Summertime, and the knitting is easy.

So, Friends, I've been away for an age, it seems, and even though I never wanted to be one of those bloggers who starts a post by apologizing for my absence, I guess I just became one: I'm sorry I've been gone so long. My work has been pretty hectic for the last month and a half, so that by the time I get home at the end of the day, I can barely decide what to have for dinner, much less write a coherent blog post. I hope it's at least some consolation that I have been thinking about posting often since I was last here, and really wishing I were posting more.

Anyway, since the last time I posted, I finished my Lanata cardigan, which I love! The sweater ended up draping beautifully and it fits just right. I was able to re-use the buttons from the Peasy cardigan, with a few left over for some project in the future. I really love the Rowan Revive yarn, that I've now used for 3 or 4 projects by now. The next time I'm in Indianapolis, I'll have to take a look at the current colors and see what's out there. I'd really love to have another Vesper (one that fits, since I've lost all this weight) and maybe something sleeveless, too. As for Lanata, I love the way the lacy bits ripple up and down and I love the 3/4-length sleeves. The only thing I think I would change, if I ever do it again, is that I would probably change the shoulders/sleeves from the raglan style, which never really looks as nice on me as I'd like, to a more traditional shaped shoulder and set-in sleeves. I prefer raglan sleeves on smaller frames than my own - on me, they tend to be too wide and end up wanting to slide off my shoulders. I might even try to add the lacy bits on the sleeves as well - they feel a little heavy compared to the lightness of the body of the sweater.

I've also made progress on my most recent Alhambra scarf that I'm knitting up from the rest of the Jade Sapphire cashmere that Cindy gave me to finish Portico. I've been doing a little here and a little there, and bit by bit it's nearly finished. I probably have enough yarn to do two or three more pattern repeats, after which time I'm going to have to figure out some new commuter knitting. I just can't say enough about how lovely and soft this scarf is coming out - it's cashmere, after all, and even though it's been hotter than Hades here lately, this project has been a pleasure to knit. I'm going to kind of miss it when it's finished.

So that's all I've got for today. I have another triathlon this weekend, for which I've trained minimally, but for which I have a little more motivation to do well. My sister-in-law has recently started chemotherapy to fight non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, so I'll be wearing the t-shirt her husband had made up to race in her honor (my husband will be wearing the shirt too). I've also painted my nails lime green (which is the lymphoma awareness color) as a reminder to myself not to give up. Susan and her family have many challenging days coming, but I know she's tough, and has the best support around. I haven't done any fundraising as part of this race, but if you'd like to help fund research to cure leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers, here's a link to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's donation site.

Until next time, Friends.

Race Report: Southern Indiana Triathlon

Last post, I think I mentioned that I've been spending a lot of my time training for a sprint triathlon. Mostly I've been trying to get better at running, an activity I've generally classified as Not Fun. I've also been riding my bike plenty, because I like it. I've always been comfortable in the pool, which is why I chose triathlon as a way to motivate myself to exercise more. See, I've tended not to make working out a priority, so unless I have a goal of some sort, I can't be bothered to show up at the gym. Or get up off the couch, for that matter.

Anyway, today was Race Day, and so I dragged myself and my long-suffering husband out of bed at Oh Dark Thirty so we could go to Jeffersonville (Indiana) for the Southern Indiana Triathlon. I was signed up for the sprint distance, which was a half-mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and then a 5K (3.1 miles) run. The transition area was scheduled to open up at 5:30am, and I wanted to arrive early, so I could get a good spot to rack my bike and set up my stuff. We got there a little later than planned, but still before sunrise.

Over the last week or so, I'd been checking the NOAA's website to try to find out what the water temperature would be for race day. When I first realized I should maybe figure this out, the posted readings showed that the water temperature was about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pretty freaking cold. Wetsuits are allowed in triathlon, so long as the water is 78 degrees or colder. I was pretty sure that the water wasn't going to gain ten degrees in 8 days, so I rented a wetsuit for race day. It arrived early in the week and I decided that it would be wise for me to try it on and try it out at the pool. It was the funniest thing I've done in a long time! First I lubed myself up with Body Glide and then spent the next 20 minutes or so tugging it up my legs, around my hips & gut before I could get my arms through the sleeves. A kind friend gave the zipper a good yank, and I was ready to head for the water. Once I got into the pool, I swam a few easy laps to get the feel of the suit and determined that I was ready for the half mile in the river.

If only that were so! This morning I couldn't make up my mind about whether to wear the wetsuit or not, as a race official had told me the water was, indeed, 78 degrees, and I wasn't sure I really needed it for such a short swim. About 30 minutes before the start, I decided that I did want to wear the suit, so my husband went back to the car to retrieve the suit that I'd had him stow less than an hour before. I'm so glad I did! My swim turned out to take about 27  23 minutes, which was longer than I'd planned. I think the current was a little faster than I was expecting, due to the rains over the last couple days. I had to work a little harder than I expected to overcome that, in addition to avoiding getting clobbered by the other swimmers in the open water. I had hoped to finish the swim in 20 minutes, but I guess I can be grateful that I finished it at all. I saw at least one of the men swim back to the shore just as my group was about to set off.

After I exited the water, there was a nasty hill to get from the riverbank to the transition area. I wish I'd paid attention to that when I was scoping out the course last week. I took that hill at a walk and then made my way to my bike to start that leg of the race. This part felt good! The course was nearly flat, and I actually passed a couple people while I was out there. I even remembered to put a Gu packet in my bento, so I had a little fuel for the second half of the race. I was so happy that I actually got to complete the ride - last year I had a catastrophic flat on this course and had to DNF.

For the run, my only goal was to complete the 5K without taking any walk breaks. I did pretty well for the first mile, but some soreness in the arch of my left foot made me take a short break. After that little break though, I was able to get back to my snail's pace of a run and complete the course. I never really think about how having encouraging people along the course can make the running easier, but I have to admit that it helped me at the end. Once the finish was in sight and I got a few atta girls from the spectators, I was able to find a little burst of speed (if you can call it that) to get to the chute. I don't remember my time - it was a little longer than I wanted it to be, but I wasn't last, which is really all I was shooting for. What's really cool, though, is that I actually placed in my age group! Mind you, there were only three of us in our age group, so we were all going to place, but I would be lying if I said I cared. I'm completely giddy that I got third place in my age group! I think I would have been heartbroken if there had been a fourth person. What's frustrating now that the race is finished is that I could see the second place finisher for the whole of my run. I'd actually passed her on the bike course, and she passed me halfway through the first mile of the run. I only lost track of her with about half a mile left. I think she only beat me by about 2 minutes over the whole race. I'll get her next time.

So that's the race! I'm probably going to sign up for another race soon - there's another one in Jeffersonville at the end of July that looks promising, mostly because it has an Athena division (for women 165 lbs. and up). I have been enjoying my run workouts lately, so maybe I can pull off a 5K personal best next time. Thanks for sticking with me, Friends.

Balance?

Since the last time I posted, I realized that I was just a few short weeks from my next sprint triathlon, and that I wasn't really prepared for it. So I've been making a point of getting my training in for my race, which has pretty much worn me out and made me worthless for anything else. The race is this Sunday, so once I get through that, I hope I'll have a little more energy for blogging. And knitting!

Anyway, I have been making slow, but steady, progress on my Lanata cardigan. I've been working on it during my commute to and from work, which has gotten me about 10 rows a day. It's not going fast, but it's going.

I started this project with the Rowan Revive that I reclaimed from my (now) ill-fitting Peasy cardigan. Since I've lost weight over the last 18 months, the sweaters I made before then don't fit me anymore, so into the frog pond they've gone! I was very pleased (and surprised) at how easily this sweater came undone - I think it only took three hours to take apart. It was most of the first two Harry Potter movies, if I remember correctly.

Once I got the sweater frogged, I wound the yarn into hanks, then tied them up so I could get them washed. After a decent soak, all the hanks got a couple days to dry, then I was ready to cast on! I got through the bottom ribbing pretty quickly, and learned the lace repeats easily too. I've just gotten to the point where I get to set the body of the cardigan aside to work on the sleeves, so I'll probably start those on tomorrow's commute. I like knitting my sleeves two-at-a-time (doesn't everyone?), which I find easier, because I know that both sleeves will have the same gauge and they'll (likely) come out with the same number of rounds and with their decreases in the same places.

So, that's all I've got for tonight. Until next time, Friends.

Inertia

It seems like the longer I'm gone from the blog, the harder it is to get back to it. Over the last few weeks I haven't been knitting all that much because I was training for my first triathlon in five years. The race was on April 15, and I put in a pretty respectable performance: I placed 7th out of 15 participants in my group. I would have like to have placed a little higher, but in the end I'm just happy I wasn't last. One thing I liked about this race was that it was a Personal Record for me at more than 8 minutes faster than I completed it last time. But the best thing was the nametag my 8 year-old niece made for me. It was all her own idea - she wanted to make sure the race people knew who I was.

In knitting news, I've been making slow, but sure, progress on the Cameo Mittens. This is my first real attempt at Fair Isle knitting and I think it's coming out alright. They don't look great right now, but I think they'll improve after they're washed and blocked. It's looking like a few of my floats are a little short, but I hope a good, long soak will improve them some. I only have a few more rounds to go before I start the decreases which will close them up. After that, I can do the thumbs and call them done. Even though I haven't been writing, I have taken a few photos, so I hope you'll enjoy them. Until next time, Friends.

It's been an age!

Since the last time I posted, I completed the yoga socks. Sadly, I have made no progress on the Chawton mittens. It seems that over the two weeks since I last posted, all my knitting has been done during my commute to work, so that's why the yoga socks got finished in such a short time. It also helped that the stitch pattern was easily memorizable. I think the only thing I would have changed about this project would have been having a longer circular needle for knitting up the legs. The pattern called for a size 3 needle, which I had, but I only had a 32" length, rather than my preferred 40". I was still able to knit it alright, I just didn't have as much slack on the cable as I like. Not the end of the world, though.

What I've been spending most of my time on lately is training for an upcoming sprint triathlon. It's been 5 years since the last time I did one, so I've been making a point of going to the gym. I've been getting there almost daily, which was kind of my point in signing up for this race. I've also managed to lose 17 pounds so far, which was another reason I decided to get back into triathlon. Needless to say, all this time at the gym has cut into my knitting time, but I'm hoping I knit a little more in the evenings. And now that Spring seems to have arrived, I'm looking forward to knitting outdoors on my front porch, or out back on the deck. It's so much nicer not being cooped up inside.

So that's all for now. Until next time, Friends!