Radical

So a little over a week ago you might remember this post about me running.  I started.  I increased my intervals slightly.  It was going pretty good.  So I did what any normal person would do when just starting to run.  I signed up for a 5K.  Makes perfect sense right?  Not really.  If it were any normal 5K I wouldn't have done it.  But when I saw my friend Sarah was doing Color Me Rad I decided to do it.  I heard so many fun things about this run.  And some people don't run it.  A lot actually walk, so I figured I was safe.  But still, it was 5K and whether I was walking or running it was still going to challenge me.  So we set out Saturday morning to do this thing.

So let me explain this.  The premise of the "color" is that you start the race in nice clean white shirts.

Team "Put A Bird On It" was clean and ready to go.

Some teams had wigs.  Some had tutus.  

There is dancing and zumba to warm you up before the run.  It's all kind of like a carnival atmosphere.

And then the games begin.

Norma's previously clean white shirt became pink.  See the dust in the air?  That is colored corn starch.  And it is basically thrown at you during the run.  

We were getting ready for our start.  There were over 7000 runners so they had to spread the heats out a bit.

And it started.  I began running.  I didn't last too long.  But it was OK.  We were still having fun.

And so it went through the whole race course.  

Chrystee didn't look too bad.

Sarah got a bit of smurf look on her head.

And me?  I was a little messy.  

There was another color drop at the end.  I stayed away.  I was colorful enough for my liking!  

I was glad I did it.  I felt accomplished.  I was sore the next day.  I wanted to get better running shoes but I knew they would get ruined so didn't bother.  So my back was a bit sore.  And my knee was screaming that night but it's all good now. 

And heck, I got an interesting t-shirt after all.

We Interrupt This Sweater

I went to meet my buddy for knitting on Wednesday evening and figured I would get to bind off the sweater and start on those sleeves.

Wrong.

The plan was intercepted by a request for this.

They are so easy to knit.  Within a couple of hours it was done.  And it's for a baby who's parents really appreciate knitted gifts so that made it all the more fun to knit.

And here's the first one I did (slightly different pattern) actually being worn by the world's cutest nephew.

Turned out a little big but that's OK.  He can wear it next year too.

The sweater?  It still got bound off and sleeve 1 is picked up.  I'm praying to the yarn Gods that I will have enough.

Have a great weekend!

Yarn Along

So my sweater is coming along.  I have about 6 rows of garter stitch and I can bind off the bottom and pick up the sleeves.  I'll get to that tonight for sure.  So I am right on track.  I think I should have enough yarn. The only thing that may hold me up for a bit is the fact that I haven't been able to find buttons that I like.  I found a few on Etsy so I need to make a final decision on that today so they will arrive by next week.  I didn't even bother to take a picture.  Imagine a big black/grey blanket with some holes for arms.  Just a big lump which is not photo worthy at this time.

This, however, is photo worthy.

My Teal Toes ended up being 320 yards of fingering weight yarn.  I really wanted to chain ply it but I had a bad feeling that I would lose too much yardage.  I was right.  It was so nice to spin.  I spun it on the fold which I had never done before.  I will definitely be ordering more of this in another colorway.   Unwind Yarn Company is amazing.

The colors look a bit washed out for some reason.  It must have been the lighting.  I haven't soaked it yet.  I will get to that this week.  No rush I guess because I won't get to knit it for a while.

Joining Ginny as always on this wonderful Wednesday.

The Weekend

I had a quiet weekend planned, which is what I needed.  I made my list and went from there.

Wake early for some knitting - check
Take Mowgli to the dog park before it rained - check
Go to Hobby Lobby for some buttons and some yarn - check (no buttons, yarn - YES)
Knit pumpkin hat for nephew with said yarn - check
Finish spinning my Tealtember fiber - check
Get outside while the weather was sunny and warm - check
Watch football - check
Download iOS7 onto my phone - check

There were lots of thing on my list that didn't get done, but I made a good dent.

How was your weekend?

Evening Run

Run?  Eh - probably more like a walk with some running thrown in for fun.  Actually, it has been fun.  I downloaded Zombies Run 5K Training and it has been a blast.  

I always wanted to try running but I was afraid.  I was afraid I would hurt myself and that there was no way somebody my size could run.  I was wrong.  I can run.  And I have been.  It starts out real easy.  Basically 10 minutes of walking, then 1 minute walking/15 seconds running drills.  Then it builds from there.  

I usually go in the evening.  I started at sunset the other night and took some pictures along the way.

This is the bike path on the new Sakonnet River Bridge.  And hey, if you want to run and not be noticed - isn't running on the state highway a great place to do it? 

I love the lights on the bridge as the sun goes down. 

I'm getting a bit nervous knowing it's going to get real cold and windy soon and I need to come up with a plan for that.  

One mile at a time I guess.  

Yarn Along

I really didn't think I was going to post today.  I just felt like I had nothing to show.  I laid out my sweater to take a quick picture this morning and you know what?  It grew.

It almost looks like a sweater.  Or at least a vest.

How do you like that background?  My baby nephew has been visiting from CA and he's been rolling around that playmat.

I have another 11 inches on the body left to go.  If my calculations are correct, I'm getting about 5 inches per skein of yarn.  I should need a little more that 2 skeins to finish the body.  That leaves me with 9 skeins of yarn.  That will be plenty to finish the sleeves and the edging and shawl collar.  If all goes according to plan. And how often does that happen?

I almost feel like I want to bet against myself.  Will I be done with the body by next week?  Will I have gotten to the sleeves by then?

The funny thing about lots of stockinette is that it's a no brainer.  You can sit in front of the TV and do it for hours.  The problem is that it is so boring, I fall asleep while doing it.  Go figure....

Grateful for Ginny for linking us all up.

10 On Tuesday

I love to dance so I love this weeks 10 on Tuesday.

10 Songs That Make You Want To Dance!

Now remember, I have a teenager in the house (some of the time at least) who listens to Hip Hop so some of my selections are definitely not from my generation!

1.  Madonna - Get Into The Groove.  When I hear this I am immediately 19 again and dancing at the club on a Friday night.
2.  Earth Wind & Fire - Let's Groove.  I don't even know what year that came out but it's one of my favorites.
3.  Sean Kingston - Fire Burning.  I went to so many of those darn Summer Jam concerts with my daughter and this was actually a song that I loved to dance to.  I was thankful that she was old enough to go without me this year and went with friends.
4.  Flo Rida - Low. Every time I hear this song I think of a Christmas party we went to.  This song was popular at the time and we got my father to dance.  We were surprised how low he could go!
5.  Chris Brown - She Ain't You. I love how he blended Michael Jackson in there.  I hate how he has become a thug since this song came out.
6.  Shalamar - A Night To Remember.  Great memories of this song driving my 82 Camaro.
7.  Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines.  That song ain't going away any time soon.  But it's got a catchy beat that makes your feet tap, doesn't it?
8.  Earth Wind & Fire - September.  Another great beat.   It reminds me of the move "Soul Food".
9.  Marcia Griffiths - The Electric Slide.  I danced to this on the cruise and can't believe I still remembered how to do it.
10.  Jamie Foxx - Blame It.  Who knew he could sing too?

I could come up with another 20!

What makes you dance?

Tealtember

For those who may not know (such as myself) September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.  While all cancer is scary, ovarian is apparently one of those that by the time it is diagnosed - it has usually progressed very rapidly.  During the month of September they are encouraging women to wear teal - teal ribbons, teal nail polish, etc...  Unwind Yarn Company jumped on board and dyed some awesome yarn and fiber.  Look at how beautiful this is.  It's her Panda Sock Roving which has bamboo and nylon as well as superwash.

One of my favorite audio knitting podcasts is The High Fiber Diet.  Kari is great - so entertaining to listen to. Since yesterday was such a beautiful day I decided to take my wheel outside and get some spinning done while listening to her.  She also is doing a Spin-a-long/Knit-a-long for the month of September - also known as "Tealtember".

Look how great this is spinning.  I'm still not sure if I want to chain ply or two ply it yet.  If you look closely at the picture you can see Mowgli admiring my spinning. Kinda like a 'Where's Waldo" scenario.

So paint your toes, buy some teal yarn, get educated about ovarian cancer.

Check That Off The List

So any of you who know me in real life know that I'm a pretty laid back person.  I was the kid who followed the rules (most of them anyway), didn't get into any real trouble, didn't really party much - that sorta thing.  I don't like roller coasters, I don't like planes or flying, I tolerate boats on a "need be" basis (go ahead and laugh since our family in is the business of making high speed boats).  I am far from a dare devil.

My daughter, however, is my polar opposite.  If it's edgy, fun, or thrilling - she wants to do it.  She turned 18 last week and has been begging for a tattoo.  They were never really my thing.  I admire them and some of them are beautiful.  But it wasn't something I wanted to do.  For the last year she kept asking for me to get a matching tattoo with her.  Something that just her and I would have.  She didn't care what it was, I could pick the entire thing.  So I got to thinking, "why not?"  Nobody would EVER expect me to get one.

Since my daughter is going into the nursing profession she has to be careful where she puts her tattoos.  So we chose the feet.

I chose to go first.  And what do you think I did as I was getting my new ink?

Yep - I knit. It kinda kept my mind off the pain.  For a little while.  And yes - it hurt.  I noticed the closer she got to my toes the more it hurt.

This was the outline on Nicole's foot.  We didn't think to take this picture while I was getting mine.  But when I was done:

And here we are together.

I absolutely love it.

And I can't say I wouldn't do it again.

Yarn Along

Happy Wednesday!  Well, I have been knitting and knitting and feel like I don't have much to show for it.  I have been working diligently on my Sophisticate sweater (aka Rhinebeck sweater).  It certainly doesn't look like that to me.

I have 294 stitches around.  I need to get to 328.  That's a lot of stitches on the needles.  I should be able to separate for the sleeves by tonight if I'm lucky.  I think at that point I will feel a little more accomplished.

It's looking like a lump right now.  But look at that cool sweater bag I got from Lois at Knittings My Bag. How could I start a sweater without getting a special sweater bag.  With owls.

And owl stitch markers of course.

So what ya got on your needles?  Join Ginny and let us be inspired.

Ten on Tuesday

Until this past year we hadn't really taken any lengthy trips for some time.  Vacation is wonderful.  But there's still nothing like home.  So here's today's 10 on Tuesday  - 10 Things You Miss About Your Own House While You're Away.

1.  My dog.  He's still a puppy so we have not ventured too far with him.  We are still working on manners (and some days that's a lot of work).
2.  Home cooked meals.  While on vacation we typically are eating out most days.
3.  My candles.  I'm a Yankee Candle junkie so my house is always smelling like the scent of the season.
4.  Knitting on my deck.  It's quiet, you can look out at the boats on the water, you can hear the birds chirping - it's so peaceful.
5.  My couch.  I have my special corner where I knit and it is so comfy there.
6. My car.  OK - this isn't part of my house, but I don't usually  have it while I'm away.  And I love my car.
7. Wifi.  You don't realize how much you miss that when you don't have it!
8.  Big screen TV.  Age has truly made me almost blind.  This is sad.
9.  My wood stove.  I won't need it for another couple of months (fingers crossed) but during the winter it's what I miss most when I'm not home.
10.  My coffee mug.  I don't have coffee every morning, but when I do, I just don't like drinking out of anything but my own mug.  Call me crazy.

The Rhinebeck Sweater

I was up in the air about going to Rhinebeck this year.  I have only gone once.  It's a 3.5 hour drive each way for me.  Normal people would plan this out way ahead of time and just get a hotel room.  Not me!  I decide at the last minute what I want to do.  We will make it a day trip.  Lot's of time on the road, but hey, we can knit as we go, right?   I really don't need to go.  I have other Fiber Fests going on that time of year that are a lot closer.  But something about the atmosphere at Rhinebeck is exciting.  Also getting to see some online friends that I normally don't get to catch up with otherwise is awesome.  So we are going. This would mean I need to knit me a sweater especially for such an event, because many people do.

When I made this sweater for my nephew I remarked at how I loved the simple design and that I would love to make one for myself.  One of my Plurk friends informed me that there WAS such a version for adults.  So I bought some yarn last month from Knitpicks.  I cast on for it this past weekend.

I forgot how slow sweaters can go.  Will I get it done in time for Rhinebeck?  Absolutely.  I think Melissa cast on hers this past weekend too (I think it's her third Rhinebeck sweater - that girl is knitting like crazy lately).  Not only will I have it done by then, but I plan on wearing my Orange Brickless with it.  

I may be finishing Brickless up on the drive to Rhinebeck.

A Good Mail Day

I love when I order things online.  Especially when it's something that needs to be made before it can ship, which means delayed gratification.  Sometimes I even forget all about it.  I forgot I had ordered this a while back.  I got a nice surprise in the mail last Saturday.

Its fiber.  Lots of happy, bright colored fiber.  And a 6 page manual on different ways to spin it.  I think I will use this for socks so  my first thought is to divide the braid evenly, spin each strip then ply them together.   It's from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and it is the August installment of the Rockin Whorl Spinning Club.  What appealed to me about this club was that you could purchase it a month at a time or purchase all three months at once.  I only purchased one month but I am itching to get the next.  Common sense is telling me to skip the next one only because my list of projects I want to accomplish before the end of October is already impossible to accomplish.  I won't even get to spin this one until sometime in November if I'm lucky.  And there is Rhinebeck coming up, and New England Sheep and Wool.  I really need to save some spending money for those.  

Common sense is so over-rated.  

What Are These Podcasts?

I can't seem to just sit and knit.  I need to be watching TV, or reading, or talking, or anything else that's possible.  It must be a "getting two things done at once" issue.  Lately I have been catching up on "Call The Midwife" on Netflix on my iPad.  If my hubby wants to watch something I'm not particularly thrilled with I can plug in my ear buds and sit on the couch with him and my knitting.  

My favorite by far though is watching knitting podcasts.  I find it inspiring to see other people creating and get some good ideas.  There are usually Knit-a-longs that involve prizes. There is chatter over on the Rav boards for each podcast and I have met some real nice knitters.   I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my favorites over the next few weeks.  

So this week I will share one of my absolute favorites - The Knit Girllls.  Leslie and Laura are funny, creative and they can get some knitting done! They both lived down south but Leslie moved up to NJ last year so it's been cool to see them connect over the podcast each week.  

When you get a chance check them out.  

Yarn Along

Happy Wednesday!  We woke up to some seasonal weather which felt fantastic!  I have a feeling the humidity will probably make one last visit before the end of the month, but let's enjoy what we have for now.

This chillier weather is definitely conducive to knitting so let's see what's on the needles, shall we?

 I used the yarn I dyed to cast on another Brickless.

You can definitely see the pattern better with this yarn.  I have visions of wearing it with this sweater.

I have lots of knitting visions lately.

Not all of them are feasible.

But we will discuss that another time.

Joining Ginny.

September

It's September and I have so many random thoughts about that running through my head

-it's going to get chilly, real soon
-because of that I am feeling the need to knit a cardigan for myself NOW
-we are going to go apple picking soon
-Halloween is really on the brain because I have a couple pairs of Halloween socks to finish
-I started thinking Christmas and gifts already
-I have a couple of people who are "knit-worthy" and I will take care of them this holiday season
-I feel like I should take the beach gear out of the car but I'm hoping to get there a couple more evenings
-the list of Fall Sheep and Wool events is swimming in my head as I decide which ones I want to attend
-I wonder how much longer I can keep my office window open before it gets too cold
-we need to make a plan for King Richard's Faire before we run out of weekends

Sometimes I think my life is one big TO DO list!