Nerdy Knits: Potter Alphabet for Knitting

I have been knitting some Hogwarts inspired items lately, and wanted to incorporate lettering. I looked high and low, but, to my astonishment, I couldn't find anyone who had charted the lettering for my knitting use. Therefore, I have spent the last couple of days hunched over my laptop, recreating, as faithfully as possible, the iconic Potter font in knit chart form. I know my fellow crafty fans will make great use of it, so I wanted to freely give it to you.

With a few exceptions (M, W, etc...) I have tried to block them in a simple 15x15 grid. This might make smaller items impossible, but you can't get a whole lot smaller without losing too much detail. If there is demand, I can post individual letters, but the resolution will be the same. I hope you guys enjoy using these!

Update:
I have also posted a chart for a Twilight inspired font for the Twi-hards, and a Doctor Who font for you Whovians.

DDP Says "Own Your Life"

I have a confession to make. I have no idea how to be an adult. I am rapidly closing in on 30, I want to have kids, I have a house and a hubby, but I am still a gigantic child. I never take responsibility for my actions, I procrastinate, I'm stubborn and irrational, and I refuse to take care of the basics of living. Now along comes DDP with his yoga and his philosophies, promising me better health if I just commit to it and "own my life."

What does that even mean? How do I do that? I am still trying to figure out who I am and what I really want. How can I own a question mark? I've never taken care of myself because I have never had to. I've had people take care of me, pander to me, and support my every terrible decision. I'm basically an immature mess.

This blog is the only thing I have going for me. The idea that people are watching what I do, and maybe taking some sort of inspiration from it, is about the only thing that is keeping me on any semblance of a path. Every hit I see added to my page stats tells me that someone is reading, and makes me feel like maybe I can help. Because they say that if you want to really learn something, you should teach it. I guess that's what this blog is to me.

If my ramblings about life and self-esteem and healing have even the chance of giving someone else hope, I will keep plowing forward. Maybe in the end, owning your life isn't about knowing where it's headed, or really even just making things happen. Maybe it's about owning the mistakes and the setbacks, the hesitations and doubts, the faults and the flaws. Because these things ARE me.

I have a favorite quote: "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." (Lao Tzu) I have to own the past, and not let it become my future. I have to know what I am holding onto, so that I can let it go. This is my life, this is it, all of me. I am what I have done, and what I will do. But that is up to me. There is no one else who is going to come to the rescue. My life is mine to make of it what I will. Is that what it means to own it?

Body Clutter Chapter 4

This chapter is all about the lies we tell, both to others and to ourselves. How many "reasons" do you have for not getting off the couch? For why you need to order Chinese instead of cooking something nutritious? Believe me, I've used them all, and they are not reasons. They are excuses. Let's look at my biggest two:

"I'm in too much pain to cook." That's a biggie, and borders on legitimate. The pain in my kidneys does restrict me from doing things SOMEtimes. But why can't I pre-cook good meals to freeze on days I'm feeling okay? It isn't any harder to throw a casserole in the oven than it is a pizza.

"I'm too tired to exercise." Whose fault is that but mine? It is LACK of exercise that ultimately exhausts us. We need to move, so that our bodies can more efficiently make energy. A little push now, and I will be in much better condition later. Nothing worth having is easy, especially at first.

What are yours? Are you too busy? Too hungry to wait? Is it too hot/cold to go outside? Those are roadblocks that we construct to keep us from doing what we know is right. I bought my copy of Body Clutter secondhand, and it has some underlining. One of the things that the previous owner highlighted was "...our excuses reveal a lack of character on our part, an ugly dent in our personal integrity." Um, ouch. That really hits too close to home for me.

No questions this chapter, just a request to write down your biggest excuses, which I have started above. Others include "I'm just overwhelmed." "I need a minute" (that never comes). "I have nothing to wear." "I just need a nap first." "I don't have time/a ride/the money to go get my prescription filled." "I don't know where to start."

Well, as far as the last one goes, I'm starting here and now. I'm tackling my bad attitudes, and conquering my fears. I am taking baby-steps towards having a clean kitchen stocked with healthy foods. I am committing to moving my body everyday, and taking care of it with the medicines it needs.

BTW guys, I THRIVE on comments, so please, don't be afraid to leave some. Such as, what are some of your excuses for not living as fully and healthfully as you know you should?

A TIme For Change

Hey look! I renovated! Severe boredom necessitates change.

Anywho. I'm still recovering from yesterday's intensity, and working on my root. Today's mission: clean the kitchen. Simply must be done, no putting it off any longer. Simply put, I'm finding that the cause of my root issues stems from the illusion that I have lost control. The more I sit around feeling that I have lost control of my health and my house, the more both of those things spiral. It is a vicious cycle, and I am here to break it.

By cleaning the kitchen, I am taking back the control of both my home and my health. It is a first step in getting the house presentable.  And while I am still waiting on my DVD's, kitchen clean-up also marks my first step in claiming control of my health. I can't get better if my food is prepared and stored in filth. And I can't prepare healthful foods if all of the space is taken up with trash and dirty dishes, and I can't store it in a fridge that is full of past-its-prime leftovers.

This truly is a time for change. A time for renovations. New site, clean house, sound mind, healthy body. Good things are coming my way. I can feel it.

Body Clutter Chapter 3

I spent a lot of time last night meditating about my root, trying to figure out why it got so closed in the first place. I don't have those answers yet, but I do feel that it is starting to open up, and I feel much better already. Today I'm back on track with Body Clutter. Chapter 3 is about hiding. The way we hide from the world by refusing to dress and look our best. The way we hide from ourselves by pretending there isn't a problem.

FlyLady wants us to feel pretty (or handsome!) every day. Why is that so hard? I know that personally, I don't always feel I deserve to look pretty. Like there is some reason why I must sit around the house in frumpy old clothes with my hair in knots. Do you know it takes the same effort to put on jeans and a nice shirt as opposed to sweats? And only marginally more time to pull a brush through your hair than tossing the tangles in a scrunchie or headband. I don't wear makeup that often, partly because it's a hassle, partly because the hubby and I feel it is unnecessary, but when I do it takes 5 minutes. So why do we deny ourselves the pleasure of looking the best we can?

Dinner Diva goes on to talk about how the weight itself can be a way to hide. In her case, it was hiding from a dysfunctional marriage. But there are a whole host of things we could be hiding from. Shy people using their weight to hide from attention. People who have been abused in the past using it to hide from the opposite (or same) sex. And it isn't restricted to having excess weight. I know at least one lovely woman who has struggled with being too thin after being in an abusive relationship. I think that is also a way to hide, like disappearing.

The first question this chapter is do you feel pretty? And for me, that is a day-to-day thing. More and more though, the answer is "no." Even when I try to get all dolled up, there are fewer times that I look in the mirror and say "man, I'm cute." For example, the "Weird Al" concert. I picked out an awesome outfit in colors I know I look good in with lots of shiny bits because shiny things RULE. And I loved the outfit. I just didn't love me in it. Once I put it on, I felt a little silly. I wore it anyway, but there aren't any pictures of it, and I didn't feel good in it. I felt like an overgrown child. Like it would have looked good on someone half my age and a third my size. I have a hard time accepting that I can look nice.

How many years of clothes do you have in your closet and in how many sizes? Well, thanks to prior FlyLady influence, I have two giant bags of clothes sitting in my basement do donate, so not that much is still in the rotation, and most of it is less than 5 years old. However, I've been a size 28 since my junior year of high school, so even the older stuff still fits. Confession time though-I have a sweater from the third grade, and y'all. I still wear it. I wore it as a baggy dress back then, and it fits me as intended now. Take that as you will.

Do you get dressed to shoes every morning? Uh, no. No I don't. I know I should, but.... I'm actually in my PJ's writing this. I haven't had much energy to do laundry lately, so I'm a bit low on "presentable" options.

Have you ever felt embarrassed about your weight? Yeah. In fact the worst was this past August. I went with some friends to a zombie themed night at a local amusement park, and the ticket included access for the day as well. I went to one of the roller coasters, because I FREAKING LOVE ROLLER COASTERS! I even went to sit in the fat seat. And, for the first time in my life, despite my clothing size being the same, despite my weight not being more than 10 pounds different, it wouldn't close. I was asked to leave the ride. My friends went to get off, and I told them no, I was fine. But after they took off for the fun I was now denied, I called the hubby in tears. I was almost hysterical. One of my favorite things, and I couldn't do it any more. And on top of that, I was publicly humiliated. It was bad. Almost ruined the whole day. It has forced me to acknowledge that my weight IS a problem and it is holding me back from my life.

Have you used your body clutter as a shield? When and in what way? Yeah, I think I do this more than I want to admit. There are things in life that I want, but which also terrify me deeply. Coincidentally, these also happen to be things that being obese keeps me from doing anyway. Things like acting. I love to act, but there aren't a lot of roles for the fat (Tracy Turnblad aside). So I learn monologues, I practice my singing, and I never go on auditions, because what's the point? But the biggest thing in my life, the thing I have wanted since I was 12, is to be a mom. But I know that if I stay this heavy it won't happen. Those things, the things I love and want, are SCARY. So, I keep the weight on because it is the ultimate excuse for not putting myself out there. I can't be judged if I don't attempt.

Wow. This was a heavy chapter, and I feel a bit drained now. See you later!