indieknits

Road Trip

On the iPod today: The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers

I think hope I've nailed the pattern for my yellow-unnamed socks. Just have to put the pattern to the test on the second sock, which I started last night. Oh, and think of a name for them. (Which is really difficult!) Once the second sock is complete I then have to crack on with another sock pattern. Might also try to design a laptop case too!  

Can't wait 'til Saturday. I'm going to the Natural Dye Studio open day with Mel, Alice, Diane and Larissa! I haven't been on a road trip for ages! Let's hope I'm not too hungover from the 30th birthday party I'm going to on Friday...

Happiness is Ravelry in any room

The new laptop is now running like a dream. I love it.

Yes, I am browsing Ravelry!!

The first year that we don't go to Latitude and quite a few knitters are going, including Emmms! I'm not jealous. Not jealous at all.

I don't have much in the way of knitting to share with you I'm afraid. Although I might not be able to resist the urge to cast on for a shawl today...

Is it Monday already?

This weekend was hectic. On Friday night we went up to the Boogaloo and I learned an important lesson: one shot is enough. Why have my group of friends (including myself) started acting like 18 year olds when we go out?? Ross and I have come to the conclusion that it is because we are all starting to get old(er), and are trying to cling on to our youth. No way can we be proper grown ups yet!! Let's do tequila slammers, sambuca and butterscotch schnapps! Yay!

Ahem.

Needless to say, Saturday was a bit of a write-off and was mostly spent in bed watching 24 and eating (homemade!!) Chow Mein. On Sunday, I finally got round to buying a bag of compost and repotted my herbs. I really hope I didn't kill them when I transferred them. Fingers crossed!

See that blue tarpaulin above my lavender? That's where some people had a party until about 2am last night (or should I say this morning?). Argh! We had to sleep with our window shut.

After payday I am going to pay a visit to the garden centre and get some chilli and/or tomato plants.

So all in all, this weekend was a strange mix of acting like a teenager and an adult.

All systems now up and running

I'm posting from the laptop - hurrah!

All problems now resolved - I can connect to the internet with and without wires. I've also set up a home network so that I can access our printer, music, photos, etc from the other pooter.

Now to knit a laptop case!!

Emmms came round yesterday and wound lots of skeins into yummy yarn cakes. I now really want some of this!

ETA: I have an appeal! I foolishly looked at the Knit Picks website the other day (I really shouldn't tease myself like that) and fell in love with the new Imagination sock yarn. It looks so pretty!! Is there possibly anyone stateside that would be willing to send some to me, in exchange for some British yarn/anything? (Or I could put the cost of yarn plus shipping into a PayPal account...whatever is more convenient.) I would be eternally grateful!

Fate is against me

I'm beginning to think there is something or someone up there that does not want me to have a laptop.

We went to Southall to pick it up last night. Got to West Ealing for the 6:13 train, waited until about 6:30 until going to talk to the guy selling tickets. "Oh, it got stuck behind a broken down train and has had to go back to Paddington. We'll see what happens." Yeah, thanks for leaving us all standing on the platform without a clue. Anyway. We crossed over to the other platform and got a train to Ealing Broadway, so that we could hop on the Oxford train. Managed to squeeze on a train and 10 minutes later we were in Southall. Hopped on a bus, and then got stuck in the most hideous traffic, so we got off and walked the rest of the way - down a deserted road, over the M4, into a part of London I never knew existed. It only took 20 minutes and we found the depot and collected our goodies. Hurrah! Luckily there were no delays on the way home and we were through the front door within 30 minutes of leaving the depot. The whole trip took 2 and a half hours.

I charge the laptop, go through the set up process, and smile smugly to myself as I browse the internet. 'Oh!' I thought. 'I'd better get protected!'. So I downloaded free AVG and Zone Alarm. Installed both, then rebooted as prompted. Go to connect to the internet. NOTHING. The arsing thing just WON'T CONNECT, not through an ethernet cable or the wireless. WHY?? I uninstalled them but still no joy. I think I might cry.

I have scoured the internet for solutions and will try a couple of things tonight when I get home; failing that I will call the 24/7 tech support that Ebuyer offer for free for your first week. Failing that I guess I will have to try the recovery discs...?

*sigh*

Because it can never be straightforward...

I think I must have jinxed my laptop delivery on Saturday. To cut a long story short I have to traipse to a depot near Heathrow Airport to collect it after work tonight. I don't live very far from Heathrow but this depot isn't near anything, except the BA sports ground?! Random. It comes with 1mb of free RAM which for some reason Ebuyer have sent as a seperate package...so hopefully both packages will be ready to collect tonight. Wish me luck.

On a happier note, do you like???

More details coming over the next few months...watch this space!

Happy Saturday

Happy Saturday to you! I hope all my US readers had a great day yesterday.

Check out the package I received from a Ravelry swap!

Caspian really spoiled me. She sent:

• Loads of Wasabi snacks, which are very yummy and very addictive.
• Original Praline and Hershey's chocolate for my sweet tooth!
• Two guides to knitting socks on circular needles. I have been wanting to master this technique for ages!
• Yarn (the Puno is SO. SOFT.)
• Circular needles, bath scents, a cute little monkey finger puppet, and tea bags.

I think that's everything!

My mum just got back from Serbia and picked up this yarn for me:

It's 20% wool, 80% acrylic, so I'm thinking it will be perfect for a little toy such as Elijah or Bubby.

What else has been going on? Hmm.. I've got a new laptop arriving any time between now and noon (am really excited about being able to give my dad a guided tour of the flat via the webcam! and browsing Ravelry whilst watching TV!!*). We were going to have a wander round Portobello market again today but it looks like it might chuck it down with rain. Oh well.

Have a great weekend!

* I am joking about being able to browse the internet and watch TV at the same time. Sort of.

Busy weekend for a change!

What a busy weekend! On Saturday morning I headed to Alice's house for some knitting. I left at about 1pm (after drinking a Pimm's rather quickly) and met Ross for a wander round Portobello market. We popped home for an hour, and then headed to a surprise 30th birthday party. So many of our friends are turning 30 this year! Apparently the party went on until 8am but we left at 2.

On Sunday I worked on Audrey...

...watered my herbs

...and made coriander houmous.

 

Windowsill gardening

Last night I frogged my Little Child's Sock. I just wasn't feeling the love, and life is too short to knit a project you're not enjoying. The yarn will be put to much better use anyway, as I have my own sock design (or two!) in the pipeline! More news on that at a later date.

Anyone going to Woolfest or Glastonbury this weekend? I'm not going to either :( Instead I plan to buy tomato and chilli plants and start an indoor garden on my windowsills. I've never been green-fingered before, but I enjoy getting my hands dirty so wish me luck!

Socktopod Day Trip to Brighton

On Saturday I headed out for a day trip to Brighton with Alice, Emilie, Diane, Larissa, Mel and Yuvee. It was a great day and it didn't rain! Woo-hoo!

We met at Victoria and hopped on the train, all full of beans:

(really should have used a flash in this picture!)

We had a wander round, stocked up on beads from the Brighton Bead Shop, and then stopped for lunch.

Then we had a walk up the pier...

 

...and took some classic seaside snaps!

By the time we got the train home we were all exhausted. Must have been all that fresh air!

You can view all my pictures here.