lifelong knitter

Knitting weather!

Yesterday I was wearing a JACKET over a sweatshirt and happily knitting the hood
on my Tomten.....and looking at THIS:

The Blue Ridge Parkway!
Today I am thrilled to report that even HERE, back home in the flatlands,
it is feeling much more like FALL.
Woo.hoo.
Let's hear it for Knitting Weather!

saturday skating synopsis

This week was all about strength and conditioning.
Well, and GADGETS, of course.
I was a little bit skeptical about the Nike + system
but I'm here to tell you,
It ROCKS.
I heart the little voice that cheers me on with,
*halfway* and other progress points
and when I get home and upload my data,
I can SEE my progress!
I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I'd be
from the weight room and balance exercises
but I'm SURE that is because there is a full stretch
and cool down component to the workout.
I'm actually getting to the point where I feel BETTER
20 minutes into the workout,
and look forward to my time in the gym.
The cardio room has a view of the rink,
which is Very Inspiring.
I can SEE where I want to Be.

Friday Fiber Frolic

Into the woods we go,
in search of extreme cuteness:
AHA!
click if you dare ;)

Puzzling

Thursdays, I spend the afternoon with my Boybird.
Today's mission was to go to Border's with a special coupon
and then to watch the workmen (ARTISTS, truly)
making THIS:

(can you see the heart shaped piece?)
which is my new walkway.
Three years in the dreaming/planning/waiting....
woo.hoo.
Boybird loved all of the hammering and sawing and fitting the pieces together,
JUST so.
He's a whiz at puzzles, doing the Mensa test booklets for fun in elementary school,
so I find it particularly sweet
that the autism awareness buttons and ribbons
are often Puzzle themed.
His yearly meeting is next week,
and I am confident that a few more pieces
are going to fall into place!

Knitting the Hood

Today I started the hood on the Adult Tomten:

TWICE.
I set up the row counter for the increases and happily
knit along for two or three inches,
chitchatting with my lovely friends in the Wednesday
afternoon Knitting group....
I held it up and thought
something didn't look quite right...
I had twisted on of the front pieces when joining it to the back...
doh!
Undid it all and started again....
sigh.

The small details

On a big bad day like today,
I tend to focus on the small details...

what could they be looking at?

A delivery from TEXAS!

squeeeeee....look at those freckles!

She was very tired from the trip, but looks adorable in her Knitswella dress, don't you think?

Gentle River was hoping her Country Cousin might be some help with the puppy.

Ginger could see that might take some time, and maybe a NAP, so she took over
(as usual...she's VERY bossy!)

So now you know....Danger Girl plays with DOLLS.

Boybird's Birthday!

He's all grown up:

spending his birthday money on gadgets at Best Buy....
posing with the GeekSquadmobile!
Wonder where he gets THAT from?
tee.hee.
I still have to drive him there,
so he needs me for something.
sigh.
I'm so incredibly proud to be his mama bird.
I was allowed to attend his party long enough to bring the
CAKE and some presents, but then he hugged me and said
*bye, see you Thursday, MWAH!*
Life is sweet.

Saturday skating synopsis

I'm going to try and keep a weekly record of this Big Adventure so that I can track my
PROGRESS.
First of all, the backstory....
My Mother was a marvellous Ice Skater. I can't think of another instance in which she
appeared Happy, really truly Happy in her own skin, as when she was skating or talking
about Skating. Some of the most beautiful pictures my Father ever took of her were
on the ice. So, when we were small, we had Ice Skating lessons at an outdoor rink in
the Bay Area. There was a wonderful Fireplace where we sat on the hearthstones and drank
hot chocolate and tried to warm up our fingers. I remember making my way around the rink,
practising my lessons...forward, turn, backward, turn. My Mother would be out in the CENTER
of the ice, doing lovely figures and spins.
Fast forward to the Birds childhoods....we went back to that same ice rink all those years later
and they learned to skate with me going backwards, holding their hands. Boybird got it right away
and loved to go FAST, sliding to a stop and then quickly scooping up the shaved ice to EAT it.
Daughter bird inched around the edges, not wanting to fall and NOT liking the touch of either the
rail or the ice. She had her 13th birthday party at the rink where I now SKATE.
Due to some strong, positively wonderful ENABLING by Sara, I decided to set my goal: Competing on the Adult level.
GOAL: set
Step ONE: Get fitted for custom boots
This was really funny. I've always had hard to fit feet, and have been miserable in any kind of ski/skate/riding boot off the rack. MISERABLE. When I went to have my boot fitting, the two impressions in the foam were so different and so *outside* the normal range of feet that the fitter did it three times and then finally said," GOSH, I've never seen feet so different." I ended up choosing Klingbeil boots, and am thrilled with the results.
Step TWO: Choose blades
Again, I had to have a couple of sessions with the Blade guy to get them just right,
but I'm glad I went with the upgraded Freestyle blades.
Step THREE: Ice
I joined the Sportsplex for a year, which gives me unlimited skating time during public sessions. There is a pool and a weight room, lots of cardio equipment, so I have no excuse not to exercise.
Step Three: Coaching
I have had a couple of lessons with a coach who I think will be great for the basics.
Step FOUR: Strength and Conditioning
I'm working with a great coach here, too. I've got a strength program and a cardio/stretching workout SPECIFIC to Ice Skating.
Step FIVE: SKATE
I've been on the ice for a couple of public sessions and I am feeling like a toddler. Lots of falling down (mostly when I try to go too fast too soon) but it is WONDERFUL to be out there!
Rinse and Repeat.

Now, I have to admit that I took a really nasty fall the second week and hit my head so hard that I saw STARS. I now wear a brain bucket (AKA helmet) and have a great deal more respect for the surface on which I am gliding. I had a really bad headache for a week, even though I got checked right away at the rink for dilated pupils, etc....and felt sick to my stomach for a couple of weeks after THAT. I went to the doctor, everything checked out FINE. Still sick and dizzy, during a dental visit that I THOUGHT was unrelated, it was discovered I had two cracks in my jaw....resulting in a crown failing completely on one side and a tooth breaking off on the other. This skating stuff is not for wimps! Oral surgery is scheduled for the 20th of September. In the meantime I am focusing on my strength and balance issues in the gym.
Stay tuned for a weekly update!

Friday Fiber Fun

Here's my Tomten so far:

Mods include Waist Shaping:

I'm using the incredibly LOVELY Shetland Soft
from my stash, color AMETHYST:

Originally I purchased enough for a cardigan, but ordered extra for HOODAGE
online from the wonderful Two Swans yarn proprietress.
Have yourself a Lovely Weekend,
won't you?

Boybird's Mall

Just got back from taking Boybird to the Mall for his monthly adventure
and I'm still giggling.
The Child Who Would NEVER Eat Vegetables
dragged me over to the Famous Wok
in the Food Court and ordered
Chicken and vegetables for him and
Sesame Chicken for Mom.
Two waters, no soda.
He proceeded to eat all of the ONIONS
off of MY plate in addition to the veggies on his.
Will WONDERS never cease.
tee.hee.
In KNITTING news,
I have been so inspired by Brooklyn Tweed and Hello Yarn,
that I am knitting my very own Adult Tomten, to wear to the rink.
Loving the garter stitch and remembering
fondly all of the tomtens I knit for the birds and their
buddies years ago.