First the outgoing parcels -

I signed up for another Magic Yarn Ball swap on swap-bot and have been putting together some goodies for my partner, here they all are ready for wrapping

She is not a knitter and told me she would not be using whatever yarn I wound so just use “something cheap”. Now, as I don’t have anything “cheap” and as I didn’t like the idea of sending something that wouldn’t be used I decided to use ribbon. She is a crafter/scrapbooker and so I think she will use the ribbons, I tied them all together and then wound all the little goodies up like this

and finally wrapped the whole ball up in this gorgeous tea-towel

hope to post this off later this week…….it has a long way to travel and so even though the send date is not till the 15th July I wanted to get it done early.

Next parcel is the final reveal parcel for SP10, now my swap partner doesn’t know who I am yet but will do by the time she received the parcel so even if she sees this before it arrives she won’t know it’s for her and as soon as she does know it’s for her when she gets it then she’ll know who I am anyway……does that make any sense? Anway, basically, it doesn’t matter that I’m posting the details does it?

Here are the goodies

…she isn’t in England so I thought I’d send some English goodies - tea, sweeties, chocolates all from my country.

SP10 has been great fun - I’ve really enjoyed putting together parcels from my giftee and my gifter has been fabulous….which brings me to

Incoming Parcels

My SP10 gifter sent me a gift certificate for Angel Yarns for the last parcel and it’s taken me this long to decide what to spend it on but today my parcel arrived and it contained this -

“this” being Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Aran in Blue Haze, 13 balls of it actually. Angel Yarns had this on sale and I also had a credit from a previous order which, together with my VIP discount meant I had to pay very little to get them!

They are destined to become either Rogue,

Eris

both of these patterns are from www.girlfromauntie.com and I bought them ages ago

or A Cardigan for Arwen from Interweave Knits Winter 2006

I haven’t decided definitely which one it will be as yet….but thanks to my SP10 pal for giving me the means to buy the yarn for whichever one jumps from the needles….

My second incoming today was this

isn’t it beautiful? The gorgeous laceweight yarn I snagged from Posh Yarn this week - from the left 2 skeins of Eva 2ply laceweight 55% silk/45% cashmere in Houri, 3 skeins of Sophia 2ply laceweight pure cashmere in Cumulus and 2 skeins of Eva in Kelpie. The Kelpie was on sale as it is apparantly faulty, having some red on it but it is really hard to see and once knitted into something lacey will disappear completely.

I can’t wait to knit some wonderful, soft, lacey shawls and stoles with these….after my cobweb mohair shawl was such a success (the recipient thought it was wonderful which was the main thing!) I really want to try some more lace but with smooth yarns.

Finally - some actual knitting has been going on. You may remember by Kool Aid dyed yarn which I showed you some time ago? Well, I’ve now wound it into a ball -

and I finally decided what to do with it…thanks to all the suggestions, many of which were for scarves and shawls which is what I’ve gone with, here is -

Clapotis! I think the stocking stitch shows the colours off and I love the drop stitch. I’m making it narrower than set in the pattern (about half the width) and this should give me enough yarn to get a good length. I’m also thinking of adding buttons along one side to allow it to be turned into a shrug. More pictures as I progress.

The stitch markers were a pressie from my SP10 pal in my first parcel so that’s a nice full circle there…..

technorati tags:koolaid, sp10, swap, swapbot, knitty, knitting, poshyarn

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I got home from work today to find a card from the postman…oh no i thought, they have my parcel at the post office and I’m going to have to find time to go collect, and I’m out this Saturday…..but no, the card said “We have left you parcel…..in the zipped cage at the back near the water tank”. What this meant was inside my little mini green house (staging with a plastic zip front cover) on the decking next to the water butt.

So I was very restrained, I brought the parcel inside then fed the cat, got changed from my work clothes, made a cup of tea and then got the camera before I opened the parcel and saw ..

when I took out the various packages and removed the bubble wrap I had -

The first zip-lock bag I opened contained a skein of the most wonderful coloured yarn -

this is 440yds of “Knitables” in a colour called “Pleasant Bay”. The label says it is a North Carolina business started by someone to earn money but still have time to care for a father fighting against cancer.

The next parcel was the scarf- and it is gorgeous. Alpaca (I think) in a lovely winding cable design. Details on the yarn and pattern please ISE4 pal!!!!

as you can see it is wonderfully long (and went perfectly with the clothes I was wearing!)

The final part of the package was so beautifully wrapped it seemed a shame to undo it

the first thing to appear was a chocolate coffee spoon -

then I took off the pink net to see this

my pal has obviously been reading my blog and knows I’ve been raising money for breast cancer care!! The whole package is in support of breast cancer charity - a pin, a wonderful pen shaped like a lip-stick, a note pad and the gorgeous, huge, mug. It says it’s a latte mug but I think it’s going to become my hot-chocolate cup!!!

this was a lovely, thoughtful package and I want to thank Mamere Knits Too Much for sending me this gorgeous things. In particular for the scarf - it’s very rarely I get something made for me, rather than me making things for others, so it is very special and will be treasured.

Here’s another shot of all my goodies

and me in my new scarf

technorati tags:ISE4, scarf, knitting, breast, cancer

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First the scarf, and BOY! is it a scarf…. this is the scarf I’ve been knitting for my ISE4 pal - actually I finished it a while back but have been waiting for a day to take some photos, here they are;

It’s a HUGE scarf - 25cm or 10″ wide and 188cm or 74″ long, it’s also very tactile being knit in Patons Spirit a mohair/acrylic blend. This is definitely a scarf for cold weather.

The details -

Yarn: Patons Spirit in shade 4506 “Blackcurrant”

Needles : 6.5mm Addi circular

Pattern : Old Shale stitch pattern over 41 stitches, I’ve put the pattern here

Here’s a close up of the pattern,

Still not 100% certain about sending this for my ISE4 scarf but I’m pretty sure it suits my pal.

PRIZES

Many of you will know that I have been trying to raise £1,000 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. I have been selling hand-knitted items, holding car-boot sales and I am taking part in the Moonwalk in a few weeks time.

My training for the Moonwalk is going well, mum and I walked 20 miles last Sunday in 5 1/2 hours which is pretty much on target for our hoped for completion time for the full distance of 7 1/2 hours.

But - watch this space for the chance of winning some brilliant yarn prizes. I am organising a raffle or lottery to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, I already have some wonderful prizes donated and am waiting on some more….keep checking back for a chance to win!! It’s going to be well worth it I promise.

technorati tags:moonwalk, prizes, ISE4, walkthewalk, breakthrough

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I got a parcel this morning from my Secret Pal in SP10 - I now know that she is in Tamarac, Florida. Looked that up on Google maps and found it is in the North of Miami so I’ll be thinking of my pal next time I watch Horatio in CSI Miami!!!!

Simpson came to help me open it -

First out of the box was this really cute sheep basket and inside that were some gorgeous stitch markers -

…can’t wait to use these…

Next  - chocolate…and it’s dark chocolate!

…this has to be the most beautiful coloured yarn I’ve seen in ages

…it’s Superwash Merino Wool from http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com in Rainbow-Dyed Colorway: Midnight Passion …. I want to start knitting right away…but I have so many things I want to use it for…..the colour is much deeper than it shows on the picture, I’ve been struggling to take a picture that shows it properly this one is a bit better

Finally, two books that are on my wishlist. I very nearly bough Sensational Knitted Socks for myself a week ago. I got as far as putting it in my basket on Amazon and then stopped…don’t know why…very spooky!

Thanks to my wonderful SP in Florida!!!

technorati tags:sp10

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I seem to be going through something of a “Purple Patch”, I was uploading photos to flickr and when I looked at them all on the screen it was just a sea of purple! And then this morning I got this -

- my final “reveal” package from my Sockret Pal who turned out to be Ruth, and it’s an extravaganza of purple/blue/pink! Ruth was also my spoiler in another blog and that plus an accidental email she sent me a little while ago had tipped me off that she was probably my Sockret Pal, but that’s ok, I still got a surprise with what she was sending me and she’s really spoilt me this time by sending all this stuff

First, my handknit socks which are just perfect.

Child’s First Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush in Lorna’s Lace “Iris Garden”- anyone who reads my blog regularly will know Ive knit this pattern a couple of times but always for other people, now I have a pair for me and they are so comfy and soft

Next out of the box was this -

Ruth tells me these are from The Yarn Yard, yet another UK online yarn seller she has pointed me at (you’re doing nothing for my bank balance you know !!) They are both 4ply 75% wool 25% polyamide and don’t they look perfect together? Have to find something special to knit with these.

The third package was -

a pencil case - to use to keep my dpn’s, and crochet hooks (Ruth knows I’ve been learning to crochet) and inside a really useful notebook, some Brittany Birch 2.5mm dpns and (the best of all) some sew in labels that say “Handmade by Wendy”.

I’ve been wanting some of these for ever and actually saw some on Ruth’s blog and asked here where they came from!!! - she wouldn’t tell me

My gifted items are going to look so professional from now on.

The next packet out of the box was more (yes more!!) yarn

A ball of Tofutsies which I have been seeing cropping up on blogs and been intrigued by, can’t wait to try. The other ball is the remainder of the Lorna’s from the socks “in case of alterations” as Ruth put it - no alterations needed however…so this could become some more squares in my “memories” afghan I’m planning

The last package was ….

…this beautiful book. Ruth and I were in an afghan square swap a little while ago and I have been talking with her about crochet squares as I’ve been trying to learn so this will be great for practise and inspiration.

Aren’t I just the luckiest Swapper anywhere?

Adding to my purple day is my second try at a scarf for ISE4, the first just doesn’t seem right for my pal….can’t say exactly why but it’s just “not her”. So yesterday on our way home from Cornwall when we stopped at Trago Mills in Newton Abbot for decorating supplies (don’t ask me to explain Trago Mills, it’s a West Country thing!) I had a quick look in their arts & crafts department and found some Patons Spirit mohair blend in a purple self-striping colourway -

I took it along to my Knitting Group when we got back to Marlow last night and cast on with 6.5mm needles and just used a basic “old shale” stitch pattern so it isn’t just straight striped. I’m much happier with this. It’s coming out pretty big - 41 stitches and 6.5mm needles means it’s about 11″ wide and so far with a little bit of the first ball to go it’s about 18″ long. I have 4 balls in total so that would give a completed length of at least 72″. My partner says she likes long scarfs so hopefully that would be long enough!

Despite being wide and long, the mohair and the stitch pattern mean it’s very light and very soft - should be a lovely warm scarf I think.

I was asked about the Old Shale knitting stitch, it is in a really old book of traditional knitting stitches which I have and in that book is used in a shwal. Here’s the pattern for my scarf (such as it is!) knit in any yarn you like using the appropriate sized needles and casting on as many stitches as needed to get the width you want. I’ve given the directions for what I did using Patons Spirit which is a mohair/acrylic blend with a ball band tension of 13sts/17rows to 4″ on 6.5mm/UK 3/US 10.5 needles.

Cast on 40 sts (or any multiple of 6 plus 4 edge stitches).
Row 1: knit
Row 2: k2, p to last 2 sts, k2
Row 3: k2, (k2 tog) 3 times, *(yo k1) 6 times, (k2 tog) 6 times* repeat from * to * to the last 8 sts, (k2 tog) 3 times, k2
Row 4: knit (this gives a garter st ridge which just added a little bit of texture, if you prefer the alternative is to repeat Row 2 and keep the whole thing in st st)

These 4 rows form the pattern and are repeated until (1) the scarf is long enough (2) you run out of yarn or (3) you get bored - whichever comes first!

Finally this post, I promised pictures of the gifts I was given visiting our friends in Cornwall on Saturday. So here they are -

Lucy painted me a beautiful Springtime picture with chicks and eggs, as you can see it has pride of place on our kitchen notice board

She also made me a sequinned Easter Egg which is so pretty and is now hanging on my tealight tree

Lucy is not feeling very well at the moment as she developed Chicken Pox on Monday - right at the start of school holidays for Easter - Get Well Soon Lucy xxx

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Sock Madness begins today. WTF?? I hear you all cry….go check here for the details but basically it’s a sock knitting contest.

There are four divisions in the competition and the first round is a simple time trial against everyone else in my division, there are 34 in my division and the first 16 to finish in the first round will go through to the next stage. After that it’s a knockout competition competing one on one with another knitter in the division with the winner of each pairing going forward to the next stage…..like a knockout football competition.

The pattern for each stage is released on a set date and then it’s knit, knit, knit to try and finish a pair first. The first pattern for round 1 is released today between 8am and 9am E.S.T which is (I think) 6 hours behind G.M.T so I have till about 2 this afternoon.

We’ve been told that the sock requires a skein of solid and a skein of variegated so I spent yesterday evening searching through my stash looking for good combinations

This is the Sock Yarn Stash - isn’t it pretty? We have, from l-r,

top row - 2 balls of Opal Uni (sans ball band), 2 balls of 4ply Sock Yarn from Angel Yarns, 5 balls of Opal Rodeo in various colours.

2nd row - 2 skeins Artyarns Supermerino colour 139 (swap goodies), then there are four skeins of sock yarn from The Natural Dye Studio - 2xalpaca/merino “liquorice”, 2 x Blue Faced Leicester “Apple Blossom”, 2 x Alpaca Silk (Feb’s sock of the month), 2 x Blue Faced Leicester (Jan sock of the month I think), then 4 skeins of Posh Yarn - Lucia “Pop”, Saskia “Heroine”, Lucia “Passion” (from my wonderful Sockret Pal) and Lucia “Fizz

Last row - Sockret Pal yarn from Scout’s Swag, Cascade Fixation and 2 balls of Italian Sock wool.

After much deliberation and consulting a colour wheel , these are the possibles

This is Opal Uni in pale blue and Natural Dye Studio Alpaca/Silk - this was the February yarn in the Sock Yarn Club. This combination makes me think of summer flowers or sunshine in a blue sky…

Next is more Opal Uni, this time in green and Posh Yarns Saskia in “Heroine”. The picture doesn’t do either of these justice, the green is much brighter and lusher and the Posh yarns positively shines. Not sure if this might be too busy?

Finally,

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/416419707_af44fe4bc4.jpg?v=0

4ply sock yarn from Angel Yarns in “Denim” and this months Sock of the Month from Natural Dye Studio - Alpaca/Merino in a colour Amanda describes as “Liquorice” - it does remind me of liquorice alsorts!

I have to say, this last combination is my favourite - I’ll have to wait to see what the pattern is like, if it’s something I really like then I’ll use the Denim/Liquorice, if not then I’ll save that combination for something else.

In a flurry of joining I have also signed up for International Sock Exchange 4 and expect to receive my swap partner on the 15th March. This is the same day that I will get my swap partner for Secret Pal 10 - this will run from March to June.

I am about to send out my last package for the Sockret Pal swap - the “reveal” package. Getting my last few bits ready for that then I need to write a little note revealing who I am to my pal. I’ve enjoyed this swap which is why I’ve signed up for 2 new ones as this is ending.

I’m now sitting with baited breath awaiting the start of Sock Madness!!!

technorati tags:socks, sockmadness, knitting

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Firstly, yes I have been knitting but no, I have not been blogging. Unfortunately work has been hectic (year-end, audit, staff leaving) so I’ve been getting home late and last week worked Saturday. Also, some of the knitting I’ve been doing is for gifts for people who may read this blog so I can’t post about them!

However, this post is a catch up on everything I’ve been working on since my last post nearly a fortnight ago.

This -

is what I did with the Winter Scarf Knit Kit I posted about in my last post. It’s a super long. super warm scarf in the wonderful Manos del Uruguay. Evelyn suggested the “my so called scarf” pattern but (sorry Evelyn) I decided I have lots of shorter scarves and fancied a really long one but also a scarf that was reversible so I just improvised with a rib pattern from an old knitting book.

this was knit on 8mm needles (US 11), cast on 24 sts (any number divisible by 6 works)

Row 1 (k3 p3)  to end

Row 2 (k1 p1) to end

repeat these 2 rows until the wool runs out, cast off.

I added a fring by just pulling through doubled lengths of wool and knotting.

I really love this scarf and it knit in 2 evenings, I’ve been wearing it ever since. The colours go with so many things - blues, reds, browns, purples…..

My second completed item is another scarf, this was also wool received in a swap - the Magic Yarn Ball Swap - the wool was Garnstudio Drops Alpaca in a lovelyn shade of blue. This wool was SOOO nice to knit with, it’s very, very soft and it just slips over the needles.

The pattern was from the Garnstudio website and is one that my swap partner, Embla, printed and sent along with the yarn ball. It was a very easy repeated pattern to remember and so great knitting for watching tv. I knit it over the past 3 weeks in between other things. It was on quite small needles so took a litle while.

This scarf is wonderful to wear as it is so soft and, being quite long, it’s easy to double up and wrap around so very cosy.  I like the way the pattern bunches up and looks like tree bark -

This was one of my projects for Project Spectrum.

Final finished object is another Halfdome hat

A friend of ours is having radiotherapy at the moment and has lost a lot of hair so just shaved his head. We’ve been having some cold weather and he needed something to keep his head warm but that would be soft on skin made sensitive by the treatment - he needs all the TLC he can get!

I had knit J a Halfdome a few weeks ago and knew it was a super-quick knit so ordered some more Cashmerino Aran which is very soft and knit this in one evening.  Hoping to deliver it tomorrow.

Several UFO’s still going strong …

…yes, that is the second “Monkey” sock in the Sockret Pal yarn finally on the needles.

I have also been continuing to teach myself to crochet, I have been practising with simple granny squares using left over yarn. These three were the tiny bits of yarn left over from knitting socks (l-r, Socks that Rock “Xmas Socks“, Natural Dye Studio “Jewel” and “Cherry Blossom“)

I intended to just use these as practise but I like the way they are turning out and am thinking of making a crocheted blanket from squares made from left-over yarn from other projects as a sort of “Memory Sampler” to remind me of things I’ve knit. Will post more as I complete them.

All of this crochet practise was intended to enable me to complete Jasmine which I am still confident of doing but I’ve also decided to start a crochet project as a surprise gift (can’t say too much - blogs have ears you know!)

This is a sneak look at the yarn and a few completed squares - 

Well, there you go - I haven’t just been sitting on my hands! Off now to decorate J’s birthday cake and prepare for the dinner party we’re having tonight to celebrate. 8 people for dinner - I must be mad.

technorati tags:crochet, knitting, scarf, socks

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I got home tonight to find this box on my doorstep :

it was from my partner in the Winter Scarf Knit Kit swap, Evelyn, and it had all these wonderful things in it -

2 balls of wonderful Manos del Uruguay and a pair of Susan Bates acrylic needles to knit my scarf…the colours of the Manos are fantastic and I’ve already cast on and started knitting a reversible rib scarf. Also for the swap a lovely mug with little jewels on it and a box of organic green tea (my favourite!)

Plus…extras!!! Evelyn said she had put in the book and the Kool Aid to “fill in the space in the box” - beats little polystyrene bids any day!!

Also there were some chocs inside the mug and some butterfly shaped post it notes.

I love everything! Thankyou Evelyn so much. The book looks really interesting Died in the Wool by Mary Kruger combining my favourite type of books - mystery - with my favourite pasttime - knitting. Looking forward to reading it.

technorati tags:manos, swapbot, swap, knitting, scarf

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I discovered Project Spectrum about a month ago whilst browsing around in blogland and decided to sign up. The basic idea is that you create something/somethings from a designated set of colours over a two month period. The whole project runs over 8 months and for each two month period there are three designated colours.

This appealed to me as I like the idea of the challenge of working within a limited colour palette. Obviously my creations are likely to be knitting but as I want to have a try at dyeing there may be some colour creation going on as well.

The February/March colours are Blue, White & Grey and these are the ongoing projects I have which fit in this colour band -

The full list of current projects (some are detailed on my UFO page) is

1   Gentleman’s Plain Winter Sock in Opal (Magic I think - not sure which colour as I’ve lost the ball band) knit from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush on 2.5mm bamboo dpns

These are the current sock for the VIntage Sock KAL as well.

2   Garnstudio Scarf in Drops Alpaca. The yarn was sent to me by Embla in Norway for the Magic Yarn Ball swap, she also sent me the pattern printed from the Garnstudio website where they have lots of free patterns, many in English. The Alpaca is beautifully soft and a lovely shade of Royal Blue.

3   Railway Pattern Sock - grey & blue, details in my previous post!

4   Chrissy sweater from Rowan 31 in Rowan All Seasons Cotton indigo colourway. More details on my UFO page

5   Baby Shawl in Patons Fairytale 2ply in white.

For more details about Project Spectrum check Lolly’s blog

technorati tags:knitting, Knitalong, project spectrum

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….you wait and you wait and then three come along at once!

yes, that’s three parcels my postie delivered this morning, tramping through the snow to reach me. One from Wolverhampton, England; one from NY state, USA and one from Norway.

First - a parcel from Wolverhampton

this is the first of four afghan squares I’m waiting to received from the Crazy Afghan Squares swap. This one is from Roo, I read her blog and love her crochet squares, this one is Noro Silk Garden in lovely blues and purples - very me colours! She also sent a lovely ”blue sky” postcard and a lollipop (gotta love lollipops!!)

Thanks Roo

Next - a parcel from New York State

This one is from Cassandra in Philmont, NY and is another Afghan Square

the litle note with it tells me the yarn is 50% wool 50% acrylic, it’s quite a chunky yarn and is a garter stitch square in fawny colours - goes quite well with the Noro as it happens

Thanks to Cassandra for this.

Final parcel was from Norway

The really pretty labels on the outside told me it was a Magic Yarn Ball and inside was not just the yarn ball but a second ball of the yarn (Garnstudio Drops Alpaca in a lovely shade of blue), a card and three patterns printed from the Garnstudio website to give me some ideas of what to knit. Also a tiny miny lip balm and a toffee (not sure if these had dropped out of the yarn ball or were put in separately)

The patterns are for a pair of socks, a scarf which looks lovely (this is favourite for this yarn at the moment) and a pair of wrist warmers.

 I’m afraid I have no patience when it comes to gifts so I had to unwind the yarn ball right away, sat by our patio windows in my pyjamas. It was wonderful seeing all the little things dropping out and here is what was in the ball -

So - first a little cupid button badge attaching the ball band to the ball, next out was a toothbrush holder (I have to admit I couldn’t work out what this was - it’s top left, the little red smiley face - J worked it out!!), then a nailbrush, a little notebook (perfect for my project bag), a little bon-bon tin (or possibly a stitchmarker tin?), a lovely pair of silver earrings (these are very very me), a sachet of skin care cream, a spa facial mask, a bar of Norwegian chocolate, a little cat phone charm, a packet of gorgeous beaded stitch markers, a mini nail buffer, a packet of 2mm dpns, 8 buttons.

The buttons are lovely, four crackle-glaze purple buttons and four green ones with flowers painted on. Here’s a close up

I think I’ve remembered everything!

A really big thankyou to Embla for this wonderful package.

More pics on flickr.

As for knitting - I’ve been working on a pair of socks for J the last week or so - Railway Pattern from Knitting Vintage socks. I’m using Grey Regia 4 ply with contrast stripes in Regia Stretch “Denim”. These are one of my many UFO’s and I’m hoping to get them finished for Valentines Day. They are perfect for Project Spectrum being blue and grey and they will be my February socks for the SAM3 KAL!

Progress so far - one and a half socks. Turned the heel on the second sock last night and started on the foot. However there is a lot of foot to knit as J has UK size 11 feet that’s 9.5″ of sock from the stitches picked up for the gusset to the stitches grafted at the toe

update: our phone line went down at around 9.30 this morning whilst I was writing this post so I was unable to post it. I’ve been at home all day and so have now very nearly reached the toe of J’s sock! I will post some piccies later.

The BT engineer is coming out tomorrow, so how am I able to post this you ask? My neighbour has a wireless network which isn’t secured so I’m using their internet connection - ummmm!!!!!! I’m a hacker!!!!!!