a different kind of spinning

So it has been forever since I’ve posted to this journal. I won’t make excuses, other than posting to my wordpress blog has not been at the top of important things that need to be done right now. I’m hoping I can write at least one post each week, especially since I know I have at least one friend out there who still periodically checks for my updates, so he’ll be pleased to see that I’m still alive .

On to the main topic: I was talked into going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival with my next door neighbor and her friend. Okay, truthfully I was invited and I said “SURE!” without any arm-twisting involved. As I was walking around the various booths and petting various fibers and furry animals, I mentioned to my companions that I have been wanting to learn how to spin for a while, but figured I’ve never have the time. Well long story short, I ended up with a Golding drop spindle and several ounces of roving and top. I would having ended up with more roving/top but I didn’t run across a natural black wool (not dyed), so that ’s on my list to acquire some other time down the road. Like at the Fall Fiber Festival of Virginia in October…

In addition to the fiber I purchased at the festival, my neighbor gave me a rolag of blended Finn wool and alpaca that she blended herself. This stuff was awesome to work with. It was soft, lofty, easy to pre-draft and I was actually able to move past the “park and draft” method of spinning on a drop spindle a few times. Sure, my end product is all thick and thin and there are a few slubs in it, but I’m very happy with my work.  Now I just have to take it off the spindle and set the twist. I plan on making a little pouch (maybe lightly felted?) with this and some white merino wool that I’m trying to spin. That stuff is not easy to work with, and I’m glad I had a few other fibers to play with to find out that I wasn’t a total failure at spinning. Updates to follow, once I have more to show.

Below: rolag (the form it was in when given to me) on the left and the pre-drafted fiber on the top right.

Below: I’ve spun all the fiber I had.

Below: Center-pull ball of the finished product. I used a fat round sharpie marker as a nostepinne (turned wood/dowel-like thing used to make a center-pull ball).

I ran over to my neighbor’s house to show her, and I ended up with two more rolags and a couple of handfuls of cleaned alpaca fleece!! What an awesome neighbor

that felt good

I’m not sure how I managed to survive as I as did without riding a bike. Honestly, it felt SO good to go for a ride today. It was a touch cold… I’m still warming up. Thank goodness for hot chocolate! Zach and I rode to the Aldie volunteer fire station and back, with a stop at the fire station to look at Christmas trees. The Christmas tree sale is apparently their largest fundraiser of the year. We initially were going to bring the trailer along and pick up a tree today, but when we dragged the trailer out of the shed we realized it wasn’t nearly large enough for a tree, at least not without some modifications. So we just went for a nice ride, and we are determined to figure out how to bring a Christmas tree home by bike for next year. We’ll still probably get our tree from the Aldie fire station, but unfortunately by pickup truck.

I was mostly pain free for the ride. I had a slight twinge at my knee towards the end of the ride. I’ll admit that I have not been doing my PT exercises like I should be. I know that if I don’t stick with easy rides for the time being and don’t start doing my exercises I’m going to be right back to where I was three months ago. Today I watched a video of 8 week old Vizsla puppies romping through the woods, and I realized that if I don’t get my rear-end in gear, I’m never going to be able to keep up with our new puppy this Spring. Plus, my jeans are getting a tiny bit snug. So, with those two motivating factors, and the fact that I actually admitted to the public that my jeans are getting snug, I feel pretty confident that I get myself back on track. Mentally, I feel so much better when I’m active. You would think that would be motivation alone, but I know it isn’t. I’ve marked out on my calender which days I’m going to ride, run and stretch/strengthen (aka PT exercises/core strength). Actually, I have to stretch pretty much everyday. I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to not stretch daily and be able to be as active as I’d like to be.

I don’t have any photos of today’s ride since my battery in my Olympus 790 SW was dead. I wish I had my SLR with me, because we saw three pheasants. They were outside the perimeter of a hunting preserve. Smart escapees, I bet. I saw one male and two females. We actually rode quite close to them since they were on the side of the road.

all right.

I suppose I’m back. Have to start somewhere anyway! My hiatus (in writing, running and cycling) was all sort of related. If I don’t ride or run, well, I don’t have as much to write about. And I haven’t been knitting very much either, so there was one less thing to write about.

I’m done with PT, and I’ve started running again. I’m not back on the bike quite yet, but that’s mostly due to laziness and not feeling like doing the necessary bike maintenance that I need to do. A little is also due to not wanted to over do it too soon.

Other things that have kept me from writing lately- all three of our pets have died in the last 3 months. Since this is my journal, I’m going to write about it. I know I promise to keep my journal positive, but I think I just need to write about this for therapeutic reasons. So, if you’re still reading, thank you.

First, Basil the cat was no longer able to fight his liver cancer. He was strong though, and lived a full year longer than the vet predicted! Over that year he even gained back a lot of his weight that he had lost, and figured out that he actually still could hop up on the counter and steal pizza.

Three days later, we had to bring Stella the dog to the emergency vet since she was wheezing and her body temperature became very cold. It was too late though, and she died not too long after they began treating her. She had fluid around her heart and a coagulation disorder of some sort, and her heart gave out. The emergency vet at first asked about poisons, which Stella would have had no access to (at least to our knowledge), but then said that it could have a mass in her heart or any number of other things. All we know is that it seemed to happen very fast, but my guess is that Stella could have been sick for a while and just never let us know. We were absolutely devastated and shocked, as we thought we were bringing in a very sick dog, not a dying dog. She also didn’t seem “old” to us, rather she still acted like a puppy. Our regular vet called us the next day and said it sounded like cardiomyopathy, which is common in her breed. She was almost 10 years old, so I guess she wasn’t a puppy anymore.

Lastly, Jezebelle, the cat I got at the shelter with Basil (they came from the same household, but not necessarily the same litter), started becoming sick over the last couple of months. Her appetite was not good, she had diarrhea, ended up with a urinary tract infection, etc. I treated her for all these things, and despite the care, she still did not eat very much. Her liver began to fail, and at this point the vet did an ultrasound. She had already had a lot of blood work that didn’t show too much. Well, she had a mass in her abdomen, possibly her pancreas. It was too painful for Jezebelle for the vet to press too hard, so she was unable to get a good view. Jezebelle was not a good candidate for anesthesia (it would have likely killed her) and she was around 16 years old, so we elected to just care for her the best we could and make her comfortable. I learned how to do subcutaneous fluids so she wouldn’t be as dehydrated, and we gave her pain medication. I let her drink skim milk (she had stopped drinking water) which she enjoyed, and found a brand of fancy cat food that she would eat the gravy from. Last weekend she ate better than she has in months, but when I came home from work on Tuesday it was obvious that it was time to euthanize her. It was very hard to do, but it was the right thing to do. Her quality of life was not what it once was, she had essentially stopped eating and drinking, she was starting to have trouble breathing, she had become incontinent over the last week, and then Tuesday night she had a seizure or heart attack or something bad that I did not want her to have to suffer through again, even if she could fully recover from it. The vet agreed that it was the best thing to do at that point.

I am obviously devistated, but I know I’ll start feeling better at some point.

Well, there is a happy story in all of this. About a month or so after Stella died, we decided that life without a dog is just not the same, but also that it was too soon to get another dog. So, we will be getting a puppy in February. This puppy is in absolutely no way a “replacement”. Any pet owner who has lost a loved pet can tell you there is no such thing as a replacement. He or she will be a new friend for us. We had two criteria for our new pup. It couldn’t be a white bully breed dog. That would just be too painful for us and we might want to compare it to Stella, which would not be fair to anyone involved, especially the new dog. Second, it should have the potential to be a good trail dog. So, I did a bunch of research on dog breeds that would be good running, biking, hiking and camping buddies and decided on a vizsla. You can be sure there will be updates and photos as they become available .

In remembrance of Basil, Stella, and Jezebelle.

Basil napping. Jezebelle is napping right behind him.

Basil napping again. Jezebelle is not napping with him, which is unusual. Maybe she just woke up. You can see her two colored eyes in this photo (one blue, one orange). You can also see what a butterball she was.

Surly Basil, with an almost equally surly Jezebelle. Basil was often surly. Due to the reflection, you can’t see what handsome green eyes Basil had.

And last but not least, three pictures of the lovely Stella Bean, wondering why I have the silly camera pointed at her face.

september 16, 2008

Alright, it looks like it’s about time to start focusing on knitting again. Riding and running just isn’t happening right now, so I might as well focus on my other obsession. It’s going to be Winter before long anyway. About a month ago I finished a pair of slippers for my coworker. I used this pattern and knitted them up in a cranberry colored yarn with a charcoal grey heel and toe. They were pretty easy to knit. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture, so there won’t be any pictures for this post. Currently, I’m working on a shawl for the same coworker.

I’d like to make a scarf with either an interesting knit purl pattern or a cable pattern. I’d have to find someone to give it to though since I’ve already knit myself more scarves than one person needs, and Zach already has one that I knit for him. He doesn’t want a second one, as far as I know. Of course, if he reads this and tells me he’d like another scarf I’d be happy to knit him another one. This is the year I’m going to finish his super heavy sweater. I still only have one sleeve to knit, and then it will be done. Maybe I’ll work on that this weekend. Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that I said I was going to finish it. This time I mean it. Really.

september 14, 2008

Not to much to report as far as bike rides and runs go. Zach and I took Stella for a walk yesterday on the trails behind our house. My Nike+ says we walked for 1 mile, but that seems a little high. I calibrated it for walking yesterday and my guess is that my regular walking pace is faster than my walking the dog pace so that’s probably why it’s off. I also did a three mile trainer ride. Not very much I know, but I told myself today I was definitely stopping the ride before I noticed any issues. I did that for the most part, but did notice I had to sit up and stretch my side/hip several times. I wouldn’t have been able to do that during a real ride!

I’m not entirely giving up on ‘cross this season, but I am trying to look at the big picture. I want to be back to where I was last year and be able to race road, mtb and ‘cross pretty consistently. I did something like 43 races last season, across all three disciplines. If I can get through this hurdle, I can start focusing on training right (or at least more “right” than I have in the past), sticking with a good exercise program/cross-training to keep my muscle imbalance at bay, and stretching, stretching, stretching. Then, I think I’ll have a good season across the board in ‘09. I think I’ll even be able to do more running without too much difficulty. With all that said, I am still keeping my fingers crossed (no pun intended) that I get to enjoy ‘cross this season!

okay.

I ran. I survived. I didn’t get the go ahead to run again though. bummer. However, I really did enjoy that half mile! I ended up running to the Couch-to-5k week 3 podcast. I figure I ran a little over a half mile. I ended up doing a trainer ride last night on Zach’s Tacx trainer. I managed to overdo it. Seriously, Zach had it set on the flattest coarse for me and everything. I was going along just fine, and then somehow “race mode” switched on in my brain. I still don’t feel like I was going really hard, but obviously I was going harder than I should have been going. I didn’t ride till I hurt, but I rode until I felt everything tighten up and knew what would come next if I went any further. I even stretched in the middle of the ride! I’m paying for it today. Oh well, I’ll get there. On a positive note, I think I’m really going to like my new running shoes.

yay!

I get to go running tomorrow! I can only go for a half mile, and I’m supposed to avoid the pavement. I’m hoping the trails behind the house are dry. It poured all day because of Tropical Storm Hanna. We lost power for a while too, though I’m not sure how long it was out since we were running errands most of the day.

Since I have been feeling arch pain when I run (and of course my IT band and hip) I decided I’d start out by buying a new pair of running shoes. I’ve been running with a pair of stability shoes, and I found out today that I need a pair of neutral shoes. So I now have a pair of Nike+ Pegasus 25. They have a little bit more “cushion” and that supposedly might be better for my IT band. They certainly are comfortable, so that has to count for something. Plus, they have a cut out under the sockliner for my Nike+ sensor. I definitely would not have a bought a shoe solely for that feature, but it is an added bonus.

I can’t believe how much I’m looking forward to this run. I wish it could be longer than a half mile, but I have to start somewhere.

ride #2

Alright, I survived 7.75 miles this time. I wanted to ride more but I was starting to feel a little bit of stiffness/pain so I figured I better not push it. At least I didn’t stiffen up nearly as much as the last ride. I walked up the hill at the end of our road and on the way back I walked “Mt. Tiffany”. Walking up Mt. Tiffany is not exactly easy, but it’s definitely easier than riding up it. My route today was mostly flat. There were two spots that I had to stand to climb even while I was in granny gear. I feel like I have lost every once of strength in my legs in the last month that I’ve been off the bike. Plus, even though I’m not “allowed” to ride any hills yet, I figured out today that I couldn’t do it right now if I wanted to. I definitely felt my IT Band twitch on a few very small “hills” toward the end of the ride. I know I have to be patient, but it took some serious willpower to not hammer it straight out my neighborhood. Of course, the first hill I hit would have put me in check!

ugh.

I just want to be able to ride my bike. I mean really, really ride my bike. I’ve been cleared for bike riding and I’m supposed to alternate days between my strengthening exercises and riding my bike. But no hills allowed. Crap. I live on a mountain. A small mountain, but it’s not exactly flat. I think I just figured out a route though that will have minimal hills. I’ll need to put the CX tires on the bike so I can ride on the trails behind the house and make it out to the road. Then, I think I’ll have one little hill and I can cut over into one of the subdivisions.

I went on my first bike ride in about a month on Sunday. It was ~4.4 miles. I was visiting my parents in MA and rode from my parents house to a friend’s home down the harbor. I guess I didn’t stretch well enough before my ride because my hip started stiffening up 2 miles in. I was very sore that evening, and the only ice packs in my parents freezer were the hard case Coleman type. They didn’t exactly stay put. Anyway, I’m taking this evening off of any exercise except my stretching since I had PT today. Tomorrow I’ll do my strengthening exercises and Thursday I’ll test out my new bike route. And of course I still have to do my stretches and ice everyday. Oh, and I have definitely not been cleared to go for a run. I would really like to go for a run.

I sure better find something else to write about or this is going to be one downer of a journal. On a positive note, PT is working, I’m definitely having less pain (in my leg and backside anyway, my hip has really been pretty stubborn), and I’m apparently more flexible since my initial evaluation. See- I ended this on a positive note!

eagerly awaiting a bike ride or a run

Part of me was tempted to go for a run today. This was a flat out crazy idea. It wouldn’t have been such a crazy idea if I wasn’t still in pain. Actually, I think it’s kind of crazy that I actually want to go for run at all. I remember just a couple of months ago saying how much I hate running, but wanted to do a duathlon. Well, now I apparently enjoy running. Not enough to replace bike riding of course…

Injury aside, I still can’t run very far. Just over two miles has been my longest run since getting back into it early this summer. “Getting back into it” is kind of a relative term since even when I was trail running a few times a week for a year or so it was never more than a few miles at a time. I can’t blame quitting running on an injury last time, rather I was too darn busy with grad school. And then there was the failed couch-to-5k attempt. That was mostly sidelined due to moving half way across the country. Now that I have no dumb excuses to keep from going for a run, I’m sidelined with ITBS. Aaargh. The good news is that I start PT next week. I imagine I’ll start riding before I start running, but until that moment I am going to try to keep sane. I’m doing this by reading “Mirror, Mirror” by Gregory Maguire and knitting a pair of slipper socks for a coworker who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Which actually puts my problems in perspective- I really have nothing to complain about, she has a hard, hard road ahead of her in many ways. She doesn’t know this, but there is a ‘cross race in October for breast cancer awareness and I plan on racing in support of her. I just hope she doesn’t expect a trophy out of me (not that I won’t be trying hard)!