tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710665405638591852024-03-13T13:56:06.093-07:00Froggy KnitteryKnitting and running and whatnot.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-89203433065241329542014-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:002014-01-12T08:45:09.626-08:00The Augusta CardiganI recently finished my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/augusta-cardigan">Augusta Cardigan</a> from the book <i>New England Knit</i> (which is fabulous, by the way). I've wanted to make this cozy cardigan since I first got the book a couple of years ago. I used yarn which I believe to be<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/galler-yarns-peruvian-tweed"> Galler Peruvian Tweed</a>, a 100% alpaca yarn which was purchased from the Weaving Works in Seattle way back in 2007 - though my yarn is, I think, a little lighter than worsted. I held the yarn doubled and the finished sweater is heavy - literally. The buttons came from Yarn Folk here in Ellensburg, purchased once the knitting was finished. I hadn't expected to use contrasting buttons, but I think these are rather pretty. <br />
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This yarn has been waiting. This yarn has been waiting a long time to be used. You see, I bought this yarn back in 2007. June of 2007, my mom flew to Seattle from Wisconsin when I completed my master's degree. We went to the Weaving Works and picked out this yarn together. I was going to knit her a sweater for Christmas. Something with cables. Something pretty. <br />
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My mom, at Pike Place Market, June 2007.<br />
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But on July 19, 2007 my mom was killed by a drunk driver. I got the phone call from the hospital around 10:00 pm. I didn't quite know what to think - I mean, you can never quite believe something so horrible when it strikes out of the blue. As I was trying to process the words I had just heard, I remember thinking, I'll never knit her that sweater now. It's stupid, yes, but this yarn has a lot of history wound up in it. <br />
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So the yarn sat. I thought a lot about what to do with it. But I didn't do anything with it. This year, a lot of things have come to a conclusion. The litigation over the accident finally wrapped up. We finally cleaned out her house and put it on the market. And I decided that the alpaca would become a sweater for me. A warm, cozy sweater that I could wrap up in. <br />
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I started it in November. This year the holidays were harder for me. I'm not sure why. Maybe it had to do with going back home for the first time in years, or if it's just part of a cycle, but I spent a lot of time feeling more sad than usual. And I felt this drive to finish the sweater before Christmas. I blocked it in the days leading up to Christmas and it came to Wisconsin with me. And I felt better, having it finished. Just a little, but a sense of relief at having finished this one thing, so long left unfinished.<br />
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One of my favorite photos of us.<br />
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<br />Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-82808565942713500502013-11-05T20:49:00.002-08:002013-11-05T20:49:40.364-08:00Update!Only 11 months since my last post. Let's check in on the state of the knitting, shall we?<div>
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<b>On the needles:</b></div>
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Husband sweater. Mr. Husband asked for a sweater - machine washable, and basic. I'm knitting this from Ella Rae Classic Heathers Superwash, using the set-in sleeve recipe from Ann Budd's <i>Handy Book of Sweater Patterns</i>. The color is darker, richer. Oh, and the back is now 15" long. So I've made some progress since the photo was taken.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/10699407723/" title="wips by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="wips" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7427/10699407723_79f48a94c2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/augusta-cardigan">Augusta Cardigan.</a> I have had this yarn for six years, and now is the time to knit it. It's 100% alpaca, Peruvian Tweed, held double throughout. There is much to say about this sweater, but not this post.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/10699263624/" title="Augusta Cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Augusta Cardigan" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/10699263624_0539ce6f56.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/in-dreams-mystery-shawl">In Dreams Shawl</a>. A beautiful lace pattern, knit from an apparently uncapturable shade of purple in Knit Picks Glass lace. I am omitting the 5000 beads. This has been mostly set aside as I get distracted by the above sweaters.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/10699209844/" title="wips by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="wips" height="370" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3728/10699209844_813556c7a3.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Pink sock. A movie theatre sock (so easy I can knit it in the dark), with an afterthought heel. Knit from Knit Picks Chroma.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/10699154645/" title="wips by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="wips" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/10699154645_4fd060ccec.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Recently finished:</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/thrummed-mittens-3">Thrummed mittens</a>. Thrummed mittens for my walks to work in the winter. Knit two at a time with Cascade Cloud 9, and roving from Picnic Knits, who has moved from the dying business to the designing business. I kept the color changes in the roving lined up, more or less. Very very fluffy.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/10699190506/" title="Thrummed mittens by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Thrummed mittens" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/10699190506_7359bafdb0.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/10699116745/" title="Thrummed mittens by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Thrummed mittens" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/10699116745_a32903a01c.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gap-tastic-cowl">Gaptastic Cowl.</a> Ann, owner of the fantastic new yarn store in town, <a href="http://www.yarnfolk.com/">Yarn Folk</a>, knit up a GAP-tastic cowl sample, and I think there's been an outbreak of them around here. I knit this up in less than a week from two skeins of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. That stuff is like heaven to knit with. So soft, so squishy, so wonderful. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/10699416493/" title="Gaptastic cowl by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Gaptastic cowl" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3747/10699416493_91893ae5f0.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Running: </b></div>
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<a href="http://nodm.com/">North Olympic Discovery Marathon</a>. Back in June I ran my first ever marathon. And I finished it in a time of 5:11:43. I'll count that as a victory. I'm pictured here eating the best croissant I've ever had. I hurt for days, but I've never had a grape popsicle as amazing as the one I had after I finished running.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8944087227/" title="Post-race euphoria by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Post-race euphoria" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/8944087227_f9848271da.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I kind of fell off the training wagon since then, but have my eye on a local marathon at the beginning of April... Time will tell whether or not I go for it. But if I do, training will start the first week of January! Not that I've drafted out a long run schedule or anything. </div>
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Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-67047976550729569162013-01-13T14:52:00.001-08:002013-01-13T14:52:32.177-08:00FO: Aidez of UncertaintyFor me, gauge is not a science. I'm apt to knit a swatch and call it "close enough." So when I decided to knit <a href="http://www.berroco.com/patterns/aidez">Aidez</a>, I wasn't sure I had enough yarn. I had seven hanks of Wool of the Andes Bulky, and I just wasn't sure. But I went for it.<br />
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And it worked.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8378511204/" title="Aidez by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Aidez" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8378511204_ee1a4673b4.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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For a bulky weight sweater, this design has a lightness and an ease. Which is probably why it has 2500+ projects on Ravelry.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8378516180/" title="Aidez by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Aidez" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8095/8378516180_29407534cd.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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The cables are great. I went with a popular modification to the lattice cables, so it was a true lattice.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8377434443/" title="Aidez by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Aidez" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8463/8377434443_59a73f8aa1.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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I knit the sleeves two at a time, but without a stitch marker, so I ended up knitting one sleeve more than another. At one point, I discovered that I had crossed the cable to early, so a repeat was short about 5 inches back. I fudged it. So one arm has a short repeat and a long repeat, while the other stayed nice and even.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8377442919/" title="Aidez by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Aidez" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8071/8377442919_444158a5fc.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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The only thing I'm not really happy with is my seaming. I tend to tug on the fronts and it exposes gaps in the side seaming. It doesn't drive me crazy, but I'll be a bit more careful with seamed projects in the future.<br />
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This sweater will get a lot of wear. I've worn it twice already and it's only been finished for about a week and a half. Hooray for successful projects!Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-54315753477151327442012-11-23T12:46:00.001-08:002012-11-23T12:46:14.340-08:00Yarn: Reclaimed step by stepRemember my <a href="http://froggy-knittery.blogspot.com/2012/10/rippit-rippit-good-or-how-i-learned-to.html">frog pond</a>? Well, it's all been frogged. And then some!<br />
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It was really interesting taking apart sweaters, particularly from early on in my knitting career when I had no idea what I was doing. Tying in the ends? That's not how we do things any more. Then again, splicing together yarn results in some enormous hanks of yarn.... Anyway.<br />
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<b>Step one</b>: Unweave your ends. Curse your younger self who inexplicably tied the ends to the knitting. Or who split through single ply yarn when weaving.<br />
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<b>Step two</b>: Unseam your seams.<br />
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<b>Step three</b>: Frog! Wind into a ball. This will create a lot of fiber dust that gets in your nose and makes you sneeze.<br />
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<b>Step four</b>: Skein. I used my handy dandy niddy noddy and skeined up all the yarn. This was surprisingly tiring for my arm and shoulder. I tied off the hanks using scraps of sock yarn.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8196836957/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8196836957_78bcd785fb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Step five</b>: Soak the skeins.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8197930760/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8204/8197930760_8199d7ed3e.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
With a little wool wash.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8196840199/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8196840199_a239dd2415.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
In a rubbermaid tub. Black and red went first.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8196844849/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8196844849_d03d9bed52.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Then the blue. It looked like Smurf ramen, frankly.<br />
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<b>Step six</b>: Wring out the skeins.Get out that water!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8197933632/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8067/8197933632_951e39940e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Spot the cat? Wringing out the skeins took a lot of time. Like, a lot of time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8196846501/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8196846501_f73b9e9b70.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Cat's easier to find on this one.<br />
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<b>Step seven</b>: Hang skeins to dry. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8197935240/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8197935240_812483e290.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
Batch #1.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8196848783/" title="Processing frogged yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Processing frogged yarn" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8490/8196848783_a396a77469.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
All the yarn. Be annoyed that cat destroyed collapsing fabric box...<br />
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<b>Step eight:</b> Wait for skeins to dry. Wait some more. Give it another day.<br />
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<b>Step nine:</b> Call it dry enough and retwist all the skeins. Realize that you don't have space to store all this yarn...<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8211072135/" title="Reclaimed yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Reclaimed yarn" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8211072135_bb43fabee5.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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Seriously, this is a lot of yarn. There's also a few un-washed balls of reclaimed yarn that I may not bother with processing. We'll see.<br />
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The process worked pretty well. Some of the yarn still has a little wave to it, some looks brand new. The red yarn is nicer than it ever has been. It was a lot of work, but I'm glad I did it. Now I need to knit some worsted/aran/bulky weight sweaters to decrease this reclaimed stash! <br />
<br />Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-77649794841416072312012-10-30T21:45:00.000-07:002012-10-30T21:45:44.694-07:00Piling on the milesI'm knitting this fabulous sweater, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/aidez">Aidez,</a> out of that bulky weight yarn<a href="http://froggy-knittery.blogspot.com/2012/09/sunday-set-up.html"> I wasn't sure what to do with</a>. On my Rav projects page I'm calling it the Aidez of uncertainty because I don't know if I have enough yarn. It knits up fast though, that's for sure. Faster, if I spent more of my time knitting and less of my time ripping out all the stuff in <a href="http://froggy-knittery.blogspot.com/2012/10/rippit-rippit-good-or-how-i-learned-to.html">my enormous frog pond</a>. I've got the back and part of the left front done. I'm also a little worried that it won't be the right size. It looks so small and scrunched together....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6RSPuindEbo/UJCqTb4GcRI/AAAAAAAAAfw/5vMYYeOevZw/s1600/2012.10.14-knitting+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6RSPuindEbo/UJCqTb4GcRI/AAAAAAAAAfw/5vMYYeOevZw/s320/2012.10.14-knitting+013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of Aidez, partially done. This photo is not up to date.But it's pretty, no?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anyway, I want to tell you about the frogging project, and I'd like to tell you about my long neglected Tiong Bahru, but what I'm going to do is talk about running.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-222r9A0Lr3I/UJCq_Fs3dkI/AAAAAAAAAf4/RlYR4c-_tfU/s1600/POTM-2012_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-222r9A0Lr3I/UJCq_Fs3dkI/AAAAAAAAAf4/RlYR4c-_tfU/s1600/POTM-2012_thumb.jpg" /></a></div>
See, I signed up for this thing. It's called <a href="http://runeatrepeat.com/2012/10/23/pile-on-the-miles-2012/">Pile on the Miles</a>, and it's organized by Monica of<a href="http://runeatrepeat.com/"> Run Eat Repeat</a>. You sign up, set a mileage goal for the month of November, and can get prizes for commenting and updating your progress.<br />
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I set my goal kind of high. Like, really high.<br />
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100 miles.<br />
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Yeah, I said I would run 100 miles in November. I did the math; it's totally possible on my three day a week schedule. I'm working my way up to a 15 mile long run during the same period, so that helps. And I'll probably do a few miles of walking, too, since I'm going to lay off the elliptical for cross training and just do incline walking. (Incline walking is brutal! I was walking at a 12.5% incline today and I was drenched.)<br />
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Oh yeah, my knee has been bugging me. It feels crunchy or something - I don't even know. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes not. But I'm doing everything I can for it short of actually not using it. I'd been doing elliptical instead of running because of it, but it actually seems to get worse after the elliptical. I guess that plan didn't work. Current plan involves supplements, ice when I need it, and hoping. So we'll see how this goes.<br />
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Anyway, I'm kicking this thing off on Thursday morning with a five mile run, and following that up with eleven fine miles on Saturday. Assuming my knee doesn't fall out or something.<br />
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Even if you're not a runner and just want some incentive to get out and walk more this month, sign up! There are about 700 people signed up right now, with goals ranging from 20 miles to 200 miles. It's not about being the fastest or the best, it's about giving yourself a challenge and some motivation. <br />
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I can do this. So can you.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-71029779829325770992012-10-14T12:40:00.002-07:002012-10-14T12:40:43.109-07:00Rippit, Rippit Good, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Frog Pond.I switched over my wardrobe from winter to summer (which mostly involves putting away the shorts and pulling out the sweaters - most of it stays the same), and finally had to deal with the problem of my sweaters.<br />
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You see, I have about a half dozen handknit sweaters which are... too big. Not too big by a little, but too big by a lot. I don't want to give them to goodwill, so I had to get up the courage and start a frog pond.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8087331488/" title="Frog Pond by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Frog Pond" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8087331488_3e6c40e9bc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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In the frog pond we have:<br />
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My <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/banff">very first sweater ever.</a> Made of a very wooly wool I bought at a flea market in Wisconsin.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8087325256/" title="Frog Pond by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Frog Pond" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8087325256_f29aa31200.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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My <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/wicked-worsted-weight-version">Wicked cardigan.</a> Knit out of Cascade 220. This is a pattern I would actually knit up again, and very well may. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8087328748/" title="Frog Pond by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Frog Pond" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8050/8087328748_5b936c3888.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/quincy">Quincy hat,</a> which is not really a good look for me and cashmere is a horrible thing to waste.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8087330862/" title="Frog Pond by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Frog Pond" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8087330862_0773bf56ab.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/amelia">Amelia cardigan,</a> which I like and put a lot of work into, but now that the arms fit, the body is a bit saggy. Made of Cascade Lana d'Oro.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8087327846/" title="Frog Pond by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Frog Pond" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8333/8087327846_42f44df3d6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/frosting">Frosting. </a>It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it's too messy for a gift, and too itchy for my poor sensitive skin. Made of Cascade Cloud 9.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8087331982/" title="Frog Pond by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Frog Pond" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8087331982_18278320e6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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These will join my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/bold-and-bulky-mini-cardi">Bulky Mini-Cardi</a>, which got frogged last week. The Arucania Nature Cotton may get a second life...<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8087323179/" title="Frog Pond by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Frog Pond" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8087323179_d42bfaebef.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
Narrowly avoiding the frog pond are my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/tangled-yoke-cardigan">Tangled Yoke Cardigan</a> and my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/eris">Eris cardigan.</a> I don't think the yarn of either will stand up to frogging. Besides, I love my Tangled Yoke. Eris was never really a success, but it is warm. Both will be okay for curling up in around the house.<br />
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Letting go is hard, but there will suddenly be a lot more a lot more yarn in my stash.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-58443941215309584452012-10-08T15:43:00.002-07:002012-10-08T15:43:57.399-07:00Expectations v. Reality*This post has neither photos nor knitting. But I promise the next one will have both!*<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So it turns out that posting my weekly exercise schedule on here was actually really really motivating. Here's what I said I would do last week:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Monday - rest</b><br />
<b>Tuesday - 45-60 minutes of running, with speedwork</b><br />
<b>Wednesday - weight training (45 minutes)</b><br />
<b>Thursday - 4-5 miles easy run</b><br />
<b>Friday - rest or weight training or bootcamp class</b><br />
<b>Saturday - long run, 6-8 miles</b><br />
<b>Sunday - weight training, 30 minutes elliptical</b><br />
<br />
And here's what I actually did:<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Monday - </b>Rest! No running or gym anyway. <br />
<b>Tuesday - </b>Ran for 4.62 miles/52 minutes. 1.5 miles to the track, 5x200 with 200 rest, 1.5 miles home or so. I have no idea what I'm doing for speedwork. 58 degrees out!<br />
<b>Wednesday -</b> Did my weight training circuit and had time to follow it up with 28 minutes of elliptical (the "fat burner" program on the AMT, mostly because it's programmed to last 28 minutes) at a fairly moderate intensity.<br />
<b>Thursday -</b> Ran 4 miles/46 minutes. It was 30 degrees out. I couldn't feel my thighs.<br />
<b>Friday - </b>Had kind of intended to get to the gym, but with my rest option instead.<br />
<b>Saturday - </b>Air quality was unhealthy, so my run date was cancelled. I went and did weights/elliptical instead. More intensely than Wednesday. Maybe because I saw my trainer there.<br />
<b>Sunday - </b>Air quality was still unhealthy, so I did 7 miles/76.5 minutes on the elliptical. 30 minutes on a regular elliptical, the rest on the AMT (which has a more "run-y" motion).<br />
<br />
And here's what I intend to do this week:<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Monday - </b>Rest. Already executing that fairly successfully.<br />
<b>Tuesday -</b>45-60 minutes of running, with hill repeats on the only hill in town.<br />
<b>Wednesday - </b>Weight training (45 minutes)<br />
<b>Thursday - </b>4-5 miles easy run<br />
<b>Friday - </b>Rest or weight training or bootcamp class<br />
<b>Saturday -</b> Long run, 8-10 miles<br />
<b>Sunday - </b>Weight training, 30 minutes elliptical<br />
<br />
I realize this is a bit dull. I'll try to think of ways to liven it up in the future.<br />
<br />
</div>
Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-13089170605132384362012-09-30T13:15:00.001-07:002012-09-30T13:15:30.611-07:00Sunday Set UpFirst things first! An FO. A pair of basic stockinette "movie theatre socks." So called because I knit this kind of sock during movies because I don't have to look at it (I don't do the heels, toes, or ribbing at movies, though). I had a couple partial balls of this yarn (maybe a Regia?) and went for it. I had to cut the ribbing of the second sock a couple rounds short and use a little bit of a different sock yarn for half the bind off. Nothing remarkable - solidly useful socks. I think, though, that I might start doing afterthought heels for this kind of sock, so the patterning doesn't get quite so wonky.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8040492782/" title="Basic socks by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Basic socks" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/8040492782_a516371c7f.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8040495206/" title="Basic socks by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Basic socks" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8180/8040495206_39a2ded618.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<br />
I'm working on a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tiong-bahru">Tiong Bahru</a>, which is a gorgeous pattern. Unfortunately, I repeatedly miscounted my stitches and ended up 15 short on the first pattern lace row. My trouble? The counts given don't include the border stitches, which I was counting. Sigh. I'm hoping to get back to where I was by next week and I will show you my process for ripping back 3000 stitches when you didn't put in a lifeline...<br />
<br />
I also want to start knitting a sweater out of some bulky yarn I have. I bought the kit for the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gallatin-coat">Gallatin sweater </a>a while ago, but find I don't care for the sweater as much as I did a year ago.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZTFiMt0LnQ/UGintKIInBI/AAAAAAAAAfY/akWai8wzD2Q/s1600/gallatin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZTFiMt0LnQ/UGintKIInBI/AAAAAAAAAfY/akWai8wzD2Q/s320/gallatin.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd planned to do the owl pattern in the grey colorway.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have about 1000 yards of the main color, which ought to be enough for a sweater. Plus 500 yards of each of the coordinating colors. But I don't know what pattern to knit - I would be very glad to take suggestions.<br />
<br />
Switching modes now, from knitting to fitness stuff. I met with my trainer on Wednesday, and she gave me a new workout routine which is pretty intense. I've had about a month and a half of sort of fumbling as far as fitness and training is concerned (vacation directly into 3-4 weeks of insanity at work (pretty much have maxed out my accumulation of comp-time)), so a reset was sorely needed. And a little accountability never hurts. So this is my plan for the week:<br />
<br />
Monday - rest<br />
Tuesday - 45-60 minutes of running, with speedwork<br />
Wednesday - weight training (45 minutes)<br />
Thursday - 4-5 miles easy run<br />
Friday - rest or weight training or bootcamp class<br />
Saturday - long run, 6-8 miles<br />
Sunday - weight training, 30 minutes elliptical<br />
<br />
I have goals, so sticking to that plan, and also to a reasonable eating plan, will help me reach them. Not to mention, this weights routine will help me get stronger. I like being able to impress people with my recently developed ability to lift heavy things. Onward!Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-42130916023055401722012-09-23T16:39:00.001-07:002012-09-23T16:39:43.249-07:00FO super post!I've been busy! And lazy! Let's just cut to the photos of knitted things, okay?<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/berlioz">Corrina Ferguson's Berlioz</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7382699116/" title="Berlioz by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Berlioz" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7382699116_c9b32148e9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7382694938/" title="Berlioz by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Berlioz" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7382694938_f06928c5de.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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A super cute shawlette knit out of Shalimar Yarns Breathless. Like the pattern, like the yarn, like the results!<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/froggydear/ribbelmuster">Ribbelmuster Socks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7671871472/" title="Ribbelmuster by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Ribbelmuster" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7671871472_72439ac217.jpg" width="446" /></a><br />
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These got a blue ribbon at the fair! Knit of Handmaiden Casbah Sock (luscious). I love swirly sock patterns.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/minervas-tower-socks">Corrina Ferguson's Minerva's Tower socks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017417229/" title="Minerva socks by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Minerva socks" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8179/8017417229_e9489f7e63.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017398697/" title="Minerva socks by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Minerva socks" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8034/8017398697_71d3a4cfee.jpg" width="387" /></a><br />
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Knit from Madelinetosh Tosh Sock. A purple approaching black. I love these socks. They look super complicated, but the pattern is easy to remember. But I would suggest using a bobby pin to help with the cables.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/goodale">Cecily Glowik MacDonald's Goodale cardigan</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017409449/" title="Goodale cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Goodale cardigan" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/8017409449_d4da443656.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017404379/" title="Goodale cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Goodale cardigan" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/8017404379_ce9fa59596.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017418324/" title="Goodale cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Goodale cardigan" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/8017418324_cc00077901.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Knit from Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, I made a couple small changes to the pattern. First, I added a few inches to the body. Second, I added elbow length sleeves. I love how wearable this cardigan turned out. Also, I adore pockets.<br />
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BONUS! County Fair Pictures!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017402591/" title="country fair socks by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="country fair socks" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/8017402591_96bb443ffa.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017399758/" title="County fair sweater by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="County fair sweater" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8036/8017399758_5e69f7cebb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/8017394991/" title="County fair shawl by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="County fair shawl" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/8017394991_7754e724b6.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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The aforementioned Ribbelmuster socks with their blue ribbon. My Acer Cardigan with its blue ribbon (despite not having a top button or having been well blocked (had to bring them to the fair three days earlier than I thought I had to...)). And my Evenstar shawl with its blue ribbon and Superintendent's Choice rosette. Very exciting.<br />
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And that's the knitting that's fit to share. Onward, ho!<br />
<br />Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-89661794163711374922012-07-29T19:37:00.000-07:002012-07-29T19:37:41.616-07:00Button troublesButtons are hard. I have trouble picking out buttons and it takes me forever to get around to sewing them on. Like for this vest:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7671887212/" title="Grandfather's Vest by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Grandfather's Vest" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7671887212_51e1a4429e.jpg" width="370" /></a><br />
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I finished knitting the vest in, like, February, and didn't put buttons on it until June. And didn't do photos until today. This is the Grandfather Vest by Veronik Avery. I knit it from cashmere. Because I could. It's so soft.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7671846318/" title="Grandfather's vest by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Grandfather's vest" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7671846318_af1322dcbd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />The buttons are from my horde of vintage buttons. I love vintage buttons. I think they go together quite nicely and I think I'll get a lot of wear from this vest.<br />
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The other buttons which gave me a little headache are these:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7671863640/" title="Safire Cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Safire Cardigan" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7671863640_b3187b3b40.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Bright yellow little things. Don't let the photo color deceive you, that green is a green apple green. Bright! and Green! and Bright! So there's some contrast there.<br />
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Those buttons found their home, just today, on my Safire cardigan. The Safire cardigan is a cropped cardigan which is not entirely my style, but will be okay for certain occasions nonetheless. It's knit from Cascade 220 superwash. I was worried about running out of green, so I used the brown to ease my mind about yardage.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7671892568/" title="Safire Cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Safire Cardigan" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7671892568_1a22574afe.jpg" width="413" /></a><br />
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So, that's the recent button troubles. Not troubles really, so much as avoidance of sewing them on. Funny how the odds and ends of finishing can take so much more mental effort than the knitting.<br />
<br />Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-5955618765212196242012-04-29T12:54:00.000-07:002012-04-29T12:54:04.984-07:00FO: Evenstar Shawl (at last!)<b>Pattern:</b> <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/evenstar-shawl">The Evenstar Shawl</a><br />
<b>Yarn:</b> Alpaca with a Twist Fino, Duchess Blue. About 2.5 hanks (1312 yards).<br />
<b>Needles:</b> Size 4 Addi Turbo Lace<br />
<b>Cast on:</b> January 4, 2012<br />
<b>Bound off: </b>April 23, 2012<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7125467289/" title="Evenstar Shawl by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Evenstar Shawl" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7125467289_57ac9f744f.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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I've been in love with this pattern since I first saw it. It's been high on my to do list, but I haven't committed to a large lace piece for a while. And I wanted to change that this year. I have a whole list in my Rav queue tagged 2012 of goal projects for the year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7125469849/" title="Evenstar Shawl by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Evenstar Shawl" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/7125469849_77a2476f20.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I cast on just after the new year. I was hoping to knit this in about two months, but I've been really overworked at my job, and between work and training for my half marathons, I just wasn't putting in the time on this that I had hoped. So it took closer to five months to finish.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7125472361/" title="Evenstar Shawl by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Evenstar Shawl" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7088/7125472361_75f94518f4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The pattern is very nice. Clearly written and easy to follow. I only made one small modification which is, on the edging, on the WS, to slip the first stitch (the k2tog with the body on the RS) instead of knit it. Felt more secure to me. The finished, blocked shawl, is somewhere around 5 feet in diameter. Blocking it was actually sort of fun since there weren't 300 little peaks to pin out, just 56 (I think).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6979393102/" title="Evenstar Shawl by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Evenstar Shawl" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6979393102_95958ffe11.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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This yarn, Alpaca with a Twist Fino, is right up there among my favorite yarns to knit with. It's gorgeous. Soft and supple, but not too delicate. Give me a yarn with some silk blended in and I'm generally a pretty happy knitter.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7125475165/" title="Evenstar Shawl by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="Evenstar Shawl" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7125475165_529800f2b8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Overall, I recommend this for the knitter looking for a larger project and a little bit of a challenge. Nothing in here that a dedicated beginner couldn't tackle, but you need to be comfortable trying new things and devoting a good chunk of time to this. (The edging alone probably took me over 24 hours to finish...)Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-66055832103773215602012-04-21T11:52:00.000-07:002012-04-21T11:52:07.020-07:00Whidbey Island Half MarathonHi blog. I guess I'm only coming out to talk about big things. Like the race that I ran last weekend. I have a massive knitting project which is so close to done, but actually hours and hours of knitting away from being done, and will absolutely be shared as well.<br />
<br />
I ran the <a href="http://whidbeyislandmarathon.com/">Whidbey Island Half Marathon</a> on Sunday, April 15, 2012. The race is on Whidbey Island, and runs out of Oak Harbor. Whidbey Island is home to the ridiculously scenic <a href="http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=deception%20pass">Deception Pass</a> and it's iconic bridge. The full marathoners ran over the bridge. Gorgeousness.<br />
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Anyway, Sunday was a great day for a race. Started out about 50 and overcast, clearing and warming slightly during the run. The half had about 1000 runners and was well organized - including pace signs to line up by (something my last race did not feature). There were lots of water stops and plenty of volunteers. So a nicely run race. The course had hills in the first three miles and the last three miles, the rest being pretty flat.
The prerace was a little chilly, but I didn't want to wear my sweatshirt as I knew it would end up tied around my waist in about a mile. So I went with gloves and a sleeveless shirt. That strategy worked great. When I took off my gloves, I tucked them inside the band of my SPI belt (which held my gels and mp3 player) which held them secure for the next 11 miles!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6943352952/" title="IMG_0925 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0925" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6943352952_50b043b470.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Out of the starting gate. Feeling good and looking a little silly with the gloves.<br />
<br />
As for my race… It went great! I started out running at a pace that felt easy, but was actually a decent clip for me. I kept up that pace, even up the first set of hills - one of which seemed pretty steep indeed. I just kept running comfortably. Not really passing anyone, just keeping going and eavesdropping on the runners around me. I took a gel around mile 5, because that was the plan. The next couple of miles were awesome - probably a combination of the gel and the stunning scenery - runners stretched out down the straightaway ahead of me, water to my left, the Olympic Mountains in the distance. Man, I wish I had a photo of that. I saw my husband around mile 9, which was great. He snapped some photos of me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6943361100/" title="IMG_0932 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0932" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6943361100_60048ddab2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Interesting side note - I've worn the same top in my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065056013/in/set-72157627483700572/">10K last August</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6276463967/in/set-72157627967912912">my half last October</a>, and this race. I really like that top.<br />
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Shortly after seeing hubby, I headed up the next set of hills. I jogged up the first long hill, walking through the water station and eating another gel (I’d been walking through water stations since about mile 7 - a good break). After that point, I walked up all the hills, running the more or less flats and down hills. The last 2 miles were mostly downhill, which was great! Except I suddenly got this new stabbing pain in my abdomen on my left side a couple of times. I had to either slow to a walk or run with one hand pressing the spot for a while before it went away. Not sure what that was about. Could be a side stitch, but I'm used to side stitches being on the other side near my ribs. In the final half mile I was running out of steam and bargaining with myself. I really really wanted to walk a little bit, but I knew that I could keep going and my internal monologue was all about not stopping and not giving in to the pain. So I kept going and finished strong!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/7089433663/" title="IMG_0934 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0934" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7089433663_9f125bf95f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Down the finishing chute!
Final time: 2:19:45 - That’s a 10 minute PR from my first race six months ago! My next race is in 2 weeks on a flat flat flat course, so I’m hoping to more or less match this time. I wouldn’t mind improving it slightly…<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6943368656/" title="IMG_0938 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0938" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5334/6943368656_f936420a4a.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
Post race with a proper medal, half a banana, and a smile.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-27462817644904634082012-01-29T21:22:00.000-08:002012-01-29T21:36:24.382-08:00Recapping the weekI had a heck of a week. Easily the craziest week I've ever worked. I work for a museum and we were changing over the gallery. One show came down on the 21st, and two more were up by the 28th. Including one that required us to produce all of the text panels. I worked at least 9 hours every day, full tilt. <br /><br />I did manage to get a little bit of knitting in. A few times I just knit on my plain jane stockinette sock, but once in a while I got up the energy to work on my Evenstar shawl. I don't have a recent photo, so this will have to do.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703842599/" title="Evenstar by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6703842599_bb7d9b9583.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Evenstar"></a><br /><br />I'm now on chart three - one round is 560 stitches. Tiny stitches. In Alpaca with a Twist Fino, which is one of my absolutely favorite yarns. Still, it will be a while before this shawl gets finished.<br /><br />And I started half marathon training this week. Here's what the week ended up looking like:<br />Monday - 4 miles, speed intervals<br />Tuesday - full body strength circuit (x3), 17 minutes of cardio<br />Wednesday - 2 miles running, 2 miles on the AMT (like an elliptical, but better), followed by an hour of power yoga. (Should have been 4 miles running, but I ended up on the corner treadmill at the busiest time - that treadmill had its own climate. The air was completely still and humidity was high. I swear there was condensation on the machine. It was awful.)<br />Thursday - Rest day (okay, I was actually on my feet all day assembling exhibits, but no additional exercise.)<br />Friday - 30 minutes recumbent biking, 15 minutes incline walking<br />Saturday - 6 mile long run. Ran the first three in Yaktrax on snow and ice. But it was outside, which was awesome.<br />Sunday - Upper body strength (x3), 15 minutes recumbent biking, 34 minutes brisk walking. <br /><br />Looks like a lot when I write it out like that! Here's the schedule for the upcoming week:<br /><br />M- 5 miles, hills<br />T- Strength, 30 min interval cardio<br />W - 4 miles easy<br />Th- Strength, 30 min interval cardio<br />F-Rest<br />Sa-7 mile long run<br />Su - Rest<br /><br />Let's see how it goes!Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-10807639867423203322012-01-22T16:17:00.000-08:002012-01-22T16:33:11.324-08:00A lace scarf and the start of trainingA couple of weeks before Christmas, I started a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/falling-water">Falling Water scarf.</a> I originally meant it to be a Christmas gift, but since it had to go by mail, after about 4 inches, I decided to make a hat to gift instead.<br /><br />But since I had already knit 4 inches, I figured why not go ahead and finish the rest of the five feet or so I prefer from a scarf. And let's finish it before January so it's not hanging over my head, unfinished. So I did. It's a beautiful lace pattern, but I was bored to near tears knitting it. And since I didn't really have an emotional investment in it, my arbitrary deadline was the only thing that kept me working on it.<br /><br />It is lovely though.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703749515/" title="Falling water scarf by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6703749515_714f518b06.jpg" width="450" height="500" alt="Falling water scarf"></a><br /><br />Yes, I was very lazy blocking it, so it has faux points instead of being straight along the edges. I think it looks nice, and I guess that's what counts. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703771569/" title="Falling water scarf by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6703771569_317112a7ef.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Falling water scarf"></a><br /><br />I knit this scarf using a cashmere yarn from the fine folks at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/KeystoneArtAndCraft?ref=pr_shop_more">Keystone Art and Craft</a>. The yarn is recycled from sweaters, and it's very very fine, so I held it doubled. The yarn broke once, because I was yanking at a knot. I'm very pleased with how soft and airy this scarf is. <br /><br />On the running front, tomorrow marks the start of my training cycle for my April 15th half marathon! I've got four miles with speed intervals on the calendar. And, as the car is covered with about a foot of snow, I may be doing this outside, in the dark, in the snow. Should be a heck of an adventure. <br /><br />My training plan has me running three times a week, strength training twice, and doing cardio cross training two or three times a week (strength and cardio cross are on the same days). In addition, I'm hoping to keep going to my Yoga Fit class once a week (on my easy run day) because I adore how yoga makes me feel. I'm excited to be training again. I love having a goal.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-41342718799673235122012-01-16T16:41:00.000-08:002012-01-16T16:50:53.925-08:00A little bit of knittingI've had the book <span style="font-style:italic;">Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi</span> for a while now. A couple weeks ago, I asked my husband to pick out something for me to knit. So he picked the tiny Easter bunny, and asked that it be an albino rabbit. Okay. I can do that.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703793989/" title="Teeny tiny by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6703793989_e74760e15d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Teeny tiny"></a><br /><br />Except that an albino rabbit would have a pink nose... We both think that this tiny rabbit might be the tiniest bit evil and, you know, plotting our demise. Luckily the cat seems to keep the rabbit at bay. Even his tiny fluffy tail.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703783469/" title="Teeny tiny by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6703783469_c8b79a60c0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Teeny tiny"></a><br /><br />For myself, I knit a tiny gnome. Love those gnomes. I knit this little guy up in a couple hours of watching this and that on Hulu one morning. Both he and the rabbit are knit out of scraps of sock yarn that I had in the stash. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703823817/" title="Teeny tiny by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6703823817_e4286fe340.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Teeny tiny"></a><br /><br />The gnome mostly lives on the bookshelf. The rest of the world is dangerous. It's quite easy to fall into a box of yarn and lace and never be heard from again.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703810235/" title="Teeny tiny by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6703810235_cc26161ecd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Teeny tiny"></a><br /><br />Or to be suddenly snatched and eaten by a creature many times your size with claws and sharp pointy teeth. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703813935/" title="Teeny tiny by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6703813935_0f23322e0a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Teeny tiny"></a><br /><br />Best to stay in the bookshelf, safe and sound, navigating the great crevasses and chasms of science fiction with a friend.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6703836857/" title="Teeny tiny by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6703836857_ebfa8a88d1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Teeny tiny"></a>Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-3446768315112452172011-12-31T15:07:00.000-08:002011-12-31T15:20:50.743-08:00Happy New Year!I finished my Christmas knitting. Four hats and a scarf. Not too shabby. <br /><br />Windschief for my brother<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6540706665/" title="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 004 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6540706665_eed3422c84.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 004"></a><br /><br />Coronet for my mother-in-law<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6540709945/" title="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 015 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6540709945_1cd012aa86.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 015"></a><br /><br />Escargot for my aunt<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6540711031/" title="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 021 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6540711031_d299589e9b.jpg" width="500" height="432" alt="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 021"></a><br /><br />Cerus for my brother-in-law<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6540712223/" title="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 033 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6540712223_ed45c15399.jpg" width="439" height="500" alt="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 033"></a><br /><br />And a pompom hat for my BiL's wife.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6540713169/" title="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 041 by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6540713169_ac2f9b851c.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="2011.12.19_xmasknitting 041"></a><br /><br />After wrapping those up, I made it my goal to finish 2011 with no WIPs on the needles (except for a movie theatre sock, and the sock yarn blanket). I have met that goal! To really super dooper meet it, I need to sew on two buttons, block a lace scarf, block a vest, and block a cardigan. .... We'll see.<br /><br />I am goal oriented. I have been thinking about goals for 2012 for the past month or so. My main goals seem to be health and fitness oriented.<br /><br />1. Run 3 half marathons (already registered for 2, and am looking for a third).<br />2. Continue to get fitter, faster, stronger, and healthier in general.<br />3. Hike up Mt. Si.<br />4. Knit more lace. (Especially Evenstar, the Vernal Equinox Shawl, and Andrea's Magic of Spring))<br />5. Read more consistently. <br />6. Blog more, all over the place. <br /><br />I can think of lots of other things I'd like to do next year, but let's keep the list fairly simple. <br /><br />I'd best get to blocking that lace scarf!Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-90273947344406372932011-11-01T22:03:00.000-07:002011-11-01T22:14:08.081-07:00FO: From Norway with Love HatI might, just maybe, be participating in Blog-vember, which is a stupid name, but any excuse to get myself to post more. Luckily, I have a significant backlog of finished knitwear to show off. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6251358721/" title="Hats by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6034/6251358721_2778bc76e5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hats"></a><br /><br />Pattern: <a href="http://www.pickles.no/from-norway-with-love-winter/">From Norway with Love</a><br />Yarn: Leftovers and odd balls. Cascade Lano d'oro for the purple. The rest is Cascade 220.<br />Needles: 8s, I think.<br /><br />I knit the pattern as written. It turned out a bit on the long side. That's okay, though, because I can turn the ribbing under for extra ear warming.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6251360599/" title="Hats by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6100/6251360599_7d49775cb4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hats"></a><br /><br />If memory serves, this hat represents only my second foray into stranded knitting. Considering that, and considering I haven't actually blocked this hat, I think it turned out really well.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6251369153/" title="Hat by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6251369153_3bc93d74b0.jpg" width="467" height="500" alt="Hat"></a><br /><br />I was very careful to keep my floats as loose as seemed reasonable. I've had the tendency to pull them too tight on previous stranded attempts. In some cases, I may have been too liberal with the looseness I allowed, but overall I'm pleased.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6251370629/" title="Hat by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6223/6251370629_8f7e29d139.jpg" width="500" height="446" alt="Hat"></a><br /><br />I loved this hat when I saw it on Ravelry. And I do love the version I made. It was a fairly quick knit, but I am not yet skilled in stranded knitting. It's certainly a challenge. But this is a good pattern for entry level stranded knitters - the motif is simple and repeats itself. Some of the floats end up being 7 or 9 stitches, but that's the only more challenging aspect of the stranding. Overall, I think this will see a lot of wear during the colder winter months.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-47423290759173326152011-10-29T14:38:00.001-07:002011-10-31T16:09:18.169-07:00Race recap: Columbia Gorge Half MarathonLast week Sunday, October 23rd, I ran my first ever half marathon! I know you've all been waiting in anticipation for a recap, or, maybe for any update to this poor blog at all. Anyway, here it is.<br /><br />On Saturday my husband and I drove down from Ellensburg to Hood River, OR. It's about a three hour drive, but very pretty. We got to Hood River and went to pick up my race packet. It was really exciting to get my bag with my number, chip, and fancy hat. I also bought a race shirt, because we've got to have souvenirs! <br /><br />After that was in order, we checked out a couple of used bookstores and, of course, a yarn shop. Knot Another Hat is a really cute yarn shop with a nice selection. I picked up a couple balls of superwash for Christmas knitting, and a hank of lovely souvenir sock yarn. Shalimar yarns Breathless - a washable merino/silk/cashmere sock yarn. Mmm.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6299900195/" title="New yarn by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/6299900195_78d8a65c06.jpg" width="500" height="428" alt="New yarn"></a><br /><br />After those adventures, we checked into our hotel. We got a room with a river view, and what a great view.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6276451559/" title="Columbia River from our hotel room by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6223/6276451559_a08723a1e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Columbia River from our hotel room"></a><br /><br />It was even better when we got up early for breakfast.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6276453765/" title="Columbia River from our hotel room by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6109/6276453765_955268c818.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Columbia River from our hotel room"></a><br /><br />We went down to breakfast. I ordered the cereal and banana, but only ended up eating a tiny amount. I'm used to running with very little in my belly and was not particularly hungry, so I just went with it. Back to the room and time to get dressed and pose for a "before" photo.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6276978632/" title="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6100/6276978632_19c3b004ec.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon"></a><br /><br />I walked from the hotel to the finish line (nice! hotel super close to the race finish), where I immediately got into a port-a-potty line and then in the line to the buses that would take us up a huge hill to where the start line was. The last two years, I guess they started where they finished - I can't fathom tackling the hill we drove up first thing - it would be brutal!<br /><br />As it is, the course has a net elevation gain of 1100' and a net elevation loss of about 1300'. There's not really any flat part of the course - you're either going up or going down. Since I had trained on mostly flat ground and averaged around 11:30-12:00 minute miles on my long runs, I was expecting to run around 2:38-2:45, factoring in the challenge of the hill. Mostly, I wanted to finish on two legs, but I had 2:30 in my head as a great time to achieve, though I knew it was unrealistic.<br /><br />Anyway, the runners were being bused to the starting line and I got there in time to see the marathoners start - away they flew! We were scheduled to start 30 minutes later, but the start time got pushed back an extra 20 minutes while we waited for everyone to arrive on the buses. At least the weather was great - partly cloudy, high of about 60 predicted. Lining up, I tried to move to the back of the pack, but pretty much ended up in the middle, because the chute was relatively narrow and a bus was literally unloading as the final remarks were being made. It didn't really matter though, as I ended up having to dodge walkers, and faster runners ended up having to dodge me. Not a huge issue, I think, as this is not a PR friendly course.<br /><br />I ran (uphill) for the first three miles, feeling amazing and joyful, being careful not to feel like I was working too hard, and enjoying the scenery. This race is billed as the most scenic in the country, and I believe it! You're on an old historic highway which runs above the Columbia River - there are jutting rocks, changing leaves, two tunnels, and at least one small waterfall. Truly gorgeous. I spent those miles just listening to the runners around me and feeling great.<br /><br />After three miles, and grabbing some water from the first aid station, we started a descent. I turned on my music and embraced the downhill. Embracing that downhill led to two(!) sub-10 minute miles (amazing since I had only done that once before in my life). I was careful not to feel like I was putting out extra effort, but just enjoying the momentum. It was all downhill to the turn around at about 5.25 miles, where I waved to my husband and grabbed a water from the aid station. Pride kicked in, and my plan to eat my Clif Shot (mocha!), walk, and drink my water was passed by my desire to look awesome for the hubby. So I flew back past him and started up the enormous hill I had just enjoyed flying down. My plan to run quickly became a plan to run/walk, quickly became a plan to run when I could, but just keep hiking with the rest of the field around me. I must have done ok, because my longest split in that area was about a 13 minute mile, which I'll take.<br /><br />Approaching the turn-around:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6276461829/" title="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6214/6276461829_25c0aec431.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon"></a><br /><br />I made it to the aid station at mile 7.5 where I finally had my Clif shot and some water. My right hip was beginning to tighten up and I figured that's what I get for flying down that first big hill. Luckily, the course is mostly downhill from mile 8 - not entirely, but mostly. So I was able to keep trucking at a pretty good pace, though I was starting to count the miles. We came off the historic highway, where I grabbed a small cup of gatorade at the last aid station, and began our descent into Hood River, OR. A steep, twisting road led down to the town - again, amazing views of the hills, the town, and the river. Stunning. Even though it was, literally, all downhill at this point, I ended up walking twice in the final mile. I was just spent. Letting pride get in the way of my fueling plan was a mistake. But I looked at my Garmin and saw that I could still finish in a time that I never had expected, so I picked it up and kept running the last half mile, giving it whatever I had left as I crossed the finish line.<br /><br />Looking crazy, crossing the finish line:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6276463967/" title="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6222/6276463967_7565abe63f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon"></a><br /><br />I finished in 2:29.19. I am thrilled! 2:30 was something I had hoped for, but never expected considering my training! I had a great time at the race and it seemed well organized, except for the late start. I would run this again some day, for sure.<br /><br />The "after" photo - thrilled to be sitting down, thrilled to be done.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6276986470/" title="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6276986470_83e779b9af.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Columbia Gorge Half Marathon"></a><br /><br />Well, there we have it - did you make it through? Maybe I'll have some proper knit blogging on here someday. I'm working on a sweater vest out of cashmere. Very very soft.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-3536542509516288982011-08-21T06:52:00.000-07:002011-08-21T07:37:13.140-07:00Race! Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10KYesterday I ran in my second ever race. I finished! And I wasn't last! Well, I was last in my age group, but that's to be expected.
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<br />The race was <a href="http://www.runsnoqualmie.com/#!railroad-days-10k5k">the Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K.</a> A 10K fit nicely into my training schedule this weekend as I had a 6 mile run scheduled. Plus I wanted to have more race experience, having only been to one pretty local affair previously. And this fit the bill. As a bonus, the course was described as flat, fast, and beautiful. And only an hour and a half from home.
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<br />We rolled into town around 8 am and found a parking spot a few blocks away. Picked up my bib, shirt, and bag and wandered around town a little bit. Bib #14 - apparently numbers were assigned alphabetically to the 10K folk. Wandered back to the car to drop off bag and shirt and pull on my headband. Love my BondiBands, since I hate sweat rolling down my face.
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065056013/" title="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6065056013_7fd38a32d0.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K"></a>
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<br />Then we waited around a little more and then it was time to line up! I never know where to line up. Except NOT at the front. So I stood pretty far back. Apparently too far back. These folk, who look very serious, were at the front.
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065057571/" title="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6065057571_81a47f1193.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K"></a>
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<br />I was not so serious, but I was intent on starting my watch, followed by being intent on not running into the walkers I had lined myself up behind. D'oh.
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065608496/" title="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6200/6065608496_5e7d04ecf2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K"></a>
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<br />I had a great time the first mile - I was running strong, feeling good, and passing people, which was a lot of fun. I finished the mile in under 11 minutes, which is something for me. But it was all downhill from there. I must have pushed out too fast. By the third mile I was bribing myself with walk breaks every 5-10 minutes, and by the fourth mile I was walking whenever I felt my heart rate was getting too high, which seemed to be pretty frequently. Probably because when I would start running again it was at a closer to 11 minute/mile pace which was too much for me at that point.
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<br />But I finished in 1:12, which averages to about 11:30 per mile, which I'm pretty happy with. I'm not thrilled with the non-sustainable way I ran the race, but it was a good experience to have. And the course was very very pretty. Here's my <a href="http://runkeeper.com/user/froggy_dear/activity/48628965">race data</a> for those interested. And here I am, crossing the finish line, intent on stopping my watch and finding where they keep the free smoothie I was promised.
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065610268/" title="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6065610268_21f4acab8f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K"></a>
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<br />We spent the rest of the day in Seattle - eating, watching Captain America (which I really enjoyed), shopping at used book stores, and getting stuck in traffic. At least the I-5 through Seattle can be gorgeous, even in traffic.
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<br />Mount Rainier
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065062471/" title="Seattle in Traffic by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6065062471_4abbcfbb55.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Seattle in Traffic"></a>
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<br />The Olympics.
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065612604/" title="Seattle in Traffic by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6182/6065612604_49619b5498.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Seattle in Traffic"></a>
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<br />Space Needle.
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/6065613732/" title="Seattle in Traffic by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6065613732_1fa58c923b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Seattle in Traffic"></a>
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<br />And how about just a dash of knitting content? Here's a pair of socks I knit out of Zauberball recently. Pink and purple and wooly, oh my. Just a basic toe-up stockinette sock. My default movie theater project.
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5987261225/" title="Pink socks by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/5987261225_6c89c66ce7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Pink socks"></a>
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<br />They should be lovely when it's cold and I'm wearing socks again.
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<br />Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-2840592109433221112011-07-29T17:35:00.000-07:002011-07-29T20:56:09.470-07:00FO: Liesl Cardigan<span style="font-weight:bold;">Vital Stats</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pattern:</span> <a href="http://ysolda.com/patterns/sweaters/liesl/">Liesl Cardigan</a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Yarn:</span> Rowan Cotton Tape, just under 9 balls or just over 600 yards<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Needles:</span> US 11<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Size knit:</span> 46", but I went up a size because my gauge was tight<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Time to Completion:</span> A month or so.<br /><br />I finished up my Liesl cardigan more than a week ago, but hadn't gotten around to asking Mr. Husband to take some photos of me. In a fit of productivity this morning I went out on the porch and took some photos in the full length mirror there. Yes. We have a mirror on the porch. <br /><br />This is not a mirror shot - this is a kitchen table shot.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5987261613/" title="liesl cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/5987261613_76f467feae.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="liesl cardigan"></a><br /><br />I received this yarn in a secret pal swap. It's lovely yarn, but cotton is not usually my thing. So it hung around for a little while before I decided to put it to use in the Liesl cardigan. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5987258267/" title="Liesl cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/5987258267_334f34670c.jpg" width="359" height="500" alt="Liesl cardigan"></a><br /><br />I was pretty skeptical about this pattern. I know it's wildly popular and all, but to me it looked a little bit, well, like a baby cardigan. Plus it does that 3 button thing at the top that I'm not a fan of. Why am I not a fan? Because if you've got a belly, I feel it can look a bit maternity.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5987819858/" title="Liesl cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5987819858_2902d0cc3a.jpg" width="376" height="500" alt="Liesl cardigan"></a><br /><br />But it turns out that I quite like this sweater. I found the yarn a little tricky to use - it has a tendency to catch on things, and it's difficult to effectively weave in ends. But the pattern is lovely. My only confusion came from trying to understand the buttonhole instructions, which I couldn't seem to grasp. I did something and ended up with three button holes, though.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5987262319/" title="liesl cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6010/5987262319_599400e59a.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="liesl cardigan"></a><br /><br />The buttons I choose are really too heavy for this sweater. I should probably buy some cheap plastic ones to replace these. But I did happen to have thread that matches the yarn nearly exactly!<br /><br />And there it is! It must be a summer of cardigans. I'm not sure what I'll cast on next. I will keep you appraised of the situation.<br /><br />-------------<br />Running is going smoothly. I attacked the only hill in town on Thursday. Twice. Hills are hard. What possessed me to sign up for a hilly first half marathon? Lack of reason, I guess.<br /><br />My long run for Saturday is scheduled to be 6 miles. I'm planning on hitting 6.2 for a nice even 10K. Last Saturday I carried a water bottle for the first time. It was the 20 oz bottle that came free with my cheap-o bike (which has had a flat read tire for over a year. Anyone wanna fix that for me?). I chose it because I wouldn't be sad to abandon it. I didn't, but it was annoying to carry, and heavy too. Also my hand got wet and gross from leakage. So I was on the lookout for an alternative.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5987262571/" title="Little water bottle by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6015/5987262571_b6ee56e86c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Little water bottle"></a><br /><br />There she is. The <a href="http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-FBSPH.html#">FuelBelt Sprint Palm Holder 10z</a>. I got it from the place I linked. I like them because of the free two day shipping, even on little things. Also, the price is good. I think it'll be a good solution. Pretty light, and the doohickey keeps it stuck to my hand.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5987263217/" title="Little water bottle by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6144/5987263217_c659dce337.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Little water bottle"></a><br /><br />I bought some powerade to stick in it. POWER! I'll let you know how it goes.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-31113156186647902382011-07-20T20:43:00.000-07:002011-07-20T21:09:24.174-07:00On the treadmillLet's start with running today, shall we? On Tuesday I was scheduled to do a 35 minute run, but couldn't drag my butt out of bed to get out before work. And, by the time I got out of work, the wind was gusting up to 40mph so I wimped out of running outside. To the treadmills! I went down to my gym and hopped a treadmill. <br /><br />What I forgot is that I really really don't like treadmills. Not so much the boredom, though there's that. But the lack of breeze really does me in. I overheat and it gets really hard to keep going. So it was horrible. I ran for 35 minutes, including 2 one minute walk breaks in the second half. My technical fabric shirt didn't stand a chance - I was pretty well soaked. <br /><br />But next time I'll take the wind and leave the gym for strength and cross training.<br /><br />Tomorrow is another three miles! Outside this time, for sure. Tomorrow morning looks fine, with only 11mph winds. <br /><br />--------<br />Now knitting! With the sad closing of the Dancing Ewe, there was no longer a centralized local group on Ravelry. So I took matters into my own hands and set up a group,<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/windy-city-knitters"> Windy City Knitters</a>, for anyone in or around Ellensburg. Check it out if you're local or planning to pass through.<br /><br />Tonight I sewed on the buttons of my Liesl cardigan! Soon there will be photos. In the meantime I've picked up my sock yarn blanket. But it looks much the same with a few new squares as it did before. I'm really enjoying the blanket at this time - small squares are satisfying.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-52762424698532256672011-07-16T13:54:00.000-07:002011-07-16T14:27:41.826-07:00Salad and a sweaterI made another pasta salad this past week for my lunches. It was more successful than the previous one, with the tuna and the bacon, but it got a bit old eating it everyday, plus once for dinner. Still, it gets a mention - Pesto Turkey Pasta Salad.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5943808099/" title="Turkey pesto pasta salad by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6146/5943808099_63d0f97c0b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Turkey pesto pasta salad"></a><br />Ingredients: pesto mix, turkey breast (only used maybe half of it?), grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and pasta. Oh, and I tossed in some carrots for good measure.<br /><br />Nothing fancy, just cooked the pasta, sauteed the mushrooms, and cut up the turkey, and mixed it all up. Oh, and the pesto mix which required a full quarter cup of olive oil. Hello!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5943809505/" title="Turkey pesto pasta salad by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/5943809505_7b7e41f7e9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Turkey pesto pasta salad"></a><br /><br />I'd put some grated parm on it before eating it at work, and that improved things as well. Cheese usually does that. I'd call this a success, but it made too much food. I think I'm done with this whole pasta salad thing for a while. Three weeks is enough. But what should I do for lunches next week?<br /><br />------<br /><br />Thursday, at knit nite, I finally finished knitting my Liesl cardigan. It's a pretty fast knit, actually, but I am just not a fan of cotton. Or bulky yarn. I played fast and loose with gauge, which means that even though I knit a size up, it may still be just on the small size. Also I did not wash a swatch, so I don't know how it will behave when washed and dried.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5944365466/" title="Liesl sweater by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6148/5944365466_dc711188e4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Liesl sweater"></a><br />Unblocked.<br /><br />I picked some buttons out of my button collection - I like them a lot, but they're pretty heavy. I'll have to see if the cardigan can handle them.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5943811023/" title="Liesl sweater by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/5943811023_831c6ab21e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Liesl sweater"></a><br /><br />I took pictures of the buttons while the sweater was soaking. I used a sample of Soak which must be several years old, but still smelled nice. I was surprised by how much dye came out of the sweater, especially considering none ended up on my hands during knitting.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5944367762/" title="Liesl sweater by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/5944367762_85b1a76465.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Liesl sweater"></a><br /><br />And the sweater spread out to dry. I managed to make it a little bigger, but time will show if I was successful.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5943813507/" title="Liesl sweater by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6027/5943813507_2d51d0878f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Liesl sweater"></a><br /><br />Now I think I'll work on my sock yarn blanket for a while. <br /><br />-------<br /><br />Running! I finished my running for week 2 of training this morning. I did a 5 mile long run in what constitutes highly unusual weather for this area - humidity. It was very very strange. I ran just over 11 miles this week and will likely do about the same for next week. I did join <a href="http://runkeeper.com/">RunKeeper.com</a> to track my runs and connect with other folks. It's got some really neat functions - I think I'm going to like it. Track me down and join my "street team" if you've got an account!Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-47738432522082347452011-07-08T18:42:00.000-07:002011-07-08T18:58:02.681-07:007/8/2011 - Cleaning house<span style="font-weight:bold;">Knitting:</span><br />We have a knit nite here in town. Used to be held at the yarn store, but now that we're LYS-less, we hold it at the campus Starbucks. Things were getting downright rowdy yesterday! <a href="http://">Kestrel</a> came in her awesome pants and brought Rebekah (why do I assume Rebekah is spelled that way? It's almost certainly not.) with her. Rebekah attempted to educate me in anime. I may be hopeless. Still, I managed to knit an inch or two on the Liesl cardigan, which means that it looks essentially exactly the same as it did last time we saw it. I think I'm nearing the end of the body, at least, and the sleeves should be super quick!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5901994193/" title="Liesl Cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5031/5901994193_9425ce43be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Liesl Cardigan"></a><br />Love that texture photo.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Running:</span><br />Thursday was meant to be a crosstraining day, but I was so tired when my alarm went off that I decided to switch it with my scheduled rest day on Friday. Which means I slept in yesterday (until 6:40!) and went off to cross train at the gym today. I do an endurance weights routine with some cardio thrown in. <a href="http://personaltrainingbylindsey.com/default.aspx">My trainer</a>, who's a firecracker, says it's meant to raise my lactic threshold. I followed it up with some time on the elliptical. Tomorrow is my long run of 4 miles and, luckily, the wind is supposed to be under 10mph when I plan to go out! Hooray!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Other:</span><br />I seem to be terrifically linky today. How about that?<br /><br />I've changed sizes recently. Enough so that the closet of clothes I'd been cultivating for years no longer fits. I'm trying my luck with a bit of an internet yard sale. If you're interested in XL, XXL, 18-20 (with some 14-16 tops), hop on over to <a href="http://froggy-dear.livejournal.com/809771.html#cutid1">Crazy Froggy's Internet Yard Sale</a>. Everything must go! Will accept yarn in trade!Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-39866630557031406862011-07-06T21:37:00.000-07:002011-07-06T21:55:56.412-07:007/6/2011 - Slow Knitter to Conquer Half MarathonAbout a year ago I started the Couch to 5K program. Why? Because I couldn't run a mile and that seemed like something a body ought to be able to do. Of course, by the end of the program, you're running nearly three miles! So I did that and then followed it up by alternately running for a while then not running for a while. Winter, you know. When spring came, I got my mojo back and began to set goals. I decided to run 5 miles. I did. Then I started to look around for half marathons (13.1 miles). Eventually, I found one that seemed awesome! So I signed up. It's the <a href="http://www.columbiagorgemarathon.com/">Columbia Gorge Half Marathon</a>. It'll be held at the end of October and is a pretty hilly course - perhaps not the wisest choice for the novice racer, but I think it'll be fun.<br /><br />It's kind of awesome that I've gone from dismissing runners as merely crazy to embracing the whole thing. I realized that, when I go out to run, I freaking look like a runner. Maybe a fat, slow runner, but a runner nonetheless.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5910790563/" title="Running gear by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5312/5910790563_30eef6f81d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Running gear"></a><br /><br />Click through for a ton of notes. <br /><br />This week is week one of half marathon training. I'm doing three runs a week with 2-3 days of cross training, 2 of which include a strength training regimen. My long run this week is 4 miles. Woo hoo! I'll hit 6 miles by the end of the month and up up up from there. I also run the only hill in town once a week to get the feel of that kind of challenge. <br /><br />Let it be noted that I am breaking no land speed records here. My fastest mile ever was 11 minutes, but I average more around 12 minutes. I'll probably be even slower once my mileage gets up there. My husband can literally walk as fast as I run. If I can do this, anybody can.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071066540563859185.post-65269447615350838372011-07-05T21:02:00.000-07:002011-07-05T21:14:16.693-07:007/5/2011 - Questionable Pasta SaladI'm not so great at post titles. It's easier to classify things by date. <br /><br />Summer is finally hitting - it's been a long cool spring with moments of warmth. It doesn't help that our house is a cave, so until yesterday I was still under a fleece blanket while sitting on the couch. But the heat is here and will probably be for at least a couple of weeks.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5902553930/" title="Liesl Cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6024/5902553930_a1f4b243a5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Liesl Cardigan"></a><br /><br />I'm working on another summer cardigan - Liesl. I'm knitting it with Rowan Cotton Tape which is very interesting. Not, I would say, my favorite yarn. I'm not a huge fan of cotton. Nor am I a huge fan of bulky yarns. It's knitting up fairly nicely, though I worry the finished product may be on the heavy side. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5901994193/" title="Liesl Cardigan by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5031/5901994193_9425ce43be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Liesl Cardigan"></a><br /><br />At least it's a pretty fast knit. I should be done with it in a week or so, momentum permitting, and may actually be able to wear it in its appropriate season. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/froggy_dear/5907157355/" title="questionable pasta salad by froggy_dear, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5151/5907157355_e1f5127660.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="questionable pasta salad"></a><br /><br />To me, summer is the season of the pasta salad. Last week I made a nice salad of chicken, tortellini, and grape tomatoes. I got a little more... creative this week. This week's salad includes: Whole grain shells, tuna, bacon, bell pepper, peas, carrots, onion and garlic (sauteed in bacon fat), and a dose of Miracle Whip. It's... passable. I don't think it would be a hit at a party, and the colors leave something to be desired. It screams 1970s kitchen to me. Eh, I'll eat it anyway.Lynn Bethkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967687344891082676noreply@blogger.com0