New things keep rolling...

If I learned anything in college, it was to not jump at every single opportunity that presents itself.

Clearly I did not learn anything in college.

I have a lot of balls in the air (still- not one of them is a full-time job) but I'm slowly finding my place in the real world (socially... obviously not vocationally.) I have my knitting which I'm loving and can't get enough of. Shout out to the ladies at In the Loop in Norfolk (since I know they are reading!) I just finished what I'm calling the "hoping for spring hat"



I could never get the hang of any colorwork pattern that I tried, and decided to spice up this one with some carries of acai yarn through the purl sections. I feel more confident in working with color, and plan to pick a fair-isle project soon to really test out my skills. BUT, I have my first sweater to complete! I ordered the yarn yesterday and could not be more jazzed to get cracking. It's a cabled cardigan designed by Josh Bennett that appeared in the current issue of VogueKnitting. I chose the same yarn/colorway as the pattern, which I usually don't do because I like to make things with my own touch, but the pattern and the yarn are both beautiful. If it ain't broke... am I right?

So I am excited to do the play-by-play photojournal of my sweater and hope that you all are equally excited to see it.

Enter the next ball in the air- spinning. Technically spinning is two balls and here's why:

Spinning (part a): Spinning my own yarn. I am enrolled in a yarn spinning class at Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI- Home of the American Industrial Revolution. I love love love the class and spinning my own yard. It is extremely rewarding to create something that gets me one step closer to owning my own fiber-producers (see: any post about goats). I've been spinning for two weeks now and almost have my very first plied hank of yarn. I was frustrated at first with the difficulty of getting into drafting the wool from roving, but spinning is all about being gentle, which I had trouble with, being as intense as I am. Once I lost the death grip on the roving and the sprint-speed on the treadle I began making yarn of which any sheep would be proud to be a part. The people in the class are awesome, too! I realized just how well we were clicking when we were all watching the instructor ply yarn and one lady asked, "I love your socks, did you make them" and the remaining three of us all pointed to our feet and said a collective "Uh-huh!" I died inside from the beauty of the moment.
With this class I am also renting a Kromski Sonata wheel, and it is AMAZING. I am sad that I will have to give it back soon. Hence the "Wheel Fund" change jar on my nightstand.
I should also remention what a wonderful Christmas gift this class was from Dave!!!! <3

Spinning (part b): Cycling classes are going well. I am on track to becoming an instructor at the Adirondack Club (hello easy yarn money!) I was also recruited for Team P.R.I.D.E. for Spin for Hope- a spinning benefit for the American Cancer Society. I am in the process of raising money for the team, and without going into the sobering details of how cancer has affected all of our lives, I will leave you all with a link to help me reach my goal.

The last ball I have in the air is triathlon training. What?!?! Yes! I have started training for (sprint-length) triathlons. I got in the pool for the first time two weeks ago and haven't looked back. I start formal training the first week of March and am looking at triathlons to do in the summer. What's the real impetus? There are many weddings to go to this summer, and I need a cool talking point. I think, "None for me thanks, I have a triathlon tomorrow" sounds way better than "Fill it up! I've been graduated for a year and have been 50% employed since then, excuse me while I crawl into this bottle"

Awesome... keep rocking out, everyone!