Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood

Materials: Noro Silk Garden; 45% mohair, 45% silk, 10% wool

Amount: 2 skeins in 87; 2 skeins in 376; Approx. 206m/100g

Needles: US 7/4.50 mm

Start Date: 3 July 2014

Finish Date: 21 July 2014

For: Luke

Pattern: Chevzam by Alex Tinsley

Materials: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted; 100% merino

Amount: 1 skein in 22 Sauterne; 1 skein in 35 Frank Ochre; 1 skein in 36 Pearl; 1 skein in 63 Natural; Approx. 192m/100g

Needles: US 9/5.50 mm

Start Date: 8 December 2014

Finish Date: 19 December 2014

For: Nicole

Pattern: Hermione Hearts Ron by Christy Aylesworth

Materials: Patons Big Baby 4ply; 60% acrylic, 40% nylon (small)
Heirloom Merino Magic 5ply; 100% Merino (big)

Amount: 1 skein in 2565 (small); 1 skein in 206 (big)

Needles: US 2/2.75mm  |  US 2.5/3.0mm (small)
US 2.5/3.0mm  |  3.50mm (big)

Dates: 2-4 November 2014 (small)

17-19 December 2014 (big)

For: Katie

Pattern: Song of the Sea by Louise Zass-Bangham

Materials: Heirloom Merino Magic 5ply; 100% merino

Amount: 4 skeins in 206; Approx. 119m/100g

Needles: US 6/4.0 mm

Start Date: 21 July 2014

Finish Date: 21 August 2014

For: Kira

Pattern: Vivace by Elizabeth Sullivan

Materials: Moda Vera Noir; 75% wool, 25% nylon

Amount: 1 skeins in Purple Mix; Approx. 400m/100g

Needles: US 2/2.75 mm

Start Date: 27 March 2014

Finish Date: 1 December 2014

For: Katie

There's something really special about having friends who know you really well, and while I've always had good friends in my life, this is something I've been really blessed with of late. Sometimes this means someone knowing the exact joke to make me laugh for hours on end. Sometimes it means someone knowing I'm not okay even when I say I am. Sometimes it means sitting in a cafe until getting kicked out at closing, or lounging about at home chatting away. Sometimes, the best times, it means having someone hold you while you cry even if you're not really sure why you're crying, having someone make you feel like you're not alone in the world.

Today it means having people who know how to pick the absolute best Christmas present anyone could ever pick for me ever!

I came home late tonight to find a package tucked behind my screen door. This is always a very welcome sight, but it's rarely a surprising one. I usually know when to be expecting a package, so as soon as I saw it sitting there tonight I starting wracking my brains to think what I had ordered and very quickly came up blank.

I had no idea what it was at all... and then I noticed that the return address said 'Jellywares'. That sounded familiar. But why?

And then it hit me. Renae, Wendy and I had had a brief conversation about monthly yarn clubs about a month ago, but we hadn't really done anything about it. Those sneaky little tricksters! It didn't take much to make them confess and admit that they had arranged this lovely Christmas gift for me.

I can already tell that my favourite part is going to be the unboxing each month. I mean look at this! It's all wrapped up so prettily, with washi tape and stamps and beautiful Christmas cards and crafty goodies!

There was a short, heartstopping moment when I thought they would make me wait until Christmas to open further than this, or at least wait until Saturday when we'd all be together, but thankfully they took pity on me and let me keep going.

And just look at that. Debbie Bliss cotton yarn in beautiful colours, a gorgeous Christmas card, pretty little buttons - what more could you ask for in a surprise package? I'm so very lucky to have such lovely friends who know how to spoil me so!

When the new TMNT movie came out this year, Ash insisted that we go. He planned the night, issued the invitations and ensured that everyone displayed the appropriate amount of enthusiasm (even those amongst us who weren't as turtle excited as he was). This isn't the first time we've indulged a friend's childhood passions returning to the big screen - when the last Muppet movie came out a few years ago we all traipsed to the cinema and though Kim was less excitable than Ash, it was no less adorable.

A few weeks prior to this movie date, I had spent a Friday night over at Ash and Kira's house and this meant that I was there for Saturday morning cartoons. I do remember watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid, though I have never enjoyed them more as when I've watched them with Ash. I like that he bounds down the stairs like the big kid that he is and happily makes me a cup of tea. I like imagining that he tries to wake Kira up to watch them with him most weeks but she, smart girl that she is, whacks him with a pillow and goes back to sleep. I like seeing him enjoy Scooby Doo repeats and echoing lines about "pesky kids". It's great fun and a wonderful example of the occasional endearingly child-like antics that now fill my 'grown-up' life.

While watching cartoons this particular morning, I commented to Ash that I didn't really know a lot about TMNT. He looked at me askance. In fact, I had said, I couldn't remember ever really having watched it. He gaped. No, I was pretty sure I'd never seen it. That was it. He jumped up and pushed a pile of DVDs in my hands and I had my homework before me. I can't say that I watched the entire pile, but I did give it a go, and managed to work in a direct quotation a few days later which made him rather happy, so I suppose my homework was sufficiently attended to.

All of this is by way of explaining that when Ash's birthday came about recently, I was already pretty sure of what I was going to make him.

Pattern: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle by Nichole's Nerdy Knots

Materials: 4 Seasons Stallions; 100% Acrylic

Amount: stash amounts in green, tan, orange, and yellow

Hook: F/3.75mm

Start Date: 2 October 2014

Finish Date: 4 October 2014

 

Total Watched: 79/250

31%

Quite belated to be sure, but never mind!

I went through the entire house this week and collected all the free-range knitting needles that had squirrelled themselves away into every corner and put them all back into their proper place. I have never felt so organised ever - I feel like I could take on the world! Does anyone else ever feel like this, or am I just being especially OCD today?

The power box for my house is right outside my bedroom window - no big deal, except that it doesn't latch properly and I need a ladder (which I don't own) in order to get up high enough to jam it shut again. Because of this, I am quite used to having my sleep punctuated by a constant loud tapping if there's any degree of wind.

So, last night when I head a tap-tap-tap outside my window, I didn't really think anything of it (beyond the standard 'grrrr that stupid door!'), rolled back over, and went back to sleep. This morning, however, I popped down the side of the house just to check that no damage had been done. While there a little something caught my eye...

I stepped in closer, trying to see what the strange shadow was, way up high under the roof. Stepping on the leaf litter, however, I startled whatever it was and it moved even closer to the house. At first I thought it was a cat somehow stuck up on my roof, but when I got closer....

Not a cat! A mountains brushtail possum! I think it's still a young-ish little thing as it's smaller than any of the other possums I've seen out and about. It didn't seem so inclined to move from it's spot so I left it to it's shady spot (the heat has hit this week) and went on about my day.

Coming home this afternoon, I had fully expected the little guy to have moved on, it's hiding place having been spotted, but apparently he's in for the long haul. Kira mentioned her childhood practice of feeding possums jam bread, so having no jam in the pantry, I tried to lure my new friend out with some honey. Never before have I gotten a "you've got to be kidding me, right?" look from a possum, but today I certainly did. Clearly he is happy where he is, so I guess as long as he's happy to stay on the outside of my roof, I'm happy to have the housemate. I even left him his snack just in case.

Managed to completely forget about doing the August snapshot, but I'm jumping back in this month with a combo!

Sometimes I engage in craft that is thoroughly weather inappropriate - such as the beanie I just finished. The pattern is called Icicle, happily prompting up images of icy winters, perhaps a little falling snow, all those lovely things - but I've managed to finish it off just in time for the Australian summer to start settling in. Into the draw it goes for next year, I'm afraid.

Pattern: Icicle by Irina Dmitrieva

Materials: madeline tosh dk; 100% merino

Amount: 1 skein in Maple Leaf; Approx. 206m/100g

Needles: US 4/3.5 mm  |  US 6/4.00 mm

Start Date: 6 September 2014

Finish Date: 23 September 2014

I've been resisting the urge to start in on tiny owl knit's The Beekeeper's Quilt ever since I first saw it. I ignored the designer's enthusiasm over the squishiness of the hexipuffs. I pretended I had forgotten about the little bits of left over sock yarn I had been hoarding. I pretended I didn't absolutely love the look of the little embroidered puffs popping up all over Pinterest. I WOULD RESIST.

Clearly I didn't resist. I mean, have you seen that blanket? It's adorable.

I'm keeping track of my hexipuffs over on ravelry, where I shamelessly stole the stats layout from ravelry user velmalikevelvet - but I thought I'd copy my stats over here where I've got some room to play and add pictures.

One of the tasks (read: mammoth challenges) I am undertaking as part of my 101/1001 challenge is the Walk to Mordor fitness routine that I stumbled across here. It combined my love of books and nerdery, maps, compiling data and my need to work on my fitness.

I've been reading up on the ways others have approached the challenge and I've decided that while I shall be following Frodo and Sam's path to Mount Doom, I shall not be following their mode of transport (clearly giant eagles are out of the question, but I also had no desire to horse riding or rowing for the requisite number of kilometres). I've decided that any measureable amount of movement shall count - I mean, there is a LOT of distance to cover here, I really need it to be at least slightly possible!

In addition to walking the journey, I shall be encouraging myself along the way by reading Lord of the Rings (something I have actually never read) in relative speed to my progress. Let's hope I find the cliffhangers proper motivation!

All up the above journey, from Hobbiton to Mordor is a total of 2838 km (*whimper*). I shall be logging my progress here on this page so please feel free to leave me kudos (may happen) or nudge me when I don't move (will definitely happen). I've broken the trip up into three parts, just for the sake of the maps.

PART ONE (Hobbiton to Lothlórien)

This Leg    Accumulated    Arrive at:                                                  Date Achieved

8                 8                         Arrive at Brandywine Bridge                    16/09/2014

6                 14                       Last view of Hobbiton                               17/09/2014

37               51                       First encounter with Black Rider               24/09/2014

44               101                     Farmer Maggot's House                             09/10/2014

11               112                     Buckleberry Ferry                                      13/10/2014

5                 117                     Crickhollow                                               14/10/2014

3                 120                     The Old Forest                                           15/10/2014

37               157                     Tom Bombadil's House                              22/10/2014

59               216                     Bree (The Dancing Pony)                           03/11/2014

61               277                     Midgwater Marshes                                    18/11/2014

89               366                     Foot of Weather Hills                                 7/12/2014

18               384                     Weathertop (The Watchtower of Amon)    10/12/2014

188             572                     The Last Bridge                                           13/01/15

56               628                     Stone Trolls                                                 21/01/15

92               720                     The Attack at the Ford!                               04/02/15

13               733                     Rivendell                                                     06/02/2015

13               746                     Ford of Bruinen                                           09/02/15

359             1105                   Hollin Ridge

95               1200                   Redhorn Pass

45               1245                   Warg Attack!

32               1277                   The Doors of Moria

66               1343                   YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

24               1367                    Frodo hears a creature and sees its eyes in the dark

1                 1368                    The Woods of Lothlórien

2                 1370                    Cross Nimrodel

7                 1377                    Cross the Silverlode

73               1450                    The peak of Cerin Amroth

22               1472                    Reach gates of Caras Galadan and Lothlórien

PART TWO (Lothlórien to Rauros)

This Leg    Accumulated    Arrive at:                                              Date Achieved

50               1522                   Sailing to Rauros Day 1

58               1580                   Sailing to Rauros Day 2

58               1638                   Sailing to Rauros Day 3

96               1734                   Sailing to Rauros Day 4

116             1850                   Sailing to Rauros Day 5

80               1930                   Sailing to Rauros Day 6

80               2010                   Sailing to Rauros Day 7

19               2029                   Sailing to Rauros Day 8

3                 2032                   Sailing to Rauros Day 9

64               2096                   Arrive at Rauros/Breaking of Fellowship

PART THREE (Rauros to Mount Doom)

This Leg    Accumulated    Arrive at:                                              Date Achieved

118             2214                   Gollum Captured

45               2259                   First view of Mordor

16               2275                   Enter heart of the Dead Marshes

77               2352                   Nazgûl spotted flying to Isengard

38               2390                   Sighting of The Black Gates

38               2428                   Reach northern edge of Ithlien

16               2444                   Found by Rangers. Battle and oliphaunt sighting

96               2540                   Led up path to Henneth Annûn

11               2551                   The White Bridge. Sam stops Frofo crossing

20               2571                   Opening to Shelob's Lair

261             2832                   Fight with Shelob. Frodo stung!

6                 2838                   The foot of Mount Doom.

MILESTONES

1% (29 km) reached on 19th September, 2014

5% (142 km) reached on

10% (284 km) reached on

15% (426 km) reached on

20% (568 km) reached on

25% (710 km) reached on

30% (852 km) reached on

35% (993 km) reached on

40% (1135 km) reached on

45% (1277 km) reached on

50% (1419 km) reached on

55% (1561 km) reached on

60% (1703 km) reached on

65% (1845 km) reached on

70% (1987 km) reached on

75% (2129 km) reached on

80% (2270 km) reached on

85% (2412 km) reached on

90% (2554 km) reached on

95% (2696 km) reached on

100% (2838 km) reached on

Resources: