“The wonder of wool… or how knitting is once again helping us through the hard times.” Interesting that the UK is reporting increased sales. I have to wonder if it’s really wool though. In my experience, newbies tend to go for the cheap acrylic (especially if they’re looking for a price-conscious hobby). And whatever Ginger Spice is knitting there is mostly definitely NOT wool. I do have to laugh at the idea that Kimberley Stewart would rather stay in and knit than go out and party. Sure, riiiiiiiiiight. (Link courtesy of Alysha‘s twitter feed.)
Month: October 2009 (page 6 of 6)
I haven’t done one of these in a while, huh? I’m happy to report that I’m back into a regular running schedule. I’ve been running three times a week following the Couch to 5K plan to rebuild my fitness level. I’m also using this as a way to transition into forefoot running. I’ve just finished Week 5 and did my first 20 minutes of continuous running since before I got sick. It was great! Forefoot striking is starting to feel really natural, and my lower back ache is pretty much gone. My right hip is still tight and frozen though, so I may need to see the physio for that. I had sore calves for the first few weeks, but that’s mostly gone now. My knees feel a bit achey after today’s run. I’m definitely going faster with the same amount of effort though.
Knitters Guild Camp 2009
This weekend was the bi-yearly Knitters Guild NSW Camp at the Kurri Kurri Conference Centre. I left work early Friday afternoon to catch the 5.15pm train from Central Station to Maitland with Miss Fee and Alison. It was a three hour trip, so we had a picnic dinner on the train and entertained ourself with – what else? – knitting. We finally got to the venue and settled into our rooms before breaking open the wine. I was happy to see that I had Optus internet access, albeit patchy at times, so I was able to twitter and keep in touch with the Snook. Saturday Fiona and I went for a run and saw lots of kangaroos! All day Saturday I taught my “Socks on Two Circulars” class, with Fiona ably assisting. Nearly everybody managed to finish their two sample socks. I even found time to cast on some new socks for myself! Afterwards I went to Alison’s excellent yoga session, which really helped to work out some of the kinks. Saturday night I set up the new Guild projector and helped Phyll with her presentation on the Guild Archives. Sunday I slept in before heading to my Knit One Below class. It was a challenging technique at first, but I soon got the hang of it. I made a couple samples. I suppose it’s good to know, but I don’t really see myself using it anytime soon. (The bulky textured fabric just isn’t for me.) I did another yoga class Sunday night, and then after dinner we had Show & Tell. Fee showed off her fabulous wedding dress to much acclamation. Then it was time for my “Welcome to the Knitternet” presentation. It went really well! We had quite a big crowd, and many of them chimed in with their own experiences. Fiona then did her “Colour and Knitting” presentation, which was well-received and even got some nods from special guest Prudence Mapstone! We finished the weekend with another run on Monday morning before catching an early train back to Sydney. I had a nice time, made some new friends, and hopefully even taught a few people a thing or two… (Fiona’s camp photos are here.)
My gaydar works across continents.
On the weekend, I logged in to Facebook to see a message from someone at my high school. It basically said, “I know you live really far away and you probably don’t know and it’s probably none of my business anyway, but is [person from our high school that I used to date] a homosexual?” My brain nearly fell out. I tried to think of what possible responses she could expect me to send back.
- “Yep. Totally gay. I chose to date him anyway.”
- “Yep. He was straight when we went out, but decided to try men after me.”
- “No. He’s just thin and neat.”
In the end I went with pretty much the only answer I could give: “I have no idea. I haven’t seen him in over ten years. And yeah, it’s none of your business.”
Hey Aussies, it appears that we’re all getting a free swine flu vaccine. My doctor offered it to me this morning but apparently Broadway hasn’t received their stock yet. (I did get my dip/tet/per booster this morning, as my recent whooping cough test showed that my childhood immunisation had worn off.)
Congratulations RT!
It was just over FOURTEEN YEARS ago when I nervously walked into my freshman year dorm room and met Eileen, my roommate. I’d never met anyone from New England before – much less from Boston – so the Dunne family were a little overwhelming! Eileen and I got along great, dorm room fires notwithstanding. We had Biology together, which was super useful because I never would’ve passed without her helping me on those damn lab reports. I just didn’t understand how she could like it so much. But Eileen was sure from Day One that she was going to be a biology major, and I really admired that she knew what she wanted to do. She has stuck to that ever since. The last six years of grad school have been tough, and I knew there were times when she wanted to throw in the towel. She stuck it out though, and as of yesterday my very own Roomater has earned her PhD! Congratulations, Dr. Dunne! And the best thing is, she flies out here in one week so I can toast her in person.
Garden Update: The broad beans have sprouted! Everything looks to be relishing the warmer weather and sunshine. Coffee grounds seem to be doing a good job of repelling the slugs.
A photographer has been travelling the world, taking photos of all the oldest living things. She should be collecting it all to make Vita-Wonk!
There are some super cute new baby koalas over at Taronga…
Whoa. A magic wand that is actually a TV remote with an accelerometer? That is so cool! I could be swish-and-flicking my way through Seinfeld each night. (Link courtesy of not marth.)