This week's classes

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.

Gadgets

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.

Run #8

Pre run munch: peaches and yoghurt
Post run munch: sushi
Time of run: 6.30 pm
Steps: 3741
Time: 31 mins including approx 8 mins walk at the end
Category: maybe overdid it
Feeling: energised

It was a lovely cool evening and I was raring to go so I had a lovely run/walk.  My right shin started twingeing at the end so I spent half and hour stretching and will trust the sushi to put me right.  I also learnt that I find it extra difficult to use chopsticks after a run.

I have had a lovely Easter weekend.  Yesterday, I went to my parents' house for lunch, after witnessing the chaos that is the local garage when the big supermarkets are shut.  All I needed was mint sauce (and half price easter eggs) but I struggled to find a parking space.  Especially as one car was spread over two spaces. I tried to park next to it, bumped a recycling bin, then moved to another space. I was a little shamefaced but I glared at the other car so I imagine it was embarrassed too. 

Today, I went shopping and made my sister a phone cosy as she was jealous. I altered the bottom of the cosy slightly so I'll update the pattern too. I haven't shopped properly in a while and today I REALLY shopped which was great fun. I now even have a smart watch for situations other than going for a run. Back to work tomorrow which is fine by me. I need to set up the payroll so I can pay for all this shopping!

Phone Cosy Pattern

I made a cute phone cosy for my Sony Ericsson Mini XPro. It is a cute little phone that I've been carrying around in a sock! This is much nicer and didn't take long at all. I started it on the train yesterday when I went to London to see Sucker Punch at the IMAX.  It's a fun film - not essential viewing but full of explosions and girls kicking butt.

Phone Cosy Pattern:
(slightly edited on 25/4/11)
(a few more edits on 01/05/11, Thanks Jody!)
Use sock yarn and 2.5mm dpns
k = knit
p = purl
k2tog = knit two stitches together
k1b = knit one through the back of the loop, sometimes written as k1 tbl, this results in a twisted stitch, a video here

Cast on 39 sts
Join and begin knitting in the round
Rnd 1: p3, k16, p4, (k1b, p1) 8 times
repeat rnd 1 until cosy measures just longer than the phone
Decrease:
Rnd 1: (k2, k2tog) to last 3 sts, k3. 30 sts
Rnd 2: knit 
Rnd 3: (k1, k2tog) around. 20 sts
Rnd 4: knit

Rnd 5: (k2tog) around. 10 sts
Rnd 6: as Rnd 5. 5 sts
Cut yarn and pull through remaining sts

My phone has a circumference of 13cm and a length of 9cm. The same cosy also fits around my ipod classic which has a circumference of 14cm but it's a bit short. The pattern can easily be adapted for larger phones.