This week

I haven’t knitted on my shirt or crocheted on my blanket all week because I’m working on a surprise for a friend. I haven’t crocheted this much … ever! I think I actually sprained my thumb after one extended session.

My cat Plato is sitting next to me on the couch as I type. This may sound like a very banal sentence, but it’s truly earthshaking. Plato has always been a free spirit, like this wild manx that just happens to live in our house. Over the past few months, he’s mellowed drastically. I remember our torti Madeleine going through a similar change around her third birthday (Plato’s approximate age). She was always sweet and personable, though, a lap cat from day one. She just calmed down a bit. Plato went from running away if you reached to pet him to sleeping beside me. I’ve tried to establish some routines with him (he likes to be pet before I get out of bed in the morning and he comes to “help” me fold laundry because I used to give him kibble there). I really don’t have an explanation for this fuzzball curled up next to me right now, though. I like it.

My love/hate relationship with running

I had a personal first this weekend. I ran a marathon relay with my husband and two friends. I can’t quite recall how far some of my long-distance track practices went in high school, but I think 6.5 miles may be the farthest I’ve ever run. I loved it. Despite the cold wind and muddy trail, it was a great day and lots of fun. Our team placed 18th out of 34, which was about what we expected.

Training is a chore for me. I don’t feel highly motivated to get out and run. I enjoy it (usually) once I get out there, though. I especially like pushing my limits and feeling impressed with myself when I meet or surpass my goals.

I’m considering doing a super sprint distance triathlon in May. It’s really soon after I return from vacation, so that’s one knock against it. I’m borrowing a friend’s bike, and I need to get out to ride. This race is super short, though, so I feel pretty confident that I can be ready. I did a longer triathlon about 5 years ago and survived.

Patchwork progress

As I am wont to do, I’ve set the camp shirt aside yet again. Just a sleeve and a half and a collar to go, and I haven’t touched it in a week! Instead, I’ve been working on Babette and a surprise for two friends. One I can talk about.

One of my favorite co-workers had decided to stay home with her young son, so we sent her off sadly on Friday (with a beautiful Namaste bag). She learned to knit last year and has taken to it like you wouldn’t believe. She’s turned out at least a dozen really cool projects. So just about everyone in the library pitched in a few stitches or a few rows to make her a scarf from all of us. It’s eclectic and a little crazy, but isn’t that how most of us feel about our workplaces? Some have suggested that it wasn’t so much a gift for our friend as an excuse for me to a) knit at work and b) catch a few people I’ve been trying to wrangle into knitting. At least one of the beginners is excited to continue knitting after learning for the first time to work on this project.

As for Babette, I decided to crochet the square in the order I need them for assembly. I’m assembling as I finish each region. I need to see progress like this and break up the sewing. I would never finish this blanket if I crocheted all the gazillion squares and THEN started stitching them all together. It’s worked out so far that I can crochet for a day or two, then sew for a day, then back to crochet. I like breaking it up.