So, I'm now suffering from Reverse Startitis - am I the first known victim of Finishitis? I'm looking around at the UFOs, and it's finish it or rip it time. So I sat down this morning to pick up stitches for the button band of the rose Lamb's Pride cardigan - all done but for button band, and I LOVE it, it turned out really nice, simple and classic - and quickly figured out that my longest size 6 circular wasn't going to get the job done at all. What to do, what to do?


A little shopping around....let's see, I could buy a 47" Addi circular, which will be barely long enough, for $12. That's one needle. Then I've got the gray hoodie in the same state of unfinished, but that one needs a smaller-size long needle for the button band - so now we're at $24...for two needles...hmmm. OR I could do what I really want to do and buy the Denise set. So obviously, this is both the sensible and economical solution, right? Absolutely. Done deal, they're already ordered - unfortunately, that doesn't help my immediate need for Finishitis Gratification.


Still mousing along - yesterday I made one with stripes which turned out so cute and silly, it's stripes from now on.


Okay, so now I'm starting to believe Rob is dangerous reading for me. I've been thinking about that Obi sweater in Simply Knit ever since I saw a photo of it, now he raves about it on his blog, and links to other gorgeous photos, AND suggests yarn, AND when I follow the link, I find a colorway I love: Crazy Woman. Even the name is saying, "Yes, I am meant for you." First the Knitters magazine bag, now this.


First report on the South Beach Diet - 3.5 lbs gone in the first week - which would be a good first week on any diet, but this is an even bigger accomplishment because I've been on a 6 month plateau, gaining and losing the same 2-4 lbs, but never getting past that set point, until now. It's a very easy diet for me, because it's not very different from the way I eat already - lean meat, chicken, fish, green veggies, avoiding processed stuff. I just tweaked my diet a bit according to the SBD guidelines and the weight is coming off again. I'm actually "cheating" right off the bat, too, because I skipped the "induction" phase of the diet, just because I wasn't in the mood to pay attention. I just knocked out the casual carbs I was consuming here and there - no bread, no cereal, rice, pasta, potatoes, and of course no sugary anything - but I do allow myself a few indulgences, like real half and half in my coffee and a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks after church.


I learned a lot from Weight Watchers - I did it online, because no way could I attend regular meetings these days - and one thing I learned while keeping track of my points was that I wasn't eating enough calcium. It seemed like I couldn't eat enough calcium rich foods and stay within my points, and I think fat-free dairy products taste awful, so I took a supplement. On the South Beach Diet low fat cheese sticks and calcium-enriched V-8 are encouraged snacks, so I'm eating a healthy amount of calcium and still losing weight. Not bad at all.