Ravellenic Games 2014

I really love the Olympics. I love the national pride I feel.  I love that female athletes are actually on TV.  I love that my evening plan every day is Olympics watching. I love that I get knitting time and a challenge.

I know this theme comes up often; I love a challenge.  I am a pretty active person, but I credit my activity to having goals and challenges.  Without these I am pretty much dead in the water.  So I am happy to add another challenge here and there.  With the Olympics comes the knitting challenge of the Ravellenic Games. During summer and winter games, knitters and crocheters participate in what is called the Ravellenic Games. Named after Ravelry, the site that "sponsors" the event.  As a participant, you can enter different competitions with the goal of making something (or multiple somethings) from opening ceremonies to the end of closing ceremonies.  There are different areas of competition depending on what you are making.

Two years ago for the summer Olympics, I made a sweater and some other smaller items.  That was when I only had one child and had some time off from work. This year I am making a shawl which is no small untertacking.  I am making something pretty large with some pretty thin yarn.  I seem to like to do that quite a bit. I have had the yarn for a while and I had even started a few rows, but it fell by the wayside.  Now my Color Affection and I are on good terms and making great progress, since ripping out and starting again.

In the end it will look something like this, but with different colors:

(Image Source)

Color Affection is a popular shawl on Ravelry so many knitters have probably heard of it. It is strange, but there are famous patterns.  There are famous knitters and crocheters too.  It is a pretty amazing world out there.  I continue to be amazed by the talented people out there.

So for the next several days, I will be knitting and knitting (and knitting and knitting and knitting....) on this shawl in hopes of finishing it on or before February 23.  Of course I have two kids, two dogs and a husband to also tend to, so we will see where this goes.  Since the Olympics are in prime time, the kids are asleep for most of my viewing and knitting pleasure so that helps. Now I just need to get Stormy to sleep through the night so I am not so tired and and stay up knitting.

Are you watching the Olympics?  What is your favorite sport?  What do you do while watching?  

This Post is Brought to You By the Letter "D"

I am at a disadvantage.  Stormy says "da."  Yes, "da" not "ma."  It is how it goes with babies; they make "da" sounds first.  But then I got to thinking, Stormy's daddy is "Dada,"  his sister is "DeeDee" and his sitter is "Di."  I am the odd one out with "Ma."  I nurse him, wash his diapers and make his baby food.  I wake up with him at 2 am.  I knit him adorable hats (though he seems to hate hats) and sweaters.  I love him with my whole heart, but the "Ds" have it.  But I know, one day soon he will say "mamamama" and then he won't stop saying it.  

We in Central Illinois are on another snow day. We got about 5 inches of snow over night.  That is in addition to the 6-7" we got over the weekend.  This winter is the snowiest and coldest in recent memory, but I love snow.  Something about the pure whiteness is so beautiful.  And like knitting and so many other things in life, snow is a reminder that tiny little things do add up over time and can make a big difference. I also like that I work at a community college that has snow days. 

This makes 4 snow days in 2014.  This however might be the first snow day I enjoy this year.  I am using the term "enjoy" loosely here because my plans are to clean the house and get organized.  I have tons of laundry to do as well.  Then, I want to organize my knitting stash and take pictures of all the amazing things I made in January.  I was a knitting machine in January and blogged nothing.  I either have time to do stuff or write about doing stuff most days so I choose doing stuff.

How do you spend your snow days?

Once I get things organized I am going to work on getting a little someone to go "ma."

The Hiatus

I've been on a running hiatus.  I never meant to stop running, it just happened.  Six weeks before I got pregnant with Stormy, I ran a half marathon.  While in my first month of pregnancy, I ran a personal record 5k.  Then things took a turn.  I was so, so sick.  Everyday was just a chore to go to work. I spent most evenings laying down.  When I started to feel better in my second trimester my body didn't respond well to running.  My ligaments ached and I could barely walk without pain, so the running stopped. 

I had a baby.  My daughter started kindergarten. I went back to work full-time, plus teaching a college course on the side.  Soon September was over and I hadn't run yet.  October hit and I did manage to get a few runs in, starting again with the couch to 5k program I used to start running years ago.  There were run/walk runs to build my running ability.  But then November hit and it hit hard.  It was a horrible month.  December was crazy, too. 

Now it is January, nearly one year since I stopped running.  I can't believe running has been gone this long.  Running has been my companion for many years on and off.  Before this hiatus, I had been running steadily for about 5 years.  In that time, I put in countless miles putting one foot in front of the other, happy to pound the pavement (or indoor track). 

One of my New Year Resolutions is to get into 5k running shape, especially since my mom is working on this as well.  I may have mentioned I like a good challenge, and even though this isn't a direct challenge, I can't have my mom running more or farther than me.

Today seemed like any day so many before, but I decided I would start working toward that 5k and packed my gym bag.  Getting both kids out the door, dropped off at school and day care, and to work was normal (which means it was stressful and sometimes a bit evil).  Work was hard because I didn't get much sleep last night (Stormy has an ear infection) and I had to concentrate on learning new things (another resolution).  As I walked out to my van tired from work, I questioned the idea of heading across the parking lot to the gym, especially as the snowflakes fell all around (snowflakes seem threatening when you have 8"of them in your yard last weekend and the roads are just  finally getting clear).

Instead of flaking out and heading home with the tired and weather excuse, I walked into the gym, changed into my freezing gym clothes (kept in my van all day) and walked up to the indoor track.  My iPod was dead and my sport watch was missing.  I decided I would run three laps on the 1/10 mile track and then walk a lap and repeat this for about 30 minutes.

I started my slow jog, my old reliable friend.  I got to three laps and thought I might as well for for a half mile.  I got to a half mile and thought, I could do a mile.  At one mile I decided to keep going to one and a half miles.  At one and a half miles, I had to stop for a bathroom break, but then I was back out on the track.  I curved to the left over and over until I had run around 31 times.  I ran 3.1 miles, that is a 5k.  I ran a 5k on the 9th day of my New Years resolution without much preparation (I wish I could have timed it but, see no iPod or watch statement earlier).  Resolutions are not supposed to be met in the first 9 days.  (Talk about being an overachiever.)   

I can't believe I did it.  I set our to run .3 miles before stopping and instead I ran 10 times that far. This is why people run; runners accomplish things they never thought possible all the time.  I had absolutely no idea I had that inside me, but I just kept telling myself I could do a few more laps.  It has been a year, how can I still run 3 miles?  They were not fast and they were not pretty, but I did it.  And now I can do it again.

I am not sure how I will feel tomorrow.  I am still sore from shoveling out my van from a snow drift on Tuesday morning.  I know sore, stiff muscles are in my future, but right now I feel amazing. I do not dread that future pain.  Every sore step I take will echo my accomplishment today, and I welcome that misery. 

How are your resolutions coming?

2014

Happy New Year, everyone.

I really love today.  I love that people are making resolutions.  I love resolutions because it is basically making a challenging to-do list.  I love challenges, I love lists.  This is one of the greatest convergences of things I love.  For one day, people are thinking a bit like me.

How did I spend my first day in 2014 so far?  Watching the Rose Parade and then the NHL's Winter Classic (hockey on the free channels y'all, this is exciting). Kniting.  Crocheting.  Cuddling with my kids. Spending time with my husband.  A pretty fantastic day on top of the whole resolution thing.

On the Today show this morning they stated that only 8% of people keep their resolutions. I try to make resolutions that are not immediately reached, things that cannot be "broken." I like to think that I can always start over and have a new New Year.  Every day is a day that I can start working harder on improving my life or doing something new and different.  Every day, but especially today, is a good day to make some goals.

I am going to make my resolutions public so I can be held accountable.

For my resolutions:

1. I am going to get back to running.  I will be in 5k running shape by spring.  My mom is taking a running 101 class at her fitness center.  If she is going to be in 5k shape by spring then I am too.

2. I am going to learn something new.  I am taking a college class this spring semester.  It is a marketing class.  I am excited to take this class because I think it will really enhance my job as outreach librarian. I haven't be in class as a student since 2009.

3. I am going to de-clutter my life.  I have already started in my kitchen.  I have filled two big boxes for a garage sale or to donate.  I also have 5 bags of books to donate (can you believe it, I am parting with books, you know I am business when I am parting with books). Soon I will have a pile of out-grown kids clothes and toys to get rid of.

I like having new goals for the day, week, month and year. I am just happy that today is a day that many people are thinking like this too.   

Do you have any resolutions you would like to make public?

The Cute Things in Life

I make cute things. It is the truth.  Cute things are made by me; it is an undeniable fact.

And when those cute things combine you get this:

And you thought I was lying. Cute kid, cute hat.  It makes life good.

I bought this yarn to make Stormy a hat when I was pregnant.  I am so glad I finally got around to making it.  I used KnitCol yarn and the pattern Basic Baby Hat. I really love a basic beanie and I hope to be able to make the next sizes up for little Stormy as he needs them. 

I have never used self-patterning yarn like this before.  I am not sure why I haven't, but this will certainty not be the last time.  The results make it look like I put in much more effort than I really did. I am all for making things look complicated when they are not.  It makes me look like a better knitter. Beginner knitters, this is my tip for you, let the yarn do the work.  Buy pretty yarn and everything you make will look amazing.  Tip for parents, your kid will look cute in just about anything (Stormy would be cute wearing a sack), but they will look especially cute in things handmade with love. There are a lot of babies being born into my life right now and they should all be expecting cute little hats for Christmas next year.

It is the first day of winter and we have a winter storm advisory in Central Illinois.  We should be getting an ice storm right now, but currently it is just overcast (thankfully!).  Tomorrow we should get snow, and even more snow in Iowa at my parent's house (Yay for sledding!).  On Monday, we will see negative temperatures (Boo for sledding). On days like this and coming this week, it is nice to have a warm, wool hat and now every person in my family has one handmade by me.

How are you braving the winter?

Stockings

Do you have Christmas traditions?  Well of course you do, if you celebrate Christmas.  Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, there is probably something you do on every Christmas. We all have our little traditions.

One of my family's traditions is to have knitted stockings.  My grandma knit all her grandchildren stockings.  I also have an afghan from her. She was a very crafty lady.  Besides knitting she also painted a vast number of canvases and other objects.  I have two paintings in my house and a clock.

Grandma knit a stocking for my nephew eight years ago, but now in her 80s she no longer knits.

My stocking, made by Grandma, still lives at my mom and dad's house.  Along with the stockings my grandma made for my sister, brother and nephew.  The collection is rounded out with the stockings my mom has crocheted for her children-in-law and grandchildren.

It is quite a collection. Two on the end are for my sister's pets.  I guess they don't get crocheted stockings.

I have been a knitter for about four and a half years.  That means I was not a knitter when D was born, hence she has a store bought stocking. Even though I have been able to make her a stocking for the past four Christmases, I have not.  She already had a stocking and so I never really focused on making her one.  Yet, in the back of my mind I have always thought about making her a stocking.

Last year, my cousin had twins and she called on me to make stockings for them since grandma no longer can.  I accepted the challenge and made the twins stockings, my first ever.  A lady at work heard that I could knit and asked me to make stockings for her nephews and I did.  Yet, I didn't make one for Miss D.

This year we became a family of four and Stormy needed a stocking.  He was born to a knitter and so he gets a knitted stocking right away and this was the prefect offportunity to finally make one for D. She even helped design them.

I am pleased to report that I have stockings knit for both kids.

Please disregard that Stormy is wearing a vampire sleeper.  We enjoy Halloween themed items as long as they fit.  

I have two more stockings to knit so that the whole family can have matching stockings, but that may be a next Christmas goal.  I still have 1.5 blocks to make to finish my block-a-month afghan for 2013.

What holiday traditions are you working on? 
  

December Already?

I did not mean to neglect you blog.  Sometimes life gets in the way of writing about life.  And so it was for the month of November.  What happened last month?  Too much for me to remember but we drove to two out of state weddings.  We all got violently ill. D was first, then my husband, then me and my father-in-law, then my mother-in-law, then the babysitter, then the babysitter's son and finally my mom. All of us were super sick, except little Stormy.  He must have a super immune system.  A tornado hit the town over from us shocking the entire area and leaving many people homeless, including one of my immediate coworkers.  The next week, we had a lovely Thanksgiving and trip to South Dakota.  It was my our first trip to see my extended family in four years.  Luke got to meet his great-grandma. Everything else is a blur.

I knit a bib sometime in there.  I feel I have been neglecting my baby knitting.  I made a lot more bibs for other babies, but not my own.  This is my go to pattern for bib knitting.  It is from Mason Dixon Knitting.  It is simple back and forth knitting, great for watching TV or any other multitasking activity.

Stormy wasn't in the mood to model.

One thing about November is that Stormy is getting so big.  He is 4 months old now and he loves to smile, laugh and play with toys.  He wants to eat big people food too.  He just doesn't want to sleep through the night.

He is very interested in what we big people do.  He basically demands to sit in his high chair while we eat dinner.  We like to have the whole family together and he likes to be the center of attention. D is actually very good with sharing the spotlight.

Now, in the season of Advent, we are anxiously awaiting Christmas and with Christmas comes Christmas knitting and shopping.  I hope I can get it all done.

Did your November fly by too?