Run baby Run

No knitting last night - just a lot of running.

DH and I completed a 5k in Marblehead.

It's the race that almost wasn't. The new clerk at the Burger King didn't know she was supposed to get the small coffe I ordered (for DH) and so we were delayed 5, 10 minutes. Which shouldn't have mattered, but we hit traffic (mad traffic, according to DD15). We arrived in Marblehead at 6:18 for a race that started at 6:25. We had to park a 10 minute walk away. Being as capable as anyone of the math, it was clear that we would have to run to the startline! Uphill.

DH ran ahead to get us registered. I realized I had to go to the bathroom - as in I am not going to be able to start let alone finish the race. I was relieved (get it) to see a line of port-o-potties. I formally apologize to all of those in the very long line that I did not see as I dashed into one of said port o-potties when someone popped out. (These were the runners getting ready for the 10K, which started after the 5K).

We heard the gun go off just as a kind woman was instructing us on how to use the new fangled electronic tracking system that attaches to your shoe. We dashed off crossing the start line well past all the other runners.

Thankfully, there were a lot of walkers so I didn't end up at the end of the race for the entire time. I managed to even catch a few (slow) runners.

About half way through, I was ready to join the walkers, but I managed to talk myself into continuing. If I can finish the Secrets of the Stole, I told myself, certainly I can finish this race!

I wasn't even demoralized when the 10K runners came rushing past me at about mile 2, bless their speedy hearts.

In the end, I would call it a success. Of course, my only goal this time was to actually finish the race. Maybe next year I'll try to finish in the top two-thirds!

Yet another obscure knitting reference

I was taking a short knitting break amid a busy Sunday afternoon and catching the tail end of The Wedding Singer (Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore). In nearly the last scene, Sandler is telling the passengers in first class how he is heading to Las Vegas to stop the girl he loves from marrying a jerk. I looked up from my knitting to see one of the passengers knitting!

I think the funny thing is that I've seen that movie probably a dozen times and never caught that detail!

It's a cute movie if you need a quick 80s fix.

Another beach knit

After finishing my niece's hat, I had left overs of a scrumptious cotton yarn, momentum and motivation. A woman who was renting the cottage across the street from us was expecting her first baby in August and she was a knitter. I figured a knitter could appreciate being given a baby hat by someone who was practically a stranger since we had just met that week. By this time it was just two days before she was leaving. Being a journalist, I thrive on deadlines!

This is my go-to baby hat for girls based on a hat someone knit for me when I had my first baby. Basically, you cast on twice as many stitches as you need for the hat, knit one round and then knit two together all the way around. I add a row of eyelets about a half an inch from the bottom for a ribbon or cord. I usually crochet a cord rather than make an eye cord. It's thinner and much, much faster.

For this hat, I started in white, moved to the verigated and then switched back to the white at the very top.

I finished it in one day only by walking and knitting it the whole time. This, not surprisingly, opened me up to much ridicule from my family, but that's okay - it keeps them busy.

I'm adding a few pics just to show that the sun really does exist! We made this lovely lady for the sand castle "contest" - our team name was "Mer Fun" (get it?...more fun...okay, it's corny, we had just 30 seconds to come up with it!)

The little one is running to "win" a Water Olympics race. She doesn't quite understand the concept that everyone wins. The prize is always the same for everyone - two pieces of candy from a bucket.

There was some rain, but both of the big storms were followed by incredible full rainbows. It seems someone already found the pot of gold!

Vacation (not) Knitting

I always have such high hopes to get so much knitting done on vacation but then I find I'm so busy it doesn't happen. Two weeks and just a few rows to show for it.

Except for this hat. It was cold and my little niece's hat was too big. So auntie had to run right out and buy some yarn to fix the problem. It fit exactly when I was done with it, which means she's probably already out grown it! Still, it was fun to make. I improvised on the brim - I cast on 140 stitches and then decreased 7 stitches every row until I had 70 stitches for the hat. The brim is verigated and the hat part is white. I think it's sort of cute - sort of starfishy on the brim. I'm planning to keep my eyes open for other options. I'm absolutely sure the baby is cute. She's actually not as chubby as she looks in this pic.

As much as anything, it was fun to impress my friends and relatives with how quickly it came together. At the beginning of the day, I had a ball of string. At the end of the day, I had a hat. This, of course, gave them plenty of fodder for teasing me. I even got a request for a parka! It was actually cold enough one night to wear one on the beach. Fortunately, we had very little rain at least.

We have a winner

I'm totally lame since I posted a contest and then didn't post a follow up - until now. We were getting ready for vacation but in the midst, we did pick a winner. I was planning on posting these great pics of picking the winner, but didn't.

Still the winner is:



Congratulations Lisa L.!

I have your prize with me and will send from Connecticut.

I will also post pics soon of the baby hat I am working on while on vacation. It wasn't on my to do list, but her sun hat was too big. What else can a knitter do but knit a new one?

Hope everyone is having a great and sunny summer.
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