We are the champions...

One of favourite haunts for the last few years, and an oft-visited pub for the I Knit London knitting group nights, is the Retro Bar, just off the Strand, in what landlady Wendy jovially describes as 'piss alley'. Lovely. Anyway, Tuesday nights is pop quiz night, which we've been going to for years but recently had to give up as the Vauxhall shop closed at 9 and getting across town, even pedalling at the speed of sound, wasn't possible. Now we're in Waterloo it's just a short skip across Hungerford Bridge and we're there.

So, last night we WON! Hurray. With the combined brainage of Gerard, SueMoon, Retro Rob and myself we managed 19 and a half (how do you write that properly on a computer?) out of 20! Blimey. Our knowledge of Barry Manilow and 90s trip-hop saw us through in the end. It's another personal notch on my own quiz show league table (you're in the presence of The Weakest Link winner here folks, as well as Blankety-Blank - I'll show my chequebook and pen if you ask nicely!) Just don't mention the Eggheads...what was that, did someone just mention the Eggheads?

Craigx

Daytime TV and supporting your local yarn store!

As I've said before I'm suffering with pain so have been languishing at home for a week or two now. It's dperessing enough not being able to go out for a long walk, or even a short one, without having to contend with daytime TV. But, somehow it's so addictive - I find myself desperate to know just how they'll get at auction for their Beswick porcelain horse, and just what that house is worth after they've knocked down a few walls. There's also a plus with the range of obscure films they broadcast...I am a hoarder of movies so try to record everything I can, and there's some real gems tucked away in the daytime telly schedules! Laura is on right now - an absolute classic. I'm going to try to stick o golden oldie into the Thursday film nights now and then.

Talking of trash TV, after our Eggheads appearance last week, Gerard hits primetime tomorrow when he's off to Hell's Kitchen! I'm not kidding. I've advised him to kick up a fuss cos it makes good telly and we'll all get to see him...he says he's just going to drink a lot and see what happens!

Yesterday I made it out and into the shop. I haven't been round for a few days, and I couldn't make the Wednesday night knitting group last night either - sorry folks, I hope it was good 'un, and the Tube trouble didn't dampen spirits and put anyone off. So, in the shop all day, pottering about and it gave me time to do a bit of business stuff. It's always nice to speak to those people who keep us going, the people who actually make the yarn. One of our founding ideas was to include in the stuff we sell yarns from this country. To support our own producers is, to us, a vital part of keeping the knitting industry alive. We were always amazed that the choice of yarn elsewhere either ignored completely, or just paid lip service to 100% independent UK producers - department stores won't touch the stuff because they are all about making a profit (let's not get on our high horse here, by the way, of course we are running a business and we have to make a profit, but we can do this without neglecting some gorgeous yarns, and without ignoring what knitters tell us they want). I remember I was surprised to find most of Rowan's yarns are produced overseas!

Anyway, one of our must-haves was Jamieson's of Shetland. I spoke with Peter yesterday about another large order, and I am really pleased that their stuff does so well. it proves there's a market for it and that, depite the number of knitting books recommending the big names, savvy knitters know that there's more out there. I always like calling them too, sometimes you even get the kids answering the phone and it brings it all home to me that they are genuinely independent, family yarn producers. I love that! I was actually calling because, as some of you must know, there's a new Simply Shetland Book on the way with Eunny Jang's Autumn Rose Pullover. I am honestly thrilled that such a high profile pattern is using Jamieson's, opening up their yarn to a whole new bunch of knitters! Their stuff has always been huge in the US and it's about time we appreciated it more in it's home country!

Thanks to fimngersandtoes on Ravelry who put this in my head and started this bit of a rant. But, y'know, when you support LYS you encourage choice and diversity, and the knock on effect is that we have to compete with other LYS and that just makes us more determined to expand our range, find new yarns and suppliers. We already have at least three yarns in store that we wouldn't have if not recommended by customers and long may that continue!

Eggheads

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and support about our recent appearance on Eggheads - the BBC 2 quiz.

We lost. We were robbed. We were told there would be no trick questions then we got a trick question - if you watched you will have seen that I found both my questions very tricksy! I wasn't so good on the show but the other 4 were brilliant, especially Craig. Craig is brilliant.

We had so many plans for the £55 grand. Craig said last night that he still can't beleive we lost £55K - my response was, we didn't! We never had it so we we could never loose it, we just didn't win it.

A special mention to our teams mates, Jon did amazingly well - they didn't show it on the telly but he and Ms Keple went on to compete in about 8 sudden death questions! He was great but for the lack of citrus knowledge.

Science Tom was also amazing. He was robbed!

We didn't use Another Tom very well. We should have put him in one of the rounds and left me alone. I was actually the only person who knew it was The Geneva Convention!

Anyway, I hate mucials and I wont deny it!

Do you know http://www.lovefilm.com/? I have been a member for years and I love it. They are online rental with no fees - you pay a monthly subscription and get to rent 2, 3 or 4 titles at a time. You have a waiting list and when you send one back they take the next available from the top and send it. Then you watch it. Then you return it in the envelope they provide. Then the cycle repeats.

http://www.lovefilm.com/rpr8khf9y/visitor/sign_up_1.html

Follow the above link - you get a free month!

Gxx

Summer knits and keeping fit

While Gerard plans on changing his life (we'll see about the red hair!) I made a little change this week and went to the gym for the first time in my life. Now I know that for those who know me that may come as a surprise, as I am so honed and svelte that you must all think I'm some kind of fitness guru, but actually it's all natural ;) Anyway, with the onset of the mid-30s and now that we have a fridge in the shop stocked with Corona and Magner's, I decided that at 7am on Tuesday I'd give the old cross-trainer a go (that's the thing where you move your arms AND your legs in a kinda 'going up the stairs whilst pulling yourself up on the bannisters type motion). All I can say is that there is a very weird netherworld of tracksuit-clad freaks out there who, rather than lie in bed for an extra hour, are sweating away in front of Beyoncé and Shakira and the like. I first experienced this in New York in March when we spotted the same species 'working out' (as I think they like to call it) at 2am through the windows of a gym - I didn't realise that we had succumbed to it over here. To get to the point, I felt quite invigorated, but bored, and my legs hurt. Of course, now I've taken out a mortgage just to pay the fees I will have to keep going, so expect a rippling torso next time you set eyes on me.

It's exactly this time of the year when being in Bonnington Square is really worth it - the shop's huge glass windows look out onto the Pleasure Garden (slightly obscured by yarn) and when the sun's out it's really beautiful - genuinely relaxing and, although only a few hundred yards from Vauxhall station you could be forgiven for thinking your in your own little village. We've had a couple of gorgeous nights this week with the knitting group - Wednesday night I cycled back late from the National Theatre and joined in the knitting - we had, amongst others, visitors from Canada and the US, plus Nikki from Purple Kitchen who we haven't seen in ages and who was very helpful when I, as I always do, messed up my ribbing because I was talking and drinking too much!

Then last night we had the film night - The Band Wagon - Fred and Cyd and That's Entertainment! I'm really quite grateful for the film nights - with two full time jobs and running the shop til late each night I can just pretend I have a life and watch the film...it was a quiet one last night but still enjoyed by all present. Next week we're showing Rita, Sue and Bob Too! - that's another reason I like Thursday - we can choose whatever film we like and anything with Black Lace, gang bangs and huge loopy ear-rings will always get a look in! Very excited that we've almost got to grips with the technology to project the telly too - just in time for our Eggheads appearance, but, sadly too late for Eurovision and the American Idol final (Melinda was robbed I tell you!)

It's hot isn't it? Spoke to my dad (who swanned off to live in Spain a few years ago) and it's been raining all week. Felt a bit smug.

Craig