The Stylecraft Blog Tour seems to have got off to a decent start, with plenty of colourful patterns and daily chances to win a whole hairy heap of yarn. For those who asked a few posts ago, may I just say YES, the competition is indeed open worldwide. Hurrah! Today, it’s the turn of Crafternoon Treats.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) it’s the turn of this very blog, so there’ll be another free pattern and another chance to win a limited edition pack of yarn right here. So set your alarm clock for not-especially-early, lay out your best knitting needles, pull on your luckiest socks, and get ready to download the free pattern and enter the competition. Best o’luck, m’hearties!
Meanwhile, back to the business of Monday, and I hope you’ll be kind enough to indulge me in something that’s not knitting/crochet-related, other than that it keeps me away from knitting and crochet.
Here’s the thing: the problem with saying stuff publically online is that you can never unsay it. The internet doesn’t forget. Ever. Not even if you offer to bribe it with home-baked cookies and remind it that you possess incriminating photo-evidence of it clinging to a chimney on the town hall roof whilst drunkenly singing ‘I Will Survive’ at 3am on its birthday. (Yes internet, I do still have those pictures.)
So. When I said, ‘I don’t like running’, I said it in good faith, albeit with extra disgruntlement borne of how lardy I was feeling after all that IVF shenanigans. And, whilst I haven’t changed that much, I have to confess… it’s been getting easier. Weirdly easier. And I can keep going. Like a machine. Even uphill. In the rain.
(WHAT?! Did you think I was about to confess something properly, excitingly shameful? Nah, I’m not telling you about that: it’s between me and my well-remunerated legal team, and that’s the way it’s staying for as long as I can continue selling off the family silver in order to afford their fees.)
I think the key difference with the running this time round is that I’m going almost every day unless I’m at work, and so my poor idle limbs have been forced to accept their fate. This is different from times past when my muscles just had to give a little twinge for me to say ‘OK chaps, best not overdo it: let’s go home and lie on the sofa for a month.’ But not any more.
I tried that pursued-by-zombies app that one of you recommended in the comments section weeks ago (thank you), but it wouldn’t work through my headphones, so I faced the surreal embarrassment of running past Colin The Postman whilst a voice from near my left hip yelled out YOU HAVE PICKED UP UNDERPANTS! Colin looked perplexed. So I gave that up. Now I just run, urged on only by the knowledge that the faster I run, the sooner I can stop running and start knitting.
Don’t worry, this isn’t about to morph into a running blog. Not even slightly. I guarantee never to mention it unless it’s to share tales of my humiliation and incompetence. And no lycra-clad selfies will ever be forced on you because (i) I don’t wear lycra, and (ii) you’re decent folks who don’t deserve that kind of abuse.
The Twisted Yarn: definitely NOT sponsored by Nike.
See you tomorrow, folks. 🙂
Karin says
September 28, 2015 at 11:31 amSo funny! 😀
I cannot get motivated to do a darn thing and I’m a former dancer / athlete. I had one moment of utter insanity when I considered starting smoking again to stem this tide of adipose waves. I didn’t and am still going for gold in couch sitting. I like the idea of running much better now though 🙂
The Twisted Yarn says
September 28, 2015 at 11:47 amBlimey, you must have been scarily fit to be a dancer.
I’m not trying to bully anyone off the couch, honest. There’s a lot to be said for couches…
Karin says
September 28, 2015 at 12:17 pmI wish! I was young, a heavy smoker, coffee drinker and lived on breath mints. Becoming a Mum changed everything, in the best possible way but with my children now older, I’m doing less and expanding more! I think I’ll go lace up my sneakers before this next row 🙂
Jenny - thegeekyknit (@riley_jl) says
September 28, 2015 at 11:42 amWHAT is this zombie app?! I’m going to look this up – I’m not a runner but you’ve inspired me to at least consider it again tonight when I’m eating chocolate and crocheting, watching the Avengers Age of Ultron blu ray! 🙂 jenny xx
The Twisted Yarn says
September 28, 2015 at 11:45 amIt’s called Zombies! Run! It’s free for basic functions. Embarrassing if you can’t use headphones. Enjoy. 🙂
Oh and I’m still blushing from what you just wrote on Facebook!
And yes, the sad fact is that chocolate and crochet will always be more fun that running. Sigh.
jackallcraft says
September 28, 2015 at 1:07 pmShhh, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been running a couple of times too. A combination of reading your comments on it, my hubby doing more running including Parkruns because his colleagues are competing against each other to see who can run/cycle the furthest during September, and my eldest deciding he also wants to do a Parkrun seem to have shifted me off the sofa too. Not sure how long it will last though and I certainly won’t be running a marathon (or even half a one) any time soon!
whip1up says
September 28, 2015 at 5:26 pmYou are a braver woman than me. Two strides and I am hobbling with evil shin splints.
thecontentedcrafter says
September 28, 2015 at 7:23 pmI’m sticking with gentle yoga stretches for the elderly and infirm thank you – even that has my muscles saying ‘Excuse us, ease up please!’ after just a couple of minutes of lying on the floor and waving my legs about in the air. I say whatever you do, do it. Stopping is easy, starting again is the hardest part! Love the ancient artifacts you get to trot past though – now that could be a good reason to walk ………
narf77 says
September 28, 2015 at 8:36 pm“Run”. A word so very closely linked to “Cycle” that I can almost taste the proximity.
thegrangerange.wordpress.com says
September 28, 2015 at 9:41 pmGreat post, I had to double back to make sure but I think you missed the link to the birthday photos of the chimney climb!!!
arlingwoman says
September 28, 2015 at 10:08 pmOh my goodness, I have laughed. Perhaps if you stop knitting and psyching, you can do comedy…and that thatched wall. I’d like to see that in real life. It’s … interesting. I first thought it was some very low building, perhaps built for an inhabitant of Middle Earth, but…
Leonor says
September 30, 2015 at 6:56 amIf I read this post twice a week, does it count as workout? Keeping my fingers crossed for that one ?