Tuesday Photos: Socks, Walks, More Socks

This week has been all about getting myself out of the house & being more active. Oh, and all about the socks as well. As I mentioned last time, I made myself a week to-do list (#listnerd) as a way to keep myself motivated throughout the week. I managed to accomplish all but one of the items on my list. Woohoo!

(49): First of many walks//(50): Finished my V-Day socks//(51):Frustrating run//(52): My favorites to date

(53): A little treat with Matt//(54): Farmer's Market Sunday//(55): The most Ashley skein of yarn//(56): "March" socks

Even though I'm not exactly new to Seal Beach anymore, it's exciting to explore around town and discover new things. As my leg is still giving me issues, I decided that each mile counts, whether I walk it or run it, so I set out with a weekly goal of 20 miles total. I soared past that goal and hit almost 25! I like to mix up my walks every now and then so I get to see more of my town and I've made it a small goal to visit more of the little shops and businesses on the main street of the downtown area.

We've been trying SO hard to reign in our daily expenses, meaning we haven't been going out as much as usual. We had a bit of a weekend splurge when we stopped by Beachwood BBQ, our favorite place in Seal Beach, for a few beers. We couldn't help it when we saw they had Pliny on the menu. We purchased some raffle tickets for a shot at winning a pint of the famed Pliny the Younger, and while we didn't win, all proceeds went toward cancer research. One more reason to love Beachwood.

We also stopped by the Farmer's Market and ended up coming home with a bunch of weird things: heirloom carrots, blue potatoes, golden beets, cabernet cheddar. I felt like I was in a fairy tale as I scooped each thing up and plopped it in my bag. I can add that to the (short) list of things I like about Southern California; there are so many different and fun things that grow here. I've made a little list of new recipes to try for this week and look forward to sharing my favorites.

The sock love continues! I already blogged a bit about my Valentines Day socks last week, but I also managed to finish my Monkey socks. Wooohoooo! Of course I couldn't resist casting on for another pair. Might as well keep on chugging while I still love knitting them, right? I also fell off the wagon a bit and ordered two precious skeins of sock yarn this past weekend. The skein seen above (55) is Shepherd's Sock by Lorna's Laces and it is SERIOUSLY one of the most Ashley appropriate skein of yarn. EVER. I love Lorna's because they are Chicago-based and they make it known. Most of their skeins are named after neighborhoods or landmarks in Chicago. Imagine my delight when their newest colors were named after the suburbs and there was one for my hometown! Not only that but it happens to be the perfect autumnal skein. I can't even handle how pretty it is.

I can't wait to share the other skein when it arrives on Thursday. A winter storm is *finally* hitting Southern California and it's scheduled to rain for 4-5 days straight. I am so excited to bundle up with my sock knitting and try to catch up on as many Oscar nominated movies as I can.

Happy knitting!

FO Friday: V-Day Socks & Cross Stitch

Valentines socks to add to the pile!

I cast on for these socks the same time I cast on for my ridiculous Monkey socks. I tried sooooo hard to finish both for today, but I have 3 repeats to go on those Monkeys. With two pairs of socks finished in January and two pairs in February, I am well on my way to victory in my 14socksin2014 goal. Woohoo! 

Like the other socks I've finished this year, I dyed this yarn while I was home a few months back. This skein is pretty special because I dyed it in a different way than most of my other skeins. I love handpainting my skeins, but it's pretty time and space consuming. My kitchen back home is a decent size, but it's pretty cluttered, so surface space is always at a premium. I wanted to try my hand at immersion dyeing with different colors, so I gave this one 2-3 different color dips in Valentines appropriate colors. 

I'm really pleased with the results but there is definitely a learning curve to hand-dyeing in this way. The results can be very temperamental! I used pretty low water quantities when dyeing and made sure I exhausted each color before removing the yarn (carefully) from the dyepot/adding more dye. I had hoped to create a speckled look with the blue dye, but, like I said, this method can take on a mind of it's own and the color spread a bit more than I expected. Handpainting is still my favorite, but I'll be experimenting more with this method next time I buy yarn to dye.

I can't wait to share my Monkey socks with you all. Vanilla socks may be my favorite, but these are SUPER fun, in both pattern and colorway. I'm hoping to finish them up today, taking my WIP list from the other day down a few notches. Since I'm such a list nerd (Matt makes fun of me so much), I tried making myself a to-do list for the week on Sunday night and it's really been helping me keep on track. 

Being unemployed (whoopee! ...not) has given me so much free time and it's been SO easy to get sucked into the internet and waste my entire day, especially knowing that the next day will be exactly the same. But having actual goals written down on paper? It's inspired me to keep my computer shut, get my butt off the couch and get things done. Like socks and books, runs and long walks (18 miles & counting!), blog posts and checking in with e-people I've lost touch with. I think the Sunday night list will be something I keep up with, as long as it keeps working for me. 

Oh, and before I jet off I thought of another FO I haven't shared just yet. Valentine's Day is never a huge deal for us and, if I'm lucky, Matt will get me a card or a bottle of my favorite wine. This year I told him I wanted to go on a little adventure to Temecula, which is a Southern California wine region on the same-ish latitude as Rhone in France. I didn't realize this until after the fact, but it was a little treat since I love wines from that region. More on the trip later, but I knew that I still wanted to make Matt a little something for Valentines Day. I considered socks, but then I got an idea. The PERFECT idea for a Valentine.

We both agree that it's too cute to look at. I cobbled together a few patterns I already had (Matt is based on the 10th Doctor Who! Ha!!) and added a few modifications. I really love it and plan on framing it for our someday home. Matt wants me to add myself, but this is more special ;p Their love is ridiculous. 

WIP Wednesday: I Want to Knit EVERYTHING

So guys. I have a lot going on right now and all I can think about is starting something new. That's silly, right? Right. Except I might just do that when I finish my February socks (14 in 2014, y'all!). Blame the Yarnover Truck and their fabulous 40% off sale, where I scored a SQ of Sincere Sheep Equity Fingering that needs to become Grace. Right. Now. It's actually been sweater weather in Seal Beach these past few weeks and it would be lovely to have a nice fingering weight sweater to throw on when I sit outside.

But I should finish up that Pumpkin Ale.

Right.

Let's count these bad boys.

(From background to foreground)

1. Giant Granny Crocheted Blanket in Lion Amazing (Strawberry Fields)
2. Pumpkin Ale in Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse (Cinnamon)
3. Couer de Lion in Neighborhood Fibre Company (Georgetown)
4. February's Basic Socks in my hand-dyed yarn (V-day)
5. Monkey Socks in my hand-dyed yarn (80's Hard Candy)
6. Untitled Cowl design in Manos Alegria (Atlantico)

I've been working on the Alegria cowl the longest and hope to finish it up this week, along with both of my socks. This might be a bit of a lofty knitting goal, but I think I can do it. I'm a bit concerned about the Alegria cowl because that color was a dye mixup, so all of the skeins since that run look nothing like it. Sigh. This will teach me for not scooping up another skein!

The most fun project this week? That giant granny square. It might be because crocheting is still new and exciting or it might be the yarn that is getting the job done. I'm still an unbelievably slow crocheter, but it seems like I can whip through each ball of yarn in a day or two. I have 5 balls of yarn remaining and I think that will do the trick. The beautiful thing about this is that I can fasten it off when I run out of yarn and pick it up again if I decide I want to. Hooray, crochet! 

Ok. Let's go get some FOs for Friday. Happy knitting to you all! 

 

WIP Wednesday: This Sucks

Y'know, sometimes WIPS just really suck.

Finished socks, WIP socks, Future Socks

I mentioned last week that I accidentally left myself with two second socks to knit, which was pretty stupid for someone who wants to knit everything ALL OF THE TIME. A random cold snap in Southern California have left my toes cold and drove me to knock out the first of my second socks in near record time. Woo hoo! First socks of the new year and only pair of handknit socks I have with me in California. I was tempted to just start a fresh pair and wear these to death until I finished, but then I had a knitter's nightmare: holes in ALL of my handknit socks. So much patching...SO much patching...I took that as a sign to get my shit together and just finish these blasted Christmas socks.

Finished Socks

So much patching...

Fast forward to today, when I'm heel deep in that second Christmas sock and I can't remember ever hating a WIP this much. Well, there was that sweater I knit for Manos that I not-so-lovingly dubbed "the thing that I hate," but that was on a whole different level. Yeah, that was WAY worse and, now that I think of it, I don't think I ever got paid for it. *mental note*

Someday these socks will be done! 

You know what does help though? This will be my sixth pair of socks, meaning I almost have enough handknit socks to get me through the week, which is a benchmark I never thought I would pass. I've also realized that I love knitting socks with the crazy yarn that I've dyed. Since I dyed that yarn last year I've really kicked up my sock knitting. Part of it is pure laziness, since I know exactly how many stitches to cast on and about how many rows to knit, but I feel proud of it as I see the colors blend together and know that I *really* made that. It takes my sock knitting up a notch, because, let's be real, I will probably only ever knit vanilla socks.

And all of the cabled sweaters.

Valentines-ish or 80's Hard Candy

So now, thinking about the future, I can't decide if I want to use this Valentines Day-ish yarn on the left or this 80's ish Blue Raspberry yarn on the right. OR I could be patient and wait for my Valentines Day Vesper sock yarn, but that requires patience that I clearly lack. Life is hard, you guys ;-)

Today also marks the first day in over a week that I haven't been nauseous, so that means a quick run before a trip to the grocery store and a brief stop off at my LYS. Hope your Wednesday WIPs are going better than mine are. Godspeed, you knitters!

Just Checking In

It's freezing, my knees hurt & I'm about to finish my 4th (yup) project of the new year, because, clearly, I'm also insane. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my goals and what I would like to accomplish this next year, but it's been hard to jumpstart certain ones since they mostly involve my life in California. I need some more time to think on them, so I won't be posting them here just yet. Matt's gone back to settle our (second) California nest and I'll be joining him there in just under two weeks. Here's hoping my ducks are in more of a row by then.

Things I will say:

*The weather in Chicago-ish this year? Absolutely ridiculous. Well, I spent the first 23 years of my life here, so I know what to expect, but the past two weeks have been back-to-back whammies of weather insanity. First we had 2 days straight of snow (NYE/NYD) and now we are in the midst of a "polar vortex." AKA don't even think about going outside because your nose will fall off. The windchill was something like -52 when I woke up this morning and I have hardly left my bed today because it's SO cold. And why be cold when you can be warm?

*I'm reaching the end of my time back home. Thank god. I've done pretty well with being patient and whatnot, but being here is very draining on my soul.

*It's always very nice to be surrounded by the comforts of my home. But still. Get me out.

*I'm crossing my fingers that this year will be better and I'm optimistic that it will be. I felt the same way when I first moved to California, but the past six months have been kind of miserable for me and I've felt more like I'm in limbo than ever before. I'm hoping the solitude of last year won't continue (for too long) and that I can use the quiet time in my life to figure out what I want out of life.

We shall see.

I'm off to finish my project, which might very well be the cutest thing I've ever knit. I'm hoping to share them all and publish another pattern by the end of the week.

Prelude (and a sale!)

I can't believe this year is almost over. It seems like I was just in Philly yesterday, but I moved away SIX months ago. How in the world did that happen? The second half of 2013 has paled in comparison to the first half, but I do believe that things get worse before they get better, so I'm optimistic that 2014 will be better. Hey, y'know what? It will be good.

I've been home for almost a month now (yikes!) and I'm hanging in there. No family members have been murdered and I've managed to reign in feelings of discontent and frustration. At least my klutz of a sister is there for comic relief. Last night I laughed harder than I think I've ever laughed. It's hard being back here, especially with Matt still being in California. He'll be back on Friday (3 weeks apart!) & I'm super anxious to see him again.

I've had a lot of free time the past 6 months (boo, unemployment!), which has been both maddening and freeing. I've sketched up and knit up quite a few original designs and realized that they're all apart of the journey I've been on over the past two years. These design ideas are either inspired by a place I've traveled to or by the yarn I've bought along the way. It will take a lot of time for me to finalize and type up these designs I've come up with, but that's something to focus on in 2014.

Today I'm releasing Prelude, the first pattern I've published in awhile. In releasing this pattern I'm committing myself to seeking inspiration everyday from the things around me. My life won't always be as simple as it is, so I should stop complaining and use this down time more effectively. Because who knows if I'll ever have this lull again?

(Please say no)

Also, as a gift to any blog readers, use code "sweaterweather" to receive 25% off any of my patterns from now until Christmas.

Something new

Every once in a while it's good to take a break. I've been knitting up a storm lately and while I was home for two weeks, I think I managed to finish 4-5 different projects. Insane, right? I like to joke that I need a new hobby like I need a hole in the head, but I love falling in love with new projects. Some take awhile to grow on me, like cross stitching.

It hasn't gotten any faster, but I finally managed to finish one. I like to imagine a little corner in my (future) handmade home dedicated just to finished samplers. Maybe I'll be over this hobby in a few weeks and maybe I won't.

I also spent a few days dyeing yarn with my pal Christie. It was freezing and lots of fun. This skein was actually from over the weekend, when I set up shop in our little California kitchen. Consider me hooked. We spent two days dyeing yarn at Christie's and when I got home, I promptly ordered 10 more skeins to dye while I'm home for Christmas.  In the meantime, I bought some lower quality 100% wool from Joanns & decided to experiment with different dyeing techniques. The skein above used layered immersions and though the quality of wool isn't what I would like, I'll definitely try to recreate this skein when I get some MCN. Because I'm kind of in love with it. Once I get into the groove of it again I'll make a proper dyeing post.

Oh yeah. And I accidentally made self-striping yarn. How did that happen? I have absolutely no idea. I call this one Ghoul School and it tickles me to death. I'm kind of a sock monster lately, which is another "something new" that I will ride until I hate them all over again :)

Thursday is for Tasty Treats

I finally got around to taking some pictures of my California stash and updating Ravelry. I've been trying really hard to budget, which is something I used to be really good at...before I started working in knitting stores. Before then I was content with "blowing" my money on thrift shop books & the occasional latte. Speaking of, it's almost Pumpkin Spice Latte season (MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR) and I can't even get excited about it because it just feels wrong here. But I'm sure I'll get over it by September 1st.

Anyway. Back to the yarn. When I travel I really enjoy picking up new skeins of yarn and I always try to select things that I haven't seen before or that I know won't be readily available elsewhere. The yarns pictured above, aside from the Plucky, which was mailed to me by my mother, were all purchased in California at a few different shops and events. And almost all of these yarns I've never used before. 

The top three skeins (gray, orange, green) are all from when the Yarnover Truck rolled into town last weekend. I remember reading about the truck when they were first getting started and was majorly bummed because I thought I would never get to check them out. Now I'm cursing the fact that I did get to because they are AWESOME. Seriously, AWESOME. Can you talk about hand-dyed heaven? They have some basic workhorse yarns, but most of the skeins in this sweet little truck are beautiful luxury yarns and a good portion of them are from California. That green skein of Sincere Sheep (from Napa Valley!) is my favorite purchase from the shopping trip and I'm regretting not buying another skein. But they'll be around again and I have to save some for others. 

The creamy skein is Anzula Mermaid from Sheared Sheep in Costa Mesa. It's 60% Sea Cell/40% Silk and utterly gorgeous. I HATE when knitters call yarn "yummy" (really. Knitting pet peeve #1), but this might be an exception. I'm thinking this will be Out of Darkness by Boo Knits to wear with my bridesmaids dress this October. A special occasion calls for a special shawl, dontcha think?

The other non-Plucky skeins are from my new LYS, Alamitos Bay Yarn Company, and the FoxyKnits trunk show. The wound ball is a great little skein of Koigu and I only bought one (budgeting!), so I need to try and be creative. I'm thinking a simple twisted rib slouchy hat? That will be cute. This isn't my usual color scheme, but when I saw it on the shelf I knew I had to have it. The only skein I don't have plans for is the Felted Tweed (in "watery"), but it's a soft tweed so I'm sure I can find something for it.

See? Great!

And the Plucky? Well. It's almost PLUCKTEMBER, so I better start planning soon. But I can focus on that tomorrow...along with these delicious scones. Dark chocolate & pear? Get in my belly.

Photo from Smitten Kitchen

Surviving Week 1

It's been hard being here, but I'm adjusting, I think.

I joke that living in Seal Beach is like a prison because, really, it is. Not in the hard times kind of way, but in that tongue in cheek, "I get to work out/read/learn new languages/listen to good music every single day!" kind of ways. And I should appreciate that (...as it slowly drives me insane :D).

But really. I have no excuse to not get things, aside from me being a lazy little lady. I've been forcing myself out of the apartment every morning by 10am & not allowing myself to retreat back to my little fortress until 1:30/2. I've managed to work out every day this week, granting myself this weekend off; my muscles HURT. I finished two books, with my mother alleging I'll be "well knowledged" by the time I leave here. I assure you, based on what I've been reading, I will not be.

(Gone Girl & The Fault in Our Stars)

With everything that has happened this week (proposals (not mine), babies (again, not mine), winning contests that I can't enjoy (finally, mine)), things could be so much better. But they could also be so much worse. I've signed up for a homebrewing class (tomorrow) and a wine tasting Meetup (also tomorrow), meaning I will have at least one social day this week.

Things are looking up?



Instagrams from week 1

On a side note, I've only spent *$5 this week. I can be a frugal person when I have to be!

*aside from those horrible student loans that will, no doubt, plague me for the rest of my life.

This is a Post About Knitting (mostly)

I wanted to leave for California with a "clean" slate, which had been easy enough in the beginning. Working at a knitting shop is both the best and worst thing a knitter can do. I've (mostly) loved working at the two LYSs I've worked at, but, at the same time, it has caused the textbook definitions of Knitting First World Problems.

1. I have WAY too much yarn.
2. I never get anything done because OMG! Did you see that sweater in the new Knitscene/Knitty/Jared Flood?

The first is only an issue when it comes to relocation (because oh. my. god. Last week. What a mess.), but the second makes me feel overwhelmed in a different way because I never seem to finish things.

I was home in Chicago for about two weeks and managed to finish three WIPs and two new projects.

Color Addiction
Pattern: Color Affection
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light
Colors: Nassau Blue, Ink, Grasshopper

The last class I taught at Rosie's was the Color Affection class and I had a great time. In hindsight, the class was a bit too spaced together (nobody finished it in the allotted 3 weeks), but everyone had a great attitude about it. I finally finished mine last week and I really like the results. When I started out,  I intended on using Vintage Sari as my third color, but when I started knitting with it, it looked like something (bad) out of the 80s. I hemed and hawed over possible skeins from my stash, but nothing looked right. I pulled out a skein of Pashmina in "Grasshopper" from my stash and set out to finish my shawl. I'm very pleased.

Iceland Shawl (my design)
Yarn: Manos Alegria
Color: Carnaval

I wanted to finish this shawl before my trip to Iceland, but I was so dead set on getting SO MANY THINGS done before then that I just couldn't do it. This serves as a first draft to something that I hope to reknit one of these days. I absolutely love this yarn (Alegria, the newest yarn from Manos del Uruguay) and this colorway didn't blow me away right off the bat, but after staring at it for weeks, as you do when you work at your LYS, I needed to have it. Right then and there. But I've already discussed those problems (1 & 2) above. This shawl would have been better if I had two skeins of yarn, but I will use the notes I took along the way to make the version 2 even better. 

Autumnal Habitat
Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood
Yarn: Rittenhouse (RIP) in Cinnamon

Oh this hat. Oh this yarn. I have wanted my own Habitat since I knit one for Matt's brother two Christmases ago. I started it sometime back in 2012 and left it sitting in my yarn room with the ribbing & first chart completed. Why didn't I just finish it? I picked it up during my stop off at home and finished knitting it in an evening. Was that so hard? I guess not.

Brewery Tour Hat
Pattern: Rikke
Yarn: Madelinetosh tosh dk
Color: Firewood

Wanna know a secret? I love beer. Want to know another secret? I love Autumn. Ok, those aren't really secrets, but this hat is the perfect hat for beer touring in Autumn. Mmmhmm. Living in Philly was great, but when you earn your "beerlegs" in the Midwest, where you can buy beer almost anywhere and at a good price, it kind of sucks. So, when Matt & I would visit home, we would make sure to drink all of the beers we loved since we just didn't drink as much beer in Philly. 

Ok, that was kind of a boring story.

Anyway. Rikke has been on my list for awhile now. My friends Sara & Kristin have both knit beautiful versions, but I just never got around to it. Looking for a good one skein project, I cast on for this hat during my trip home and knit the first stitches at one of my favorite breweries: Solemn Oath. SO is located in a suburb of Chicago, maybe 20 or so minutes from where I grew up and 10 minutes away from my college. Matt and I agree that it's a great thing they didn't open until after we graduated because, let's be real, it would have been a hot mess.

Sadly, I am not drinking Dashing Moustache

But yes. If you are ever in Illinois and happen to see a Solemn Oath beer on the board of your selected watering hole be sure to order it. I haven't been disappointed and, for somebody just passing through, I've managed to try my fair share of their beers. Oh and knitters? They sometimes have a beer called Yarn Bomb. Get on that.

Black Tops & Moon Man

And I finished that hat on July 5th during a trip to New Glarus with Matt & his sister. New Glarus is only available in Wisconsin, so we must drink it up while we are there. And it doesn't hurt that the brewery is beautiful.

Departure
Pattern: Molly
Yarn: Madelinetosh tosh dk
Color: One of a Kind

My final project of the trip home was another one that lingered in my queue for quite some time. I cast on for this hat on the way to the airport (to drop Matt off) and finished it the very next morning. That's the great thing about hats. The yarn is a skein I picked up during my first second trip to NYC and it's a one of a kind colorway from The Yarn Company. It's hard to tell in the photo, but it's a beautiful green/brown with flecks of purple. It looks almost like a misdyed and slightly lighter Kale/Lichen crossbreed.

I packed up for California with only 2 WIPs (My third Color Affection & a lovely test knit for Thao) and yarn for 5 new projects. My WIPs and next project are all either lace or fingering weight, so don't expect to see too many FOs from me. After I finish up my test knit & Katie's Wedding Shawl I plan on focusing on designing a few things. What's the saying? Creativity is born from boredom?

Let's hope. 

Leaving Pt. 2

I kissed my boyfriend goodbye last night and put him on a plane to California. Knowing I would make it there eventually, but the lack of a set reunion date on my calendar was the hardest part. I'm starting from scratch (again) in Long Beach, so that struggle of how I'll fill my days is keeping me here. At the end of the day it will just be the same type of existence in a different place. Why not just go?

I matured a bit while I was in Philly. I still don't feel how I imagine an adult to feel, but, as a person, I grew. It was my first time living away from home and I really didn't know anybody (aside from Matt) when I moved there, so I was forced into becoming more of an adult than I'd ever been before. Eventually I made friends, great friends, and discovered that the shy girl of high school didn't exist anymore. Being afraid of putting myself out there didn't get me anywhere and I was "rewarded" me with fake relationships and friendships of convenience. And ain't nobody got time for that.

In moving forward I need to realize that I will make friends again, I will find my way in Long Beach, and I shouldn't put off moving there because staying here is safe. This is still my home, but Chicago has become more of a place to visit than anything else, a place to pass through. New things are scary and heartbreaking (sometimes), but isn't that the way life should be?

As scared as I am, good things will come. The great thing about this not being a permanent situation is that I'm forced to live in the now because we might not be living there after six months. In the year and a halfish I lived in Philly I traveled to 3 countries (2 of them new) and 10 new states, not including those I just passed through. The goals I've set for my California months might be ambitious, but I'll be happy with whatever I may accomplish.

Travel

July: Ghey date with my Austalian penpal of 8ish years. I will have met all of my penpals IRL.
August: Visit Sedona, AZ//Weekend in Vegas?
September: Sheep & Wool festival in Portland, OR//Weekend in San Francisco
October: International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, NM//Friend's wedding in Chicago
November: Visit to Philly for the half marathon
December: ALASKA//Home for Christmas

General

Get back on track with running. That half-marathon isn't gonna train itself.

Try yoga. It's free, it's on the beach, it's everyday.

Write, in some form. No other requirements

Home brew.

Try cooking new things.

Learn more about wine & wine culture.

Design a new pattern every month.

(...don't buy a car full of yarn...)

I leave on Saturday.

Movement

I've struggled with the idea of a new blog for awhile now. Every time I head to Yarn Coma to make a post it just hasn't felt right. That's not who I am anymore. Well, I still hoard yarn like it's going to of style, but I don't feel like that anymore.

I've lived in Philly for over a year and a half now and, looking back, I feel like this will be "the lost year" of my life because things have been exactly how I wanted them to be. For the most part. I don't lead a completely charmed life but I've found happiness here. I'm still a dreamer but I'm less afraid to get those things done. I still struggle to feel interesting enough and be happy with who I am. I'm not the best Ashley that I can be, but I feel like I'm getting there.

Anyways. That's the reason for the move. And now for a post with absolutely nothing to do with knitting.

I never wrote much about my running habits on YC, but I do it. A lot. Not as much as I used to, when I would clock from 20-30 miles a week, but I am a runner. My ardor ebbs and flows, but I always go back to it and those times in between are becoming shorter and short. Running is a therapy for me in ways that knitting can never be; I get emotional about running in a way that nothing else affects me and I think it's something only other runners can understand. When I run something beautiful and freeing takes over me. I can take off, without stress or expectation, and just leave.

Running with Matt & Amol

Two days after the Boston Marathon bombings Philadelphia Runner organized a "Run for Boston" event from City Hall to Independence Hall. Using social media and word of mouth, the event inspired nearly 3,000 runners from across the city to lace up their sneakers and run in solidarity for Boston. I walked out my front door and saw waves of people running along the parkway. Off in the shadows of the sunset I would see even more.  Matt and two friends took off with me, but eventually I broke away from them and just let myself go. It wasn't a long run by any means, but people lined the streets just like they had at the Marathon. Even when they couldn't run or didn't want to they did what they could.

Since that night, Matt and I have been running together along the Schuylkill River 2-3 times a week. I've always been super self conscious of running outside and coupled with the departure of my endurance (not at all what it used to be), this small step is actually quite a leap for me. I like to joke that between the pair of us we have one good leg (Matt's left leg is gimpy at the ankle/heel and my right leg flares up from time to time) but we go as far as we can. And we aren't ashamed to walk when we need to. The river trail is beautiful and marked by many landscapes that are still new to me. Each time we run together I try to make it just a bit further. Last night I tacked on another .35 miles (each way!) and made it to the streetlight just past Girard Bridge. We may have walked most of the way back, but someday we're going to run to Manayunk and back.

And then, after stretching, showering and hydrating (with wine, let's be real), I did something pretty crazy...

and signed up for my second Half Marathon! This time with more Matt. After my first Half last year I wasn't sure if I wanted to run another so soon. My training towards the end of it was pretty nonexistent thanks to an injury during week 7 (of 12), but as the date got closer I got back into it and pushed myself way too hard. I ended up running 11.1/13.1 miles, but I also sacrificed my right foot. Lesson learned.

Things to do differently this time:
1. Train outside. ALL of my training for my first Philly Half Marathon was done inside on a treadmill. Running outside has pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it will also make me stronger and prepare me actual race day. I'd also be interested in checking out a few of the many Philadelphia running groups.
2. Explore more trails. Running along the river is scenic and beautiful, but there are so many different places to run in the city. I would like to explore more of the Schuylkill River Trail and Wissahickon Trails. Even running through Fairmount Park would be new to me.
3. Focus less on calories and more on distance/discipline. When I tracked my training the first time around I used Myfitnesspal to keep track of my food and calories. I'm not a good dieter. I'm good at staying away from bad things and indulging on occasion, but once I try to reign it all in (with food OR yarn), everything starts to look good. This time around I will be using Fitocracy to track my exercises. I know a few people on there and I'm still pretty to new it (anyone want to explain what nuking is?), but it seems like a pretty good environment. And it's ONLY for workouts. I think.
4. Weights may be boring, but... Weight lifting = muscles. And even though I'm not going to obsess over calories, more muscle = more calories burnt at rest & less fat. Plus they're not all that bad anymore.
5. Eat more veggies/try more recipes. Starting tonight! I'll be pickling ramps & making a ramp kimchi. Ooolala.


More on that and (hopefully) a finished sweater next time. For more information on running in Philly, you might want to check out this site. Or, if you're crazy like me and want to run in the 2013 Philly Marathon/Half-Marathon, sign up for that here.