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


20140913 (3)


On Repeat:
Weddings
Cheering to go to the zoo
All the washing and folding
Pancakes
Counting steps



Media Consumption:
TV: 

  • Doctor Who (seasons 1-8)
  • Xena: Warrior Princess (seasons 1-5)


Films: 

  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  • Transcendence (2014)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
  • The Maze Runner (2014)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)


Books: 

  • All Wound Up: The Yarn Harlot Writes for a Spin (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee)
  • The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared (Alice Ozma)
  • Luna (Julie Anne Peters)
  • Whose Life Is It Anyway? (Brian Clark)
  • Girls With Slingshots, Vol. 1 (Danielle Coresetta)
  • Girls With Slingshots, Vol. 2 (Danielle Coresetta)
  • Girls With Slingshots, Vol. 3 (Danielle Coresetta)
  • Girls With Slingshots, Vol. 4 (Danielle Coresetta)
  • Girls With Slingshots, Vol. 5 (Danielle Coresetta)
  • Girls With Slingshots, Vol. 6 (Danielle Coresetta)
  • Girls With Slingshots, Vol. 7 (Danielle Coresetta)
  • Rules of Summer (Shaun Tan)
  • The Lost Thing (Shaun Tan)
  • The Red Tree Shaun Tan)
  • Lindbergh: The Tale of the Flying Mouse (Torben Kuhlmann)
  • The Giver (Lois Lowry)



On the Needles:
Song of the Sea (needs blocking)
Dulce (needs blocking)
Fox Brooch (finished)
Icicle Hat (finished)
Manic Panic Cowl
Garter Stitch Cowl
The Beekeeper's Quilt
Isadora Scarf
February Lady Sweater
Vivace Socks
Mysterious Reversible Lace Scarf



101/1001 Status Report:
Crossing off three things this month!
  • See a film at IMAX   [12/08/2014]
  • Update my resume    [12/09/2014]
  • Get a full time job     [18/09/2014]
  • MORDOR UPDATE: I am currently at... the first encounter of the Black Rider (51km)



Important Events:
  • Katie and Amy's Wedding [13/09/2014]
  • Kira's 30th Birthday [18/09/2014]
  • Got the job at Xavier [18/09/2014]
  • 2nd Out-i-versary [19/09/2014]
  • Kim and Greg's Wedding [20/09/2014]


Visualise It:



Snapshot: September

by on Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Managed to completely forget about doing the August snapshot, but I'm jumping back in this month with a combo! On Repeat...
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.

20140929 Icicle Hat (2)


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 have been hoarding this skein of madeline tosh dk for over a year now. Partly because I just really liked looking at the colourway, but mostly because madeline tosh yarn is my favourite of all yarn (it is just so soft and squishy) and just knowing that I had some on hand was lovely.

I finally caved and cast on however, safe in the knowledge that this knit was going to be all for myself (yes I broke the Christmas knitting roll) and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. madeline tosh yarn AND happy cables? That makes for some nice comforting knitting in my book. Plus, because of it's size, it was wonderfully transportable. It was knit in front of the TV...



AND it was knit happily chugging away up the mountains on the train...




And, I'm sure a few places in between. I know for sure it was knit over coffee in Katoomba, and sat by me while I got all made up for a wedding, so it did the rounds this one. This is, actually, one of my favourite aspects of knitting, the way in which it can absorb all the memories of everything going on around you.

I did manage to sneak in a few wears before today's weather took a decided turn for the season, so I can report that it is wonderfully comfortable!


20140929 Icicle Hat (1)

Summer Icicles

by on Monday, September 29, 2014
Sometimes I engage in craft that is thoroughly weather inappropriate - such as the beanie I just finished. The pattern is called Icicle, ha...








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.



Total: 18
Aug 2014: 10
Sep 2014: 1
Oct 2014: 7

Milestones
5% (64) reached
10% (128) reached
15% (192) reached
20% (256) reached
25% (320) reached
30% (384) reached
35% (448) reached
40% (512) reached
45% (576) reached
50% (640) reached
55% (703) reached
60% (768) reached
65% (832) reached
70% (896) reached
75% (960) reached
80% (1024) reached
85% (1088) reached
90% (1152) reached
95% (1216) reached
100% (1279) reached
(I used this to calculate how many of hexipuffs I’d need. Frankly I’d avoid doing that if I were you because now I’m scared and a little crazed.)

YARNS USED
Filatura Di Crosa
(unknown colourway - red/purple)
0.75 squares

Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball
1699 Lilac Breeze
1 square

Shepherd Baby Wool Merino 4 ply
2948 (pastel green)
3.75 squares

Unknown Yarns (not listed above)
(unknown remains from Sweetpea socks) - 3 squares
(unknown remains from First Socks) - 2.5 squares
(unknown - mustard) - 3.25 squares
(unknown - white) - 1.75 squares
(unknown - blue) 2 squares

20141031 October Hexipuffs




20140929 Hexipuffs


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.


Challenge Started: 16 / Sept / 2014
Challenge Completed:

Total distance to date: 796.57 km




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:
  • I this website for the distance between locations
  • This website for the breakdown of the trip from Lothlórien to Rauros
  • This website for the map bases and locations
  • I used screencaps from the above to produce the gradual plotted journey - feel free to use with credit to the above.

Walk to Mordor Challenge

by on Monday, September 15, 2014
One of the tasks (read: mammoth challenges) I am undertaking as part of my 101/1001 challenge is the Walk to Mordor fitness routine th...