Noblinknits

My current obsession

2012-02-01T15:39:00.001Z

Every so often I become obsessed with something I want to buy. Previous items have included Lorna's Laces sock yarn, the original ipod, a wii fit, lantern moon needles, a laptop, a ds, a 3ds. Mostly they are gadget type items and mostly I've been very pleased with them. (The wii fit, not so much). I didn't get an ipod until recently but I do love it and I managed to circumvent the obsession by arranging for my boss (back in 2004) to be bought one from the company for his big 5-0.

My current obession is a Kobo e-reader. I wasn't interested in e-readers until recently and then I only considered a Kindle. I do have a mild amazon obsession and the kindle is always on the homepage saying buyme buyme. I hadn't twigged until I saw one that it was electronic ink, a scientific development I had read about when I was in school in the 90's, reading New Scientist and generally interested in sciencey stuff. I think it's amazing that it has been followed through to a mass marketed product that you see everywhere on the tube on a day out in London. I sometimes speculate that if I kept up with running training, I could simply go to London and steal a Kindle (and maybe an ipad too) at rush hour but that would be mean. anyways, I was put off buying an e-reader of any kind as I don't oftenbuy books - I read library books of my sister gives me hers. Sometimes I buy a few from charity shops to take on holiday and then I can leave them behind if my suitcase is too full of get a new one in a book exchange. Even though my local library does lend e-books, the Kindle is not compatible. So, I gave up on that idea, bought a print version of the Rough Guide to Japan and lugged it round the islands for two weeks in my backpack, sometimes with a charity shop book in my bag aswell. Cor blimey, guv, my bag was super heavy. I think I must have come back from that trip stronger but a Kobo would have saved my back some hard labour and my sister wouldn't have had to ration her book reading.

The Kobo is available in different colours and does accept library books. Its price seems to have been vastly reduced which always kick starts an obsession as it feeds into my that's-such-a-bargain-it-might-sell-out-buy-it-now reflex. I would like a white one with a blue back. I don't have any holidays planned though so I can't justify it, even though I would be able to put pdf knitting patterns on it and that will always seem justifiable. I'm still paying for the trip to Japan and then I want to start saving for a house, which will mean not having any holidays for a looooooong time.

ETA OMLG it's like it knew I was talking about it and has knocked another £10 off the price! I don't know if I can resist much longer...

This week's Ghibli film

2012-01-29T20:51:00.002Z

Some time ago, Film 4 had a Studio Ghibli season and I recorded as many as I could. I didn't make it to the Ghibli museum on my recent trip but I realised that I've only seen Princess Mononoke and one film wouldn't really give me the best basis for enjoying a museum dedicated to decades of anime. So, I've a hard drive with some films I recognised and others I didn't for hours of enjoyable research. First up was Only Yesterday. Wikipedia link here
ETA I've just found another interesting link here

This isn't really a film for children which surprised and reminded me that in Japan, animation isn't just aimed at children. I suppose there is animation for adults here too, but I'd forgotten. There isn't anything particularly unsuitable for children (although some biology is discussed that might lead to further questions) but I think they'd find it boring. It's about an old woman like me (hahah, she's 27) thinking about what she wants in life and remembering when she was ten. And farming. That's all really. I found it rather beautiful and moving in a very gentle way.

This week's classes

2012-01-27T19:15:00.001Z

On Tuesday, I went to my first ever ballet class. I had worked through half of a ballet dvd before which was just as well as the teacher assumed some prior knowledge. I worked through the first part of the class feeling pretty smug. It was by the bar (with our backs to the mirror) so I couldn't see what any of us looked like. I kept up reasonably well until we did one exercise very quickly. My toes are very short and I'm not very coordinated but anyway, it was fine. Then we did some dancing which I struggled with and after that the real killer was practising leaping. It threw me straight back to rubbish dance lessons in secondary school crossed with a comment likening me to a hippo one time. I felt quite upset after the lesson - dumpy and ashamed instead of energised and graceful. I had a little cry at home and read some knitting patterns to cheer me up which did help. I was pretty bemused by my negative reaction and gave myself a stern talking to about it being my first lesson, it's good for me, I'll improve etc etc. So I'll try again next week and see how that feels.

Japanese this week, and last week, was great. I was thinking of giving up altogether as we'd had some very slow, dull, frustrating lessons, but we're learning new things every week now. I need to do some homework as some of the vocabulary I'd learned before xmas has slipped out of my brain. I don't think it will take long to revise it. I'm feeling much more positive about the lessons now, whereas I had been dreading them. I cleared up a situation with another student too which was difficult but now I can relax a bit more when I'm there.

I've submitted a pattern for consideration for Let's Knit's June issue so I'm hoping it will have a positive reaction. It was using DyeForYarn Merino/Silk sock yarn and I'm using the leftovers to make my mum a phone cosy. The pattern is here.

First run of the year

2012-01-22T21:16:00.000Z

I haven't run since the semi-disatrous 10k in September so I've gone right back to the beginning. I'm following a beginner's training plan from runner's world which has me training 5 times per week - 2 runs, 1 power walk and 2 circuits involving planks and lunges and things to improve strength. The runs are more like interval session with short bursts of sprinting and walking to recover. It was fun to be out again. My trainers didn't hurt my toes as I was out for such a short time, it was short enough to not feel onerous (6 x 30secs run, 2mins walk) and it reminded me of when I was a genuine beginner, in 2009, when I would run rather than jog. The first few reps weren't too hard but as usual, the running began to feel like it was taking longer and the walking sections felt much shorter by the time I was at the third rep. After a total of not very much running at all, I deserved a lovely bath and even ached the next day so even though it was only a fraction of the amount of running I probably could do, it felt worth while.

New or old?

2012-01-14T16:40:00.002Z

I'm pleased I finished my raccoon mittens and would like to finish off some other projects. On the other hand, the weather has turned chilly again and I haven't knitted myself any socks for ages AND some pairs passed away last year. Before I can knit more socks I need to wind more sock wool which would delay starting whereas the WIPs are all wound and ready to go. The WIPS might have had their needles commandeered for another project but I think I've got multiple pairs of sock needles waiting to be used. Oh dear, can't decide so might end up doing nothing. At least I have completed my tax return today which is something productive.

Usual programming resumes

2012-01-13T19:42:00.001Z

Although it's not good news. My Japanese classes started again last night and it was our worst turnout ever. Three out of a possible seven or a more usual five. It makes a small class even more frustrating. And you might think that with so few of us, everyone would be paying attention to everything the teacher said or might be keen to contribute more often. Nope. I wasn't looking forward to the lesson anyway and I couldn't stop myself being grumpy. I tried to be patient but I don't think I succeeded. I don't know if I can keep attending the lessons as it puts me in such a bad mood. I don't like to let other people down, and having just complained about the poor attendance, I would then be guilty of the same crime. I've already paid for the lessons and I don't like wasting money but I also don't like wasting my time or spending my time winding myself into such a bad mood.

Renegade Raccoons

2012-01-11T18:48:00.000Z

This weekend I satisfied one of last year's resolutions and finished an old project. I started this one year ago with yarn from my knitting xmas dinner lucky dip. It's Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and I used 3.25mm needles. The pattern is Ringo and Elwood by Barbara Gregory. I knitted the smallest size but with bigger needles so they fit my hands. The raccoon pattern has a beaver partner which I have enough yarn for but I'm not sure I'll knit it. I like the result but not the process of colour work.

Munchies

2012-01-10T20:08:00.001Z

I've been meaning to get back into running and to slim down and tone up. I want to be stronger and fitter this year than ever. I don't want to have to worry about being left at work to open or close the warehouse door anymore (sometimes I do it and it hurts my back). I want to run the 5k Race For Life this year and actually run it all. I want to join a local running club (which gives you a free t shirt if you turn up enough times). I want to eat less chocolate and worry less about my teeth falling out. Or I want to eat more chocolate but not worry about my trousers not fitting. I want some more room in my trousers for my stomach without having to buy more trousers. I've signed up to myfitnesspal to keep a food diary for a while and the first day has confirmed what I've known for a while - I get a lot of extra energy from my snacks :) I'm not going to drastically alter what I eat at the moment as I eat lots of good things to balance out all the sugar but I'm going to keep the diary to see why I didn't lose weight last year when I was running so much more than before. I'm fairly sure it's all the snacks, particularly the extra snacks I eat when I run so a diary will help me keep an eye on this. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be running enough to eat more than usual but still have looser trousers.

2012

2012-01-09T21:37:00.001Z

I've decided to ease myself into blogging this year. I've noticed I tend to have a blogging block during the dark winter months but I'd rather keep blogging all year round. I find the winter difficult and tend to hibernate where possible and apparently this extends all the way through to the interweb. So this year may or may not proceed in the same way but I've actually finished some knitting already. Which I may or may not blog about.

Things are very hectic

2011-11-02T21:20:00.001Z

I had my hair cut today which was very relaxing and lovely. I didn't do my washing or practice packing or any Japanese or any knitting. I did hoover before work and get things done at work. I didn't watch much tv or clear out my hard drive for while I'm away. I did have a bacon roll.

I went to a wedding

2011-10-30T18:40:00.002Z

and had a wonderful time. I didn't take many photos but I did film some of the ceremony. I'm hoping some photos of me looking pretty will appear on facebook soon enough.

The clocks have gone back now and everywhere seems dark and gloomy. I'm looking forward to one week of work and then flying off to Japan. I made a stupid mistake at work last week and felt like a cotton headed ninnymuggins for most of the weekend. Is there a point where you get to stop doing stupid things at work and feel like a real professional for a while? I don't know but I know I won't make that mistake again, I'll just make other ones.

Weekend in Dublin

2011-10-26T15:04:00.001+01:00

Totally distracted

2011-10-17T21:51:00.000+01:00

I've been totally distracted by Up For Hire Live. I tuned in as I read that Lush will feature tomorrow. It's fascinating me at the moment. There are four young people, two of which are graduates. They all want work and through this week will be shown progressing from minimum wage menial jobs through to being the CEO. I feel real sympathy for Kirstie who feels cheated that she has put herself through university and now has no prospects. She's worked menial jobs and is now frustrated and depressed. Her first task was to be a clown at an amusement park. I think that's a very difficult job unless you're naturally bubbly and relaxed around people. She came across as feeling she had some kind of entitlement to a better job and let's be frank, that's what the govenment claims. Two entrepeneurs in the audience dug into her and said they wouldn't employ anyone who wasn't willing to work in the warehouse. Well, I'm very fortunate as I'm not willing to work in the warehouse. I was very lucky when I left university as it didn't take me long to get an entry level job in my chosen field. I've had different jobs but there are some I'd have to think twice about whether I could go back to them if I ended up out of work. Poor Kirstie is onto her second film clip and is now being shown to not be a team player. I often claim to not be a team player. These four young people are really having a hard time of it but at least some of them accept that these different experiences can teach them something. Ooh, now Sasha is having an amazing strop as she was criticized. I remember having a very high opinion of myself and finding criticism really hard to take. Fortunately, I didn't get criticised often, haha! But I wouldn't shout and stomp away. Russell Kane is talking plenty of sense, as is Stacey Solomon. This is a great show. There definitely seems to be a theme of the young people feeling there is something unfair out there. Perhaps this is the real problem, that they haven't had the chance to learn from a work environment and grow up beyond a kevin and perry attitude.

Ishbel scarf

2011-10-15T13:30:00.000+01:00

There are over 10,000 Ishbels on Ravelry. I'm not saying I'm the last person to cast-on but I'm happily behind the trend. I finished the st-st section very quickly, only getting confused at the end as odd numbered rows were WS where I'm used to them being RS. I just managed to squeeze out chart A using the grey I had left from the hat. Now, I'm using red and have finished Chart B. I can't really tell how big it is as the needle I'm using is short.

I've had two parcels in two days and two trips to the post office depot to fetch them. One reunited me with Bob, a blanket which I'll show you again tomorrow. The other was some rainbow coloured yarn for a new commission. I'm looking forward to winding it and swatching it this afternoon on the train to see my friends.

Did I mention:
わたし　は　じゅいちがつなのか　にほん　に　いきます！！！！

This week's classes

2011-10-14T17:16:00.004+01:00

I went to yoga on Tuesday and enjoyed it. It seemed slightly easier than last week but I still need to work on my triceps if I don't want to end up nose butting the floor. Japanese last night was a challenge. I found the room too hot, the other students frustrating and judgemental and generally was in a muff. I rushed my dinner beforehand and was thirsty so maybe it was all just a bad mood. I've been doing my homework most days and that's really made a difference. I can tell the time quite well and write hiragana more quickly. I was annoyed at myself that I still struggle with あります　and where to put に and が so next week I'll make sure I shop less and sit down and eat properly. I'll revise a few chapters this week, too.

The hat is ready for Japan

2011-10-12T17:06:00.001+01:00

I finished the Ishbel beret but I haven't bothered blocking it. I like the way it hangs at the moment (great photos, me!) and I want to push on with the matching scarf/shawl. I've cast on and am working through a billion increases until I have a trillion stitches. I'm not worried about the angora in my eyes anymore, I'm pretty sure it's too much computer work that upset them so I'm trying to cut down on playing facebook games. I'm lining up a new project for Let's Knit so I'd like to finish the shawlette really quickly.

I had a Japan related upset yesterday. It appears the Ghibli museum will be shut for maintenance for the whole time I'm there, reopening on the day I leave. I nearly cried. I think I'll just have to remember that this won't be the last time I visit Japan and next time I can plan the holiday around that museum rather than the sumo. I am pleased to say that I've ordered sumo tickets, received my Japan Rail Pass Exchange Order and can start booking hotels. It's just under four weeks until I leave and I'm very excited.

Hat progress and tidying up

2011-10-09T13:47:00.002+01:00

I decided to have a tidy up of my hair, makeup and jewellary in preparation for xmas i.e. I want to buy myself lots of new stuff. As with all the other times I've tried to tidy, everything gets worse before it gets better. I started yesterday and I've set myself a deadline of finishing by the end of today otherwise I'll just live with hairclips on my floor - I am that naughty. I've already been reunited with many pairs of earrings that I had forgotten about or thought I only had one of. This is better than having to buy new ones!

I'm nearly finished on the Japan hat. I'm not sure whether to finish the top in red or just keep going with the grey. I'm not working on it everyday for fear of fluff but I actually think it's using the computer too much that is killing my eyes. I didn't log on at all yesterday and my eyes are much less red today. I'm going to buy some eye drops and try to blink more and play less adventure world.

This week's classes

2011-10-07T16:51:00.002+01:00

On Monday, I drove to and from work and felt very fat and lazy for it. I decided to go for a walk around the village and stopped to have a look at the local notice board. There was an advert for a new yoga class that was starting the next day. I decided to give it a go as my street dance class isn't running this term and I haven't been for a run since the race. I'm told yoga really complements running as it stretches out all the muscles and builds core and upper body strength. The class was really fun (and turned out to be free for the first go) so I'm going to sign up for a block. I've been feeling for a long time my arms are puny and my core is pretty puny too. I managed to participate in the whole class though and didn't collapse under my own body weight in downward facing dog even though we must have formed that position a hundred times.

Last night I went to my second Japanese lesson of the year. It was very exciting as we started off with talking about food and looking at pictures of food. These included a speciality of hiroshima, sponge cakes in the shape of maple leaves. Maple leaves change colour to a beautiful red in Autumn and form the focus of autumn leaf watching in Japan. Hiroshima and Miyajima are supposed to be particularly good places for koyo watching and now I know how to ask for custard filled sponge instead of the standard red bean paste flavour. I've eaten red bean paste before and although it wasn't unpleasant enough to stop me from finishing the brioche it was hiding in, it will be nice to have the choice.

After discussing how dangerous it is to eat rice based sweets, we were introduced to some new verbs. eating, drinking, watching, listening, working, studying, reading, jogging. Jogging's a good one - jogingu o shimasu.

あさごはん　を　たべます
eating breakfast

ねます
going to sleep

わたし　は　ごご　じゅじはん　に　ねます
watshi wa gogo juji han ni nemasu
I go to bed at 10.30pm.

Shimasu means to do and can be added to other words:
しごと　を　します
べんきょお　を　します　
working and studying

わたし　は　にほんご　の　べんきょお　を　します
I study Japanese!

There was plenty of vocabulary to learn and I needed to revise times too so plenty of work to be done this week. I made a homework chart and bought stickers to motivate everyone to study every day. i felt a bit mean for harassing Helen-san last week so hopefully this made up for it.

Sore eyes still

2011-10-05T16:15:00.001+01:00

My eyes are sill sore and a bit bloodshot from all the fluff and rubbing. I think I'll leave the hat for a few days and give my living a good hoover, as there is still plenty of ambient fluff. I have a contact lens check tomorrow and I don't want to be told I can't wear lenses as a result of angora fluff in the air. I'm also a bit worried that even if I finish the hat, I won't have the interest in making the matching shawl. Hmmm.

Fluff up my nose...

2011-10-04T21:39:00.000+01:00

...and up in my eyes and on my clothes. Knitting with Angora 50 is mostly pleasant, and the finished fabric is lovely, but the shedding is making me cry. Or at least rub my eyes and itch my face. So I decided I could at least protect my clothes by making a project wrap. I've read that women used to make them back in the day and it seemed like good sense.

I started with a skirt from Thailand that I never wear (it makes me look very stumpy).

It has a pleat so there's even more fabric in there than it looks like.

I ripped open all the seams (carefully) and removed the elasticated waist.

I then cut a strip about as wide as needed to cover my from my belly button to my knees when sitting down. Ok, that's not very helpful, it was about 70cm wide. I used the whole length of the skirt but because I wanted to keep the whole pattern but it's longer than needed. I then spent a long time ironing and hemming the three edges that weren't already hemmed. Phew, it was hard work. I'm not an experienced sewing machiner but I managed to sew three straightish lines and rethread the needle a few times.

The finished rectangle folds up into a lovely parcel.

I can now keep my hat and pattern book in it. When I open it up, it acts as a lap blanket/clothes protector. And it's pretty.

Wedding blankets!

2011-10-03T21:52:00.002+01:00

The newlyweds arrived back to glorious July sunshine in October so we all met up for a barbecue. And blanket presentation! My sister and I managed to give them away when we saw how pleased the recipients were. I didn't even consider stealing mine back before I left.

Of course, it wasn't the best weather for snuggling under a blanket but we tried anyway.

Their living room is split level which makes it excellent for photographing illusion knitting. My sister's boyfriend had a slight eureka moment and claims to have been able to see it clearly for the first time.

The blankets were 3 squares by 4 and although I didn't measure it, nearly 5 feet long.

We haven't decided if we're going to knit each other our own ones for xmas, but we are considering it. Although, each blanket took over 2 months of solid work so we'd have to start very soon for this year. They are totally brilliant though.

Trying it on

2011-09-30T18:56:00.000+01:00

You can, possibly, see that I have kntited one row in grey, transferred the stitches to a long circular needle and tried it on. It appears to fit, and may even stretch over a pony tail but I let my hair loose this time. I'm going to get it cut to maybe chin length before I go so a ponytail won't be an issue.

The pattern is pretty easy. I've made a few mistakes so far but nothing dire. I forgot that only even numbered rows were charted but that was brief. I did have to undo most of a round as I'd done something wrong early on and had to add in a fake yarnover at the end of a row a bit lower down. That's mostly because I was watching True Blood I think.

Casting on

2011-09-28T19:45:00.005+01:00

I've finished knitting the edging for the beret and now it is time to perform a little magic. I've picked up the stitches on the provisional cast on on a smaller needle.

Then, I started undoing the crochet chain that is part of the cast on edge.

I'm using two fuzzy yarns so it wasn't a case of just pulling the end and watching it all unravel. I had to ease some of the chains apart.

I was surprised at how much "scrap" yarn I needed.

Quite a bundle.

Next, I'll fold the brim over and knit the two sets of stitches together, forming a neat and snug edge.

Swatching for a hat

2011-09-27T20:10:00.000+01:00

I've started the Ishbel beret with Angora 50 from The Little Knitting Company. I decided to swatch as I've never used this yarn before and didn't want to get half way through a hat that looked like an egg cosy. Or a car cosy. So I swatched using 4mm needles and was pleased to find 20sts in 10cm. Grand.

I also measured my head so I'm knitting the medium size for a 22inch head. Never mind that I'm mixing measurement systems. The pattern calls for 108 sts on a provisional cast on. I almost didn't bother. I've used provisional cast ons before for toe up socks, but that tends to be less than half or even a quarter of 108. But then, I decided I'd prefer the neater finish and I should try to knit at least a few rows before making blind alterations.

The pattern calls for 180 metres of yarn so I'll be using nearly two balls of the Angora 50. I'm going to mix red and grey together beacuse I also want to knit an Ishbel scarf and I'd like the two items to match. They'll coordinate in a fashion because they'll both have slightly mismatched colour stripes.

A little swatching

2011-09-26T18:19:00.002+01:00

This weekend was lovely and I felt so free! No more blanket to worry about. I still have a few ends to weave in but I'm doing a couple every so often and it doesn't feel too boring. I have been swatching for a new design for the magazine. I don't feel very inspired at the moment. I think maybe the blanket tired me out a bit - especially as I don't get to keep it. So, I'll knit some small things next and some things for me. I have a plan! I've booked a trip with my sister to Japan in November! Squee! And I want to knit some things to wear there. When I was in Japan last time, it was part of a backpacking gap year and there were times when I felt embarrassed at how scruffy I was compared to the Japanese people. I wasn't a scruffy backpacker - there were times in India when I looked down my nose at other westerners and how they should be ashamed. Well, when I was clomping round Himeji-jo, following these tiny women in their work suits and high heels, I felt distinctly underdressed. So, I'm going to make an extra effort this time and this translates to knitting a hat and a scarf. Job done.

This could be awkward

2011-09-23T19:03:00.001+01:00

I've decided I want to keep the love hearts blanket for myself. It's so beautiful. I don't think this will go down well with the intended recipient though, as she'll watch her husband opening and delighting in his while I pretend her's got washed away in a flash flood and is now home to a family of raccoons. And an ardvark.

sigh

The Wedding

2011-09-22T18:56:00.001+01:00

Today is the first day since the wedding that I've felt I'm back to normal. The wedding was wonderful. I couldn't get to sleep the night before but I was up at 8, in the bath and packing. I had bags and bags of food and clothes and makeup although I still managed to leave all my eye makeup behind. I got to the hotel at 11.15am and went to have my hair made beautiful and sip champagne with the bride, m-o-b, bridesmaids, photographer, hairdresser and make up artist. Quite an entourage. I checked into my room and ate lunch and started tarting around until my sister turned up and helped me focus. She had to get ready and practise her songs with my brother outlaw playing guitar. My aunt and cousin surprised me in my room but fortuantely I was nearly ready. I even had time to paint my nails and use my nail stickers.

Here I am with pretty hair and a pretty dress and heavy earrings:

I was sort of in charge of my brother's children and we all read a poem each. The hotel was great and the registrar lovely and the service beautiful and although I didn't cry at the time I did when I went through the photos and videos. Such a great wedding. We ate and I missed most of the speeches as I was fussing over the nephews. I enjoyed chatting and gossiping with my aunts. One of my aunts almost didn't make it but then she arrived looking lovely and danced with me for ages even though she wasn't well. My camera battery ran out pretty early on but here is one of the family another aunty took. Aren't we a good looking bunch!

The day flew by and suddenly it was the final dance. My mum and dad made it onto the dance floor and we had a family group hug which was unexpected but lovely. It struck me that it was so different and far better than my own wedding in so many ways. After much persuasion, the nephews and I had lights out at 1.45am!!!! Suddenly it was the morning after and I'd had less than 6 hours of sleep. The people who'd stayed in the hotel had breakfast together, in various states of Why am I up so early.

A highlight of the morning was streetpassing my nephews on their new consoles. Eventually though, we all departed, seperately, in the cold and rain. I spent most of Saturday was eating leftover snacks (I had to feed the nephews every few hours to keep them happy) and finishing off series one of the killing (US version). I still don't know who killed the poor girl and am beginning to suspect I never will.Sunday was a write off too and I was pretty weepy still on Monday, and worrying that I looked like a fat vampire in the photos, and tired on Tuesday and Wednesday but today I feel normal! At last!

The blanket was finished but big sister (shown below) didn't finish the counterpart so we decided to wait until after the honeymoon to present the presents. I think this was a good idea as the wedding day was so busy there wouldn't have been enough time for appropriate levels of adoration and gratitude.

So there it was. I'm really looking forward to seeing my brother and new sister-in-law when the get back from their honeymoon. Now that the wedding is over, I feel a bit bereft so I'm going to suggest my SIL learns to knit to tackle her post wedding blues. I'm cheering myself up with knitting and planning the trip to Japan in November down to the finest detail. I currently have about 3 days too many of activities so the itinerary needs to slim down. I'll see big sister at the weekend to discuss whether she can skip all the places I've been to before.

In other news, I knitted a pair of baby socks, probably for PWW.

1 day to go...

2011-09-15T10:32:00.001+01:00

I've finished all twelve squares and attached one strip to another. I've picked up stitches on the other side of the middle strip. I have to pick up 280 stitches on the final strip, knit 3 rows and then perform the magic of a three needle bind off. Then I have to pick up 280 stitches on each outer edges and knit three rows and cast off for the border. Then, weave in all the ends. I also have to finish off fighting off this cold, persuade my boss to give me the afternoon off, fetch my new glasses and contact lenses, alter my dress, make a decoration for my hair, go to the shops for snacks and other provisions for the nephews, pack, clean and then start all the washing, scrubbing etc to make me look presentable. It is all doable, people!

One left!

2011-09-11T19:40:00.001+01:00

Two more squares have been completed.

And so has the charity 10k stagger round Bedgebury.

Here is my medal. I'll post more about it all when I'm not trying to finish the blanket. I imagine that post will feature photos of the wedding too!

Barely human

2011-09-06T16:21:00.003+01:00

I'm beginning to feel more human again after the epic weekend Hen Do. I'm gently hoarse but amazed I have a voice left as I was running around screaming oi oi! on Saturday night for hours.

I've finished square 10. 2 left. There is still time.

Watch out, Brighton!

2011-09-02T15:22:00.000+01:00

I'm going away for the weekend for the Hen Do. This will include drinking, cheerleading, comedy and the seaside!

Wow - I ran really far today!

2011-08-31T21:58:00.000+01:00

Training Run #19
Pre run munch:pb&h sandwich
Post run munch: turkey, sweet potato, spinach and leeky cheese
Time of run: 6pm
Distance: 6.57km!!!!!
Time: 54.5 mins!!!!
Category: 1x1 run then walk 7 times, then 1x2 10 times then another 2 mins run!!!!!!!!!
Feeling: hooray for me!!!!!!

With only 10 days to go, there's not much more time for training. I thought I'd just go out for 20 minutes but got a bit carried away. I had planned a long run for Saturday but the weather got in the way so this made up for it. I'm really chuffed with how far I went and feel really happy with my progress.

I'm also feeling great about the blanket. I've finished 9 squares and am part way through the 10th out of 12. It feels like it's doable now, I can see myself joining up the strips and knitting the border.

How to use henna hair colour from Lush

2011-08-29T13:17:00.000+01:00

Here's a before picture. Really, my hair is a bit more mousy than that at the roots.

First of all, collect your ingredients. You'll need the caca (I used caca brun), a bowl, a wooden spoon, a barrier cream like ultrabland or vaseline, hairclips, newspaper and lots of pairs of gloves. Optional - clingfilm, another bowl/saucepan.

Boil the kettle.

Put on your gloves and break up the caca. I do this by snapping it over the handle of the spoon.

Put the squares in your bowl. I have very thick long hair so use a whole caca. If you have short hair you could probably manage with half of one.

Add boiling water and let it soak for a bit. If you want a redder colour, keep the bowl in another bowl of hot water to keep it as hot as possible.

Apply the barrier cream to the hairline, all over your ears and anywhere else you don't want to colour. I also put it on the arms of my glasses.

Mush up the caca adding extra hot water as needed. The instructions say aim for double cream consistency. The picture below shows it too thick still. You need to be able to rub it in to the hair but not have it drip off. try to get all the lumps out. Take some extra hot water with you to the bathroom in case you find it's still too thick.

The preparation took me about 30 minutes. If I wasn't blogging it would take about 20 minutes.

Put newspaper in the bottom of your bath. Put the bowl in the bath. Lean over the bath and apply the henna mix. Make sure it's rubbed into all of your hair otherwise you'll end up with stripes. Don't rub it in to your scalp or you'll end up with an actual red head. The newspaper will catch the drips. Try to wipe off any drips from your skin straight away.

I spent about half an hour applying the henna. I then clipped up my hair and wrapped it in clingfilm. This is supposed to give a redder colour but I like it to stop any henna flaking off onto the floor. I added another layer of clingfilm across the front after I took this photo.

Here's how messy the bowl was afterwards.

And, how clean it became.

Take off your gloves and bin the newspaper. Rinse any drips away from the bath. Wash the bowl etc. I used about 6 pairs of gloves in preparing and applying the henna but really three would have been enough. I left the henna on for two hours and then put a new pair of gloves on and spent half an hour washing it off. I just rinsed with water until the water ran clear. Then I shampooed until there were no more (alarmingly green) bubbles. It only took two shampoos as I'd rinsed for so long before.

Here's the result. In normal light it looks darker and shinier. It brightened overnight slightly and my hair feels thicker and smoother. At a recent hair cut, I was told my hair was in good condition and I think that's partly due to using this henna as it acts as a varnish.

Here's what I'm running for this time

2011-08-28T17:50:00.001+01:00

I really enjoyed the 10k run I took part in in May. It was the first race I've run since I was at primary school and it was far more fun. So, when I saw there was another race at the same venue, I signed up with a friend. This time, it's in aid of Maric Curie Cancer Care. I don't remember the last time I asked for sponsorship for something, again it was probably in primary school, but it's so easy now. If you're interested, you can click on the link, and if you're not, it doesn't matter.

SInce last posting, I've had two more training runs and finished two more squares. I've also just coloured my hair and am disappointed by the results but will have to wait until tomorrow to see the final colour.

Training Run #17
Pre run munch: rice pudding
Post run munch: dinner
Time of run: 6pm
Distance: approx 5km
Time: 42 mins
Category: 1x1 run then walk 6 times, 1x2 10times
Feeling: damn app didn't work so I don't know how far I managed

Training Run #18
Pre run munch: cereal
Post run munch: lunch
Time of run: 11.30am
Distance: 3.4km
Time: 28 mins
Category: 1x1 run then walk 6 times, then run for 3 mins in the pouring rain then maybe another 1 min
Feeling: should have left earlier and missed the rain

The race is getting nearer

2011-08-23T21:15:00.000+01:00

I now have my race number, parking permit and information pack. Also, my friend, who I registered, also has hers, which is great as she hadn't heard anything from them yet. And thought it was on the Sunday rather than the Saturday.

Another run (#16): another square (#7)

2011-08-22T21:12:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: cereal
Post run munch: milk and a mini pain au chocolat
Time of run: 11am
Distance: 4.6km
Time: 39 mins
Category: 1x1 run then walk 7 times, 1x2 7times
Feeling: too hot but I stuck with it

I had other things to say but I've just looked at my running app and I've found out it does more than I realised. It makes me a little map to show where I went and tells me my km splits. Now, io know where I went, but I wasn't convinced it knew when I was running in a circle in the park. I think it's more accurate than I gave it credit for. I went out yesterday morning about an hour later than I planned as I was reading Dead Reckoning. I love the Sookie Stackhouse books. When I finally did leave the house, the clouds parted and the sun threatened to burn my shoulders. I almost gave up after 15mins but found a shady path by the allotments and went up and down there several times. I'm pleased to see that I've already done more training for this race than previously and am staying out for consistently longet (around 40minutes compared to 25-30).

I didn't use my computer at all over the weekend, which was great. Well, i had a lovely weekend but that was probably more due to what I was doing, rather than what I was avoiding. On Saturday, I went to a family barbeque which ended in a singsong - you know, like singstar but without a computer ;) There were renegade piglets from two doors down, three types of cake and crumble with ice cream and three of my dad's siblings in one place at once. My younger sister brought her boyfriend to meet the rents for the first time and got a mild shock to have so many aunties and uncles there too!

On Sunday, I ran and shopped and then went to my bro's so couldn't take the secret surprise knitting with me. I did confirm the love-hearts-as-wedding-favours theory though. I helped separate fabric petals for decorations and watched Source Code.

Square #7 was probably finished on Friday and here it is for your admiration.

There's the deadline!

I also took a better picture of the purple square (hint: in the dark, use the flash) so you can see it really does say lucky day.

I finished work in a major grump but I've chilled out a bit now. I was going to go to the running shop and buy some new trainers and even made it as far as my car but I left it too late in the evening and the shop would have been practically shut when I arrived. I want to try the motion analysis and the website recommends allowing 30mins for them to watch me fall off a treadmill in stretchy pants that are too small. Shouldn't rush that!

I love my 3ds

2011-08-19T21:27:00.000+01:00

I really do. I didn't expect to love it this much and it's interfering with my knitting slightly. I always intended to buy one when the price improved and then bam, it was half the original price on Tuesday. Plus there was a bundle offer so I bought Zelda, ocarina of time and Rayman and a (not great) case. I planned to buy the console to future-proof myself against new pokemon games being released but I wasn't that interested in the new toy itself. I couldn't stop grinning on Tuesday when I ordered it and was so excited I even confessed to a colleague I'd been internet shopping at work. I didn't expect to be so excited. I didn't expect to be wowed by the crisp graphics or the free games and then to be wowed again by how easy it was to connect to the internet, no fiddling with WAP or WEP keys or access rights or being told the internet is there but it refusing to work. Then a little system update later and I've got me a 3d pokedex. I'm not very good at computer games so I've already had to consult a Rayman walkthrough but overall, two days in, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Training for September #15

2011-08-17T16:50:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: smoothie and two oreos
Post run munch: beef dinner
Time of run: 6.30pm
Distance: 4.7km
Time: 39 mins
Category: 1x1 run then walk 6 times, 1x2 7 times plus 1 extra at the end
Feeling: getting fitter

I was a bit worried that I'd messed up my fueling strategy and felt a bit sick/hungry before I went out but all was fine. It was probably good to run on a slightly emptier stomach. I'm beginning to feel like I'm making progress now and pleased to see I've already trained much more than for the race in May. I've decided about 40 minutes is long enough to be outside but I do still want to do a longer run before the race. I'll have to plan that a bit more though as I don't like doing circuits round the village after last time.

Square six finished, seven started

2011-08-14T20:16:00.000+01:00

Without stating the obvious, there's no way round this blanket, I just have to push on through. I'm going to knit as much as I can as quickly as I can and then celebrate when it is finished. I think it will look amazing when it's all put together but getting there is tough!

Square five is done

2011-08-13T12:40:00.000+01:00

It's the last one in purple so, again, it's quite hard to see the hidden message (lucky day) but it is slightly easier in real life. I think I'm getting a bit quicker at each square. I'm going to try to finish square 6 this weekend and then I'll feel like I'm really getting somewhere.

Training for September #14

2011-08-12T20:31:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: pb&h on toast (oh the yumminess)
Post run munch: chocolate, oops
Time of run: 6.30pm
Distance: 4.7km
Time: 40 mins
Category: 1x1 run then walk 5 times, 1x2 7 times plus 1 extra at the end
Feeling:better

It surprises me how much my enthusiasm for running can vary. On Tuesday, I rushed home, put on my running gear and whizzed out the door, and really enjoyed it. Today, it took me a long time to get out. I suppose I was in a miserable mood all day until a Big Bang theory marathon cheered me up somewhat. I still felt lousy though and I had to really focus on not thinking bad thoughts. Walking for one minute doesn't give me much time to start internally grumbling but two minutes does. I guess that's partly why I went fast for the first five reps. I did start to feel better and had a long walk home which reminded me that I really enjoy walking. I was worrying that I'll have to walk so much of the 10k that I won't enjoy it. I think I will enjoy it and I'll try to stop putting pressure on myself but I can't help thinking that I do have a goal of being able to run continuously for 20 minutes, not just walk the majority of the way. I don't know if I'm achieving much with the "training" I'm indulging in at the moment.

achievement: improved my mood

Strip one is done

2011-08-11T19:24:00.000+01:00

I finished square four which is the end of the first strip. There are going to be three strips so I'm nearly a third of the way through, as there will be finishing and an edging to add. The strip is far bigger than I expected so it's going to be a decent sized blanket for snuggling under in front of the tv.

I won't say I'm sick of the blanket as I'm not, it's still interesting and relaxing to knit, but I'm tired of the time pressure involved and not having a finished item any time soon. I know I finished some socks recently but the stash flash has really made me itch to start (and finish) something else. Perhaps I can sneak out some baby socks as they only take a few hours.

For my dad's birthday, we went out to my parent's favourite restaurant. The food was yummy, and I ate far too much which is entirely appropriate, and even though the usual waiters weren't there, my dad was given a special carved swan and frozen dessert display for his birthday meal.

Training for September #13

2011-08-10T21:29:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: chocolate apricot bar and a banana
Post run munch: MASSES of thai food
Time of run: 5.15pm
Distance: don't know
Time: 20 mins
Category: 1x1 run then walk ish, maybe 8 mins running
Feeling: speedy

I was in a bit of a rush yesterday as I had to go out for my dad's birthday to eat masses of thai food. I didn't cheat and skip my run completely but I didn't do a full one. I felt very energised afterwards. I do wish I'd taken my km measurer with me though as it would have been interesting to see how far I went. Maybe it was 2.5km. ;)

I've finished square four and nearly square five so pictures of the meal and knitting to follow tomorrow.

FLASH MY STASH

2011-08-08T19:18:00.000+01:00

Training for September #11 and 12

2011-08-06T14:18:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: cereal
Post run munch: half a recovery shake - it minged
Time of run: 10.15am
Distance: 3.75 km
Time: 32 mins
Category: 1x2 run then walk program, 10 reps plus 1 extra minute run and 2 stair reps
Feeling: sweaty

I did go out for a 20 minute run last saturday but it was a very gentle one and I didn't blog it. Today's run was more structured. I've decided to up the ante by introducing some hill training in the shape of stairs. There's a main road near one of the fields I run round and it has a bridge over it. I ran up it and staggered down it twice. Boy, my thighs burned after that. I did this around 12 minutes in and the rest of the run felt difficult so I conclude it did some good. The route of the race I'll be doing is mostly hills but where I train is totally flat. I really want my training to reflect the race as much as possible, which is why I'm aiming for distance rather than speed at the moment, so I'll need to increase the stair reps as I go too.

I tidied up my sofa and found a rogue dpn on it. I'm already down to four as these little black ones like to go wandering. And they're chuffing expensive, although I've actually seen even more expensive ones since. To stop this happening, I bought dpn ends at KnitNation, from atomic Knitting and now they're in use. Marvellous.

It's jolly difficult to take a photo of socks

2011-08-05T19:00:00.000+01:00

It's still been too warm for socks so I'll put these away for a bit. I don't know what they'll be like to wear with shoes as they feel quite thick. They should be good for wearing with my trainers. I've taken advantage of the warm weather and done lots of washing. This leads to ironing, which isn't great fun in hot weather but now I have a living foom full of clean, ironed clothes. I need to figure out where to put them all as I can't use the floordrobe anymore. I've also taken advantage of the weather by eating lots of ice cream. Yum.

I'm a square and a bit behind on the blanket so I suppose the rest of the evening will be spent watching films and knitting. I had a mini migraine yesterday and the day before so I'm not sure sitting in front of more screens is good for me but I have to knit. I have been sneaking a few rows on my Vilai sock every so often. So much for waiting until I'd finished three more squares!

Very hot

2011-08-03T19:25:00.000+01:00

As soon as I finished those trainer socks, we've had a mini heatwave. Today I finished work at lunchtime after a gruelling day sitting at someone else's desk while we waited for our computers to be fixed. The walk home to eat was exhausting. Only mad dogs and englishmen after all. I've been watching films and knitting on the blanket. I though I might finish square four but each square is enormous. I'm on row 80 something so only another 60 to go. Knitting on a blanket is hot work so I've been warming up until it's unbearable then cooling down in front of my fan that sounds like an aeroplane taking off. when that's unbearable, I turn it off, am briefly deafened by the tv, turn that down, and start the process over.

TV: smallville, burn notice, the killing

Film: it could happen to you

Not running

2011-08-02T21:23:00.000+01:00

Today was really hot, just walking home from work nearly finished me off. I've spent the evening watching Harry Potter 2 - these films are really long! I've also been back at work on the love hearts. Finishing the yellow socks at the weekend definitely cheered me up. I've always preferred smaller, quicker projects as I like a finished object so the blanket is a challenge that needs to be broken up into smaller chunks. I'm well into the fourth square now. I think in a few squares time I'll try to finish off another little project. I don't have anything as near completion as the yellow socks so perhaps I'll make some baby socks for PWW.

My weekend

2011-07-31T18:43:00.000+01:00

I have had a busy weekend. I sneaked out for a run on Saturday morning. There was definitely some soreness so I just ran for a little and mostly walked. It was lovely and sunny and good walking weather. In the aftrenoon I saw my uncle and aunt briefly and then went to London. I met up with the mother of my nearly-goddaughter and gave her the stripey cardigan. We ate mexican food, and I was very surprised to find raw tuna was a mexican dish. It was served on a tostado with spicy sauce and onions. I found it all a bit confusing (raw fish but it's not Japanese?!?!) but that could also have been due to the passion fruit cocktail I'd had.

Afterwards, I had 2 scoops of Ben and Jerrys' and laughed LOTS at Bridesmaids. This is a very funny film! And also sweet and moving and poignant and very funny. My friend and her friend had both seen it before and decided it merited a second viewing and I would be happy to see it again too. I worked on the yellow socks on the train, which I had to run for in non-running shoes so that probably wasn't a good idea but it was the last train and I didn't want to miss it.

Today, I went to my nearly-sister-in-law's hen day where we made bracelets and played games and had lots of fun. I was just a bit too tired to fully enjoy it so I didn't make matching earrings. I am looking forward to eating my gingerbreadbride that I decorated. I wore a new dress, too.

I'm really tired but it's not even 7pm so I'm going to watch a film and eat and knit. Lovely.

The knitting noblin visited!

2011-07-29T21:47:00.001+01:00

I was feeling in a real funk at lunchtime. It's Friday and I had to work all day and it didn't even matter as I had nothing better to do anyway. That's no kind of Friday to have. So to cheer myself up, I turned to my sock yarn drawer and then to the long neglected knits at the back of my gift drawer. I pulled out all the WIPs and was delighted to find the knitting noblin had been and worked on some of them for me!

I could have sworn that when I put the yellow socks into the drawer there was only one and it was a flip-flop sock. I guess it was inspired by my trip to Japan FOUR YEARS AGO! I bought the Panda Cotton in Chicago and I worked on these when I lived in the commune. These socks are full of history.

Not only did the knitting noblin finish the first, it nearly made it to the heel of the pair. Unfortunately, it cast off too tightaliciously so I couldn't try the sock on. I don't remember the Elves and the Shoemaker having this problem.

Amongst other things in the bag were a nifty pink little mitten,

and a failed hemp sock which I think I will use as a washmitt.

The vilai sock! This is partly what prompted the look in the drawer as it's been TWO YEARS since I knitted on this sock. WTF!?!? Last winter, I was really lacking in handknit socks as two pairs passed away. Why didn't I just suck it up and finish these. I even posted about how to not need a cable needle or two.

But really, it's all about the yellow today. I undid the cast on and tried on the sock. I was particularly interested in the weird lump the noblin added in.

I'm going to be sneaky and try to finish this pair of socks this weekend. My sister is away so she won't notice I'm not working on the blanket of sisyphus.

Training for September #10

2011-07-28T21:28:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: banana and almonds
Post run munch: raspberries and yoghurt, chocolates
Time of run: 6.00pm gogo lokuji
Distance: a whopping 1km
Time: 10 mins
Category: my leg hurts
Feeling: you can't win them all

After the epic training on Monday, I was a bit nervous about going out today. All I really fancied was sitting in front of the tv eating chocolates. I've learnt how to recognise the times that I don't really want to go out but will enjoy it if I try and the times when it's best if I don't go out as it will spoil things. Tonight was a time when I decided it was better to have a go. I have a few techniques to bribe myself to go out for a run when I don't really fancy it. I put my clothes on with minimal fuss. This normally does the trick. If not, I then tell myself I only need to go out for ten minutes and if I'm still not enjoying it I can come back home. Normally, I'll start having fun and stay out for a bit longer. If those techniques aren't working, I eat some chocolate. Not very scientific, but sometimes the sugar boost gets me out of the door. Today I had to do all of these things and I didn't get very far at all. My left leg (calf?) hurts and it didn't ease up at all so I walked around for a bit and then went home and finished off another layer of the chocolate box.

Square three is done

2011-07-27T17:47:00.000+01:00

Square three is done and I'm only two days behind schedule which is fine by me. I think the key for me will be to catch up at the weekend. This heart is a bit harder to see - the purple isn't enough of a pastel to give enough contrast to easily see it says Lush Lips. Next up is pink but I need to consult that schematic to check the wording. The squares seem to be getting easier and quicker now, which encourages me to try to stick to the deadline. My life, and blog, are clearly oscillating between running and knitting love hearts and I can see it getting old soon enough so I'll have to think of something to mix it up with. Tonight, little sister is coming round for lego POTC on the wii and curry and ice cream. So, that will be another day behind on the knitting then ;)

Training for September #9

2011-07-25T21:52:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: rice pudding
Post run munch:chicken and veg pasta
Time of run: 6.00pm gogo lokuji
Distance: a whopping 5.1km
Time: 41 mins
Category: 1x2 run then walk program, 13 reps plus 1 extra minute run and then walk home
Feeling: knackered

Did I add an extra rep in by accident? Maybe that's why I found it so hard. I'm a bit confused now. So today I had to push through a psychological barrier and turn left outside my house instead of right. Yes, peeps, I'm now an ambiturner. I went into the village to extend my route, instead of hiding in the park and the streets near my house. It takes about 14 minutes to reach the park in this direction, complete with added embarrassment of wolf whistling (push) bikers. I kept crossing their paths so I didn't hang around in the park for as long as I wanted and had to head out onto concrete again. I really had to push myself in the later stages of the run - I felt quite tired at 15 minutes, winding in and out of the trees in the park. I don't know how I made it really. I'm a bit sore too. Running is a mind game. I wanted to quit but I really wanted to stick to the plan so I kept stumbling forward until my watch said I could stop. Then I stumbled home to knit and play GnomeTown. I'm supposed to finish the third square today but I think I should get to bed soon. If I can tear myself away from listening to the Amy Winehouse albums I downloaded, in celebration of her talent and to mark her passing.

TWO THIRDS

2011-07-24T21:50:00.000+01:00

I managed two thirds of the purple Lush lips square this weekend, which is more than I truly thought I'd get done. I had to write out the chart yesterday morning, before doing some more ballet conditioning then realising I only had half an hour to shower, get dressed, pack, make lunch and leave to catch my train. It was all fine and I had a very pleasant journey up to Maidenhead to see the Wheelers including baby PWW and the final Harry Potter film. And eat lots of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

In the evening we ate home made pizza and watched all of the Family Guy Star Wars spoofs. Baby PWW is lovely and we enjoyed some cuddles and dancing this morning and then it was time for me to trek back home, knitting all the way, and whizz round the supermarket and clean the house and then be distracted by GnomeTown. A perfect weekend, really :)

Training for September #8

2011-07-22T22:41:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: beetroot crisps and a pb&h roll
Post run munch: dinner
Time of run: 5.20pm gogo goji nijuppun
Distance: 4.33km
Time: 34 mins
Category: 1x2 run then walk program, 11 reps plus 1 extra minute run and then (v short)walk home
Feeling: amazed I got out so quickly after work

Running was good and I really had to push myself to get through the final two minutes of running. I'm also concentrating on not slapping my heels down with every step but aiming for the balls of my feet more and keeping light on my feet.

After a marathon effort today, having swung by work, the doctor's, back past work, through my sister's for lunch and football and back home via the bank, I sat on the sofa for about 6 hours. Dang, this blanket is taking a lot longer than I anticipated.

I'm going to my friends' house for the weekend including the new HP bk 7 part II film and pizza and cuddles with baby PWW. The blanket is coming on the train and I hope to get through a whole nother square. I don't know how realistic that is but I'm already behind on the schedule of one square every 5 days.

Next up is Lush Lips in purple. I have to draw my own chart for this one aswell which is always exciting - on the previous one I ended up with Found Yod. Tremendulunt!

Fitness

2011-07-21T12:32:00.000+01:00

I have sampled both of my new exercise dvds now and have aching thighs and arms to show for it. Of the two, I managed to watch 20 minutes out of 50 of the pilates dvd, participating in at most a third of it, and about 30 minutes of the ballet dvd.

Tuesday night - Pilates dvd: I watched the intro, arms section and the belly section. The arms section used weights, which I have, and frankly they were not needed. I know my arms are feeble but I struggled to do any of the exercises even with my tiddly little weights. I think they are 1kg each but will check. The dvd was very fast (I'm a real plodder as my "running" log will testify) but I decided not to bother pausing it as I was really only doing recon. I had seen some crazy looking moves on the dvd home page, so I wasn't surprised when the belly section was practically impossible. I couldn't really get into the beginning postures. At this stage, I began to think I should have ordered the beginners' dvd and this is something I'm going to continue to consider. I then went out to dinner and had swordfish, which I haven't had in ages and it was yummy.

Wednesday night - ballet dvd: I thought about going out for a bike ride instead of trying the dvd but it was a bit drizzly and I'm not unduly concerned about falling off. I know people say you never forget, but I have a very special bike that is really wobbly until you get going and I haven't used it for three years. The ballet dvd turns out to be exactly what I wanted and is very hardcore. SERIOUSLY. I was thinking, maybe I have strong legs as I do all that run/walking, but really not. I think I suffer a bit from living in a very flat village. For years, I lived at the top of hills, so my daily walk home involved striding upwards carrying my little backpack. It was a real bitch, I tell you, but must have done me more good than I realised at the time. Any strength developed back then, and trekking in the mountains on my gap year, has all eroded in favour of sitting in my car. So, I tried to join in all the exercises, but wobbly thighs made them impossible after about 25 minutes so I stopped. I also noticed that simple holding my arms up in graceful-ballet-poses really made them ache! No wonder I can't lift weights, I barely have strength to lift my own arms! This was all enough of a challenge to leave me feeling like I'd tried hard and looking forward to next time. And I did prance around my flat afterwards, holding my stomach in and head up for the rest of the evening so I could say I saw instant results.

Tonight it's time for a run and I'm looking forward to seeing if my achy thighs make running harder or if the running eases the pain. Also, tonight is knitting night (gosh, it's moved to Thursday which normally is a busy day for me anyway) in a place that also sells cake. I'll take the blanket along but I'll really have to concentrate because I don't want anymore ripping incidents.

Training for September #7

2011-07-18T20:37:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: rice pudding
Post run munch: sausages and veg stir fry and rice
Time of run: 6pm gogo nana ji
Distance: 3.95km
Time: 32 mins
Category: 1x2 run then walk program, 10 reps plus 1 extra minute run and then (v short)walk home
Feeling: pleased I missed the downpour

I don't know what went wrong with my preparation tonight but I was desperate for the loo by the time I got home and I felt it as I was going round. Round and round the park and little bit of village I live in. I was too efficient this time and only had a short walk home so the total time out today was basically the same as the previous session, even though I added in an extra 3 minute rep. I think I've hit my fitness level now. The final two minutes of running were more of a challenge than previously and I began to feel achy which is a good sign that I'm pushing myself. I'm not sure whether I'll add another rep next time or repeat today's program. I won't wear the hairband with a big yellow flower on next time though. I brought home some kind of buzzing insect in it!

KnitNation 2011

2011-07-17T21:36:00.000+01:00

I went to knitnation and even took my camera but didn't dig it out until after I'd had lunch. I took a dreadful photo of Ysolda and am farily sure she glared at me for making it so rubbish. I would have tried kinnearing LilyF rance or Cookie A or Franklin Habit but I was too slow witted.

I did buy a few things. Some dpn keepers and chart markers from Atomic Knitting.

Some To Dye For Yarn from Loop. I didn't buy any Wollmeise but perhaps I should have.

A merino tencel blend from Juno - very georgeous peaceful colourways.

Very bright Sunshine sock yarn that Katie wasn't totally convinced by.

5 balls of Angora blend, three red and two grey. Very excited about this.

Pile of goodies complete with signed copy of Little Red in the City. I also did a lucky dip and won a coupon for another of Ysolda's patterns from her website.

I finished the first square - YAY!

Training for September #6

2011-07-15T22:14:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: egg and bacon sandwich (!)
Post run munch: rice pudding and peaches
Time of run: 7pm gogo shichi ji
Distance: 3.83km
Time: 31 mins
Category: 1x2 run then walk program, 9 reps plus 1 extra minute run and then walk home
Feeling: satisfied

I had to go to a tax conference today which meant setting my alarm for hideous o'clock and not getting home until 12 hours later. Seriously long day for me, when I would usually roll out of bed around 8.30 on a Friday and finish work at 1pm. I didn't think I'd manage to go out for a run but then realised I might not get another chance until Monday at that would be a whole week later so I put on my little stretchy pants and farted around in my flat until I felt ready to go. It was quite late so there was plenty of shade and it was cool. The grass in the fields has grown a lot so my legs were a bit sore from running through there. I stayed mostly on pavement which I don't like to do, especially as the race is on trail, but I didn't like to slice my legs up an further on the grass. It's too warm to wear my full length jogging bottoms so I might try the playing fields, which are much smaller and have dog walkers and football players on them which is rather embarrassing when my stretchy pants fall down. Anyways, major success that I managed to go out at all and added a minute of running on to the last time. I'm going to try adding a minute each time (within reason) by increasing the reps and that should increase my stamina too. I remember the first 5km of my last (first!) race where relatively comfortable but thereafter everything began to hurt - shoulders, back, toes, arms as well as my legs - so this time I'm keen to build up some longer practice times, rather than worrying at all about speed. I did use my nifty phone app this time and it gave me an idea of how far and fast I went. It was reassuring in that I covered nearly 4km without any trouble and kept a pace that would give ma between 85 and 90 mintues for a 10km. I'd like to match or beat my original time as I feel I should be better prepared for this one, so a PB around 80 minutes would be great. My brother is still encouraging me (um, berating me?) to try for a sub-60 minute time but that, for the moment, is crazee talking.

Post #250

2011-07-14T19:58:00.000+01:00

Today has been a mixed day. I developed a hideous bad mood/anxiety attack just before lunch that only really went this evening. I think it was a combination of not eating lunch soon enough (food swings!) and sending an email that I instantly regretted. It was in a much snottier tone that I normally use and it sent me into spasms about whether what I said was true was really true or if I made it all up. le sigh.

I'm knitting away with the squeaky yarn for the gift love hearts blanket. It's made in squares and my mum cheerfully informed me I need to knit a square every five days. My sister is on target but I had a ripping incident yesterday that has left me behind already. I don't know if you can really see it in this picture, sometimes with illusion knitting you really have to know what you're looking for to be able to see it.

I had moved the edge of the heart to somewhere wandering around its centre, shown more clearly below.

16 rows below! That was tough to take but I'm made of stern stuff so I thought I'd just drop down the rows and correct it, making knits into purls where appropriate.

I've done this before but after spending ages looking back through my blog I can't find the proof! Chances are though, when I did it before, and I remember it being successful, I dropped the correct stitches first time round, unlike with this. And that really killed the attempt for me, I would have had to rework the stitch that was already correct and then repeat that 8 times at least, and I couldn't really get my head round 16 rows and 9 columns that didn't really look like much.

So I took the executive decision to remove the needles and rip.

I ripped this much.

Here is back to where it wasn't wrong. I figured I'd made the mistake because I was only using two stitch markers about a third and two thirds along the row and I'd misremembered where they were.

I made some new markers to use at every 10th stitch. There are just small loops tied in a contrast colour witha double knot.

So now I'm back into and haven't made any more mistakes. I'm past the word in the centre so it will speed up a bit and then when I've finished the heart outline it will be even quicker. I think this blog is testament to how unbothered by deadlines I am so I'll just keep at it and do my best. I'll try to enjoy it and the endless hours of tv I'm managing to get through too. I watched a really dull film with plenty of Harrison Ford talking (which made it very pleasant) and then moved onto Gods and Monsters. It stars Ian McKellen and I keep imagining Gandalf/Magneto will start using his powers to persuade Brendan Fraser to go for a swim. (Which will make sense if you watch the film.)

Keeping up the good work

2011-07-12T21:55:00.000+01:00

It was raining on my walk home so I manage to go out for a bike ride after work. I'll try to tomorrow instead. So, today to keep up my good work, I dug out my evil wii fit plus. This delights in telling me I'm overweight and need to reduce my bmi to a level it hasn't been since my wedding. I don't find it motivational and I don't find it an effective fitness tool but I do like using it occasionally for the yoga. It also has a diary function that I might start using as I'm trying to exercise something extra every day. The yoga is quite limited and I haven't used many of the muscle exercises as I'm too weedy to even start them. I do like variety though so have decided to try a few exercise dvds. The first one I'm going to order is Element: Ballet conditioning which is cheap and has good reviews on Amazon. I'm also going to try 10 Minute Solution: Pilates Perfect Body. We shall see. Maybe I haven't learnt my lesson yet about buying cheap things with good reviews. I've returned the tablet as it wouldn't play my videos properly in any format. I think if I replace it I'll stick to an ipod touch (if I decide tiny portability is the priority) or an ipad (if I prefer extra screen size and have money to burn). I only really want these for when I'm on holiday and don't have another planned until November so I can save it and keep deciding. And even then, I've been on plenty of holidays with neither, so perhaps I'll decide not buy anything else.

Training for September #5

2011-07-11T21:31:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: fruit and nut bar
Post run munch: risotto for dinner
Time of run: 5.45pm gogo go ji yon ju go fun
Distance: ?
Time: 28 mins
Category: 1x2 run then walk program, 8 reps plus 1 extra minute run and then walk home
Feeling: satisfied

I was pretty nervous of going for a run after such a long break. My last run was a month ago. I decided to stick to a run then walk pattern that I used to do very easily. Fortunately, I found it manageable but enough of a challenge to be interesting and feel like I'd put some effort it. I don't know how much training I'll manage before the race but I'm determined to keep on putting some effort in and not stress about my performance. I'm also trying to be more active in general and to do some extra exercise every day. On Saturday, I walked the dogs with my Aunty for over an hour and on Sunday I played tennis and french cricket with my eldest nephews. This worked out great because there have definitely been weekends when I haven't done much beyond sitting on my sofa, knitting. I try to include mooching round the supermarket as exercise but I don't think it really counts. It's a bit like including fruit trifle as one of your five a day. Tomorrow, I'll keep up the good work, and the next day, and the next day and the day after that too, until it becomes habit rather than effort. Well, one day at a time anyway.

New project started

2011-07-10T16:34:00.000+01:00

A massive bundle of yarn arrived at my sister's house yesterday ready for the illusion blankets we're going to make. The pattern is based on Love Hearts and is available here. I've tried a few illusion blankets before but only my own designs so I'm excited to work from a pattern. Woolly Thoughts have some incredible illusion patterns to try and have developed there own charting style. So far, it seems very straightforward and clear. I'm glad to have another project on the go as the simplicity cardigan uses lace yarn and my hands are getting a bit tired . This is dk weight so it's a bit easier going. The finished blanket is (with any luck) going to be a surprise for the recipient so I won't say too much about it.

Ingrid Shawl

2011-07-08T21:01:00.000+01:00

I've taken some more photos of the shawl that was published in let's Knit last month. They show more clearly the scalloped edge and the changes to the pattern in the centre of the shawl.

My neice kindly modelled it for me too.

Today is my mum's birthday so some of the family turned up to wreak havok for a few hours. My big sister made an owl cake which was delicious.

The youngest grandchild helped with opening some presents and eating the cake. After the littlest ones left, we played rummikub. I own the first game in spectacular fashion. I couldn't start for ages and picked up as many tiles probably as I'd started with. When I could finally start, I put all the tiles down in one go. Ah, small pleasures.

Simple knitting

2011-07-06T21:42:00.000+01:00

I've separated out the sleeve stitches and now it's acres of stocking stitch to finish the front and back. The yarn has some nice variation and there are increases at the end of each row so there is some interest. I quite like this kind of knitting, I can do it on the train or in front of the tv. There are approximately one billion stitches though so each row takes a while. I managed a few rows on Sunday morning, in a mildly hungover state, accompanied by three tiny cups of tea. My room in the new blocks at the college I went to in Oxford, was ensuite and very comfortable but the teacup was super tiny and held about one mouthful at a time. Next, time I'll pack a mug!

FO Finally

2011-07-05T20:15:00.000+01:00

I celebrated finishing a work project by stumbling home and sewing on three buttons that have been waiting patiently for weeks. They are shiny silver buttons that are possibly too heavy for the fabric but look very cute. I know it's not much but I went to work early two days in a row and even brought work home last night to do, so finishing a personal project felt like a reward for my diligence. I can now relax at work and start to catch up on the backlog from my holiday. And it's raining. Life is good! Well, the rain will clear the air and everything will be a bit cooler. I could barely concentrate this afternoon as my brain was melting. Now that Bob is done and day-work will be easing up, I can start thinking about new knitting projects. I actually already have one in mind - this as a gift but it will have to be kept a little bit secret. I need to reknit and check some old patterns that can be put up for sale on ravelry now. And I need to rub some brain cells together for ideas for new patterns. For now, though, I'll finish watching Case Histories and recover from a very hectic few weeks.

Moths

2011-07-04T20:52:00.000+01:00

I love the longer evenings and the sunshine and the warm weather but keeping the windows open all the time seems to be an open invite to moths. Moths used to really scare me - I think it was after watching an episode of casualty where a woman had a moth stuck in her ear. Travelling and living in a mosquito net for nearly a year and then in a draughty converted barn helped me through that fear - eventually you just have to fall asleep. I've also been concerned that they'll eat their way through my stash but I had to get over that too. I can't knit any quicker and I don't often add to the stash so there's no point stressing. Knitting's supposed to be fun not grim.

Gaudy Weekend

2011-07-03T20:34:00.000+01:00

I spent the weekend in Oxford at a college Gaudy which, roughly translated, is Latin for group of people who should know better recapturing their university days by eating mousse and getting drunk on port. I made a big deal of the weekend and even had my hair done specially before hand but didn't make sure I got a good photo of me. Here's one from the end of the evening which isn't very flattering.

I took lots of photos of my old college and couple in Oxford town centre. I then went to see my friends and their new baby and forgot to take any photos. I'll see them again in a few weeks so it's all ok. Oof, I've got quite a tiredness hangover. I was well looked after today by some more friends, who made sure I was fed and watered and taken to the train station so I could get home and feed and water myself some more. Now I'm pretty tired and kicking myself about the photos but had plenty o' fun. Back to work tomorrow - not looking forward to the deadline I have this week but at least it's only a week and I can't string it out any longer than I already have. No more tennis to distract me from things I should do either which is good. Only saw the last two points and didn't mind the result. Would have been happy if Nadal won again but it was good for Djoko to win.

Something to think about:
What is my plan for the next little while?

Wimbledon is distracting me from my knitting

2011-06-29T20:44:00.000+01:00

Here's a picture of a 30 year old.

Here's a picture of some knitting a 30 year old is working on.

Here's a picture of a birthday present for a 30 year old.

Today I left work to come home and work. I had very good intentions but the Federer and a-Tomic matches thoroughly distracted me. Such exciting tennis, I kept flipping between matches. By the time they were over, I was emotionally deflated and only tuned in to watch the last game of each of Murray and Nadal's victories.

I did write up the pattern for Bob (yes, shame faced, didn't do that before the holiday) which leaves me free to concentrate on working hard and catching up with the work that is at work. Having a holiday might be more fun if it didn't mean all the extra work either side of it. I suppose that would only encourage more people to be irresponsible slackers and actually have holidays ;) Work, work, work. I enjoy my dayjob which is useful because I would be really miserable otherwise.

Happy birthday to me!

2011-06-28T19:23:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was my 30th birthday! It was all a bit brilliant. Before my holiday, Karen and I concocted a plan to wear our fanciest dresses to work in celebration. In my absence, she also managed to rope in the others in the office and we had an all day party. There was quiche and cava and I brought cake with the fanciest candle I've ever seen. Even though it was excessively hot, we all managed to stay fancy looking all day.

In the evening I went out to dinner with my brothers and sisters and stuffed myself with thai food at my favourite restaurant. I opened all my cards and presents and felt treasured all day.

Back home

2011-06-26T18:52:00.000+01:00

Dirty, smelly and tired but I definitely had a lovely holiday in Rhodes. Starting with the end, the trip home was extended by several hours due to a reroute of the plane. It took two coaches, a plane, a train and my car/oven to get me home and now I'm sorting out washing and photos. I'm a bit incoherent and befuddled from lack of sleep so I'll watch some tv and maybe attempt so knitting before getting an early night. The last sleep of my 20's!!!!!

Greece here I come!

2011-06-18T12:51:00.000+01:00

Bob's winging his way to the magazine (or perhaps sitting in a royal mail sorting office) and I've spent the morning in the bathroom primping and preening so I can be reasonably ready to be seen in public in a bikini. I've also spent time with the tablet but I still can't get my films to play with sound so I'm disappointed. I contacted the seller and they suggested that I'm using the wrong file types or wrong resolution but they didn't specify which I should be using. So, I've emailed them again. I tried downloading moboplayer, an app for androids but that hasn't fixed it. If I can't get it to work I want to get a refund as the main reason I bought it was to watch films on. I does play music (yes, I have the sound turned up, I'm not that dumb) and I can put books on it but these were only secondary functions for me. Regardless, I will enjoy my holiday. I just need to buy some reisen chocolate chews and a killer sudoku puzzle book at the airport and I will feel properly in the mood.

See you when I get back!

So long, bob, and thanks for all the fish

2011-06-17T18:17:00.000+01:00

Bob is finished and just needs taking to the post office tomorrow morning. I'm worn out and hungry and grumpy with my little tablet toy as it doesn't want to play films, or rather it will but without any sound. I'm going to keep trying to make it work and then I will sulk. I left it a bit late to sort out but I've been working overtime and finishing Bob and, yeah I did go to the cinema twice, want to make something of it? So I could have sorted the tablet already and then I wouldn't be flustered now because tomorrow I am going on Holiday! I'm not at all prepared, and don't even know what knitting to take but I bought a bikini and some tops and mini toiletries and a book from a charity shop so I'm sure I'll be fine. I need to do many things before I go including important things like packing and escorting Bob to the post office and less important things like playing on the computer.

Hooray for summer holidays when the weather here is cold and miserable!

New Pattern

2011-06-13T21:28:00.000+01:00

My latest pattern has been published in Let's Knit, Issue 44. It's a rectangular stole made from Fyberspates Scrumptious 4 ply and was designed with beginners in mind. It introduces the technique of knitting an edging as you go, picking up stitches at the beginning and knitting them off at the end. The yarnover eyelets form an hourglass pattern that is repeated on the edging and in the centre of the shawl. I didn't take any pictures of it before I sent it to the magazine apart from one when it was blocking.

I'll take far more when the shawl is returned!

Training for September #4 and a new toy

2011-06-10T21:24:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: salt and vinegar crisps
Post run munch: dinner - I think it was sausage pasta
Time of run: 5pm gogo go ji
Distance: not far
Time: 20 mins
Category: hurty leg
Feeling: weepy

Tuesday's run was a bit upsetting as I already started in a bad mood and then my leg seized up and I came home and internally raged and wept at my miserable luck. I had hoped running would cheer me up but I had to fall back on The Big Bang Theory and my lovely knitting group. By the end of the evening I was feeling much better.

On Wednesday, I had to suffer the indignity of working for almost the whole day but I did get to eat cake at my Mum's for lunch. Big sister came round in the evening to finish off a lovely new bag for me. Really it was too late at night for sewing in a straight line and everything seemed rather difficult but I gave her a big bowl of ice cream. We also talked about our trip to Japan that is due in November and we freaked out a bit at how expensive it was becoming. I went to bed and had nightmares about knitting Bob wrong, as I'd also had a wobble over how close the deadline is.

Thursday was a busy, busy day. I'm deputy at work and this week I've been in charge which mostly means pretending to tell people what to do. And staying late. And sometimes getting in early. I did manage to sneak out in time to get to town and have dinner and go to my lessons. I didn't have time to open my NEW TOY which is also a BIRTHDAY PRESENT and actually WORKS!

It's a

Tabtech M009S 2GB Google Android Tablet PC - Cheapest 2.2 Android Tablet works with Flash 10.1

and it was cheap and it works! I was worried it might all be in chinese or really confusing but it was fine. I charged it up for a few hours before I became suspicious it wasn't charging properly so I turned it on and had a poke around. It came with a stylus but I was also a little suspicious the stylus would damage the screen and my finger works fine. At first the tablet wouldn't recognise my wifi so I turned the wifi off and on again (basics!) and then it detected it and I put in the password and then I went on the internet. Simples! I've downloaded a few apps and need to check it plays music and films but that will have to wait as Bob is getting jealous again.

Bag number 2 is finished

2011-06-08T21:04:00.000+01:00

It was touch and go for a while - the sewing maching wasn't really onboard with the project but we pushed on through. I did have to put on washing up gloves to remove the needle that was wedged in the fabric at one point and bigsister Elfyn was very perturbed by the whole process.

The new bag is on the right - it's full of interfacing and doesn't have handles but is very lovely and pretty.

Gadgets

2011-06-06T20:53:00.000+01:00

I'm thinking of buying myself a new gadget and I'm a bit confused about whether to buy the super cheapest that might only speak chinese and essentially, kill me by not working properly, or pay more so I wouldn't need a stylus but might be getting the same thing in all other respects.

I had a grand old weekend with Bob although I left him at home on Sunday, taking instead an easy project to do in front of dvds. It was supposed to be a picnic but the weather turned and it was grey and drippy all day. I did buy a new umbrella from Primarni for £3 and it is soooo cool. I also took a trip to PC world to fetch my sister a shiny pink laptop and I think that is where my idea to get a tiny tablet pc came from. Netbooks looked fun too but they're more expensive and who needs a keyboard these days?

The little project is a phone cosy for a friend at Japanese. Speaking of japanese and gadgets, there was a 3d tv in one of the shops showing 3d Nikko - Nikko ni okii otera ya jinja ga arimasu! But my sister wasn't interested and the shop was excessively hot so I didn't get to stay for very long.

Ok have ordered a gadget or two, have been on internet for faaaaar toooooooo looooooooong, so really don't need another gadget, must get back to poor neglected Bob.

Training for September #3

2011-06-04T18:24:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: cereal and half a banana
Post run munch: other half of banana, chocolate cereal bar from my 10k goody bag
Time of run: 10.30am gozen ju ji han
Distance: 4ish km
Time: 37 mins
Category: Roses in bloom
Feeling: hot and sweaty

I'm typing this at 5.50 - I can barely type I'm so excited about the mid season finale of Doctor Who that's on in less than an hour! I'm normally at my sister's so can't watch it as it's too scary to have on around the children's bedtime so I record it. Today I'm at home, I've just polished off a smoothie, I've been to the supermarket, I've got Bob with me and I'm all twitchy with anticipation.

This morning's run wasn't entirely planned but I woke up early and it was quite cloudy but not too warm. I really enjoyed seeing all the roses in bloom. I saw at least six different colours but maybe more like ten. It helped me keep going for further than I thought I could manage in the warmth. I think I'm going to have to start going either earlier or in the evening. I was fairly dripping with sweat when I got back which must be good and cleansing and all that but I spent a long time in the bath to feel properly clean.

Last night I was looking through all the films I've recorded and was very surprised and happy to see I had Princess Mononoke. I had just been reading Haikugirl's post about the Ghibli museum in Tokyo and mentally adding it to the must see list for my upcoming trip. I thought, it's a shame I haven't seen any Studio Ghibli films, I must try harder, then, Boo! there it was, along with My Neighbour Totoro. Animations aren't the best films to knit to as the artists have spent a long time creating a world they want you to immerse yourself in but Bob was at a st-st stage so we both managed to enjoy it. I really enjoyed it! The story is full of conflicts and noone is simply good or bad. It's very different from a Disney film. The progression of the story wasn't (for me) guessable. It reminded me of the books I've been reading by Diana Wynne Jones which almost brings me full circle because she wrote Howl's Moving Castle, adapted into an animated feature film by... Studio Ghibli!

#ff

2011-06-03T21:23:00.000+01:00

I've been planning a trip to Japan for a long time. Ever since I got back from travelling in 2007. I spent 10 days there out of 9 months and 9 days wandering round the world and every day (except the awful Wednesday where everything was shut and I kept catching local trains instead of fast trains so I was stuck ruminating on the mistake of not checking what day it was today) ranks in the top days of travelling. I think it was partly because Japan is such a contrast to rest of Asia that I had spent time in - months in India, Nepal, Thailand, Laos and the Philippines. Where they were hot, Japan was cold, where they were dirty, Japan was clean. No one tried to hassle me to eat at their restaurant or stay in their hostel. No one begged for pennies or sweets. I heard no shouts of "hello mam" or "eskool pen". If I wanted, I could manage for days with no human interaction at all, buying everything from vending machines.

Japan is a complex place, no doubt about that. What I saw as a tourist was a very beautiful slice of it and barely scratches the surface but that was exactly what I wanted at the time and is really all I want now. I don't expect tourists in England to be concerned about binge drinking, unemployment and teen pregnancy when they're riding the London Eye and I don't intend to overthink the problems of Japanese culture while I'm trying to take in the largest wooden building in the world. Hint: it's pretty big.

This year, I've started following some blogs on Japan and as it's #follow friday I thought I'd share them. I can't remember how I came across the first one

Budget Trouble

but I'm glad I did. On Fridays, there is a Show Me Japan feature which led me to

Haikugirl

Ichigoichielove

and latterly

Spooning with a Schoolboy

These are all written in English, or both English and Japanese, and if you're interested in Japan are all worth a look. I've just noticed that Haikugirl has a link to her site about Kitkats. Kitkats in Japan are soooo much more interesting than in the UK!

Bobogamy

2011-06-02T18:34:00.000+01:00

I'm being monogamous with Bob and while that means the deadline shouldn't be a stress issue, I'm lining up projects for when it's done. I've signed up to go to a uni reunion at the beginning of July and plan to wear the dress below but though I could knit a new top.

I've bought the pattern for Simplicity cardigan which ties at the front but now I'm wondering if that will fight with detail on the dress. I'm excited about the reunion although I only know two other people who are definitely going and I'm a bit concerned there might be people there I don't want to see but all in all I am excited about it. I need to book train tickets and a hair cut and might try to see friends and their new baby on the way back so it will be a full weekend. I'd also like to knit something for the new baby so if the reunion is awful, I can always hide in my room making tiny booties.

I don't remember when I put my dinner in

2011-06-01T19:44:00.000+01:00

So I don't know when it will be ready but it's probably about now. It's beginning to smell good so must be nearly there. I think I'll curl up with Bob in front of a film tonight. I'm spending a lot of time with Bob and am pleased with my progress so this is a very positive relationship ;) I might have to do some ironing and ds playing instead for a little while but they aren't best done in front of films. I thought about going for a run but left it too late and didn't really want to go anyway. I've learnt that I'll go if I want to and won't if I don't and not to worry about worrying about it in between times. There's no point being a grown up if you have to do things you don't want to do all the time!

Training for September #2

2011-05-30T10:38:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: cereal and half a banana
Post run munch: other half of banana, drink of milk
Time of run: 10am gozen ju ji
Distance: 4.2km
Time: 32 mins
Category: steadier
Feeling: ready to eat

Having been feeling a bit run down for the last few days I maybe shouldn't have gone for a run but I really wanted to, especially as I had a full day of eating ahead of me. I needed to work up a proper appetite ready for lunch out, a tea party with the KniTWells crew and then a roast dinner in the evening at my brother's. Full on xmas style constant eating from 1pm to 8pm. It was legendary. I was impressed at how far I ran, especially as it started off too hot and I was considering cutting it short. There was a cool and very blustery wind and eventually the clouds covered the sky and it was a more pleasant temperature. As I was running, I started tailing a walker who was ambling along in her smart trainers and smoking. I found this an interesting combination and wondered where she was going. I had to run round her and tried to project extra healthy fitness vibes (ie I sucked in my stomach some more and ran a bit faster) then passed her again on my return journey. I thought I ought to say hello as I couldn't pretend not to have seen her and a runner said hello to me earlier from across the road. Running on Sunday morning is quite fun as there seems to be more of a local fitness community out and about than at other times. Cyclists and runners in particular. The rest of the day disappeared in a haze of eating and driving and chatting to some of my nephews. I played Mario volleyball and won the flower cup much to the oldest nephew's delight as I started off pretty rubbish AND was playing as Peach who made the most annoying fake girly noises. i didn't knit at all so will have to make up for that today but have another full day of eating and seeing family planned - which is how a bank holiday should be.

Saturday restfulness

2011-05-28T15:25:00.000+01:00

I've decided I definitely don't like any of the buttons I have for Flossie's cardigan so I'll have to go to another shop with a broader selection.

I've been watching the Cheyenne Social Club while working on Bob. It's a gentle comedy starring James Stewart as a cowboy who inherits what he thinks is a saloon and ends up, with the help of his friend, Harley (Henry Fonda), shooting all the mean cowboys in Cheyenne and riding back to Texas together. A precursor to all the bromances we have now.

I'm feeling better today but I've mostly been sitting in bed reading or sitting on the sofa knitting. It's gloomy looking outside so a perfect, restful Saturday so far.

Last night's classes

2011-05-27T20:51:00.000+01:00

Well it's the weekend, and a bank holiday one at that. I am feeling really queer and have been for a few days. I'm not sure if I'm overtired or aneamic or dehydrated or what but I feel really lethargic and queasy. I'm self medicating with cake which may be counterproductive but it's my mum's homemade cake and she makes really good cakes.

I woke up yesterday to my alarm like normal and shut my eyes for a moment - then woke up again to find it was 20 minutes later. I spent the whole day yawning and trying to wake up so I wasn't sure I'd make it all the way through to dancing. I almost didn't make it to Japanese as my license plate had fallen off the front of my car. It had been held on with double sided tape which surprised me but apparently this is ok and can be fixed and no extra cost at my MOT appointment.

We had an all time low turnout at Japanese. Only five people! I had to move seats and work with Dan-san and Helen-san which made me a bit nervous - I've become a terrible creature of habit. My seat is in the corner with Salah-san and Bob-san or James-san but all three of them were absent. keseki desu! We didn't work for very long anyway. We had cakes in the break time. I had a mini Colin the Caterpillar cake as I had chosen them especially when I was sent out to the shops. I felt like I'd been thrown out for being disruptive. Possibly, I am disruptive.

We learnt how to say I'm learning Japanese, although predictably I've forgotton! We then learnt more about positioning, saying the sofa is next to the window and so on. In Japanese, the order of words is often the reverse of English and this was no exception. Helen-san started saying that the book was on top of the table but Hiromi-sensei corrected her and started saying the table was under the book. Doh! If you want to say the book is on the table you say
table, on top of, the book is. This perturbed me greatly.
taberu no ue ni hon ga arimasu
たべるの　うえに　ほんが　あります

I think to say there is nothing on the table is
taberu no ue ni nani mo arimasen
たべるの　うえに　なにも　ありません

And the word for flower is the same as the word for nose: hana

Well, I was feeling a bit woozy anyway so it didn't go in terribly well but we've got half term next week so there'll be time to revise. I perked up enough to make it to dancing and I'm really glad I did. Only three of us managed to turn up! Must be something in air tonight. The routine is really fun - slower than usual so more technical. At first I couldn't remember it at all and the teacher kept asking us to do it without him but after a few more run throughs it all flooded back. I slept really well last night so I'm glad I went but then today I was back on a woozy/cake cycle. I don't think the cake is actually helping so I'm making an effort to finish up all of the cake in my flat. You know, for health purposes ;)

Training for September #1

2011-05-25T20:38:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: pb&h on toast
Post run munch: fish and beans
Time of run: 6.15pm gogo loku ji jugo fun
Distance: 3km
Time: 25 mins
Category: trying out a new app
Feeling: super sleepy

I downloaded an app to track me on gps and tell me how far and how fast I ran. It was interesting reading. Apparently I travelled 3km. I'm pleased it seems to work but taking my phone and my ipod out made my armband heavy so that's probably why I didn't run for long ;) I'm glad to have just broken the psychological barrier of my first run after the race and a break. I still enjoy running which is good to know. Bob is coming along. I'll start another section tonight. I'm a bit concerned about having enough yarn so I'll knit a different section and make some more yardage calculations. That's if I can stay awake for much longer - the run turned me super sleepy which is great, as I don't always sleep very well. I'm also relieved I booked my car MOT as I kept forgetting to do that.

Knitting, knitting everywhere, and not a stitch to blog

2011-05-24T20:30:00.000+01:00

I've noticed that now I'm knitting something for the magazine, and on a little running break, I've far less to blog about. Annoying! So I guess I'd better start running again before I turn into a blob or repeat myself too much. I"ve signed up for another 10k race. It's in the same venue, but this time it's for charity and I'm doing it with a friend. It's in September so I've got plenty of time to leave all my training until the last minute. I might treat myself to some trail shoes but we'll see.

I'm working on the magazine project, let's call it Bob, and it's going swimmingly so far. I'm enjoying the yarn, a blend of alpaca and wool, but I wonder if it's irritating my eyes a bit. I love alpaca but my eyes are particularly sensitive at the moment from mild hayfever. I'd prefer to be able to blog it as I go along but I don't think that's ok. I'm trying to take pictures as I go along so I can show how it progressed when it's published.

Keeping me and Bob company are many tv programs. The walking dead finished (brilliant) and Smallville season 10 will start soon. Desperate Housewives is good to knit to as there's so much dialogue. Action films and Doctor Who are no good for knitting. I love the 11th Doctor! Next Saturday's episode is the last one for a while and I wonder if it will be a total cliffhanger ending or a partial one. Where is crazy Eye Patch Lady from? I treated myself to a boxset for my birthday and now I'm debating about preordering another one. It's not available until September but it's only £1 more with a whole extra season. That's possibly a downside to blogging more - I sit and look at Amazon and although I don't have 1-click, it only takes a couple more clicks to have spent a ton. I suppose I shouldn't buy any boxsets until I've watched all the ones I already have. Hmph.

Turn it up to 11

2011-05-23T20:05:00.000+01:00

My lovely squooshy yarn arrived from the yarn yard today. It is gorgeous! It was a bit much first thing this morning as I had a supreme tiredness hangover and my eyes were really sore. The colours of the yarn were a lot brighter than I expected. The pink had definitely been turned up to 11! It is 50:50 merino and silk and has a lovely sheen. It makes me think of sweets and ballet dancers and lipstick. The purple is 100% merino, 750m to 150grams. It's a heavy lace weight, only a little finer than the sock yarn so seems like a good compromise for me. I have only finished one shawl in lace weight, for my mum's 50th birthday present, and then it went AWOL. I've started another shawl since but the pattern doesn't seem to be at all memorisable so I only seem to do a few rows at a time. I like to knit in front of the tv and I definitely wouldn't enjoy either the program or the knitting if I tried it with that shawl. I'd like to cast on the patterns that I queued but I'll have to wait until my project for Let's Knit is finished. It's well under way and quite relaxing which is what I need tonight. I'm watching Alfie (Jude Law) to keep me company.

Gauge swatch

2011-05-22T14:57:00.000+01:00

I had such a lovely time at Cath's birthday party yesterday. I sat on her brand spanking new decking and coloured in fairies with her neice, chatted with her friends, ate curry, ate cake, ate chocolate and had a full day o' fun. It turned into a late night but I even set my alarm to get up at a reasonable time this morning and I'm not feeling too bad. I have spent a lot time already playing computer games and tidying so the next thing on the list is food shopping, then knitting!

I washed Flossie's cardigan ready for blocking and I made that mistake of lifting it out of the water by the collar. It went FLOOP and doubled in size. Ack. I smooshed it back together a bit but it's still a lot bigger than before it was washed. It makes we wonder what the point of kntiting swatches is. Swatches lie. I think the only accurate gauge measurement I can take is from the finished cardigan!

This week's Japanese

2011-05-21T14:06:00.000+01:00

This week at Japanese, we learnt two new verbs and how to use them: arimasu and imasu. They are both used for existence but arimasu is for inanimate objects and imasu is for animate stuff like people and dogs. I'm not sure if it includes plants. For the last few weeks, we were learning how to use public transport so now once we've arrived we can ask what there is to do there.

I'm going to Nikko tomorrow.
watashi wa ashita Nikko ni ikimasu.
わたし　は　あした　にっこう　に　いきます

What is there in Nikko?
Nikko ni nani ga arimasu ka
にっこうに　なにが　あります　か

There are large temples and shines.
Okii o-tera ya jinja ga arimasu.
大きいおてらや　じんじゃが　あります

There is a woman at the reception desk.
Uketsuke ni onna no hito ga imasu
うけつけに　おんあのひとが　います

There's quite a bit of new vocab to learn and lots to practise with the different verbs and particles.

Nearly there

2011-05-20T18:15:00.000+01:00

The cardigan is very nearly done. I need to block it and attach the buttons. I possibly need to buy more buttons, some that actually sympathise with the colour scheme this time.

I've been at work all day and my brain is fried. I'm looking forward to a weekend of knitting, seeing my friends, more knitting, tidying (!), knitting and playing ds games. I've been doing pretty well with keeping things tidy as I go along. It is a lovely feeling being able to walk unhindered to open the curtains in the morning and to make my breakfast without fighting for a place to put my bowl. Or even find a bowl. there are still things I'm struggling with though as they don't seem to have a home. Flossie's cardigan is one of them, along with my knitting bag and notebook. They seem to spread themselves out along the sofa rather than belong anywhere. I guess that's another reason to hurry up and finish!

718 out of 730 can't be bad

2011-05-18T16:04:00.000+01:00

My yarn from the yarn yard hasn't arrived yet and I'm a bit sad about that even though I have a full bag of wool (as seen yesterday) to play with. It's not rational, I realise, as even after I've finished with the bag of wool, I've got all sorts of wips I'd like to do all sorts to. I like to finish things, after all, it's like getting free clothes, and that cuts down on the need to wash and iron. It seems I like to start things even more than I like free clothes though. And I like to buy things even more than I like to start things. This is evident in all the dvds and computer games I have, still in their plastic wrapping, with another box of treats arrived from Amazon today. Some of the dvds are from myself from xmas 2009, films I'd already seen but were on special offer and I felt I ought to have them. I think I felt a need to boost the number of presents I would get for xmas, as I was feeling very divorced that year. I'm not sure why I need this buffer of possessions, especially as I would have to work really hard to watch or play or knit them all. I also have a tv recorder which is nearly full of films, boxes of yarn. I haven't bought much yarn since the unicorn club in 2009. Sometimes I get yarn stress - I worry that I've invested so much in all that yarn that wouldn't it be awful if it caught moths, or sometimes I feel guilty for having it and not using it. Yes, it's an investment for when the apocalypse comes or the next cold snap. There are evenings when I like to look at the skeins of sock yarn before I go to bed, like saying good night to the Walton family.

Somewhere around last summer, I decided not to buy anything if I already had it. No new shampoo until I used up the old one, no hoarding bubble bath, no music until I'd really listened to the stuff I already had. It was prompted after a holiday in July, where the enormous credit card bills kept coming. The holiday itself was a huge treat so I suppose I partly didn't fell I needed anymore treats. I wrote about it here and seemed to have been enjoying myself immensely. I'm not sure where I forgot about it - certainly I've kept some of the habits but have really fallen off the wagon in the last week or so. And I realise, like before, it's very easy for me to stop shopping, as I have previously bought everything I could possibly need and then some...

...although I been eyeing up Kindles again.

Yes sir, yes sir, a big bag of wool

2011-05-17T21:46:00.000+01:00

I have a lovely big bag of wool ready for a new project for Let's Knit. I had meant to get started on it at the weekend but I was a bit busy basking in the glory of stumbling round a wood for an hour and a half. My limbs are still achey and today I felt grim - I think it was a come down from the high of the physical exertion. It's just aswell I have all these presents lined up for myself which will hopefully start arriving tomorrow. I don't know how sensible it is buying more yarn and computer games, though, when I don't find the time to use up the ones I already have. I thought I would finish Flossie's cardigan this evening but had a mini mental breakdown and did my ironing instead. I just wanted to put it away. My younger sister has been encouraging me to tidy up as I go along and to be honest, I was so fed up this weekend of my house looking like I'd been subjected to an FBI investigation, I tidied on Sunday and I did my washing up before bed last night and today I put my clean clothes away. Freakish behaviour, I doubt it will last long.

Rewards

2011-05-16T21:16:00.000+01:00

I'm very much one for rewarding my own good behaviour. As there were some definite feelings of panic and impending doom before the race, I made a little list of things to buy for myself as something to help look past the run itself. As it turned out, I really enjoyed the run so didn't need any cheering up afterwards but I shopped anyway :)

I bought a selection of songs from the recent Glee episodes, including Pretty/Unpretty as the TLC album was one of the first I bought at uni. I've also become the last person on the planet to buy Lady Gaga, Fame monster. I should say Queen Gaga. I've never seen her perform before and I was totally impressed watching coverage on the beeb of the big weekend. I can fully understand why she is the total superstar she has become.

I went to The Yarn Yard and ordered a skein of pink Sugarsugar sock yarn (it was reduced dontcha know) and bought Manolo to use it up on. This pattern looks like a nice balance of patterning and stocking stitch so I might make it all the way through without too much cursing.

I also bought a skein of purple Enchant lace yarn for a Simplicity cardigan. I rarely use lace yarn and it's even rarer that I finish something using it so maybe a one skein cardigan is the right idea.

Oops, I've just had a little splurge on Amazon but let's call those birthday presents and save them for another day.

Race Day!

2011-05-15T13:57:00.000+01:00

I did it and I am so pleased!

It was a long day and I'm quite sore this morning so I'm planning on spending most of the day in bed or in my pyjamas. I don't know how this is going to impact my trip to the supermarket but I think I will need to buy food today.

Here's the very long and selfindulgent full story:

I got up in time to have a normal breakfast and a bath. I packed all my bags with spare clothes, my parking permit, my wallet, my ipod, my laptop, my knitting, my gameboy, a notebook, a cuddly toy and a set of silk ties. Ok, not the last two but it was an epic amount of organising as I went straight to my sister's after the race as I was due to babysit in the evening. I wanted lots of things to do and to be able to tell everyone straight away of my triumph/misery. I was nervous and excited and not as worried as I thought I might be. I realised there were no real consequences to this. I had felt a little like I was going to sit an exam I wasn't ready for but there was nothing like the sick feeling before my accountancy finals. That's because it didn't matter how well it went in the race to anyone but me. If I liked it, I could do another one, and if I didn't I could just laugh about it later. I felt more relaxed when I realised that.

I was pretty pleased with myself that I'd left enough time to go to the cash machine and didn't have to worry about being stuck behind really slow drivers on the A21. I became a little less smug when I couldn't see any directions to the venue but it was just a little further than I'd expected. I did begin to wish I'd left earlier though as I wandered around getting more and more worked up as I couldn't find the registration tent. I went to the start line to ask directions then walked back to pretty much where I had parked and a bit further in that direction was the event village. Um, that was me being quite dumb but I didn't have time to berate myself further as I was too busy having a panic at how frightening the finish line looked. There were people there and they would see me and it was at the top of a hill and there were lots of people looking half dead staggering across it. These people were in the much earlier starting waves and I expect they ran the whole way. I very nearly turned round and went home but I've been having so many conversations with Dan-san about not turning up to Japanese lessons you've paid for that I figured I couldn't chicken out now and waste all the entrance fee. Dammit, I wanted my goody bag and you only got that when you finished.

I signed in. I deposited my spare clothes. I made a quick toilet stop (very pleased I did) and toddled off to the start line. I knew where that was already (ha!) and it counted as a warm up as I was hurrying and it was 5 minutes away. When I saw the people in my starting group, I felt some relief. Most of them looked a bit like me. None of them looked like elite runners (no offense), they were all wearing similar clothes to me, had similar looks of expectancy and nerves. It was fine. I guess, given the wave we were in (70 minutes plus) we were all planning on taking in the scenery and getting lots of race time for our money. The fastest waves had finished long before we started and the official medal ceremony would take place when we were somewhere around 3 km.

The organiser chatted to us for a few minutes before we started, telling us there was water at 4km and 7km, a toilet at 5km and the first km was uphill. That was a perfect reason to start off walking. I was right at the back and overhead the lady walking just in front of me tell a marshall she was planning to walk the whole thing as she had a knee injury. Oh, you cannot tell how relieved I felt when I heard that as even though I'd been advised plenty of people would walk some of it, I still wasn't convinced. I chatted to her for a while, admitted this was my first race and she was really kind. She told me all about how an evil dog had tripped her and the evil owner wasn't remotely sorry. If it wasn't for her, I'm not sure I'd have made it up the hill in the first kilometre but I managed to keep pace as she powered up. She then said she didn't mind at all if I wanted to run and as it was flat and I really like running, off I went. I passed a couple and an individual and then I thought I should pace myself a bit. I didn't want to make the mistake of starting really fast and then struggling to finish. In reality that's probably what I did do but I think it was unavoidable as I hadn't done anything like that distance before. The trail went through really beautiful woodland, with bluebells along the edge of the track. The weather was perfect - not raining but enough cloud cover to keep it cool and occasional bursts of sun. The first water station at 4km arrived surprisingly quickly. I think I was there in about 30 minutes so I thought wow, I might manage my secret hope of 1hr 15min but this thought passed quickly because really, what's 5 minutes or 10 minutes here or there in real life? I wanted to focus on enjoying it and getting round in less than 1hr 30 minutes as I figured I could probably walk it that quickly. Actually, it was so hilly I think it would have taken much longer.

At 5km, the couple in front of me stopped for a toilet break and I'm not surprised they'd stopped as they drank a whole bottle of water each at 4km. I took advantage of this and put on a short burst of speed. I'd read that in races it's best to take every chance you can to get ahead. I also made sure I ran past and thanked every marshall. For the next few kilomotres, I was stuck behind another runner. I couldn't get up enough speed to pass her convincingly and didn't want her to pass me a minute later so I just used her as a pace maker. At 6km, I noticed the toes on my right foot were hurting, and at 7km, the ones on the left foot hurt too. There was a super encouraging marshall at 7km who spurred me on to the next water break. By this time, I had already covered about double the distance I would do in even my longest training run. My legs were feeling wibbly and I was walking much more than running. At 8km, I noticed that when I tried to run, my legs didn't join in, so I had to accept that there was going to be a lot more walking, and the toilet couple were looming up behind me. Noone else had passed me and it wasn't like it mattered, so just after 9km, I pulled over and gave them a little cheer as they went past. The final kilometre! I almost couldn't believe it. My back ached, my legs and toes ached, I was sweaty and dusty and my lips were covered in gross mouth breathing goop. So close to the finish, I kept on walking. Around 9.5km, there was a lovely tree lined path, then a sign saying only 250m left. A hill in the way. More walking. Then there was the finish line, and it was all me. I ran along, heard the loud speaker announce my number and my name and there was clapping and I passed the finish line and threw my arms in the air and cheered. I did it! I was so happy! I stumbled to the finish tent and was rewarded with my medal and goody bag and some water. Then my pal with the bad knee from right at the beginning arrived, she'd sneaked in some running too, and the people who had clapped me turned out to be her friends from her running group. I was really glad they'd waited for her although she was a bit embarrassed.

At this point I should have done some stretching but I was a bit monged out and elated. I remember signing up for a free massage and eating a burger and stumbling around a bit. My massage was great. Local university students studying sports science were donating their talents and it was much appreciated. I kept telling people how this was my first ever race and they all seemed surprised and impressed. The race I chose wasn't really for beginners (did I mention it was all uphill) but it was such a lovely venue. I only ever run outside and prefer fields to road so it was perfect for me. I managed to get back to my car and call my mum to tell her I did it and got the goody bag. I called my sister but it kept cutting out so then she called me back, sounding rather worried. I confirmed I was all good and had my medal and was on my way after I'd finished a banana. She ran me a bath and baked me a cake and cooked me dinner and assured me she wouldn't be back late. I wasn't impressed when that turned into 1am and I couldn't work the internet and had left my knitting at my house but all was forgiven by the time I crawled into my own bed.

So that was it. I am sore today but I can still walk and it has definitely encouraged me to keep running and keep entering trail races. I didn't manage any knitting last night which was probably just as well as I was really tired and spaced out. I probably could have slept in the afternoon and didn't really interact with my family much. All I could do was play pokemon ranger so I did get a level 5 assist power up (meaningless to anyone apart except my sister but just know it takes plenty of repetitive play and determination).

Thanks to everyone for the support and encouragement and thanks to my legs and feet, you get a nice rest today.

Yesterday and buttons

2011-05-13T21:27:00.000+01:00

Last night's classes were fun. In Japanese, we learnt how to take a taxi somewhere, even though we'd been advised that many Tokyo taxi drivers will just get lost. The set phrases were a little dry so we also learnt how to say put your foot down and follow that car. Unfortuantely, the phrase for follow that car is a real mouthful and we figured it would have got away by then. I can't really remember them at the moment but I get the feeling we'll be tested on it next week so I'll have to do some homework.

Dance class was also fun. I have some lovely friends there now and I particularly enjoyed this routine. We were videoed but it hasn't made its way on to facebook yet.

I managed to sneak in some button shopping at lunchtime. I didn't have the WIP with me so took a punt on three different styles in the hope that one would work. I'm not sure that any is particularly better than the other but I really want to finish the button band so I'll use them as a guide and possibly get more later.

Here is my lovely night before race dinner. Chicken, spinach, courgette, red onion (it's not real cooking if you haven't fried an onion, unless it's cake) and pasta. I have very mixed feelings about tomorrow. Very mixed. I've decided to add in some motivation and not let myself buy any presents (I'm thinking, Glee music, some yarn, Lego POTC for the Wii...) until after the race. Whether it's congratulations or commiserations, I'll enjoy some retail therapy. I bought Lego POTC on the DS but left it at work. STOOOPIIIDDDDD!!!!! I don't even know why I had it delivered to work as it would have fitted through my own postbox. It's probably just aswell as I should focus on knitting this weekend. I have so many things I want to finish and start!

conversation in Japanese:
ME: to the library and step on it!
toshoku onegai shimasu. motto hayaku onegai shimasu

としょく　おねがい　します　もっと　はやく　おねがい　します

Run #11

2011-05-10T18:45:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: banana
Post run munch: chocolate, oops should eat something else
Time of run: 5.45 pm gogo go ji yon ju go fun ごごご　じ　よん　じゅ　ごふん
Steps: 2300
Time: 22mins
Category: mostly a walk
Feeling: oh yeah, I ate a bug

Well this was a run of firsts. I wanted to try out the secret sweets pocket in my running shorts before the race on Saturday but ended up eating a bug. It just flew in and it was totally gross. It occurred to me that I was lucky it hadn't happened before as I breathe with my mouth while I run. It was right at the beginning of the run and I think that soured the whole experience so I ended up doing a really short circuit and walking home. It was also too hot and there isn't much shade where I like to run. I think I ate my baana too early too as I felt quite sluggish. So it wasn't a great training run but I did test the pocket. My sweets pocket acted more as a safety deposit box - once they were in, it was not easy getting those sweets back out again. I took a few haribo with me and had wrapped them in clingfilm just in case there was any stickiness. The pocket has a lip on the top to stop things falling out and it did work. Nothing fell out. I persevered and concluded if I want to eat while running, I'll have to walk. I had to stop to get the sweets out, then remembered that chewing on the run isn't that safe, especially as I like to chew with my mouth closed and run with my mouth open. There is much potential for tongue biting, choking and further bug eating! I think for the race, I'll have to view any sweets as emergency only and to eat them on walking breaks. I did have an interesting thought on my walk back in the shade, about Flossie's cardigan. If it's a cardigan, shouldn't I plan in some buttons on the button band? I'm just about to knit the edging and would have done it all without button holes.

So that's the end of training for the race on Saturday. I managed 10 runs (as one was actually a swim) out of an originally planned 18. Just over half. That's not bwilliant but there's nothing left to do now except turn up and give it a go. I don't want to give up half way but it does feel very daunting. I plan to run and walk and remember to smile and pretend I'm having fun and hopefully I will enjoy it.

Cheered up

2011-05-09T20:20:00.000+01:00

I was feeling very stressy and grumpy today but someone just said something nice, so that's ok. I think I might just leave it at that and do some knitting.

Next project is an old one

2011-05-08T16:43:00.000+01:00

After the success of finishing the Honey cardigan I felt spurred on to knit another cardigan. I started looking around for a pattern but my sister reminded me I should finish something already in waiting. I like this idea as it's like getting free clothes - I've already got everything I need and I'm actually further on than I expected. I've been pleasantly surprised by this project before. Periodically, I pull it out of its bag and knit a few rows.

This time I found that I'd actually finished the back and front and done half a sleeve. I also found some scraps of other yarn - I don't know what they're doing in there.

This is Scrumptuious DK that I bought waaaaaay back when, around the same time my husband was thinking of walking out on me*, so perhaps some of my reluctance to finish it is that association. Naah! I think the real problem is, I didn't get gauge so I blithely thought I'd make my own calculations. It's hard enough putting down a project and picking it up again, but it's even worse if you have to remember what nonsense numbers you were using. I did make some reasonable notes though, another nice surprise, which is why I managed to finish both fronts and make them match. I don't remember which notebook I wrote them in though or where that notebook might be.

*I wonder if that also encouraged me to buy so much. It's certainly entertaining to look back at all those purchases and see that I have knitted myself three pairs of socks from it. THREE PAIRS, PEOPLE! Out of a possible 9 pairs, a cardigan, a jumper and a shawl! That is not entirely surprising. I think one hank of sock yarn went to my sister as a present, one is on the needles at present, the lace yarn was started, the cardigan started (see above) and the rest is admired fairly regularly.

Run #10

2011-05-07T15:43:00.000+01:00

Pre run munch: cereal
Post run munch: smoothie
Time of run: 1.00 pm gogo ichi ji ごごいちじ
Steps: 2924
Time: 27mins
Category: short and warm
Feeling: fine

I wanted to have a training run around the same time as the race so I went out at 1pm today. Ok, I had a really long lie in and didn't wake up until 11am so I had breakfast and did some knitting first AND put some washing on which I've been avoiding for ages but had run out of socks. It was warm and humid and slightly cloudy so I didn't enjoy the weather. I think the race will mostly be shaded but it could be very warm, which would make me think I won't get a personal best time except it's my first race. It doesn't matter how slowly I limp round, it will still be a PB. And it will be slow.

Last night's classes

2011-05-06T21:37:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was super busy Thursday. I got to my Japanese class in good time and found that the cafe would be open on Wednesday (suiyoubi) and Thursday (mokuyoubi) evenings from now on. My classmate bought me a cupcake (cuppukeiki ?) to celebrate. We continued practising sentences involving going someplace at sometime by somemeans, and then learnt to catch the train (densha). I have to say, the new sentence construction has stumped me slightly as I feel like I'm saying Tokyo will arrive at 3pm rather than the train will arrive in Tokyo at 3pm. It's going to take some actual practise.

What time is the next train for Nagoya?
つぎ　の　なごや　ゆき　は　なんじ　です　か
tsugi no nagoya yuki wa nan ji desu ka?

At what time does it arrive?
なんじ　に　つきます　か
nan ji ni tsukimasu ka?

Ok, so only two sentences and a couple of phrases to learn really.

After the lesson, I was chatting with another classmate and something they said to me really resonated. At first I thought I didn't understand what they were feeling, but I realised when I got home it was exactly how I feel about certain parts of my life.

Dance class was good fun - quite a party atmosphere and great track, Wretch 32 unorthodox. This dance seems to have a particular move that aggravates my shin (whine whine whine about your leg, that's all you do) so I'll try gentle run tomorrow. After work today (worked late again, will be rich soon) I enjoyed an evening of tv and knitting. Friday night tv has really picked up now I know Doctor Who is repeated. It means I can watch at the weekend, read all the discussions on ravelry all week, then watch again and see if I see anything new.