And the winning theme is: Geekdom!!!

I have had 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen' stuck in my head for three days now. Why? I bought a new backpack, and it's Caribee brand. Everytime I see it, my traitorous brain goes 'hmmmm... caribee. That sounds a lot like Caribou. And what do caribou do? Why, they lay around and snooze, of course, because, you know, why not, there's nothing else to do.' Damn you, Noel Coward!! Damn you!!!!

Although, if the Church is right, I needn't worry about that.


I just talked to a woman on the phone whose name was Jayne. Spelt like that.


The other day at a party, someone asked me someone's name.

Me: Kelvin

Her: Oh. Like the temperature?

Me (without hesitation): yes

And she mocked me for the whole night for being an irretrievable geek.



I have knit the same sock 5 times now. First time, I turned the heel perfectly. Then it was too long, so I frogged it back. Then, it took me about 4 tries to get the heel done right, with the right number of stitches, etc. It was perfect. And too long. It's mate is all but finished, and perfect. Why, why, I ask!


I feel like patient zero. A while back, one of my friends to whom I often wax lyrical about knitting told me that she thought she might like to knit a scarf. She already knew how to knit, but was shy about actually making anything. I was quietly encouraging. She came over about a week later and admired my hats that I'd knit. She told me she wanted a hat, but didn't like tight beanies. A week later she messaged me to tell me that she'd bought yarn and needles. A day later she messaged me to say she was done. She'd knit a square and sewn it together, and it's the coolest beanie I've ever seen, and very Her. Now she's knit two scarves for her sisters and she's making some arm warmers.


My mother called me the other day to say that two ladies she went to church with were looking for patterns - one for knitted slippers, the other for warm socks. I found some good ones on knitty.com, and emailed her the links. They were exactly what they were looking for, and now my mother has ordered yarn to make jaywalkers. NEVER thought that that would happen.


My mother also told me that one of my aunts was talking about taking up knitting again. This aunt tried to teach me the long tail cast on when I was about 13. It didn't take, and she stopped knitting a while ago, when her kids were small. We had a family do on the weekend (hateful, is all I can say. Truly, it was hateful. Although I took some awesome pictures, some of which I have uploaded to Flickr) and I brought a bunch of knitting books. She's currently hunting out Jo Sharp pattern books, and my grandmother found it within her to tell me that she loved turning heels and that I knit wrong (I do. My grandmother can jump)

I returned home after that weekend to find my cousin hanging out at my house. She started looking through my pile of knitting books. She decided she wants to make a scarf. She asked me to give her knitting lessons - she can also knit, but hasn't for ages, and her tension is apparently too tight. So we've set up a thrusday night knitalong at my place, once she gets the yarn. While we were talking about this, her sister, who I live with, brought out a jumper she'd started knitting before she moved in. She hasn't knit a stitch since. Still no progress, but it's sitting on our coffee table, staring at her. It's only a matter of time!




Howard's Storage opened right around the corner from my house. I love storage with the same passion I used to lavish on stationery, and the same aqquisatory urges we all share towards yarn. It's a sickness. I'm in trouble.