The Things I Like

No Marathon For Me!

2009-10-03T15:53:00.002-05:00

I've had quite a few people ask me if I'm running the Twin Cities Marathon this weekend. It's a fair question, since this will be the first time in five years that I am not running the Marathon. Last year, I got a message loud and clear from my knees -- no more marathoning! At least not for a couple years . . .

Turns out it was a blessing in disguise, since I've got a moderately bad cold this weekend, I would be no good running tomorrow even if I wanted to.

In lieu of running the marathon, I'm spending the weekend knitting vegetables (and a tomato, a fruit).

Oh for cute take two

2009-09-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Seriously, who doesn't love a knitted earthworm?

Obama!

2009-09-13T18:09:00.002-05:00

What better way to spend a Saturday than getting up early, waiting in line for about . . . 5 hours . . and then seeing our 44th President?!

We really did have a good time; the crowd was happy and excited, thus the time passed very quickly. Since I haven't had the opportunity to see a President live (save for the time in 4th grade when we saw Ronald Reagan's wave to people as his car drove down the street) -- and since I'm a big fan of Mr. Obama's, I decided it was worth the effort.

The zoom on this camera was amazing -- it looks like I was a lot closer than I really was. Needless to say, President Obama carried his message well; he did a great job of exciting the crowd -- we were all fired up and ready to go!

As I mentioned before, since I did have about 5 hours to wait, I took the time to finish my sweater. The security detail didn't even bat an eye at my needles. Apparently my pointy, medal sticks weren't threatening enough.

Oh for cute.

2009-09-05T19:06:00.000-05:00

St. Paul Tri 2009

2009-08-23T16:32:00.002-05:00

Today was the St. Paul Tri! I completed the half mile swim, 20k bike, and 5k run in 1:38:22. Given the nice day, and my brother as support staff, I couldn't ask for much more. My only gripe: I am not a fan of those friends/family members of athletes that hover over their friend's/family member's bikes and disallow anyone to park next to them in the transition area. I encountered two rejections from being able to park my bike at an area. Sorry folks, we're all in this together, and if there isn't much space left for bike-parking, you gotta move over.

Can't ask for much more than a matching swim cap and swim suit.

The swim is over!

It felt like my own personal Tour de France, except much much less gruelling.

Thanks Jay, for taking pictures and helping me haul *my* bike. Thanks Kaarin, for letting me use your bike, it's a nice ride.

Gearing up for the State Fair!

2009-08-15T10:39:00.002-05:00

It's State Fair entry time again! This year, I'll have four entries, once of which is the shawl pictured here. It turned out much bigger than anticipated -- about five feet wide. It's pretty cozy too, meaning I may not get to wear it until late fall.

If you think it looks soft, it is -- alpaca.

I found this fantastic shawl pattern in Vogue Knitting, a new favorite pattern-placed of mine.

Weekend Cowler

2009-08-02T10:36:00.003-05:00

I love weekend projects. Especially on the heels of big projects (more info coming on those projects).

Here is my Weekend Cowler, just in time for fall (at least it feels like it these days!). Yes, it may technically be a cowl, but explaining and re-explaining the technical name to Erica, we decided a much better name is really a cowler.

I'm particularly proud of the tubular cast-on and Kitchener stitch cast-off -- the later requiring large amounts of concentration.

Whoops.

2009-07-23T20:47:00.003-05:00

Sorry folks -- didn't realize a whole month had passed without one post! I have some mildly exciting news to pass along -- my car crossed the 200,000 mile mark! She's still going strong.

On the same car trip, Erica and I discovered Hope. It's in Iowa; in case anyone was looking.

Who doesn't love a day trip to Duluth?

2009-06-24T21:14:00.002-05:00

Not me. Erica and I decided to get out of town the other day. It was a quick 2.5 hours up to Duluth, and a nice day to spend wandering around Duluth with no agenda. We spent a couple hours poking around, had a nice dinner, and we were home again in no time.

Despite the increased temperatures, Lake Superior is still really chilly!

See, that's about as far as I got in the lake.

You can't post about Duluth without the obligatory lift-bridge photo!

Congrats to Lynn and David!

2009-06-20T14:28:00.002-05:00

As any proud older sister would be -- it's a special week for Lynn and David. Not only are the two moving to Alabama (for school), but they are also engaged! Congrats you two!

Oh, right

2009-06-15T20:18:00.001-05:00

Oh, right, people actually wanted to see pictures of the new appliances! Here they are.

Complete with baked potatoes in the oven. Much better than bisque, ehe?

Checking in

2009-06-07T19:47:00.000-05:00

Hey folks -- not much shaking here. It's been a bit since my last post, so I thought I would check-in with today's first -- it's June 7th and we turned the heat on today. That's right, since it's been consistently about 55 - 60 degrees for two days, it needed to happen. Bummer. Where's summer?

Just in time for Summer

2009-05-23T15:57:00.002-05:00

I finished the quilt. . . just in time for summer!

There's nothing like a hot, sticky July evening that just calls out to be layered up with a quilt.

Oh well, winter will come around again.

Awwwww

2009-05-14T20:37:00.002-05:00

Who doesn't like a picture of a rainbow?

Easy!?

2009-05-07T22:10:00.003-05:00

After being enticed by the "easy installation" label, Erica and I decided we'd pass on the $170 fee for having someone else put in the new oven hood in the kitchen. I mean, seriously, it's only four screws, right?

As you can see, the old 'bisque' oven hood just simply had to go -- we needed to update with our new, more modern stainless steel oven hood. Not to mention the fact that the old oven hood was just gross after years of use.

Please note: No one gets hurt in this story -- we successfully cut the power to the kitchen before taking off the old hood, and untangling the wires. We take our small victories where we can get them.
We opened the box containing the new oven hood, and it is pretty much in pieces. Everything seems to have been taken apart -- but, since we're installing this ourselves, this is normal, right? It shouldn't matter that the instructions actually show a pieced together oven hood, since we should be able to put it together on our own, right?

After two hours of trying to figure it out, it boiled down to this:
* Erica believed we got a defunct oven hood and wanted to take it. pronto.
* I believed that everything was just fine with the oven hood, we were just incapable of putting it together.

Finally, at 9:45 p.m. last Friday night, we took it back. Guess what folks -- when we opened our new oven hood, it was all in one piece! I was totally wrong, and Erica was right. They gave us a pretty clearly defective product and I kept thinking it was us! No one in their right mind could have figured out how to put it together, and I'm glad Erica made me stop trying.

So, we at least got the old oven hood out. . .

#3

2009-05-02T11:02:00.002-05:00

Since this is the third sweater I've made with the same pattern, I'm titling it "#3."

This sweater was another indication to me that I suffer from finishitupitis. It's a common disease that inflicts knitters, where the knitter completes about 99% of a project, sets it aside and starts another project. I had this project all knit up, the only task left was to sew in the ends, block it, and sew on the button (total time -- about one hour, not counting drying time). This sweater sat around, unfinished, for about 3 weeks before I finally brought myself to finish it.

Remember that quilt I was working on? Yup, I've been 99% finished with that project for over a month now. . .

New Apps!

2009-04-29T19:34:00.003-05:00

Apparently I've been seriously delinquent in blog-posting lately! Thanks to all those patient blog-checkers, I'm finally back on-line. . . for now.

Finally! My seriously old appliances are going to appliance heaven very shortly. I'm pretty sure these appliances are about as old as I am. The fridge 'clunks' from time to time, even scaring Erica the other day. The light in the fridge has never worked. I'm not sure when it broke. When I moved in, I attempted to change the bulb and it broke in my hand. I decided to just leave the metal base in place and not touch it again. I'd rather just get my food in the dark.

My range has only three working coils -- the largest one hasn't worked in years. It also wobbles.

When we went appliance shopping, we quickly learned that 'bisque' is no longer available (not that we wanted it anyway). And for good reason, yikes. However, since the rest of my kitchen is still bisque, stainless steel was pretty much the only option we had to go with.

New appliance pictures coming!

Beets!

2009-04-08T19:12:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Leah for reminding me how beautiful beets are and how much fun it is to cook with them. I've got borscht for a week!

Iowa

2009-04-04T15:33:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Iowa! Yesterday was an amazing day. Erica and I just so happened to be in Iowa for the announcement -- a ban on same-sex marriage violates the Iowa State Constitution and must not stand. Iowa once again leads the way in ending discrimination and maintaining justice for all its citizens.

Before attending Lynn's Masters Dance Thesis (the reason we were in Iowa City), we popped by the impromptu rally at the old Capitol grounds. The grounds were packed and people were still streaming in when we left. Hearing about the unanimous opinion gave me hope that history will stand on the side of love and families.

Photo credits to Erica.

Project Update

2009-03-21T15:14:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, the blog has been fiber-heavy lately. Sorry about that. I figure no one wants to read about the weather, and no one needs to hear me pontificate about the mortgage crisis, so it's fibers you get.

Despite doing my best, the quilt is still not done. We're getting there. Patience please.

But, I was able to kick-out another quick sweater. I'm a little bummed I couldn't get a close up of the button -- it's a nifty little wooden fish.

And just for the heck of it, I made a wine cozy. If you happen to be a good friend of mine, with a 'stock the bar' themed wedding shower coming up, this is clearly not for you. And if you think that shower invitation next to it was intentionally placed there to indicate they go together, you are wrong. And if you think that the green was picked out to match your wedding colors, it's a coincidence.

Open!

2009-03-16T21:17:00.002-05:00

I opened my windows today! Today we got up to 66 degrees - a temperature it hasn't been to since November 6 of last year. Need I remind all my Minnesota readers that it has been a long winter?

I came home today after work, turned off my heat, tore off the plastic from one set of windows, and opened them up. (About one hour later, I shut the windows and turned back on the heat since it started to get cooler - oh well, you have to start somewhere, right?)

I love yarn swifts!

2009-03-11T19:46:00.002-05:00

Before. . .

. . . and after!
Continuing on with my stash busting, I've dug up some yarn that I've had for more than 10 years. That's right, more than 10 years. I bought this yarn from an outdoor bin at a yarn store in Germany. It caught my eye because it is 100% wool and cheap (read: itchy). I believe I even took extra care to mail it home to the U.S.

Then, I took a natural dying course, and we dyed our yarn with all sorts of natural things: flowers, weeds, more flowers, and more weeds. I can't remember what dyed this yarn, perhaps goldenrod, or perhaps a rusty nail that we threw in one pot.

Either way, this will be a fun experiment in knitting since I have no idea how much yarn I actually have in this ball!

Hey, Teach!

2009-03-10T21:53:00.002-05:00

Front . . .

. . . and back.

I just sewed on the buttons to my latest -- Hey, Teach! It's super cute, but reminded me how much I don't like sewing seams on sweaters. I'd much rather go out of my way to knit a non-seam-required sweater. Oh well, it's done, which means. . . I get to start another project!

Dance Anyone?

2009-03-08T14:38:00.002-05:00

As any proud sister would do -- here are the details of an upcoming Twin Cities' show where my very own sister's choreographed piece will be shown:

Informal Concert (of cutting-edge modern dance work being produced at Midwestern grad programs)

Friday, March 20, 2009
Rarig Center Proscenium Theater
U of MN
FREE 7:30 PM

Quilt Top!

2009-02-21T14:51:00.002-06:00

I finished the quilt top! It's lounging around on my couch, and it may stay there for some time. No block of time has appeared for me to quilt the whole thing together (not to mention the fact that I still need to purchase the batting).

Alas, progress is progress.

Bye Bye Slussy Minnesota Weather!

2009-02-10T21:33:00.002-06:00

Although I'd take this 30 degree weather over the recent sub-zero-arctic-spell, I'm ditching this slussy mess for Florida! Don't check in - I'll be too busy laying on the beach!

Whoa!

2009-02-04T17:45:00.001-06:00

Check this out! I'm on the radio!

Note, however, that I coined nothing, that's just nerves talking!

Hiatus from Hiatus

2009-02-03T20:50:00.002-06:00

Although I have made some progress. . .

I couldn't help but start my next knitting project. This was after more than one week of non-knitting, after which I was a complete crank and no fun to be around. Last night, I broke down and started knitting. I felt better immediately.

Knitting Hiatus

2009-01-26T20:29:00.002-06:00

I'm taking an involuntary knitting hiatus. That's right, against my better judgment, I am currently not working on a knitting project.

I've had some yardage staring at me in the face for a couple years now, basically saying -- So, Jane, you keep bringing in all this new yarn home, but what about us? Huh? When are you going to get around to making us into a quilt?

So, I've decided the only way it can be done is to peel myself away from my needles, and finally get out my sewing machine. Even though I really enjoy sewing, the lure of the knit/purl is just too much to take. If I had a project on the needles, there would be no quilting.

I've got a corner finished, much much more to come.

Knitting Mess

2009-01-24T18:35:00.002-06:00

Above is the madness that came from two partially knit hanks of yarn. This yarn, which will remain nameless, presented quite possibility the most frustrating knitting experience ever. It was far too shiny and silky to actually wind into a usable skein (skeins are hanks of yarn that have been neatly wound-up and are thus user-friendly).

I could not wait to be done with the project below so I could happily throw away the rest of the yarn.

Luckily this project didn't call for sleeves.

Kitchen Madness

2009-01-16T19:22:00.002-06:00

I'd just like to share with you the craziness that is my kitchen.

Exhibit A: The blanket and sweatshirt that I stuffed under the kick to stem the draft of cold air. Who knew that there could be a draft under one's kick? But, yes, I have one. It makes the floor pretty unbearable to stand on absent some thick socks. The blanket and sweatshirt seem to have helped. (detail below)

Exhibit B: My stuffed dishwasher that cannot run because it is too cold outside. For architectural reasons that I still don't quite understand, my dishwasher stops working when the weather dips below about 10 degrees below zero for more than two days. (Yesterday morning it was -21 degrees, and this morning it was -22 degrees -- and that doesn't even include the wind chill.) I imagine the water pipes are frozen, let's hope they don't burst.

Exhibit C: My open cabinet under the sink. I just want to keep some heat in there, since there is virtually no insulation between the sink pipes and -22 degree weather.

Exhibit D: Overflowing dishes in the sink as a result of Exhibit B.

Indoor S'mores!

2009-01-13T18:27:00.002-06:00

Who doesn't love a little s'more in the middle of January?

In lieu of branches, I soaked chop sticks in water (so they wouldn't burn).

Since we read a very cold (read: Norway-in-the-middle-of-winter, Out Stealing Horses) book, I decided to warm it up with a fire, which clearly just begged to have marshmallows roasting over it.

Revealed

2009-01-04T13:08:00.003-06:00

See! Isn't it cute!?! It took me only a couple days (i.e. almost no time in knitting-terms), and I put it together with yarn I already owned. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Except for maybe a better follow-up project. I'm on to my next project, also using yarn I've got in my stash.

The yarn for this next project is a rayon-ribbon, not to be named on this blog, because I am no longer fond of it. I bought it about 10 years ago, and it clearly reveals what my yarn tastes were at that time period -- immature. No longer would I purchase a yarn of such a childish color, texture, material, or - above all - shininess. (I will admit, it has a very nice drape.)

I'd like to think my taste in yarn has grown up somewhat.

Upgrade!

2008-12-30T20:44:00.002-06:00

Finally, a coffee maker that can handle all of my household's caffeine needs. Although the little coffee pot served me well, it was time for an upgrade. If anyone is need of a little coffee pot, lemme know, I've got an extra one. . .

Next!

2008-12-28T19:23:00.002-06:00

Mystery Project and the Sneak-Peak Project can step aside for a moment. Here is my latest creation, knit in about 5 days. It would have been 2, but I ran out of the maroon stuff. Aside from the one skein of maroon stuff (more precisely, Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift Sunrise), I used stash yarn, but since it is a hat, it didn't do too much damage to my unused yarn stash.

One Day Wonder

2008-12-20T11:26:00.002-06:00

Above is my latest creation -- not to be totally revealed under after Xmas (same with the previously started, and then finished, Mystery Project).

Here is why it makes me happy:
1.) It took about one point five days to knit.
2.) I used stash-yarn, i.e. I didn't have to buy anything new.
3.) I found that cute button! Who knew I had it?
4.) I used my favorite sweater technique -- the raglan, knit top to bottom.

Bad Apples

2008-12-16T21:05:00.002-06:00

What do you do when you think you're saving money by buying the cheap apples, but they end up being mushy?

The storm that wasn't. . .

2008-12-14T18:38:00.002-06:00

Alright folks, the storm really isn't. Actually, to be more precise, there is a raging snowstorm happening, just not in the Twin Cities -- it's going to miss us (mostly).

However, we did have a recipe for disaster -- a warm day (39 degrees, thus melting) + a drastic drop in temperatures = one big sheet of ice out there.

That said, I'm in the for the night.

It's a balmy 34 degrees outside

2008-12-13T09:59:00.002-06:00

MPR:A winter storm is heading towards Minnesota tonight.

Above: Before the storm!

Poltergeist?

2008-12-09T21:21:00.002-06:00

I may have a poltergeist. It's true. I came home today and noted a large mess near my kitchen table. After quickly determining that, in fact, there was no burglary, I realized that two pictures that were placed on my shelf had fallen down. Curious, since they haven't been touched for 3, or is it 4 (?), years.

Above is the vast emptiness that my fallen pictures left behind.

Below is a sneak peak through my 'window' to the kitchen.

And below is the fall-out. You can see the pictures even knocked over my bamboo plant (also used as my Christmas Tree, as evidenced by the single ornament). The picture frame isn't broken, it just need to be put back together. On the other hand, I'm not so sure the plant is going to make it. . .

Note: The purchase of the Klimt print was inspired by the case Gruen v. Gruen, 496 N.E.2d 869 (1986), -- a property case establishing the concept of constructive delivery. fun fun.

Cold! Stay out!

2008-12-02T17:42:00.002-06:00

Although I'm (mostly) done with any and all home improvement projects, I attempted to insulate the walls under my sink and behind my lazy susan. The architect of my building clearly forgot that winter happens in Minnesota and left out insulation. That's right, you read right, no insulation in my walls! It's brick on drywall. Needless to say, my furnace sees a lot of action in the winter.

For some reason I can't grasp since I'm not an architect, my kitchen is the coldest room in the condo. If you were to walk on the ceramic tile (that I installed myself) in the winter, you may suffer frostbite. If you were to open up the cabinet to the lazy susan, you may have an arctic blast thrown at you. Sometimes, in the really really cold parts of winter, my washing machine literally freezes up.

Thus, my attempt to insulate. I'm not expecting tropical weather in the kitchen, but maybe not so death- defyingly cold.

I'm off!

2008-11-25T11:40:00.000-06:00

I'm off for Thanksgiving! Have a good one.

Mystery Project

2008-11-15T18:09:00.000-06:00

I've started my next project, but . . . what will it be?

Easy Knit

2008-11-11T10:19:00.002-06:00

After a deluge of lace knitted items, I needed a break. A basic black sweater was in the cards. There were no tricks in this one, just a simple raglan style sweater. The best part about it was the yarn -- I swear it was fresh off the sheep. It even smells like a barn.

Holding Pattern.

2008-11-10T21:59:00.001-06:00

I'm in a blogging holding pattern -- nothing new.

I voted

2008-11-04T08:11:00.002-06:00

I just voted. I got to my polling place about 5 minutes before they opened, and the line was around the block. I waited in line for an hour before I got up to the voting station. It was a good thing I brought my coffee and knitting for the wait.

Above is a picture my father took at a recent Iowa visit by our next President.

Two Down

2008-11-02T17:26:00.002-06:00

Done! I finished my socks. I only suffered a small amount of SSS -- Second Sock Syndrome -- a common knitting aliment that allows a knitter to happily knit sock #1, but grow bored, resentful and unhappy knitting the second. You just want it to be done.

I would like to point out how incredible it is that the color pattern in the socks match! I didn't plan it, I swear. Typically, variegated sock yarns have repeated colorways, but I didn't think this yarn had any repeats since no repeats appears in the first sock. I was wrong, and I ended my first sock exactly where the repeat started.

I love this close-up -- the colors are fantastic, and you can get a better idea of the pattern.

Pumpkins!

2008-10-21T21:35:00.002-05:00

It has been years since I carved pumpkins. Luckily, Erica and I had the opportunity last week.

Step 1: Pick out pumpkins.

Step 2: Scoop out the innards.

Step 3: Carve out the symbol of your favorite presidential candidate.

Step 4: Eat the seeds.

The last time I cooked the pumpkin seeds was in 4th grade. They were so tasty this year, it'll now be an annual event.

2008 Twin Cities Marathon

2008-10-16T21:59:00.004-05:00

I'm not looking too shabby for (approximately) 17 miles. This after about an hour and a half of downpour, navigating massive puddles, and cold temps. This picture was taken shortly after I took off my soggy, soggy shoes and exchanged them for dry ones (I still got blisters). As mentioned before, I forgot to transfer the timing chip, resulting in my crossing some check-points with it -- an automatic disqualification (don't worry, I'm appealing!).

Thanks to my Assistant Coach, Erica, I got all marathon necessities -- food, water, dry shoes, and most importantly, consistent encouragement.

I'm about 100 yards from the finish above. Although only a mere seconds from completion, the finish line was excruciatingly far away!

Done! Thank goodness! My desire to make this my last marathon has not diminished as of yet. I think this one is going to stick.

One Down: One to Go

2008-10-14T22:35:00.001-05:00

One sock down. One sock to go. Despite the thick/thin yarn on size 0 needles, I'm rather enjoying myself!

500

2008-10-13T10:51:00.000-05:00

In honor of my 500th post, I'm keeping it short!

Race Results!

2008-10-06T18:37:00.002-05:00

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon - 2008
Marathon

October 5, 2008 - St Paul, MN

Summary

number of finishers:	7969
number of females:	3182
number of males:	4787
average time:	4:22:20

Jane Bowman

bib number:	F2218
age:	28
gender:	F
location:	St Paul, MN
overall place:	6182 out of 7969
division place:	719 out of 1081
gender place:	2209 out of 3192
time:	4:56:13
pace:	11:01
chip time:	4:48:31
5k:	33:37
10k:	1:07:05
half:	2:21:13
30k:	0:
20 mile:	0:

Yeah! I finished.

Recap: The rain gods did not smile down on the 2008 Twin Cities Marathon. It was downpouring for about an hour and a half. There were times when runners went off-course to avoid gigantic puddles and small rivers in the street.

However, I was prepared! My Assistant Coach, i.e. Erica, rode my bike and met up with me at various spots along the way. (Yes, just reflect a moment about how great it was to have an Assistant Coach there with me almost the whole time!)

When it started raining, she ran out there with my hat. And then when it stopped raining, she ran out there with my extra pair of (dry) shoes. We did have a timing chip mishap though -- in the shoe exchange, we both forgot to put the chip back on my new shoes. My time, noted above, didn't get counted at the 30k and 20 mile markers. I, however, know that I ran the whole thing. Luckily, Erica found the chip and got it to me before I crossed the finish line.

As noted from other marathon recaps, it was long, hard, and painful. I'm not too sore today, but still walking awkwardly. Although I've said it before -- I think this is my last one! Pictures to come.

I am FULL!

2008-10-04T20:31:00.002-05:00

I am so full of carbs and protein; good thing I'm running a marathon tomorrow.

Pray to the rain gods that it starts raining only after I finish tomorrow. It could be a soggy run!

p.s. You can track my progress! Just click here, and remember that I am Bib F2218

Race starts Sunday, October 5 at 8:00 a.m.

4 days and counting. . .

2008-10-01T12:21:00.002-05:00

I've completely failed to mention that I'm running the 2008 Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday! It's probably because I'm not in my usual 'marathon mode.' Yes, I've done most of my training runs, and yes, I'm still planning on running it -- but really, I've almost forgotten it is coming up! I think my love of marathoning is slowly waning. I'm afraid Sunday's 26.2 mile jaunt through the Cities will completely kill whatever is left of it.

However, it's time to start thinking about the weather. If you recall, it was about 90 degrees last year, i.e. only people who were completely crazy would run it (me). You may also recall the 2007 Jane B Physical Challenge from last year -- two marathons on two hot days within two weeks. This year, no upping of the ante, I'm sticking with the one marathon once. period.

This year should be much better. The temperature is supposed to hover in the 50s and 60s this entire week, with slight potential for rain on Sunday. If it's 45 and dry, I'll be happy.

Stay posted for stats and pictures, and please - send me your energy this Sunday morning, I'm going to need it!

Next Lace Project!

2008-09-24T20:41:00.002-05:00

Since I can't seem to put down the lace projects -- here is my next one!

Lace socks! The yarn is 100% wool, with fun variegated colors running through it.

The coolest thing about these socks is clearly the magic cast-on. Can you see a seam? I can't. Toe seams have been the bane of my sock knitting, but never again! Seriously, learning this stitch will revolutionize my knitting.

More Lace Knitting. . .

2008-09-22T19:45:00.003-05:00

I'm on a roll with the lace knitting. I just finished my latest project -- a shawl.

I started with only 5 stitches, and added 4 each knit row.

Which meant it got a bit large and unruly on the needles.

Above is my shawl being blocked (you wet the piece and then lay it out to dry as you would like its final shape to be).

The diamond pattern up close.

. . . and finished! I'm really pleased. It's 100% merino wool, very soft to the touch.

I did take that picture!

2008-09-21T19:02:00.001-05:00

Lo and behold, I did take the funniest picture ever! My camera must have tricked me. There is seriously hours of entertainment out of this shot.

Legwarmers for Lynn!

2008-09-14T21:07:00.002-05:00

With my extra sock yarn, I knit up some legwarmers for Lynn. They are nothing fancy, just a knit stitch (and one is actually longer than the other -- I ran out of yarn!).

I'm not actually sure she'll ever wear them when dancing. I'm not sure I would. But that's OK, I found a good use for the yarn, and it makes me a fabulous sister for making them!

Heat

2008-09-11T09:54:00.001-05:00

September 9, 2008 -- I turned on my heat. It's going to be a long winter.

Welcome to St. Paul!

2008-09-07T13:11:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my fair city, St. Paul! Although the RNC is officially over, I did manage to get downtown to take some pictures of a City Under Siege. Seriously, they basically blockaded a 4 block radius around the convention center. Below is a usually hustling and bustling downtown area; you could only get in the with 'right' (pun intended) credentials or hop the 10 foot metal fence. I think the police to pedestrian ratio was about 10:1.

Or, you could try and get past the police! They were fabulously prepared by the way, no one was going to get through these guys. Although, I was a bit nervous when I took this picture, because I did manage to get myself stuck between protesters and the police just as they closed off the street that I used to get there. Oops.

No worries, they didn't care about the little blond on the bike.

My camera stopped working right when I was going to take this amazing picture; you'll just have to imagine it:

[ A cardboard cut-out of Larry Craig standing by some porta potties ]

Brilliant.

2008 State Fair Entries

2008-09-04T21:52:00.002-05:00

Above are my entries to the 2008 Minnesota State Fair.

From left to right:
Lace Scarf -- 3rd place
Roslin Fair Isle Hoodie -- 3rd place
Granny Square Afghan -- didn't place :(
Argyle Sweater vest -- 4th place

My winnings equaled $10! (I donated it back to the Creative Activities Competition to make sure I can always show up my fellow knitters.)

Note to non-Minnesotans: The Minnesota State Fair is a big deal. This year 1.7 million people went to the fair. Everyone goes to the Fair; it is not to be missed.

Last Installment of Jordan Pictures!

2008-08-30T19:00:00.002-05:00

I promise -- here are the last pictures I'll post; I'll move on to other topics (State Fair and RNC come to mind).

But, until then. . .

Me knitting at Petra.

Me knitting in Jerash.

Me knitting at the Red Sea. (My film camera made it possible to see the beginning of the next picture.)

Me knitting in the Dead Sea, standing atop some salt.

The end product -- socks! Plus, I also knit Lynn some leg-warmers with the leftover sock yarn.

Jerash

2008-08-27T20:22:00.002-05:00

Although our guide books said that the City of Jerash was small and boring, a visit there was quite possibly one of the best days in Jordan. Although it was small, we spent a couple hours at the not-boring ruins of the ancient City of Jerash. A guide stuck a spoon between the base of one of these columns and a rock, and the spoon started moving! It was really scary knowing all those columns are slightly swaying.

A visit to a 1,500+ year old mosaic above. Perhaps my favorite part was walking down the ancient city streets, seeing grooves in the road from the wheels of chariots.

Aqaba

2008-08-24T15:30:00.002-05:00

We spent one day in Aqaba, near the Israeli, Egyptian, and Saudi borders. I have one message about Aqaba -- it was hot!

Which is why we spent the afternoon at the beach, the Red Sea to be exact. There was much sun, snorkeling, and reading to be done.

This was our not-too-exciting view from the hotel. You can see the Red Sea in the background. You see all those metal boxes? Yeah, air conditioning units. Did I mention it was hot? And by "hot," I mean paralyzingly, debilitatingly, and oppressively hot. It was hot.

Downtown Amman

2008-08-21T23:12:00.003-05:00

What Middle Eastern city doesn't have an amphitheater, that's what I would like to know!

This is the downtown area. The city isn't build very tall, as you can see. It is however, spread out across many kilometers of territory. As I recently learned, the city's population has exploded over the past ten years, pushing the outer limits of the city on a daily basis.

Atop the downtown area hill is the Citadel, the old stronghold for the area. There are only a couple standing pillars currently, along with a church or two.

Here are some more ruins from the Citadel, complete with the Byzantine Coke machine.

More Petra. . .

2008-08-20T17:55:00.002-05:00

Petra is such a cool location, I just have to share more pictures.

Aside from where the restrooms would be, it might not be too shabby to live in a city carved entirely out of rock.

Especially if your mode of transportation was camel.

Be sure to check out the carved entrances in the upper corners of the above photo.

This was the camel that blocked the road as we approached Wadi Musa, the neighboring city to Petra. I got a picture of her/him and he/she decided standing in the middle of the road might not be such a good idea. I'm not sure where the shepherd was, but apparently not tending to the flock!

Petra

2008-08-17T17:56:00.003-05:00

No trip to Jordan is complete without a visit to Petra, a huge archaeological site. It's basically an ancient city, with only about 5% of it actually uncovered.

To get there -- you walk down the Siq, a gorge which also was used as a waterway.

It was very scenic; you can see a path for water that was carved out on the left side.

. . . and yet another shot of the Siq.

Above is the Treasury, carved out of solid rock.

You pretty much can't get cooler than this.

Leaving Amman, Jordan

2008-08-15T11:16:00.002-05:00

With only 5 minutes remaining on my time at the internet cafe. . .

Tomorrow we leave from Jordan. Please stay posted for pictures and comments regarding

* Aqaba
* Petra
* Jerash
* The Dead Sea and Mt. Nebo

. . . and I only got sunburnt once! Go me!

Amman, Jordan

2008-08-10T06:11:00.002-05:00

After a near-perfect international flight experience (is there one?), I was picked up and wisked away from the Amman International Airport by Jay, Lynn and David. Whew.

This far, my experience with the City of Amman has been the traffic. Since we've rented a car, we just buzz around from place to place, although I'm not sure why anyone wants to risk their lives in cars here (perhaps because there is little to no mass transit options). You basically stick your neck out in every single intersection, hope & pray that you'll make it across and then go. There is usually a lot of honking involved, but somehow everyone makes it, and traffic does somehow manage to keep moving along.

We also had a great food experience. We went to a hole-in-the-wall Yemini restaurant, and ate some delicious bread, lamb, and vegetable concoction.

Tomorrow is Petra!

Pictures coming. . .

HI THIS IS LYNN (the sister). YA I made it on Jane's BLOG.

More Summer Grillin'

2008-08-07T21:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks so much to Eric and Florence for having Erica and I over the night for some more fabulous summer grillin'. Grilled chicken over pesto linguine was on the menu - yum.

I'm glad that I inadvertently took a picture of 'the chimney'; located right below the grill. It fires up the coals sans the lighter fluid and in record time to boot.

My next blog post may be from Amman, Jordan, depending on my mood/tiredness and my access to the internet.

Knitting Deadline Ahead

2008-08-02T13:04:00.002-05:00

The entry dates for Minnesota State Fair creative activities entries is fast approaching. This scarf will be entered. Meaning, I still have to knit a good part of it, block it, and enter it. It can and will be done.

Can't blog, must knit. . .

Tow Mater!

2008-08-01T19:33:00.002-05:00

Since my summer is one big rest-and-relaxation fest, I'm living vicariously through my father. As he was riding RAGBRAI this past week, he happened to run into Tow Mater. I mean really, is there a bigger celebrity you would like to meet? Nope, didn't think so.

Pictured also is my father's new bike -- 20 pounds, easy gear shifting, skinny tires -- which pedaled him across Iowa.

Summer Grillin'

2008-07-31T17:51:00.002-05:00

Thanks Nate, for hosting the impromptu summer evening 'o grillin'. It was great fun. Since I had about .5 seconds to gather food for the grill, I reached for the only grillable thing in my fridge -- past-it's-prime corn. Alas, we threw it on the grill. Needless to say, it was dry and hard to chew, but at least it had flavor!

Next time, it's brats or fresh Iowa sweetcorn, can't beat that.

Sandwich Night

2008-07-25T20:12:00.003-05:00

Yes Faithful Readers, it has been a nice, long, wonderful summer of relaxin'. Read: Not much blogging material. While I'm off being boring (i.e. relaxing), my blog is languishing under the unexcitement.

Thus, I would like to thank Beth & Rececca for having me over last night for Sandwich Night. I was a last minute addition to the evening -- when Rebecca walked in, she saw me, and she headed right back out again to purchase even bacon for everyone. Thanks Rebecca!

Then, (remember after running to the store on my account) Rebecca slaved away at the kitchen counter preparing the best BLTs ever. I continued my Summer o' Relaxin' and just watched. I did, however, offer to help -- to no avail.

Once my sandwich-observing was over, we headed to the TV room with plates full of goodness to watch America's Next Top Model and then some Reno 911.

All in all, it was a great evening of food, TV, and something to blog about.

Mid-Summer

2008-07-16T22:10:00.002-05:00

I would be pointing out the obvious if I mentioned that the summer is already half gone.

But that's all I really have to say right now -- the summer is half over.

I'm taking it easy this week, thus not much to report. Stay tuned, however, I have trips planned to Jordan and Portland.

Why?

2008-07-09T19:47:00.002-05:00

After finishing up some tough knitting, I decide to jump right into some new tough knitting. Why? What was I thinking? You'd think I would throw in a little scarf, maybe just a basic sweater, but no, I decide to take on lace knitting.

I'm not complaining, mind you, it's just going to be another long, challenging road. The pattern is going along well, but I'm especially loving the yarn -- Rowan Kidsilk Haze -- it's next to weightless, like knitting with butter.

Intarsia, Patience Tester

2008-07-07T21:34:00.002-05:00

Go me. I finally finished my first real tough bout with Intarsia, a type of knitting which requires a lot of patience. As you can see, I had a lot of colors going at once, and as you may be able to guess, there are no floats. This means each color change requires dropping the previous color yarn, wrapping the new one around it, and carrying on. It also required many many little butterflies of yarn draping down the back of the project, resembling nothing short of a mess.

But I persevered, and only 6 months after starting, I finished!

Radio

2008-07-01T21:00:00.001-05:00

Your dreams have come true. . . yes, they put me on the radio for about 30 minutes this past weekend. Check it out. Remember, I'm the second half of the hour program.

Day of Nothing

2008-06-28T11:42:00.003-05:00

These days don't come along frequently. These days where you really don't have much to do -- and if you don't accomplish those things, oh well.

On my list today is:
* Run
* Knit

In other words, some of my favorite things to do.

Since it's raining, I may only have a 50% accomplishment rate today.

The Run

2008-06-22T15:05:00.002-05:00

As promised, here is a brief description of the third leg of my triathlon -- The Run. Although I've got a lot more running (especially in formal races), it was much harder to do after swimming and biking. Although I figured this would be true, it was surprising to actually feel it. My feet were heavy, and the three miles seemed like much more.

But, in the end, I finished. And it felt good.

The above picture is not from the triathlon (I don't have one), but I'm sure I looked the same.

In other running news, last week marked my formal marathon training for the upcoming Twin Cities Marathon. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything crazy, like running two marathons in two weeks.

Traffic Jam

2008-06-17T21:53:00.003-05:00

When I think of a fun-filled, weekend get-away, I think of sitting on I-94 for four hours. That's right, 4 hours to go about 5 miles. Yes, it was glorious. Above is a picture of the interstate mid-day last Friday. I didn't get a picture of the people playing football on the side of the road. I also think they were just starting to get the grill out when we started up again (only to go about 100 yards to sit again).

When Erica and I decided the best way to Chicago was not to sit on the detour, we ventured out and found our own way through Wisconsin. (Please also note that although the flooding may have added hours to our trip, we are thankful to have flood-free homes.)

Our own way through Wisconsin included a pass through the Wisconsin Dells -- a place both Erica and I decided that we never have to visit. . . ever again.

The good news is, however, that when we went through the Wisconsin Dells, we found Bowman Park and Bowman Road.

Worry not, we made it to Chicago and had a fantastic weekend of relaxing, eating, relaxing, swimming, sleeping in, relaxing and some more eating.

The Bike

2008-06-16T21:52:00.002-05:00

Above is the corral, where we all parked our bikes while we swam. It was set up nicely until we all ran in, grabbed our bikes, biked, and then haphazardly threw them back in before starting the run. All in all, it was really well organized.

Thanks much to Kaarin for letting me borrow her bike for my training and the race. I couldn't have done it on my mountain bike (with only two working gears). Above is a picture of me pinning on my race number. You can also see the towel I set up; it signifies "my gear area." I kept all my triathlon gear on it -- water, running shoes, helmet, gloves, towels, etc. At least it made me feel organized and like I knew what I was doing.

The bike went splendidly. Although, about half way through I looked down and noticed one of my tires was low. Small amounts of panic set in, because a) I just pumped up the tires the night before, and b) if it was a flat tire, I was stuck in the middle of New Brighton. The race wasn't big enough to have officials and sag stops at every corner. Luckily, it was just what a saw: a low tire. It might have slowed me down a little, but I didn't notice.

$50.23

2008-06-13T01:34:00.001-05:00

That's right, it's my first over $50 gas purchase.

The Swim

2008-06-09T18:47:00.004-05:00

My first task was to swim 1/2 mile. In a lake. In 65 degree water. Since I've been swimming since I wasn't even old enough to talk, I knew it wouldn't be a problem. It would just be a matter of how long it would take me. All in all, I didn't finish first, but I finished it. It was surprisingly fun to run out of a lake with a lot of people cheering for me!

The above picture is fantastic because it captures a.) me shaking off the cold water that I just tested, and b.) the entire route -- we swam clock-wise around the buoys.

Above: me about ready to take to the water. Although the swim is supposed to be one of the tougher segments of a triathlon, it wasn't so bad for me. I'm sure the main reason it wasn't too bad is because I convinced myself it would be pure misery. And when the swim wasn't painful, it seemed actually pleasant!

Perfect Day for a Triathlon!

2008-06-07T13:52:00.003-05:00

New Brighton Triathlon
Individual Results

Jun 7th, 2008 - New Brighton, MN

Jane B.

bib number:	19
age:	28
gender:	F
location:	St. Paul, MN
overall place:	240 out of 281
division place:	16 out of 19
gender place:	74 out of 105
time:	1:43:54
pace:	0:
swim:	17:55
trn1:	2:43
bike:	51:43
trn2:	1:14
run:	30:21

Despite my finishing near the end of the pack, I felt like I was going at a pretty good clip! The distances were: .5 mile swim, 14 mile bike, and a 3 mile run.

Pictures and commentary coming. . .

Back to Camp!

2008-06-04T18:28:00.003-05:00

Actually I didn't really go back to Camp, but I thought it was time for a friendly reminder of the fabulous canoe ride Erica and I took. Ahhhh, summer.

Eagle Spotting!

2008-06-02T22:31:00.002-05:00

This weekend provided for some good bald eagle spotting. I spent the weekend on Star Island in Cass Lake, where you're lucky to see one bald eagle. I think I counted 5 eagle spottings.

As you can see, I got pretty close to this pair. As we passed in our canoe, they watched us like a hawk. . . or should I say eagle?

Ravelry . . . my new Obsession

2008-05-28T20:46:00.003-05:00

Added to the list of Thing to do After Law School was:

Join Ravelry

Thus, I did!

Ravelry is an on-line knitting and crocheting community. Who knew? As a member, you have the ability to input all your past projects. The website 'knows' all the patterns, and links you to everyone who has also completed your project. With the click of a mouse, you've got instant access to many, many various of your project. Pretty neat, eh?

The two sweaters above are just examples of the projects I have posted. Since the green sweater (top) is of my own designing, it isn't linked to anyone else. However, I'm following a pattern to make the argyle sweater vest (my first foray into intarsia), and I'm only the second knitter on Ravelry to make it!

Mini-Golf

2008-05-25T13:20:00.002-05:00

This weekend, the Walker Art Center has mini-golf! As it was the most-beautiful-day-ever yesterday, we decided to head down there to play. Luckily for us, not too many other people had the same idea we had.

It was also a perfect picture-taking day. Wouldn't you know, it was also the moment when my camera decided it needed new batteries, reminding me with a "Empty Battery" signal. Jeez.

So, in lieu of what would have been my photographic genius, you'll have to imagine a good picture of me mini-golfing my way through artistic, yet environmentally-friendly, mini-golf holes.

They Let Me In!

2008-05-20T22:30:00.002-05:00

"May it please the Court, I move the admittance . . . " Thanks, Dad, for moving the Supreme Court to admit me. Ironically, the swearing in ceremony was held in the same room where I took the bar. It was a bit odd to be in the same place, but under much different circumstances.

I bungled up the oath only a little, don't worry -- not during the important parts. Just kidding, but really, I did mess up the "lucre" part.

Happy Birthday Lynn!

2008-05-15T18:35:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to my dear, sweet, still younger sister.

In honor of her new garden and first attempt at gardening, I bought her some ceramic garden-stake-marker-things.

Personally, I can't think of a better gift, and that's not just cause I gave them to her. What is better than a hand-made, outdoorsy thing?

Thanks to my friend Janna for making them and graciously selling them to me. After seeing Janna's stuff on display for years, I've always been looking for a reason to buy the garden stakes. Once Lynn told me she and David were starting a garden, I knew they would have a new home.

Hoodie: Check!

2008-05-13T20:18:00.000-05:00

I finished my Hoodie this week. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

More Bread. . .

2008-05-10T12:51:00.002-05:00

This is, perhaps, the pinnacle of my break-making ability. As of today, it is the best loaf of bread I have ever made. I even brought it out with me the night I made it and made everyone try some just so they would get the best/freshest bread ever.

My secret: I kneaded in olives. Not olives out of a can; but really nice olives that came in olive oil. And then, I kneaded in some of the olive oil. Once the bread was in the pan, I drizzled the rest of the olive oil over the loaf. It made for a super d-lisch and crispy crust. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Bread

2008-05-07T21:19:00.003-05:00

I can't think of one better food than fresh baked bread. Seriously. When it's right out of the oven, you can't beat it. Thus, I enjoy making my own bread so I can eat it when it's .2 seconds out of the oven.

Above -- behold my yeast-risen sourdough sponge.

And yes, that is bird sh*t on the window.

Nothing to Report

2008-05-05T21:58:00.001-05:00

No news is good news, right?
I've got nothing to report, except I'm not doing homework right now.

Cheers to Spring!

2008-04-29T21:17:00.001-05:00

Cheers to waking up to 29 degree weather this morning! I still refused to wear a jacket to work today. . . I'm willing it to warm up!

Bowling!

2008-04-26T17:41:00.001-05:00

Above: Me, bowling! Apparently, I only have one leg.

Kaarin.

Isaac.

Ricky.

and Adrian.

Sunny & 66

2008-04-16T21:54:00.002-05:00

The weather has finally come around, and it's all anyone can talk about. I can't blame them; it's all I've been blogging about.

A mere 10 weeks after the groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter, we finally got spring today. I even took the plastic off my windows, which, as we all know, makes a fantastically dramatic difference in my quality of life.

Now all I need is good news in the mail tomorrow. . .

What!?!?

2008-04-12T20:02:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's true. Today is April 12th, and it snowed. Although the picture was taken about a month ago, and today's snow didn't stick that much, it still snowed.

If we get another snow storm, I'm moving.

Roslin Hoodie Update

2008-04-05T13:48:00.003-05:00

Above is the progress made on my Roslin Fair Isle Hoodie. Thanks to Elisa for the suggestion that I should make the sweater-part a tube top, and make the arms unattached; all the better to show off my shoulders.