Show U Saturday

This week has been a week of change...I said goodbye to my mattress of 10+ years and hello to our brand new Kingsize mattress....we finally bought a headboard...the "girlfriend" fell in love with the Malm bed from Ikea....so we finally got it...lets hope that I fall through it in the middle of the night...you see the "girlfriend put it together(enough said,lol)....I'm going on and on about this bed but I'm not showing pics of it today..because I havent taken any...and I'm toooo wore out from my workout today to go and get the the camera to snap a pic so today's photo is of my beautiful bookcase...we arranged the books by color...and put my collection of Buddhas on top....ahhhh I love Buddha..... and the "girlfriend" for assembling it.....

Hair Today...

Yesterday I colored my hair...It's weird because I love to color my clients hair...even entered hair coloring competitions(placed in first for a beautiful blondes competition) but I have not been adventuresome in coloring my own hair....other than when I had locs and I colored it red...I have always had very black hair.....but now as a sista strolls toward her twilight years...I feel the need to lighten up a bit(talk about a metaphor,lol) so I colored it a warm brown(hilites..I'm sure will follow) you see I think nothing ages you more than having jet black hair after a certain age...it can start to look a bit harsh....so I got busy with a tube of Matrix 7w+30 vol developer....Me likey the results....now I can't wait to rock my new eyewear they are dark purple rectangles..very edgy...You see living in Portland you see a lot of khaki,brown,blue...you know the more drab of the color spectrum(I have to admit I was sitting outside of REI when I made this observation,lol)...dont get me wrong PDX has a lot of very fashionable ladies(we do have Fashion week here every year)and lots of indie designers...and I wanna roll like the fashionable girls(albeit age appropriate) I pray to the Fashion gods dont let me get comfortable in knit pants, oversize tees and sensible shoes...IF you see me running out to get a latte in that getup Holla "Girl you know better!...or a more succint.....WTF!...I promise you I wont be offended,lol

Show U Saturday

I have decided that every saturday...I will feature a photo from our space in Portland...it is continually evolving...having to meld to sensibilities takes a looonnng time,lol...basically we are on the same page,lol...first up....


This is a pic of our new sofa....it took us over a year to find a sofa...needless to say after a year and a half of sitting on a backless bench we feel like we have arrived,lol...the mirror was purchased at a estate sale here in Portland...the pillows were made by me..and the Tripod lamp was purchased with the sofa...we ended up painting over the wall behind the sofa (was a steel blue before) the new color(sort of a taupy-brown) was matched to the sofa...it's beginning to feel like a grown-up space....after previously living in a big ole loft space with high ceiling and about 1800 sq ft...adjusting to roughly 800 sq ft with another person and a 80lb dog has been interesting,lol...but we chose this space because of the location...our neighborhood is so
cool!! It is so funny that the"girlfriend" and I used to watch HGTV "Small Space Big Style" and think those poor,poor folks living in such tiny spaces...who knew we would become one of them,lol

On the needles

As a throwback to my former blog Locqueenknits2(link at the left)...I will still post about knitting...Hopefully on this blog I will also post about completing the knit endeavors,lol...In going back through my Locqueenknits 2 blog it is evident that a sista rarely finishes a knit project,lol...anyway...here's a scarf(very Missoni I might add) that 's on the needles now...the pattern is from the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts.....

In the groove

Today I went to Aqua fitness class....The class was filled with senior citizens and I found it to be a tad challenging...I will be sore tomorrow,lol...It was so nice to be moving again...you see Feb 22 I fell down the steps and broke my left fibula and suffered a class 3 sprain to my right ankle....needless to say a sista was jacked up,lol....initially after I fell I thought that I had simply suffered sprains to BOTH ankles...but after a week I knew something had to be wrong so I went to the emergency room...now I know you are thinking "Girl you walked on a broken ankle for a week!"...yes I did....you see whenever I go to the Doctor and I think something is wrong...it never is....soooo the one time I don't go...whooop there it is! lol....so to be laid up for two months wrecks havoc on a girls figure...so I cancelled cable(I heard that watching more than 4hours of tv a day leads to Obesity...enough said...) and joined 24 hr fitness.......I will not be a statistic..I will not be a statistic..I will not be a statistic...my new Mantra...or more bluntly put My new mantra could be Move your a$$...Move your A$$...etc

Dough Easy!

Ok I know that I'm late to the party...the no knead bread making party that is...so last week I got busy making it even though I didn't have the proper pot...I used a big cast iron skillet so the bread came out a little flat...but it tasted really good slathered with good butter and strawberry jam....so I was geeked!.....after a google search I found Jessica's blog Su good sweets...she came up with a chocolate version of the no knead bread....so feeling confident I whipped up the dough subbing AP flour for Bread flour. I put it in my bedroom to rise because I had to turn the heat up to get the rooms temp up 70 degrees for proper rising....I have to say it felt kinda weird to have bread rising in the bedroom...it got pretty hot in the bedroom so much so the the "girlfriend" complained,lol...and she's always cold!!....the dough rose like a mutha,lol...It kinda freaked me out a bit...u know like the movie "the blob"...anyway...here's some photos.....the chocolate bread is not overly sweet just a nice cocoa flavor...it's especially good toasted with a smear of Nutella...shoot...who am I fooling...(do over)..it's really good with a generous mound of Nutella....just keeping it real yall!

Here we go again...

This post picks where the last left off,lol...I'm officially sick of flying back to cincy!...and next week will be my last trip back...it's all so bittersweet...I will miss my clients/friends that I have been apart of my life for the last several years...its feels weird to close up shop because of the travel...not because it was failing...even after moving away I would still get calls from folks wanting to come to me....so a new chapter begins...I am open

We're outta here!

The "Girlfriend" and I are moving....to Portland....she has just landed a fabulous job...and we are outta here(here being the cinti oh)....they are offering a phenomenal relocation package...everything has really fallen into place.....I have decided to work bi-coastally( until I get tired of flying that is)...I will work one week out of the month in ohio...so we will see how long that last...I'm so excited be someplace else!!!....I love to travel and have new experiences...and moving someplace that you have never even visted I think will qualify as an interesting adventure,lol

On the mend

The recuperation this time around for my knee has been AMAZING hardly any bleeding or swelling...they didn't have to wake the muscle up the day after surgery because I was able to squeeze my quads(YEAH!!)...because being electrocuted is no fun,lol....in the meanwhile..I have been knitting on the"girlfriends" aunt sweater....yeah I'm just chugging along on it,lol(no pics)....but I do have pics of the latest gifts from my secret pal "

here's a pic of the previous gift she sent me from abroad...


and on the raw tip...."the girlfriend" is really starting to get into(especially since she is dropping weight like crazy,lol)...she made this wonderful salad from the the book Raw food real world...it grapefruit,avocado shaved fennel....with a very light dressing...it was wonderful

Gimpy?

I know long time no post....but I have been super busy with work....I will be having surgery on my right knee this wednesday...so please think good thought!!...I will do a real post later in the week once the "good" drugs kick in,lol...I have lots of pictures to post my Secret pal has sent me some wonderful things from abroad that I have to show off....and lots more to talk about on the RAW food tip...

and she "uncooks".....

MY latest culinary endeavors.....on the RAW front today I made a pizza..which entailed..a sprouted wheatberry crust with veggies added for flavor with fresh made Pesto and a sundried marinara sauce...with marinated portabella mushrooms and raw jalapeno green olives and onions...this was sooooo good the "girlfriend" thought it was better than the deep dish raw pizza we dined on at the RAW restaurant "LIVE" in toronto....(and I loved that pizza!!!!)...we also had "burgers" made from sprouted buckwheat,portabella mushrooms and other flavorings...we put them on green leaf lettuce with onion,sprouts, tomato and raw mayo that I whipped up....it was really good .....I'm feeling so good being raw...I will list all my fave raw books soon

....


MY secret pal rocks...she sent me this wonderful postcard from asia with a big buddha on it...I love buddha!!!..thanks secret pal! I can't wait to see the goodies she picked out for me.....

Road trip!!!

Road trip with the"girlfriend" to Toronto...I love Toronto...we went last year for my birthday....her birthday is imminent.so off we go again we stayed at a funky hotel last time called the Cosmopolitian(pics above)....we received a free nite stay this time around I'm soooo excited to get away....I'm looking forward to dining at "LIVE" a raw restraurant... I can't wait to taste the food....I'm looking forward to maintaining my raw diet on the road I will prepare some snack type things for the ride...I will also post pics when I return...

RAW Immersion

I have decided to go back to eating a RAW diet...I ate raw last summer with really wonderful results...but found it hard to maintain in the cooler months...so I decided to give it another go...I love cooking was another reason It was hard to stay raw hence to cooking of vegan food I figured that cuisine would be the next best healthiest one to eat...and it was...until you start baking wonderful desserts,lol....The biggest conudrum that I face now is that a resturant wants to buy my desserts...ohh what to do,lol....u see it's hard to cook without tasting...and tasting would probably lead to bingeing on sweets....I was thinking that maybe I could just make enough desserts to use up all the ingrdients in my house...and just let the "girlfriend" do all the tasting,lol...so for the the last three days I have been 100% raw and I feel fabulous and have lost a few pounds...I will begin to post pics of my raw food creations...right now I'm immersing myself in all things raw with reading and podcast and "cookbooks"...It's all really so fascinating....how you can change your life with food....the stories of people curing themselves
from cancer and other illnesses are astounding....

Me Amore!

MY wonderful girlfriend hunted down my fave flower Peonys....I love having fresh flowers in the loft....they always make me smile and so does she.....

Martha Who?

Check out my windowsill garden(I live in a loft downtown)...I used organic dirt and seeds...I'm growing Mesclun lettuce,micro greens,herbs,nasturiums...and cherry tomatos(not so sure how these will do)...I have already snipped at the microgreens and added it to a salad...with homemade dressing...red pepper curry...yummmmm....I love seeing things grow!!!

My Secret Pal

Sent me this lushious yarn from Brooklyn Handspun...I love the colorway....THanks Secret Pal.....I see a new sock starting soon,lol...still working on the sweater coat....my new mantra...I will complete this...I will complete this!!!!....My secret pal is visiting Asia...now that's someplace I would love to visit in the near future...since I discovered YES ASIA ships to the US...I have been an ordering fool...they have the coolest knit and crafts books...the Japanese are sooo innovative....I will definetly be starting some japanese based projects soon(and no I can't read japanese...but I follow images good enough...we will see,lol)

Time out

I'm off to my nephew's graduation from high school in Maryland...with my mom and girlfriend....this should be a fun road trip,lol.....maybe I will find some interesting yarn or fabric while out shopping...later

ME impatient?

Today my acid dyes arrived from Misterart



So I decided to dye yarn I purchased from Lisaknit.com some very soft merino lace weight amd alpalca lace weight




I love the color it turned out...a beautiful shade of kelly green


now all I need is a fierce shawl pattern...

on the needle....2

here's my first attempt at socks...I had to rip back to the heel because for some reason I was purling in the round,lol but so far so good...I want to learn to knit two at the same time on circulars... and I know you should never knit with metal and wood in the same project....but what can I say I'm a renegade knitter,lol

I knew it!!!!

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

UMMMMM....

You know you really love to cook when you wake up and start baking......this morning it was pumpkin muffins(a request from my friend Esi) and orange glazed scones....this was my first attempt at making scones....they seem to be a big hit...I gave some to my neighbors and one of them knocked on my door with 2 dollars asking to buy one because they were sooo good! and then Esi called me a few minutes later saying these were the best scones ever....and that she has to host a tea party to feature them....I do believe I see a new business venture on the horizon.....

New knitting WIP

MY first Rowan project....this sweater coat is for my girlfriend's Aunt whom I adore!!!



On the cooking front.... A wild rice fruited salad

Pumpkin muffins....these are sooo good...from vegan with a vengeance cookbook

And on the RAW tip...a lime tart...this tart is made with avacodos it's pretty good...the crust is made out of macadamia nuts... from the book Raw food Real world (un)cookbook

secret pal info

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?(I like natural fibers!!!,alpalca,merino) What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?(acrylic,scratchy fibers)

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? (plastic tub,but lately a Vosges candy box...it's really pretty,lol)

3. How long have you been knitting? (about 4years...I was more into crochet) Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? (I would say intermediate)

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?(No not yet!!)

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) (sandalwood,nag champa,superhit(incense),frankincense,I like earthy scents)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? (YES)Favorite candy? (I like dark chocolate,with nuts(I'm a Vegan)..so no dairy.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?..I like to paint(Artist trading cards),I sew, remaking clothes,soon to be quilter,I dye yarn....I would luv to learn to spin and weave...I love how- to books

8. What kind of music do you like? (Jazz...deep house,down tempo lounge(ex Bar grooves) Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) (I have an Ibook,and Ipod)

9. What's your favorite color? ( to wear Black,but right now I'm really drawn to green) Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?(fall colors) Any colors you just can't stand?(pastels...but I do like lavender)

10. What is your family situation? I have a wonderful partner/girlfriend, no kids yet) Do you have any pets? (a maltese Yohji and now my gf's dog Cammie)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? (I like hats,but the fiber has to be right...I Have allergies/sensitive skin hence the love of alpalca and merino yarns..I LOVE scarfs!!!!!!!!!!! and a big no to PONCHOS)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? (don't really have a have I'm all over the place..I love to learn new techniques..lately It's been socks and sock yarn and lace knitting is next on my agenda)

13. What are you knitting right now? (socks for me GF...Rowan sweater coat for my GF'S aunt)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?(Absolutely!!)

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I use them all...mostly addi's

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? (yes)

17. How did you learn to knit?(at the knee of my grandmother)

18. How old is your oldest UFO? (4yrs old a black chunky knit kimono sweater coat)

19. What is your favorite holiday?(don't really have a fave ),but I'm digging Sweetest day and Valentines day now that I'm hooked up,lol

20. Is there anything that you collect? (Buddah heads)

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? (right now no subscriptions....I have many books in my amazon cart...I will list them soon)( feeening for beautiful lace yarn for a shawl)( metal(steel) double needles) i love vegan cookbooks

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? (lace,fair isle,intarsia)

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Just beginning my numbers are width=8 1/2, length 11, ankle9 1/4, calf 12 1/2,floor to calf 9"

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) Nov 11

...and the show goes on...

Even though I'm bit gimpy now with the knee...I still wanna cook,lol.....I though that I should sit more but it is sooooo hard...I'm use to being on my feet all day...so the next 11 days will be rough......but meanwhile in the kitchen...I made a soup recipe from the book titled"Vegetarian"(I bought it on a table at Barnes&Noble for 6$)....the soup is "Spicy red lentil and coconut soup"...It is sooo good...this recipe is a definte keeper

and from Vegan with a Vengeance I made these delicious cupcakes"Coconut Heaven cupcakes" and these chocolate chip cookies...It made alot of dough....that I had to add half a cup of soymilk to make more moist...I also added some chopped pecans and a pinch of cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg

I know that the pics are never in order....my old locqueen page was easier to insert photos where u wanted with this template I just don't know....I'm thinking of moving this over to typepad......

mini-break

Today was my surgery day......I tore my meniscus working out with a personal trainer awhile back....so today it got repaired....the whole event was pretty much uneventful until.....I returned home as was resting when I looked down and saw all the blood.....I was told to expect a little.....and this was alot....so back to the hospital....to have new bandages....only to have breakthrough bleeding a couple of hours later...one pleasant thing did happen though...when I awoke from being knocked out,lol...the nurse was standing over me...and she said you do not look 41....I would have thought u were 25,lol.....indeed.....I would post pics(hideous).....but why?...let's all try to spread beauty...

talk about multi-tasking

and here's dessert......vegan chocolate cupcakes....it's great to work from home!!

Lunch Du Jour

The Lunch box arrived the other day ...and this is the first lunch I packed for the" girlfriend"....from the Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook....Pesto pasta....which is fabulous and very fast to prepare....I packed along with that a side salad of mixed greens with red onion and shaved carrot the dressing is a curried yogurt....garlic baguette.....a few baby carrots and a honey tangerine....and two truffles for later...now I'm vegan ...the "girlfriend" is vegetarian...who will eat vegan,lol...I think I will make vegan chocolate cupcakes before my clients start arriving.....later

On the needles....

Here's my first attempt at sock knitting...I'm knitting these for my wonderful girlfriend....so far so good,lol....and if these don't turn me off socks I will next attempt these norwegian stockings from...the Folk Socks book

Who's a lucky dog?

My faithful sidekick Yohji turned 4yrs old on the 8th.....and he got hooked up....not only did he get a great new sweater(and no I didn't knit it)....he also got a ton of gourmet treats(and no I didn't bake them,lol)
Yohji is the best dog ever!!!!

We're cooking now...

Having become so inspired by the blog Vegan lunchbox...I thought that I would start to chronicle my culinary endeavors...I have recently decided to eat a vegan diet...last summer I started eating a RAW food diet...I will elaborate more on that in the updates...but for now I eat basically raw til dinner and then a cooked vegan meal...first up sauteed collard greens with garlic and red pepper...this was freestyle I added a pinch of cumin(my new fave spice) this was so delicious cold the next day

MY next dish is from the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance... Mushroom and sun-dried tomato risotto....this was GOOD....and I'm surprised my that...because I'm not a mushroom fan...I love sun-dried tomatoes(I know is so 90's,lol)...I love cooking risottos....you have some real concentrated thinking time...with all that stirring,lol..I usually get my ipod out and listen to podcast ,lol I will be listing some as soon as I figure this template out...

My third pic is of some vegan twinkies I made ...I got this recipe off the blog Vegan lunchbox....these were really good...I actually liked them better the next day...

and my final pic is Lemon gem cupcakes from the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance...these are the bomb!!!...very lemony and light...and icing is really good...even though I let the vegan butter melt to much to make the icing fluffy...it came out more like I glaze...but it was still good....and on the knitting front I'm attempting my first pair of socks...I just received in the mail a dvd on knitting socks on circulars....I'm geeked...this Sista is off to study....later yall

ps...I have no idea why the pics are all screwy....just click to see bigger images....lol...I use to be so much better at this...

Lame-O

I have been so lame about posting regulary to this blog......so here goes an update on my latest creative endeavors..a baby hat crocheted for a friends baby out of noro....MY friend's baby was a preemie.....now she has gained weight and its summer....soooo Buddah's rocking it now,lol.....I have also been funking up some of my girlfriends old clothes...on the t-shirts I usually write sexy or dirty phrases in Italian,german,spanish...etc...lol

Transformation

Welcome to my new blog alias....I was formerly known as Locqueenknits2 that blog is still up if you want to preruse my past creative endeavors...I decided that I needed a new space that would encompass all that i'm into now. MY present creative obsessions include knitting, cooking vegan cuisine as well as raw cuisine,I will be starting a small quilt project soon and funking up old and new clothes with handpainting and stitching and painting ATC(artist trading cards). Later in the summer I will be taking a Spinning class as well as an weaving class...so as you can see I will have lots to keep me busy....I also will be using this blog to talk about shyt that I think is really cool...right now I'm loving podcast and I'm considering starting my own...we will see how that goes...lol..but in the interim I will list some cool ones that I have found....The template for this blog will be changing...I just got a new IBook and I'm learning a new operating system....and I want like to do something interesting with this page.....stay tuned

under construction

undergoing an creative overhaul....