Row row row your boat

Hello Dear Readers,

Today was the 4's Head race where Patrick was rowing in a cox-less four (number 183). I invited some friends over from Kew to come watch the race then come to the house for brunch. Here are Jo and Saren

We got out to the river about 9:45 and saw the first boats coming down, finally came Pat's boat with us all yelling "GO THAMES!" and "GO PATRICK!". He said he actually heard us this time!

Here he is coming off the water, exhausted:

Pausing to survey the action on the water:

After the race and brunch, Seren and I went to the Ocktoberfest Party at the clubhouse, our housemate Sally did a fantastic job decorating and Patrick wore some fantastic leiderhosen as well, though I don't have that photo right now.

In addition, I finally finished a baby sweater I've been working on for a while (too long, I keep having to rip it out!)

Also finished off a cute matching Teddy which Jo is modeling handsomly.

All in all a good day, and best of all Chris is coming back from a week in Cyprus, woo hoo! Off to make dinner for him now, he just called from the airport that he's on his way home.

P.S. I am going to be changing jobs soon, I have just accepted a 6 month position at the Natural History Museum. While I'm very sad to leave my friends and work at Kew, I'm excited to start something new and work as part of a lager team again instead of by myself. Who knows, I may end up at Kew again in 6 months if something opens up.

They all laughed......

Hello Dear Readers,

Some of you laughed, some of you scoffed, some suggested combustion, but hey, I have always been on the cutting edge of fashion, a year or two ahead of the trend (jeans to skirts in high school, shawl/ponchos in college, knitting way before it was a fad, green before it was chic etc.....)

Now, vindicated once again, featured on project runway;

KNITTED UNDIES! (or PANTS for my Brit readers)
and the fancy cabled version from Urban Outfitters:

and of course, to refresh your memory on my fine contribution to the fashion world:
that is all.

New Couch

Hello Dear Readers,

Well, we didn't really get a new couch, but we have these two old plasticy faux leather couches in the living room. The stuffing and structure is good, but the cheap plastic cover has been steadliy eroding and peeling off.

I scored some black linen a few months ago and recovered two of the worst cushions, but the rest have been falling into decline. Not willing to sink money into this house (anything in public use gets trashed anyway) I covered a third cushion with some denim material from jeans I had worn out and other roomates/friends. I finally put out a call at knitting night for any old jeans people had and luckily there was a girl who said she had a bag full to give away! There were about 7 or 8 pairs which was just about enough to cover the last 3 cushions plus a pair that fit me to wear! How awesome! Vertical stripes are very on trend now, Paul Smith, eat your heart out!


Also here as promised (I'm sure you were waitin with baited breath) a photo of Chris's neck warmer (also on Ravelry)

South Hampton

Hello Dear Readers:

A few weeks ago Chris and I took a train trip for the day to see the city of South Hampton. We really had no idea what to expect, but we hear so much about different cities we jsut want to see what they are all about.The coolest thing about the city is that it used to be enclosed by a large stone wall, parts of which have been preserved and there is a walking trail around the remaining parts. You can climb up to some of the towers and look out over the city. There are interpretive signs all around and some parts of the city are so well preserved you can really imagine what it must have been like.South Hampton is also where you can catch a ferry to the Isle of Wight and France, and also where the Titanic sailed from. There is a Titanic museaum and a White Star Liner resturant, not sure if it's good mojo to eat there.

There is a bit of a marina area too, but for a port city I was dissapointed by their waterside offereings. It looks like it's trying to spruce up a bit but it still has a bit of an industrial feel.

There was quite a bit of new shopping though, and Chris and I poked around a few interesting stores including ASDA, which is a British store that was bought by Wal-Mart, so we were curious. It's kind of like and English sized Wal-Mart (that is to say, small). Chris also went to his very first Ikea store!

I also finished some more cowels on that trip, one for Chris, which can look like a scarf when worn long, or a cowl when doubled. I also made a cowl for Patrick to wear when he cycles to work. I'll try to take photos of them for the next post, it's dark when I leave work now so there isn't a lot of good light for taking pictures, and it's been pretty rainy all week.