This sucker is a LONG one (but mostly photos)!

Seems like I am always waiting for more to happen, and then I get busy and plenty happens and it's overwhelming to write it all out!

To summarize: We are 95% done the "inlaw suite/granny flat"! We are living in it now, we still need to finish up the outside, and get a few things to decorate the inside (a rug, some artwork, do something with the stairs)...
but it's certainly liveable!

The view into the bathroom from our kitchen

The other side of the bathroom

The view into our kitchen from the front door

The view into the kitchen from the bathroom door

The fridge & pantry & front door from inside the kitchen

Looking into the kitchen from the front door (our loft bed & closet too)

The view from the couch!

Inside the closet

More closet ( I need to hem the curtain!)

More closet

The bed!

Bedside table..

That pretty much wraps up the tour...the plan is to get an outdoor table for entertaining! However, it's nice to have our own space & privacy!

Otherwise, the Christmas holidays were much different here than they are with my family in Canada. Different traditions (no travel, all the family is in one place!), different foods (BBQ!), different weather (SO HOT!)! Didn't feel a lot like Christmas to me, but on the day we got to Skype with my family and open each others gifts together! Lots of love for modern technology! Christmas morning was a breakfast BBQ and gifts for the kids at Spyros' sisters family home. Christmas dinner was a BBQ at his dad's house (and our home). Lots of meat...none of it turkey or ham!

The breakfast spread..

Breakfast with the family

There is always time for Playstation

On New Years we had planned to go into the city for the big fireworks display but it was a busy day of running around to get things for the suite, and we were wiped out. So instead it was a BBQ again with the family at his dad's house. We could actually see the fireworks in the city from here (so much more flat than BC), so we alternated watching from the deck and watching on the television.

Dinner BBQ on New Years

Souvlakia, octopus, sausages...nearly the same as it was on Christmas day

Fireworks

So much meat..

It's not "meat" it's "seafood"

Black cicada that hung out for awhile

New Years cake

 
Most recently we did a hike at Bundeena, which was mostly in the sand....I was not wearing the appropriate footwear, a family outing to Manly Beach, took the train into the city and the ferry to Manly. We wandered around, checked out the market, I was attacked by a seagull (it landed on my head and my burger) and we had some ice cream! I also just had a "girl day" with my friend Robyn...and it was a lovely day of chitter chatter!

The view at a stop underneath a sandstone outcropping on our hike

Riding the ferry

Now...it's Australia Day, and we have started working again too....

Needles: 
I finished my  Don't Cage Me In Socks by Boutros Babe/Fiberista Files in Hawthorne Cottage Yarns 4ply Nylon Sock Yarn for the Sockbunny Knit and Fit and The Knitting Den KAL. I did them two at a time using two knitpicks harmony 2.25mm (US 1) circular needles, and made them short socks as that was how the pattern was designed and because that was new to me!!

Don't Cage Me In Socks

I also finished Crosswords at the Coffee Shop by KnitPurlGurl which I received as a RAP from knittinwolf of Wolfe Farms Podcast, I knit it out of Super Worsted by TriaFataFibreArts on my Hiya Hiya Sharps Interchangeable 5mm circular. I did the shawl size, but it came out nearly the shawlette size. I like it though, it makes a really nice shawlette! On top of that, there was the added enjoyment of thinking about Karrie while I knit it, it was a great pattern and the yarn was delightful!

Me wearing the Crosswords at the Coffee Shop Shawl

The pattern on the shawl

I finished spindling my Alpaca & Silk from yarnandfibre and I messed up a bit. It was overspun, and then I had a crazy brainfart and plied it in the same direction as I spun the singles, so it was even MORE overspun. I soaked and thwacked and even weighted. Which sucks because this should have been a fluffy delicious yarn and I killed it! However, it was a learning experience...I won't forget that, and it may even be usable! 

My alpaca/silk screw up!

Now, we haven't been working...so I also have finished:

For Good Hat by Megan Williams in Cakewalk Yarns Play (Hero Squad)

ZuZu's Petals by Carina Spencer in Little Monkey's Stitch N' Spin Melody (Legend Gradient)

Arkanoid by Woolly Wormhead in GnomeAcres Nylon Fingering (Michelangelo)

Ribbed Hand Warmers by Purl Soho in GnomeAcres (Michelangelo)

I started Aquaphobia Socks by Crystal Flanagan and I am using my Pollika yarn that I dyed myself! I began them two at a time, top down on US1/2.25mm. I am following the pattern as written, which is a lot more stitches than my usual sock, but the last slip stitch socks I made were pretty tight. So we will see how it goes!

I also started the Shop Hop Shrug by Nell Ziroli in Moda Vera Marvel 8ply in black. I have wanted to try this as my first garment for awhile (a sweater is in the plans for 2013), and couldn't find an affordable cotton or cotton blend, but saw quite a few people used acrylic - so here goes!

Finally - I started to spin up the Corgi Hill Polwarth/Silk 85/15 fibre that I purchased from a destash! I am already half way through it, I took a break for a bit of knitting, but will spin up the second half soon! I am trying to pay a lot more attention to how "spun" it is...hopefully I get some super squishy loveliness out of this sucker!! It's a gradient and my plan is to 2 ply it in the same way to get a two ply gradient, I didn't think I would be able to spin up the whole amount and then navajo on my spindles (oh geez how I would love a wheel!) So let's hope it works out...it is just gorgeous to spin though! I did need to fluff and pre draft a bit because it was quite compressed...wish I had known to do that with the corriedale I did quite awhile ago!

Corgi Hill Polwarth/Silk 85/15

Now I also received things for and around Christmas..but this is massive already...next time!

Fitness:
I started out 2013 great. Bought a scale, started doing the 1 a day workouts with Fitknitchick and was going to start running! However, it's been very hot...I also ripped off half my toe being silly and that put a hold on some workouts. However, I have been really being aware of my food intake, water intake and portion sizes. I have cut way back on carbs, and all that I am having are whole wheat or brown rice. I am back to doing the exercises and am joining a running group that starts the beginning of February. So I am hoping I start feeling the changes!!

Travel:
The same holds true as the last post. Hoping to do a bit of the Blue Mountains soon, and the next $$ trip will likely be New Zealand. The only real news is that I drove, by myself to Beverly Hills. It's not very far from Picnic Point to Beverly Hills, and it's fairly straightforward for the GPS - but it was the first time I had driven any distance completely on my own over here, and it felt like a bit of a milestone!