In Which I don't Visit Woolfest After All, and Mr Knitbert's Computer Makes a Funny Noise.

Well, first of all, I am alright Aknita, thank you for asking. And look, I finished my Ribby Shell! I'm rather pleased with it, I must say, and I have plans (and yarn!) to knit another (although possibly not time...). Here's a back view:


So, what's the story about Woolfest, I hear you ask? Well, Mr Knitbert and I drove like the wind last Friday evening (although respecting speed limits obviously) and apart from a little traffic around the M25, we reached Southport just before dark in a very respectable six hours, including a stop for food. Aren't those M&S Simply Food things on motorways just fabulous? What a brilliant idea!

We spent a convivial evening with our friends, and retired late, awaking the next morning to steady rainfall and severe weather warnings. Over breakfast we considered our options; drive for another two hours in the rain and then visit Woolfest in the rain, or stay in Southport and spend the day with our friends and their family? They did not think they would like to visit Woolfest if it was not going to be a gloriously sunny day, and I could see their point (they don't knit). So, in the end, we decided we would prefer to stay with our friends and we went shopping in Southport, which is a delightful little place, and Mr Knitbert had a Significant Haircut.

I was sorry not to get to Woolfest, but I will try again next year, and I did have a lovely weekend. I wish I could say that not going had saved me money, but that's another story!

While I was away, Clue 1 was posted for the Mystery Stole, and since then Clue 2 has been posted as well. The first two clues were looking gorgeous in the photos posted on the Group, so I was quite excited about beginning mine. I think the pattern looks quite Elvish, so maybe the theme is to do with Lord of the Rings? Anyway, I got started yesterday afternoon, finally, and here is where I had got to by yesterday evening:


As a reminder, I am using Cherry Tree Hill laceweight merino (gorgeous to knit with) in Wild Cherry, and silver-lined amethyst beads, which look just perfect with the colours of the yarn. The pattern is very well written, and the charts are clear, and I am really enjoying knitting it so far. I have got to row 50, so am just about to start charts B and C of Clue 1. I am hopeful of catching up with Clue 2 by Friday, although I do think that any thoughts I might have had about knitting Catbert's (late) birthday present or finishing Mr Knitbert's socks, or even starting some new socks, or...well, you see what I mean.

I should also confess that two weeks ago I went into a fabric shop and bought fabric to make three skirts, for which I have first to design the pattern pieces. I don't know what I was thinking of! Except that I really want to make these skirts because they will look so gorgeous. Certainly not of the amount of time I actually have available, that's for sure! I'll post some pictures of the fabric next time, and maybe a sketch of what I am going to do with it.

And finally, for Mr Knitbert's army of fans, a story about his computer. Two weeks ago, I was woken up very early one morning by a dreadful rattling sound coming from the computer room. "What the **** is that awful noise?" I asked grumpily. I am not a morning person.

"It's my computer," replied Mr Knitbert, gloomily.
"What's wrong with it?" I yawned. "And where is my coffee?"
" I don't know," said Mr Knitbert, despondently. "I think it might be the CPU cooling fan." Needless to say, dear reader, the side was already off the computer and there were screws and tiny screwdrivers everywhere.

Later that day the hoover was in the computer room and appeared to have been used (I was amazed that Mr Knitbert even knew how to turn it on). The hoovering made no difference to the noise, however, so Mr Knitbert decided that as long as he started the computer up, let it run for a few minutes and then restarted it, it worked OK. This worked for two days and then he began having to restart it three and even four times, and it was still making an awful noise. I was getting very grumpy by this time. The constant restarting of the computer was delaying my morning coffee.

He then decided that it was definitely the CPU cooling fan, so he ordered a new one. It came two days later by the first post. I heard the sound of him running downstairs to sign for it, and then running back upstairs to the computer room. The next thing I heard was the sound of someone walking very carefully down the stairs as if they were carrying something heavy. Well, in fact, the computer was being carried down to the conservatory to be fitted with its new fan. Half an hour later it was back, and Mr Knitbert switched it on, saying "Tada!"; alas, prematurely. The ghastly rattling sound started up again.

"Hmmmm," said Mr Knitbert thoughtfully, "it must be the power supply". We had a spare one of those left over from a problem with DSoK's computer a few months back (would you buy a second hand computer from this family? I wouldn't), so he went off to find that. I should perhaps mention at this point that the last time something like this happened to Mr Knitbert's computer he replaced the cooling fans, the CPU, the motherboard and then the sound and graphics cards just for fun.

The next morning I woke up at a normal time to a blissful silence from the computer room.
"Oh, " I said, "you fixed it! Was it the power supply then?"
" No," he replied, "it was the second hard drive." Sure enough, there it was, in its little tray, cluttering up the desk. And there it still is, and will probably stay until I clear it away.