Things to do...

I saw this fun meme on Mick's blog. It's a list of things I have/haven't done. If it's in bold, I've done it, if it's not, I haven't (yet).

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited The Great Barrier Reef.
5. Stood under the stars in the outback, the real outback – think Uluru. (Does Chillagoe count?)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to the Gold Coast’s theme parks – anyone, you take your pick.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped, jumped out of plane, been paragliding or hang-gliding, hot air ballooning – you get the idea, you’ve been hundreds of metres about earth in a seemingly flimsy contraption.
12. Visited Melbourne.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Had a child. Raised a child. Worked with children.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Been to the Snowy Mountains.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Visited the Brett Whitely studio in Surry Hills, Sydney.
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Been backpacking.
23. Taken a mental health day.
24. Been buried in sand with just your head and toes sticking out.
25. Held a possum, kangaroo or koala – or any other native Australian animal.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Been in a fun run.
28. Been on the Blue Mountain cableway.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Played, or watched, summer cricket.
32. Sailed, kayaked or canoed our beautiful waterways.
33. Seen the Daintree.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Visited an Aboriginal settlement or mission.
36. Learned a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Toured the Sydney Opera House.
39. Tried rock climbing (indoor or outdoor), abseiling or just simple bushwalking.
40. Visit Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art.
41. Been to the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
42. Sunbaked at Bondi.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Broome.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone fishing.
49. Seen Tasmania’s old growth forests.
50. Been to the top of Q1, on the Gold Coast.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Driven the Great Ocean Road.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Norfolk Island.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Guide biscuits.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone jet boating.
66. Visited Port Arthur.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Australian War Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Federation Square.
74. Been on the Murray River.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited St Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Been to Hermannsburg.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Saved a pet.
95. Been to the site of the Eureka Stockade.
96. Swum in The Whitsundays.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Random honeymoon photo number 1

This little guy looked pretty sad in his cage. His body language was so much like that of a child, and just screamed "I just want a hug!". I put my finger near his cage and he grabbed onto it with his hand and then promptly fell asleep holding my finger. We sat like that for about 20 minutes. Aw. I think the closest thing he gets to love is little kids poking him and teasing him. Monkeys aren't supposed to be in cages.
On a happier note, we saw lots of monkeys in the wild, kamikaze jumping between trees... they looked very happy.

Stuff and things

Here are a whole bunch of photos of yarny goodness that I took ages ago (note the lack of leaves on the trees!) and never got around to posting.

An old finished object (around August from memory!) Made from my first handspun yarn :)



Another FO. With the gorgeous ruffles yarn my lovely friend Alice bought for me in Germany. The colours aren't as bright or horrible as the photo makes out. My camera just doesn't seem to do reds.
A purchase from the ACT Craft fair... sparkly brown merino.


Some merino purchases from EGMTK. The one on the left is called clown face!
Gorgeous 2ply alpaca which I bought in the alpaca shop in beechworth and am going to turn into a travelling vines scarf.


Another goreous laceweight, which I got at the Craft fair, which took me two evenings to wind into a ball and has convinced me to invest in a swift and ball winder! I was very close to throwing the whole thing in the bin in tangled frustration. It's becoming a feathers and fan scarf. Which I started knitting sitting in a hut in the snow near the top of Mount Buffalo! Lace projects are perfect to take on a backcountry ski trip - lightweight, but can keep you amused for hours while your more skilled mates rip up the slopes!So... the stash is getting bigger and there's very little knitting going on. I'm putting that off until after I've had time to sleep and do last weeks dishes. It's been a long week!

Can I be brutally honest?

Upon observing that it's been over two months since I last posted, and roughly a month between posts for the few before that, maybe I will have to face up to the fact that I might not be a natural blogger. But for some reason I still seem to hold out some potentially misguided hope that it's just all the circumstances of the last while that have been preventing me from blogging... quarter life crisis, corinbank, job hunting, wedding preparations.... But everyone else seems to keep blogging through the busiest parts of their lives, so maybe I have to face that I'm just not a blogger. None the less, I can't seem to shut down the blog for fear (or hope) that 'maybe one day I will want to blog more regularly again'.

When I get on the computer, I get so distracted by other people's blogs, that I never get around to posting on my own. And then I leave it so long that there are too many things to catch people up on, that it seems like a big task and I avoid it. (ah... some deep seated procrastination issues coming out here, but that's a separate struggle).

When I read everyone else's blogs, I am so blown away by how much you achieve... not only how much blogging, but how much knitting, cooking, gardening, sewing, photographing. Where do you find the time? And what am I doing wrong?? So I read everyone elses blogs, marvelling at all they are doing, instead of going and achieving something myself! Hmm.

A reflection - there is a lot of guilt associated with blogging. (again, perhaps me and perhaps related to my extreme procrastination problems). Noone has every critisized me for my very sporadic blogging... so I guess it's not guilt imposed by others so much as by me. I feel guilty for not posting, for not commenting on others blogs... (although there are so many blogs that I love out there that I'm sure I would never be able to keep up with reading or commenting, so don't even really try), I feel guilty for not doing the other things I want to be doing (knitting, cooking etc!) or should be doing (housework) when I'm instead spending time on the internets. But I guess there are no rules about how often I have to blog... only the expectations I'm imposing on myself. So... I'll continue to leave the question of my blog open ended, and see how things go. Maybe I will get reinspired. Maybe I wont. Either way, I'm going to follow Quilting Mick's lead, and make sure I leave time for doing 'real' things!! Maybe if I achieve more in 'real' life, I will be more inspired to post about it!!

Anyway... if you've made it through the self-indulgent ramble, here's a post. There's too much to share to not post. So here it is.

Mr Purl and I tied the knot on the 11th of October. It was a perfect, glowing, happy happy day. To be surrounded by everyone that we love, celebrating our love of each other and of our community of family and friends... made me so ridiculously happy that my cheeks hurt from all the smiling. I couldn't be surrounded by a bunch of more talented, generous and beautiful people, or be blessed with a more amazing man to share the rest of my life with!
So... less gushing more photos?? Sure! Thanks to one of those highly talented people, Tim Grainger for the gorgeous photos.









Our gorgeous outfits (including our beautiful flower girl's dress) were made by our even more gorgeous friend, Polly of Polby Designs. She's one incredibly talented and generous lady!

I wonder if one thing thats discouraging me from blogging is the fact that it takes me so frick'n long to write a post, in between all the distractions of everyone elses blogs, photo editing etc. This post has taken well over an hour and half! Anyone have any advice for blogging/internet efficiency techniques??

This is... my favourite childrens book

Peepo, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. I got this book when I was a baby... and it got a lot of loving. (As you can see from all the pages being held together with sticky tape!)

One of my favourite aspects of the book is the chaotic and cozy mess that their house is in!

This is... my first time

I've been enjoying reading everyone's posts for the 'This is...' meme over the last couple of months - a very clever idea thought up by Three Buttons. So I've decided to throw my hat in the ring too.

This is... what makes me happy.


Spending a rainy day inside in the warmth with good friends learning new skills and getting thoroughly hooked! The lovely Katherine ran a (free!) beading workshop for us. I've always loved pawing through beads in the bead shops, and have accumulated quite a few, but have never had quite the right tools, skills or inspiration to do much with them other than making hemp friendship bands (which, incidentally I quite like, but you can only take so far).

It was a real thrill to learn new skills and to come away after five hours with three completely unique handmade creations! I know what everyone's getting for Christmas this year!! Not these ones though. These are mine!!

Thanks Katherine!!

Knit-Con*

*obscure reference to Can-Con - in Canada, the radio stations have to play a certain quota of Canadian Content (or Can-Con) .

I realised it's been a while since I posted any knitting content, so here it is!!

Finished a couple of weeks ago: My Mum's tea cosy! Mum specifically requested a tea cosy to fit her favourite tea pot, which doesn't cover the handle so that the handle doesn't get super heated. This is the first tea cosy I've made, and I just made up the recipe. The wool is hand spun and dyed that I bought at a gorgeous little handcraft shop called The Purple Paddock in Keith, South Australia. I used a basket weave cable. (officially my first cables. So many firsts!) If anyone would like the pattern, let me know in the comments and I will put it up (it's pretty straight-forward).


And last night in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, I looked up some info on how to knit up the funky tape-like yarn that my mate sent from Germany. It's called Geniale by Schachenmayr Nomotta (50% Merino, 50% Acrylic). And thanks to the ever amazing Ravelry, I discovered that it is very similar to "Linie 194 Solo' and saw lots of examples of things people had knit up with it. (I also saw that Jejune had stashed some way back when.) Anyway... it's kind of fun, kind of awkward to knit with, and automatically makes little ruffles. I liked the look of the skinnier scarves people had made with it, so this is just 5 stitches wide. I've twisted the tape at the end of each row so that the purple shows up on one side of the scarf, and the orange shows up on the other. I like how it's turning out so far. Thanks Alice!! :)