The First Finished Object of 2014 - Huzzah!!

Gosh, it's been a while since I posted a finished knitted item, yes?  Too long, mayhap...

Never fear, I have something to show you now!  You may recall in January I was the lucky recipient of a free pattern from Sezza Knits - Moera.  I got the go-ahead from T and a choice of ghastly green yarn which was promptly ordered from Holland Road Yarn Co. and even more promptly delivered (two days, people.  Two days).  I got started on the knitting of it the day before heading off to the Tussock Traverse, so I'd have car knitting and hotel room knitting, because y'all know how boring long car rides and hotel stays with crappy TV can be.  Over the ensuing month, I picked it up on occasion and knit a bit.  Sometimes I picked it up and knit quite a large chunk.  Last week, after having submitted my final assignment for Business Communication, I decided it was time to knock the sucker off, and finished the hood.  On Monday I went out and purchased a zip, and on Tuesday I proceeded to shorten said zip so it would fit nicely (btw thanks for the links to instructions on how to do this Sarah, awesome!) and sew it in.  I was surprised to discover that if I didn't rush (which I am wont to do when nearing a project's completion) I could actually make it look quite tidy.  On Wednesday I whip-stitched the sides down (as per the instructions, which were really helpful) and the hoodie was ready for wear.  T, bless his little heart, decided to wear it to school yesterday, complete with long-sleeved t-shirt underneath so it wouldn't be too itchy.  Just so you know, it was a 26°C day. In case you were wondering, I did try to reason with him that it might be best left until the weather was slightly cooler.  He refused to be swayed, and insisted on wearing it regardless.  On ya, kid.

I think he likes it :)

For the deets, the pattern was Moera, knit in Cascade 220, Palm colourway (shade 2409).  The pattern was very easy to follow (aside from the potentially confusing 'sm' which stood for both sleeve/stitch marker and slip marker (ie: move the stitch marker from one needle to the other) - I had no problems with this but I could see how some knitters might).  I used most of the four skeins I'd ordered, and because T is a rather tiny nine year old I got away with knitting the size 6, increasing the arm length by about an inch so he'd get a bit more wear out of it.

It was a nice, simple knit, perfect for TV watching and car rides.  Since casting this off the needles, I have cast on a pair of BFF socks for my sister, whose birthday is next Thursday.

I'm knitting these in some Cascade Heritage Paints yarn I had in stash.  I believe it was purchased during our trip to the US.  Only the heel and foot of one sock left to go, so I should get them finished in time for posting out early next week.  Having said that I am running the 17km Coastal Challenge this Saturday and there are talks of a 24km 'volcanoes' run on Sunday, plus we have house guests this weekend and I still haven't done my housework for the week.  Hmm...

Let's not focus on that right now though, I still have interesting things to share!  We did a recce run along the coast from Browns Bay to Long Bay last weekend.  It's not quite the area I'll be running in (I start from the northern end of Browns Bay and finish at the Windsor Reserve in Devonport) but it was fun hopping around on the rocks, and good practice all the same.  Naturally, I took some pics along the way, and was even lucky enough to spot an anemone:

'The usual suspects' ;)

Anemone!!!

The east coast, much like the west coast but in very different ways, is constantly changing from one section to the next.  Oh, so much fun being able to take it all in!  Here are a few pics of a different section of the east coast from a run earlier in the week (the 22km sans-BodyGlide, urgh) - Kohimarama Beach:

View to Rangitoto - one day I'll actually get around to going there for a run. Such a slacker...

Corroded much? LOL!

I'm looking forward to this weekend :)

As for what's new coming out of my kitchen, we have:

Roasted pumpkin salad with cranberries and glazed pecans

Chesapeake tempeh cakes

Jumbo chickpea pancake with avocado, salsa and vegan mayo

Vegan bolognese on rice pasta

My favourite 'winter granola', veganised (I've eaten half this batch already. So good!)

Apricot and almond DIY larabars with pumpkin pie spice - not much to look at, but a healthy, tasty snack all the same :)

Indian butter tofu

Miso broccoli and lentil plate

I can't take credit for this one - its a slice of cacao and raspberry raw cheesecake from Little Bird.  Delish!

Breakfast this morning was a cashew, date, banana and vanilla smoothie. Omnomnom!

OMG SO MUCH GOOD FOOD!!!

Also, just wanted to share a neat pic with you that I snapped during my walk home from Ponsonby earlier yesterday.  I thought it was neat:

Right, time to tackle that housework before the extended family converges here and takes over all available spare space.  Have an awesome weekend, people!!