Good to go

Somewhere between the 103 degrees F. Monday and the 63 degree F. Thursday was a perfect summer day. 

Sure, I walked for the St. Paul Pioneer Press Summer of Walking but then I grabbed GFMelissa and went swimming!

We drove out to Square Lake and while GFM sat on the shore and provided emergency backup (she's a former collegiate level swimmer and a lifeguard as well as an excellent Girl Scout!), I did a little warming up for the swimming season.

No cute swimsuits for me - just the plain old racer suit and a swim cap. 

Got to get those goggles on just right!

Working on a high elbow stroke! 

Now, because GFM wasn't actually in the water with me or accompanying me in an escort boat, I swam inside the ropes. I have swum around the lake before but Wednesday it was back and forth, back and forth. Not very exciting but oh, so nice. 

My dream house will be on a swimming lake someday. Boating? Bleh. Fishing? So-so. Swimming? Ah!

We're getting ready for a graduation around here with an upcoming Senior Dinner, ceremony and party so at home, I'm mostly weeding and sweeping up those @%^& helicopter leaves! Swimming was a nice break in the chores.

Now for something completely non-political!

And completely non-knitting related. I'm learning how to do this and can only say - I wish I could go back in a time machine and make my teen-aged self work harder on this stroke! It's fun but - oh, so hard for my middle-aged self!

No kool aid will be drunk . . . but I am taking the plunge!

Between these cute little beasties . . .



and this podcast . . .



I have been inundated with crochet lately. Miss Marley over at Yarn Thing really makes it sound fun, too! So, I am taking the plunge. This weekend, while at my church's winter retreat, GFMelissa will be teaching me to crochet. After that, I'll be rushing back home on Saturday in order to pick up the World Travelling Daughters at the airport. Then, on Sunday, my first masters swimming meet at the University of Minnesota. I'll be swimming backstroke in a relay and, if there's time, the 500 freestyle.

Then, the Minnesota Knitters' Guild is having it's Winter Tea. So, when I was complaining about not having a social life, the Big Guy Upstairs must have heard me!

Since its likely I won't be around a computer on Saturday, I am posting my Saturday Seven early - without a picture.

While looking for suitable crochet yarn in my stash, I weeded out all my needles and yarns and got together a box of: two sets of straight needles, three skeins of Rowan Big Wool in pumpkin, three skeins of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed in the color Sigh, one skein of something unknown - worsted weight, a sock pattern and several tools like yarn bras, etc. It's a collective seven that's going off to Interim House for use in their substance abuse programs.

Row that boat ashore . . .

Like many of my projects, I've put off this project to the last minute. The Minnesota Knitters' Guild is collecting hats and slippers for the Ships Project. I put off knitting my hat until absolutely the last minute. Hence, the two inches of hat on my knee! I probably will finish this tonight but . . . that depends how much ice tea I drink!

I am really looking forward to the next MKG meeting - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 19th - because Amy Singer, the editor of Knitty will be the speaker! She is going to discuss her new book, “No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo and Other Delights,” published by Interweave Press. I am not allergic to wool or animal fibers but I am not very comfortable knitting with other fibers. I am hoping to pick up a few tips on inproving my skills.

I got to meet a few other twin cities knitters last week at the Twin Cities Knitting and Crafting Moms play group. This is an offshoot of the Yahoo Groups' TCKnit Message Board. Youngest Child loved playing with the kids and I got a little of my baby blanket worked on. A very little!



After my fun-but-not-so-thrilling showing on Sunday at the Manitou Tri, I've been trying to run, bike or swim almost every day as part of the final countdown to the Lake Harriet One Mile swim on the 23rd and the Minneman Triathlon on June 29 and my knitting has really been suffering. Generally, I've been asleep ten minutes after I hit the chair.

Sunday's time? 1:54:48. That's about 20 minutes slower than last year but it was 26th for my age group. The scoop on the swim was that it was about 200 yards more than marked. I knew it seemed long! And the worst part? I finally came down with swimmer's itch. Yucky red welts. I am officially Bubonic Sally.


There was no Saturday Seven - I have a pile of stuff, but no time to sort it. We'll have to have the Sunday Seven instead.

From socks to swimming . . .

Looking over my photos recently, I realized that I haven't been posting very many pictures of knitting. I've been so busy with family visits, swap sewing, the end of the school year, school events as well as ramping up my training for the first tri of the year. I'm afraid that I've been using a lot of my "Free" time for sleeping!

Today I swam a mile in White Bear Lake and then biked the 14 mile course for the Manitou Triathlon. After lunch, I did laundry, took kids to the library, got dinner together and will be leaving shortly for two back to back student evaluations. I'll finally get to sit down and knit after Youngest Child goes to bed - I have a date with "The Return of the King" and my green socks.

In the meantime, I thought you'd enjoy seeing Oldest Daughter's first completed sock.



It just killed me that she used so little of the Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn - she chose to make anklets - but she said, "That way, I'll have lots of yarn to darn with!" Can't argue with that logic! Now, she just needs to finish the next sock - she must be related to me.




Here's the swimming photo - my Tuesday Efficient Swimming class took their act on the road and hoofed it to White Bear Lake. I started off in my wetsuit but found it was much easier for me to swim without it! Maybe next spring . . .