Girls knitting

From Erin,

Heather started taking knitting classes and I thought that was classic so I went, too. I thought I would make my own beanies for cheap. I love beanies. Anyway, turns out yarn is CASH. I am making a scarf, the yarn for which was $13. So much for frugality.

So Jane, the nice lady at The Golden Fleece, showed me how to hold the needles and how to loop the yarn and stuff. At first I literally felt brain damaged. I couldn't figure out what went where. Every time I messed up, it was total disaster and I would have to go find Jane so she could fix it and get me back on track.

Heather was making a hat using three needles...who knows what the hell was going on with that. Totally confusing for me. So we were there for about an hour or so, then I felt I had the hang of it. I was stoked to go home and knit. But there was drama because when I was at home I did something wrong and couldn't figure out what and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. So I had to stop and go back to Jane the next day. An hour later I had messed up again and went to ANOTHER yarn shop for help. They tried to show me what to do, but it's all just string to me. The lady showed me how to pull the needles out and unravel back a row or two to fix things. After I learned how to do that, my scarf kept getting shorter and shorter over the next few days. But now I kinda have the hang of it. My scarf is like four feet long now!!

It is amazing how many people knit. You think a yarn store would be barely in business, but every time I go in the place it is totally packed with ladies. Crazy.

bottle rocket

snapshot
Originally uploaded by 月月.

In a clean laboratory
There was a girl making rockets from bottles and matchsticks plenty.
I can see the sun shining through the windows on the door
I can hear squeaky shoes on the fresh polished floor.

What was this post about? I don't know anymore.

Coffee is A Drug

Yep. I confess and I digress and I really feel I'm in a mess without my cup of Joe.

I'm in my 8th hour of not tasting the nector- the Shade Grown Organic French Roast Coffee from Trader Joe's.

Oh, wicked is my addiction.

I sipped the vile brew they stew here at MW, but it was swill and made my stomach ill.

CONVERT ALL YE RACERS!

DO you have a racing bike? A modern one? One that goes FAST? Carbon fibre. Lightweight wheels? does the term 53x11 mean anything to you? Well, good. You're the folks to convert. Try this... you won't be sorry, and as side note, you'll INSTANTLY be able to sell it all used on eBay within a week after you've tried it out and thought you were too manly for it.

Here's what you do:
Take your racing bike. See previous post. Remove handlebars, brakes, stem, derailleurs without removing the cables. Your bike has slotted cable guides for just this purpose. No need to undo anything except unbolt it from the frame.

Now that you've done that... it should have taken less than 10 minutes... you're ready to slap on the stuff that you've recently bought from Rivbike.com or from Harris Cyclery. Shop at Rivendell, talk to John, tell him Number 2 sent you. Shop at Harris and talk to Sheldon Brown. I met Sheldon once, he's a really nice guy.

If you've got a box of old parts lying around, USE THEM! Stem, bars, brake levers, STI levers, downtube shifters, old derailleurs, cassettes, hubs. Reuse those!

Okay, here's the list (with $) from Rivendell:
HANDLEBAR Nitto Noodle -46HT Mod. 177 - Part Number: 16113
Member Price $52 Non-Member $57

STEM you pick one up to match your bike and your like.

Threaded: If you've got an"older" racing bike, like from the late 80s early 90s, threaded and 1" and normal-like, get this one in a size you can stomach:
STEM Nitto Technomic Dlx 10cm Part Number: 16040
STEM Nitto Technomic Dlx 11cm Part Number: 16041
STEM Nitto Technomic Dlx 12cm Part Number: 16042
Member Price $42 Non-Member $47
If you're rich, get this one, don't worry about the size, Slim:
STEM, LUGGED Rivendell 10cm Part Number: 16090
Member Price $200 Non-Member $205

1 1/8" or 1" threadless, get this beauty; just pick your size:
STEM NITTO threadless TFL 95mm Part Number: 16134
STEM NITTO threadless TFL105mm Part Number: 16135
STEM NITTO threadless TFL 115mm Part Number: 16136
Member Price $80 Non-Member $85

COOL CAPS: BAR PLUG Reflector style (Pair) Part Number: 16115
Member Price $3 Non-Member $8

BRAKE CENTERPULL D/C 750 62-78mm pair Part Number: 15111
Member Price $45 Non-Member $50

GET CABLE STOPS TO FIT FRONT AND BACK. Ask John/Sheldon, they'll set you up. $20

NEVER RODE A BIKE WITHOUT STI? Well, you'll need two things then:
BRAKE Levers D/C 204Q BROWN Part Number: 15101
Member Price $30 Non-Member $35
SHIFTERS DT SILVER® Part Number: 17101
Member Price $38 Non-Member $43
**** if your bike doesn't have downtube shifter bosses...meaning if it's a new bike purchased within the last 5 years....GET THE FOLLOWING INSTEAD:**********
SHIFTERS BAR END SILVER® SUPERMIX KIT Part Number: 17089
Member Price $75 Non-Member $80

FIND A FRONT DERAILLEUR AND A REAR DER AND A CHAIN TO MATCH YOUR GEARING. Ex-racers, this should be a freebie...you can use a played derailleur that won't index. Come on, you can do it...

WHEELS: $150 - $600
FRONT WHEEL: BUY THIS ONE... it's a bargain:
WHEEL 650B F XC9000 SYNERGY 32H Part Number: 18188
Member Price $115 Non-Member $120
REAR WHEEL: PICK YOUR POISON, build up using a shimano cassette hub or campy cassette hub, or whatever you've got lying around. Build them up around this hoop:
RIM 650B SYNERGY 32h ASYM Part Number: 18184
Member Price $50 Non-Member $55
John or Sheldon will take care of building it up for you if you buy a hub from them. (At least Sheldon will. I believe Rivendell offers custom wheel building too...John will know.)

TWO TIRE CHOICES: $56 - $100
Pick the bigger one (and it's cheaper, BONUS!) for bikes with more clearance.
ONLY go with the Megamium if your bike lacks clearance with the tires you currently ride (700x23 or so):
TIRE 650B x 38 (35) Pana C de la V Part Number: 10063
Member Price $28 Non-Member $33
TIRE 650B x 32 (30) Michelin Megamium Part Number: 10064
Member Price $50 Non-Member $55

BUY FOUR TUBES: $24
TUBE 650B & other, Schwalbe Part Number: 10066
Member Price $6
Non-Member $11

Mount up some fenders and go exploring like never before.