Oh, sweet!

What I just said when I realized that my average pace so far is higher than my pace needs to be to finish on time.

Average pace so far: 1.40 miles/day (113.7 miles/81 days)
Average pace needed to finish: 1.37 miles/day (386.3 miles/282 days)

So it's higher, but not by much. A minor travel cold knocked out the first few days after returning from LA, and work has interceded this week. I'm hoping to pack in a few consecutive long walks this weekend. Things are cooling off, thankfully, which is good for the walking, but are a reminder that Winter Is Coming and I should find Something To Do in order to continue walking during the cooler months. My weird class schedule should actually help - I have two free mornings for when it's hot like now, and two free afternoons for when it cools off, so I can walk during the afternoons when it's starting to get really cool.

I'm considering starting some Winter Walking accessories soon, but really I have five million pairs of fingerless mittens and just finished a really warm hat, so as long as I'm ok looking mismatched, I'll probably be fine. Meanwhile I'm knitting for babies. I finished the knitting of a Baby Surprise Jacket, and started a square shawl/blanket from Knitter's Almanac. The baby the blanket is for is four weeks old this week, and I hope to meet him in October. The Surprise Jacket's recipient isn't here yet, so I don't feel too bad putting off its seams and all.

And it's knit night, which is always good for productivity. Yay!

Vacation

Clockwise from top left: Getty Center gardens - gorgeous!!! Creepy Circus Liquor Neon Clown was one of our landmarks between our hotel and Kid Brother's place. Dinner on Friday night was across from Warner Bros studios - Justin rode a bike across the lot to meet us on his lunch break. Birds of Paradise were the local shrubbery - we passed lovely ones outside an Olive Garden on a morning walk. Kermit and Piggy passed by in a Disneyland parade - we had just gotten off the teacups (Mom has the best photos from the teacups!). The roller coaster coasted under us on the Ferris Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier. And lastly, the Pacific - Santa Monica Bay, really.

What fun we had! I walked a lot - my pedometer gave up the ghost and fell apart the last night.

Really, all that was fun, but the reason I went was this:


Happy fun times with Mom and Justin. Yay!

80 miles in

I'm trying to wrap up July in a way that doesn't make me feel disappointed in myself. I had hoped to walk 50 miles this month. I didn't quite make it last month, and it won't happen this month either.

But maybe my expectation wasn't exactly reasonable. I went out of town for two of the four weekends in the month. Most Friday-Monday stretches in June, I walked 7-10 miles over that time. The Fourth Weekend I got less than a mile in, and the week after that was obliterated with work recovery from the trip. At Camp I walked more than the first trip, but still not as much as I might have at home. This week has had meetings keeping me from walking. The second half of the summer term has been rough. But it's almost over.

I'm trying to decide on a New Goal for August. I do want to get 50 miles in a month, and August may be the month, but maybe I should try and eliminate the sporadic non-walking I did in July. I think I'm going to try and walk a measurable and recordable distance (at least a tenth of a mile, preferably half a mile or more) 6 days a week.

Pictures of Knitting

Look, it's a hat!


Brioche-stitch watchcap, or as EZ called it, "Prime Rib". Knit from handspun Falkland in the Spunky Club's "Zombies" colorway. What a pleasure this was! I still find the structure of the fabric mesmerizing. See, look:



Mmm. Yummy.

I'm past the sticking point on the first sleeve of my next sweater: it's orange and yummy. I'm not getting gauge, so I'm redoing the math to make it work - the yarn needs the tighter gauge, and I love the fit of my sleeve so far. Pullover in mmmalabrigo:



Orange. Very Orange. I'm hoping to have this finished for the start of football season (War Eagle!). We'll see. Stockinette is very good right now - but that's only 6 weeks off. Not sure I'm that fast - though I want to be. I can definitely get it done by the Iron Bowl, though, right? I need to crank through this, I've got at least 3 more sweaters I want to make rightnow due to Camp.

Need to talk about walking. Next time.

Away and back

I went to Knitting Camp. I got home a little more than 24 hours ago, and my headspace is still there. I've been daydreaming of new sweaters all day. There are at least four competing for precedence, including the current orange pullover that I've decided to chuck the given instructions on and knit with a circular set-in sleeve and a steeked v-neck.

Meanwhile I'm knitting a handspun brioche stitch hat that I know I've knit enough to have three hats (I've frogged it a lot), but it's a fascinating knit and I don't actually want it to end until I have this odd bit of fabric construction pegged. Or till I've used up all of the wonderful yarn (it's ~100 yds of 3-ply falkland that I spun in October and it somehow never got blogged).

I know last year with Sock Summit not everything I learned was evident right away. I am entirely certain it will be the same way with Camp. Meanwhile I'm tracking down my fellow campers' ravelry pages and blogs because I desperately do not want to forget the amazing weekend I had. I want to return next year - actually, I want to return next weekend.

Anyway, if I'm going to have a better day at work tomorrow I need to get on to bed. I know there is more to say, and I will say it. And I'll have a hat to show by the weekend - unless it gets frogged some more.

Long haul

Gentle readers, a pair of socks.



These socks were first seen in October 2008, when I decided it would be nice to make socks for my husband.

They were then summarily ignored until July of last year, when I realized the first one was too small for His feet.

I kept working. I have no clue or documentation of when the first was finished, but there was what I called a sock-and-a-half in May's piles o' stuff post.




And now they're finished. I have started and finished nine pairs of socks since I started these. I'm really proud of myself for not quitting on them. They're pretty great, although much is lost in the blackness of the yarn. This was more of a challenge than I thought it would be, and while I won't say Never Again, I'm definitely a little burned out on dark socks for a while. Too bad I have two other pairs on the needles.

Life, the Universe, and Everything

Many Thanks to Peg, Melly, Sarah, and Paige for their suggestions.

I have been listening to podcasts - listened to a new one (Planet-IRL is pretty cool, race fans!) today. Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me and NPR's Sunday Puzzle are standbys. I definitely plan to walk with friends on weekends - once I get one free, this summer is kind of slammed. The "walk to somewhere" thing is cool, but the only place I ever go is Birmingham - which is about 500 miles away. I think a monthly goal may be worthwhile, though. I'm going for 50 miles in July.

But today I'm at 42.5 miles, and I'm enjoying the Hitchhiker's Guideyness of it.

Thanks, friends! I'm excited about what's happening with my walking!