The gauntlet is tossed down on Thanksgiving. The challenge ends today, Christmas Eve. Concept2, the folks who make the indoor rower, issue the annual Holiday Challenge: row 100,000 meters (or more!) between the two holidays.
This is the second year for me. (Mr. E does it too, but he's a bull and always finishes first.) He doesn't print out the certificate that appears when you hit the 100K mark. I do. I finished today.
My body and my body image are always moving targets. I never have the right muscles, the right endurance, the right weight, the right amount of fitness. Weight goes up, weight goes down. Body dysmorphic disorder? Yeah, probably, but so few of us are free of that.
I look at myself after 29 days of rowing. I think I have gained some muscle. I read that exercise adds more glycogen (sugar storage) to your muscles, and glycogen stores add more water. Does that explain my additional few pounds since Thanksgiving? Am I fooling myself? I am thinking that what I see is what will be. Learning to live with that continues to take time, energy. No matter, really. Self-concept and acceptance are also moving targets.
I frogged another WIP. The cables weren't showing up well in the dark fiber. The deal-killer was when I truly understood, in the depths of my knitter's heart, that a complex sock in 100% soft merino was not going to have a long-wearing life. Shibui sock yarn, Celtic Braids pattern, several inches of cuff finished and put aside over two years ago. (That, in itself, should have told me to frog long ago.) Seemed inevitable, but odd, that I would be taking pictures of a fail, of a project about to take the long sleep.
Discipline invades the entire gamut of my projects. The upstairs wheel has been dedicated to plying. The downstairs wheel is allowed to spin fiber into singles. I have been pondering the pile of handspun skeins littering the guest bathroom sink, where they take their first bath. Some are good. Some are okay. Some stink.
The grey skein is Frelsi Farm's icelandic/angora mix. Tentative plans include spinning enough of Frelsi's various mixes to knit an interesting Hyrna. Two ply light fingering weight, it is a reasonable yarn to use on a long-anticipated project.
The multicolors is FatCatKnits BFL, colorway Sherwood Forest. LOVE. Two ply, probably something hattish for me. That won't happen until I can stop admiring the skein. I really wish I knew what I did differently, so I could do it again. The singles aren't overspun. The plying twist matches the twist in the singles. It was a brief moment in time, and it is gone.
The real purpose of this post is to send warm holiday wishes to you, my blogfriends. The passing of the Solstice, and anticipation of the New Year, all feel like harbingers of new hope and new energies.
Have a wonderful holiday. Knit lots, rest well, eat happily! Love your families and enjoy your time. G-d bless you, everyone!
Shibui Sock is good for lace...a small shawl, a dislike of yours.
The second skein is gorgeous and would look very nice on you! Get going and you'll have it ready for the slopes! We have plenty of snow (so far, so good)!
Happy Holidays from Smith and I to you and Mr. E!!
Posted by: margene | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 06:07 PM
Thank you. I wish you well and hope you have a great holiday. How about doubling that sock yarn for a hood/cowl thing? Or those boot sock tops without feet?
Posted by: Angie | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 06:49 PM
Oh, you are SO well behaved! (I should talk!) Congratulations on all that rowing!
Posted by: Lynn | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 07:24 PM
Congratulations on the rowing and Merry Happy Festivities!
Posted by: S.Kate | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 07:49 PM
Happy, Happy! The skein *is* pretty awesome!
Posted by: Kathy | Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 12:16 AM
Congrats on meeting your goal. And yeah, self image is too depressing to talk about on Christmas! I miss you!
Posted by: Carole | Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 07:27 AM
Hugs and happiness!
Hurrah for goals met and goals conceived!
(And Hallelujah, we're past the solstice and the light will return to us...)
Posted by: gayle | Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 08:56 AM
I stand in awe of your rowing accomplishment. Happy holidays. Glad to see them come and glad to see them go, I'm all about the light returning.
Posted by: Diane | Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 01:20 PM
Congrats on your rowing goal! YIPPEE FOR YOU!!
Seriously pretty handpaint skein. You could just wear it as-is as an accessory. NICE!
Posted by: Anne | Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 01:49 PM
Happy Holidays! Congrats on the rowing.
Posted by: Suzanne | Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 07:33 PM
Did you know I live half an hour from Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak? Ok, so now you do.
A bit of ripping and that's another wip finished. It's too late to say that maybe you could have converted it to a mitten, ours get lost before they wear out so they don't need to be hard wearing.
Turkey sandwich anyone? (That probably doesn't travel so well. We don't have Thanksgiving so turkey is THE Christmas meat, everyone has it and everyone has leftovers)
Posted by: Caroline M | Monday, December 27, 2010 at 11:22 AM
The Shibui would make a soft hat or a lovely scarf - and you could WEAVE with it. Heh.
The answer to your different skeins is the POOF factor - BFL has it, icelandic doesn't. (The angora can, but the icelandic is holding it back.) When I spin BFL, it always POOFS to a larger diameter and snugs all those ply/twist angles together nicely. Polwarth is even POOFIER.
They're both lovely, BTW.
Kudos on your rowing cert. I have completely fallen down on the job of keeping myself healthily alive. Back on the horse (treadmill) next week, or even better, today.
Posted by: DebbieB | Monday, December 27, 2010 at 12:45 PM
Congrats on reaching your rowing goal!
I think it's too early to judge your skeins until they've been washed. The icelandic looks soooo soft! Yum!
Posted by: elizabeth | Monday, December 27, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Whoa...you are my hero! I jogged a full mile last week and thought I was doing well.....not so much, apparently! Happy Holidays to you both!
Posted by: Marcia | Monday, December 27, 2010 at 03:40 PM
I knew you would kick that challenge in the ass. Congratulations!
If your pants still fit the same (or looser) then you've just gained muscle and don't worry about the scale. The scale can lie, but the jeans test never will.
Posted by: claudia | Monday, December 27, 2010 at 08:28 PM
It's funny how often we're on the same wavelength. There was an incident at my house this past weekend where I dared to bring home the correct size of jeans for my 15 y-o. She flipped and I had a really rough time explaining that she was not in fact, fat but that she looks it when she squeeezes into jeans that are a size too small. I tried to convince her that she'd look thinner in jeans of the proper size (sans muffin top). Not so successful. Body dysmorphic disorder is everywhere.
Posted by: Hillary | Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 10:10 AM
Holiday wishes and congrats to you! While I am frantically spinning an EKF batt on a deadline (May for the FO), I am itching to get my hands on my recently acquired BFL. Happily I am thwarted in harlotry because all my spindles are currently in use.
Posted by: Melissa G | Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 02:17 PM
Didn't know there was a certificate. Am definitely going to print it. Am definitely not going to drive after the bourbon I just had.
Posted by: Peg in Kensington, California | Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 06:32 PM
Happy New Year, Laurie!
I walked in the park yesterday, to make sure that I got things started. Thanks for the motivation!
Posted by: DebbieB | Saturday, January 01, 2011 at 10:58 AM
Happy New Year!
Posted by: Mary Lou | Saturday, January 01, 2011 at 11:11 AM
Lori...29 days of rowing is awesome!!! My hat is off to you and Mr E for sticking with it.
Many happy wishes to you both!
Posted by: Kim | Saturday, January 01, 2011 at 05:26 PM