Monday, June 4, 2007

Flying Feet


It is a sad thing to think about, but no less true. At a certain age (which the Contessa most assuredly IS), the body needs to be fed less and exercised more. After all, knitting which is the grand passion of life is rather a sedentary sport! So, I get out of bed early in the morning and walk. Let me clarify that to say that my early may not be your early, nor the early of many people around the world--- my early is 7 a.m. By the time I feed my dogs, who thankfully do not shed enough hair to spin into yarn and get out the door it is about 7:45. Or so.

Today I laced up my shoes and stuck a claw in my hair to keep my bangs out of my sweat, slung my iPod lanyard around my neck and headed out the door. As much as I would love to say that I am very Zen about walking and keep pace with the sound of the click clacking of my knitting needles in my mind---- that would be silly. First, although I am a rather fast knitter, I am not fast enough to challenge my feet to shake some calories loose from the rest of me. Then there is the consideration that my needles are not loud enough. That is a good thing and it happened mainly when I began to knit like a Contessa, giving up those cheap inflexible circular needles that now drive me crazy. If knitting is a passion, then I believe that we owe ourself and our craft the very best in tools. Can you say Addi Turbo needles? Ah, I thought so! I am crazy about my Addi's, they are light, flexible, fast and oh so quiet. Not that the sound of knitting ever actually caused a distraction elsewhere in the room---- but the silence of said Turbo's really does allow for other thoughts to propagate nicely. I walk to Kathy Smith and her Walk Fit soundtrack, levels one through three. I'm on level one if you must know. Ms. Smith is older than I am, and to my sorrow is in better shape than I will probably ever be. I like to think that she does not spend any time at all in the lovely pursuit of creating rows of knit and purl stitches. With her voice and that beat in my ears I set out and have a wonderful walk for an hour. Lately I have added in an extra mile and a half or so because I've been having an enjoyable listen to various knitting podcasts. To the uninformed Blitters, google the topic for some interesting choices or start with one of my favorites at www.knitpicks.com.

This morning was a bit different however, I had rounded the block and was halfway to the park, the tempo (and my feet) were picking up the pace and I was ready to let my feet fly. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Early in my walk, before I have to hunker down and totally focus on moving my feet and pumping my arms or I will just melt into a puddle on the sidewalk, I usually give a thought or two to the project that is on my needles. So in that relaxed and up tempo state imagine my shock as I passed under a tree to see (and feel) an unavoidable splatter. It hit my forehead, ran down my nose and landed (in two spots) on my clean white t-shirt. The "it" was of course bird poop. BIRD POOP DAMMIT! I'd use the "F" word if I weren't convinced that it was very un-Contessa like to engage in it's use. Well, in public anyway. I was transported away from my Zen walk, the thoughts of my knitting, the plans for my day after my walk and other happy bits. It was absolutely disgusting. DISGUSTING. I used my sleeve to wipe off my face, gak----- and decided that I had no choice but to turn around and go home for a clean t-shirt. I'm sure I saw the neighbors peering out their windows at my now crap splattered shirt and having a good chuckle over their coffee and danish. Once changed with the offending item of clothing soaking in the sink I was off again.

I took the other way around the block just in case the bird was a juvie with a bad attitude and the penchant to inflict yet more pain and embarrassment. The t-shirt took two runs through the washing machine with bleach to remove the stain.

On my needles however lives such a pleasure! My first pair of socks! Well in many years that is, and not on 'those' needles. I finally succumbed to knitting a pair of socks on circular needles a la Cat Bordhi. The needles are 24 inch size 2's in my beloved Addi Turbo's, and the yarn is a self patterning creation from On Line. I tell you that yarn is just a miracle the way it gives the look of a zillion bobbins of yarn and much greater concentration than the 2x2 rib I'm happily knitting away on. Using the two circs for the first time was a bit troublesome, but I'm proud to say that now they feel quite comfortable and I think I'm quite happy to leave my double-pointed's behind.

I can let the nightmare of the bird poop get behind me more easily if I don't know for a fact that Kathy Smith knits so if you know this fact, maybe you shouldn't let me know? Wikipedia tells me that she is 5'9" and weighs 135 pounds and really---- I just can't take anything else!

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