Cycling to uni yesterday felt easier. That big hill didn't beat me this time. In fact, I didn't even hit bottom gear.

This could mean 2 things:

1. I'm getting stronger. Soon these hills will be easy.

2. My bag was lighter than normal and the wind was behind me.

I'm thinking it's probably more of number 2 than number 1, although that might come into it a little too!

Today I wimped. It was windy, looked like rain, and I have to bring my laptop home tonight. Still, I made it into work for 8.40 (good trains), and I've brought chocolate refrigerator cake for my project team. I need to test how close to Waitrose Tiffin it is before I try to bribe my way to a good appraisal in March! 

I finished the second hat.

Not a great shot for colour, but it shows the hat! Very simple, cast on 112 st, do 1x1 rib, striping every 4 rows. Run out of the gold stuff, carry on with the green. I like the decreasing I did at the top:

Paired decreases on alternate rows, initially 4 lots around the row, then upped to 8 lots. Gives it the nice star look.

Oh, and I had a great model...

That's probably the best shot for colour, but I think the hat is a bit big for the bear!

Earlier this year, in a place far, far away (about 125 miles), I planted some alpine strawberry seeds. I was very happy when they grew to look like this:

Fortunately, they didn't stop growing. Eventually, they outgrew their humble beginnings in a plastic squash bottle. They got planted on, into a black plastic cauldron thing that my parents gave me, that was filled with snowdrop and daffodil bulbs. And there they have stayed all summer, joining me on the move south, producing many alpine strawberries that I have enjoyed munching on - although not yet enough for a bowl at a time.

Today, I finally got round to planting them out properly. I've dug up another strip of the front lawn, and popped them in. And the bulbs that were in the pot with them too.

I'm sorry it's not a better photo, but you get the idea. I'm hoping that they will continue to grow and self-seed in there, and that the bulbs will also grow up through and around them, and generally look lovely down that side of the path. Oh, and provide lots more strawberries too!

Clarkie was right. So I ripped.

This hat is no more.

Now it looks like this.

I think that looks better than just changing colour, even if Clarkie is not convinced by the colour selection. Me, I quite like the green/gold combination! (Please excuse the lousy photo - I'm not really home in time for natural light at the moment...)

The gold is 100% pure wool, bought for a hat I knitted for a friend. So it's more stash-busting left overs! Woohoo!

No, not the completed one. The other one...

I've run out of wool. Probably about half-way up the hat. Now, what should I do? I can change colour to one of the other chunky balls I've got. Thinking a gold colour at the moment. But that might look a bit odd. I can't think of any hat I've seen just suddenly changing colour half-way up. The alternative is hideous though. Rip out most of what I've done, and do it in stripes. The stripes shouldn't look too hideous, but the thought of ripping out all that work... I know, not really that much work. But still.

Any input? I am tempted to go with the lazy option of just changing colour!