HOOP TRICKS

I spent this past weekend at my favorite dance camp, and I came home with a new pastime to help me whittle away at the waistline.

The big one is for me, and the little one is for Abby. I figure she’ll want to imitate me when she sees me hooping like a crazy person. I hooped like crazy when I was a kid. (We called them hula hoops back then, but now they’ve grown up and become a fitness craze, so it’s just called hooping.) I tried the hoops at Curves a while back, and it was depressing that I couldn’t do it at all anymore. But this weekend I participated in a workshop called Hoopercize, and Karen, the instructor, said just the right words, and I was hooping right along. It helps too that the hoops Karen manufactures are soft and lightweight. Perfect for me.

Of course, an hour spent in vigorous abdominal exercise, after a winter spent in vigorous couch time, resulted in several days of deeply buried muscles protesting that kind of playtime. But today I put on some music and hooped my way through a few songs.

Exercise that’s fun….I need this.

Too bad all the exercise our fingers get while we knit doesn’t seem to help the waistline. I’ve been busy with several projects. I put aside the Heartbeat Sweater temporarily in order to finally clear out a longtime project…..

I spent an afternoon sorting through the clutter of baskets and bags in order to A) neaten the pile and B) make decisions. I had pretty much decided to simply abandon this Tunisian Crochet Afghan that was more than half-done. But while I was frogging the partially-knit fourth panel, I had an epiphany! (Don’t you all just love those epiphanies!!) If I did all the lovely worms for the third panel, I would have a usable afghan. Smaller than originally intended, but still big enough to be useful. Still not the colors I had really wanted, but a striking work nonetheless. And plenty of yarn left over to become an adorable baby sweater or two. I was so excited about this prospect that I started the trim immediately. That was last week. Projected finish time is the end of this week. Here's a closeup of the worms...

Abby’s Entrelac Blanket is shaping up as a beautiful piece too. I am planning to line the blanket with Beatrix Potter fabric, as soon as I find some.

Now I need to run along to the guild meeting. But first….a little hoop time before I go. (It’s too bad I’m not living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Then I could be a Yooper hooper. I guess I’ll have to settle for just being a super hooper. Or a super-duper hooper. If I were a police officer, I could be a super-duper hooper trooper. Oh someone stop me, please!)

Comments

[Gina]

I've been scouring the Goodwill for a hula-hoop, also thinking that fun exercise is more likely to be exercise that gets done. Enjoy!

[Jaimi]

Don't mess up with the hoop. That would be a super-duper hooper blooper!

(Hee, I'm not going to stop you...I'm going to jump right on with you!)

[Becca]

Does that make you a Jew-per hooper? You've got to get Abby-hooping pics for sure! Be careful though, don't hit your head. You might go into a hooper stupor.

[LynnH]

Oh! I love hula hoops. There was a girl next door, two grades below me, who was quite a jock. She could beat me at anything... except hula hoop. I could take it down to the ground and then defy gravity and make it go up all the way over my head around my wrist.

I can't do it that well anymore, but the hoops these days are WAY superior to the old ones. If only my house were big enough in any single place to handle a hoop. No way. Only outdoors.

As if I hadn't already confused my neighbors enough....

[Laura]

Oh my gosh I'm so cracking up at your commenters!! I'm not so witty, but I am inspired - I tried the hula hoop at Curves (quite a while back now) and was a disappointing failure. I used to be able to do it. I was sure that it's a scientific mathmatical thing that has to do with my middle growing and hula hoop still being the same circumference as it was when I was a small child and could hula hoop For EVER! I must investigate this new Hooping thing to redeem my crushed ego!

And what yarn are you using for Abby's entrelac blanket? I started one as a gift but didn't like my caston edge (too tight) so I have to frog it.

[Karen]

I tried a hula hoop not too long ago and failed miserably. I remember doing it for hours when I was a kid. The only thing I can do for hours now, is sleep.

[sushi zume]

Welcome to the world of hooping. I read your article on hooping.org. It is an amazing pastime to venture into and yes the added bonus is a great bod to match those gorgeous hoops!
Look forward to hearing more about your adventures!
Wishes from Tokyo
Deanne

[Kristi]

And if you get one of those mini-trampolines, you could do the "Super Duper Loopdilooper Alleyooper Bounce" like Tigger. Just sayin'.

I never could hula hoop, until my mom bought one with water in it. Something about it worked better for me than the beans, plastic pellets, or whatever they put in them. I could hoop all day with the water one.

[Teresa C]

I tried a hula hoop last summer and couldn't do it! I was so good as a kid.

I love your Rainbow Jacket. Nice job.