On Knitting and Biking

My Earth Stripe Wrap is growing! I'm really enjoying knitting it, it just flies, because I keep wanting to see what the next color will look like, despite the boring stockinette. Only problem is that it's now 20 inches (1/3 done!), and it rests on my legs, which was making me too hot, since I cannot knit it with sweaty hands, it is now waiting for me to go home to the A/C to work more on it....it's pretty humid here on the Cape (Cape Cod), even with all the doors open and ceiling fans on. It's fine for knitting on merino lace, just not mohair!

On the bike front, as you can see, I'm still very enamored of my Pink Townie. She is doing a great job being a back drop for my knitting. I still need a name for her! I am up to over 5 miles at a stretch, now, and am still riding about twice a day.



I took Harry on a quick ride this afternoon, as I was making sure he could manage in-between busy roads. Tomorrow morning he's doing 6 miles with me, including busier roads, as I teach him to deal with the traffic. He's doing great with hand signs, and staying the right distance from the the edge of the road....but he needs to go slightly faster! He's on a small bike, still, so he doesn't coast very fast.


This is what my 13 yr old son likes to do. His grandparents took him out to Utah to climb, for his Bar Mitzvah trip. Grandma doesn't watch ;-)

Today

I don't feel too well, but I'm improving. I got a stomach bug last night...woke up in the middle of the night with it. We shall go there no further.

I am sitting in the living room, reading, looking at blogs (did you SEE Jennifer's pretty bamboo wool sock yarn? She made a set, just for me! I LOVE it!). Here is the view over my shoulder, taken with the little camera on the top of my MacBook's screen. It makes me happy, even though it's quite overcast....at least I'm feeling under the weather as the weather is less than great. I expect to be fine by dinner time, I am already much MUCH better.





And here is a proper photo, taken properly, a year or two ago at sunset....it's my favorite.



It's too pretty here to be sick!

It's a good week.

Yesterday my husband finished his MAT (Masters of Teaching). He was in at small program, and they had a funky graduation, where each student presented their research projects, and the heads of the various departments told something about each student as they got their diplomas. Naturally, they said that Abe was a reenactor. I do believe that that will make him a better history teacher!

Today we are in my favorite place in the entire world, on the water, on the Cape. Although my daughters have been stick in the muds (or stuck in the houses, reading), my sons were game for everything except water. So we went for two bike rides, totally 5 miles. One in the morning, one after lunch. I don't want to do too much, too quickly, or I'll have to stop!



I LOVE my new bike!



But getting the kids going is like herding cats. We had a pleasant ride, and had to adjust seats afterwards. But the bike computers are all adjusted and working, and keeping track of our miles is lots of fun!

Now for Knitting....



This is Kaffe Fasset's Earth Stripe Wrap, from the Rowan magazine, number 42. I LOVE it. Kid Silk Haze. I got 12 colors, not quite the ones in the patterns, and I used a couple of pastels in place of neutrals, and I'm adding in some pink/purples in addition to all the pink/golds, to unmuddy it just a little. I can't wait to finish, the colors are wonderful, and the yarn feels even better!!!!!

MINEMINEMINE

I have done it! I bought myself a bike!

Thanks to Claudia I learned about Electra's Townie bikes.

Here is mine.

Neat, huh? I love it!

I've wanted to ride my bike for ages, I've been waiting for my weight loss to let me ride, but that was taking too long...and my knees don't bend enough, and my balance is rotten, so if the seat was high enough on my bike for me to be able to pedal, I couldn't touch the ground well, and I felt too unstable.

These bikes have their pedals way forward, so that you can still touch the ground, almost flatfooted and still almost straighten your knee when pedaling! I chose a three speed, because you can adjust the gears while stopped. In a 7 speed I keep getting stuck gears too high to easily start up, so this is a safety issue for me right now. It has a coaster brake (I feel like a kid!) and a front hand brake. Only difference from Claudia's bike are that mine doesn't have fenders and flower stickers (but the stickers are available online). The bike shop didn't have the white Electra rack, so that is on order. It'll be pretty.

You can see how low the cross bar is. I can get on and off quite easily, despite my knees' stiffness. The best thing, of course, is I CAN RIDE! I picked it up today, in dreary rain....drizzle, then deluge, then a ray of sun, with more deluge. It almost stopped raining just before the sun went down, so I was able to go for a quick ride. I went for a mile, up and down several hills, and it WORKED! I CAN RIDE! I know, I said that already, but I CAN RIDE!!!!!!

Next week I, too, will have some BAT/KATs for Claudia!