I try to be mindful and present - thinking about the here and now.

Sometimes, though, it is fun to think about the what is to come. Especially when the future holds a vacation and a big personal challenge…

We bought a tent and some sleeping bags. Kris and I both grew up camping with our families, and we have been hoping to continue that tradition in our own family. We have been together for ten years been have only camped once. So, now we can camp a lot more, starting with our next vacation. Camping gear is so much easier and lighter than it was twenty years ago. Perhaps it is childhood memory fog, but I seem to remember the tent setup taking a good forty-five minutes. And it weighed a lot too. Well, new tents don’t take as long… the new tent was up in a flash, and it feels “roomy” too! (Yes, it is in the living room…) And the sleeping bags! so nice and comfy and light as a feather! Stuffed with down, instead of polyfill! (can you see my excitement?) So, yeah, we are ready to go… now we just have to wait for the day to arrive. That gives me some time to decide what knits to take along with me…

I mentioned it already, but it is now official. I signed up for the SheROX triathlon in August. I am excited and nervous at the same time. With 13 weeks before the event, I have really picked up the training. I detailed my training plans over on the Journey page in a little segment I am calling “Tri’ing Times”. I will try to update it once a week with results and milestones. I have also found some inspiration and tips from two great sources. Ravelry has some great fitness-oriented groups: Fitness Knitters, Yarn and Sneakers, and Tri Knitters. The groups are perfect for the beginners and the more experienced. BeginnerTriathlete has a large free section where users can enter their training log data and goals, as well as an active forum and Q&A section. The site has already helped me learn the answers to some of my novice questions. I still have a lot to learn (and a lot to practice), but if motivation means anything, I am there! So much so that E and I are planning to practice the swim this coming weekend!

Spurred by this training, and the effects that [I think] it will have on my body, I am joining the 365 Project on Flickr. The basic requirement is that you take a self-portrait every day for one year. Kris says it is narcissism, but I tend to think of it is a motivational tool and a way to really express creativity. This is Day Three, and I haven’t taken today’s photo yet… but I will. If you are interested, you can keep up with my 365 photos here (only two so far). I hope I can keep it up. There are several crafty 365-ers too, even starting their own group, Knitterly365Days.

The shoes at the top of the post were an added bonus: I wanted comfy walking shoes for the summer. After I tried on about 10 pairs, I decided on these cuties - Ahnu Benicia. The left photo was my official “first” photo for the 365 Project - jump!

My mind is still playing catch up from the busy weekend. Then, I jumped right back into the work week with an exciting seminar on metadata and cataloging (holla!) and a fun night with these girls. Yep, my sissies are in town. We decided to take mom out for an early Mother’s Day. We had a night planned of pottery painting and delicious food. Unfortunately, the pottery place shut down, so we had a lovely extended dinner, a walk around the lake, and then a little frozen yogurt. Very fun. Sisters rocking the “finger guns”.

Kris and I are preparing for the upcoming Nova Scotia trip, and we took advantage of the big anniversary sale at one of the outfitting companies. We got some sleeping bags and a tent. (the boots at right were part of the Peru purchases, but they are going to NS too!) We have plans to camp in Cape Breton, and I can hardly wait. I just hope the weather cooperates. The tent has a rain cover… but I remember some childhood camping trips where the rain cover didn’t seem to matter. Whatever happens, it will be great. I have been chatting with Ingrid, and we have some amazing plans for our visit to the southern part of the province… I have heard that the people of Nova Scotia are amazingly hospitable and friendly, and my encounters thus far prove that point. Nature, hiking, camping, photography, food and friends: this is going to be a great and memorable trip. I realize NS is seafood central, but I am hoping to find some good veggie options. Some veggies should be in season, but I could live on trail mix too Also, we are looking for some fun pubs along the way so that we don’t have to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs as we move around the province… any tips from my friendly neighbors-to-the-north? I hear that there is some good homegrown yarns there too… (I can’t believe I am even thinking about that with yarn glutton I was over the weekend…)

Over the past four days, I have managed to knit about 10 rows on the Laila sock. That’s it. However, it seems like a lot because the pattern is coming out so well in the beautiful green and mustard colors. I feel that I have to turn the heel before I take another photo, so the rate I am going now, that means next week.

I can hardly believe that I let my friend E talk me into this… a triathlon in August? (ugh - heat and humidity!) It is not a “done deal” yet, but I do think it would be a good thing to try. At least, in theory. I think I love the thought of it - and the thought of Kris holding a sign for me at the finish line “GO LOLLY!” is enough to make me do it - but the real test is if I can 1) get over my neurotic phobia of open non-circulating water (eww, germs in lakes) 2) wear a swimsuit in front of a lot of people who are smaller than me 3) run a distance of any length. I am A-OK with the biking, I could do that now! (I say it so confidently, don’t I? hmm, pride before the fall) If I go through with it, I could finally have some new fodder for the Journey page!

Carol of Knitted Kitty recently asked me to answer one of the “Five Things” memes that make their way around the blogs. I always enjoy reading the answers, but I so rarely think about actually posting any information on my blog. Thinking of five things is pretty challenging, actually. However, I gave it a try.

• In recent months/years, I have taken up a very romantic notion of moving to the countryside and keeping bees. My grandfather kept bees, and now my uncle keeps several hives on his property near the national forest in Alabama. I have read quite a bit on the subject and could probably even keep a small hive on our suburban land (i.e. postage stamp), but I do fear that some of the neighborhood children would disturb the hives and I would have angry bees and angry parents to ameliorate. One day, I will be a beekeeper…
• Friday afternoons are amazing for a whole host of reasons. Of course, there is the whole TGIF/weekend thing… however, my favorite thing about Friday afternoons really has nothing to do with the upcoming free days. I am a huge fan on the radio program, Science Friday, that comes on my local public radio station at 2:00pm and runs until 4:00. I catch the first hour on their website, where all of their shows are archived for free, and usually listen to the second hour live on the car ride home. About 80% of my reading list is based on reviews and author interviews that I have heard on the show… so yeah, I love it. Some of my stand out favorites from recent months: Michael Pollan on In Defense of Food, Diane Ackerman on The Zookeeper’s Wife, Alan Weisman on The World Without Us, Amir Aczel on The Jesuit and the Skull. I read Pollan’s and Weisman’s books the minute I got my hands on them, and the others are waiting by the bedside. Kris and I listen faithfully every Friday - he likes is just as much as I do!

• Indian food is probably my favorite cuisine. I did not grow up eating Indian food, but when I moved to the DC area at age 17, I was exposed to a large number of “ethnic” restaurants that had not existed in the small town that I grew up in. The piquant flavors and spicy herbs are my favorite characteristics of Indian food; plus it is easy to find vegetarian entrees on the menu! Luckily, there are three great Indian restaurants within five miles of my house. We make Indian quite a bit at home too, utilizing our fresh veggies and herbs from the garden and market. We even had a stroke of luck and made a pretty good version of chapati.
• Last year, we headed south - this year we are heading north. We will be visiting Nova Scotia in late May and early June. I have not been to Canada before, so I am very excited about this trip. We are planning to tour the whole province, including Cape Breton Island. Hiking, biking, and lots of photography are planned, and maybe even some camping. We will be spending some time with Ingrid and her family (I am so excited to meet her!) She tells me that May is still chilly enough for a sweater, so I am thinking that my Phyllo Pullover will be a great garment to bring along… once I finish it!

• In grade 7, I began playing the French horn in the middle school band. I actually started out playing the flute (my mother had one from her year’s as a flutist in school band) but my band director told me that my “lips were better suited for a brass instrument” (whatever that means!). So, I made the switch and moved to a very different section of the band. I caught on pretty well, and stuck with it for a few years, even getting “first chair French horn” for a short stint. When I moved to high school in grade 9, I was part of the marching band, where I switched between the trumpet, and the “marching horn” aka the mellophone, and also was part of the concert orchestra with the French horn. The competitions and the marching were a lot of fun, but as the school work and other extracurricular activities ramped up, I decided to quit playing in the band. I  played the horn for a little longer, but eventually returned my rental. Now, twelve years have passed and I have not touched the French horn. I did rent a trumpet from a music shop about five years ago to see if I still had it in me… and I learned that I didn’t. So, my music career is now relegated to extensive sing-alongs in the car.

Photos in post from the weekend walk at Centennial Lake. Small signs of spring…

Since the time change this past weekend, I have made a conscious effort to spend as much time outdoors as possible.  Fortunately, the weather has cooperated.  Kris and I get home from work, gather the dogs and the leashes, and head to the park for a nice pre-dinner walk. 

Jen and Bella

On Tuesday evening, I had an unexpected conversation. We were on the dock, near the edge of the lake. A young boy, probably about seven years old, rode up on his scooter.

“Can I pet your dog?”  he asked politely.

“Sure, she would love it.”

“What is her name?”

“This is Jen, and that is Bella over there.”  I pointed towards Kris who was wrangling Bella away from the geese in the lake. 

“My dog died the other day.  She had cancer.”  He said it so matter-of-fact, with the slightest edge of emotion.  He looked up at me.

“Oh, I am so sorry to hear that,” I said.   He looked away, like he was about to cry. 

“Petting your dog makes me happy.  She is nice.”  He scratched behind Jen’s ear.

“She is a sweet girl.”

“Thank you.  Have a nice day.  You too, Jen.”  He gave a quick smile and got back on the scooter. 

He left just as quickly as he had come.  However, the simplicity and the substance of the conversation stuck with me. The ten to fifteen seconds were enough to make me realize how precious life and companionship are. They were also enough to put a smile on a little boy’s face.

I gave Jen a little squeeze as we ran to catch up with Kris and Bella.

After I took up weaving, I began to see some of the items in my yarn stash in a new light. Things that I bought for specific knitterly purposes seemed somehow better suited for weaving. While I haven’t been too hasty and warped and cut my yarns up yet, I know that I will have many decisions to make in coming days… cast on or warp up?

Brooke at The Daily Purl has made some fabulous stoles and scarves with Habu warp and weft yarns, so those are definitely tempting me. But, then so are Olga and Vanessa’s Habu knit creations…

With the help and advice of some weaving friends I met through Ravelry and Flickr, I decided to add a few specific weaving yarns to my stash - just to avoid some of the tension problems I have experienced of late. I am hoping to warp up this linen soon and began work on the denim rag rug!

There is no doubt about the strength of this yarn: 100% linen! It should make a great rug warp, and I liked the natural undyed color to go with the simple indigo of the jean rags. I picked this up from WEBS, along with a few other weaving yarn goodies.

Valley Yarns CotLin 8/2 cones

I really liked the springy combination of these colorways, and the three of them came with a dishtowel drafting pattern for the loom. If I can find the patience and wherewithal, I will attempt the plaid dishcloth! With 3000 yards each, I can afford to experiment a little and play around on the loom.

And as I learn more about my loom and its capabilities, I am also looking at my sock yarn stash in a new way. After seeing some fun store samples woven up at The Mannings, I think it would be a blast to experiment with the colors of sock yarns. After a winter sock “drought” - my last pair being the Autumnal Equinox socks for Socktoberfest - I finally cast on for a pair of socks yesterday after feeling the urge to see how this yarn would knit up. Definitely wanted to knit with this one - there was no thought of using it for weaving.

The feminine companion to the other GGH socks I made for Kris… another thanks to Debi for sending these (now discontinued) yarns in a trade almost two years ago!

After seeing a parade of beautiful socks by Chawne, I felt the time was right to finally cast on for some socks. I was waiting to finish my sister’s sweater, but I thought: why delay happiness? These socks are making me pretty happy! I started them on the train while I was traveling downtown to see Amber, who was in DC for work. We had a yummy Ethiopian dinner. And while we did not knit or take photos of our outing, we had a great time

So, as I look over my stash, I am thinking about all of the possibilities and all of the fabrics - both knit and woven - that can be created. It excites me. It’s like a newfound spirit of adventure: seeing my stash with both weaver and knitter eyes!