The Monogrammed Laptop Sleeve

I made this red "M" laptop sleeve as a gift for a friend for her 13-inch Macbook. It is a fabulous personalized gift!

Needle: US8 24-inch circular
Yarn: Bernat Super Saver yarn in Burgundy (worsted weight)

Pattern:

Cast on 90 stitches. Knit for 8 rows.

Knit in stockinette (purl one row, knit one row) for 22 rows, finishing on the RS (Right side).

Start monogram (I used the letters from this website):
*Knit all even rows

Row 23 (WS, wrong side): p14, k6, p9, k6, purl to the end.
Row 25: Knit.
Row 27: p14, k6, p9, k6, purl to the end.
Row 29: p13, k7, p9, k7, purl to the end.
Row 31: p13, k8, p7, k8, purl to the end.
Row 33: p15, k8, p3, k8, purl to the end.
Row 35: p15, k9, p1, k9, purl to the end.
Row 37: p15, k19, purl to the end.
Row 39: p15, k4, p1, k9, p1, k4, purl to the end.
Row 41: p15, k4, p2, k7, p2, k4, purl to the end.
Row 43: p15, k4, p3, k5, p3, k4, purl to the end.
Row 45: p15, k4, p4, k3, p4, k4, purl to the end.
Row 47: p15, k4, p5, k1, p5, k4, purl to the end.
Row 49, 51, 53 and 55: p15, k4, p11, k4, purl to the end.
Row 57, 59 and 61: p13, k8, p7, k8, purl to the end.

Rows 62 to the end: knit even rows, purl odd rows in stockinette for about 5 more inches (about 40 more rows). Bind off loosely and leave a 2 foot tail. Sew the cover up on the wrong side along the edges using the mattress stitch then weave in all ends.

 Estimated time for this project: one week, that is, one hour per day for about 7 days.

Notes:

• For any of the letters from the above website, you will need to knit them in reverse (top-down). Most of the patterns there are written from the bottom up.
• The "M" design is (c) Rhonda K. White, done in 2005. Again, the link to this website is <http://www.knittingknonsense.com/M_cloth.html>. I do not claim this design as my own, I merely incorporated it into my laptop sleeve design.

Ideas:

• This is a great unisex design for a Mac laptop sleeve. 
• If you don't like the letters designed in the website credited in this post, you are free to try it with others!
• For other computers, try this trick: cast on 7 more stitches per inch. This is for a 13-inch Macbook, but a 14-inch laptop would be 97 stitches, a 15-inch would be 104 stitches, etc. Also add 7 more rows at the end per inch to keep it even.

How to find an organization scheme for documents

These days, we seem to be buried by things to organize - especially when it comes to paper, documents and bookmarks. We always say that we can't ever seem to find anything despite our best efforts!

Here is an idea: why not develop a plan for your paper and electronic documents? Some people develop a plan for one but neglect the other. This way, you know that if you have education related folders in the filing cabinet you also have them labelled the same way on your computer.

Here are some tips that I have learned over the past years when it comes to organization documents:

1. Think of how you use these documents now and in the future. For example, if you are in school now you might not be in three years. So those files won't be used as often as they are now but you still want them in a place where you can find them.
2. Also consider which documents you use often versus those that you don't. For example, you always need to find your taxes, paystubs and bills quickly versus old drawings that you did when you were five.
3. Create a very basic organization plan. Use general headings and very easy organization. Here is a sample:
• Learning applies to all levels of schooling, careers and jobs and research so all folders relating to these topics can go in this general group.
• Self-Improvement applies to topics like finances, health, beauty, fashion, weight loss, etc. So all documents relating to these topics can go into this larger grouping. 
• Planning applies to topics house/home, children, travel, holidays, car, etc. So all documents relating to anything that requires planning can go here. 
• Entertainment includes all documents relating to movies, music, hobbies and any type of entertainment.
4. Keep documents within three levels. This is an easy way to track your documents and a basic rule when it comes to web design as well. Here are a few samples:
• Learning >> University >> Year 1
• Learning >> Career >> Name of Employer
• Self-Improvement >> Finances
• Self-Improvement >> Health >> Menu Plans
• Planning >> House >> Renovation 2008
• Planning >> Holidays >> Christmas
• Entertainment >> Movies >> Movie Stubs
• Entertainment >> Hobbies >> Knitting 
5. Use this plan for electronic and paper versions of your documents. Apply this to your bookmarks, electronic filing system and paper filing system. This becomes very useful because once it is in place, you know will have an idea of where to find something three years from now as well as tomorrow. 

6. Write up your plan. Create a document that lists how your files are organized, both paper and electronic. This will help you out in the future.
7. Put the plan into practice. Take an afternoon or two to put the documents into folders organized according to your plan.  

Hopefully, these tips are helpful for you to weed through those piles of documents and papers that you have.

Links:

• Essortment, How to Create an Effective Office Filing System.

Secret Santa Gift Ideas

Are you running a Secret Santa this year? Or, you can't think of anything to get for the event? Well, here are some gift ideas that may inspire you this year. These are also some great gender-neutral ideas if you are searching for gifts for relatives and friends as well.

1. Gift cards: this could be for the grocery store, department store, theatre, coffee shop or a restaurant.
2. Stainless steel coffee travel mug.
3. A coffee set with a mug and a bag of coffee beans. 
4. Box of chocolates, shortbread or candy: this one is harder as so many people have food allergies but you could ask beforehand if anyone objects. You could also make these at home instead of buying them. 
5. Office gift box: think of something that everyone in the office uses and constantly runs out of, like pens, pencils, card clips (if you need a pass that you clip to your clothes), silverware, etc. Just buy it separately and put it together in a basket or something like that.
6. Bottle of wine or other spirits.
7. Gourmet cooking set of flavored olive oils, vinegars and jams: If you are crafty, you can make this at home.
8. A USB key or SD card.
9. A nice photo album or photo frame.
10. A box of homemade Christmas cards with envelopes.
11. A fun new calendar for their desk. Perhaps one of those daily or monthly ones.
12. The latest best seller (hardcover or soft cover) on a topic that everyone enjoys or a book on a topic that everyone enjoys.
13. A holiday-themed candle (I'm always surprised how many men dig candles).
14. A sick kit: pack a basket with cough drops, Neo-Citran, and other things that you use when you are sick. 
15. A set of nice wine glasses (shot glasses, or bourbon glasses). 
16. A nice Christmas ornament. 
17. Any cooking or baking equipment: mixing bowls, baking sheets, cookie cutters, whisks or other utensils. 
18. Small appliances like a kettle, toaster oven, coffee grinder, power whisk, etc.
19. A nice throw or blanket for the house. 
20. A DVD of a movie or TV show that everyone enjoys or one that fits the season.

Website discovery: Essortment, Ehow and WikiHow

I have just discovered the websites Essortment, Ehow and WikiHow and I have to share my favorite links of the moment. I love these three websites because the articles are written by people who have experience in how to do something thus they post it for all of the rest of us. I love knowledge-based articles!

These are my current favorite links on Essortment:

1. 25 Places to Meet New People
2. How to Make Your Own Facial Scrub or Mask
3. Uses for Old Coffee Grounds
4. The History of Root Beer
5. Do it Yourself: Fixing Scratches in Wood Furniture and Trim
6. Make Your Own Scented Body Oil
7. Making Homemade Milk Soap
8. How to Remove Sticker and Tape Goo
9. Burning Patterns into Wood
10. Laptop vs. Desktop

These are my current favorite links on Ehow:

1. How to Make a Brown Sugar Lemon Body Scrub
2. Sore Throat Pain Remedies
3. Homemade Bath Salts
4. Homemade Lip Balm - made from coconut oil!
5. Make Curls Overnight Using Rags
6. How to Live Thrifty
7. 20 Holiday Trees Gone Wild
8. Category: Sewing and Upholstry
9. Techniques for Stenciling Furniture
10. How to set Food Portion Sizes for Young Children

These are my current favorite links on WikiHow:

1. How to Stencil Fabric
2. How to Make a Glowstick
3. How to Make a Candle with Essential Oils - bonus! makes body oil
4. How to do Pranks with Garden Gnomes
5. How to Set up a Sewing Room
6. How to Make a Crop Circle
7. How to Go Green at Work
8. How to Avoid Workplace Flu
9. How to Stop Procrastinating (and, even better, the Category)
10. How to Get Rid of Junk Mail

A paperless office

I work at an office that is moving from paper to digital resources and workflow. I have been thinking about how to do this. For example, what would happen if they took the printer away from your office? What would you do?

1. Computers: If you want to go digital, then you have to have computers. This seems silly to say but I don't just mean a computer at your work station, but also a digital method of writing notes in meetings and such. Laptops work better, especially ones that dock and allow the user to use a screen like a desktop.
2. Shared directories: have a shared directory for documents on a server. This means that you can save a document but everyone can see it. When you want a colleague to edit a document, send them an e-mail with a link to the document on the shared drive instead of printing them a copy. Also, on the shared directory, save documents in a logical file structure so that you and your colleagues can find things.
3. Digital editing: I was used to printing out assignments and essays and manually editing them. Now, to save paper, I want to take advantage of editing my documents digitally. This could mean running a really good spelling and grammar checker (within the document on a tool on the web) to sending the document around as an attachment to others to edit and then send back to you.
4. Switch to digital bills, payslips and reports: this means switching all of your bills at home to electronic stubs. If you have the option to switch to a digital paycheck and pension report, then do so. I will do the same for any other work-related reports like union updates and such.
5. Digitize the to-do list: if you keep post-it notes or any other paper-based way of keeping a to-do list, it's time to go digital. Create a word document for each month to record your to-do list. You can update it as you have done an item and then each month, save it as the name of the next month and delete the completed tasks in the new file so that you don't have to constantly rewrite the unfinished tasks.You might even have an e-mail software that has a built in calendar and to-do list to help you stay organized.
6. Keep a word document to record running thoughts: need to do something at home? Do you suddenly remember how to cook supper and have the urge to write it down and stuff it in your purse? Keep a USB key at work with a Word document on it and record these thoughts in the document. Open it on your computer when you get home. I call this my "Memory Management" document as I often find myself writing down things that I want to create or sudden epiphanies on how to organize my finances.
7. Don't print off e-mails: keep them digitally, store them in an archive that is stored on a shared drive or one that is backed-up often. If an e-mail contains important information that you need for a meeting, read through it a few times before the meeting instead of printing it.
8. Use word documents to record all actions that were taken: no matter what you are working with, but use word processing documents, spreadsheets, project software, or presentation software to keep it online. Don't print things out and submit them and don't work off of paper lists. Do it all with digital documents that are stored on a shared drive.
9. Take screenshots: instead of printing off information so that you have a copy of a code or confirmation number, use the screenshot software on your computer (mine is called Snipping Tool because I have Windows 7) to take a screenshot and save the digital image in a folder that you will refer to for this type of information (ex. Confirmation numbers).
10. Write up meeting notes: if you had to record meetings on paper, as soon as you get back to your desk write them up in a word document on the computer. Save it in a folder like "Team Meetings" with the date as the name of the document.

Dealing with Depression

Well, it's about time that I write about this. Many of you may not know this but back in 2007 until about 2009, I was in a mild depression. It was a dark period of my life that I don't look back on with happy thoughts at all. Actually, now when I think about it most of my thoughts center around how I got out of the depression. So here is my confession which I hope will help anyone else who is in a depression.

When I was depressed, I felt awful.

• I didn't want to get out of bed because I couldn't see anything good happening that day.
• I didn't want to leave the house for any activities. I was ashamed of the way that I looked and home was my comfortable place.
• I ate anything that made me feel better, hence the fact that I gained 55 pounds.
• I procrastinated on almost everything because I just didn't want to do anything other than sit, watch TV and eat. I only wanted to do things that made me happy.
• I spent money like there was no end to it. I spent it on things that made me happy like clothes, shoes, food and movies.
• I didn't want to cook or clean, so I ordered out a lot. Hence the weight gain.
• I didn't want anyone to take photographs of me because I felt bad about myself. And this is saying a lot because I am from a very photogenic family.
• I felt like I had no control over some aspects of my life so I tried to regain it. I cut my hair really short (then ended up hating it). I hated the fact that I wasn't done school yet and the fact that I couldn't change it.
• I didn't sleep well and my sleep habits were off the wall. I had stomach aches and other symptoms that appeared out of nowhere. I cried for no apparent reason and I was more emotional than normal. I didn't feel like myself in my own skin.
• I had stronger feelings of rage, anger, and sadness than I had ever had before. I cried over spilled milk on the floor, about a fly in my kitchen or I flew into a rage when I dropped paper on the floor. My emotions were much stronger than ever before. 

After a year, I found myself in a cycle: I was angry at myself so I wanted to feel better, I ate junk food to feel better, I gained weight, and then the cycle started again.

How do you make it end? How do you go back to feeling normal or happy? Well, I am not a doctor or therapist, but here is what I did. I wanted for the cycle to stop but I didn't know how to stop it.

Willpower

The first step is willpower. Have the will to change or stop a habit that was acquired. Start small. For example, if you are ordering often and eating junk food like I was, don't buy anything for one day. Just one day. Drink water, take fruit for snacks and cook supper. I felt awful and I really wanted to buy something but I forced myself not to. That first day is terrible because it didn't feel good thus I wanted to buy junk food more but once that first day was over, it seemed easier. Do it again.

You will need to replace bad habits with good ones to keep yourself happy. For example, my comfy blanket was junk food. I couldn't just take it away and expect for myself to be happy so I had to replace it with something healthier.

Happiness

Address what you are doing to make yourself happy. You know that some of the things that you are doing are not healthy (junk food, not leaving the house, constantly watching movies) so it's time to adopt a healthier happy habit. Find a healthy fruit that you really like and snack on that. Try preparing it in new ways with other fruit, a honey lime dressing or yogurt. Give yourself something sweet to look forward to that you know is good for you.

This also applies to destructive habits like watching movies all of the time or staying at home. What things did you used to enjoy? If you like going to the movies with friends, then go to the movies with friends. Don't cut yourself off. It might be hard at first but it will get easier the more that you do it.

Find happiness in small things. It's not just the big things, but buy pens that make you happy. Spend one hour taking a bath with your favorite bubble bath or read your favorite book again. 

Food

Food was my friend -- and it wasn't my friend. It was very hard for me to get out of this habit so I started small: drink water instead of pop, have fruit instead of chocolate, and stop buying candy. I had to replace the habit with something healthier so I had water with Crystal Light in it. I tried new kinds of fruit until I found ones that I really liked -- for me, this was raspberries, mango, pineapple and kiwi. Then I looked forward to the healthy replacements. I had to teach myself to enjoy something that was good for me instead of something that was bad for me. Within a week, I had overcome a lot of psychological issues with this one change. With every following week, it got easier and I started to feel better about what I was eating.

Social

The hardest obstacle for me was getting out of the house. At this time, I was a student so I had to get out of the house for school but I didn't go out for social events. I would often cancel social outings at the last minute because I just wanted to stay at home. I couldn't explain it either and I felt embarrassed but deep down I knew that I had to get out. I started small by having friends over at my apartment. I was in my comfort zone here. Then I was more willing to go out of the house for parties, dates and movies. I took it slow and I have to admit that I am still dealing with this aspect but it will get easier.

I also told my closest friends about my problems. It helps to have people to talk to about how I felt. They encouraged me to get out or they talked me through my hardest moments. It really helped that I could have someone to talk to. I didn't feel alone.

Work or School

Like everyone else, I had deliverables. I had assignments for school and duties at work that I still had to meet. As I said before, I hated the fact that I was still in school but I knew that I had to knuckle down and just do it so I did. The faster I got things done, the faster I would be out of school. Focusing on school work or work actually took my mind off of how I felt at home which helped me greatly.

One thing that I did was to try and find something that I looked forward to at work or school. At school, this could be time in one of my favorite classes. At work, it could be a joke that I told that brought a smile to someone's face. I was a cashier once and every day it made me happy to know that I had helped a customer. These little things may seem every day but if you find something happy in what you do, even if it is that you made it to work on time, you have done one good thing that day.

Time

It took two years to get into a depression, it would take about that long to get out of it. This seems long and arduous but this is really how it looks. It starts with little steps and finding other things that make you happy. You have to keep going with everyday life even though you feel horrible but with time, it will get easier.

Exercise and Weight Loss

Time for yourself is also necessary. As I said, I had a problem with junk food and exercise. So, we got a treadmill and I could start walking in my apartment. I was in my comfort zone but I was doing something that I knew was good for myself. I started losing weight and that became a huge motivator. It started to break down all of the barriers that I had put up and before I knew it, I didn't mind someone taking pictures of me.

I knew that I couldn't run a marathon right away when I started go to back to exercising. Start with small victories like exercising for 30 minutes, 3 days per week. Once you have met that milestone, then add an extra day. Try to do it for longer and try to take the workout up a notch, for example, if you are walking then try a walk/run program for the next 12 weeks. Don't be surprised if you can't do the entire program in 12 weeks though and if you get stuck at one point, spend more time on it. The most important thing is that you stick with it even if you don't see results right away.

Future

Even as I write this post, I am not invulnerable to that dark time. Sometimes, I have a thought that reminds me of that life that I was in. Sometimes I think that it will happen again and I live in fear that something will happen that will cause me to go into another depression. So, I am writing this post about what happened and how I got out of it also to remind myself just in case it happens again, what I can do to get out of it.

Some other suggestions that I found are:

• Get into a community group: this could be a neighborhood clean-up, a book club, a musical group, a local sports team or a political group. It may be hard to leave the house but you will be surrounded by a community. The more you go, the more you become part of that community. You might not say a word to anyone that you are depressed or feeling bad, but just being around other people can heal you.
• Develop or share a hobby: if you are depressed and all you want to do is lose yourself in a hobby, perhaps you could share it with someone else. Or, take a class to learn a new hobby. Hobbies give you something to do and can get you through a dark time. You have to be careful not to spend all of your time on it but it can help you focus on something else. You can also teach your kids your hobbies. This can be frustrating at first, but if they enjoy it like you do you can find yourself starting a scrapbooking or knitting time a few nights a week with your kids. Suddenly you are not alone in your hobby.
• Get excited about an upcoming event for yourself or someone else: this could mean getting excited about your kids going back to school, preparing for an upcoming holiday like Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving or Christmas or someone's wedding or retirement party. Get involved in the planning and do some crafts for it. This gives you something else to focus on that is healthy and takes your mind off of how you feel about yourself.
• Plan a menu: if you hate cooking, cleaning and other household chores during this time, then perhaps you could follow a plan. Search on the web for some meal plans, print them out and follow them for a few weeks. With the meals and grocery lists planned for you, you may notice that you follow them. You try new food, develop new cooking skills and no one is asking what is for supper tonight. You get into a routine that, once you have formed it, is hard to get out of (which is good!). This is a good routine.
• Seek professional help: take the money that you are saving on clothes, junk food and other damaging pursuits and spend it on a therapist or doctor. Tell them everything about how you feel and really listen to their suggestions. Try some of them. You may notice that they either work and you feel much better or they do not work. Find new routines or medications that work for you. I should note though that I didn't take medication to get better and I don't think that you really need to though. I think that you need to address what made you depressed and change those bad habits instead of taking something but it may be necessary for some people.
• Have "weaning" days: just like I did by stopping junk food for one day, stop one bad habit for one day. Pick one that you accidentally acquired during this dark time. It could be as simple as leaving your bank card and credit cards at home for a day. Plan this weaning day out: if you leave your card at home, plan your meals. Plan any temptations where you would usually use those cards so avoid the stores and perhaps take a different route home. Ask yourself if you can do that again tomorrow.
• Attack your to-do list: one thing that drove me nuts was a long to-do list that I was developing during school. This was the pile of papers that I knew that I had to go through, the clothes that I had to get drycleaned or the e-mails that I had to organize. I felt that I just did not have time to address my to-do list and that just infuriated me further. So, take a space of time, even if it is only one hour (you can spare one hour, right?) and attack something. Also, whenever you think of something that you have to do, write it down. I used a computer document so that I didn't accumulate scraps of paper. At least if I couldn't attack the "to do" right away, I could at least write it down so that I didn't forget it. It would be there whenever I had the time to attack it. Schedule a time every day or every week to deal with the to do list and do it. You will find that it feels great to finish something that has been bothering you.
• Stop taking advice as a personal attack: one time, someone told me that I should listen to health podcasts. I got furious and took it as a personal assault as someone telling me that I was fat and had to lose weight -- even though I knew that they were right. I was highly sensitive to anything that someone said to me during this time which was confusing -- I am not normally like that! If you make an effort to attack some of your bad habits, you may notice that you don't take well-meaning advice so personally anymore -- or, not as often. When you can think clearly, take them up on a piece of advice that was given to you. If they told you to look up a website or video, look it up. It may or may not apply to you. It's not going to cause you physical pain to look into the advice that you were given -- unless it was acupuncture or surgery, of course. It can't be that extreme though, right?
• Laugh: find something to laugh about. Laughing feels good and it costs you nothing except moving facial muscles! Check out funny YouTube videos, read the joke section of the newspaper or get a copy of your favorite comic strip book. Talk to friends who tell good jokes or tell some of your own favorite jokes to others.
• Master your deliverables: know how to do your job or your school work. If you are having a problem understanding an issue or concept, research more about it so that you really get it. Go to workshops to develop new skills or hone your existing ones. If you are a parent, then focus on helping your kids develop their skills or taking a parenting class if you doubt yourself. Feel comfortable with your main activities so that you feel like you know what you are doing. Nothing eats at you more than doubting yourself and your deliverables. These are your main activities in life and you want to feel confident that you are doing a good job.
• Worry only about things that you can control: can you control the new laws that the government is passing? Maybe, if you contact your MP or municipal council. Are you worried sick about nuclear war? Well, nothing we can do about that now other than live our lives. Live your life and don't let larger issues worry you too much. Often, you find that you have spent so much time worrying about it that you don't know why you paid attention to it.
• Don't let a failure bring you down: so you gained a pound, you ordered out one night or ate a bag of chips. Put it behind you. You did it but instead of feeling bad go straight to the thought of: why did I do that? Did you have money that was burning a hole in your pocket? Were you in a social situation that pressured you to get chips or order bad food? Could you just say no? Address that instead of punishing yourself. You are only human and you will fail. Failing is ok, picking yourself up again is the right way to deal with it.

Using up leftover yarn

After all of those knitting projects, what do you do with the leftover yarn? I have been pondering this question for some time as I don't want to have small bits of yarn taking up space. So, I researched all of the possible ways that I could use up this yarn to get it out of the way.

The first place to look though is one of the One-Skein Wonders books.There are also some fabulous ideas on Ravelry and Knitting Pattern Central.

15 Projects (knit or crochet):

1. Reusable makeup remover pads or crocheted face pads. 
2. Dish scrubbers (or this one) or crocheted tawashis.
3. Dishcloths. Seriously, just visit this website and try them all. 
4. Bath puff.
5. Glasses case. Do a rib around the top to keep it closed.
6. Pencil case. Sew on a zipper or make buttonholes to close it.
7. Adult or child headband or ear warmer.
8. Ipod, phone or Blackberry sock.
9. Try knitted or crochet jewellery. 
10. Use it to test stitch swatches or gauge.
11. Make a sachet for smaller items.
12. Make shapes like hearts, flowers or squares. 
13. A coffee cup sleeve or mug sleeve.
14. Strips for a leftover blanket. Knit long strips for a blanket in all of the leftover yarn then use a matching colour to piece it together.
15. Belt for kids or adults! 

10 Other ideas:

1. If you have wool, try felted wool balls.
2. Use it as scrap yarn to hold stitches.
3. Use it as scrap yarn to sew up projects where the seam will not be visible.
4. Use it to embroider a small design (heart, flower, basketball, initials, etc.) on clothing or accessories, for example, a shoe on a fabric shoe bag. Or, to embroider the edges of pillowcases or other household items in a straight stitch to add a little bit of detail.
5. Use it to do a blanket stitch on the edges of a fleece blanket.
6. Use it as ribbon to wrap up Xmas presents.
7. Use it to create a crocheted neckline on a shirt.
8. Wrap the yarn around wooden or styrofoam letters to spell words on the wall like this project on homemade by Jill.  
9. Yarn wigs for dolls, kids or adults.
10. Pom poms. What about a pom pom garland?

10 Modern Habits I Want to Stop

I have been thinking a lot lately about older generations versus our generation. We seem to be lazy and addicted to technology versus past generations that worked 16 hour days (mom, dad and child in some cases) to make enough money to run a house. I’m not going to work 16 hour days but I think that I am guilty of some lazy habits that I don’t necessarily need.

1.   Watching TV while playing on the computer: I really am doing something important on the computer. Really. But, why is the TV on while I do it? I don’t know. Maybe if I turn it off I won’t notice any difference in my habits.

2.   Listening to my iPod 24/7: I am completely guilty of listening to my iPod on the bus and at work – all day. That’s an average of 9-10 hours per day. I plan on using it on the bus but trying to wean myself off of it at work.

3.   Not eating at the table: Once I hit university, I ate supper wherever I was sitting. This could have been at my desk while studying or in front of the TV. We really have to eat at the table – with no TV in the background as well.

4.   Drinking sugary beverages: I too am guilty of drinking WAY too much pop. I have been drinking water instead of these sugary beverages and I have already lost 10 lbs (bonus!). I feel better too. It’s strange to say that I could have been addicted to these drinks, but I think after awhile this is true.

5.   Texting during the day: I have to admit, I don’t text much. I prefer one action-packed phone call to texting back and forth. If I text, it will be a short message like “bus stuck in traffic, will be late” that I don’t want to get on the phone for.

6.   Complaining about traffic: I think that it’s stupid to complain about traffic because I made the choice to go home during rush hour. I actually adjusted my work schedule so that I only hit the beginning of rush hour but still, traffic builds up on Mackenzie King Bridge. However, there is one ultimate truth when it comes to traffic – complaining about it won’t make it go faster.

7.   Taking work home with me: this is one that I thought would never happen – that is, until I started really caring about work. I enjoy my work and my workplace. But, I have to implement one absolute rule: work is at work, work ends at the same time every day, and home is at home.

8.   Being overweight: I am guilty of this and I admit that I am not the size that I would like to be but I am comfortable with where I am. I really should lose weight though and I have to make better friends with our treadmill. It’s not a question of if I want to or not, it’s a question of my long-term health and the habits that I want to carry on to my children.

9.   Making excuses and procrastinating: if you think about, this has always existed but in the past generations, work got done or you didn’t get paid or you didn’t eat. Our generation tends to take on more work whether we can do it or not then we procrastinate when it comes time to get it done. This year, I am trying a new goal: get things done. Now.

10. Everything is disposable: at least, it seems that way. Our landfills are not thanking us for this habit so this year I have waged war on disposable waste. This means changing my mind about certain things (ex. Tissues versus. Cloth napkins) but it is working.

16-inch Laptop Case

I made this laptop case for myself and my 16-inch Toshiba Satellite. This will fit any 16-inch laptop for certain and I am very happy with it! Plus, I get lots of comments about it whenever I pass through airline security which is an added bonus.

Needle size: size 8 (5.0mm) 29-inch circular
Yarn: I used Vanna's Choice in Purple Mist but any worsted-weight yarn should work

Case:

Cast on 153 stitches. Knit for 6 rows then switch to stockinette (purl one, knit one) for 82 rows (or, about 12 inches). Bind off and weave in ends. Turn inside out and sew up with scrap yarn along the edges.

Flap:

Cast on 18 stitches. Knit for 44 rows. For the buttonhole, knit 6, bind off 6 stitches, knit 6 stitches. On the next row, knit 6, cast on 7 with cable cast-on. Turn the knitting and slip the first stitch from the left needle to the right needle as if to knit. Pass the extra cast on stitch over the next stitch; then slip this stitch back to the left needle. Turn work back around and knit 6. Knit for 5 more rows then cast off. Weave in ends.

Finishing:

Use spare yarn to sew the flap to the case - in the center of the back. Use a spare button that fits into the button hole. Match it up to the hole and sew it to the outside of the laptop case using scrap yarn and weave it into the case so that no ends show.

Estimated time for this project: about 1 week (7 days) if you work on it for one hour every day.

Notes:

• I didn't plan on making this a wide laptop case, I originally wanted for it to look like my Laptop sleeve for my husband. I actually miscalculated! But it worked.
• This can be made out of any worsted-weight yarn but you might have to check the gauge.
• I haven't mastered knitting in the round yet but this can definitely be done in the round. If you do that, I'd cast on 150 stitches instead as this case has 3 extra stitches to account for the manual sewing.
• I got the buttonhole instructions from this website and the links above.
• I used two balls of the Purple Mist yarn for this project, between 250 and 290 yards. Sorry that I am not precise, I didn't write it all down! But I didn't have much yarn leftover: just enough for two makeup remover pads.

Using less Electricity around the House

I don’t know about you, but our hydro bill seems to get more expensive every year. This might have something to do with the fact that Hydro Ontario raised their prices but we also seem to use a lot of electricity in this apartment. I am now wondering of ways to cut back on the electricity that we use so that our bill is lower – especially with winter coming.

1. This winter, I will try to keep the heat around 22 degrees C. During the day, we will turn it down to 19 and the first person that arrives home from work turns it back to 22.
2. In the winter, I will try to wear socks and a sweater around the house so that I have no reason to get cold or turn up the heat. That also goes for my nice, fluffy blanket that I seem to carry around with me. Drinking warm liquids (hot chocolate, decaf coffee or tea, etc.) also seems to help.
3. Unplug the computer at night. It’s not in use so why let it draw power from the outlet?
4. Also, unplug the TV at night. Ditto to above. I bet it draws more power than the computer does.
5. Unplug all of the small appliances that are not in use all of the time (microwave, toaster, coffee machine, etc.). I also have a tv in the bedroom that I will unplug and only plug it in when I use it.
6. Unplug all of the larger items that do not need power all of the time (in this case, this would be our huge treadmill). Only plug them in when you use them then unplug them for the rest of the time.
7. Use cold water most of the time. Heating up water uses electricity so I will try to use cold whenever possible (for example, when using water to cook pasta or vegetables, for brushing teeth, etc.).
8. Take shorter showers so that the time required to heat up water isn’t so long.
9. Use appliances less. We tend to watch TV or a Blu-ray while playing on computers. If we cut one out of the picture (the TV or the computer) then this will cut down on the power usage.
10. Turn lights off when no one is in the room. Although, we are really good at this one but it’s a reminder.