Hand Knitted Purple & Black Striped Scarf & Hat Set

Summer is wrapping up and fall is setting in...just a season away from winter. Last year, I had planned to open up shop in a few consignment places around town and possibly send some of items for my sister to help me sell in Pace, Florida but this year, so far has been a weird one.

Most of my energy, when not working and dealing with mapping out my weight loss plan and dealing with the treatments for HS, has been dedicated to working on the AfterGlow project. As most everyone knows, I LOVE the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and the AfterGlow project revolves around many of the original ladies of GLOW as well as their incredible fans. I've helped design an amazing T-Shirt along with the final GLOW Champion, Daisy as well as I'm in the process of creating new shirts as well as a few other unusual items.

Hand Knitted Purple & Black Striped Scarf & Hat.

So last year, I made a purple and black scarf set which sold pretty quickly on my e-crater page, which I just discontinued in favor of my storenvy page just to simplify my online venues. After I sold the first one, I made another and sold it to someone on, of all places, the MARTA train as I was casting off the hat. I made another and posted it in my etsy shop, which sold super quick also. So here's Purple & Black Hat and Scarf Set #4...All posted and ready for sale in my storenvy shop.

http://adriansknitwits.storenvy.com/products/10971801-unisex-hand-knitted-purple-black-striped-scarf-hat-set

Please check out my other handmade creations at: http://adriansknitwits.storenvy.com

Hobby Lobby's Yarn Bee Sherpa Blend Yarn

My knitting hobby and obsession with buying yarn is definitely not a secret. For the most part, I tend to be a creature of habit and stay with the yarn brands that I know and love, each brand and type for specific uses. If it's soft, I'll create a hat or blanket with it. If the yarn has a rough feel, I'll make a bag or an outerwear scarf with it.

Aside from Red Heart for bright fun patterns, Caron for basic color tones and Bernat for it's classic variegated colors, I love Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn brand as it rivals the look of the aforementioned brands but seems to have a bit more of an added element of softness and stretchy-ness.

Every so often I will find a project that requires bulky or super bulky yarn and my go to for those were usually Lion Brand Wool-Ease or Lion Brand Homespun. Both are awesome to work with and very comfortable but eventually I discovered a yarn similar to Homespun that I preferred on every level called Country Loom by Loops & Threads.

Now Discontinued Yarn Bee Sherpa Blend

Occasionally I will try out a new yarn and this "review" is based on one such skein. Yarn Bee's Sherpa Blend yarn from Hobby Lobby. It's soft and furry, a blend of polymide, acrylic and wool, it seemed as if it would be awesome to knit with. I was wrong on all accounts. I usually wind all my yarn into yarn cakes from the skein because it stores easier, loosens up and relaxes the fibers as well as being able to pull from the center of the cake is easier to deal with.

Trying to wind Sherpa Blend using my yarn winder was definitely a test of patience. It took me 4 times longer than a normal skein of Red Heart Super Saver. I began to realize as I'm winding that this yarn will most likely be a bit of a hassle to knit with. I cast on my knitting loom with minimal problems but I did notice that the yarn is a bit catchy as it is wrapped and worked. I got an inch into a couple of knit purl knit purl rows before I realized I'm done with the yarn. Honestly it took me 2 times longer to purl than it did to knit and it should be about the same time. The yarn was also not comfortable to work with, I can't imagine what the final product would have felt like, even when washed in fabric softener.

As with most of my "testor" yarns that I try out, I aim to either use a coupon or if I find something with a deep discount, I'll try it out. This was one such yarn that I found in the clearance section marked down from $6.99 to $1.99. While I'd say that $1.99 would be a deal for a $6.99 yarn, THIS was certainly not the case. Sadly, I can only say that I'm happy that Hobby Lobby decided to discontinue this.

I've lost 13 Pounds!!!!

Hidradentis Suppurativa. I had been suffering from extreme, un-explainable pain for years and was relieved to finally get a definitive diagnoses and plan of treatment. There is no cure but treatments do help with remission. Coping with pain through various methods and keeping secondary infections are the key to this disorder. I've been to several dermatologists over the past few months and believe I found the best one for me. He's in his 70's and really experienced and started me out on antibiotics to treat 2 strains of bacteria in an infection that I developed. He's also given me amazing advice including avoid working in heat, use Eucerin Calming lotion or an ice pack to take the edge off pain rather than scratching or rubbing. The downside to it all is the fact that he has advised that I refrain my favorite past time, BATH TIME. Showers only and only as hot as lukewarm, never HOT. He also mentioned that one of my problems is I am TOO clean. How in the world can someone be too clean? Anyway, I intend to feature a few blogs regarding Hidradenitis in the future.

A couple of weeks ago I had my yearly physical and unfortunately, my doctor diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. This may explain a bit of my metabolic issues and even contribute to some of my weight issues. Doctor Gandy prescribed a daily dose of 50 mg's of levothyroxine. Here's hoping it helps but it's a pain in the butt for me to take. Apparently you have to take it on an empty stomach and avoid certain items including iron for at least 4 hours...I just take it at 5 am and jump back in bed until my usual wake up time of 10 am.

More big news!!! I'm back on the weight loss bandwagon. I'm not sticking to one particular diet plan this time, I'm using a hybrid of a few plans plus fighting cravings with healthier swap-outs. For breakfast, I have a Slim Fast shake. Lunch and dinner are usually based on Joel Fuhrman's book Eat To Live as well as Mario Lopez's Extra Lean. My cravings usually range between cheese, ice cream and cake. Lisa Lillien's Hungry Girl website and books are a great tool to help with healthier alternatives. Essentially, I'm aiming at no more than 1900 calories per day, just right for my size. I have completely cut out sugar sweetened drinks, if I do something more than water, it's usually Mio, Crystal Light or Tea with a little Splenda. My coffee is basically black with Splenda and occasionally a tablespoon (yes I do measure) of 2% milk. I can't do anything thinner than 2% milk, it's already too thin for me to love. Since July I have dropped 13 pounds, I started at 197 pounds and my current weight is 184. My goal is to be 145 pounds by May 2016, when Terry and I set sail on our very first cruise.

The diet isn't as difficult as you'd expect, there are so many phone apps that will help keep you on track. Calorie Count being my favorite. Many times this app has helped me make good choices if I found myself in a crunch to get something quick to eat and had to do fast food. My only struggle is trying to tell people that submit their diet 2 cents to fuck off. What works for me might not work for someone else, we are all different and having been to a nutritionist, what I am doing is within the same range as what she customized for me. Honestly, I know what I'm doing and I don't need people that claim they have a clue about nutrition trying to tell me what I should and shouldn't do.

My knitting store is still around at http://adriansknitwits.storenvy.com and I have a lot more fun knitted items in the works. This year will be the first year that I offer reversible colored hats as well as hats with pom poms and embellishments such as flowers and other designs. I have worked up a few Minion hats also.

Speaking of handcrafted items, a few months ago, I helped one of the original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling wrestlers create an amazing T-Shirt featuring the famous logo in glittering rainbow colors. Be sure to check it it out at the official AfterGlow Fan Party Store http://glowafterglow.storenvy.com.

Also, don't miss your chance to take part in the biggest GLOW event since it's inception, the AfterGlow Fan Party Cruise to Baja Mexico May 22-26, 2016. Check out the cruise website at http://www.afterglowatsea.com. Check out the definitive GLOW fan page at http://glowwrestling.tumblr.com/ and be sure to visit and like our page on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/OfficialGLOWfanBlog

The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling AfterGlow Fan Fund

Being a fan of GLOW as well as a friend to many of the GLOW girls, I interact with them a good bit. In recent months, I've begun to help out with the creation of a few products the individual girls could sell online to help with what we are calling the AfterGlow Fan Party Fund. Essentially, the fund has been set up to raise money to help a few hardcore "SuperFans" of GLOW that wouldn't be able to come along on the cruise without it. Terry and I have already booked our cabin for the cruise and I will be taking part in some of the itinerary. One of the coolest parts of the AfterGlow Fan Party, at least for me, is my story of how GLOW ended for me when I was a kid, will be featured in a new documentary featuring some of the hardcore fans.

For more information regarding the AfterGlow Fan Party Cruise, check out http://www.afterglowatsea.com.

I have set up a store http://glowafterglow.storenvy.com featuring a few items so far, including a T-Shirt and tank top that I created along with original Glow Girl, the awesome Daisy. The shirt is unique for sure, it doesn't just contain the original GLOW logo in updated Rainbow colors, it has a glitter overlay that sparkles and shimmers in the light. We are also working on the possibility of a GLOW in the dark GLOW shirt also.

We are also offering fans the chance to schedule a telephone call from several of the GLOW girls. Currently we are scheduling calls for Roxy Astor, Sunny the California Girl, the awesome Daisy and the evil dwarf Gremlina. There might be a possibility that we will be adding Beastie the Road Warrior to the mix.

More items which will be offered soon are Personalized Autographed Photos and a couple of limited edition Christmas Ornaments.

My amazing friend Michael Karr and I are spending a good bit of our time off work, working on promoting the AfterGlow Fan Party as well as preserving the legacy of GLOW for a new generation. Check out the definitive GLOW fan page at http://glowwrestling.tumblr.com/ and be sure to visit and like our page on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OfficialGLOWfanBlog