Jupiter, Fifth Planet from the Sun

Ever find that your knitting needles are useful for purposes other than knitting? This 5mm needle was just the tool for turning and holding Jupiter during painting for a third grade project.

It's twin, however, has long since been lost to a niece with a broken arm who used it as a scratching tool. No, I don't advise this (even though it worked great) and no, I don't want it back!

Coming Apart at the Seams

These were my first and favourite running shoes. I learned to run in these shoes. I ran my first 5K in these shoes. I have tried to replace them once but the new shoes gave me pain in the arches of my feet. So I went back to my #1's...but now...I may have to finally say goodbye...

...well, maybe not just yet. They have a few more kilometers left in them before the snow flies. In the meantime I will need to head out to the Running Room with my 20% off coupon.

October Rain

Today is an about-face from the 26 degree Celsius sunshine we enjoyed yesterday! Although everything looks fresh, clean, and green outside right now, the temperature is beginning to drop and the rain continues. A perfect day for .... cleaning (yes, I can't avoid it today).

Also, great weather for baking .... I'll get those old bananas off the counter.

And of course, perfect weather for a bit of knitting. I began the Cobblestone pullover last week and am making slow progress. My guage looks good but I am a bit afraid that I might not have enough wool. So far I have already used 2 balls and it calls for 13. I will keep my fingers crossed and re-measure after another two balls or so. Here is a photo of some of the "cobbling" in progress. The wool is a bit darker than it appears here and has flecks of beige and darker gray in it as well. This shows where the garter stitch continues along the sides.

10's and 1's

Blogging - day two:



Well, I have learned a thing or two about blogging, search engines crawling, being patient, etc. Although I can see my blog, it appears no one else can...yet.



In the meantime I will continue to update. Today's post is about the "run away" aspect of this blog. I have two sisters who run (5K's, 10K's, half-marathons, even one full marathon). About a year ago they began giving me "gifts" like running shoes, water bottles, and gift certificates to the Running Room. I took the hint and two weeks ago I finished my first 5K at the Run for the Cure!
Following the Running Room's Learn to Run program I gradually built up my running time until I was running 10 minutes and walking 1 minute, then running 10 minutes, walking 1 minute, etc. Here I am crossing the finish line after 38 minutes (3-1/2 sets of 10 minutes running with 3 one minute walking breaks):



Today I stuck to a nice, gentle run of 20 minutes (2 sets of 10's and 1's). If I can only figure out a way to knit and run at the same time...

The Birth of a Blog

What better way to start my first knitting blog than with a FO (finished object) or two?! First, still hot off the needles is the "Alligator Scarf" from Morehouse Farms. I am very happy with the way he turned out and will definitely make a few more.

Also recently finished and sent off to a lovely new baby is the Pea Pod cardigan which is a free pattern from Interweave Knits. For this I used Sirdar Snuggly DK which is a bit fuzzy but very soft.

Next up - Jared Flood's Cobblestone Pullover in the latest edition of Interweave Knits. There is a really nice one posted here. I was having difficulty finding a wool to use but settled on Natura by Marks & Kattens in a dark, smokey gray. I found this at a wonderful shop I stumbled upon called "Ferguson's Wool" up in Myrtle. This store is a small house filled with beautiful yarns from floor to ceiling, two stories! It's worth the drive to Myrtle...