo has flown the coup and has been gone for quite some time. I think it was sometime around mid March and I have not seen it since. All I've really done lately is fiddle with a lace weight scarf that has been on the needles far too long. The pattern is Unique Melody by Rose Beck. I'm using Alpaca Cloud in Smoke.
I think the reason for Mr. Mojo's absence is that all I really want to knit are summer tops. And I have refused to do so until I lost the weight, which in turn has caused me to become highly frustrated which caused the stall. Oy!
Now that the weight is starting to go I'll be knitting tops sooner than I hoped. I figure in about another month and a half I'll be doing what I really want to do.
In the meantime I'm going to focus on completing the Basics, Basics, Basics course from TKGA - The Knitting Guild of America. Lots of questions to answer and swatches to pass the time.
Then it will be on to the Master Hand Knitting Level I.
The past three years have been a tremendous struggle for me. I blame in on the hormones and let's leave it at that.
My blog faltered and died but today I'm resurrecting the silly thing. With luck someone will leave a comment or two.
All is well with the family. We are still living in Key West with high hopes that The Beloved Commander (TBC) will land a job in the Carolina's, Georgia or Northern Florida.
God please get us out of here. Key West and our family is just not a good fit.
Air Force Son (AFS) is headed to Basic training on July 10th. I think I'm going to cry. TBC says, "I am going to cry."
And that leaves me. The Knitting continues strong in my 8th year. Somethings never change and I'm pursuing my Master Hand Knitting Certificate. That is a 3 year adventure all in itself.
Since our move to Florida I've packed on a flabby 35 pounds to my petite frame. It's time to shed the fat suit before TBC rolls me out the door and leaves me at the curb!
In six weeks my Knitting friend Jane has removed a significant amount of weight from her statuesque figure. Well this got my attention and inquiring minds wanted to know how.
She directed me to the Dukan website. I quickly whizzed over to Amazon and purchased the Kindle version and spent the week reading and researching the program.
The Dukan method seems very approachable to me.
NO Measuring
NO Counting
NO Sugar
NO Wheat
NO Alcohol
All the protein and veggies you can eat! As an Omnivore this is a diet made in heaven. For Jane it was a bit tricky to navigate because she is a vegan, but she managed with great success.
If she can, I can.
Dr. Dukan does encourage the use of artificial sweeteners for those who just can't take their tea or coffee without sugar.
That would be me, which leaves me in a tight spot. I abhor fake sugar. I think it is dangerous comsumed in large quantities and generally tastes disgusting. I'll go without thank you very much.
However, a high protein diet it tends to bind a person up and the Dieter requires a healthy dose of fiber to keep things flowing. He advises eating a oat bran pancake to counter balance the protein effect. Oy!
I made a pancake out of the oat bran without sweetener and added cinnamon. It tasted like a cardboard box and I could barely gag the thing down. I don't think I could eat one everyday.
Lucky me I found a sweetener that I can tolerate - Superose Liquid Sweetener. Now discontinued, of course.
I bought the three remaining bottles on the shelf. (I purchased one bottle. Took it out to my truck and taste tested the clear liquid then went back to purchase the remaining two. I realise how nutty that sounds but this is Key West and no one even noticed. It takes a lot to get someones attention here.)
Since I'm only going to use a smidgen for each pancake I should be good for a while and I tinkered with the recipe too. Much improved.
This week I put together my menus and the grocery list. Friday the fun begins.
Dr. Dukan strongly recommends that you start when your schedule is reasonably clear. A Friday start gives me four full days before I have to deal with people and I can miss Knit Group on Saturday if I need to!
Twitch!
So another new year in the Knit Lounge has begun and to make things a wee bit more entertaining I set a little goal with the help of a Ravelry group "52 in 52 in 2012".
What a mouthful but it should be fun. All you have to do is knit 52 items in 52 weeks or one full year.
Some might find that daunting but when I counted up what I knit this year I came up with 42 projects, including several tops, sweaters and shawls etc.
I was only ten short of the goal last year so this is reasonable for me. Toss in a few extra pairs of socks and I'll hit the mark.
And here comes my first project, the first of two pairs of socks for a client. I spent New Years Eve swatching and cast on Sunday afternoon.
Lucky me, I'm working with Anzula Luxury Yarns - Squishy, a merino cashmere blend.
Very Lux indeed.
Only in Key West will you see a duck, an Ibis, an Iguana, a chicken and a Seagull all within 5 feet of each other. I wish I had my camera for that.
To the 50 year old man on Duval Street wearing a black leather biker jacket, a black tutu and combat boots - you really should have shaved your legs before you went out for the night. I'm glad I did not have my camera.
Stonewall sent me this picture.
Do you think he is trying to tell me something?
To the couple who opted to start WW-III in the middle of the crosswalk and stopping all the traffic in the process. Thank you so much for inviting us in to your life but would you mind containing your contempt for each other to the sidwalk so the rest of us can carry on. It's a good thing the Key West Police Mounted Patrol was only a hoof beat away.
After 20 years of humble service our mattress decided that it was over due for retirement. Our replacement will arrive on Saturday!
I'm almost done with Horai. I never want to K3TG again.
Stonewall kindly ground the all the tips on my blocking wires to a smooth blunt finish! No more snags. I think I'll keep him.
He also rearranged our bedroom and did a pretty good job.
I have moved all of my Knitting supplies, wool and books into the Knit Lounge aka the spare room. The organizing begins.
Did you know that finding a basic electric skillet is not an item readily found in Key West?
Well now you do.
And if you are desperate for a inexpensive lampshade you can forget it. It's not going to happen either.
I miss Wal-Mart.
One thing that I learned when I was serving in the U.S. Navy was to travel as light as possible but always carry the bare minimum with you until your sea bag is found again. Yes, the Navy is very good at sending you to one place and your sea bag to another. Trust me.
To this day I have maintained that behavior. However, I do not like to be weighed down with unnessecary stuff when I'm out and about even on Knit Group days yet I don't want to be in need of something either.
So I purchased this really nifty case in my signature color that helps me stay that way.
Tucked inside this little 3.5 x 2.5 case is everything that I might need when I'm away from home.
1. tape measure
2. cable key and a metal safety pin
3. large and small metal ring markers
5. waste yarn for holding stitches
6. two end caps
7. darning needles in 3 different sizes
Did you know that you can use a heavier darning needle as a cable needle in a pinch? Well, now you do.
All of this weighs a whopping 2 1/4 onces.
Attached to this is the tinest pair of red scissors that measure 1 7/8" from Hiya Hiya. They are totally cute but between you and me, they are not the best tool in the shed. The blades are just little bent which makes for fiddly cutting.
I'm ready and light as a feather.
About a year and half ago a friend of mine and I started a tradition. When we are out and about we purchase a little bauble as a memento of the occasion. It can be anything from a mug with a sheep on it, to a small piece of jewelry, or something that we can use fairly often. Nothing to expensive just a little something.
My delightful friend Patricia and I are both Leo's and our birthday's are 9 days apart. To celebrate ours, I buy her lunch and vise versa. After lunch we always go shopping in downtown for fun.
In keeping with my tradition I brought two bold bracelets as my memento.
Both are from Mango Tree, an eco friendly company and these bangles fit like a dream and the wood is as smooth as silk. For a petite person is is very difficult to find bangles that do not overwhelm our smaller frames and these are scaled to size perfectly. Did you notice the price? What a steal.
You know, I had to purchase the Race Car Red beauty.
And I also fell in love with the marbled Raspberry. I need to knit a sweater to match!
Does anyone want to go out to lunch with me so I can get another one?
A few months ago I gave a dear little old lady friend of mine a pair of hand knit socks. The woman almost lost her mind with delight. She wears them every night when she goes to sleep.
I have to pry them out of her hands to give them a wash on a regular basis and this is a difficult task indeed because she is a typical feisty Italian woman.
When she told me that she was going to take them to the hospital for minor surgery on Monday, I just about croaked in horror.
They are not as pretty as they used to be and I don't want her telling anyone that I made them given their current condition. After all I have a reputation as a professional knitter to protect.
I anxiously tried to dissuade her to no avail.
In that moment I decided that I needed whip up a pair in a flash and swap the old for the new when I take her to the hospital on Monday morning.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. My pride reputation was in jepardy so I crossed the line and broke my self imposed yarn code - Life is too short to knit with crap, and purchased twitch, twitch, a single ball of cheap icky L.B. Wool-Ease, to solve the problem. No special care required. It was the best I could do considering the exceedingly limited resourses in Key West and they will look decent when done. Oh yes, I was a knitter on the edge.
I cast on Friday evening and finished the pair on Saturday night while watching Star Trek Voyager re-runs. (Stonewall is on a serious bender.) I intentionally skipped the Library Knit Group on Saturday afternoon least someone discover my scandalous behavior.
OMG, my 111th pair of socks is made of fake wool! I'll never live this down.
I'm still twitching and Stonewall is becoming concerned.
Would someone please pass the cashmere?
So the big gray blob was finished on July 30th and it went straight to the blocking board after a long warm bath.
I was not convinced before the blocking process and now I'm sure. This is a major bust. It does not fit properly despite my best efforts and the only thing I like is the yarn.
Thankfully, my Inner Knitter suggested that Patrica B. might be interested in purchasing the piece before I began to rip it.
She is dear friend who is four inches taller than I am and is lean and agile like a gazelle. Everything looks great on her.
So I called Patricia and arranged for a meeting. And as expected it looks beautiful on her. Today she is is the happy owner of South Pole and the proceeds paid for Georgie!
How unexpected, but everyone wins!
Wanna see my new magic collar?
Mommy made it for me. It repels ticks and mosquitoes. I only wear it when I go outside.
It smells like Citronella and Lemongrass extract.
Mommy used Comfy Cotton and knit an I-Cord 16 inches long with size 5 needles, then tied a square knot. On Sundays, she refreshes the collar with 3 drops of each extract. She keeps it in a plastic baggie when I don't need it.
It works and Daddy says it's much better than picking ticks!
P.S. Mommy says, if you can find Citronella Mist, soak the collar in the liquid for 20 minutes, then wring out the excess and pour the rest of it back in the bottle. Let the collar dry completely on wax paper, away from pets and kids. Store it in a plastic bag when not in use, away from pets and kids. Repeat the process as needed. Or you can just spray your hands lightly and rub it on your puppy before you go outside.
P.P.S. Ellie says, don't let your puppy eat the collar. It could give them a bad tummy ache or worse.
As a pretty firm rule I have given up wearing high heel shoes. I think it has something to do with the aging process. I no longer wish to make painful physical sacrifices on the alter of beauty when it comes to shoes but this does not mean that I am going to give up style. That would be criminal.
There is a fabby little store in Key West named Wander Lust that carries a lovely assortment of stylish flats. And I just had to have this pair in dusty silver. I think of them as an early birthday present to myself.
The shop owner even gave me a discount since my special day is just around the corner on the 14th. She is a sweet heart. On Saturday, I wore them with my taupe linen trousers and Blush. I got compliments on both. How cool is that???!!!
After a string of eight sweaters I think I'm done with that process for a while. I simply can't face another one and I really want to loose those annoying twenty pounds which will change the way things fit in the fall.
With that it's time to return to my lace knitting roots. I feel the need to knit gauzey pretty things that do not require any fitting what so ever.
I'm in lust with Horai but K3TGs can be rather beastly to work so I selected 100 % Baby Alpaca Lace which has a good bit of elasticity for digging into stitches and size 10 needles for good measure.
And I know this will shock you but I just happen to have two hanks in a deep rich red in my stash! Life is good.
My brother in law is moving to Austen Texas in 18 days.
In 18 days I'm confiscating the room before Stonewall gets any ideas and will begin to transform it into my very own Knit Lounge!
Zoe and George are very excited about this up coming event. They have grown weary of sharing the bedroom with Stonewall and I.
Today, I'm tiding up my stash and rewinding yarn though something tells me I'll feel all tangled up by the end of the day!
Remember that I spent an obscene amount of money for a single knitting pattern?
Well that is only the begining my dear friends.
The pattern calls for 2,133 yards of sport weight yarn. Lovely. Off I went to Knit Picks for the best prices on merino wool.
Are you sitting down for this? And may I ask you to please move away from the desk least you hit your head when you faint from sticker shock.
Cobblestone Heather in Stroll Sport 17 balls = $62.73 Ouch! Factor in the price of the pattern and the total is $97.73! I should not have done that.
I love, love the color but I'm afraid I'll look like Navy issue blanket considering the construction.
So I lighten up drasticly with Dove Heather Swish DK. 19 balls = $75.81! And for added excitement let's add in the price of the pattern again. Drumroll please- $110.81!
Naturally, the Dove color will meld with more things in my wardrobe. I should have seen that coming.
It's a good thing that I have a birthday coming up 'cause Stonewall just bought my present.
Do you think I should tell him or wait till later?
It's official! I have lost my mind. Would you like to know what I did?
I spent an obscene amount of money for one single knitting pattern! Want to see what pushed me over the edge?
Georgie, from Kim Hargreaves.
Are you in a state of shock? So am I.
The collar makes this positively fabulous in my humble opinion.
Can you imagine it fastened with this silver shawl pin?
Yes, I know I can copy this pattern fairly easily, but not enough people in Ravelry left me helpful photographic clues on how to do reproduce the simplistic design.
It's the hood/collar that is causing me such frustration. I just don't know how to manage it so I had to make a choice.
Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Being absolutely disgusted with one knitting project means that one can redirect ones attention to another project.
Thus, I knit the first sleeve for Pole this weekend. The upper arm was a breeze with round after round of lovely stockinette stitch.
When I arrived at the cuff I found that the Tuck stitch did not go as fast as I like because it is terribly fiddly and slows me down.
Basically what you do is pick up a pearl bump eight rows below the stitch, on the inside of the sleeve, then pick it up and knit it with the current stitch.
Will I do ever knit this stitch pattern again? Probably not. Though I do like the effect.
With the sleeve installed I am exactly half way through Pole and things are looking pretty good.
I can only hope it looks as good on me as it does on Zoe!
Well it's been four months since Stonewall Jackson presented me with the Kindle with a fancy Red Cover and I have to say that I enjoy it even more than before. It wonderfuly portable and contains 582 books that are ready and waiting for me at the flip of a switch. And 99.5 % percent of them were free at one point in time.
At this time I think I've only spent about twenty dollars for a handful of books, including my Bible which I paid $6.39 and Through the Bible with J. Vernon McGee for $6.99!!!!!! It was on sale. Now it is listed at a whopping $71.99! That in itself has made this piece of tech a worthwhile investment.
The only thing that bothers me about e-books is that I don't have a sense of how "thick" it may be. I always stayed away from proper books that were less than an inch and a half. I can devour thin books in less than a day. If the description of an e-book mentions the word short I don't bother with them either. Other than that I'm one happy little duck.
This week I'm reading The Dead Saint that was once listed as free. It is a very well written political mystery.
It is such a interesting tale that I've been reading late into the night with the help of my Kandle, least I disturb Stonewall and Ellie.
Though I don't think Ellie cares one little wit. That girl doggie sleeps like a log as long as she is snuggled next to me!
