Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Last day of Class

Not, alas, the class I'm teaching which will go on and on and on. . . but the last spinning class (until I sign up for the 3 day intensive. . . ).

And the last class was fun, fun, fun. The highlight was spinning industriously away as the instructor walked around casually tossing bouquets of fiber at us and saying, "Spin this. . . now spin this. . . and this. . ." So I took it home and knit an energized single sampler -- tube. Calling these energized is probably like calling Mt. Rushmore sculpture -- some of them are very wiggly.


From the top (I can't believe anyone but me will find this interesting, but here you go) is a Pollworth teeny bit spun from a lock, baby alpaca, adult alpaca, bamboo, cashmere, tussah (?) silk -- I knit with no air at all, so it's silk rope -- rainbow Merino, acid-dyed Merino maybe with something in it?, Merino-tencel, red-dyed carded Pollworth, something I totally don't remember (merino/silk?), carded Corriedale, plain Merino, combed Corriedale, something light green, and black Blue Faced Leicester.

It was very very very fun. I just came home delighted.

Now I'm trying to get my Ashford to work and am having tension problems but have gotten some helpful advice from the Knitty boards. On the other hand, my enabling spouse has suggested that if I want a really good wheel, I should get one. What a guy! I may yet take him up on it.

In other news, we're considering joining a local gym. I was telling myself all kinds of grumpy things about how only losers pay to exercise, since I can run anywhere and we have things like weights. . . and then we took the younger three there last night. After the older two had played an organized game of Whiffleball, then jumped in the jumpy house under supervision, while the baby had tolerated the group care room adequately, then after we'd worked out we took them to the climbing wall, where Thing 2 scampered to the top, then Thing 3, thanks to a nice employee who would belay them (the baby then yelled, "Now meeeeee!" and I told her that you had to be two to climb in a harness), and I realized the magic words:

Child Care

They offer two included hours of child care every day. This for a monthly fee which equals what I would pay a teenager for three hours a week of babysitting. So it's exercise, personal trainer time, child care, climbing and please please please exhausted children at night, all within biking distance, for the same money.

I'm sold.

10 comments:

suzee said...

Spinning: very nice. :-)

Tube thing: Um, interesting!

Gym: woohoo! I will be back mid-June. Hope to see you there!

When J was T3's age, we used to say we had to run him like a dog to keep him from going nuts. I put in a lot of hours exhausting him. I hope the gym helps your set!

bfmomma said...

omg, that's fantastic? Really? Cheaper than hiring a teenaged sitter? Yeah, I guess so...

I have to say that I felt better in the year I belonged to Curves than any other time in my recent life. And a "real" gym would rock... GOOD FOR YOU GUYS! :)

Katherine said...

Oh my god, I'd be in the best shape of my life! That's great.

But I'm wondering: why a tube? No matter; I'm just glad you're delighted. Yay you!

amanda j said...

I would be sold too! Rationalisation at its best.

Your spinning looks great! Well done. Maybe my wheel is my problem?

meg said...

Your spinning is looking awesome; I actually really like the tea cozy & hat- the chunky parts give it character.
Oh, yeah- childcare included is definitely worth the money; Sam had way more fun then I did at the gym :P

Lara said...

Oooh, yay for good gym deals! Have fun at the gym.

Charity said...

Child Care.... those are the magic words, all right! :0)

z's momma said...

I like your tube.

As for the gym, I considered that gym because of free childcare, but I opted for the slightly closer gym with childcare (more $$)because I have little ones...it has nothing to do with the fact that my gym has a hot tub, sauna, and steam room and pool...okay, when they get older, I'll switch...maybe...

allisonmariecat said...

Wait, you mean you can exercise *without* stopping mid-Downward Dog in your yoga video to feed the baby? I may have to check into this "gym" thing of which you speak.

The spinning is so cool! Of course, we're interested. We're all fiber nuts around here.

Rain said...

Your gym sounds great, not to mention the childcare. I'd definitely go for it.

Looks like the spinning is going really well.