Woah!

Hoo boy. Went back to gym today for the first time in a few weeks. Not only was I returning after a break, but I was starting my new program. It really did demonstrate how complacent one gets. The old program was good, I enjoyed it, but was it really challenging me? That would be a no. Tomorrow, though, I am going to be a bit sore I think as I’m doing more weight work now. Weights aside, the rest is:

Bike – 15 minutes
X Trainer – 10 minutes
Rower – 200m, 400m, 600m, 400m, 200m at maximum possible speed with 30 second intervals

Progress on the first 2 is monitored by Level and Distance, progress on the rower measured by Level and Time. Today’s results:

Bike – Level 4 – Distance 6.2km
X Trainer – Level 3 – Distance 1.2 km
Rower – Level 5 – 11m 30s

Bike and rower are fine; X trainer is not. That thing just kills me. Still, I’m looking forward to carrying on with this. I’d like to lose another 3 – 4 kg before my holiday but I’ll see how that goes.

Sunday Roundup 29/03/09

It’s such a gorgeous Autumn day here – very still with clear blue sky and lots of sunshine. Most definitely I’ll be out in the garden this afternoon, making plans for what I’m going to do over Autumn and Winter.

At the moment I’m not speaking to the Anastasias although they probably don’t want to talk to me either. “Just how many times can you make the same mistake idiot? Give us to a more capable knitter!” Yes, a couple of rows tinked back again. I know WHAT I’m doing wrong (knitting the stitch and previous YO together when I should be knitting the 2 stitches together BEFORE the previous YO) but once the mind goes into auto mode, zoom, we’re back to doing it wrongly. I blame the Dublin Bays as that’s how their pattern works!

I knitted a pattern repeat on the new socks but wasn’t feeling the love so ripped back to the toe and switched patterns. The new one is Up, Up and Away (Rav link) and is coming along quite nicely.

They look very narrow but I can get them on and MIL has slender feet so I have no doubt that they’ll fit as long as I get the instep high (wide?) enough.

Yeah, right …

Libra
It really is wonderful when all the day’s connections point to having a fun and happy day – and this is exactly what today has to offer. All you need do is to ascertain what it is that will make you the happiest and then go about doing whatever you want to do and include whoever it is that makes you happiest too. There is a strong social pull tonight as well as a leaning towards a romantic sort of night – so why not combine them both! (Courtesy of The Age)

What would make me the happiest is to have the knitting go right and be able to stay home and do it. I dropped down to fix the mistake as per last post, knitted it back up and continued on to the next needle. 1, 2, 3 … 19. 19? There’s 18 stitches per needle (or should be). I have actually learnt something though. In the past I would have automatically presumed I’d miscounted, continued on my merry way and discovered a few rows later that I *had* actually counted correctly and now had a mistake to fix a number of rows back. So I immediately recounted and yes, sigh, 19 stitches. Looking back, I found it was the same mistake that I’d made on the previous needle. Drop down and fix yet again.

I started another sock in a lighter yarn so I’d have something to knit at night that I could actually see. Changing the pattern to knit toe-up, I allowed 40 stitches for the increases and started with 13 wraps (Turkish Cast-on). Brilliant! 13 x 2 + 40 = 66. Yay for me. Except for the fact that the pattern calls for 64 stitches. Hmmm. It wasn’t that much of a disaster as I just increased x 4 until I had 62 stitches and then a further 2 on the sole only. Also, the pattern is mainly stocking stitch. It’s just annoying to be making these mistakes.

Serves Me Right

I wanted to knit last night. Something. Anything. I didn’t want to cast on the second Dublin Bay sock. Actually I didn’t want to cast on for any sock at all, I just wanted to knit. So I picked up the Anastasias. Counting, checking, looking.

Yes. A mistake. Bollix. Yarnovers hate me. So I put it down and went to bed.

Sunday Roundup 16/03/09

Yes, it’s Monday again. Such a lazy weekend and very much enjoyed. It rained most of the day Saturday; a good opportunity to laze about and not do much at all. The garden appreciated the rain as well as it’s been quite some time since we’ve had decent showers here.

MIL’s first Dublin Bay sock is finished but not without its hiccups. As well as not knitting after having a couple of G & T’s, I need to stop knitting dark coloured yarn at night. I simply cannot see the detail any more. As well as that I’m tired and therefore more prone to making mistakes.

I found this out when I picked up her Anastasia socks which have been sitting in the basket, untouched, since about May 2008. Thinking that I would start knitting socks from different pairs alternately to stave off boredom, I did no more than 5 rounds when … ooops. A mistake back on the first round I knit. I swear I was counting, I swear I was looking but there it was. Nothing too difficult to fix, just 20 minutes wasted. So I’m trying to work out whether I can use that to justify casting on a third pair in lighter coloured yarn.

As I’m away for the month of May I will miss MIL’s birthday, H’s birthday and Mother’s Day. I was thinking about knitting MIL a scarf to leave as her birthday/Mother’s Day present but realistically I’m just not going to get there. I don’t want this year to be like the last time I went on holiday. Between cooking for Husband, wrapping up everything at work and then burning the candle at both ends for four weeks in Europe, I came home more exhausted than when I left. So maybe I *will* put another pair of socks on the needles.

MIL has long, slender feet i.e. no meat on those bones at all. Consequently, in winter, her feet get cold easily. She currently has only one pair of socks. If I could get the Dublin Bays, Anastasias and another pair finished in the next 7 weeks then surely I’d be No 1 DIL? OK, I’m the only DIL but that’s irrelevant! Still, that’s 4 1/3 socks in 7 weeks. Could be interesting.

Vive! España!

Ingredients for Meatballs

So what do meatballs have to do with Spain? Well, on May 3rd I’m away to Spain for almost a month. I’ll be back May 30th and … I’m going on my own. Love, love, love it. Husband doesn’t like the long distance flights and I prefer to travel alone so this suits both of us. I go away alone but I cook for him before I go. Yes, I’m being a ‘good wife’ and cooking for him when he should be able to look after himself, but it works for us. I like to cook, I’m a good cook (also modest, hee) and I like people in my life to be fed well. It’s something I want to do. Good food = I care enough about you to feed you well and I am able to do so.

So:

1.7kg beef mince
1.2kg pork mince
3 carrots, 3 onions, 3 stalks celery, 10 (or so) fat cloves of garlic
pepper, chilli flakes, dried mixed herbs, dried parsley, HP sauce, Worcestershire sauce
breadcrumbs and 3 eggs

All the vegies were whizzed in the food processor and then everything combined. Half the mix was made into large meatballs and half into smaller ones, then both were baked in the oven. Tomorrow I will make gravy for the large and pasta sauce for the small and then freeze both. Husband can then cook rice or pasta to suit.

Mind you, if you think this will make a lot of meals then you are wrong. Husband is tall and large (but not fat) and eats a LOT.

hand included for scale

. The bowl is one and a half handwidths tall.

Life Goes On

Uurgh, what a week it’s been. A wedding on Saturday, a funeral yesterday and another one tomorrow. Tomorrow’s will hurt. My ex-best friend’s mother died last week and her passing has reminded me of the fact that my best friend is now my ex-best friend and that the situation neither can, nor will, ever be mended. It’s a sadness in my life that won’t ever go away. Do I miss her? Yes, often and deeply. Do I want her and her dramas back in my life? Absolutely not. Neither does Husband. Still, it hurts but I will go tomorrow to pay my respects.

Work continues on madly. My GM decided to get married just before the start of our new membership year (just plain rude if you ask me ) so filling in for her, combined with membership renewals and doing my own job, means I am working HARD at the moment. Can’t wait for tomorrow night. Home, collapse on sofa, have a g & t and vege out for the weekend.

On the knitting front the sock continues. I re-did the heel turn and am now working my way up the leg. That odd M1 is still there but I’m determined not to look at it as I think if I don’t look at it then it’s not there. Works for me anyway. I’m enjoying knitting it really. It looks garish but is rather pleasing to the eye in real life.

Sunday Roundup 09/03/09

Um yes, it is Monday but it’s been a long weekend here in Victoria so, as tomorrow is the first working day of the week, then today is Sunday. So say me!
I’ve changed the title slightly to be a generic Sunday Roundup instead of just a knitting one. There’s been a lot going on here and I could see that if I was just to write of knitting then I’d have 2 sentence entries.
Last Weekend – A perty at our place! The (Scottish but now living in Oz) Inlaws have had visitors for the past couple of months and last weekend they came to ours. It’s amazing to think that E was there when Husband was born (home birth) in Edinburgh in 1965. I asked who thought, at that time, that they’d be in Oz in 2009 and no-one put their hand up. Not even Husband. So 5 people at my table in Australia directly and indirectly because of me. It really was a moment to contemplate.
On the knitting front not a lot has been happening. I finished my Sock Roulette sock and received my ‘victim’s’ name (her words not mine) – LOL (no offense was meant or taken). Oh gawd. Can I just say ‘me – sock- Headmistress’ and I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. I’m still not posting any details until it’s received but hopefully the biscuits (cookies) sent as well will raise my standing. I think it’s a damned good sock but I’m a bit concerned that it’s not good/clever/difficult enough. That doesn’t include my fretting over the size. To make matters worse I had a cruise around the Sock Roulette blogs only to find that another participant (in Oz!) knitted the (same!) pattern as me (and!) converted it to toe-up as well. We did certain parts differently but I was a bit gobsmacked as I felt so clever at the time.
MIL’s ‘Visit to Dublin Bay’ sock has taken a step backwards as I’ve ripped back to the start of the heel turn. It all started with a funny looking stitch. I wasn’t happy so ripped back a couple of rows. Then my stitch count was out. Ripped back again and re-knitted. Nope, something was wrong. Now before total puzzlement sets in, can I add 5 more words? Gin and tonics, black yarn. Um, ooops. I have no idea what I did but ripping back to the start of the heel turn has turned up the correct number of stitches even if there is (in the gusset increases) an odd M1 in an odd place that I know nothing about. Please refer ‘perty’ above. Still, unless my Libran scales really start twitching tomorrow, I’m going to go with what I have.
I started another sock (for me!) yesterday but have since ripped it. When I knit on straights I get almost perfect gauge for yarn almost all the time. On circulars or DPNs I’m all shot to hell. Gauge for the pattern stated 8 stitches per inch on 2.75mm needles. On 2.5mm I was getting 10 stitches per inch but the knitted fabric was as loose as anything. Not good. Note to self – do not even try to knit socks on anything larger than 2.25mm needles even though you think knitting on larger needles will go more quickly.

Loving the Gorillas

Husband was watching the news tonight while I was otherwise occupied and called out to me that I needed to check the Melbourne Zoo’s website. Knowing it had to have something to do with big cats I did so but the new arrivals (kittehs of some sort) haven’t yet made it on to the site. While I was there though, I had a look around and came across Calling on You.

From the website:

Each time your mobile phone rings, a tiny piece of metallic ore from Africa is making this call possible: coltan.

80% of the world’s coltan reserves are located within the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As the forest is denuded for mining, the protection once offered by the habitat in it’s pristine state is now no longer able to shelter gorillas and a range of other species from the bush meat crisis.

In Kahuzi Biega National Park, more than fifty percent of the mountain gorilla population has been lost, leaving the species on the brink of extinction.

You can make a difference simply by donating your old mobile phone!

The great thing is that even if you can’t get to the Zoo to drop off your phone they have a downloadable, printable reply paid label available. There are certain thing you have to do (separate battery from handset, wrap battery in bubble wrap etc) but every bit we do has to help.

So now on the ‘to do’ list – gather up and send all the old mobile phones in this house. First of all I need to check how to thoroughly remove all private data from the phones.

Whiiiiiiiiiiich Ones?

I wish I could make up my own mind.

Wooden DPNs – love the weight of them. Dislike the way they grab the yarn and cause me to knit more tightly.

Metal DPNs – love the way they slide and how easy it is to manipulate stitches. Dislike the weight.

Circulars – love the way you can knit half a sock’s stitches at once without changing needles. Dislike pushing the stitches back on to the needle from the cable.

Aaaargh.