Still here, except now I'm over there.

I can't believe it's been over two years since I last posted to this blog. There have been lots of changes in my life since then: new country, new job and new home.

I've been in rural New Zealand for almost three months now, and working at my new job for a couple of those.  I'm still getting used to the accent (asking people to repeat and spell out their names is getting a little embarrassing, especially when it turns out their name is Smith), still getting used to the money, and still getting used to the small everyday things things that trip me up.  I'm still loving it, and have to pinch myself almost everyday to convince myself I'm not dreaming.

Do I miss family and friends?  Of course I do.  Sometimes painfully so.  Thank goodness for Skype and FaceBook - it's so easy to keep in touch with family.

Do I wish we were back in the UK?  Sometimes, but not often and not regularly.  Do I wish we could get bacon that hasn't been smoked?  HELL YES!  However, it's a new place and new life.  It would be churlish and foolish to ignore all the exciting new in order to cling to the old.

Things that haven't changed in my life: I'm still obsessed with reading and crafts.  Since landing in New Zealand, I've found that I'm interested in patchwork again and have started hand-sewing a green and cream 9-patch quilt.  I picked up a quilting frame a few weeks ago, so I'll get to try that out soon.  The knitting is still going strong, and I've even kept up work on the crochet blanket project (I've made just over 200 of the 400 squares I need). 

The next big thing is moving into our new home, where I'll be responsible for establishing and maintaining the vegetable garden.  Yikes!  I'm not a confident gardener, so that will be... interesting. 

Here's to change!

I AM THE CIRCLE AND THE CIRCLE IS ME

“The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.”

— Patrick Ness (The Knife of Never Letting Go)

This yarn was a gift from KraftyKoala*, because she knows just how much I LOVE the Chaos Walking trilogy that inspired the colourway. The books are The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men, by Patrick Ness. If you haven’t read them, I urge you to go buy them now. Read them!

Go on, do it now!

I’ll wait.

OK, so now you know how awesome the books are. The yarn is pretty cool too. I thought it would take ages to find the perfect pattern. I wanted a project that would tie in with the theme, so was delighted when I came across Anne Campbell’s pattern for Circle Socks*.

I finished the first sock and got halfway through the second on a DVD weekend with Woollverine, and as the sock came off the needles, we both agreed that I couldn’t have found a more fitting pattern for the colourway. The circle section on the leg breaks up the colours into a chaotic mixture, with the circles popping forward from the background noise. Then on the smooth foot section the dark colours flash into a controlled spiral. If you’ve read the books, you’ll know why this is perfect - almost like I’d planned it! ;o)

I am soooo pleased with this yarn and these socks. Now I just need to convince Gemma to dye some Eugenides yarn...

Films watched whilst making these socks:

Kind Hearts & Coronets
The Big Lebowski
Legion
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
Fanboys
Outcasts

*Ravelry links

Drive-by photography

We're just back from the Southern 100 in the Isle of Man. We had a couple of hours to kill before boarding the ferry home, so we did a circuit of the TT course, and I did some drive-by photography. John just shook his head in despair, but it made me giggle.

Oh dear...

I have been very quiet, haven't I? I've also been busy, so here's a picture montage to show you the highlights of what I've been making in the last twelve months. You'll have to supply the A-Team music yerself though!



































































































































































Now, I'm working on Haruni, in a luscious eye-searing orange that I picked up from The Yarn Yard at Woolfest last month.

Bento!

My first attempt. It's a bit naff, but it made me smile.

Morecambe Bay Walk

On Sunday 29th June I'll be walking across Morecambe Bay to raise money for Galloways Society for the Blind. You can find out more and sponsor me here. I'll be very grateful for any contributions. I might even show you some of the things I've been knitting and some of the goodies I picked up at Woolfest yesterday...