Starting a Revolution

I just finished watching the first episode of Jamie Oliver's new show, Food Revolution. I've been following his Ministry of Food campaign for the last couple years, and watched the success he has had reforming the meals in the UK school system. This man gets it. He has such passion for what he does, and truly believes he can make a difference. I honestly hope he does. The USDA school lunch program is a sorry excuse for nutrition, and the preservatives they stuff down our kids' throats are not doing them any favors. I hope I have set an example of better food choices for my child, although it was only in the last 2 years that I've been aware of how important those choices are.

Obesity and diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease are killing us. The American lifespan is actually DECREASING! Statistically, our children are going to live 10 years LESS than we will. This is appalling and something has to change. Eating fresh, local ingredients and cooking from raw (rather than processed) are SO important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and it really so much easier than most people realize. If you're timid about putting a fresh, from scratch meal on your dinner table 5 days a week, I encourage to check out Jamie's books or his website.

Please, sign the petition to save cooking skills and improve school food.


"I've been to South Africa, in the townships, and they're getting better food than your American kids. Now if I were you, I'd be really pissed off." - Jamie Oliver


The above statements are purely personal opinion and in no way sanctioned or endorsed by Jamie Oliver or his representatives. I am simply a fan and wholeheartedly agree with his campaigns.

Olympic Gold!

The Olympics are over and everyone has gone home. Being relatively close to Vancouver, there was a bit Olympic Fever here and I decided to compete in the Ravelympics Sock Hockey and Single Skein Speed Skate.


The Challenge: Knit a pair of socks, casting on no earlier than the opening ceremonies, and binding off no later than the end of the closing ceremonies.

The pattern I chose was Twisted Tulip Socks from Interweave Knits Spring 2008.

The yarn I chose was Pagewood Farms Yukon in Turquoise color.

Mods I made included a short 2 x 2 cuff and eliminating the cabled pattern on the foot.

I attended the Cast-On Party at Knot Just Yarn and I was off and running. By the end of the first weekend, I had this:


I didn't feel like this was a very encouraging start, but I wasn't going to give up! A friend & I were headed off for a fiber-filled weekend with lots of knitting time, and I knew if I could turn the heel by the half-way point, I still had a chance. By the time I headed home on Sunday, I had this:


I finished the heel flap that evening, and turned the heels the following morning. I was in the home stretch!

I finished the socks with about 36 hours to spare. Not only did I finish an awesome pair of socks, I proved that it doesn't take me an entire year to knit socks!









A big thank you to the volunteers at Ravelry who organized the event, and to Becky, Laura, and my Knot Just Yarn friends for the encouragement and the laughs.