So much to say!!

Well hello there strangers! This is gonna be a looooooooooooooooooooooong one!

August was, as expected, a write off! Mum & dad arrived and we were pretty much non-stop on the move from that day until the day they left! 

Airport Arrival

 
The end of July & most of August involved a lot of soccer as well. It was the end of the season, so there were finals and big games - my guy & his team finished FIRST in their age group. All Age 7s. It was their first season as a team and their first season with this club, so they were all pretty excited!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Travel:
We'll just put this here, shall we?!
 
Mum & dad arrived July 27th, we watched some soccer and we went for a hike at Bundeena. By the 31st we had an idea and were on the road headed North! We were gone for 13 days. Stopped and checked out: Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Ballina, Byron Bay, Brisbane, The Gold Coast (mum & dad flew up to Airlie to check out the Whitsundays), Glen Innes, Nundle, Armidale, Singleton...some place we went to for a rest stop, some we spent the night, some a couple of days. Most time was spent at the Gold Coast. We went to some wildlife parks, saw a lot of kangaroos in the wild as well as one koala! Did lots of hikes, walks, checking out new and different things! Mum & dad loved it, the flora & fauna is much different. I haven't been to Byron since 2002 (I think) and I still love it!

Coffs Harbour

Beach at The Gold Coast

Koala in the wild!

Mum & pop on the ferry to the zoo

Walking the trails at Bundeena - sandstone awesomeness

This little honey wanted to be my friend, and eat my shoe!

More Gold Coast

Jenolan Caves splendour

Once back in Sydney we went to the Blue Mountains, the 3 Sisters, Jenolan Caves (wow caves!), out to Kiama Blowhole, to the Taronga Zoo, Manly, Bondi and Spyros drove us around the city on a tour of the "places to check out". We went inside the Opera House (which I had never done) and I found out the exterior of the place is tiled. The whole roof etc. it was crazy. There was not a lot of time at home just chillin' out, when we were home we were generally doing laundry and planning the next escapade. 

Then they went home. It was a bit sad, I really enjoyed having my family here, and it was also fun to do some touristing around Australia! Since they have gone home it's been back to work and business as usual. No more soccer, but Spyros has been doing futsal once in awhile instead.

Fun in September? We went bowling with some friends, we went to the rewards dinner for the soccer association and got a little dressed up, and it's become summer VERY quickly!

Bowling shoes!

Ducklings at work!

All dressed up

Needles: 
I finished the Market Bag by Vicki Square in Katia Paper yarn - FINALLY. I used 10mm and 6mm needles for this one.

Finished Market bag, already sent away as a gift!

Tour de Fleece went pretty fabulously for 2013. 

As you know, I finished my Everything Old Spinning Fibre  it is 50/50 SW Merino and Silk, and in the Lady of the Lake colourway. It's gorgeous & so soft. I still haven't re-skeined it for a meterage count. It is fractal spun, and I imagine this is going to be a shawl, and I think it is going to make a lovely fabric!

Can you see that sheen?!?!

Remember the yummies from Yarn Vs Zombies on Etsy? I spun up my Zombie Bites. I got the #4 pack which has in it 3oz of fibre. 1- Merino/Possum blend, 1- Corriedale, and 1-Alpaca/Extra Fine Merino. I spun it fractally, 2 ply, and used my Trindle! I was struggling with the batt - but it came out great at 90 grams, about 263 yards! I think it might end up being a hat, not sure yet.

 

Here's the Zombie Bites!

Spinning on my Trindle!!

Finished skein of awesome!

Next up for Tour de Fleece was my Tribbles by Gourmetstash! I had two "episodes" of Tribbles:
Episode #3 = Mohair, Merino, BFL, Superwash Merino, Cormo, Silk, Angora, Alpaca, Firestar
Episode #5 = Mohair, Merino, BFL, Corriedale, Silk, Bamboo, Angora, Alpaca, Angelina

I spun them up on my Knit Picks Turkish & then plied them together on my Turkish! I like the turkish, but I am slower with it than a drop spindle! First time bottom whorl! I got 4.3 ounces, and about 466 yards of a 2ply.

Spinning on the Turkish

Finished Skein of Tribbles!

 
The final thing I finished during Tour de Fleece was my  Phat Fiber Box : So I spun up all of the Heroes on one ply. Then I spun up all of the Villains in a second ply. I used my new Highland Handmades Spindle to spin each single, and then I plied them on my Spinatude spindle because it had the longest shaft, and this was 213g of fibre! It's a bit thicker, only about 395 yards, but I freakin' love it. I think a cowl. Not sure though!

Amazing 2ply that I HEART BIGTIME!

 After the spinning finished I got back to knitting. I completed the Man Mitts by Yvonne Ellsworth and used my Gnome Acres Merino Nylon in the Leonardo colourway. I used 2.75mm (2US) needles, and I think they came out great!

Macho Macho Man

I also knit the Peppermint Stick Socks by Shelby Dyas out of Gnome Acres Merino Nylon in the Raphael colourway on 2.5mm (1.5US). I did the TRUE afterthought heel and snipped out the heel! Scary, but so easy. I kinda love it!

snip snip snip

Kinda Christmas-y eh?

I made the Bainbridge Mitts by Amy Mercer in Moda Vera Pure Wool 8ply these were a gift for my friend. First time with broken rib and I love the texture!

I also knit Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder I used the Cloudlover 75/25 SW Merino/Nylon in the Hondouras colourway that I received as a prize during Yarnivore's Snuggle along I knit them using my 2.5mm (1.5US) ChiaoGoo needles.

I knit the Quick Cable Slouch Hat by Azure with the GORGEOUS Peruvian Scoured Alpaca Tweed that I got at Fibre's West ages ago! Softest ever, I made a cowl with it and now this with the leftovers! I used 5mm (8US) & 6.5mm (10.5US) needles and it's just perfect!

Soft and amazing

 Lastly, I knit up The Sunlight Shawl for Sad People by Sylvia Bo Bilvia in my HANDSPUN! Yep. That's right. After TdF I decided it was time to USE some of my yummies and since this was the first skein I made and was proud of I decided to start with it. 100% BFL, 2ply, and I knit it with 4mm (6US) needles. It was fun and exciting to knit with it and see how it came out. It was my first time doing a picot bind-off and it was AWESOME! Now I must go rummage through my stash and pick the next handspun project!

Proud as a peacock! Fluff to Stuff - I DID IT ALL!

Unfinished, but on the needles: I started my first sweater - AAAHHHH! So excited, and so damn nervous. I got gauge perfectly, so hoping it fits ok! I am knitting the Lapis Yoke by Hannah Fettig and using SMC Northern Worsted 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool in Grape. The needles are 5mm (8US) 5.5mm (9US).

I'm a bit further than this (done the yoke now)

I started and am nearly done the PartyingIt UP and Getting Down Socks by Megan Williams that the lovely Amy of the Stockinette Zombies Podcast gifted me. I am knitting them in Friday Studios, Monday Base, The Orphans of Highbury colourway that I got in her Jane Austen club! Using 2.25mm (1US) knit picks 2 circs.

I have only the heels left!

 I FINALLY started my Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelly Kang using left overs! The needles are 2.75mm (2US) and I am doing 44sts. I am LOVING this, but don't have nearly enough scraps! LOL So trades & mini skeins may be in my future!

How awesome is it?!

That's it! For now. Stash though??? A lot was a prize or a reward LOL

My awesome bag from 210th Street Designs (Zombie Knitpocalypse treat)

Amazing sweater bag from Joanna of KnitSpinFarm

Amazing shawl gem from Tix Trinkets

Incredible haul from Highland Handmades as a fitness reward to myself!

Love her, love her bags, had to get a sweater bag! The Ploverbird

I won this from the Phat Fiber's Blog Wandering Wool

I mentioned this last post - I won this from Sockbunny Studios for the Fitness Along

I won this Little Monkey SnS batt from The Muststash Podcast for participating in TdF!

This is a prize of Bella Dulce Yarn from the crew at Nimblestix for posting TdF progress

This was on the road purchase & gift from the Nundle Woolen Mill which we came across accidentally!

A wedge bag & notions pouch from the lovely Denise of KikiBoo Bags & The Knitting Den Podcast

Fitness:
During July and the beginning of August I did pretty good at working out 6 days per week.  I got within 2.5lbs of my ultimate goal weight and was feeling pretty good! I was amazed at the fact that Insanity had absolutely helped with my cardio and running was good. I hit a PR of 5km in 32min!

However, then we traveled. Oi. I started off pretty good, but bad food, crazy hours and plenty of travel led to not a lot of working out or food tracking. When mum & dad had left I had gone back up 4lbs, and have stayed there as I struggle to get back to a routine!

I did not do the City to Surf. We would have had to plan the holiday around it and it wasn't worth it since I wasn't planning to run it anyhow. I did do the Color Run, but didn't get my parents signed up in time! There was a group of 4 of us running it and it was fun...but it would have been more fun if they had been a part of it instead of having to wait for me to rock up to the finish line LOL

Just across the finish line!

Anyhow! I am getting back to it. Determined to get in at least 5 days a week. I am still doing running & strength. I am starting the C25K again, but I am using the ZombiesRun app, hoping it will get me more interested ;) Taking such a long break has killed my endurance - I was running 8km non-stop before my parents arrived and now I'm struggling at 2k! I also did something to my knee, so I think starting out slow should be good. (Plus it's getting DAMN hot!)

Spyros says he wants to do Insanity - but he's not. LOL But I do think I am going to incorporate it back into my routine. Either when I don't feel like running or I just want a change. I really want T25, but I would have to buy it ;) So for now I'll just keep truckin' - it's summer now so I need to get happy about me so that I can go to the dang beach!

WOWZA! Ok - so I am done. Sorry, but it was a long time coming! I'll be better, if you care ;)

*muah*