The Eternal Question -- To be a Thrower or a Picker

In the name of speed, I am trying to master Continental style of knitting. I've been knitting British for 23 years (since I was 12) and produce smooth, neat stitches and essentially flawless work.

But I yearn for speed!

The word on the street seems to be that Continental, once you've got the technique down pat, is the faster of the two. But do I want to return to those newbie days of knitting, with uneven tension and sloppy-looking work? Not really... unless it will be worth the learning curve in the long run.

Just watched a short YouTube video of Eunny Jang knitting -- her speed is mindblowing. Check this out:



This girl is amazing. She's now the Editor of Interweave Knits Magazine, with a blog on the Interweave website. But I prefer her on her old personal blog -- I can relate much better to her personality here

This video is a great example of how it's done, in a slowed down version of Eunny's warp speed, for us humans:

Boob Tube Film Festival

Our daughter Indira was born the night before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, so for the first 2 weeks of her life, nighttime feedings were accompanied first by the opening ceremonies, then by swimming and gymnastics (in real time!) But once that event came to an end, and the baby was still waking several times a night to nurse, I needed something to occupy me aside from infomercials.

The baby's room also doubles as a guest room, complete with tiny tv/dvd combo. So for the past 7 months, baby and I have been staging our own Boob Tube Film Festival. We watch about 30 minutes of a film per night. She has snacks; I abstain. Here's a list of what we've seen so far, rated (with 1 boob being the worst, and 5 the best):

Six Feet Under Complete Series (about 60 episodes over 6 months) 5 boobs (drama, romance and humor with a high creepy factor. Final episode was phenomenal)
Sex and the City (the movie) 3.5 boobs (good plot, too much soft core porn)
50 First Dates 5 boobs (makes me laugh and cry every time - see The Wedding Singer below)
The Other Boleyn Girl 3 boobs (sucked compared to the book but the costumes were great)
The Wedding Singer 5 boobs (Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are a match made in heaven)
The Big Chill 4 boobs (good flick but would have been better watched in the '80's)
Babel 4 boobs (communication's a bitch)
The Painted Veil 3 boobs (not quite sure what the point was)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 3 boobs (Harrison Ford's getting old - literally)
Stand By Me 5 boobs (was great when I was 12, is still great now)
The Emperor's Club 4 boobs (not Kevin Kline's best work)
Good Night and Good Luck 2.5 boobs (George Clooney co-wrote this? Why?)
Bon Cop Bad Cop 5 boobs (a Quebecois masterpiece. Makes you crack up in both official languages -- ha ha ha / heu heu heu)
Project Runway - Season 1 4 boobs (A victory for crazy-go-luckys everywhere)
Rachel Getting Married 2.5 boobs (Anne Hathaway deserved the Best Actess Oscar Nomination, but she's the only thing this endless movie had going for it)
Twilight 3 boobs (a pale comparison to the book, but good visual effects)
Seven Pounds 5 boobs (the gift that keeps on giving)
I've Loved You So Long 5 boobs (a testament to the power of a mother's love)
27 Dresses 3 boobs (she was much more funny alongside Seth Rogan and his juvenile humour in "Knocked Up")
The X-Files - First Season 4.5 boobs (proof you don't have to be thin, tall or well-dressed to be a great leading lady)
Death at a Funeral 4 boobs (the Brits really know how to make a great movie out of a single setting and minimal plot)
Dan in Real Life 4 boobs (sweet and funny and enough awkward moments to make it a true Steve Carrell performance)

Great Increase for Sleeves

I never knew what was the best increase for sleeve shaping, so I've tried all kinds of different ones, but none were perfect. I've just discovered "Strand Increase", which makes an almost invisible increase which is ideal for sleeves, or any other place you don't want an obvious increase. Check out this link for an explanation with images: Strand Increase

Nitrates and Migraines -- Hidden Foes!!

For those of us who get migraines, we know -- we have to be vigilant to avoid those triggers that send us into blinding pain and agonizing nausea. My main trigger (aside from those impossible-to-control hormones) is the nitrates and nitrites found in cured meats -- ham, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, etc. I have faithfully avoided these foods ever since I figured out they were the major culprit of my migraines.

So when I came across "all natural" bacon, smoked the old-fashioned way with absolutely no added ingredients, I was psyched to say the least. All it contains is pork. That's it. What could be dangerous about that?

As it turns out, lots. Apparently, the process of smoking the pork can bring out the naturally-occuring nitrates/nitrites inherently existing in the meat. I unfortunately found this out too late, and suffered the consequences.

This also explains the migraine I got after eating smoked salmon, which again contained no additional nitrates/nitrites. I guess the smoking process in itself is just a migraine-inducing process for those of us who are sensitive to it.

What a crushing disappointment.

In-N-Out Burger -- Dairy Free!!

After 3 months of denying myself so many of my faves, because I have had to go dairy-free (our infant daughter has allergic colitis, which means my breast milk has to be cow's milk-free), I have finally been able to satisfy at least one of my cravings, because:

In-N-Out Burgers and Fries are dairy free!!

Unlike McDonald's, which has dairy in both their hamburger buns and their fries (dairy in fries, can you imagine!?), In-N-Out is cow free (except for the beef, of course).

I enjoyed every bite of the luscious, savoury burger and crisp fries, and the pleasure centre of my brain is breathing a slow, deep sigh of satisfaction. Ahhhhhh.

Introducing the BeechTree Knits Blog

Well, I finally grabbed the last tail edge of the bandwagon and started my own blog. Welcome!