Sunday, November 22, 2009

No Deja Vu here

There's so much I want to blog about - adventures, crafts, fabulous times - but at the moment I've barely had time to log on, let alone upload pictures and put together a post!

First day

I'm back up North in the Pilbara working on the next construction site job and it has been INTENSE! Even though we did this last time - I flew up first, shweetie was brought on board a couple of months later - and I've already spent over a year and a half living in a Fly-In Fly-Out camp, deja vu doesn't seem to apply!

Since the day I flew in (5:10am no less...) it's been non stop action with a totally new project, new team, different site, with different and stringent regulations to remember and adhere to, new camp and room... the list goes on! How do I get to work in the morning? Where do we pack crib (lunch)? What's the postal address here? Who do I see to get hooked up to the work server? and so on! So much to absorb and get right!

Suffice to say I've been pretty exhausted each day when I finally get home to my little room.
But the last two days I've been feeling myself again and settling in a little, much to my relief! Last night we had our Christmas party which was great fun and today was officially a Rostered Day Off (RDO - this site has a 6 day week: every Sunday off, an improvement on the last site which had a 13 day fortnight with only every second Saturday off!) but my manager and I headed in to work anyway which was fine. So much can get done without the distractions! We cranked some tunes, smashed through the work and went out on site and climbed to the dizzying heights at the top of the steelwork. A small crew of dogmen, riggers a crane driver were in too extending the boom on the big 250 tonne crawler so we headed over to say g'day and were able to help them out pulling some of the collosal cables into place - like pirates on a huge rope!

So no exciting crafty posts just yet I'm afraid, but hopefully soon, as long as the rather dismal internet service out here can manage photo uploads and such!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

My Retro Skirt!

Allow me to finally display.. My first sewn skirt!

retro skirt!

Terrible photo - at night with a mobile phone - bad combo!

But I didn't have time to take a better one at the time, and now I have washed the skirt and discovered it DEMANDS ironing after a wash! Ah well...

The gorgeous monochromatic retro flower print was actually nestled in amongst a scrap grab bag of fabric I snatched up when I first bought my sewing machine. My shweetie suggested a grab bag of fabric practice on, and lo! This fabulous fabric (I keep almost typing 'yarn' I'm so used to always utlising THAT craft material!) was in amongst the mish mash, in two long strips.

I took the pattern from my favourite skirt, but had to adjust it to suit to strips of fabric - hence the black panels!

Over all I'm very happy with it, the only downfall being the recently discovered high maintenance nature of the fabric! Ah well, a quick ironing and I'm off! Promise to take some better photos once the iron has been wielded ;D

Sunday, November 01, 2009

NaKniMo 2009!

Can it truly be November already??

Yes it seems to be, and that means all the NaMos are out!

  • NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month (30,000 word novel in November)
  • NaKniSweMo - National Knitting of Sweater Month (30,000 stitch sweater (American, hence 'sweater' not 'jumper') in November)
and the NaMo I'm a part of...
  • NaKniMo - National Knitting Month! (30,000 stitches knit in November)

I like the freedom NaKniMo gives me, which something like NaKniSweMo can't offer - I'd have to knit ONLY the jumper and that won't work with me, since I've several gift knits and things to work on, plus my own personal knits.

This is the second year I've signed up for NaKniMo and I am PUMPED!! Very excited to crank out the stitches and achieve the goal of 30,000, an average of 1000 per day.

I'm not off to a great start since I've had to rip back my cast on and first rows of the I Heart PomPoms hat I've just started, and also the beginnings of the Girasole blanket! DRAT!

girasole beginnings

I had finished chart A of Girasole and had pressed on for the next 6 rounds to then realise I had HALF the stitches I should have! Gah!

Nevermind.. I'll sort out these fiddly beginnings and then I'll be on my way. I find the start of projects, particular circular ones, the most time consuming. Once the knit is on the go it's much easier to zoom along and tally up those stitches!

If you'd like to join us in our NaKniMo adventures, head on over to the group on Ravelry HERE. You'll find guidelines, tally posts and so on plus MUCH enthusiasm, encouragement and good times :D We'd love to have you join us, and you can still jump in now! Of course if you're not a Raveler you can always tally your own stitches in a wee notebook or some other method. It really is a great way to bust out a project or two you've been having trouble committing to or getting done.

Not a knitter?

What over 30,000 tally will motivate you to meet a goal and achieve something big and satisfying?

Cross-stichers - A 30,000 stitch cross-stitch design?
Golfers - 30,000 golf swings?
Gamers - 30,000 point score, or 30,000 slain zombies?