Keeping the doona in the cover!

Here is my latest idea. My doonas are always getting scrunched up in the covers.
My solution is to use my snap press. I put snaps into each corner of the doona. Then the sockets of the snaps into the inside corners of the doona covers, I put them in the seam allowance so the snaps would be hidden.
Now snap the doona to the cover and turn the right way! Simple. Now off to test if it works. I may end up adding a couple more snaps in the side seams if the doona is still bunching.

I'm using my iPhone to post this. My first attempt of an iPhone post!

An inspiration board for your iphone!

I had so much fun today playing with this app!

 The App is KraftMyStyle

It allows you to montage photos together and create a style board

 I plan on using it to inspire me to create

all sorts of things!

 All the photos were taken with my iphone.

I grouped them with a theme.

The Native one will be a hat next week!

It's a free App!

Sunny mornings

Good Morning Readers.

I rolled out of bed at 6:30am this morning and took myself for a jog around the block. Half way around I was crying! Not because I was sad but because I was happy! I've come so far in the last 8 months both physically and mentally.

This mornings revelation on my run was that the vacant spot inside, I'd been filling so long with food, approval from others and stuff, was filled. That hole had been a lack of self worth,  self appreciation and self esteem.

Some interesting reading on Approval Addiction ....
Approval Addiction Keeps Us Trapped
Approval Addiction how to end the need to please

I feel so good inside and outside. I can now give myself the love and approval I need. The blog was part of my 'Need To Please'. Removing the comments and followers was necessary for me, I had to stop medicating myself with my Readers approval.

I started my weight loss journey to look better and improve my physical health. I've done so much more than that. I've learned to love myself. I've learned to accept myself, to be proud of me.
Losing weight might of seemed like the hardest thing to do at the beginning but it has been the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Ok, enough of the deep and meaningful!

This weeks crafting:

 I knitted Heather a vest. 

I've often admired this type of vest pattern

but couldn't bring myself to buy it as I knew it was so easy 

so I came up with my own version.

 Heather is growing up.

She loves anything electronic.

 I added some wavy lace for interest.

I'm really happy how this turned out. 

I worked this in the round from the top down.

The back is higher than the front as I think garments sit better.

I worked a few extra rows after the yoke on the back before joining back in the round.

 This is Joe's fleece from the Moseley Park Fibre Club.

All spun up. I spun some very fine and some think and plied the two together,

 Another Moseley park Fibre Club, this one Silk and Alpaca.

It has a beautiful drape and sheen.

And this is a single yarn spun from one of Kathy's plaits.

It had the colourway name of Peter Pan and I think it was silk and merino.

I  fulled the yarn, this gives it added strength.

While I was out running this morning.....

Dear Readers,

While I was out running this morning .....( I still get a buzz from telling others I run!!)
I was thinking a lot about everything. I love running the way my mind moves from one great revelation to another. I can solve the world's entire problems in my mind while I run.

It's a beautiful sunny day today and I ran my 4kms in 32 minutes, not bad for a woman who struggled to walk 20 minutes, six months ago. I use a great iphone app called Walkmeter when I walk, cycle or run. It keeps track of my distances and pace and gives me a link to my route in google maps, it even adds my run to my calender, I can look back at all my runs and see my improvement. I can play my music or listen to a podcast on my iphone, while using the app.

I've not opened my computer for four days and as a result it took awhile to download the 80 emails that had come in it that time. I have been reading them on the iphone. I'm also now keeping up with the list of blogs I read using an iphone app. I hadn't been checking reader for days and the list of unread blog posts was getting scary.

We are all looking forward to the East Of the Rangers Choir performance in Port Pirie on Tuesday night. Rose has a solo and Fern with two other singers is performing a song. James is also in the Choir, that has taken a lot of bribery and testing to get him to participate. James has had his second diagnosis of high functioning Autism and the paperwork is in process with Autism SA. Having a label makes it easier to understand  his behaviour and to explain it to others. It also will give him and us the support we need to help him achieve a happy, fulfilling life. We are very fortunate to have a large loving family who will support one another and give James the support he needs.

Physically and mentally I am much stronger and happier. I'm finding working on my mental health takes more discipline than my physical health. It can be harder to squash those negative self thoughts than push a few weights or run a few kilometers at the gym.  Ive carried many of my negative self images from childhood. I'm using a few Self Hypnosis apps on the iphone to help me improve my self esteem. I am getting a lot better, I can now smile and say thank you when someone pays me a compliment! I no longer point out every flaw that is present or wave off the compliment with comments that belittle my efforts. I still have a long way to go and I'll get there. It will take time, I've been self esteem destroying for years, my own worse enemy. I did poorly at school due to what I now know to be Dyslexia, so for years I thought I was 'thick'. My pet name growing up was 'fatty', that too takes a lot to heal from. I always had a mental image of myself being fat. When I looked back at a few childhood photos I was surprised to find I wasn't a fat child, both my sisters were very slender and I was just differently built. I'm enjoying the process of healing and becoming a confident, happy, healthy and fit woman.


With all the extra time I've gained by giving up the computer addiction ....

Handspun and knitted purse

Worked on my health and fitness.. 63.3kg now

Knitted armwarmer thingies with my handspun

Woven a scarf with my handspun..

and another one....

and another one...

and yet another scarf....

for a change of pace I knitted a hat!

and some fingerless mitts in natural coloured hand spun wool

Pete is now on his way to Tennant Creek for work and to be spoiled by all our Tennant friends family.
A few weeks of single parenthood for me. I actually enjoy it for a week or two, after that it gets a little tiring and I miss Pete a lot. It is nice at first to have the bed to myself, until I get invaded by bedbugs! It's nice to be in control of the TV remote, mostly the OFF button! It's nice that mummy's is the ultimate disciplinary voice, what Mummy says goes! I can write a longer list of what's not so fun about being a single parent but I'm these days much more focused on the positive!

I hope you all have a fabulous week. Filled with love, laughter and learning!

Love
Tracy

Knitting with Hanspun

 Pattern: Shrug This

Heavily modified.

I made it longer, used 8mm needles,

and I added some shaping to the bottom.

 I knitted the top in some of my handspun yarn.

The yarn was spun from one of Jane's beautiful blended batts.

I used one of Spinningwoodies handmade buttons.

Happy Birthday Rose! Where did 11 years go??

 Hard to believe how fast 11 years can fly by.

Sorry Sue, Janene, Josh and everyone else for being 

so slow putting up the birthday girl photos.

 Rose decorated her own cake

with yummy strawberries.

The kids had lots of fun breaking open the pinata.