Merrystitcher and Crochet: October 2007

On the first of October I started a detox eating pattern ( beware the word diet- they never work for long and make one feel so deprived!!!) : main reason being a lack of energy and a bout of quite horrid eczema on my arms- I did take a photo: but hey you really do NOT want to see this so instead a photo of bark as that is what my arms were feeling like.
I took the photo as inspiration for one of many textile projects and it may inspire someone else too?

The detox is amazing: I felt weird for a few days and I'm eating foods I had never eaten before but I do feel better, the eczema is clearing up and there is absolutely no itching....

Basically it's Carol Vorderman's 28 day detox with a few changes by me and a few additions using the Dr Gillian eating guides....
No wheat is the main difference, no meat or fish whatever and a set of new grains and pulses such as aduki beans, lentils and quinoa etc.
As I was on about 5 cups of tea or more I'm still allowing myself 1 cup of tea with 30 ml of skimmed milk once a day but apart from this I'm dairy free too.

There's lots more preparation and cooking involved , which if one works I'm not sure you'd have time for while running a house with kids etc as well?

It's day 9 and I 'm about to cut back on a few foods that although wheat free/dairy free had sugar in them so they'll have to be banned next.
These were delicious: honeyed rice puffs and Dutch apple cake : but as I also want to lose a lot of weight I'll try to cut these out next.

ERRATA: I need to make an apology for errors made in previous posts: the innocent bottle hats result in a donation to AGE CONCERN not Help the Aged .
And this is when sold in Sainsbury apparently, now the hats have to be in by 22 nd October to be sold in November BUT with the current postal situation I have no idea if the hats will ever get there.....
We haven't had any post for 4 days now?
I'll come back to the hats at the end of this page.

THANKS GO TO:
Oh and I want to thank both Angela form my knitting circle who was knitting the little hats and who insoired me to have a go- albeit with a different method- and also Simply Knitting magazine : who by printing a review of the innocentdrinks website reminded me to have a look at that and get going!

CHROMOSOMAL DOORSTOP:

This is now prgressing nicely I haven't any photos of yesterday's work but I have of some work carried out in the summer: It was painted plain brown - a chestnut shade as I have decided to have a copper/metallic colourscheme for it.
My youngest insisted on helping with the painting , she loved doing this and I like to include my family in the work, it makes it more personal and special.

I also made sheets of silk paper and painted these in shades of brown and gold......
These were embroidered with some of the characteristics which are inherited on our genes such as personality traits , eye colour, hair type,etc
Then they were applied in a textural way much like papier mache, but using silk paper rather than ordinary paper.
A glimpse of this is as below- still as a work in progress.

Machine wrapped cords and tactile scrunched silk papers applied to the doorstop.( above)

Just prior to the above, my youngest painting away. Silk papers are drying at the sides on black plastic.

INNOCENT BOTTLE HATS

Here are my collection of hats, I made 2 hats in crochet using Twileys Freedom wool and 5.5mm hook, the patterns will follow shortly- one is in dc( smaller pom pom far right) and one in half trebles( pom pom too large and furthest on the left in the pic)

The hats again, too late now for the pattern as the campaign for NEXT year's hats will kick off soon and I'll submit them as part of that.