Friday, November 8, 2013

Friday Mishmash

Hamstring update:  After the race on Saturday, I wasn't feeling any worse, but I did have a new issue - a knot formed in (on?) the hamstring, about midway down the back of my thigh.  Weird, right?  I had an appointment with my orthopedist on Tuesday for a follow up after the physical therapy, so of course I bombarded him with questions.  He checked the knot out and quizzed me on how I felt during the run and concluded that I could keep running since I'm being conservative...plus, he knows how important the race is to me.  In fact, he said he would be spectating the race and if he sees me, he'll jump in and run with me for a bit - how cool is that?  From what he said, and from what I've read online, a hamstring strain is generally very slow to heal.  I'll continue to do my PT exercises at home plus get a massage or two on it; by doing all of this and also by being cautious when I run, I should be toeing the starting line at the race next month...for sure, I won't be moving fast over those 13.1 miles, but I'll get it done!

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Our cats, Kip and Henry, don't really get along - and it's all on Kip...he likes the cat next door, but his own brother?  Lots of hissing and growling, even after eight years of living together (we adopted them as kittens from the same crate at the animal shelter, so there shouldn't be any reason for the animosity).  Because of this, you can imagine my shock when I saw both of them sleeping on the same bed the other day:
My guest room, which has temporarily become the pet room (note Paco's crate on the right)...this will change in a few weeks when the kids come home for Thanksgiving.

A cold front blew in and I guess they called a truce to sleep in the warm house?  

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Last week I got my yearly reminder that milk chocolate (I'm looking at YOU, snack-sized Twix bars) is really addictive for me.  Funny how dark chocolate doesn't have that same pull, but gah - once I start with the milk chocolate, it's a pretty wicked spiral.  And this wasn't even the Halloween candy I bought for our trick-or-treaters; it was the treats I brought for our running club the Saturday beforehand!  For me, complete avoidance is a better option than moderation when it comes to certain things. 

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Sit and Knit update:  I'm still having fun with mittens.  I made another one, and experimented with closing up the holes where the thumb attaches to the hand.  Here's mitten #3:
Different colors than I normally choose, but I like it.

And here's the examples of what I'm talking about with the thumb holes:
Pretty much closed up - I picked up three additional stitches instead of the one that the pattern recommends.
This is what the pattern says to do - reserve some yarn to sew up the holes.  Not sure I'm a fan of this look, especially with the different-colored yarn.
This is how it looks when you follow the pattern instructions - I picked up the one stitch (where the blue is pulling the purple yarn), but I didn't sew up the holes with the reserved yarn yet.

This pattern is Susan B. Anderson's Waiting for Winter Mittens, which is very easy to follow...but I'm not 100% on board with the thumb issue.  I found a couple of other mitten patterns - one is called Fried Chicken Mittens (because the thumb joint looks like a chicken leg), so I'm going to play with that one next.  The yarn that I'm currently using wasn't very expensive, and while I like each mitten's color individually, I'm not thrilled with them as pairs - the yarn isn't coordinating as much as I'd like.  I'll probably unravel everything at some point and use the yarn to make a felted bowl, just for fun.  

This is what I have waiting in the wings, when I feel like I've finally hit on the right pattern:
Ooooh!  Bright, pretty, self-striping yarn!  This will make "fraternal twin" mittens or socks - they go together without being exactly alike.  Plus, it's Paco-approved.

I didn't know this was what I wanted until I read through a lot of mitten projects on Ravelry.  Self-striping yarn, in a worsted weight, which as it turns out, is challenging to find.  Lots of it available in a lighter weight, but that won't work for mittens.  I found this on Etsy and cannot wait to use it!

I've also made some progress on my sweater - I'll show a picture of that next week.  I knitted a hat (which should come as a surprise to no one) that is so soft and squishy and BRIGHT PINK:
Same pattern as the green one I made for Jeff, only I made the brim a little bigger so it could be folded down and cover ears if it's really cold.
Good shot of the top of the hat; I tried to get a picture of Paco and I, but all he could focus on was his rawhide chew.  

Have a great weekend!

21 comments:

  1. You've inspired me to try knitting again! I took a class on Wednesday with the basics of casting on & purl stitch!

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    1. Ooh yay!!! I hope you love it! And, if for some reason you feel like you aren't getting it, try another teacher. It took me finding the right person (a good blog friend, as it turned out) to make knitting click for me.

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  2. Ha, love the name of the fried chicken mitten! You are getting so talented with that knitting Shelley - I love the pink hat!!

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thanks! And yes, that mitten name is right up your alley!

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  3. Funny, milk chocolate has not hold over me....but dark chocolate....come to mamma!!!!

    I love the lavender and purple colors in the guest room. However, you know and I know that the pets will be rousted from THEIR room. The question is.....do the pets know and will they even listen and care??? ha ha ha

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  4. I hope your hamstring heals nicely!

    My mom is addicted to knitting lately so your projects remind me of her fascination. Every time we video chat, she's showing me her latest project and what she plans to do with it.

    I love the colorful mitten! Have a wonderful Friday and weekend.

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    1. How cool that your mom can show you her knitting projects via video chat...ahhh, technology! :)

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  5. Ooh, good knitting talk! That thumb hole thing. Why do they make patterns that do that? I don't know if I came up with the solution you did. Its been a long time since I knit a mitten. But I love your solution. When are you going to start writing patterns and selling them on Ravelry?!

    And milk chocolate. Interesting. Because I've always liked dark chocolate better. It does seem like I have no problem controlling myself around it. I don't even eat it most days any more. But the other day my friend mentioned keeping those little mini Hershey's bars in the house, and I remembered how much I LOVED those little milk chocolate goodies. Especially that they were small and I could have a variety of them... and I came to the same conclusion--I could not have them in the house all the time like she does.

    13.1 miles. I cannot even conceive of that at this point. Maybe I'll go and try to ride the bike at the gym for the same amount of time as you'll be running that day! That will even be a stretch for me. I'm so glad you've got a doctor that understands.

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    1. I've written a couple of hat patterns, but seeing mine versus some by true designers - they talk about gauge and all kinds of technical terms, while I'm all "grab some yarn of this weight and go"! Which makes me appreciate a well-written pattern all that much more. :)

      And on the chocolates...it's interesting how some people have no issue with them, but it's important to recognize if you do (as do I), and save yourself from them!

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  6. I'm in complete agreement with your doc about the hamstring. They just take forever to heal but if you carefully run, you'll be fine (says the woman who had a hamstring injury from May to October and still ran easily and slowly)!

    I like dark chocolate better than milk when I'm just eating plain chocolate, but my favorite candy bar is a Milky Way. I pretty much can't be trusted around them so I can only buy them in strict portion controlled size and only very, very occasionally. I've always blamed that on the milk chocolate too. I wonder what it is that makes it so addictive?

    The mittens made me think of my Grammy Smith who knitted me (and every other grand child) a pair of mittens every Christmas from when I was 1 until I was 18. Somehow she magically knew just how much bigger they should be!

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    1. Your Grammy Smith must have been a very intuitive knitter, what with making all those mittens in different sizes each year...also very talented!

      Interesting that you, too, feel like milk chocolate is more addicting. More sugar/fat than dark, I wonder?

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  7. Oh my gosh. Your milk chocolate comment made a lightbulb go on over my head. I prefer dark chocolate, but last night my daughter had her trick or treat bag on the couch (she's barely touched it in a week - I wish I could be like her!!) and so I reached in and grabbed a fun size candy bar, then another one, then another one...before I knew it there were 10 fun size wrappers sitting in a messy pile on the couch next to me. It's like I didn't want to stop once I tasted the sugary chocolate. So yeah...I think I'll be better off just not even going near milk chocolate in the future! Lesson learned.

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    1. Yep. And for that reason, I rarely touch milk chocolate...until I do. Your wrapper scenario sounds familiar.

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  8. Great job on the mittens/hat! Looks great! Your cats are too funny...guess that's sibling rivalry for you? Hah! Hope your hamstring contines to heal!

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  9. I have the exact same problem with milk chocolate vs. dark chocolate, though I did get some sea salt and cracked pepper dark chocolate from Trader Joe's that was hard to put down.

    Hope your hamstring heals quickly.

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  10. Soft tissue injuries take forever and a day to heal. It's just so hard to be patient.

    Fried chicken mittens sound like something you would use with the chicken is too hot to eat. Then the mittens would get all greasy. Ewww.

    As for the kitties - they are just like people. Just because someone is in your family doesn't mean you have to like them or get along with them :D

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  11. I'm kind of addicted to dark chocolate these days. Have a great weekend!

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  12. Girl those legs of you are a pain in the butt. I am so waiting for the day you will be painfree again. You deserve it so much. And how cool is your orthopedist!

    At least IF I'm gluten intolerant I can still eat chocolate woohoo :) I prefer the dark over the milk but I had to learn to appreciate it.

    Love your knitting projects, especially the colors.

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  13. hey^^
    when i tried to lose weight i learned a lot that surprised me. actually it´s quite easy when you avoid addictive foods and of course i felt the need to write about it ;) would mean a lot when you would read it, you will not be disappointed! :D thanks! http://thescienceofeverything.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/part-of-the-meal/

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