TFI Friday!

Last night was a leaving do for one of the people at work who joined at the same time I did, about 3-and-three-quarter years ago (yes, way back in September 2003). That leaves only two of us who joined at that time, and I think 6 (including management) who were here before me still here. There were three permanents and about six contractors all started within a week of one another. The team I work in was very different then. It was a good evening, and a chance to socialise with people I don’t often get to socialise with. I wonder what else will change, and when it will happen. We will see, I guess.

We’re off to body pump again tonight! I’m looking forward to it with a mixture of trepidation (because it was hard) and excitement (because I enjoyed it). I’ve decided to try wearing just one of my sport vests, without a sports bra underneath. As there’s no jumping around, I shouldn’t need that level of support.

No real knitting news today, so I’ll tell you about my LYS (that’s Local Yarn Store for you non knitters). I wandered in at the weekend looking for the yarn for the secret item I’m knitting. It’s nice to be looking for yarn with a purpose. Anyway, I told the nice lady in there what I was after and she showed me several options. We ummed and ah’d about the various selection and then she emerged from a storeroom with some excellent yarn in just the right colour. Excellent! The balls are 100g and have a good long yardage (I can’t remember the exact amount) so I might even have a little leftover! (I know, I already have leftovers from my previous project, but I will find something I can knit with that.) Sheep image courtesy of knitting on the net
I am still hoping/waiting for an invite to Ravelry but they are still in beta testing and need to limit the number of users. I’m looking forwards to being able to see other people’s work, get help on my knitting, find out about other yarn…

It's Thursday!

So, Aston is on the mend (this is not a recent pic, I may try to get one soon). I’m not sure that his foot is being used, but he is getting about better than he was. We will still be going back to the vets though, and we’re going to take his brother Martin with us too, because we might as well for the price it’s costing us! Hopefully the vet will be nice, as it’s a different one than before.

I’m trying a new moisturiser-with-self-tan, the one from Palmers. I really like the body butter that Palmers do, so I thought I’d give the tan one a try. I learnt two things:

1. Don’t try to mix the tan with the non-tan product, it’s too squishy
2. Don’t forget the backs of your arms

I also confirmed that the usual don’t put too much on your toes or elbows also applies to this product. Otherwise though it’s a nice smell, a nice texture and it soaks in well. I may be a convert. It has to be said that it is much easier to go get someone else to put some goop on, but it is expensive. I have one of the home kits for the St Tropez Tanning System, and it’s really good. it’s not easy to get your own back, but I am very flexible so I find it okay. I like that system because you can see where you’ve been when you put it on, and then you have a nice glow when you take it off. However, the moisturiser ones have an extra benefit – daily moisturising, which I should do, but don’t do.

Image courtesy of knitting on the net

In knitting news, I’ve managed to get past a bit in the pattern for the secret item which was causing me problems (I had to unravel [or frog] the entire thing twice!). As it’s a lace pattern it’s quite difficult, and the pattern changes every 10 rows, and is 10 stitches wide, with lots of yf and k2tog bits. I quite like how the stitch sl1 k2tog psso looks though, which I have been introduced to by this pattern. I’m a bit worried about decreasing in pattern, especially as the pattern’s author claimed that it wouldn’t be suitable for beginners. As I’ve only knit about a dozen things ever, I consider myself a beginner, but I also like a challenge. If I find any useful resources on the web about decreasing in pattern (or if you reader(s) know of any) then I’ll be well away. If they’re really useful I might add them to the blogroll.

Mum and Dad are up at the weekend to bring us a sofa-bed. It used to be theirs, and then my sister had it, now it’s going to be ours. Well, it’s not the most comfortable as a bed, but it’s not bad as a sofa. I’ve also asked for my big sofa-sized throw (shop bought, I’m afraid) to be brought up to throw over the sofa as it’s purple and I'm not a big fan of purple. The throw is burgundy/maroon (they call it “wine” on the label) and lovely. I will probably combine it with my pink smaller throw too, and it’ll look real pretty! Anyway, then I plan to make a cushion cover for the massive cushion we have left over from when we bought cushions (I think it’s 21 inches, but I could be remembering wrong) – I might even knit it! (my other cushion covers so far are sewn, and they still need Velcro fastenings attaching to them.) Well, once that’s all done, since it’s in the room with my yarn in, I thought I could sit in there in comfort and knit. That way I will be less likely to be distracted by the telly and ssk when I should be sl1 or knit when I should purl! Oddly, this is a situation where I’m seeing the most positive outlook on the sofa arrival!

Have to mention...

I surfed on into Yarn Harlot's blog for the first time ever today, and got sucked into this post about blogging etiquette - serves as a reminder that anyone can read your blog. I try to remember that, but you never know.

Update!

Okay, it’s been some time since I posted. There’s lots of news!

The Race for Life has been postponed! So, I will now be running the race on the 18th July 2007. This gives me an extra three weeks to train (woo)!
We’re not flooded out (yet) though the water will have to get pretty high. That said, we’ve been raising the issue of the flood defences with the council for quite some time now. If we do get horribly flooded it’s likely to be horrible! We should check our insurance too.

Poor Aston! On Wednesday (we think) night, Aston (one of our two dwarf Russian hamsters) managed to hurt his back leg somehow. He was limping pretty badly, though still getting around and eating. So we took him to the vet (don’t get me started on how expensive that was!) because I can’t see him suffer. Anyway, the vet gave us some painkillers for him (usually for cats, but hey) which we put on a couple of sunflower seeds for him each morning. We’ve also had to take away all of his toys, so there’s no see-saw, no house, no log, no wheels and no upstairs floor in the cage. Just sawdust, bedding and two food bowls and a water bottle. Poor boys. Martin has been climbing up over the water bottle it seems, the little terror. However, the good news is that Aston is looking to be trying to use his leg a bit more. If it’s dislocated the vet said that they would chop it off, which is best in that case I guess, but as it looks like he might be using it again, that might not be necessary. I’d prefer that, because I don’t want him to be under anaesthetic any longer than he has to be. Being so small, it’s really risky. If they need to x-ray him then they’ll have to knock him out. Anyway, back to the vet on Saturday to make sure.

Body Pump One of the classes that they offer at my gym is called Body Pump, it’s basically aerobics but with a bar weight. We went last Friday and I quite enjoyed it at the time. I didn’t enjoy not really being able to move about on Saturday, still being pretty sore in my legs and arms on Sunday and then still being a bit tight on my triceps on Monday when we went to pilates! What a class! However, we are planning on going back, hopefully we can get on a bit better. I intend to use a slightly lighter weight for the triceps section this time. Otherwise should be good.

Knitting There is not much to report on the knitting front. I don’t think that it will be a problem if I mention my current project on here, but as it’s a surprise gift for someone who might surf on in, I’ll refrain until it is done. I do intend to cast on the gypsy socks soon too, probably for my next journey anywhere in the car. I have also completed another square on the sudoku blanket, but have had to poach the needles for the secret project. I’ll get back to it once either the secret project is completed, or I buy some more appropriate needles!

That’s all folks. Thanks for reading.

I've been birthday meme tagged!

Eleanor of Crazy4Knitting tagged me with this birthday meme.

The rules are to go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday month and day only. Then post 3 events, 2 births and one holiday that occurred on your birthday, then tag 5 friends. I added the reason why I picked each too, seems like a good idea.

My birthday is December 31, it is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining. (It means everyone always has plans on your birthday)

Events:
1599 - British East India Company is chartered. (woo – pirates!)
1695 - A window tax is imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax. (this is funny, isn’t it?)
2006 - United Kingdom repays final installment of Second World War debt to America (I thought this was interesting because it took so long!)

Births:
1943 - Pete Quaife, English bassist (The Kinks) (The Kinks rock!)
1943 - Ben Kingsley, English actor (because the other choice was Sir Anthony Hopkins)

Holiday:
New Year's Eve on the Gregorian Calendar. (It had to be, there’s nothing else!)
My 5 tagees are:
Life After Buffy
Gemma
Lint
Gayle
Brit Knitter


I should add that, although I have tagged these five, I suspect that they'll not be big on responding. I just had to as it was my first ever tag of this sort! Woo!

Change One Thing...?

Okay, I admit it, I am not capable of changing just one thing at once – I'm too impatient! So, on top of everything, I am now reading “What Colour is Your Parachute?” and trying the Gillian McKeith ‘diet’.

I’ll let you know how things go with the reading of the book and doing the exercises within.

The diet is not posing any problems yet, but it is only day 1. I had muslei this morning (home made) with blueberries as well as the raisins and sultanas already in it. I also have unsweetened soya milk on it instead of proper milk. I don’t know what difference this makes! So, that was breakfast. I also had a cup of mint tea, instead of my usual breakfast tea. It was nice, but I'm not sure if I want to entirely give up tea. There’s not much else I drink, except for gin and wine – and they’re both out on the McKeith diet!
Anyway, I had a pear at about 10:30 this morning, and I’ve had some nasty vending machine tea (sorry) as well as some water. I also had a few pumpkin seeds. (!)
For lunch I have had tuna niçoise, which is tuna, salad, egg and olives. I had lettuce, peppers, cucumber, spring onion, mixed seeds, two eggs, four black olives, and almost half a tin of tuna. (Almost because I couldn’t squeeze it in to my tiny lunchbox!) I enjoyed my salad though.
I also have more fruit, a whole pepper (sliced up), and more pumpkin seeds.

Also, we’re off to the gym this evening. Normally we go early as it’s quieter and therefore nicer. However, I wanted to be in for 9am this morning to make sure that a piece of work which I would get the blame for if not the credit was going live at 9am. It seems to have gone fine.
So, I’ll be at the gym this evening. I’m going to try to run on the treadmill for a full 30minutes today. Last time I was there I managed 20 minutes, which was about 2.5km. I’ve been pretty much skipping the other cardio in favour of the running, with the Race for Life being a week today! (OMG! – I’ve only just realised that it’s a week today! Cripes!)
So, I hope to do at least 30 minutes and hopefully 5km on the treadmill before I do my weights.
Pilates is going well though. We’re hoping to sign up for some extra sessions over the summer while we wait for the September classes to begin. I’ve been really enjoying it, and I think that it has helped (though how much of it I undid with biscuits at Leon’s parents is anyone’s guess!) to tone me up. I really need to lose the flab around my tummy though, because under that layer of flab there is a toned tummy I’m sure! My fat percentage hasn’t changed (according to our bathroom scales anyway) although I haven’t weighed in for a while.

Anyway, the knitting for the sudoku blanket is going well. The fact that I am now capable of knitting in the car (without getting car-sick) is a bonus there! I don’t knit especially quickly I’m afraid. 48 rows of 33 stitches in a pretty simple pattern took the best part of 3 hours to do. Though I have just calculated that it works out at 528 stitches per hour, or 8.8 stitches per minute if I really knitted for 3 hours. Perhaps I’ll time myself. I did think that one row was taking about 5 minutes, which is even slower – though that was one row on my sock… which makes 12 stitches per minute in stocking stitch. That’s about 5 seconds per stitch! That’s shockingly slow! Perhaps I will time myself… anyway, I have got about half way through my sixth square for the sudoku blanket. I’ve done three shades of blue, a cream and a pink, and I am working on red. Then I have purple, another shade of pink and black to do.
Once I have done all of those, that will be pattern 3 completed (I started on 3 because it was the easier of the patterns. I will probably do 1 and 2 later on as they’re both quite difficult.) I may take a picture. I may not.

Lastly, as it’s only 1 month 2 weeks and 3 days until my holiday in Florida begins, here’s an update on that organisational nightmare :
We’re definitely off to Busch Gardens. Leon and I are off to the Gulf Coast for at least one night (we’ll be hiring our own car all being well). I’ve got shorts and skirts but still no new tops. I have ordered some sun cream etc from Avon [but the lady hasn’t brought them yet despite the fact that she was meant to come on Monday (and we were in, except for a brief spell at pilates!)]. We still need to buy shorts for Leon, I have a dress to make (I have some lovely material) and tops to buy. We do still need to buy more sun cream. We got our dollars though, since the exchange rate is good. They’re in my parents’ safe now.

I should write something about the weekend in Cambs and Livestock but I’ll leave it for now. There are pictures on facebook for people who have found me on there.

Sock Lace is Complicated

So, I have my new sock yarn (sorry, no pics yet!) and I am considering designing some socks of my own which seems a big step, since they’ll only be my second pair. I’m not totally sure how one carries the pattern from the cuff (the leg bit) onto the foot without putting pattern on the sole or the heel of the sock. The sock pattern that I am hoping to adapt works on 60 stitches, but the pattern that I fancy is for multiples of 8. The number of rows for the cuff can be varied, so that’s fine, and I think I can get near enough (1 row extra) for the foot. I’ll leave the toe un-patterned too.

I’ve picked a pattern out of my pattern book, which has lots of choice in it. The pattern I’m favouring at the moment (though we’ll see what the swatch in the round turns out like) is gypsy lace. It’s a diamond lace pattern. I can either do 8*7 = 56 stitches or 8*8 = 64 stitches for the cuff – either 4 fewer or 4 more than in the original pattern. This still works okay for doing k2p2 rib on the top of the cuff at least! Now, I think that a lacy pattern will be a bit more stretchy than a stst pattern would be, because of the holes. I do wonder, though, whether I’d be better off finding a lace-based pattern and then re-jigging that rather than my pattern which came with my Opal yarn.

If I could find a lace sock pattern that I thought I could amend!

So, I’ll probably have to play. I’m confident that I can do the cuff/leg bit, but I’m just not sure what to do for the bit after the heel flap pickup. I think I know which bit will be on top, and I know how many stitches I might have there (based on the 64 stitch sock, I’ll want 32 on the top, which also fits in pattern!) and I’ll have to decrease to 64 rather than 60 stitches.

O, we’ll see anyway!

I’ll let you know how it goes, and eventually get some pictures of the new yarn! (It’s superwash wool mix in burgundy)

Oh, off to visit various parents and to a party in a barn this weekend. Knitting may happen, as I suspect will mud and wet-Tsuki. I am taking my walking boots for the party. I will also take a big sweater! (I’ll knit one of those one day)

The Usual

Pilates last night was pretty good. I’m hoping to carry on with it as I am enjoying it. I think that Leon would rather be doing something a bit more physical, so we might also have to sign up for some “body pump” classes or something. They’re aerobics with weights. I’m not so sure about them, but I might give it a go.

Other than that, I’ve been continuing to knit my sock. It’s going pretty well, so well in fact that I have ordered some more sock yarn! Woo!

Work is still as thrilling as ever, but it could be worse at the moment!

I’ll keep this short before I go off on a rant or anything. Looking forwards to a long weekend.

Running in socks

Last night I went on my first run with some of the other girls doing the race for life. The planned route was from work, over Scarborough Bridge, up to Clifton Bridge, and then back. However, while we were waiting for the entire group to turn up Leon happened to come past, so I got him to collect my bags and instead of the original route, I ran from work over Scarborough Bridge, up to Clifton Bridge, back to Scarborough Bridge and over, then the other way down the river to my house. Around 2.14 miles according to GMaps Pedometer (that’s 3.45 km). It wasn’t too bad, although we did have a rest under Clifton Bridge before we came back. To celebrate, we’re off out for a curry tonight!

I measured myself last night for the first time in a while. It appears that I might finally have lost an inch from my waist. (This explains why some of my trousers are falling down)

I’ve done quite a bit of shopping for my holiday, including some exciting bits I have ordered from Avon. There’s a funky beach bag coming to go with my sun lotion. I’ll probably get more than just the stuff that I’ve ordered, but the one I’ve ordered has a slight tint so you can see if you’ve got everywhere! Less good if you don’t want it everywhere I guess. I ordered a couple of shower scrubs too, but I think that was all – oh and a toiletries bag, which has some mini bottles and pots in for taking lotions and potions in! Excellent!

I’m going to have to go back to New Look and buy the beige sling backs I saw. I saw them when I was shopping for my dress for Rose’s wedding, but couldn’t justify the expense. Now they’re half price, so I can justify that a bit more! I could so easily spend a fortune though! They’ve got some cropped trousers, linen mix, in fantastic colours at the moment. There is also a green dress that Leon has convinced me I should get, but it’s not in the New Look at this end of town, so I’ll have to go to the other one and see if they have it there. I’ll need a belt, though, or it’ll make me look pregnant! Haha. I have a fab green and pink dress/top for our holidays (I’ve probably mentioned it) and I also hope to get another of the same style. I like them. I’m still umming about some nice flipflops I’ve seen in a catalogue, where there are also a couple of dresses I like – however, the green dress is much like the ones in the catalogue. Hm.

The second sock is coming along nicely. I'm about half way down the leg (if you call it that?) and about 20 rows away from starting the heel bit. I think I might try a toe-up pair next time. I’ve noticed something about my sock yarn too, it’s much more stretchy than my double knit, for example. I don’t know whether that’s because the double knit is not as high a percentage of wool though. Sock yarn is so dear too! Compared to normal yarn I guess it’s not bad really, but it’s the fact that one ball and (for my current pair) many many hours of work go into the socks, and that’s so much more expensive than buying socks. I’m looking forwards to wearing them for the first time though.
If any knitters are reading, would you suggest that I wash the newly knit socks before I wear them? If so, should I just stick them in the machine or hand wash them? I’m using the Opal yarn, I think it is 100% wool – if not it’s close to.

I have to finish the socks soon though, because I have so many other projects waiting in the wings! As well as the sudoku blanket there’s knitting for the SCBU to be done and there are loads of accessories I want to knit. There’s also at least two tops I want to knit in the most recent issue of Simply Knitting, and the next one is due out in about three weeks! At least now that my yarn stash is sorted out I can see exactly what yarn I have – I’ve got loads of fancy yarns with no present use – if anyone knows of anything interesting to do with about 20 50g balls of random fancy yarn, let me know! They’re probably going to end up as trimmings for something or other. Some of the nice feathery stuff might make nice teddies, or cuffs on mittens!
I’m sure I’ll think of something. The eyelash stuff is rotten to work with though; I really don’t know what to do with that. I guess I’ll think of something – or I’ll see a pattern I like somewhere. (Or sell it on ebay!)

Because I'm shattered...

Check out this post by my OH

Stash Storage

As promised, here are the pics of my new storage solution for my yarn stash:

The chest is from the Malm range at Ikea, it's quite attractive, in a fuctional kind of way. I store my books and magazines on top for now.

I have a drawer for the yarn for the Sudoku blanket,

one for my chunky, fancy and 4pl baby yarn,

and one for my DK and needles.

Excellent, huh?

Bank Holiday and New PC update

So, for the bank holiday weekend my plan was to tidy the house. We did a pretty good job so far, but we’re going to need to spend some more time on it. We got most of it done though, as well as a bank holiday Monday trip to Ikea (mistake) to buy a desk. We also bought a narrow bookshelf (which is lush) and a big chest of drawers for my knitting and crafts stuff so that it’s not all over the place. Woo. I’ll post a pic once I’ve finished putting all the yarn and stuff in there.

I also finished the first of the socks that I’m knitting, and I’ve cast on for the second one – still working the cuff at the moment. It’s going to be interesting because they’ll have different stripes on them, because of the nature of the self-striping yarn. I'm really pleased with the first sock. There are a few minor imperfections, but I’m not the kind of knitter who has to unravel whole garments because of one stitch! I’ve got so many other patterns that I want to knit though! Well, we’ll see how sock two pans out. I have seen, in simply knitting, a fab tip about how to go back to before a mistake without the hassle of un-knitting or the risk of dropping millions of stitches. I haven’t had to use it yet though (touch wood).

The new PC rocks: it has a 20inch wide screen monitor which is soooooo cool! It also has a TV tuner, which is brilliant! I installed CivIV which I played for most of yesterday evening! Unfortunately the pos chair Leon got us (one of them posture thingys) is really uncomfortable! Well, I find it to be, Leon likes it. I may have to splash out and buy myself a different chair! Oh well.

Tomorrow is an interesting day for me, as I will be working a split shift (oh joy). I’m getting up at 6am to go to the gym, which at least means that I can make the most of my day. After the gym I might wander around the shops until the buses get a little quieter. Then I’m off home to relax a little. At noon I’m back in work for my first part of my shift. Two hours (approx) and I’ll be off again. I may see about getting my legs waxed in the interval. Then I’m back at work again at around 5pm for the evening shift. I expect to be in until about 10pm. I’ll probably ask Leon to come and pick me up, though I could charge a taxi to work – I’d need a receipt! Should be okay though.

As I mentioned above, I’m going to put my yarn all in a chest of drawers to keep it tidy. The new chest is the same sort of style as the massive wardrobes in the main bedroom, but the colour isn’t quite the same. It’s a hotch potch of furnishings in the second bedroom anyway though. We’d quite like to get a futon for in there, the reason being twofold:

1. a double futon is almost, but not quite, as wide as a double bed – will fit into the room and make it look big enough for a double bed, and will be nicer for guests to sleep on than our air mattress is at present.
2. a futon can be folded away into a sofa, which we could sit on if we did put a second telly in that room!

So, I paid for the new craft chest with the money that we got from selling the treadmill. Basically, when we sold the treadmill my Dad gave me an envelope with the money in. I put it on top of the telly for safekeeping, and promptly forgot all about it. when we were starting to tidy the lounge, before the Ikea trip, Leon discovered the envelope. Hurrah! So, I decided to use the money in the envelope to buy a “storage solution” for my yarn, needles and other knitting stuff (including copies of Simply Knitting magazine)

Lastly, I had another driving lesson last night. We went up and down the A64 and did a turn in the road. Not bad, but I need to observe more still. So we’re doing “advanced” observations to try to make me good. it was actually quite fun, but I also found that I was getting a little distracted by the observations and missing things in front of me. I am driving again next Tuesday with hopefully more of the same.

Have a great day people, the sun’s out and even I am in a good mood!

Random Birthday thing

Having been to Knitting Mama's site and spotted this, as usual I couldn't resist. Proper post later!
By the way - this one is spookily true, don't ya think?

Your Birthdate: December 31

You're a pretty traditional person. If it's lasted, it's probably good. You seek stability - both in your career and your romantic relationship. In return, you're very loyal and predictable. Which is usually a good thing. Without a partner, you feel lost. Being with someone is very important to you. Your strength: Your dependability Your weakness: You hate being alone Your power color: Midnight blue Your power symbol: Shell Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Spending

So the new PC is ordered, after much faffing about last night (the website for Dell wouldn't work from work, but it might be blocked. What a pain!) Anyway - Woo! Leon’s staying home to set it up on the day we get it (which might be the first, when I’m working shifts anyway) so I’ll be able to play with it later in the week without having to mess around with setting it up – it’s ideal!

I also booked our overnight stay in the Hilton in Manchester for the night before our holiday. I’ve booked dinner, bed and breakfast for a bargain price! Also there’s a pool and a gym, for that last minute workout and relax before the holiday. Unless the chlorine will affect my San Tropez tan I intend to have!

Oh well, pub tonight, then tidying and knitting for the weekend, and perhaps some driving. We’ll see.

too much

I’m not finding it easy to stick to healthy eating. I may have a low-fat cottage cheese and salad wrap for my lunch, but I then have a galaxy chocolate bar. Poo. All my good work un-done. So I have a big number of extra calories to burn off. We are off to the gym tomorrow though. Yesterday’s gym session was to burn off the pizza we had on Tuesday night. Shocking I know. It’s remembering to get something out of the freezer the night before – I almost never remember, and Leon, though he remembers a lot more than I do, sometimes forgets. Then, if I’m having a rubbish day, I don’t want to cook so I order takeaway of some kind. Still, it could be worse! Tonight we have also forgotton to get anything out. Looks like I might be making some kind of pasta bake. I was considering doing a gratin of sorts, with aubergine, courgette, possibly carrots, tomatoes (tinned) and tuna. Does that sound horrible?

I didn’t get much knitting done last night. I only managed a couple of rounds on my sock. I did have a go at some small blanket squares to donate to the SCBU but I couldn’t get the increases to work (I want to knit from the corner). I’m also a little dissatisfied with the sock pattern I am using. I don’t like the way the heel works on these, though it looks like a common way to work the heel. Maybe it will look better when it is completed.

I also had another look at the sox on 2 stix pattern from knitty. I don’t know why mine didn’t work! Perhaps my DK yarn was thicker than intended, or maybe my needles were not the right size. Either way, it didn’t work out like the ones on the knitty website! Perhaps I should have done a swatch to see if my gauge was 20 sts / 28 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch. I am willing to bet that it wasn’t! That would make it difficult, hmm? Anyway, it’s supposed to be knitted in DK, so it should work up a bit faster than the ones I’m doing now.

There are so many knitting projects that I want to do though! It’s madness really! I want to do the zig-zag bag in the May issue of simply knitting. I also want to do at least two of the tops from the June issue of simply knitting (which I got a whole week early due to being a subscriber!) and I’m knitting the sudoku throw. There’s also all the preemie things I want to knit for the SCBU, and I love the fetching fingerless gloves from knitty! And I imagine that there will be a vast number of new patterns that catch my eye over the coming months. Mum did also ask about me knitting her a shrug like mine - though how much time that might take is anyone’s guess. I’m not sure about having an identical one, perhaps I can find some nice wool in a different colourway to do one for Mum in.

Of course, buying yarn (or wool, I try to say yarn because that covers all the cotton and ribbon yarns as well) on ebay is a bit tricky when I don’t have access to the internet at home because I don’t have a computer. I am hoping to sort that out very soon, and then I’ll have a shiny new PC that I can surf ebay and play Civ4 on! (bang goes my knitting time for a while, though I could probably knit and play Civ4.)
Even as I type, I have just spotted the perdita cuff pattern on knitty which I think is lush! And I have lots of ideas of who I could give them to!

Oh well, it’s a bank holiday weekend from tomorrow evening (Friday) and so that’s lots of tidying for me. We’re going to operate a reward system, where if we actually tidy the house we can go out on Saturday to the movies!

What am I going on about?

Having had a look at This post on Lint’s blog I wondered what the top 10 things I post about are.
As of 23rd May 2007, the things I have posted most about are:

1 knitting and crafts (32)
2 health and fitness (24)
3 driving (18)
4 Friends and Family (15)
5 Holiday (13)
6 Celebrations (11)
7 Ranting (10)
8= General (7)
8= Work (7)
10 Achievements and Resolutions (5)

I’m happier with that list than I thought I’d be. I blog most about what’s happening to me in my life. I think that work didn’t aught to be in this list, and I’ll try to talk less about work. I’m also not surprised that knitting and crafts is way up there, since I mention it in most posts. I may try this again on my blogoversary (see counter in the blogroll)

Remaining philosophical

This weekend we went back to Gainsborough to celebrate my Dad’s 50th birthday. The celebrations have been ongoing since his birthday, and are now on hold until Florida. Anyway...

On his birthday Mum and Dad organised some food from the new Marks and Sparks Food store (it’s new in Gainsborough). The following night my sister had organised for him to go se a T-Rex tribute band (2-Rex) and he got cake and champagne! We all arrived on Friday night and I gave Dad the gifts I’d got him. I’d splashed out a bit more than I normally do, and so he got a flashy heart-rate monitor (he runs and goes to the gym), the Tomb Raider chronicles (I think) for the PS2 and a bottle of posh single malt whisky (which always goes down well). Shopping on the Saturday and then Mum, Gayle and I went to the new shopping area in Gains while the boys watched the football. Sunday morning we sat up on a hill while Dad went on his gliding experience (from Mum). We got sunburn. Well, Gayle and I got sunburn! Mine is down one side of my face, so I look a right pillock. It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend, and I even got some knitting done on my sock, which is over half complete now.

We also went for a run on the Saturday morning (me, Dad and Leon) and managed Dad's 3 mile course in 30 minutes. Woo!

And, more good news! We didn’t win the PTH. We were mid-table this time, probably due to it being less actuarial now than it was. I’m willing to bet that the next one is even more convoluted, and I don’t like the buying big prizes nonsense. This could be the end of Bad Data.

On the knitting front, I’ve begun shaping the gusset of my sock. I was hoping it would come out with a distinct corner, like when you buy them, but it doesn’t look like that at present. We will see, I guess. I’m enjoying the self striping yarn, and will almost certainly buy more at some point. Sock yarn is so expensive though! Enough for one pair of socks can cost almost ten whole pounds! I don’t spend that kind of money on socks I buy, never mind socks I’m making and so my time has to be factored in! Oh well. I do have a cunning plan on the sock front for this Christmas (7 months and 2 days away!) but that is all I'm willing to say!

So my run of three bad luck items is as follows:

1. Car is not going to pass its MOT and so needs fixing or selling
2. Computer blew up
3. Failed driving test

Now that they’re out of the way (and assuming that no1 counts) then I should be a bit luckier now. They say that it comes in threes, but I’m not superstitious, it’s too unlucky (ba-boom-tish)

Well, I guess that’s all for now. Wish me happy hunting for my new PC and car, and also luck in getting a test earlier than the next one is scheduled for.

Remaining philosophical.

Bother

Last night, I was minding my own business surfing myspace and facebook when the screen went black and the computer started making a funny noise. I turned it off and on again, the screen remained blank and the noise persisted. So I turned it off and went to bed feeling slightly guilty.

So, this morning I asked Leon to turn on the PC and have a listen to see what he thought was wrong with it. Leon turned it on and it went and made the same odd noise as before. Then it went “bang”. It smelled of burning. I think it is now dead. It has lasted a long time (I got it in 2002 to use for my degree course) and was well due for replacement. I am slightly sad that it’s dead, it’s like losing an old friend!

So, we’re in the market for a new PC. I have been trying to decide what to do with the overtime pay I’ll be getting this month for the extra work I did in December and January. (It’s a long story) and now the decision is pretty much made for me.

It does put a bit of a damper on the car search too, because we don’t really have any spare money even without having to buy a new PC. You see I was planning on spending the money on either

1. a new mattress
2. towards a new(er) car
3. towards a new computer
4. save it for a rainy day

Looks like now I don’t need to wonder, just spend it on the thing which by becoming deceased is now top of the list, a new PC.

There are some nice ones from Dell at least, and for only a bit more than the money I’m expecting (5 days worth of overtime after tax is not enough to flee the country with) but we’ll see. We’ll probably end up spending vast amounts more than we wanted to. So it is.

So, no blogging from home for me for a while (is that an issue, I think not) but I do now have the hope of having a PC which is capable of running Civilisation 4.

Sock Progress

Sock Progress
Originally uploaded by Hayzee C.

This is my second sock attempt, this time using proper sock yarn, proper sock needles and a proper sock pattern. The brighter blue bit is the cuff, and I'm working my way towards the heel at present.

Mostly knitting

I heard back from the local SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit) today. The nice lady who works there told me that they’d love to receive some hand knitted garments, and that they especially like to get hats, cardigans and blankets. Excellent! I have a pattern for a cardigan that I downloaded from Bliss’ (the charity) website and now I also have a pattern for a blanket square. Small squares for a small blanket would be nice, although I bet they take just as long as the big ones for my big throw. I will make a small cardigan though, and see how that looks. Everything looks sweet in small sizes! I found some nice patterns here.

We went to pilates again last night. I quite enjoyed it again, though I think Leon’s not so keen. It’s quite hard work, and I feel like I did a mega workout last night, not some stretching. (reminds me of the yellow pages ad “a bunch of ladies in leotards going ‘om’ – how hard can it be?”)I have a couple of pledges for the race for life that mean I have to get round in less time than before. I guess I’d better get into some proper training! We have found quite a nice route to run, over on Clifton Ings. We’re not sure on the distance, but it’s probably about right. I would join some of my friends’ running sessions, but perhaps not yet.

Tonight I’m looking forwards to a nice quiet night. CSI is on, so I can sit back, watch CSI and knit. I’m presently working mostly on my sock. I only managed a couple of rounds last night after pilates, but that’s okay. I’m also mid-way through one of the squares for the sudoku blanket. I think I may finish that before it gets cold again (proper cold I mean, not this miserable weather we’re having now)
Now that I have heard from the SCBU I may begin a premature baby garment too. The hat and booties were fun and so quick to do. I wonder whether the blue yarn I have will be suitable for these patterns. I may need to invest in a couple more stitch counters though, if I’m to have more than two projects on the go at once!

This site is quite interesting too.

Nothing more for now: it’s a slow news day.

Reverse order post

We’re still awaiting the PTH results. I suspect that they will announce today.

I had another driving lesson on Sunday evening. It was raining, which wasn’t pleasant. I did two rather shoddy parallel park manoeuvres, and lots of emergency stops! (Fun, in the rain)
Trying to remain calm in the face of the impending test.

After lunch on Sunday we went to New Look. I almost bought lots of clothes for my holiday, but ended up only buying a new pair of trousers for work. They are fab, mind you.

For Sunday lunch we went out and met some friends who don’t live in York any more. It was very pleasant to see them again, although it was a bit of a flying visit. We must sort ourselves out and go visit them some time. We still haven’t seen their new pad!

On Saturday night we went to perhaps the most peculiar barbeque I have ever been to. It was at the Royal York, and as it was raining, it was mostly inside. We had a proper sit-down starter with melon and strawberries, which was lovely. Then we had barbeque food (I had steak and a fish kebab) and then we had strawberries and cream. Yum. After that we had a bit of a boogie.

Saturday afternoon we went for a look around the shops at Monks Cross, to look at some t-shirts that Leon wanted. I bought some flight socks for the flight to America too. (We now have a “things for holiday” box) As I was feeling a bit low, I treated myself to some more nice Radox bubble bath and a body brush with anti-cellulite massagine nodules on one side and a nice scrubby brush on the other side. Not for use wet. We also had a look at Lily Allen’s new range in New Look. On first glance I wasn’t enamoured, but having considered that position I think I like a couple of the dresses, if worn with belts. I dislike the new “gold” range in there though.

On Saturday morning I was feeling especially low. I made the mistake of weighing and measuring myself. After the week we’ve had I should have expected it not to be good. It’s so frustrating though! I haven’t lost any weight (well, a pound or two, maybe) since January when I joined the gym. I also haven’t lost any girth. It’s just not on. I don’t care what all these people say about how skinny isn’t the answer because I don’t want to be skinny I want to be lean. There is a difference. Anyway, I guess we’ll see how that goes. Leon’s got me listening to a podcast by some American chap who claims to have the answer to meeting my fitness goals, I quote: “Doctors don’t know, Diet Clinics don’t want to know, Health Club Owners don’t care, Personal Trainers – they care, but they don’t always have all of the information either.” But he says that he knows. He says it’s something to do with protein and two types of carbs. Frankly, I’m as puzzled now as I was before!

PTH - Dick Turpin

It was the Pub Treasure Hunt last night, so some of the Data Team and Helen (as pictured) got together and went on a mad rampage around York along with several other teams to visit a number of pubs and to have a good time, get drunk and do a quiz and treasure hunt.

We were pretty pants on treasure, but we answerd lots of questions. There has been no announcement of the winners yet, but if we're lucky it isn't us (the winner has to organise the next one!)

5:30am

...is definitely too early to get up.

Diet? What diet?

On the diet front, the weekend has been a bit of a disaster. Starting with pizza at my parents’ house on Thursday and rampaging through cakes and cookies to a three course wedding meal (very nice though) and ending in my putting back on two of the three pounds I thought I had lost.

Otherwise it was a thoroughly pleasant weekend. We took it easy, I did quite a bit of knitting, the wedding was lovely and the dancing was not too strenuous.

Having a day off was quite nice, although it’s never long enough! Even though it was a bank holiday which made it a four day weekend, I was still loathe to come back to work!

So, I’ve cast on and completed two squares for the sudoku blanket, and almost completed a third. I started on pattern three because one and two were a bit complicated. I think that it should be possible to complete one square per evening, but as I also have socks on the go, and have other commitments some evenings, I will not complete the blanket in 81 days. (Gosh! It’s just dawned on me the vastness of this project!) So, I aim to complete all of the pattern three squares before I move on to the other patterns. Pattern three seems to be a very good starter square because the eight-row repeat is about an inch and a half high, so for an eight inch square you need six rows. I’m not entirely happy with my cast off edge; I am wondering whether I should be casting off knit-wise instead of purl-wise. Still, as long as I do all nine squares the same it should be fine.
The socks are still going. I haven’t done anything on them over the weekend despite taking them with me. I will have to train myself to knit in the car without feeling car sick. I’d have got an extra six hours of knitting in then. Well, except for when I was directing us.

My dress for the wedding was a success. It went pretty well with the shoes and looked very posh with my fur-collared cardi. Leon wore his light coloured suit, and looked very nice. He took some photos at the wedding, which he might put online soon. I don’t think he took any pictures of me (but I wasn’t the main attraction) so you’ll have to wait until I find another occasion to wear it (like the barbeque at the weekend?)
I didn’t have my legs shaved or waxed on the day, and that didn’t seem to be a problem (you could hardly tell, and nobody was looking) although I am not due to go back for another three weeks. I don’t know if it’ll throw out my plans if I go sooner. It is meant to last for 4-6 weeks, and it’s only been three, almost four. And it’s expensive, but worth it I think.

I am driving again tonight. Not long until my test now. I had a pretty good drive last weekend; I hope that today’s is good too. If I don’t manage to pass, it could be after my holiday to Florida before I get another chance. That would suck. I just have to not do anything stupid. All the things I failed on before were stupid. I have to remember to do more observations and make them useful. Looking is good but seeing is necessary. I don’t want to chat too much. I don’t mind going on the A64, but I’d rather not go on at the nasty roundabout. They are both nasty though, actually. I know that I haven’t been out for a drive with any of my friends or colleagues. This is not because I don’t think they helped Leon, I’m sure that they did in fact. I just can’t face asking them, and because I have a horrible desire to do this on my own, in my own way which may be my downfall. My instructor has been fantastic so far though. He’s sensible and is teaching me to drive, not just to pass the driving test. I’ve been watching Leon’s driving too, mostly to see things and not to criticise.
Can you tell that I'm worried about this? I promise to let people know how it goes when it happens. If it’s good news it’s likely to get out faster than if it’s not.
If I write any more I'm likely to give away too much and people will guess when it is and then I’ll feel pressured.

Coming soon – the PTH (Pub Treasure Hunt) is on Thursday. The theme is periods of history. We’re going as Dick Turpin and his gang. Leon’s picking up the costume bits tonight, and then I have to decide whether I need anything else. I’m thinking about making a capelet, if I have enough material.
I did forget to pay our entry fee last week though. We’ll probably lose points for that! They didn’t remind me to pay up though! I have now paid, should be starting at 17:10 – venue yet to be confirmed!

Undressed Voting

Today has been manic so far, and isn’t set to get any better!

Last night I packed my gym kit as well as packing for the long weekend so we can go directly there. So we jumped into the car, drove to the gym, worked out for an hour and then went to get changed. I showered and then once I was dry started to get my clothes out of my bag:
Clean socks – check
Clean knickers – check
Trousers for work – check
Shrug – check
T-shirt… T-shirt… oh dear.
So, I dressed in what I had (the shrug doesn’t leave much to the imagination) and dried my hair, put on a little makeup and then waited for Leon in the lobby of the gym. We discussed the situation and decided that the best solution was for Leon to drive me back home and for me to get my t-shirt and then for us both to walk in to work.

Anyway, that disaster averted, I’ve got a big stack of work to do at work, including lots of chasing of other people.
Anyway, I’m then going to go home, hopefully a bit earlier than usual, to clean out my hamsters and feed and water them. Then I’m off to vote*. Hopefully I’ll have had time to stick some things in the car ready to go. Once we’ve both got home, voted and been to the loo, we’ll be off to Gainsborough (via a petrol station), hopefully in time to go get some grub.

* I have no idea who to vote for. I’m not even sure what my choices are. Having looked on the council web page, I have a choice between three Labour candidates, three Conservative candidates, three Liberal Democrat candidates, one Green candidate and one BNP candidate.
So, I will not vote for the BNP. That’s an easy one. There are too many radical elements in the BNP.
I have no idea what the Conservatives or Greens hope to do in my ward as I haven’t seen any pamphlets or anything.
The Lib Dems have sent me information telling me how awful it would be under Labour, and that they might want more recycling. However, these same councillors (whom we have presently) seem to want to build flats out the back of my house.
Labour have sent me information telling me how awful it is under the Lib Dems and that they would be much nicer and give me not only more recycling, but better everything! – oh and that the Conservatives have no chance.
So I have to vote for three candidates** for the three seats, and then hope that they don’t build flats and do improve the recycling.

** Why do I have to vote for three candidates? Surely it would be fairer if everyone voted for one candidate and the top three got in. It already feels like my vote is unlikely to count, and in any case I don’t think that these candidates stand for what I want. Politics sucks. I’ll still vote though, because I am obliged to – no vote no voice. People fight (and die) in other countries, and did in this one, in order to be able to vote. I can’t throw that away, I just wish I knew more about it. more information would be better.

Dressed Up

I have realised that I haven’t mentioned my new dresses! On Monday before Pilates I went to New Look to look for a dress for the wedding at the weekend. I was hoping to get a dress that I had tried on in town (we have three New Look stores here) but this New Look only had one of those and it was two sizes too big. So, I had to find a different dress. I picked up two dresses (and some shoes to try on with the dresses) and headed off to the changing rooms. I tried both on, and liked them both! I also showed them to Leon, and he said that he liked them both too. While I don’t normally buy clothes at full price, these dresses are fab!
One of them is a short-ish green and pink flowery patterned dress; it has a fairly high waist with a ribbon belt and pockets (which I’ll never use!). it’s really pretty, and is exactly what I was looking for to wear on the plane for Florida over some trousers. Excellent!
The other is for the wedding. It can be worn strapless or with straps. It’s a really nice cut too, the waist is actually at my waist, and it’s an a-line skirt. It has a paisley pattern to it. It’s varying shades of pink and white with a sort of spotty hem around the bottom and top. I was going to wear my newly finished shrug with it, but it was too busy! So, I’m going to be wearing my white angora cardigan with the furry collar instead. Sadly I don’t have a bag that goes with this ensemble so I’ll have to rely on Leon for cash. I will be wearing my gold shoes with it. I realise that sounds ghastly, but they’re more shiny beige than gold, quite sedate really. There’ll probably be pictures on Flickr soon enough.

Shrug

I have now uploaded some pictures of the shrug I knitted, on my Completed Projects Blog

You can find the Evening Star Shrug here.

Neutral Spine, Ring-ring

Last night was my first pilates class. We arrived a bit early, so got to sit in the heat and humidity of the upstairs of Waterworld. However, once we got into the crèche (where the class is held) it wasn’t so bad. We met the lady running the class, Grace, and the other class attendees. One of the improvers reminded me a bit of Andy. Anyway, there was about a half-and-half split between beginners and improvers which was nice. We had a go at standing up properly and getting neutral spine (that’s where the spine should be). Then we had a go at rolling down, which is basically bending over but in a complicated way. It wasn’t easy actually, especially getting the breathing right and relaxing and tensing in the right places! Then we did lying down properly, which was less difficult. We also did some balancing which I was rubbish at! I found the experience quite relaxing, and I am looking forwards to doing it again, but we don’t have a class next week because of the bank holiday.

We have new phones at work. They have a choice of irritating ring-tones. I have insisted that my team stick with ring-ring, although nobody seemed to want to change it anyway. We’re all glad to have turned down the ringers too. And we have voicemail. Perhaps some of the other teams around us will get the idea that you don’t need to have the phone so loud that you can hear it from outside. Eventually.

I have now finished my shrug. I sewed on the buttons last night. It looks fantastic! I’m really pleased with it – there will be pictures on my Completed Knitting Projects blog once I get around to taking them. It may have taken me about a month to knit, but I haven’t spent time on it every day, and probably no more than a couple of hours at a time. Even so, it’s been on the needles a while!
I do have a minor issue too, I have my needle roll on my size 8 needles, with my small row counter. I’m currently using my big row counter on the 6.5mm needles I have, I was using that for the shrug, now I’m using it in a slightly Heath Robinson manner for the socks. The issue I have is this: when I begin the throw I want to make sure that all of the squares of each type are the same size, for which I’ll want to count the rows. It tells me in the pattern to keep knitting to the length I want (10cm or 10 inches, I don’t remember!) and so I want to knit the first square to size and then knit all the squares of that pattern to the same size in all the different colours. That means that I need a row counter. The big row counter would be best because it’s good for the big needles I need. So, I then have no row counter for my socks. I need a row counter for the socks – so I was thinking of using the one on the needle roll. So, this leaves me with the question: do I put the needle roll onto a stitch holder for now or unravel it? Now, I don’t like “frogging” (or ripping out, undoing) my knitting, but there is a good case for this. The yarn is nice and I have almost two balls of it. Also, I now have somewhere to store my needles as I got a needle case in Simply Knitting. So, perhaps that’s the answer? We will see.

Oh, and work sucks at the moment. I’m not going to go off on a major rant about it though. It’s a shame because it’s been going well and I have all sorts of things in place to try and make sure I don’t make mistakes. Sometimes it seems that my best just isn’t good enough. I guess that it doesn’t matter though, whatever will be and all that.

It could be worse, though, I am sitting in a warm(ish) office with free tea (okay, it mings, but it is free). And maybe something good will happen.

Speaking of something good, on the way in to work this morning we saw a pair of geese with eight goslings (all cute and fluffy and yellow) and a pair of ducks with four ducklings (all fluffy and black and green – so sweet!) which cheered me up. I like this time of year!

Mammoth Post

So, the shrug is finished – almost. I have finished knitting it and I have sewn up the side-seams. However, there is now the small matter of adding buttons. I would have done this at the weekend, but I managed to only buy three buttons when I should have bought four. I went back to Duttons today and picked up the additional button, so all is now well. The buttons are rather nice, though they did cost more than the yarn! Anyway, I should be adding those to the shrug tonight and then it will be all finished and ready to wear.
I haven’t decided whether it is going to be a casual item of clothing, or dressy, or somewhere in between. I guess it depends.
I also now have three balls of chunky pink/white/brown wool mix yarn and nothing to do with them (yet). They are lovely, I could just get them out and stroke them occasionally. I wonder if I could make use of the website mentioned in Simply Knitting. I can’t remember the name right now. If it’s any good, I’ll post it in the blogroll.
Other than the shrug, I am still knitting the needle roll, although it’s pretty much ground to a halt. I like things I'm going to wear and use, and as I got a knitting needle holder from my recent copy of Simply Knitting, I don’t really need a needle roll right now. And that lovely blue would be better served as a top of some sort, or possibly a baby item. Kids look cute in knitted garments.
Lastly, I’ve begun on my socks from Knitterbabes’ ebay shop. I bought a kit from them which I thought was excellent value for money. Included in the kit was a ball of self-patterning sock yarn (I chose one of the Opal ones), a set of three stitch markers suitable for making socks with (which are fab!), a set of 5 Surina dpns (I’m told Surina is a type of tree) and a pattern for making not only the socks but also a little pouch in which to keep the socks. If I get good at them then they might make nice gifts. We’ll see though, as sock yarn isn’t exactly cheap! I’ve got my eye on some more sock yarn, but I promised that I’d finish at least one sock from this ball before I order any more.
I also hope to start on some of my squares for the Sudoku blanket. I’m off on a long weekend to Cambridge via Gainsborough and our only plan is that we’ll be going to the wedding on the Sunday. The patterns for the different squares are in a nice small book, so that should help. There are three balls of each colour of yarn for the blanket, including at least two shades of pink! Anyway, each pattern needs to be made up in each colour. The booklet recommends that you knit all the squares of one pattern in each colour so that you get into the swing of it. I don’t know how well that will avoid boredom, but the only other option will be to knit all of one colour. Any other way will be difficult to keep track of what squares I have done in which colours.

On top of finishing the shrug, I have had a good weekend, in the end. We went to town on Saturday morning and I bought a new sports bra and the buttons. I also bought a headband for exercising in because I don’t like to have my fringe in my eyes when I’m trying to run. (I had bought a new running vest on Friday which I’ll be wearing to pilates) we had a look at the all-stars shoes I'm after as Office had a sale on, but the shoes I like aren’t in the sale. Ho-hum. Anyway, we went to the gym after that, and I did almost my full program (I missed off the stuff on the cable column because it was busy) and Leon got the rest of his program sorted. Then we went to Boots to look at the potential for meal replacement. It’s expensive, unless you’re doing slim fast. That didn’t work for me when I tried it - I always felt like I was missing out on having food to chew! So, I got quite annoyed about that and quite upset about the fact that I haven’t lost any weight (well, except 2lbs which are on and off at the moment) since I began going to the gym.
Anyway, I put my details into the maximuscle website and they gave me a number of calories to aim for in 6 meals a day. It’s basically really low fat. So, today I’ve had three meals so far, they’ve been:
07:45 – Porridge with skimmed milk and raisins, cup of white tea
11:20 – two wholemeal Ryvita with cottage cheese, cup of white tea
13:00 – wholemeal wrap with smoked mackerel, lettuce and orange peppers, cup of white tea
I have a plum to have later on, but I might consider getting a low-fat snack of some sort. It needs to be high in protein and in fibre, but low in fat (less than 6g per meal, over 6 meals though) I will probably have a snack bar when I get to Moorside before I hit New Look. I don’t know what we got out for tea, fish I think. I will probably have sweet potato with mine, but I’ll see what Leon thinks.

I’m off to New Look to do some actual shopping! I have to get a new dress for the wedding we’re going to. As we’re at the do all day, and as it is a mid-afternoon affair, then food, then party, I need a dress that can cope with all of those. In other words it needs to be a nice colour (not black) and of a style which is suitable for daytime (under a suit jacket perhaps) and evening. Of course, that’s not that easy to achieve. There is a dress I have in mind, but there might be others when I get to New Look.
I’m hoping to get a dress that doesn’t require the purchase of new shoes (the more I can save now the more I’ll have for America!) but we’ll see. I may also have spotted an appropriate dress for over jeans in flight. I guess we’ll see though. I might have a look for some cheap belts too, as some of my trousers are becoming a little loose. (so much for the not lost any weight. I might measure my girth again soon.)
I did try on a bunch of dresses last night. I have a suitcase which I keep lots of dresses in, usually ball dresses and party dresses. Anyway, I tried these on, some of which I haven’t worn in ages. Most of them looked better on now than they did when I originally wore them, which was quite a result! I have a nice biscuit coloured dress (which I need to get a strapless flesh coloured bra for, to avoid visible nipples) which, if I tone up my tummy a little more will look fantastic! (I’m uber chuffed about that actually) I forget these things when I have fat days though one of them is one I bought about three-or-four years ago, the cut of which has come back into fashion. That is fab!
I may have to do some re-using of the dress that I get for the wedding though, as Leon and I are off to an NU barbeque the following weekend, and I really can’t justify buying a new outfit for that.

On Sunday we went for our first “outdoors” run, in preparation for the Race for Life. We ran for a total of 25 minutes, so probably about 2.5 miles. We’ve got a circuit that we’re doing at the moment that we think is about three miles. We’re running on Clifton Ings, which is pleasant because it’s grassy and by the river. Running near traffic is unpleasant. The only bit I don’t like is the cattle grids! Leon has decided he needs a running vest though, and I'm considering getting some more light weight running trousers. It looks like it’s going to be a hot-ish summer and the Race for Life last year was pretty warm, so I don’t want to be running in winter jogging bottoms! I’ll keep an eye out. The problem is that most of the thinner bottoms, or those with special cooling properties, are all a bit figure hugging. Now I’m fine about my bottom, it’s not that unpleasant to look at. (It’s no Kylie, but hey…) however, I’m not sure that some tight fitting lycra show-all-the-lumps-bumps-and-wobbles style bottoms are the answer (and if they are, what is the question?)
Who knows; or cares?

too tired to knit 6 rows

Last night I was very tired when I got home. I went to bed for an hour before Leon got in! I was a bit grumpy having to get up to let him in, but that was my fault for having left the keys in the door and the door locked.

I managed to get down to 6 rows left to do on my shrug. It actually looks a bit like an item of clothing now and much less like a randomly shaped bit of knitting! I’m going to take one of the practice squares I did with me to town on Saturday morning in order to match up some buttons for it. In the magazine it suggests that I could use a large pin, which might work, I may get a couple of kilt pins anyway because I’ll need one for the bag from an earlier issue that I hope to make too.
There are only a couple of things that I want to make in the new issue, which is a shame. However, there are still things from the earlier issues that I would like to make. I’m also looking forwards to the next issue, which has at least two things I want to make in it! There’s also the Sudoku throw which came in the supplement for the first issue I bought. I’m enjoying knitting still, though it’s not a fast process! I enjoy being able to zone-out, and just get on with the knitting.

I’m conscious that the idea of “change one thing” has been somewhat lost on me. Here are the things I'm changing (or trying to) right now:

1. Learn a new skill (knitting)
2. Lose weight
3. Learn to drive
4. Go to the gym regularly
5. Keep within my spending limits
6. Save up for the Florida Holiday

While they’re linked, to some degree (except the knitting they’re all about getting ready for my holiday) it’s challenging!
Today I am feeling reasonably positive, although I suspect that I should not have had bacon, brie and cranberry sauce sandwich and some spinach and pea soup. On the plus side, that’s lots of veg (spinach and pea, I don’t think they add much else, it’s lovely) and the bread was brown. Though we’re off out for a birthday dinner tonight, which means eating (and spending) But it is payday!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Cold Post

It seems a long day when I know that I have stuff that needs doing but I'm not sure that I can concentrate enough to do it. I’ve been so tired recently! I think I’m getting enough sleep, though I'm not sure about the quality of the sleep. I do keep waking up at crazy times!

The shrug is still in progress, despite there only being a small number of stitches per row on the sleeve, it seems to take an age. It doesn’t help that I'm not used to circular knitting. Still, I have only 26 rows to go (or it may be 24) and then it’ll be done. Well – I’ll still have to sew up the seams and buy and fit some buttons.

I picked up another issue of simply knitting today, my last one before my subscription starts. There are some nice “wrist warmers” which I hope to knit. There’s a cute teddy too that I might be able to do with some of the feathery yarn I made the pink scarf from. I haven’t got very far with the needle roll, I must confess that I have somewhat lost interest. I hope that the same will not happen on a big project like a cardigan or similar!
I am hoping to design some patterns of my own at some point. I’ve seen a couple of sweaters (in catalogues or on people) which I quite like and think I can tell how they go. I can make my own patterns for dresses, so I hope that the same applies!

I haven’t decided what I am wearing to the wedding Leon and I are going to. We need to check the invite and see how long there is in between the actual wedding bit (with the food and such) and the party bit. I might be able to get away with wearing one of the dresses I still have kicking about in a suitcase on top of the wardrobe. Depends on how they look on me now, what Leon thinks (it’s his friend after all) and whether I need different outfits for different bits of the day. Oh – and I don’t think that I should wear black to a wedding. (Though I have worn white to weddings before) I’ll probably continue to have a crisis about this until we get there and I have no choice!

They claim that the air conditioning isn’t working, so they’ve brought in some portable units to cool the building. It’s freezing! I have a backup cardigan in my drawer in case I get cold. I’m wearing it now, and I’m still cold. I don’t mind if the air conditioning isn’t working if it means that I get to be warm for a day or two.

Knitting while running

I don't know about you, but the thought of running 26 miles is one which makes me cringe. I struggle with the 3 miles for the Race for Life! So when I saw Extreme Knitting Red Head had not only run all the way around the 26.2 miles in under 6 hours, but that she had knitted a scarf on the way around... I was amazed. And impressed. Go read the post, it's a touching reminder that each person running in the fun runners was doing so for a reason.

Gainsborough killed my flippin' car*

I am so close to finishing my shrug now! I’m on the arm which is knitted in the round. Basically, as it’s asymmetrical, each sleeve is knitted differently. I’m hoping that the sleeves will be wide enough for my arms though! Haha. I went for the 10-12 size, which is probably a bit smaller than I am. We’ll see though, I'm sure it’ll be okay. It’s quite nice that it’s all knitted in one piece because that means minimal sewing to make it up.

At the weekend we went to Gainsborough. But first, when I arrived home I had a card from the sorting office – a parcel was waiting for me. This was the much anticipated Angel Yarns package. In it were three each of nine colours (the maroon being replaced by black as Sirdar have stopped making it) for my sudoku blanket. I have to knit up nine 10x10cm squares in each of the nine colours. It’ll take a while, but I hope that by winter I will have a nice cosy blanket to snuggle under made from 100% wool Sirdar chunky yarn.

Anyway, we had some dinner and then set off to Gainsborough. We got there at about 9pm, in time for a cuppa and a cake. The following morning we went into town to see what they have been doing since I was last around. We looked at the roundabout at the bottom of the dual carriageway. (yes, that makes one full size roundabout in the town at the bottom of the one dual carriageway – do we fee sorry for the learner drivers yet? No, because I have horrible roundabouts in York) Then we headed into town to see the new Marshall’s Yard complex. It’s still not finished, but it is quite nice. It’s basically a car park with shops around it. There’s quite a variety of shops, ranging from JJB to New Look to Greggs. We had a good wander around, and I managed to convince mum to buy a nice new top from Next. It’s one that can be worn as a dress or a top for the flight out to Florida. Unlike most of the smock tops we saw, this one has a little shape and looked really nice on. I have yet to find my dress/top (it was my idea) to wear over my jeans for the flight. I’m after something similar, although I don’t know what I may end up with. I’ll be checking out the shops regularly.

Anyway, when we got back as we walked past our Escort I could smell petrol. This has happened more than once, so I pointed that out to Leon and Dad. They put the car up on the ramps. It needs a new fuel tank. In fact, there are a few things that would need replacing in order to get it past the MOT in July, so we’re probably going to have to trade it in at a garage. One of these “Guaranteed minimum trade in of £1000” would be nice! We’ll have to talk to the bank too, we might need a loan if we’re going to buy another car.

For some reason I keep having dreams involving hamsters and guinea pigs. Odd, very odd indeed.

The whole weight loss thing is going okay (ish). I’ve got a spreadsheet with a graph. I have what my aim is plotted on the graph as well as how I’m doing against that.
I have a goal weight (always helpful, something to aim for) which is 9st 6lbs. that means that from my start weight of 10st 10lbs (although I was 10st 12 in Jan, I’m not counting that as it unbalances the graph) I need to lose 18lbs in 15 weeks. That’s only 1.2lbs per week, which should be possible without doing anything extreme. So, I planned this out last Friday. I’ll try to keep the info in the bar on the right up to date with how I’m doing.

* not really

It's Friday

I received my knitting related teapot yesterday, or rather; I collected it from the sorting office. It is not especially large, which is good because it fits nicely on the dresser in our living/dining room. It’s shaped like a ball of blue yarn with some chunky knitting needles stuck through it. I’m really pleased with it.

We’re off to visit my parents this weekend. We hadn’t planned to, but mum phoned and suggested it last night. There’s been a lot of regeneration happening in Gainsborough recently, including the renovation of the Britannia Works. They’ve called the resulting leisure complex the Marshall’s Yard. I hope that it is going to be good for the town. Apparently there’s a variety of shops in there, many of which were open for Easter. We’ll have a bit of a wander around anyway, which should be interesting.

I’m driving on Sunday morning, hopefully we’ll do the parallel park again; I’m worried about that one. I’m not bad at left reverse (aka reverse round a corner) and turn in the road, although I must observe more. Of course there’s a bit more to the driving test than just the manoeuvres, so I have to practice those bits too. I practiced not going to B&Q last lesson (anyone who’s taken their test here should understand) and also I practiced not killing cats. I would really like to pass on my first (well, fourth) attempt. Not because I think that will make me a better driver, in fact I suspect the opposite can often be true. No, because it’s so difficult when people ask. That’s one of the reasons I have not put the exact date on here, and one of the reasons that only Leon knows the date of the test. It’s just more pressure that I don’t want. And there are some people (they know who they are) who will gloat and laugh if I don’t pass this time.
They certainly gloated and laughed before.

Anyway, the knitting is going well. I’ve gotten to the point on the shrug that I'm decreasing for the front. I’ve also found a typo in the pattern! Anyway, I was expecting to finish the shrug this weekend, but it may be later than that now that we’re off to Gainsborough; unless I take it with me. It is a bit complicated, but not that bad. As long as I remember to put all the bits I need in my knitting bag. I also need to buy some buttons for it, I was thinking of maybe using toggles (like on duffel coats) although something a bit more girly might be good as it’s a pink and fluffy shrug. I don’t know, really. I am looking forward to it being finished though, since the weather is a bit hit and miss here in the North of England at the moment.
You might also have noticed the iKnit icon on the right there, that’s a link to the knitting podcast I listen to. It’s quite interesting, although you need to be into knitting! I don’t actually knit to this podcast though; I generally listen to it in the bath!

Fab and Funny

I’ve pinched this from Knit and Purl Mama who pinched it from Funky Lindsay

1. go to Google
2. click on “maps” (above the search box)
3. click on “get directions” (under the search box)
4. type “New York” in the first box (the “from” box)
5. type “London” in the second box (the “to” box)
6. scroll down to step #23

Very funny!

Fund raising page now live!

I've finally got around to creating my fundraising page for the Race for Life 2007. I've convinced my sister to join me this year, so we have a joint page. If you'd like to sponsor me online, as opposed to on a bit of paper, please click here: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/gayleandhayley
Thanks.

Another Day Out

Today Leon and I decided to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine. As I spent all of yesterday morning in the hairdresser and we shopped all afternoon, I didn't think we made the most of it yesterday.
So, we jumped into the car and headed off for Sutton Bank. We did a 3 mile (5km) walk which was lovely. We then headed down to the Hambleton Arms for lunch.
We decided to sit outside as it was nice weather still, but we picked a table in the shade. We ordered some drinks and some food and enjoyed the sunshine some more. We also spotted some nice little birds, though I haven't a clue what sort they were.
Here's the food anyway:

Spring has... been skipped?

I like the nicer weather we’re having at the moment. It’s a little easier to get up in the morning when the sun is shining. Given how hard I find it to get out of bed, every little helps! We’ve even turned off the heating! I’m feeling especially summary today as I have painted my toenails and am wearing sandals.

I’ll probably be cold later on.

So, I got around to booking my waxing and hairdresser appointments. Hooray! I’ll be hair-free (legs, anyway) tonight, and my hair-do will be redone on Saturday morning.
I chose the beauty salon (for waxing) on the grounds that they only do nails, tanning and waxing. Also the girl on the desk was so helpful and nice when I went in to get a pricelist, which is shiny with silver writing.
I’ll have to be careful not to be sucked in to the whole false nails thing. I love false nails – mine are so weak and are not good shapes. I suppose I could get a manicure to make them nice, but not today. Anyway, I have coped with my nails for over a year now. They are improving a little I think. Partly due to the fact that I'm a bit nicer to them and cut and file rather than break, bite and pick.
If I have managed to correctly book my hair appointment, I’ll be having a cut-and-colour. If not, I may only have a cut and blow-dry. Either will be fine, as I just need to get rid of some of the thickness – it’s a bit bouffant!

All this is preparation for my pre-holiday beautification. (!)
I’ll need to be waxed (for bikini wearing on the beach). I’d like to be tanned (again for bikini wearing and also for not looking like a tourist!) and I would enjoy a manicure and pedicure, though we’ll see. Hair also needs to be done, mostly for ease of maintenance when I’m there as I can’t take my appliances (like straighteners) with me. I might look into travel versions suitable for use on 110v electrics. I might just be frizzy!

Lastly, though, I want to knit a nice wrap/stole/poncho type garment for wearing in the evening. I may look at my pattern book for a nice lacy pattern and then buy some glittery yarn to make it with. I may not. We’ll see. I may just see what ideas I get in Simply Knitting!
Sadly, though, I can not take my knitting needles on a plane in the cabin. This means a long flight with no knitting, unless I can smuggle some small sock needles on (my current set are wooden) and knit socks all the way there! Haha. Perhaps not the best idea to try, and I’d have no way of cutting my yarn anyway (without one of the cutters which I guess are probably banned now too). I could always take up crochet for the flight, as crochet hooks are not on the prohibited list!

Blog Censorship

I was just reading This Article from the BBC.
I wouldn't like anyone to post anything mean on my site(s) which is why I don't allow annonymous comments. I wouldn't put anything mean either. I am careful not to write anything which might be offensive (unless you find knitting or jogging offensive!) and the nearest I come to controversial is politics.
When I read Boris Johnson's blog I sometimes find his writing controversial. He is a politicain though!
I guess the problem is if you're a regular person who gives out more information than they perhaps should, then you might be at risk. If someone were to put a post on my blog threatoning me, I'd be able to track them down, and I'd also know that although they know which city I live in, I bet they couldn't easily find me. That said, I'm probably in the phone book.
Bother.

Bank Holiday Fun

I had a really good bank holiday weekend! Normally I feel like these weekends have been a bit of a waste because we spend the whole time at home being lazy.

Not so this weekend just gone! Thanks to Leon being able to drive, we were able to go to Whitby and Helmsley on Friday. We set off early, to beat the traffic. That was successful, so we parked up and went for a wander round. We stopped in “Tea and Tarts” for tea and a teacake in my case. Leon had a bacon and egg sandwich! We headed back up to the beach, but decided that it was too windy for Frisbee. It was pretty chilly with the wind blowing in off the sea. However, we walked the length of the West Beach – down to the pier where the donkeys are. We also looked for crabs, but all we saw were seagulls and some insects. We headed back up the beach to collect our lunch from the car, which turned out to be a bit rancid (despite the cool pack!) so we had our yoghurt and then decided to move on. After a peruse of the map we decided that Helmsley would be nice. We set off out of Whitby with only a small chuckle at the vast number of people heading into Whitby. It didn’t take long to get to Helmsley, and so we parked (eventually) and went to the Walled Gardens. Sadly it was a bit dear to get in to the walled gardens, but we bought a jar of local honey and then went into the café there for a drink and cake. I had some lovely carrot cake. There wasn’t much else to do in Helmsley, but we wandered around the shops and generally meandered about for a while. We bought a book of walks in North Yorkshire which has handy maps. The maps have pubs marked on them! After a non-waffle-shaped waffle cone ice-cream each we got back in the car and headed home. Fabulous day!

So, Saturday came around and we got our gym kit together. Once we’d dropped off Leon’s overdue library books, we headed to the gym for a workout. Having walked around and up more hills than on a normal day on Friday, I found my cardio exercise quite difficult. However, I did almost all of it (must try harder) and then did all of my strength training. We also signed up for Pilates, which should be good. I haven’t been to a class of any sort for a long time, but this should be fine.

Sunday was more of a normal slack day. I did a lot of knitting and some painting. I got a set of “modern art” canvasses for my birthday, which is very cool. I picked three (out of four) of them, and used slightly different colours (we have loads of paints and they came with pink which is very me, but doesn’t match the bathroom!) to make a piece of art which we can put in the bathroom. I intend to turn the middle canvas into a clock – we have the kit needed but I need to make some fancy handles for the time as the ones with the kit are too short.
On the knitting front, I have finished the top border of the needle roll, only about 100 rows to go on the outer part then. On the shrug, I have knitted one arm and I am currently knitting the front and back. It’s asymmetrical, apparently. It’s looking really good, and I should have plenty of yarn to finish it too. Maybe even enough to make something else out of later! We did consider going on one of the walks, but my legs and neck were very sore, so we didn’t.

Monday. I had a driving lesson at 11:30, which went okay. I’m so close to my test date though, I’m terrified! My instructor seems confident though. I managed to do a left reverse and a parallel park without tears.
In the afternoon, after finishing the paintings and hanging out some washing (and the new wool my parents brought, which smells much nicer now) we headed off to the outlet to see if we could find Leon some Daniel Craig swimming shorts. We were not successful. We did manage to buy Sims 2 for me, and three DVDs. (strapped for cash? Me?) Sims 2 is as addictive as the Sims – Bustin out was, but with a more fluid structure to it. There are still goals and stuff, which is good. The game play is better too.

And that was my bank holiday. We watched one of the DVDs, Layer Cake, too. I’m looking forwards to the next bank holiday now so that we can go on one of the walks from our book. One that doesn’t involve “a small scramble”! At least I have walking boots now. I don’t have any sensible shorts though, so if the weather keeps improving that could be interesting.

Waxing?

Yes, I have decided to get waxed. I have to find a salon that does waxing, and find out how expensive it is. My main reason for wanting to be waxed now is threefold:

1. It’s still cold enough to wear trousers if I go all blotchy
2. I am pretty hairy right now
3. It’s about 4 months til my holiday, waxing is meant to last for 6 weeks, if it works well I’ll want to go again the week before my holiday

That is going to work out as an expensive week really, because I’ll want a haircut and colour, wax and possibly tan. (I may tan myself, but we’ll see. I have a San Tropez kit at home, which has been pretty successful, as long as I remember to use moisturiser with the self tan stuff on my face!)
Then there is only one remaining question: exactly what do I want them to wax?
I suspect that it might be too much detail to go into here, but probably legs and maybe eyebrows should do. If any female readers of this want to

• comment
• join me
• laugh

then please let me know. My main concern is that it will not last as long as they claim, and also whether they can do it on shorter hairs. We will see. I have to go ask at a couple of salons for price lists I guess. Cripes!

Eggs and Holidays

Today I hope to go into town and buy Easter Eggs for my Team. This is my first Easter as their “Team Lead” (I get into bother if I refer to myself as a manager) and so I’ll be doing an Easter Egg shop in honour of this.

I’m also going to get my new sunglasses straightened out as they currently sit a little lower on the left (my left)

On the weight-loss front (which I haven’t mentioned for a while) the whole weight thing is seeming like it might be an inappropriate measure. I have lost a meagre 2lbs since I joined the gym in January. I do feel pretty good though. My legs haven’t looked as good as they do now for years – I’m even considering sorting them out (1) so that I can bare them to the world when the weather improves! I’ve lost an inch off each of my hips and thighs, which means that I can fit in to (without squeezing) the two pairs of hipsters I’ve been hanging on to. I’m not happy with the lack of tone in my stomach but I do have some exercises to work the oblique muscles as well as the two sets of muscles in the front (I forget their names).
I took a risk last night, and tried on some of my holiday clothes. This consists of two pairs of quite tight stretchy cotton shorts, a short and tight cotton skirt, a short and loose cotton skirt and a pair of camouflage patterned shorts which are not stretchy. I bought these items a while ago for our holiday in the Canaries. As a result I haven’t worn them. I was concerned that the stretchy things would look too stretched and that I wouldn’t be able to get into the not-stretchy ones. However, they all looked okay, and I not only got into the not-stretchy ones, but they were actually a bit loose! I was cheered up immensely by this. I think that my longer summer skirts are looking past their best and may need to be replaced this summer. It saddens me to have to do this, but they’re looking a bit shapeless and old. I may try to get a few more that match my sandals, although some of them are on their last legs too. I may have to do a full blitz and begin almost from scratch. Still, that’s the fun of big holidays.
I suspect that I’ll be able to buy some things in Florida when I get there, but I don’t want to count too much on that. I do want to get a pair of All Stars, but not the boots, the shoes. I think that they will be nice for walking about in theme parks because they are breathable. Depends on the sock situation I guess. I tend to wear my boots with socks, but I don’t think I should with the shoes. I’ve seen some fab sandals in New Look that I'm trying hard not to buy. There are also some nice linen mix skirts and trousers which I will be buying some of. I reckon I’ll be travelling in a dress-over-jeans type combo, so that I can just take off my jeans when we hit the Florida heat. I will be getting some flight socks (I bet they don’t come in fancy patterns). I should have a to-do list somewhere! The other trouble is, if I lose any more inches I might need to replace more clothes! That said, my stretchy stuff should be okay. I might even be able to wear some fashionable shorts this summer. And sun dresses, I love sun dresses!
I’m trying not to get too excited about it yet because it’s not happening until August which is still four months away. Of course, that’s only four months! Before then I have the Race for Life to run! I would consider trying to get away somewhere before we go off to Florida, but I’m not sure that Leon and I have the money for that.

Anyway, I’m off on an Easter Egg Hunt now.


1 – sorting out legs for baring to the world involves exfoliating , epilating, moisturising and possibly a touch of self-tan (depending on how late in the year it gets warm enough for me to consider wearing a skirt)

Out of the Blue

I got an email a couple of days ago from an old friend I haven’t heard from in about six years or more. It was really nice to hear from him. Hopefully, as he’s not too far away, we’ll be able to meet up and have a drink somewhere. I would like that, he was a good friend through sixth form. Okay, everyone knows that I used to fancy him, but it was mostly for his muscles, and Leon has that (and more).
I’ve always had someone like him around, until quite recently. When I went to uni I found another muscular lad who would go dance to cheesy music with me. One of the main benefits (and main drawbacks) of this is that they scare away any potentially annoying men. These days I don’t go dancing much, so the whole being hit on thing is less of an issue.
Anyway, that was a nice surprise for me.

Knitting Poem

Knitting is my pastime
Not sewing or crochet
It is rather comforting
Takes my cares away
Time I spend just knitting
In patterns and in squares
Nothing seems to matter, it
Goes with me everywhere