Still Hookin'

I finished one sleeve of the shrug and I've learned how to take it off all by myself - undressing myself isn't usually so complicated but since I did make it a wee bit tight, it was a bit of a struggle...the edging looks really nice and adds a bit of pizzazz, I'll start working on the edging around the opening today. I've got a day full of travelling to look forward to which means a lot of time sitting on the bus which then means a bit of time for crocheting.

I have taken some photos but I've left my camera cable at work so I'll have to wait until tonight to upload them.

I bought a laptop in early May and I was very annoyed when it arrived and it didn't have a bag. Since the picture showed a bag but the description didn't explicitly state that a bag was part of the deal, I decided not to push the issue. I'd been looking around since then to find a suitable bag but the ones I found were all for a smaller laptop. Last week I looked on eBay and I found a 17" one and I bought it (good price and free postage & handling, excellent!). It arrived yesterday and it's perfect.

Not half an hour later, I got a phone call from the company I ordered my laptop from, telling me they had been informed by Acer that some of the orders that went out didn't include everything they should have included. Was I missing anything? Well, I said I wasn't sure since they didn't make it clear what was part of the package and what was just for 'show'.

Did I receive the games? Games? What games? I didn't get any games and I love games! Okay, the games will be sent out. Did I receive a printer? No but I didn't order one, so that makes sense. Did I receive the TV Tuner? Yes. Did I receive the remote? Yes. Did I receive the bag? No. Okay, the bag will be sent out with the games.

As I said to a friend of mine, I was suffering from a severe shortage of laptop bags and now I'll end up with two!

A shrug? How 2005!

Maybe I've got my crochet groove back? I started a shrug yesterday and have almost finished it, I've done part of the edging on one sleeve, have the other sleeve and the neckline to go and then I just need to weave in some pesky ends. I like shrugs and little cardigans and jackets because I very rarely, if ever, wear anything without some sort of little cover-up. This will be my first ever finished non-scarf / non-beanie wearable!

I found some yarn at Lincraft on sale yesterday, I bought some green and some purple, it's strung with little silver sequins along the yarn and looks quite nice crocheted up. The pattern for the shrug is a very simple mesh pattern, not challenging at all which is just the thing for me.

Gauge swatch? What's that?! - I did attemp one, since the pattern called for Patons Jet and I was definitely not using Patons Jet, in fact I was using a yarn a whole lot thinner than the Jet...but after I got the starting chain and the first row of the pattern out of the way (for the swatch) I thought it was 'close enough'. Oh I do like to live dangerously, don't I? The upshot is it has actually come out at the right size so I'm very pleased. It's a bit tight across my back but I think that has more to do with sewing the sleeve seams a bit too far up than anything else. I'll get a photo of it tonight if I finish it and then I'll start another one in the green - this one is purple.

I also bought some metallic-y type thready stuff which isn't actually a thread but it's another fine yarn in gold which would make a very pretty cover up of some description. I might give that "Short 'n Sweet" another try - I think that's the name of the pattern from SnB-HH...

I stayed up far too late last night, watching Wimbledon and finishing off the newsletter for work- then I read for an hour or so after I got into bed. Now it's too early and the weather is miserable. Mum came back after she left to let us know the SES are between us and the main road, she thinks there's a live electricity wire down so we have to go the back way if we want to leave the street. It could've been a wonderful opportunity to stay home and crochet...

I've been waiting for the start of Secret Pal 11 and I think I signed up, I haven't received confirmation yet but I know a lot of people were having trouble with the sign-up form...I guess I'll find out sometime in the next few days. I asked for a Pal in the same country, I think that applies to my spoilee, I don't know if it applies to my spoiler. It might make the experience slightly more enjoyable if I don't have to face $70+ postage costs and long transit times. Wait and see I suppose. I am looking forward to it though.