Food and Knitting

So, more on the vegan front. I had lunch with a vegan today. I was going to attempt to purchase a vegan lunch in the union (which is possible), but I had neither the patience nor the energy to figure it all out. So I got a hummus and veggie wrap--which in itself is another long story I won't bore you with.

But, I tried soy yogurt, and it was fine. Not slimy or weird. But perfectly fine. I learned about vegan bread. And pasta. And a little bit about various preservatives. And this and that. About eating out as a vegan. About eating with friends and family who aren't vegetarian or vegan. And I wondered if I could be vegan except for cheese curds when I am in Wisconsin. And then I went off on how I bought cheese curds at the local farmer's market and when I asked the lady if they were squeaky (aka, fresh) she said they were cold so they wouldn't squeak. For those of you who don't know, fresh cheese curds squeak regardless of temperature. Once you have to rely on temperature to ensure squeakiness you have passed the point of freshness. As I said all this, the Library Vegan (LV, for short) told me that she had heard the same thing, almost word for word from another friend of hers--also from Wisconsin. We are a strange strange people, let me tell you.

Along the same Wisconsin line, I asked if Boca Brats were vegan (because the Quorn meatless products aren't and I recently decided they are beyond awesome). No, they have dairy in them. My gut reaction was, "That may be a deal breaker. I'm totally serious." LV tells me the Tofurky ones are good, but I haven't tried them yet.

I am going to start with cutting out the obvious egg and dairy products. I'm setting a goal of the end of the year. And then I am going to look at the preservatives and whatnot. For now, I am focusing on diet and not lifestyle, but I have a feeling the lifestyle may follow.

I'm feeling good about this. Excited, even. I look forward to eating better and to feeling better. I've lost weight (I am half a pound from twenty pounds), and I hope to lose thirty more.

As for knitting. I finished baby blanket number two. Number three is waiting in the wings, I'm going to start it after the holidays. I am working on something else, but I can't go into details because I am making one for me and one for a Christmas present. Then I need to finish that other damn sock.

But then I found a pattern for this:


This is the April 2007 Pattern Contest Winner over at Jimmy Beats Wool. It's a pattern from Valerie Wallis called Presto Chango, and I am completely in love with it. I want to make it right now. (Oh, as for veganism and wool, I decided I was going to keep using wool. There are other fibers, like bamboo, that are awesome. But for now, I'll stick with wool.)