Bad ribs, good prezzies

Gah.

Remember in my last post how excited I was about doing such a great job with the ginormous pull set at swim practice 2 weeks ago? Well, ever since then, I've been f*cked up - the left side of my upper body, that is. Long story short: I have 2 subluxed (partially dislocated) ribs. I have been in constant pain for almost 2 weeks now. Even sleeping hurts. The chiropractor/ART guy I saw last Thursday worked on me for an hour, but one rib is being completely stubborn and won't go back to where it came from. Last week I ran, taught Spin and somewhat taught abs, and all of that hurt. This week I haven't done anything except for teaching 2 Spin classes (and knit, of course). The first class caused me excruciating pain for several hours afterwards; the second class was better because it was the morning after my doctor's appointment. Hopefully I can get in to see him again this week and he can fix me 100%, because then I can get back at it - running, Spinning pain-free, core work, and climbing. Not quite sure about the swimming yet because I really believe that's what caused this, but I'll ease back into it eventually. I have to - I'm a triathlete!

There are some other things that are frustrating to me right now, but if I talk about them, this post will turn into a novel and I'll lose what little readership I have. So I'll keep them to myself and hope they go away.

On a happier note, I got home from a hard afternoon with Hayden (bad experience at the symphony, aggravating trip to REI, embarrassing stop at the yarn store) to find 2 packages: my Yarn Smackdown hat and a box of prezzies from my climbing swap spoiler! (I'm being lazy and not linking to these things. Yarn Smackdown is a game on Ravelry, and the climbing swap is being played with a group of climbing knitters, also on Ravelry.)

This is the hat that has knocked me out of the first round of play in Yarn Smackdown. Kate and I mailed our hats to eachother on the same day, almost at the same time, so it was a race to see who's postman was quicker. I guess we Southerners just like to do things slowly. It's a great hat, though, so I'm not upset!

The other package was from Lia, my spoiler in the Knitters On Belay swap I participated in on Ravelry. She sent me some great things: Climb On! balm (which I almost bought for my spoilee), a new carabiner (which is the exact biner my climbing partner has - I'm super-excited about that because I have coveted his for so long), labels for me to put in my knitted garments, some beautiful Araucania Ranco Multi yarn (I smell a pair of Monkey or Pomatomus socks in my future!), a toy for Hayden, and some treats for Rudy and Gracie. I love swaps!

Another happier note: I finally finished my Gathered Pullover!

Pattern: Gathered Pullover from Winter 2007 IK
Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic, somewhere around 6 skeins
Needles: size 8 Denise circs and Clover dpns
Discussion: The verdict is out on the happiness level with this sweater. From the moment I saw the pattern in the mag, I wanted to make it. Then I saw one on Ravelry that someone did in Kid Classic (one of my Desert Island yarns) with short sleeves, and the urge to knit it grew even stronger. However, now that it's done, I'm meh about it. I'm not totally in love with the neckline - it's kinda wide and my cami straps want to peek out, and the notch in the middle of the girls is a bit wonky for some reason - and I wish it would be a little more form-fitting. I've toyed with the idea of throwing it in the washing machine and felting it a tad, but I'm scared. I do have another sweater out of Kid Classic that I no longer wear due to the WIIIIIDE neckline (the Greek Pullover from 2006 - although I love the sweater, I inadvertently flash anyone in front of me every time I bend over). I could experiment with that and see what happens, or I can wear the Gathered Pullover as is for a while and see how I feel about it. Here's a closeup of the chest detail - the only thing that kept this sweater from being a complete yawn:


Next up is the completion of my Architectural Rib Pullover. I picked it up again yesterday for the first time in about a month and am working on the neckline. After that's done, I need to do one side and seam it up. I've got a couple of spring projects waiting in the wings, which make more sense to work on right now since the temps are climbing, but I REALLY want to be faithful to one sweater for a while. Maybe once it's done, we'll have a 1-day cold snap and I'll be able to wear it before packing it up until October.

Kool(ha)as (sh!t) Hat

For those of you who aren't knitters, the Koolhaas Hat is the creation of the ever-popular Jared. This is my second Koolhaas, and I don't think it'll be my last. I want to make one that'll fit me, not make me look like Mushmouth from Fat Albert.

Pattern: Koolhaas hat, from 2007 Holiday issue of IK
Yarn: Cascade 220 superwash
Needles: size 7 (ribbing) and 8 (body)
Discussion: This hat pattern ROCKS. Not only is it really fun to do, it's a cool hat. I made one for my rock climbing partner, Robert, after he started teasing me nonstop about being a personal trainer and a triathlete and a knitter. He said knitting didn't seem to go with my other hobbies, and knitting was nerdy. (Notice I said "was" and not "is". He changed his mind after I gave him his Koolhaas.) I chose a beautiful heathered mustard color of Cascade 220 superwash to go with the pretty shade of his black skin. It looked great on him, but his tiny fro made it stand up a little too high. I blocked the hell out of it, and now it fits better. His roommate, Aaron, said, "Hey - I want one too! Can you make me one? Be sure it covers my ears."

He's got red hair, hence my decision on the green Cascade 220. You can't see his hair underneath the hat, but trust me - they go very well together. There's another guy who kinda has been hinting at one, but he'll just have to wait. I want to make one for myself first, and I've got some other things going on: sleeves for my Gathered Pullover, sleeves for 2 sweaters for a friend who is crocheting a dress for me (sounds like I'll be stranded on Sleeve Island for a while!), and one side of my Architectural Rib Pullover. Maybe I'll bargain with him: I'll knit him a Koolhaas hat if he promises never to take his climbing shoes off around me ever again. In the words of the Blackeyed Peas: STANKY, STANKY, STANKY!

(Speaking of climbing, I've been doing that about 2-3 times a week for a while now, and I noticed it paying off in the pool today. During a 600 meter pull in swim practice, I was totally running up the a$$es of the people in front of me. NEVER have I been a good puller, and today I was up the butt of a GUY. We had 2 more 600 pulls to do, so we rearranged the order of our lane, and I LED. Huzzah for strong shoulders created by climbing rocks!)

I'm also in the Travelling Scarves group on Ravelry, so every once in a while, I receive an unfinished scarf in the mail. I have to go through my stash, pick something to continue the scarf with, and knit 4-6 inches before sending it off to the next person in line. After the scarf I started gets added to by 11 other people, I'll have a great new scarf! Cool idea, huh? And everyone who is playing this game also is supposed to send a little somethin-somethin along with the scarf, so when I get my scarf back, I'll also get 11 little prezzies. I'm thinking that Goo-Goo clusters will be my gift - something you can only get here in Nashvegas.

I was planning on blogging a bit more about what's been going on around here - believe me, there's a TON of new info! - but I just got a call from a personal trainer I work with to see if I could take his 6am client that he forgot to reschedule while he's out in California. So now I have to finish up what I'm doing, figure out how I'm rearranging my schedule tomorrow morning to accommodate this guy, and go to bed early. I need to anyway after the reverse triathlon I did today - ran 7 miles, taught an hour Spin class, then went to swim practice from 230-4pm. (No, I'm not training for anything right now. I'm just crazy.) This follows a day of doing a 2 1/2 hour indoor cycling workout and a 3-hour stint at the climbing gym. Whew!