Monday, 17 April 2017

Achievements



Another pair of fingerless gloves finished! These are for me - I get really cold hands when I'm sitting still and working on a computer, so needed a pair to use at work. The owl gloves I made last year are very cute but a bit too bright for the office, so I decided to use the black yarn that was left over from the Dalek gloves to knit a new pair. I started on Friday and my goal was to finish them before the end of the Easter long weekend - which I did! The pattern, by Teresa Cole, is called 'crazy, beautiful mittens', you can buy it here.



The Sydney Temperature Scarf is growing - the first three months of 2017 are now done. I think it's going to be a very orange scarf as most days the temperature is between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius!



I've also made a new pair of felted slippers - the pair I made in July 2016 was quite worn out, and they are so comfy!



And finally, today I achieved another goal - something completely different. In October last year I started running, as a way to deal with the stress of having to move twice in a short time - first in Brisbane, and six weeks later from Brisbane to Sydney. My goal when I started was to be able to run five kilometres (approx. 3.1 miles) - and today I did it!



It took more than six months as I struggled with various injuries (Achilles tendinitis, shin splint, adductor issues), but in the end I got there! I felt so happy and proud this afternoon - and as I walked home the universe rewarded me with this gorgeous sunset:



:-)

Monday, 10 April 2017

Dragon Paws and gymnastics



It's been more than three weeks since I last posted here - my new job has taken up a lot of my time and most of my energy! I haven't done any sewing or quilting during this time, but I have knitted something: these Dragon's Paws Gloves for my dragon-loving middle son (pattern by Holly Stone available on Ravelry). They're not very warm but should be sufficient for a Sydney winter.



Yesterday my eldest son competed in the New South Wales State Championships and, just like last year in Queensland, became the State Champion on pommel horse in his age level (8 Under 14)!



He also won silver on parallel bars, bronze on rings and vault, and came second overall. In May he will represent New South Wales at the National Championships - we're both looking forward to another trip to Melbourne, and to seeing our gymnastics friends from Queensland there again!