For Tammy

Deep in corners of the mind
Curled and peeled as fading time
Lies a gold-tint aura glow
And knows not strength and loving so.

And through the quiet of this dream
There comes resounding, crashing stream
of type, of song, of aching shout
that pulls all down and spits all out

Angst of loss is crushing blow.
Thus eats the gold-tint aura glow.

I shut my ears and screen my eyes
I push it all and break the ties
I leave it where it just belongs
I hear the rumpled, din, dim song.

Song weak and far and true in pain
and lost and lonely and bathed in rain.
A hand, a guiding light is burst.
A spot, a point, a growing thirst.

That sound erupts, the song sung strains
the glowing aura there remains
The voices join and ebb and flow
we bathe in forever’s warming glow.

It will not, cannot leave us cold,
for we are joined with magic old.
And above all song, a whisper fast.
Body gone. Love will last.

***

Goodbye, Tammy. May we meet again some day.

***

I had previously posted about my friend Tammy. You may read it here. Sadly, my mom called this morning to let me know that Tammy passed away this morning around 6:00 a.m. She died at home, surrounded by her family after a very brave fight with cancer. She will be very missed.

Year of Colour and Cables

2010 is nearly at an end. I managed to fulfill my goal of designing five things (although one is not yet published). Two shawls, two socks and a scarf. Not too shabby. Now the time comes to plan my knitting goal for 2011.

This year, I've decided to add to the challenge. I intend to purchase patterns, intricate ones that will challenge me, and I will knit them. These patterns will be colour and cables. Perhaps not in both, but something to challenge me in colourwork, whether it be stranded, fair isle or intarsia, and the cables will be CRAZY awesome.

So far, ideas on the table are:

Meisi


Royale


Durmstrang Socks


And maybe something Starmore? I'm not sure yet on that one.

I want to do at least one sweater in each, cables and colour, and I want to do maybe one of the beautiful stranded baby blankets that you see on Ravelry. Knit in the round, steeked and then lined, they're absolutely beautiful.

So. I intend to start the first project in January. I'm thinking Royale will be it. Now to search for the perfect yarn. YAY!

Progress

I have lost 30 pounds in six months! YAY!

My BMI has gone from 31 to 26.2. I have gone from obese to overweight, and considering a "normal" BMI is 18.1 to 24.9, I'm getting closer. Almost there! My goal is no longer for a weight loss of 60 pounds, but for a total loss of 45-50. That will put me at 140-145, and I'll be perfectly happy. I fully expect it will take another six months before I reach that goal.

Some pictures:

Before @ 192 pounds:





After at 162 pounds:








Ignore some of the makeup in that top picture. I was an elf in a Christmas show. Hence the ears.

So YAY me! Onward!!