A Little Knitting

Most of my time lately is spent either at work or at a volleyball game. Any time at home is spent cooking, cleaning dishes, or helping with homework. It's been exhausting. Oh, and there was that half marathon thingy last week. Consequently, I haven't had much time for knitting.

Parker beat me out of the gate. He was born last Saturday. I haven't gotten to see him yet since he and his parents live about 3 1/2 hours away, but I hope to visit them soon. Here's his blanket:

Last night I started the last set of decreases for the green. I should finish that today and the last yellow section while watching college football. Tomorrow I'll get moving on sewing it up. Then comes the border. I'm going to do the rolled I-cord border suggested by Meg Swansen. It will be in the blue to frame the blanket.

Friday night I was not in the mood to knit garter stitch, so I tried my hand at a washcloth. Here's what I made while watching Oregon State tear apart USC.

I think the colors are pretty close in both photos. This was a nice little diversion project. I satisfied my desire to do something different, but didn't take too much time. My slight ADD nature likes this very much.

About Me

1. First Name: Kathy
2. Were you named after anyone? Yes. My middle name, Louise, was taken from one of my maternal great-grandmothers, Louise Wessell.
3. When did you last cry? Can’t remember, but probably while watching a movie. I was close to tears last Sunday during the last 2 miles of the half-marathon I walked because my left hip/thigh was hurting so bad.
4. Do you like your handwriting? For the most part.
5. What is your favorite lunchmeat? Honey ham.

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? I believe so. I tend to be quiet when in a crowd, so if I were someone else, I probably wouldn’t notice me though.

7. Do you have a journal? No. I’ve tried several times but can’t develop the habit. Blogging isn’t very regular either.
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes. I never had strep throat in my life until I was 40 years old. I never realized how awful that illness made you feel.
9. Would you bungee jump? Absolutely not!!! When bungee jumping became popular, I threatened my husband that if he were to try it and survive, I’d present him with divorce papers when he got down. He’s never tried it either. He’s just found other ways to worry me to death.
10. What is your favorite cereal? I go back and forth between Cheerios (current) and Life. Life was my favorite growing up. I hadn’t had it in years. Then a couple years ago while visiting my parents I found a box of it in Mom’s cabinet. The love was renewed.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No. I mentally scold myself every time I stand there untying them just to retie them. Another one of those little habits I’ve failed to develop.
12. Do you think you are strong? Mentally and emotionally, but not physically.
13. What is your favorite ice-cream flavor? Vanilla has always been my favorite. Boring, I know, but it fits with that ‘not standing out in a crowd’ thing I’ve got going.
14. Shoe size? Usually a 7 these days. I used to wear a size 6.5 until pregnant with my 3rd child.
15. Red or pink? Both, actually. I probably have an equal amount of both in my wardrobe. And quite a bit of variation in between. Oh, and of course, I have scarlet. Go Buckeyes!!!!

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? I lack the discipline to stay on track with diets and exercise. My excuse is that my life is too chaotic. My kids are growing up too quickly which will force me to either get some discipline or find another excuse.
17. Who do you miss most? Although we haven’t technically lost him yet, I miss the way my dad used to be. 8 ½ years ago Dad had the first of many small strokes. Since then he has aged dramatically and lost his independence. He’s gone through bouts of depression and anxiety as a result and is now showing signs of dementia. I really, really miss the way my daddy used to be. (OK, I’m crying now. Amend question #3)
18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? Not necessary.
19. What color pants, shirt and shoes are you wearing? Black capris, a blue, black, and grey print blouse, and black slides.
20. Last thing you ate? A bagel with strawberry cream cheese.
21. What are you listening to right now? The air blowing through the heat ducts.
22. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Salmon. One of my favorite colors. Picked it for the bridesmaid dresses for my wedding.
23. Favorite smell? Baby smells. Let me qualify that, fresh baby smells. I have a new great-nephew that I haven’t met yet. I can’t wait to see him!!
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? The manager of the fitness center I belong to. I’m treating myself to a massage today for having done the ½ marathon on Sunday. He was helping me get it scheduled.
25. The first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? Their eyes. I judge people’s honesty and arrogance by their eyes.
26. Do you like who you stole this off? I got this from Nice Knits. Don’t know her personally, but I enjoy reading her blog. Bean seems like a sweet little girl.
27. Favorite drink? Non-alcoholic favorite is tea, hot or cold. Alcoholic favorites are white zinfandel wine (not fancy, I know, but it’s what I like) and margaritas on the rocks, not frozen.
28. Favorite sport? Volleyball and football. Both girls play and I find their games very exciting.
29. Eye color? Green, with a small band of gold around the iris.
30. Hat size? Have no clue. Probably average.
31. Do you wear contacts? Nope. Just began wearing reading glasses a few years ago. That darn, age related eye degeneration thing going.

32. Favorite food? Oh, where do I begin? My favorite cuisine is Italian, followed closely by Mexican. I’m losing my taste for Chinese. I go through phases where I like German. Greek is OK. I like Indian, but I can’t get anyone in my family to eat it because the spices are too strong.
33. Scary movies or happy endings? Definitely happy endings.
34. If you could live anywhere in the world where would that be? On a tropical island next to a beach overlooking a beautiful cove, as long as I didn’t have to deal with hurricanes. Ideally, if a hurricane was approaching, I’d make off to my second favorite locale, a log home in the mountains somewhere.
35. Summer or winter? If you are forcing me to pick from only these too, I’d have to say winter. Summer is too darn hot for me. Autumn is actually my favorite season of them all. (OK, now some of you might be wondering why did I pick a tropical island to live on. I’m counting on the tropical breezes, and maybe the cabana boys fanning me, to keep me cool.)
36. Hugs or kisses? Hugs for everyone. Kisses for my family.
37. Favorite dessert? I like them all, which is part of my problem.
40. What books are you currently reading? Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Lean Software Development by Mary and Tom Poppendieck.
41. What's on your mouse pad? The mouse. If you mean, what design is on it, then the answer is nothing. It’s just a plain green mouse pad.
42. What did you watch on TV last night? Feasting on Waves and Dancing With the Stars. Thank goodness for DVR. I love Alton Brown and also Maksim.
43. Favorite sounds? Crickets and tree frogs chirping on a quiet night when its cool enough to have the windows open.
44. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Rolling Stones. Although I like some of their songs, I’ve just never gotten too excited over the Beatles.
45. The furthest you have been from home? San Francisco for a conference a couple years ago.
46. What's your special talent? I think I have several, not to sound too braggadocios. I like to help and volunteer. I’ve had to learn to say ‘No’ lately because I’ve gotten myself over-committed, which was stressing me out. I’m a good cook and I can sew and knit. At work, I’m a good project manager and business analyst.
47. Where were you born? Cincinnati.

BTW, I don't know what happened to 38-39 of this meme. They were missing from the blog I lifted this from.

I DID IT!!!!!

Today was the New Albany Walking Classic. It was difficult but I completed the 1/2 marathon in about 3:47. That was around a 17.3 minute per mile pace. The first 7 miles were a breeze, averaging about 15.5 minutes per mile. Around mile 9 the sides of my upper thighs/hips started hurting. The last 4 miles were very hard for me. I had to modify my stride a lot to ease the pain. Obviously my pace slowed a bit, but I got done. My goal was to do it around 17 minutes per mile, so I wasn't too far off my target.

Ed walked with me. He breezed through it with the exception of getting the back of his one heal rubbed raw. That is a carry over from his Ironman 3 weeks ago.

Doing a little analysis, I know two things that contributed to my slower pace on the second half. First, I really didn't train properly. I didn't put in the long miles recommened by standard training schedules. My excuse is that life got in the way too much. The second factor was our pace on the first half. It was much faster than I normally walk. I think I pushed too hard for that and stressed my muscles in an unfamiliar way. Next year if I do it, I'll follow the trainig schedule closer and I'll have Ed go on a few training walks with me. His normal stride is fast, which should help me along.

Now, I'm going to get the newspaper, put my feet up, rub them down with lotion and relax the rest of the day.

It's All Ike's Fault

Living in the midwest, I never thought I'd have to deal with a hurricane or tropical storm. That was before Ike, anyway. Ike came flying through the Indiana-Ohio region with 75 mph wind gusts. Our power went out around 3:00 pm Sunday afternoon and remained off for about 45 hours, until 11:00 am today. We didn't lose any trees, but our neighbors did. We did, however, lose a lot of shingles. Ed is trying to get ahold of roofing companies for estimates and the insurance company for a review of our policy. Let's hope it's covered!!!!!! I'm going to spend the next few hours disposing of the contents of the refrigerator and freezer. We tried to keep things cool, but the power was out for too long. I tried knitting in the evenings, but the dim candlelight was hindering my progress. Parker's blanket is still in the works. And from the lack of news from my niece, I'm guessing the little guy is still in the works too.