It's beginning to look a lot like progress...

Happy February! The month of love & hearts & red & chocolate...and I am trying to lose weight! It's OK, I can do this! It's a lifestyle change!!

For Australia Day we didn't do anything, we hung out at home and missed out on the fireworks. Since then we haven't done too much. We've done a bit of texturing and painting on the outside of our place, so it's about half-way done. Also some laying of pavers around the house to make a nice pathway. However, it has been storming and raining a lot because of cyclone Oswald. It didn't really come too close to us, it was in the water in the North of Australia, but it definitely affected weather throughout most of Australia. Which has led to quite a bit of flooding in Queensland state and the storms here.
In Sydney we seem to miss out on the really terrible conditions, (the bush fires and the flooding) however we do get wind and recently quite a bit of rain. Intense downpours for a couple of days straight. Which impedes any outdoor work even more than the intense heat was!!

We did get a couple of local jobs that just took a couple of days and we were within five minutes of home which was super! It's nice to have some paying work again. Much as I would love to not have to work, money is necessary.

Needles: I haven't touched my Aquaphobia Socks by Crystal Flanagan which I am using my Pollika yarn that I dyed myself! I am working them two at a time, top down on US1/2.25mm.

Aquaphobia Socks

I have done a bit of work on my Shop Hop Shrug by Nell Ziroli in Moda Vera Marvel 8ply in black. Definitely understand what people mean when they say that knitting in black is a frustrating thing!! It's all lace, it is a pattern that I can't seem to memorize and so I am struggling. It goes pretty quickly when I get to it, but I don't get excited as I am working LOL.

Shop Hop Shrug

The newest project I have started is a Snuggle which everyone is creating right now because Sadie of the Yarnivore Podcast is spearheading the effort (and does every year) & I wanted to jump on that bandwagon. I haven't yet found a place that I can send it, but I will find one! I am crocheting it (had to give my hooks a workout) out of Moda Vera Marvel 8ply held double with a 5.5mm hook. I am doing the Back to Basics Snuggle and trying for the 24X24 size! However I am nearly out of yarn and only half way through...guess I need another skein!

Back to Basics Snuggle

I finished my Corgi Hill Polwarth/Silk 85/15! I LOVE it!!! The gradient came through and there was a bit of barber poling between colours, but I think it's fabulous...it's squishy, it's amazing, I am so proud LOL. It is a sport-DK weight and I got 384 metres/419yards of a 2ply from 5.5oz.

The Polwarth/Silk 85/15 through the stages...

Fitness: 
I was excited for February 2nd because that was the first day of the running group! Excited to start a group activity, get some exercise and meet some new friends...but it was POURING...so it's not happening until next weekend. However, I did begin the 30 Day Shred again on the 1st. Hoping that it will help, combination with the running and the eating better!
Spyros received "Insanity" from my sister for Christmas and we are excited to begin that. I personally wanted to work up to it, so doing the Shred through February is part of that as well. I believe we are going to start it in March, exciting and scary! I know my brother & his wife were doing it for the last couple of month to be bathing-suit-ready pre-Hawaii and from what I have heard the results have been very positive.
Regardless..I am starting to feel better and see some changes. The belly chub is lessening which is a lovely feeling!

Travel:
Went to Wollongong today to price a job...so we might be heading out that way for work! Also, would really like to get out to the Blue Mountains to check it out, but no specific dates as yet!