I can hoop

I must confess that I have never been able to hula hoop. As a child, I practiced all the time. I watched most of my friends as well as my mom master the hula hoop. I could not do it. To clarify, I could hula hoop on my neck and arms, but never around my waist. The hoop just would not stay up. In recent years, I have tried time and again to hula hoop. I read countless blogs devoted to the fun of hula hooping. I watched as some of my friends discovered and mastered hooping. This past summer my daughter and I practiced hooping. Even she figured it out, but again I did not.

This all changed recently. While at my weekly Stitch 'n Bitch group, a friend told me I could hula hoop. I argued with her a bit trying to ignore her assertion that I could do it. Finally she urged me to go outside and try the hula hoop which she had brought that evening (don't ask why she had a hula hoop. Sometime knit night is like that). Tentatively I tried her hoop. I wasn't a master, but I could do it. It was amazing. The hoop did not fall. She then let me in on the secret. I needed a bigger, heavier hoop.

Armed with her directions, I made plans to craft hoops for the whole family. As I discussed this week, though, my intention took awhile to come to fruition. Finally, after seeing more hoops hit the web, we made our own.

Initially we tried our local hardware store, but they did not have the supplies we wanted. The local big box building supply store had everything we needed. Armed with 160 psi poly tubing, connectors, a cutting knife, electrical tape, we set to work.

 Eamon, Aine and Benton helped form the hoops. We measured each hoop to chest height. Eamon and Aine helped cut the tubing. I filled my hoop with oatmeal to add weight (my friend's secret). We used the hair dryer to warm the plastic for easier connections.

Each of us decorated our hula hoops with the electrical tape and some duct tape from Eamon's stash.

Once we had our hoops decorated, we showed off our skills. Even Benton is getting the hang of hooping. The kids then practiced tricks with their hoops. As for me, I can see quite a bit of hula hooping in my future.