Friday, October 4, 2013

Friday Mishmash - Of Hats and Hammies

I hit the knitting prize bonanza in recent weeks, scoring some cool things thanks to the generosity of other bloggers.  First up was a pattern from Wool Free and Loving It:
Something to keep the ears warm this winter...along with a cute sheep for decoration!

Then, Benita of Basically Benita was clearing out her stash and offered up many choices of yarn for her readers - here's what I won:
Ten skeins of a soft pink yarn - I'm having a hard time picking a project for this because there's so many different things I could do with it!

Plus, I got a bonus in the form of a knitting needle organizer, which was great as I'm constantly trying to figure out the best way to store my needles:
 
Benita and her friend Sandy designed this, with Benita sewing it - how clever, right?

Thank you, ladies, for the lovely knitting treats!

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Speaking of knitting, it's time for a Sit and Knit update...or maybe I should call it a Lay Down and Knit update, since it that's what I've been doing quite a bit.  I've been on a hat kick lately.  You'd think I live in the Great White North and am expecting a frigid winter with all the hats I've been making, but no...they're just fun little projects that are fairly quick to complete, which gives me a lot of satisfaction. 

First, here's my Tallahassee Sweetie hat, made with the yarn I bought while traveling through Florida:
I made this hat for a friend of my mom's, who unfortunately was recently diagnosed with cancer.  The yarn is super soft, thanks to some cashmere in it, and I hope that it will be very comfortable for her to wear.
I love this pattern (Jen's New Sweetie Pie Hat) - the cables are called baby cables, and you don't need a special needle to make them.  

Next up, I made another Sarah Jessica Parker-inspired hat:
I had the yarn already, and wanted to see if I could improve on the first one by doing a "jogless-stripe" technique - where there isn't a stair-step when you change the pattern.  Plus, there's nothing like completing a hat in just a few hours...chunky yarn and big needles means it knits up fast!
 
I think the stripes (or ridges, however you want to call them) look much smoother with this hat.  And how about that pompom?  To me, it just screams FUN!

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I cannot believe I have another running injury, but my hamstring is a mess at the moment.  Gah!!  I think what frustrates me more than anything is the fact that I don't run a lot of miles per week, I don't do anything wacky like jumping hurdles or mud runs, and I have really tried to play it safe when it comes to my running.  So when I started getting an ache in the back of my thigh about a month ago, I stretched it out really good after each run.  It never went away, but it wasn't painful, just there, if that makes sense.  I had an entire week off from running when we went to Florida which should have reset my body.  But noooooo.  My very first run caused the hamstring to really hurt, and it got much, much worse during the race on Saturday.  I'm talking "holy crap, what is happening to me??" kind of pain...not something you want to feel halfway through your training program.  Dr. Google was not very encouraging, so I went to a real doctor (I know, what a concept).  He's a runner, and had some good insight about runners and their hamstrings (namely, they are weak), but diagnosed me with a hamstring strain, and pretty much put the fear of god into me about running on it until it's healed.  He advised me to take 2 - 4 weeks off of exercise.  I am not to run, walk for cardio, or bike - all similar motions that stress the hamstring.  He said that the strain could easily become a tear, and if that happens, I won't be doing anything for MONTHS.  OK then...weeks it is. 

My hamstring makes it painful to sit in most chairs, and my desk chair is one of them.  I even swiped Jeff's chair to see if it made a difference, but unfortunately, not much.  So now that I have sanctioned rest, I can't even laze around on the internet for very long without the pain getting to me.  Which makes it hard to write posts and comment on others - please forgive me if it seems like I'm absent...I'm here, and reading on my iPad, but as anyone who's used one to comment knows, it's not user-friendly (why can't it remember my info?), so I rarely use it for that.

 Tomorrow my group will be running 9 miles.  I'll be there (I'm the organizer, I have to...and I want to), but it will be hard to watch everyone leave for their run.  I sure hope this thing only takes two weeks to heal because I really would like to get back out there with my peeps.

Have a good weekend!

25 comments:

  1. Oh, Shelley. I'm sorry to read about your sore hamstring. I hope it gets better soon. In knitting news, I've bought the kool-aid, but haven't started drinking it yet. I bought some cotton yarn with the intention of teaching myself some more stitches by making dish cloths. Wish me luck!

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    1. Ooh, how cool! I still like knitting a washcloth every now and then just to play with different stitches. Good luck and have fun knitting! :)

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  2. SO SORRY about the hamstring!!!
    Two weeks can feel like an eternity when you cant do what you love.

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  3. Hope you heal quickly. Not running sucks. I guess you will be knitting more. Love the blue hat.

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  4. So sorry to hear that your hamstring hasn't gotten any better! Is there anything else you can do while you're resting that may help it? Stretching, strengthening, PT or anything like that? Would swimming be an option? That's what I did when my achilles was acting up. I hope you're not down too long! Having to take 2-4 weeks off of cardio would be so hard for me :(

    I really like the hats you knit! Especially the cashmere one, the cables are a really nice detail. I hope your mom's friend is doing okay, I'm sure she'll love the hat.

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    1. I have a PT appointment on the 21st; the doctor wants me to stretch it but not until the pain is gone. So at the moment, since it's still hurting quite a bit, that pretty much leaves out all exercise, save for some upper body stuff with dumbbells.

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  5. So sorry about the injury. I'm glad you went to the doctor early enough for it to be just a strain. Hopefully these next few weeks go by fast for you.

    Love your Tallahassee sweetie hat. I'm sure your mom's friend will be very grateful and love the hat.

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  6. Wow, that was a lot of stuff you won! I need to read more blogs : ) Love that pink yarn. It looks soft. You are becoming the knitting hat queen! I used to put together "magic balls" of yarn. Just cutting random lengths of a lot of different yarns, and tying them to each other. It was fun deciding which yarns I was going to group together, and very fun to knit with. Then sometimes I held two strands together. It was a LOT of sewing in the ends, but it sure was fun. Just googled it--here's a place where they tell how to do a join so you don't have ends to sew in! (can you tell I'm trying to keep you in recuperation mode?) http://www.freshstitches.com/how-to-make-a-magic-ball-russian-join/

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    1. So THAT'S how a Russian join works! Seems doable now, thanks for the link!

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  7. Well, shoot. Sounds like it might be time to dust off your swimsuit?

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    1. Not yet; no exercise until it stops hurting, and moving it hurts. Bah to swimming, although I may have to join a gym again at some point. :(

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  8. Ha, I was just thinking the same thing that maybe swimming might help, but I see you can't do that either - hopefully a couple weeks rest is what you'll need! Be a great cheerleader tomorrow - I know you will!

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  9. So sorry you are enduring another injury Shelley! I'm sending "healing hamstring hugs" your way! PS: LOVE the hats!!!! You wear them well, and I'm SURE the lady undergoing chemo will not only love the softness of it, she'll love the love and good wishes that went INTO it! Take care!!

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  10. Sorry to hear about your hamstring. That is really frustrating, but I know you will be a great cheerleader for your group and be back to running with them soon!

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  11. Rest really is important. With hamstrings injuries, if you don't rest, they become chronic and nagging - which is way worse than just resting enough the first time (even though it doesn't feel that way at the time).

    I think you need to open an Etsy store.

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  12. Here's hoping your hammie heals fast! I have a knee injury that's never healed properly, and it's certainly no fun!

    Ditto Lori on the Etsy store! (Oh, and I'm wondering if that needle caddy could be repurposed as a briefcase office kind of thing. I've got a thing for pockets. :) )

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  13. Love the hats! :-) I bet I can tell what everyone is getting for Christmas from you! :-)

    Praying for your hamstring!

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  14. Oh my sweet friend, it sucks that this happens to you. You have come such a long way before you were able to run again and now this. But I do think you made a wise decision to listen to the doc and take rest. 2 to 4 weeks is less than months even though it sucks.

    I know the Ipad commenting problem. It's horrible. I can't leave a comment on your blog from feedly reader that I use on the computer. I have to look you up on the internet and then I can comment. It's so annoying. I read blogs on my computer at work (I know :rolling eyes: ) or on my computer at home. But since that's upstairs there are weekends I don't read at all. So if I don't comment right away on your posts: you know why. But I always come here and read/comment only sometimes a few days later.

    Now on to that hat thing: you live in Texas, I live in Holland. Changes we have a colder winter than you are great. So .... if you don't know what to knit anymore ... how about a hat for me for Winter :)

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  15. SO sorry to hear about your hamstring. My right one has been a mess for months until I started foam rolling it. Maybe that's something you can do if your doctor recommends it. It's so frustrating and I hope you feel better soon!! :(

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