It's been a while

Life has been nuts.

Here's some yarn.







(aren't those blues stunning??)

Sock it to me

Making more socks... this time for the other half.



They're being knit in Bendigo Woollen Mills Allegro. It's fun to knit with.

Mojo

I've found my mojo again! (Maybe it was the Olympics starting... hmmm.)

I have cast on some man-socks for the other half and gotten back to work on the Starry Night Wrap. Things are looking good. No photos at the moment as I forgot to bring my camera (oops).

As if I needed another reason.

I am never, ever joining Fitness First.

Link to original article

Fitness First wins legal stoush over 'sick' woman's contract
Fitness First ... a runaway success, except with people trying to leave.
Bellinda Kontominas
August 7, 2008 - 4:07PM
From the Sydney Morning Herald website.

Gym giant Fitness First has taken a former member, who could not work out due to medical problems, to court - all for the sake of $200.

The Supreme Court today ruled that Suh Yoke Chong, who suffers from lupus, thyroid problems and sleep apnoea should not be refunded a $200 cancellation fee after she was unable to continue her membership due to blurred vision and headaches.

Ms Chong, 54, who signed a contract with Fitness First on April 9, 2007, after she had put on weight due to steroid medication she was taking, took her case to the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.

She told the tribunal that, during her conversation with the Fitness First consultant, he gave her the terms and conditions and told her to "sign here, here and here".

"The reason I told him [about my medical condition] is that I hope that he will be honest with me, that whether my condition can do the gym and he told me that, 'Oh, you find the right place, this is the best place to lose weight.' "

Ms Chong signed the contract without reading the terms and conditions, which state that a cancellation fee of $200 applies if membership is terminated within the first two months and after a 15-day cooling-off period.

The tribunal ruled in September last year that Ms Chong be reimbursed that money.

It found that "a valid contract required the parties have [a] ... meeting of the minds, in that they each fully know and understand the terms and conditions of the agreement."

However, Associate Justice Joanne Harrison today found that the tribunal member erred in the law on that point and that Ms Chong was bound by the conditions of the contract. She made no order as to costs.

Comment is being sought from Fitness First.

Ms Chong said she told Fitness First about her condition before signing her contract but the gym only encouraged her to join.

After a month, as her dizziness worsened and her vision blurred, she reported the problem to staff. She said they were not interested.

"I told them but they said you should go for a massage to relax your body," she said.

"My intention when I joined the gym is to improve my health but it made me more stressed."

Ms Chong was shocked last July when she received a summons to the Supreme Court, with her as defendant, the gym as plaintiff.

She entered no defence, advised by legal aid that costs could be awarded against against her if she did so.

"I don't want to remember anything more about Fitness First. It's very, very stressful for the whole year," she said.

Since joining Fitness First in April last year, a membership that lasted about five weeks, Ms Chong has spent 15 months in and out of court and tribunal rooms.

She said she would pursue the case no further and had thought it was over after her tribunal hearing in September.

- with Erik Jensen


*********

Is it just me, or is that crazy talk?

Back

After spending a weekend in the wilderness (well, in Brisbane with nothing but an iPhone for internet access), I am back.

The Picasso and his Collection exhibition was fantastic. Renoirs and Cezannes... this girl was very happy.

Disaster

So I am going away for the weekend - on a plane.

It has now been decreed that due to the tight schedule we are on (nothing to do with me!) that we must travel with carry on luggage only... so that we don't have to waste time waiting for any checked baggage at our destination.

This means two things:

1. NO KNITTING OR CROCHET can be packed. Ouch. Australian airport security decrees that they are tools and are not allowed in carry on luggage because they are too sharp.

2. I have to pack for a weekend away (in the middle of winter) in a 22L bag. That is small. Tiny, even.

What am I meant to do? I mean, seriously?

Something finished, something new

Please bear with me, I have decided to use Flickr for photos now, so this post might look a bit funny.

I finished the lovely chunky yarn project... I give you the Entwine scarf:



Yarn: Basics Entwine (from Spotlight) 4 and a bit balls.
Pattern: None. It's a garter stitch scarf.
Needles: Tulip 7.0mm bamboo straights.

I also started the Starry Night wrap:



Sadly, I am not feeling that inspired at the moment. I have not knit a single stitch all weekend. Hopefully the new yarn i have coming will help that.

Therapy

The big chunky knit is such therapy. It's already more than half done... it's practically knitting itself.

I won't say much about the new shade card I received from the most evil-minded enablers in the world my favourite yarn mill. New merino yarn in gorgeous fun colours... it'll make awesome winter socks. that is all I'll say. No more details until I buy all the stock for myself... mwahahahaha.

Feeling so productive

It's amazing what some time off work does.


I finished the very green socks. They are as yet unblocked so they still look a little misshapen.

Yarn: Shepherd Colour 4 Me 8 ply. It's deliciously soft.
Pattern: Silver's Sock Class. This tutorial is for DPNs, but I used the magic loop method.
Knit Picks 3.25mm, 80cm circular needle.


I have finished one of the striped socks... but it's too big (wide) for me. It does fit the other half (kind of) but he did not look overjoyed when I suggested I complete the pair for him. If I can't find anyone to fit it then it might be remain an orphan. It might make a good Christmas stocking.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cast on something using this new yarn. It's going to be garter stitch and chunky, for a break from the sock work.



(Isn't it pretty? I thought so too.)

Oops

I ended up with one extra dock to USB cable after a trip to the Apple store today. Apparently I'm too stupid to read the box of the USB power adapter, because it comes with a cable. I didn't need a separate one. Oh well, one for the laptop bag.

I also purchased a pink case for my iPhone - not sure if it will stay in use as I'm not a fan of cases, but I can see it coming in useful when travelling.

My iPhone really is good. The interface is very user friendly, the screen is very responsive and I love some of the things it does. I'm not a heavy Smartphone user and I wanted something a bit more than a phone, so the iPhone was perfect for my needs. It's pretty, too. I like pretty. (hah)

Right. Now I will go back to trying to stay away from the internet.

Note to self

Next time you want to learn a new knitting skill, do not make the first attempt in black yarn.

I decided to teach myself how to do a short row heel. I started some striped socks to do this - working the ribbing in black, with the idea that the heel and toe would also be black. Oh, what a folly that was.


After much time, frustration, tinking and frogging, I have done my first short row heel. There are a few gaps in it, but at this stage I don't care. I am just happy to have it done. The socks in question are being made from some cheapo acrylic yarn while I try to learn how to manage DPNs. It's slowly getting easier than trying to insert an angry sea urchin into a net bag, but only just.

In other news, I am more than halfway through the other pair of socks I am working on. These ones are a lovely wool, but I don't know if I still love the colour.


They are green. Very green.

It's time to go...

Big Brother.

I can't believe it. Network ten has provided two sensible decisions this year: the return of Good News Week, and the axing of Big Brother.

One can only hope it's replaced with quality programming.

First Socks

Part of the reason this blog needs a name change?

I've taken up needlecrafts again (well, knitting mostly and crochet as a runner up), and want to be able to post things I've done and things I'm working on. Hopefully that sort of peer pressure will help me complete things!

Without further ado - here are the first socks I have ever made:



Yarn: I have no idea. Some yarn that came to me from my late grandmother's stash. I know it's an 8 ply, and I think it's a wool/acrylic blend.
Pattern: Part Arachne Sock Calculator, part Kim Goddard's beginner sock pattern, part my own imagination.

I used the magic loop method, Knit Picks 3.25mm/80 cm circular needle. I'm still building the DPN patience and skills.

Next project? Already started... more socks, amongst other things.

(Oh yeah... I managed to procure an iPhone on launch day. After finally getting it working on the weekend, I promise I'll post about it soon. I am loving having a 3G phone. I had no idea what I was missing.)

It's been a... while.

It's certainly been a long time since I posted anything here.

I'm still alive, still going on. Life has been... hectic.

Note to self: must try to blog a leetle more regularly.

I am thinking of changing the blog name though. It's been grating on me for a while, and while I don't want the address to change I want to add content that's not necessarily related to the title. And no, I don't want more than one blog. I find it hard enough to update this one, let alone doing two.

So. watch this space.

A Letter to the RSPCA

In response to this article:

I am writing to convey my disappointment in the RSPCA's choose wisely campaign for eggs after reading an article in the Sun Herald today. The condition of the birds in Pace Farm's Buchanan facility is appalling and it concerns me that the RSPCA endorses this facility and the practice of de-beaking.

I certainly expected better from the RSPCA. I am now even doubting how humane the free range eggs are if these barn layers are in such poor condition.

I urge the RSPCA to reconsider their endorsement of Pace Farm's facilities and practices.

Is it possible?

It is possible!

"So You Think You Can Dance?" has sucked me in - well and truly.

Oh dear.

Squeeeeeee!

I just saw an ad for Good News Week... yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is BACK.

Channel 10 (unfortunately, I would love to see it on the ABC again), Monday Feb 11.

It also appears that they've started making it because of the Writers Guild of America strike. I guess I can only hope they keep it on.

bleh

What a day. Relatives everywhere.

Merry Christmas all.

*mixes therapeutic Baileys and milk - 90% Baileys, 10% milk*

Daft Punk

Way to go Modular.

silly wristbanding rule you've created. Well, there are some very, very cranky punters, myself included.

Finally - the NSW State Government does something sensible.

Finally. A move to reduce the number of pokies in NSW. Though they are fun to play sometimes, they really sap the life out of venues.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/its-a-win-on-the-pokies/2007/12/06/1196812922121.html