Friday, January 31, 2014

Friday Mishmash

Lately I've noticed that Paco will walk into my office and yelp like he was hurt.  I checked his paws but couldn't see anything wrong...after a couple of days, I finally realized that he was coming from our wood floor onto carpet and was getting a static electricity shock, poor thing!  We've been running the heater more than normal (like the rest of the country, I'm sure) and our normally humid air is bone-dry.  Every time I go to pet him we both get a shock - lots of "good dog--OW--good boy" happening here.
Also lots of this - Paco is my personal hot-water bottle.  He loves to sleep on my legs while I knit.  Please note the striped throw pillow...I have to put it on my lap as a blocker, otherwise he crawls too close and gets tangled up in my yarn.

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I'm not going to show you pictures, but suffice it to say that the massage I got after the race?  The one where the masseur said I'd be bruised?  DANG.  I guess getting the massage was a good thing, because overall I've felt pretty good considering I ran 13 miles on a not-quite-healed hamstring.  But it's also a good thing I haven't had to wear shorts this week.  Who knew that working over my IT band would, um, show so much??

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I think I'm in a bit of a knitting slump.  Suffering a little from "paralysis by analysis" where I want to make something (a sweater) but what I need to do in order to make one that will fit (take measurements, do a proper gauge swatch, choose the most perfect pattern EVER, choose the most perfect yarn EVER) seems overwhelming.  So, I started knitting another hat.  I KNOW!  Just call me the crazy hat lady...but I have to say, there's something nice about making a smaller project.  I'm using one of my favorite yarns, Madelinetosh, so along with the gorgeous colors to see, I'm also getting a lovely squishy feel as I knit, which is very gratifying.  It's hard to explain, but anyone who had a favorite blankie as a small child knows the comfort of fabric, be it the satin edge, or the exact corner (our youngest would look like someone measuring yardage until the proper corner of the bunny blanket was found) - anyway, that's what good yarn feels like to me.

Here's the beginnings of the hat:
Weather the Weather hat in Madelinetosh Vintage, in Spectrum colorway.

And here's the shawl that I've been working on - while I think shawls are very pretty, I can't envision myself wearing most of the ones I see, so I don't knit many of them.  But I was drawn to this pattern because it has some really pretty flower-looking lacework on the edge, and I can picture myself wearing it over a black shirt, tied sort-of off my shoulders.  So I cast on and am now working on the body, which is simple and good for watching TV while I do it:
Bluestocking shawl made with LV Ltd Au Natural in Quelracho Red colorway.

I finished my cowl.  It didn't turn out as long as I thought it would - not sure if somewhere I lost some stitches and inadvertently shortened it, or what...it's still pretty, though:
"I make ebbryting look gud, Mom."
 
Summerwind cowl made with Malabrigo Silky Merino in Caribeno colorway.

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What I really need to get me out of my knitting slump is a trip to a good yarn store - one where I can get lots of inspiration from the yarn and projects and patterns in the shop.  I've got just the trip planned in a few weeks, when we head to Austin for the half marathon that Jeff is signed up for.  Only...his right foot is really hurting.  He went to the doctor and had it X-rayed, and the diagnosis is just swelling and overuse, with a recommendation of rest for a couple weeks.  So, I don't actually know if Austin is going to happen.  Oh yeah, and poor Jeff with his sore foot.  Hah!  I'm such a nice wife.  Can you tell a tiny part of me is, while of course not happy that he's hurting, a bit satisfied to have him feel how much it stinks to have the uncertainty that comes with a running injury so close to a race?  Hopefully he will start to feel better soon so I can get to a knitting store.

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I am running three miles tomorrow morning - only three!  Wheeeeee!  Then of course, breakfast at Blue Baker, and I hear there's some cool commercials that will be shown on Sunday, so we'll be watching them (and I guess a bit of football in between the commercials).  Have a great weekend!

27 comments:

  1. I love the cowl! Looks good in your buddy. My mother-in-law knits lots of hats which she donates to the women's cancer center at IU Med Center in Indy. She winters in Florida and is in a knit club there where they make sweaters for the local school children of migrant workers. She has hooked up with several knitters in Canada who have a passion for knitting. I love going to yarn shops and purchasing yarn for my "collection" of yarns for scarves and blankets. I admire you and others who can actually knit pieces that are shaped.

    Have fun on your run tomorrow. Three miles will be a walk in the park after your half. Glad your massage went well. I always drink lots of water after mine to flush out the lactic acid build up. Hopefully your hamstring and IT band will cooperate for your run.

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    1. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to only three miles. :)

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  2. A tip for your first sweater, pick one with lots of ease and gentle shaping. The measurements will matter less. My first sweater was an raglan A-line cardigan with a little shaping at the bust, that tied at the bust and had bell sleeves. It was also a fairly large gauge, knit on size 4 or 6 needles. My second sweater, I self designed using a book about designing your own sweater to adjust for measurements. As a matter of fact, I knit it at least 4 times. I chose to self design because I wanted a better fit in the bust and waist and to use a particular yarn. I knit it before I lost 40 lbs, and after losing the weight, I pulled it out and reknit it smaller in 2010-2011. It is still a favorite sweater because it fits me well and I love the color. I get lots of compliments because the neckline is perfect for me. Good luck and have fun.

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    1. Wow, you must have really liked your sweater/yarn to keep remaking it! Now I'm curious to know what kind you used. Thanks for the great advice. :)

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  3. In my opinion Jeff could run a half in his sleep. He's just done two. He's trained and knows what to expect. Tell him to just rest for the next two weeks - i.e. NO RUNNING. Then go to the yarn store, uh, I mean to the half marathon and run it. He can do it!

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  4. I am still loving my hat Shelley - it's so soft and warm! And, looks like I'll get even more use out of it - the snow forecast says within the next several days we could get up to 18 inches of snow - so done with this winter!

    Hope you make it to Austin! You can wave hi to my brother Charlie and my step-son Joe!

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    1. Glad you are getting such warm use out of your hat! And I'll be sure to wave to Charlie and Joe - they can see me from the bat bridge, right? ;)

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  5. I feel Paco's pain. It's a good thing I don't have a pacemaker because I'm sure all the shocks would have it all out of whack. (Probably a good thing I don't wear a pacemaker for other reasons, too. )

    Hope Jeff's foot heals with rest! And that you get a knitting trip out of it.

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    1. Cammy, you make me laugh. I'm glad you don't have to wear a pacemaker, either!

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  6. We used to get tons of static from the dry air during the winter. Not to mention my guitar dried out too much and snapped off the saddle, which upset me greatly. John installed a whole house humidifier on the furnace. It only comes on when the furnace is on and it has made a huge difference this year. Huge. It would have been horrible with how much the furnace has run this year so far.

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    1. This is just a couple months of heater use (THANK YOU POLAR VORTEX/AL GORE) - not normal for us...I'd definitely have to get a humidifier if we had a prolonged winter like you do.

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  7. Pupper dawg scarf! A-dog-able. ;-)

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  8. Ooh how fun! A knitting and doggie post. Don't tell Paco, but I laughed and laughed at the whole shock scenario. And made a mental not that maybe I wouldn't keep carpet in the bedroom!

    The colors in the blue hat are gorgeous. It looks like you figured out the YO mistake in the cowel? If it has silk in it,it'll probably stretch and make it a little longer.

    I feel exactly like you do about shawls,but I think these smaller shawls can double as large scarves.And I do think shawls are very fun to knit.

    Tell Jeff that in my expert opinion he is good to go for the race ; )

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    1. LOL, I will tell Jeff that Nurse Debby says he can run. ;)

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  9. Bruno Mars is performing at halftime. Can't wait.
    I hope Jeff takes the time off he needs and can run Austin. What a great race and city!

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    1. That should be a great halftime show!

      Yes, Austin is a fun race, even from (this) spectator's viewpoint.

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  10. What an attractive model you've found! Bet Paco looks pretty cute in one of your hats as well. :)

    --crabby

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    1. Surprisingly, he fights the hats. I guess he doesn't think he looks good in them? ;)

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  11. OOOH...sweet Paco!!! Shocked little handsome model!! AWWW!!!

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  12. Poor Paco! I hope you find a way out of your knitting slump! Yay for running 3 miles tomorrow! I'm hoping I get a run in too!

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  13. Haha--"our youngest would look like someone measuring yardage until the proper corner of the bunny blanket was found."--this gave me the perfect visual & made me giggle.

    And I think Paco is saying; "Dis not fit, Mom. And mak me feel like sissy & mmbarrassed."
    Chrissy

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  14. Ah poor Paco, I just told it to R. too and we couldn't help but giggle a bit :) Not what you expect to happen to a dog: electric shocks. He's such a sweet dog, I never get enough of his pictures.

    Poor Jeff, I hope rest helps and he will be healed before his next half. Not to mention that you can get to your knitting store :) I think we all have a slump in what we love doing every now and then. I can read a lot and then suddenly I don't read as much. I haven't been cross stitching in a couple of months now but I know I will start again someday and do it a lot again then.

    The 3 miles must have been wonderful after all those long training runs. Hope you had fun.

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  15. Aw, poor Paco! Jude keeps getting zapped too - he's been hiding out just to avoid us petting him. We have radiators for heat, and even filling them with water to add a little moisture to the air just isn't helping.

    I hope Jeff feels better in time for his race! But I totally know that feeling - except that when Bob gets hurt, we seem to disagree on what might actually be wrong, how to recover, when to start back running, etc. Gosh, being married to a runner can be tricky sometimes!

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  16. Ha! Poor Paco! It's really dry in our house too, and we keep saying that Data is saying "my fur hurts!" Our poor little guys.

    Show us the bruise pics! :)

    Gah! Poor Jeff! I hope he feels better soon!

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