Rope Rug Final

Here is the climbing rope rug after I finished taking all the slack out of it. I ended up with about seven hours in it. There is a guy on the Internet who will turn your rope into a rug for $40. I wouldn't do it for less than $200. It is a ton of work, but I like the way it turned out. I will do it for my ropes as they wear out, but I don't think I will be making many for fun. If you want one though I will be happy to lend you the peg board and information.

**Warning, if you are easily disturbed do not look at the picture in the post below.**

Making it Bearable

**Seriously though, if you have a weak stomach please don't look at the picture below.**

Last week I did a long run, and didn't want to be sore the next day. I headed over to the grocery store and bought some ice. I have actually gotten to the point where I enjoy ice baths, but I had to learn a few tricks first. The first one I ever took was horrible. Did you know it is almost impossible to make yourself sit down in ice water? Well it was for me. Step one- Acquire necessary items. (ice, cell phone (you don't want an excuse to get out of the tub because you won't get back in), and something to read (it helps I swear)) Step two- Sit in tub. Step three- Turn on the cold water and let it fill only high enough to cover your legs. Step four- Have someone add the ice down by your feet. It will feel good on your feet, and the cold slowly creeps up your legs toward you. Step five- Sit and read for 15 minutes. It may be a little tough at first, but it will be worth it. You won't be as sore the next day after a hard effort. Step six- Enjoy a nice hot shower. This is the best part, and feels awesome after freezing for what seems like forever. Why an ice bath you ask? From what I understand the cold constricts your blood vessels pushing the blood out of your legs letting it re-oxygenate. When you take the hot shower afterwards it dilates the vessels and allows oxygen rich blood to flood back into your legs, and promotes the healing of all those little micro tears in your muscles.

**Warning, below is the picture from the previous warning. Seriously!**

I was not getting ready to shave my legs (as far as you know), even though Amy said the razor on the side of the tub makes it look that way.

Repurposed Climbing Rope

I recently retired an old climbing rope, but didn't want to throw it away. Old climbing ropes can be used for plenty of things. Just not climbing. I started looking around and found rope rugs. Fortunately for me my friends Mark and Stacy had already done all the leg work, and posted the info on Mountain Project. I built a peg board, and got started. Elsie was there to lend a hand if I needed it. Here is the first pass.

Second pass complete.

Third pass. The rug is starting to take shape. A 60 meter climbing rope is 196+ feet long. As the weave gets more crowded it is getting harder to pull the rope through.

Finally finished pulling the rope. Not much rope left over. All I have left to do is figure out how to tighten up the weave a little bit, and sew the ends together. It was physically much harder than I had imagined. Once you have the first pass complete the brain work is done, but I did have to pay close attention to avoid any mistakes.

Antisocial

This week I am featuring a song by Anthrax for my friend Michelle. The song is Antisocial. I personally think it is one of their best. Michelle is a huge Anthrax fan. In fact, when she was in high school she shaved her head just like Scott Ian as a show of solidarity. If you make sure your sound is down, or are using google reader to view my blog please make sure to check out the weekly music feature. I look long and hard for radio edit music to put up. I add all kinds of music, not just Cookie Monster thrash metal (although I am partial to that). Some of it might be added while I am thinking about you. I often put up music that I know one of you likes. If you have something you would like to hear let me know.