Hagg Lake Mud Run

Seth ran his first ultra race of the season on Saturday, the Hagg Lake 50K. The course is notorious for being ridiculously muddy, and this year was no exception. Actually, rumor has it that the course was muddier than it has been in at least 3 or 4 years.

We left the house at some absurd hour of the morning (just for clarity, anything before 6am is absurdly early) and drove up the back roads to Hagg Lake. It's been unseasonably cold here, and the roads were coated in a thin layer of ice once we got closer to the lake. It made me miss the salt trucks of the northeast!

Once we arrived, we parked in parking lot down the road and walked down the trail to the pavilion (which had portable heaters-yay!) with Sailor dragging us along. Truth be told, he was dragging Seth. I was wearing Uggs with no traction and would have most likely been taken down into the mud.

It was a pretty chilly start to the race and running through the iced over parking lot looked pretty challenging!

Seth waiting for the race to start

Runners at the starting line

The race started with a 3 mile out-and-back up a hill and then back down.

Seth running back past the pavilion after the out-and-back

After the out-and-back, the race ran 2 laps around the lake. Usually, I try and make it to all the aid stations...but there was no parking at the second aid station, so I skipped by it and went directly to the third aid station. Since I was there so early, I worked on a little sock knitting until I thought that Seth might be headed up the road soon. 

Seth coming into the third aid station (about 13 miles in)

After fueling up, the runners headed back down towards the lake

Seth finishing up the first lap

The weather was perfect for running, and the lake was gorgeous in the sunshine:

While I was waiting for Seth to finish, there were a bunch of runners washing off in the lake, I can only imagine how chilly the water was!

Brrrr!

Seth finished in 6 hours! 

All the runners who came across the finish line were COVERED in mud, and Seth was no exception:

There's a reason the website is "haggmud.com"!

Are you sick of pictures of Seth running yet?! 

I don't have any fun knitting or spinning pictures to show off, but should have some tomorrow! I just finished spinning 8 ounces of the softest, most gorgeous merino for a custom job and am working on some beautiful merino/angora that should be done today! 

Love,

liz :)

McKenzie River 50K....and some knitting

First....the vest looks awesome! I like the tweedy yarn!

Second, Seth finished his 4th official UltraMarathon of the year (that doesn't include the crazy Grand Canyon run) on Saturday, the McKenzie River Trail Run. He finished in 5 hours and 51 minutes, which was about a half hour faster than the 50K he did in May! Yay Seth!

It was a gorgeous day...but started out a bit chilly, in the high 30s.

See Seth in his red bandana at the start?? 

Here's Seth coming over a bridge into the 1st aid station:

It was an out-and-back part of the course. Hence the man running in the opposite direction.

The second aid station was near one of the many waterfalls on the McKenzie River, Sahalie Falls:

yes, the greenery is really that green. 

The aid station was actually about 1/2 mile upriver from the waterfall, but Sailor and I got to check it out on the way in to the aid station.

Here's Seth coming into the fourth aid station...

and approaching the finish line....

We'll definitely be going back and exploring some of the trails, it's an absolutely gorgeous area of Oregon with miles and miles of trails. 

The runners all got a bag of swag which included a bottle of wine that was bottled by the race directors. Seth downed his after the race (actually, he didn't...but it makes for a fun picture):

Now, onto knitting. 

Back story: One of the preschool teachers I used to work with had a picture of her 3 month-old on her facebook page. Baby A had a diaper "blowout" at the apple orchard, and she only had an extra onesie and some socks that were too big. She used the socks to keep A's legs warm and I commented that she needed some knitted leg warmers. So...I decided to knit leg warmers and a matching hat. Because, really, doesn't every baby need leg warmers? I think so.

Pattern: Chubbie Wubbie Baby Leg Warmers by Nona Davenport

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Springvale Supermerino in Elsbeth

Modifications: None. I just wish I could borrow a baby to model them!

And of course, there has to be a matching hat:

 

Pattern: Aston by Stitch Therapy Brooklyn

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Springvale Supermerino in Elsbeth

Modifications: None.

I've also made really good progress on my Salem Hooded Jacket. Both sleeves are done and I have about 3" of the body done. The body is a little slow-going so far, but I think once I get past the textured bottom it'll go faster. 

I've been spinning a bit too...but forgot to take a picture of my most recent yarn. Next time. :)

Miss you!

Liz :)

Start of the Salem Hooded Jacket

I cast on for my Salem Hooded Jacket earlier this week. And I'm in love. I've knit with Malabrigo Worsted a whole bunch and love it. But the Malabrigo Twist....amazing. It's softer that the Worsted and doesn't pill as easy. Not to mention, it's knitting up super duper fast on size 10 needles.

I have one sleeve finished and have already started the second (you knit the sleeves first, then the body up to the arm pits, then join them all together):

It's so squishy and soft....love, love, love.

I also made some really yummy soup last night, Corn and Potato Chowder from the Dinosaur BBQ cookbook.

Despite the fact that I forgot to have Seth get two of the ingredients at the store (carrots and green peppers...whoops), it still came out really tasty. So tasty that the leftovers are already gone. I halved the recipe, but next time I might just make the whole recipe and have leftovers for the week.

Seth is running another ultra this weekend...the McKenzie River 50K. The weather is supposed to be great, so it should be fun!

I'll make sure to take lots of pictures of Seth flying down the trails :)

Love,
liz

Phew.

Well, apparently I've been on a blog hiatus! Now that we're done having visitors for a while, I'll have plenty of time to get back to cooking, blogging, knitting, and sewing.

First, I don't think you made a crazy decision. I think you made the right decision for you, and someone will be very lucky to have you as their employee. :)

How cute is baby C in her new birthday dress???? It looks adorable on her!

Since my last post Kaitlin has come to visit, Seth ran a 100K, and I've gotten a wee bit of knitting done.

When Kaitlin was here we took a trip up the northern part of the coast to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and stopped at some places along the coast.

We all dipped our toes in the Pacific Ocean (and dang, it was chilly!):

We also hit up the outlets, Corvallis farmer's market and the Oregon Gardens while she was here.

This weekend Seth ran the Where's Waldo 100K, his longest race so far. He finished in about 17 1/2 hours. The race ran through parts of the Pacific Crest Trail and to the top of 5 mountains.

I'll spare you the picture of the gigantic blister between Seth's toes, but here's one of him running at mile 44:

Our neighbor joined him at mile 44 and ran the last 18 miles with him. The weather was perfect for running - about 45 degrees in the morning and high 50s during the day. The start and finish temperatures were a perfect excuse to wear some hand knits :)

Seth's been trying to lay low the last few days because his ankle is bothering him and pretty swollen. But, you know Seth...."sitting still" is not really in his vocabulary.

I haven't done as much knitting as I'd like, but I did manage to knit up a Purl Ridge Scarf on Sunday and Monday.

Pattern: Purl Ridge Scarf by Steven West

Yarn: MadelineTosh Pashmina in Mansfield Garden Party

Needles: size 7

Modifications: I used sport weight yarn instead of worsted, so I cast on 50 extra stitches to make sure it would be long enough. 

By the way, it is a terrible idea to try and take self portraits of hand knits when it is 90+ degrees out. Terrible, terrible idea.  I need to learn to just wait until Seth is home to take pictures for me.

Because, when I try and do it myself I end up with out of focus beauties like this one:

Somehow I managed focused pictures of the scarf, but after trying 3 or 4 with the hat I was starting to sweat profusely!

Well, I really need to work on cutting fabric for more box bags for the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival....

I'll post again soon....I PROMISE!

Love,

liz

Run, Seth, Run!

Saturday was the McDonald Forest 50K, which was right in our little town of Corvallis! The race started at Peavy Arboretum at 8am which is about 5 miles up the road from our house. The weather was gorgeous and it was about 45 degrees at the start line.

Seth ran for Team Hole in the Wall! His super cool jersey came in the mail Friday, just in time for the race!

There were about 250 runners. It makes a non-runner, like me, feel like a lazy bum walking around with a bunch of ultra runners about to run 50K!

After the start, I went home and grabbed Sailor and went to the first aid station at mile 6.8. After that we tried to catch Seth at the second aid station, but missed him by a minute. The second aid station was 1/2 mile to a mile walk down a trail and because of the small parking lot and all the cars, I had to park a ways down the road. Of course, it didn't help that Sailor had to stop every few feet to pee on a bush :)

These cute kids were at the third aid station at Chip Ross Park. They had maracas and were jamming with the drummer and cheering on their dad. Very cute.

After a couple more jaunts to aid stations, I went back to Peavy Arboretum and waited for Seth to cross the finish line.

Seth is hurting a bit today, but for running 30+ miles...I think he's doing pretty well! We went up to Portland today to meet up with Keith and Kristine, which was wonderful! They are living in Denver now, and hopefully we'll be able to plan a trip out there to see them. We had lunch at the Stepping Stone Cafe (which apparently was on Man vs Food) and took a walk around Powell's Books.

Oh, and I just have to share this picture:

I came home to grab Sailor after the race started to find him in the chair laying on a knitting project and cuddling with the yarn that was attached to it. Silly doggie. 

Bed time for me....Sailor has an interview at a dog boarding place tomorrow! 

Love,

liz

Back to Blogging!

There is so much to catch up on!

First up, Aimee vs. the Slackline:

Aimee actually did really well for a first time slackliner! It was so nice having her here to visit!! We did lots of yarn shopping (7 different yarn shops to be exact), slacklining, knitting, and hanging out. She's working on the Kanoko Pants (SO CUTE!) and a lace scarf in Malabrigo Lace. We also spent a bit of quality time with the swift and ball winder! She brought a couple of skeins that needed to be wound with her, plus I would some of her yarn purchases (including some MadelineTosh that I picked up for her at Purl Diva)

Next up, a couple of my yarn purchases over the last few weeks:

My mom and I went up to Maine for a few days and stopped in to Purl Diva to visit Ellen and Loki the shop dog! And of course, to buy yarn...and pattern books, fabric and a shawl pin. This is just one of the lovely skeins I bought there. I also grabbed up some more of the color I made my Snapdragon Tam in, because I just can't get enough of the green and purple! I had to send a package home to myself because I bought 2 books, 2 magazines, and 2 pattern booklets there. Obviously, I had to make the most of the trip up there....I miss her shop soooo much (I miss you Ellen!!!). 

Aimee and I have a friend who is expecting a baby in June, so when we were up in Portland I picked up the cutest thing EVER. A sock monkey kit! Aimee had already made a sweater and blanket for her, so we thought this would be a perfect gift (and we know the recipient will appreciate it!).

I bought the kit at this great shop in Portland called Twisted and the yarn is Socks That Rock by Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The ladies in the shop are pretty obsessed with Sock Monkeys at the moment, and they were having a grand time looking them up on Ravelry when we were there! 

Third up: Knitting Projects

This is the Leaf Prints Hat by Reagan Rush (aka Freckle Face Knits). I knit this up as a test knit before the pattern release. There will be a matching pair of mittens as well. I'm going to make another one of these in Malabrigo Chunky in a solid green color and I think the leaf motif will show up better in a lighter, more solid color. Reagan is a talented teenager, and the pattern is really well written. 

I'm also trying to finish up an Ishbel shawl as well as my Wood Hollow Vest. 

In related news, I just signed up for a class with Jared Flood!!! He's going to be in Portland in June for a few days teaching classes. I resisted the urge to sign up for ALL of them, and just signed up for one. :) 

Other news:

Seth finished his 60K in one piece and is getting ready for the 50K near our house in a couple of weeks. The weather is glorious today and I took a walk with Valerie and Diamond out to a small lake and the dogs had a wonderful time chasing one another, meeting other dogs, and swimming in the lake.

Phew. I think that's it for now! I'm determined to finish the Ishbel tonight, so I'll post pics when it's all done!

miss you!

liz :)

Busy Week

Hey Liz,

First, the heart is a pattern I found on ravelry and it really was super easy.

Current project continues to be mom's sweater, which is just in need of sleeves...Hoping it comes out alright. I'm really to be finished with it already! I will post pics tomorrow or Tuesday.

Just got back from my "long" run, which at this point consists of a whopping 5 miles. (Please go brag to your husband.. haha.) I did it on camp so that pup could run with me without his leash.

Yesterday was a total lazy day. I really don't think I did a thing except two loads of laundry and sit on the couch. And make really good spaghetti, which I'm excited to eat again tonight (yay left overs!). I put a touch of balsamic in my usual marinara and it was really shockingly good.

Other thing on my list of things to do today is start and finish (in one day!) my Christmas thank you notes. I'm feeling pretty bad about this and I'm currently considering turning them into valentines just to save on postage. Pathetic or efficient?!

Envious of your magic robot vacuum. I have to go home and use my real one :) Any photos of the house yet??? I want to see your craft room and wheel!! I'm going to change my bookshelf into a yarn shelf today. I had that epiphany when yet another ball of yarn fell behind my tv stand last night...

Okay, off to shower and get cracking on all these projects! More tomorrow ;)