FOs, WIPs and OTHER BITS.

Like many other crafters, I am hopeless at focusing on one project at a time. I usually have at least one side project in case I need a break or I do a lot of little projects in short succession. Over the last month, I've made two hats, started another blanket (albeit a lot smaller than the last) and, despite what I said back in mid-June, Sophie has grown. Keep reading if you want to see what I've been working on!

After a recent yarn hunt for something specific turned into a stash addition, I had to turn this Patons 8ply Cotton Blend in a lovely shade of mustard (actually called Mineral) into something worthwhile. When I found this Beeswax hat pattern by Amy van de Laar, I was sure I had a winner but unfortunately - and despite swatching, frogging and starting again with fewer stitches - it's just too big. I think I have just enough yarn left to reattempt with smaller needles, but it is a little disappointing.

We're at that age where everyone we know is doing one of two things: getting married or having babies. Since we're not planning on having children, the latter is always a nice opportunity to bust out some smaller projects. I made this hat for one of husband's co-workers, whose wife is due to have a little girl this weekend. The pattern is the Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap by Gro, with alterations for worsted/aran yarn thanks to this version by Ravelry user, wskmontanna. I used Malabrigo in Sunset, which I had in my stash.

I think I might make some little booties to go with it, but I haven't found quite the right pattern yet, especially for a chunkier yarn like Malabrigo. Any suggestions are welcome!

I've had this baby yarn in my stash for a while (I used little bits of it to make a baby-themed dodecahedron for a commission a few years ago) and decided I wanted to put it to use. Finally inspiration hit when I stumbled across this simple yet gorgeous blanket by The Purl Bee. It's done in fingering/4ply yarn, which is a rarity in blankets and much better suited to the Australian climate. My squares are a tiny bit bigger than the pattern (six inches as opposed to four and a half - is it Aussie yarn or me?) so I'm aiming for a 5x6 crib blanket, rather than 7x9 - though we'll see how that goes when we get there. I don't have an intended recipient for this one just yet but I'm really excited to see how it comes together.

If you're interested in giving this one a go, The Purl Bee sells yarn kits with Koigu Premium Merino the appropriate colours. I'm using five different colourways of Bambini Print and regular Bambini in white for the borders by Baby Bella.

Finally, after having a "completed" Sophie's Universe sitting around my house for a week or two, I couldn't take it anymore, declared it not-quite-right and decided to add the border (but not the granny squares). I am so much happier with how it looks now - the scalloped edging make it look that much more finished compared to the flat edge it had before. It is now a whopping 2.05m (almost 81") and is quite heavy but I love it all the more. I'm so glad I can now genuinely call it done and that I can promise it won't appear in another blog post!

What's are you working on at the moment? Are you a one-at-a-time wonder or a multi-project nut like me?

MEDIA MONDAYS: TERMINATOR GENISYS

If you're totally unfamiliar with The Terminator franchise, stop reading this review and go watch the first two films. Minor spoiler alert but nothing terribly surprising.

Time travel is a funny thing. It raises all sorts of, "but why can't they just..?" and usually creates more plot holes than it solves. Look up the likes of Harry Potter, Back to the Future, Looper or About Time and find dozens of people wondering why they didn't just do this or how didn't that cause that to happen. It's such a fun concept but from a writing perspective, it really is a headache to do well.

Terminator Genisys rewrites most of the history set out in the first movie: Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back to 1984 to save Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) from the T-800. As he leaves, he sees John Connor (Jason Clarke) being attacked by the Eleventh Doctor an unknown figure (Matthew Smith) and receives new memories from an alternative history. A history where Judgement Day didn't happen, but instead an operating system known as Genisys (Skynet by any other name...) will launch in 2017.

He arrives in 1984 only to find Sarah Connor already knows her fate, courtesy of a T-800 similar to the one in T2 - affectionately nicknamed Pops - who saved her life when she was nine and gave her information regarding her future. Somebody else has been playing with history! Reese agrees to help Sarah destroy Skynet before it launches, but instructs her to travel to 2017 instead of 1997 because of the changes to the timeline he witnessed.

Confused? It's actually less confusing to watch than it is to explain.

If you've seen the trailer, you'll know that there are plenty of events from the first two films that still take place. Unfortunately, they either feel like groan-worthy fanservice or not all that surprising (and hey, the big twist was in the trailer!). I just can't imagine a lot of people are jumping in at film number five with zero franchise knowledge. Using time travel and knowledge of the timeline to their advantage (again, again) is actually mildly annoying - why not go back two years instead of two days before the launch of Genisys (Skynet)? Why not see what would actually happen if John wasn't born? Why not this, why not that.

In my review of The Martian last week, I mentioned an unpopular opinion that I thought perhaps made me a little morbid, but I was left with the same feelings after seeing Terminator Genisys. In the original film, Kyle Reese dies saving Sarah from the T-800. Since that T-800 is taken care of pretty quickly (they already know he's coming), Reese never dies in this reality. In fact, none of the good guys do this time round and there's even a semi-happy ending (yes, she chooses him again). There's just no emotional cost and you never really worry about anybody's safety.

No, really.

I remember being terrified in the original two movies, feeling Sarah's fear that ultimately makes her into a crazy badass, the loss of Kyle, the shock when the T-800 isn't the bad guy and being even more scared of the T-1000. That horror element and emotional depth is so lacking here as it is in a lot of media nowadays. Giving Skynet a face (the Genisys program is a physical AI a la Matt Smith meets Cortana meets HAL 9000) actually makes it less scary. If the idea of what is essentially cloud technology were supposed to be mild-terrifying, it fails.

All of that said, for a mindless action film it's pretty great. There are all sorts of chases (trucks, vans, buses, helicopters, you name it), melty robots, explosions, fancy gadgets and weaponry and a scene with Arnie fighting himself, The moments of humour that aren't totally cringe-worthy are definitely chuckle-worthy. Emilia Clarke, while no Linda Hamilton, looks great and holds her own and Jai Courtney and Jason Clarke are adequate as Kyle Reese and John Connor. I was excited to see a disheveled JK Simmons and mildly disappointed he didn't get more screen time.

There's a very short, "of course it didn't!" mid-credits scene (we were the only ones in our viewing who actually caught it) that shows that Skynet Genisys wasn't destroyed. I suppose the question is, how many more times can we do this? I wouldn't say give it a miss, but maybe wait until it's out on DVD.

SYDNEY MEET-UP HAUL.

So naturally during my recent trip to Sydney, I spent a little bit of money. Given that we went to half a dozen bookstores, I bought books. I received books. I got a lot of books.

I managed to find Buffy Season 9 Parts 1 & 2 for $45 each - a total bargain if you live here. I had to fight another girl for them and when we did find them in another store, they were closer to $60. I did a thorough search of the Dymock's music section for biographies and came across Viv Albertine's (guitarist for The Slits) autobiography, Music Clothes Boys. Expect a review of it soon, I'm currently making my way through it.

Much to my surprise I found I don't own every Kelley Armstrong book so I had to buy Otherworld Nights. I guess I stopped keeping track after the series ended and I'm now looking forward to the release of Otherworld Secrets next year. As part of our bi-annual book exchange, I received Sabriel by Garth Nix. I recently watched booksandquill's review of Clariel so I'm really looking forward to getting into the series.

Moving on from books, I couldn't walk through Sydney's Chinatown without going into Morning Glory, where I picked up a handful of goodies including a plush Domokun (in main picture), this adorable red panda notebook (it says, "I'm a lesser panda"), a suction cup nose keychain, some colourful bandaids for a friend and a Micro Block Mike from Monsters Inc. I also received a hand warmer for spending over $10 (not pictured).

Naturally we went into a tabletop gaming store where I purchased the Oz edition of Fluxx. It has been a great hit in our household so far! It's such a great game to pull out and quickly play a few hands (with two people at least, it gets a little more complicated when you have 4-6 people) and it's so based on chance since the rules are ever changing that anyone can win.

Finally, after discovering I wasn't the only one who wanted to go into Sephora (the conversation was "THERE'S A SEPHORA HERE?!"), I picked up a Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Cathedral. I also had my eye on one of the Bite Beauty lip crayons but after a bit of a mixup, they did not have the colour I wanted in stock.

And that's it from me! Naturally most of my money was squandered on things like food and public transport. We're already planning for next year's trip to Brisbane!

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MEDIA MONDAYS: THE MARTIAN REVIEW.

Right, let's get this out of the way: I am not a fan of "traditional" sci-fi. If there's astronauts or aliens or space travel, you can usually count me out. It's mostly the science and tech-speak that does me in, but I also have a hard time connecting with the scenarios and characters. I have next to no interest in reading about exploring worlds beyond our own or finding alien life forms. There are a couple of exceptions, but mostly I'll stick to fantasy or some amalgamation of the two.

I am only talking about books. Gimme Doctor Who or Firefly or Aliens any day.

Except for 2001. Not a fan.

That does mean when it comes to book club picks, I occasionally miss out. Usually that's fine... unless everybody is raving about an amazing book. That's why I, non-sci-fi fan, decided to read The Martian.

Or listen to the audiobook, rather. Everyone said it was great and I'm not interested enough to actually read the book. If I hadn't, I probably would've quit pretty early on. I don't like sci-fi!

If you're not already familiar (I'd be surprised - the book is getting a lot of attention and there's a movie release coming), The Martian is about astronaut (and botanist/engineer) Mark Watney, who is presumed dead after a sandstorm and left on Mars by his crewmates. Before you think that sounds heartless, they had good reason to believe he had died and it's not NASA policy to carry "dead" weight, so to speak, so they don't search for his body. Without giving too much away - though it's not that mysterious in the first place - thanks to some... science Watney pulled through and is now struggling for survival as he becomes the first man to do a great many things on Mars.

...aaand I'll probably just watch the movie 'cause Matt Damon.

For the most part, the story is told in the form of log entries from Watney himself. They get a little formulaic after a while - ate bad food, this thing broke and I'm not sure what I'm going to do, oh wait, fixed it! oh crap, nearly died again... - but Watney's humour and resilience (or resilience through humour?) and my desire to see if Mars really does kill him make the journey worthwhile. He has a witty tenacity that makes him sort of charming. Unless you hate sarcasm, childish jokes and strong language, then this book is not for you. His original estimation is, "I'm pretty much fucked" and that's about all you need to know about him. It really is an understandable coping mechanism, though by all accounts Watney was like that before he was left on an inhospitable rock.

Since it's more the diary of one man's struggle to survive rather than strict sci-fi, it's an enjoyable and easy read. Where I'm usually turned off - science and technology - sounded great. That said I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything crucial if I tuned out for thirty seconds because I'm not an astrophysicist or mathematician. Again, I probably couldn't have handled reading it though. Despite Watney's manner and the occasional screw-up, what he does pull off by himself isn't totally unbelievable since I'm sure NASA picks their guys with purpose and care. That or 'cause science, I guess.

That's my usual reaction too.

While I didn't dislike Watney - I did audibly laugh on occasion and think shucks, how is he going to get out of this one - I was relieved when around page 109 the book switched to third person for some time with NASA and was annoyed when we went long hauls without hearing from them (though this may have been a stylistic choice to display Watney's isolation). I imagine it's even worse on the page. Later on, we get to see how Watney's crew is dealing with leaving a "dead" man behind on Mars. These are the moments where narrator RC Bray really had a chance to shine. Despite their one-dimensional nature (more on that later), he did a stellar job giving them personality and life.

Unfortunately where this falls short for me is the writing. Weir is not a seasoned author and it shows. There's a lot of great technical speak (or I think it was?), which make sense as Weir is a programmer by trade, but you come out not having any visual notion of the characters. Or Mars. Or anything else for that matter. Descriptions tend to be measurements or shapes or colours, which is a little disappointing. The characters, while thankfully diverse, tend to be quite flat and trope-y and the one piece of development comes out of nowhere. It could be because we only really get to know Watney, but you definitely can put everyone into little boxes.

Duuumb ways to die... so many dumb ways to die.

I have some probably unpopular opinions regarding the end of the book, but I think I'll keep my spoilers to GoodReads - which you can find over here. Overall it is an entertaining read, even if like me you aren't a fan of the genre. I don't believe it's worth the hype it's getting, but I understand why it's getting it. It's just enough of a break from the norm to make it stand out. It lacks some literary finesse and gets a little repetitive but it's a solid concept and Watney really is a likable nerd. I still probably wouldn't physically read it though.

Oh, and Watney? You might be a botanist/engineer, but you're also an astronaut. Those guys are fit. Don't try to tell me that doesn't have any pull with the ladies.

He's probably pondering the friendzone. Dick.

ANNUAL BOOK CLUB MEET-UP.

Once a year, the members of my book club flock together for a weekend of fun, exploration and generally nerdiness. This year five of us spent four days together in Sydney (with a couple of locals flitting in and out as they could) and spent the weekend visiting galleries and gardens, shopping and table-top gaming, eating and doing karaoke, and my personal favourite, our annual bookstore scavenger hunt (there will be blood!).

Below are some of the highlights from the trip!

The view from our apartment

The box is 43 square centimetres!

For privacy reasons, I've left out a lot of our group photos. I had such a fantastic time with the girls, it just flew by and next July cannot get here fast enough! In the next couple of days I'll put up a haul of all the goodies I bought (and received - we have a secret book exchange twice a year) on the trip.

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MEDIA MONDAYS: GHOST NOTES REVIEW.

I can't put into words what Veruca Salt mean to me. Unlike a lot of the music I listened to in my teens, the older I get, the more relevant their music is to me. They are the reason I persevered with guitar. Louise Post and Nina Gordon have been my idols most of my life.

Being a fan of a defunct band comes with a price though: you know you will never see them live and they will never produce new music. At least not together - Post went on to make two more albums under the Veruca Salt moniker with a new line-up and Gordon produced two solo albums. Neither had the success or sonic perfection they did when working together. So when,

"for now let's just say this: hatchets buried, axes exhumed"

appeared on their Facebook page two years ago, I barely believe it was actually happening. But when other bands got back together, they never toured Australia and they rarely released new tracks so I was hesitant. When both of those things happened, I truly never thought I could be happier. I screamed the day their Australian tour was announced. Seeing them live last September was a surreal, magical experience.

When Ghost Notes was announced I was torn between the fear that they wouldn't be able to recapture the atmospheric beauty of the first two albums (and copious amounts of EPs and b-sides I've obsessively collected over the years), even having already heard two amazing tracks: It's Holy and The Museum of Broken Relationships.

Jubilation - he loves me again / Halala I don't care

I'm an idiot. A happy idiot.

Despite it being eighteen years since Eight Arms To Hold You was released, they haven't skipped a beat. The guitars, the harmonies, it's all still perfect. It could've been released two years after their last album and you wouldn't know any different - except perhaps for the themes.This is a break-up album with a difference and it was worth the wait.

The opener - The Gospel According to Saint Me (above) - starts gritty and deep, sounding like it could be another track on American Thighs, before breaking into a heavy rejoice of the bands return. It's gonna get loud, it's gonna get heavy. And it does, the grungy guitars rarely letting up across the fourteen tracks. Black and Blonde (a reworking of b-side from Gordon's solo career) is hard-hitting as the original with better structure and an apologetic, harmonic bridge. Prince of Wales, the first slower point on the album, is a dreamy and restrained display with it's steady bass and delicate harmonies. 

The popier tracks, while thoroughly enjoyable, are the weakpoints of the album (yes I can be an objective fangirl). Eyes On You and Love You Less feel a little forumalic and lack some of beefiness and honesty of other tracks. 

Lead single, Laughing In The Sugar Bowl (above), is head-bangingly danceable (and don't think that I didn't). It's clever, defiant tracks like this that bring fans to the band, but they stay for what follows. That midpoint is where the album really opens up. Empty Bottle is epic, cruising through gentle verses before a window smashing chorus and almost heart-breaking bridge. Plus how many songs successfully use the word haemophilliac? 

Love is over, it's over and you can't go back

When you're older you just keep telling yourself that

There's a definite theme to the album, and it's understandable. While it's notable across the whole album, I'm Telling You Now, Triage and Lost To Me have a painful honesty to them, clearly stating that the gap has been bridged but not without some anger and tears over the years. Anybody who's been through a relationship breakdown will feel it in their bones - the loss and regret. The closing track Alternica left me in tears on my couch. Veruca Salt albums have always had big closing tracks (where's my lip gloss...) but this is something else. This is sonic perfection and I couldn't have asked for more. (Plus there's some bonus backing vocals from Letters to Cleo frontwoman, Kay Hanley.)

Where Post and Gordon had previously written songs separately and been quite precious about their individual work, their new-found collaborative nature says all the things left unsaid, as boldly as ever. They complement each other so completely and their joy at reconnecting is apparent in the music and watching them perform together. Even if you're not a fan, this is worth a listen for those who miss real women of rock.

She's the flame and I'm the glow

Must listens: the whole damn thing

Rating: 5 (I'm not that objective)

Okay, seriously listen to Triage, Alternica and Laughing In The Sugar Bowl.

Ghost Notes is available from 10 July 2015. iTunes | Amazon | Spotify

Fellow Aussies! Ghost Notes can be found at JB Hi-Fi and Sanity.

Veruca Salt are currently touring in the US and Canada.

Follow them on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

JUNE 2015 FAVOURITES.

And so we greet the mid-point of the year. Here are a few of the things that have been making me happy in the month of June!

Innoxa Classic Colour Lipsticks
When I bought these colours I was disappointed with how they dark they were. Then winter hit and I fell in love. While they aren't the longest wearing, the colours are gorgeous and perfect for this time of year. I have the shades Very Apricot (left) and Deep Strawberry.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter
I made a post not too long ago about hand creams and somehow forgot to mention my winter staple - Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. It's so thick and my skin just drinks it in this cold weather! If you find the smell off-putting (personally I love it!) they do have a fragrance free version.

Freezer Crockpot Meals
We throw out a horrible amount of veg. It gets forgotten in the fridge and I'm always left feeling guilty. I was looking for slow cooker recipes when I stumbled across this guide for Five Vegetarian Freezer Crockpot Meals in 50 Minutes. It took me personally three times that amount of time but so far it has been completely worth it! The meals are delicious and I just pop them in the slow cooker at around 10am and then forget about it until we're ready to eat.

Cotton On Jumper
I'm having a real jumper moment. Normally in winter I'm all about cardigans but this year I can't get enough of knit jumpers. I bought this one at Cotton On a couple of weeks ago and it's cosy, long enough (nobody wants to see my mid-riff!) and the colour is lovely- as are all the other options.

(Wooden Fox Brooch is from UponATree!)

Purple Skittle Nails
I haven't done all my nails a different colour since high school (though I am quite partial to a feature nail). Then I decided to search Pinterest for winter nails and a particular colour and stumbled across this and this aaand this and decided I have to give it a go. These are the colours I've been wearing!

FOA Dark Side in Maleficent; Maybelline Super Stay in Ever Burgundy; Essie in Merino Cool; Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Plum's The Word; and, FOA Screen Siren in Travilla.

Cadbury Dairy Milk with Vegemite
Okay, hear me out! I'm not a huge Vegemite fan, there were actually a number of years where I refused to eat it. I might have the odd Vegemite sandwich. What I do like is caramel but in my advancing age the sugar is a bit much. Something about the combination of caramel and Vegemite is amazing - it's less sweet than caramel and not the bitter horror show that is normally Vegemite. I recommend letting it slowly melt on your tongue rather than going straight for it.

If you're not Australian, please watch this PSA from Hugh Jackman on how you're all trying Vegemite incorrectly.

Yarn Yoshi Amiibo
Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen in your life? In conjunction with the release of Yoshi's Wooly World (I've said before, not calling it Yoshi's Yarn was a mistake), Nintendo have released a Yarn Yoshi Amiibo. I haven't bought the game yet - I definitely will, I just don't have time at the moment - but I couldn't resist this little guy. Especially since I'm sure they'll sell out very quickly!

Orange Is The New Black Season 3
Like most of the world, we occupied a chunk of our month (okay, four days) with season three of Orange Is The New Black. While I'm not on the Ruby Rose bandwagon with everybody else I definitely forgot how totally freaking amazing this show is. Oh, plus, TANK GIRL is back!

I was also going to mention some yarn I bought on Monday, but I've decided to save it until I've put it to use. Rest assured it is GORGEOUS and I am very excited to work with it.

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