One More Day and a Wake-Up

It dawned on me the other day that I have been utterly neglecting my blog, and that I do enjoy writing.

What brought this realization about is that this Friday evening, April 1 at 7 pm, I will be taking my test for a Second Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo.  While this may seem like a string of randomness, the two are in fact connected.  One of the required tasks for the test is to put together a book about various aspects of your life.  While not a full-on autobiography, an essay about the student's life since passing the First Degree Test is required.  Once I had finished the essay is when I realized that I missed the writing, and that led to remembering that I have an outlet for it, which had not been attended to in some time.  So, here I am.

These last few weeks leading up to the test have been rather stressful for me, and an odd tightrope act of balancing the need to improve my strength and endurance while not getting hurt so I can't take the test.  It has been tricky, let me tell you.

So, like any good knitter, I have turned to my craft as a way to take my mind off of the test.  The problem is that I may have turned to it a little too much...

Here is a pair of socks that I started for a dear friend's birthday (already passed).  They are the "Split Reed" socks from Think Outside the Sox.  I was going gangbusters on them until I realized that they were sized for Sasquatch and so out they came.  The intended recipient is physically quite the opposite of Sasquatch.  A quick adjustment of the number of pattern repeats & off again, making up for lost time, until the heel had to be redone three times.  I'm not sure exactly how that happened, I think I was in a frenzy of Test Stress, but in any case, here I am 3 days after the birthday  with less than one finished sock.  They are, however, very pretty.  They're in Mountain Colors Bearfoot, in semi-solid red whose name I don't recall and for which I have lost the ball band.

I also started an THE entrelac shawl, which is worthy of several posts all on it's own; I'll save that saga for another time.  It is, however, gorgeous, for me, and I have been having a very hard time not working on it 24/7.  The yarn is Gedifra's Fashion Trend Stripe in color 4616.

Finally, another belated birthday present.  This is the Astaire Vest is from "Sculptured Knits" by Jean Moss.  My revised version of the pattern is being made in Rowan's Felted Tweed, color170.  I had to re-draft the pattern in order to use this yarn, which is a bit finer than what was called for.  The pattern is fun and surprisingly quick to knit, and results in a nicely masculine herringbone type texture.  It's quite subtle, especially in this rather dark blue, but I am quite pleased with the results.

Once finished with the test on Friday, I may have to find a way of coping with the stress of getting the two birthday gifts done before the next birthday rolls around, and finishing the shawl before it's too hot to have it in my lap.  I suppose I could always take extra TaeKwonDo classes...

Summer Knitting

It is hot here.  I know, it's summer.  It's supposed to be hot outside and I don't have a problem with that.  But this is really and truly miserable hot and humid weather.  Temperatures are in the 90's and the humidity level is darn close to being underwater.  My boys are both on one of the local swimming and diving teams, and my oldest also plays tennis four days each week.  What this means for me is that I have to be outside in the heat & humidity while they are engaged in their activities.  My Canadian blood is not up for these temperatures.

I love the fact that my boys are so active, I really, really do.  But their aquatics and tennis programs are outdoors in the summer.  And they go from 10:00 am until 4:00pm.  And there isn't an air conditioner in sight.  Luckily I can jump in the pool and swim laps to cool off or I would not survive.  But my biggest complaint is that it is too hot to knit!  My hands perspire and the yarn starts to stick instead of gliding over my fingers.  The weight of my project in my lap adds a layer of insulation that I really don't need.  If anyone has any suggestions as to how to knit while in the pool, I'm all ears!

How?

How do you help someone who does not want to be helped, but who needs your help?  Suggestions, please.

One is Too Many

I must admit that I am at a loss.  Please bear with me, this is difficult.  I am an extraordinarily fortunate person.  Which is not to say that my life is "Perfect", no one's is.  But I have been blessed with people who love me and who I love without abandon.  My children do not suffer from any serious intellectual or physical handicaps.  We are not worried about where our next meal will come from or if we will be warm next winter.  I do not take these blessings for granted.

However, there is that expression about bad things coming in three's.  And I don't like it.  Not one bit.

For one thing, it means that if you suffer through one bad thing, this means you need to be on the lookout for two more.  It also means that if you have made it through two bad things, you are constantly searching the horizon for the third.  What kind of life is that?

Today I had the good fortune to visit my LYS, but for the worst reason possible.  I needed to buy yarn for a third comfort shawl.   Personally, I believe that yarn shopping should be nothing short of joyous, but today I found myself walking into the shop with a set jaw, and the determination to find the perfect yarn for my sick friend.  This is the point at which joy and passion becomes a chore.  This marks the third comfort shawl I have undertaken.  I don't like these numbers one bit.  Three comfort shawls in two years?? How can that possibly be right?

These are all good, beautiful, smart and funny women.  I love them all.  They have all played an important role in my life.  If not for any of them, I would not be the person I am today.  I would do anything for any one of them; from folding their laundry and grocery shopping to taking care of them in their most dire moment of need.  This is the worst possible reason to knit for someone.  I hope you never, ever have to do it.  And I sincerely hope that it's the last time for me.

Getting on the Crazy Train

While poking around on Ravelry earlier this afternoon, I checked in with group I belong to called Martial Arts Knitters (you must be on Ravelry to access this last link, sorry!), where I found out about the 100 Push-Up Challenge.  And this, my friends, is when I bought two non-refundable tickets to ride the crazy train.

I say two tickets not because I'm going to try and do 200 push-ups in one set, but because I am also signing on to do the two hundred sit-up challenge.  (For those of you more hard core than I, you can also try the 200 Squats Challenge and the 25 Pull-ups Challenge.  All can be found on the link above.)  So, as of next Monday, June 7, I will beginning my quest to do 100 push-ups in a single set and 200 sit-ups also in one set.  The program gives you a day-by-day as well as a week-by-week workout, and you can track your progress on their website.

Why do it, you might ask?  Well, I have never done 100 push-ups all at once, but have come close.  I think I hit around 70 or so right before my 1st Degree Black Belt test, but that was over three years ago.  I know I can get to 70, so 100 will be a new goal.  I have done that many sit-ups at once, but not since I was in college, back when the world was flat.  Also, since I have been on & off crutches between October and March, I have put on a few pounds that need to come off, and these challenges should be a help.  I'm going to try and remember to track my progress on the website and on Twitter & Facebook, if you're interested in following along. 

Wish me luck!  Anyone out there want to join me?  Please??

Day at the Farm

I spent today voluntolding at my local working farm & nature center doing a spinning demonstration.  For those of you who don't know ex-Marines, being "voluntold" to do something is, well, exactly like it sounds.   Someone, who may or not be your Mom, "volunteers" your time and effort to do something.  And you do it.

So I spent the day spinning at my local nature center for their annual Spring on the Farm event.  And I can't honestly say that I have anything to complain about.  A lot of the adults asked very interesting and fairly technical questions, and it was great to have two-year-olds in my lap again (my boys are 9 and 11) as they tried to stretch their legs and reach the treadles of my Kromski Sonata.  Do I have pictures?  Of course not.  (Have I yet???  Soon--I promise!) My family ditched me for the best slide in town once all my gear was lugged out from my car. (Really, if you have little kids who like slides, check out the Stamford Museum & Nature Center's playground.  It really is the best slide in town.)  I wish I did have some photos though, because I believe that whenever a Mom or Dad whipped out their cell phone for a photo, my smile was the bigger of the two.

I really, really want to have more days like this one, and I hope you all have them too.  Spinning or not.  Make yourself happy.

Tricot Machine

This clip is so cool--a French Canadian music video illustrated by over 700 knitted panels.  Even if you don't understand the lyrics (about winter in Montreal), the visual is still worth watching.

Knitting as animation--who knew??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z5UoYdcakk