Hoopla

When I bought my hoola hoop I honestly thought that using it would be no problem. I recall endlessly hooping when I was young and it being a doddle. I believed that hooping would be like riding a bicycle… or sex. Not something one forgets how to do.

Unfortunately my body appears to lack hoop memory.

The 5:2 thing is certainly losing my weight for me, but it’s going from all the places that don’t show up so much and not from the places where I really want it to go. That is – waist, hips and belly. Hooping should help matters but I need to be able to make that thing go around without going clunk on the carpet.

I have been watching You Tube videos and plan to spend some considerable time this weekend in beating this problem.

Also on my agenda: researching rebounders aka mini trampolines. Has anybody used one and can you offer opinion on their efficacy?

Speaking of exercise, I was supposed to be working hard on the treadmill this weekend in order to reach three exercise goals. Thursday got me to within 25 calories of my Calorie Burn figure but the other two require more work. Somehow yesterday ran out before I got chance to exercise so perhaps I should go on the mill twice today. It is however a self imposed target so it doesn’t really matter if it takes a day or two longer to get there, I was just being impatient.

On the subject of self-imposed targets – I am returning to the 5:2 pattern and giving up on the 4:3 for now. I might try again in the summer months but for now it is disagreeing with my system and, worse, I am tending to cheat on the third day – making the whole thing pointless. It might be easier if Mr L would join in but he’s content to keep to 2 days fasting.

As for my January UFO completion plan, well things didn’t go too well, did they? I finished the Stashbuster Blanket and the third frilly sock and then wasted half a month on the traditional colourwork mittens… before opting to frog not only those but also my Cecchetti sweater! Not a lot of forward progress for a whole month.

Since the frogging incidents I have made good headway on my Windswept shawl and last night I completed Chart 6 and added a new lifeline. It is tempting to call it “almost done” with only charts 7, 8 and the edging to do but experience of circular knitting  knows better. The body alone is only about half done, with half remaining plus that edging, which  itself represents probably more work than I have completed so far. Me and this shawl, we are in it for the long haul!

Whoops
Whoops, where did that mistake come from?

It is February tomorrow and theoretically I am free (from that self-imposed rule, remember) to start something new. That said, I am not fed up of the shawl yet. In fact I am completely besotted by the shawl. I think it is a thing of beauty. I am minded to keep it on my desk and not to put it away in favour of the new and enticing.

I do think that I need an alternate project however, if only for the sake of my hands. Also, I reckon for ease of knitting.

My habit with charted knitting is to sit in front of my computer and to read the charts from the PDF on screen. I can add a line, which I move up the chart as I go. I can play music or if I minimise the chart window to just the line that I am working on, can watch a film as I knit and this system works well for me.

Chart 7 is printed landscape in a portrait document and is on two pages. I need to print it off and stick it together. Knitting whilst sitting at my desk becomes distinctly challenging if I need to find space for an A3 chart!

I think I shall set my goals for February as “Complete Chart 7” and “Make good progress on Warriston” and swap my attention between the two. I am not yet ready to start on my alpaca sweater. In fact, I have not yet wound the yarn off for washing. Then of course there will be the temptation of the Colinette yarn once it arrives… but February is a short month. Ha, ha. Not as short as my resolve or attention span, I think!

I’ll work on Windswept this weekend and take Warriston to group on Monday and continue setting the pockets. After that, we shall see how things go.

I’m going to see if I can take screenshots of the two halves of Windswept’s  Chart 7 and see if I can stick them together in Photoshop.  That might help matters along a little.

I know it is daft but I do feel as though the Show is looming and I have nothing to offer.

One Comment

  1. spinninggill
    January 31, 2015
    Reply

    We can play with my hoolahoop on Monday at spinning if you like. 🙂

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