Mr. and Mrs. Vernon and "Family"

Mr. and Mrs. Vernon and "Family"
Originally uploaded by undream the echoes. . .

And the award for the CREEPIEST FAMILY OF THE ENTIRE 19TH CENTURY AND POSSIBLY EVER goes to.....

astonishing tales of the sea

Radio National strikes again! This afternoon I was listening to Rear Vision, and managed to learn all about a mad historical incident involving the sea, which I'd never even heard of before - The Cod Wars!!
This was a dispute in the 1970s between Britain and Iceland about territorial waters and fishing zones, which led to confrontations between British and Icelandic fishing trawlers. Go here to read all about it or here to download the audio.

midnight maniac

well well well, here we have an actual unadulterated blog post with a finished knitting item!! Has the world gone topsy-turvy?!

I have a strange knitting habit, wherein I like to try and match projects to yarns in a thematic sense. For example, for Midnight Meadows I was looking for a pattern which reflected both the name and the colour of the yarn. So for ages I had Vinnland queued, due to its pagan influences (apparently inspired by the Green Man) - although it's quite possible I was just mesmerised by the Type O Negative references. I had grandiose visions of knitting these socks and becoming some sort of cavorting druid. Sadly it was not to be, as I realised that (a) I am unlikely to become a druid, not being within easy access of a henge, and (b) it was likely that the Vinnland pattern would be obscured by the dark murkiness of this yarn. So I went through my sock knitting books and chose a simple rib sock from one of my favourite designers, Nancy Bush.



Pattern: Spey Valley Socks by Nancy Bush (from Knitting on the Road)
Yarn: Sundara sock yarn in Midnight Meadows
Needles: 2.25mm

So I'm still striving for that magic thematic connection of pattern and yarn. I have another skein of Sundara yarn in a colourway called Deadly Nightshade. Perhaps I'll design my own sock pattern and call it Belladonna.

President Barack Obama

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

(from "Still I Rise", Maya Angelou)

I really didn't think America could do it. I don't think I've ever been more overjoyed about being wrong.

Current Flickr Faves & Inspiration

Mmmmm....pierrots, silent film stars, abandoned mental asylums....

current faves/inspiration
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

1. Aileen Pringle (1924), 2. rid, 3. Buster Keaton (1895-1966), 4. Lily Verlaine - La Vie en Rose, 5. Erte (Romain de Tirtoff), 6. London After Midnight (1927), 7. over grown, 8. Do I have lipstick on my teeth?, 9. country honk

outlandish plans of varying degrees

The Southern Summer of Socks is back on again this coming 2008-09 summer. My achievements vis-a-vis last summer's version were nothing short of a failure (albeit a quite spectacular one), and for lack of a better scapegoat I'm going to blame it on the fact that I didn't set any goals for the project.

So in keeping with my approach to tasks and life in general, I feel it's time to set some mildly outlandish and completely unrealistic goals!

• I plan to knit 10 pairs of socks between October 2008 and April 2009
• All of the socks I knit will be with yarn from my sock stash
• some patterns I plan to knit up include Garden Gate (already started!), Twisted Flower, Lissajous, Vinnland, Baroque and Ornette. (Do you think I can be bothered linking all those?? check Ravelry, but trust me they're all HOT)
  

Right! All that remains now is to sit back and wait for the entire plan to fall apart in my face as I get distracted by something shiny (par example - watching endless episodes of Never Mind the Buzzcocks on YouTube).

ALSO, this needs mentioning. Plans (no doubt of an outlandish nature) are afoot to make American Psycho into a Broadway musical. Has the world gone mad? (Hmmm...don't answer that). The only possible way this production could work would be if it starred Troy McClure.

RIP

Paul Newman 1925-2008
Actor, humanitarian, and all-round dreamboat.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra Begins
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

Is it possible that I can finish this beautiful stole in time for 9 October, which is when I'm seeing The Pearlfishers? Now that the weather has finally started to warm up, I'm envisioning wearing it with a beautiful draped Grecian-style black dress which I bought last year at the end of summer and haven't worn yet.

cincinnati kid

I've just returned from my second bridge class. I'm loving it so far. I'm one of those people who always wanted to love chess, but just couldn't get into it. Too much waiting around and planning about eight moves ahead, i just got impatient. I like bridge because it's faster yet still requires strategic thinking and memory skills. It also utilises my arch-nemesis, mathematics, but even that's not too bad.

In other news, I will be moving in a week's time, to a studio apartment in my beloved Newtown. I lived in Newtown for about 3 years from the age of 15 to 18. Some things have changed, such as my favourite cafe, formerly "The 381" on King Street, with old couches, squillions of interesting notices covering every inch of the walls - I remember sitting there reading true crime books all day with friends and neighbours dropping in to chat or sing along to the great music the staff were always playing on the stereo - it's now a "trendy upmarket" cafe with a sterile interior. Some things are still the same, such as Faster Pussycat - I remember being there on their opening day and am so glad their business is still thriving. There are also new things too which weren't around when I lived there last, such as the knitting groups at the Courthouse Hotel and SSK which I enjoy so much, not to mention my favourite boutique, Elvis for Cleo. So overall, I'm really looking forward to my second stint living there.

ALSO, my blog's title is now more apt than ever, as I am now the proud owner of an antique chaise lounge which I snapped up from the Salvos Store in Glebe last week. It's in good condition, could probably do with some new upholstery, but it's absolutely gorgeous. My amateur Antiques Roadshow skills are telling me it's probably Edwardian. So now, knitting on the chaise lounge becomes reality!!

ch-ch-changes

In big life news, I have to move in eight weeks time!! So I'm plunging head-first into the apparently terrifying Sydney rental market, and looking for a semi-decent studio apartment somewhere in the inner city. I plan to wear elaborate headscarves and sunglasses when I put out the recycling so that the other occupants of the building think I'm a faded film star.


In knitting news, I'm at a bit of a standstill with my projects in the sense that nothing is finished, nothing new has been started, am just plugging along with the same projects. The Mystic Light Shawl is nearing completion, I now have about 350 stitches on my needle and just 6 rows to go! But I have been buying lots of vintage yarn from Ebay. Loppem in bright orange (I'm talking 1970s orange) vintage Patons Jet - insane or hot? Or both?

bezique

I've become obsessed with the idea of becoming an expert Bezique player. Not least because I can then imagine I'm in an Edith Wharton novel. My scheme has now moved up (or down, depending on how you look at it) a notch in the sanity stakes, as I'm now bidding on EBay for a 1930s bezique set with original bezique markers (see opposite) and mother of pearl features.

fail

poor neglected blog (and blog readers), soon I will be able to muster up enough brain power to actually post something of substance apart from random hilarity found on the Internet. But until then, I present how not to succeed at serial murder:




image taken from failblog.org

reasons why i love eurovision, episode #72

This is Latvia's entry, "Wolves of the Sea":


I'm really looking forward to Sunday night's Eurovision Party, featuring foods of Europe!! I'm representing Russia (vodka), France (petit fours) and Malta (Maltesers).

I've got lots of knitting content to update with shortly, including finished items, progress on wacky Japanese pattern interpretation, and a fabulous new knitting bag. stay tuned.

Dickensian Urchin Mitts

Fingerless Mitts
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

When I was growing up in England my Aunt Sue used to baby-sit me on Saturday mornings when my parents were working at the Petticoat Lane Markets in London. We used to play lots of board games, but our favourite was The Dickens Game. I used to read a lot too and she had a beautiful first edition of A Child's History of England which I always admired. Years later I finally managed to find this wonderful edition in Berkelouw Books.

It seemed a fitting match for these mitts which I whipped up over the weekend in between essay writing. They're the Garter Stitch Mitts from Ysolda Teague. I used Grignasco Tango (the poor woman's Rowan Felted Tweed) in grey for added urchin-ness, and still have about a third of the ball left. The concept of grafting 42 garter stitches quite frankly terrified me (i hate grafting) but it was surprisingly easier than stockinette grafting, and looks really neat.

So now I'm off to beg for pie. "I'd kiss you but doctor says I'm sick".

kirchner

okay my new favourite website is The Proceedings of the Athanasius Kirchner Society. They collate various media items about all sorts of wacky facts about science, nature, and general esoterica. For example, did you know that a 405 year old clam is officially the world's oldest animal? Or that the face of the Rescue Annie doll they use for CPR training is based on a death mask from a woman found in the Seine in 1900?

Pass the Laudanum

In my ongoing quest to become a Victorian urchin, for my next knit I'm going to whip up some of these Garter Stitch Mitts which will no doubt be useful to wear while begging for pie at people's windows on my way to the workhouse.

Also I'm making a mad dash to Kinokuniya in my lunch break tomorrow to pick up some recommended steampunk fiction. It's in the young adult section, but lately I've been enjoying young adult stuff a lot, perhaps because my poor little brain can't really take in much else after days reading High Court cases. Anyway, the books I'll be purchasing are: -

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick which is about an orphan living in a Paris train station, featuring automatons and mad scientists or something, as well as being an homage of sorts to Georges Melies (woo!)
  
• Mortal Engines (Vol 1 of the Hungry City Chronicles) by Philip Reeve, which is set in post-apocalyptic Victorian London and features lots of zeppelins and mad explorers.

Any steampunk aficionados out there? Has anyone read these, or have any other steampunk recommendations? It has rapidly become my new favourite subgenre.

hot (literally) restaurant review

Sichuan Spicy Restaurant, 1-9 Glebe Point Road, Glebe

I don't think Sichuan is reknowned for subtlety. The interior of this restaurant is quite garish and very red. The chairs are highly ornate, yet cushionless (ow). The waitstaff wear traditional Chinese dress, again all red (which makes their yellow smiley face badges seem slightly strange - sort of like David Lynch meets Studio Ghibli). Anyway, the place was jam packed, but we didn't care because we'd booked.
After wading through the full-colour encyclopaedic menu, we ordered what turned out to be a really good combination of dishes, considering we were flying by the seat of our pants a little.
Smoked duck - fantastic. One of the best duck dishes I've had in a long time. Nice juicy meat, crispy skin and a great smoky flavour (hence the title).
Kung Bao Chicken - Not as spicy and a bit sweeter than some I've had, but overall a good all rounder in the stir fry department.
Beef on Hot Rocks with Sichuan Pepper Sauce - this dish is actually served on hot coals. Apparently some people try to eat the coals. Don't eat the coals. The meat was super tender and the coating of Sichuan pepper made our mouths tingle (but in a good way). Lots of yummy herbs (mmm coriander) and onions.
Pork and Leek Dumplings (steamed) - not as good as my favourite dumplings in the whole word (to be found at "Crazy Grapes" restaurant in Chinatown) but still pretty good.
Green Beans with Mince - this was my favourite dish (and not just because I chose it). The beans were fried with some yum chilli sauce and served with pork mince. Delish!
We polished off all the plates, and I was just full enough.
Tsing Tao beer is the perfect compliment to this food, although a minor crisis eventuated when the waiter began bringing the main dishes BEFORE the beer!!!! Luckily after some pointed and desperate looks in the direction of the bar area, our beers arrived a couple of minutes later.
Valuewise, it's great! It ended up costing $25 per head (including alcohol).
Three out of five of our party were suffering hangovers, and by the end of the meal they were considerably perkier. Success!!
I think i'll definitely be back for another visit. As one of our party pointed out, you could go there about 25 times and still not have ordered everything on their massive menu. Variety is the spice of life!!

free at last?

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere", Martin Luther King Jr, Letter from Birmingham Jail 1963.

I don't think I'd be in law school right now if it wasn't for the principles this man stood for and so courageously fought for. He was murdered 40 years ago today.

Selbu Mittens

Selbu Mittens
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

Pattern: Selbu Mittens from Folk Mittens
Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills/Heirloom 5ply Easycare in Brown and Mushroom (1 50g ball of each).
Needles: Set of five 3.00mm bamboo DPN.
On Ravelry here.
The following disasters (of varying disastrousness) befell this knitting project since I started it in 2006(!):
1. After leaving the first mitten semi-complete for approximately 2 years, due to change in gauge/tension one of the mittens is slightly larger than the other. It's not really noticeable or aesthetically dodgy, just that one mitten fits my hand PERFECTLY and the other is a little baggy around the wrist.
2. All the stitches fell off the needles at least three times while languishing in the knitting basket for said period of 2 years
3. On the second mitten I forgot to put the waste yarn in for the peasant thumb. I realised this when I was almost up to the top of the mitten. This mistake may or may not have had anything to do with concentration issues due to extended viewing of Mighty Boosh episodes. I frogged back and valiantly re-knit pretty much the entire second mitten.

Melodrama aside, I'm actually really glad i finally finished these. For once it appears I chose the right colour scheme, and they're really warm. I left out the bit where you put codfish gall bladders inside the mittens (to cleanse and strengthen the wool) because I'm not a mad 19th century seafarer (more's the pity).

lazy

elysian fields
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

I've been really lazy today. Perhaps it's the heat (Sydney is currently experiencing all the summer weather we didn't actually get all summer), but I couldn't really face doing much of anything today. Last week was really hectic, what with the return to uni, a promotion at my job(woo) which meant learning some new stuff, and lots of mad cycling. So today I just sort of pottered about, laid on the couch reading Tennessee Williams plays, did a bit of my uni readings and some knitting.

Speaking of knitting, the French Trellis Scarf is now blocked! It looks great, but I'm waiting until tomorrow when I visit a friend to get some hot action shots in. But now I'm officially in love with lace knitting. My next envisioned project is the Lily of the Valley shawl from Lace Style, but I'm also valiantly resisting the urge to order the Moroccan Days shawl kit so I can knit the shawl and then wear it to Morocco when I finally get there (hopefully early 2009).

I also cast on for the Lace Ribbon Scarf from the new Spring Knitty, which seems to be the new big ticket item on Ravelry. It's a beautiful scarf, and I'm knitting mine up in some black baby alpaca from the stash.

So tonight I'm going to take it easy, eat some chicken and salad, watch Charles Laughton in the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and read Night of the Iguana. Oh, and knit!

font

i don't know about encyclopedic, but I do love a touch of Hemingway and 1920s Europe. Go American Typewriter!!!
(link from web-goddess - happy birthday!!)

Winona forever?

So according to my co-workers I'm the "Office Winona". At first i thought they were trying to accuse me of being a drug-taking shoplifter, but apparently it's because I'm small, wear a lot of black and am a bit loopy.
Overall, i guess it's okay being compared to Winona, particularly Winona in her glory days a la Heathers and Beetlejuice.

Wintry

Haruha Scarf in progress
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

I've been thinking a lot lately about autumn/winter knits. Summer is pretty much over already, and the majority of this summer has been crazy rain and weird weather anyway. I actually much prefer winter anyway. Winter means soups and stews. Winter means hot chocolate. Winter means reading big Russian novels. Winter means boys in beanies and girls in stockings.
So I've been ogling various berets, scarves and mittens over on Ravelry and have cast on the Haruha scarf as my first official autumn/winter accessory. I have a gorgeous black Stella McCartney coat to keep me warm, so some hot knitted accessories will really jazz it up.

BATS!

BATS!
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

they're awesome. that is all.

horror crochet

I'm not normally a fan of fiddly littled crocheted/knitted items, eg sushi and cupcakes etc. they're incredibly cute, but I just don't normally have much time to spend making stuff that's not really very practical. HOWEVER, an exception shall be made for the items I just discovered in the new issue of the AntiCraft: a crocheted chainsaw and axe!!

I have some photos of the Opera in the Domain knitting extravaganza which I'll put up shortly, most probably after I've had an opportunity to listen to the latest Sticks and String podcast and freak out about how my voice really sounds. That's right folks, David interviewed me while we were swanning around waiting for the opera. No doubt I've managed to cackle insanely and/or scream excitedly at some point during the broadcast. tee hee.

The Road to Homebush...

Close up of centre knotwork panel
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

is littered with cable stitches......
This is the beginning of Kilronan (on Ravelry here), which is my entry in the Royal Easter Show Arts competition this year.
I was debating whether or not to knit this jumper for a while, considering
(a) I don't live in the wild heaths of the Aran Isles (yet...)
(b) I don't own a horse and fetching riding boots
But on the other hand, I think it will look nice in winter paired with some leggings and hot boots.
So in order to have this finished by the time it needs to be delivered to the Show people, which is around early March I think, I'll need to knit my little heart out. Can i do it??? Not to mention I have some top-secret gifts to knit for next month as well. Also not to mention my seemingly incurable obsession with starting new projects, particularly hot berets at the moment.
At least I haven't bought any yarn so far this year. Money in the bank kids!!!! (Well except for the $7 I spent at JB Hifi the other day buying a copy of Serial Mom, but i figure that's the best $7 I'll spend all year. That movie is HILARIOUS!)

day of mayhem

So many insane news stories today!!
1. The Polish man who went to a brothel only to discover his wife amongst the employees (link)
2. The American man who cut off his and microwaved it after reading passages from the Book of Relevations (link)
3. The Russian man who killed two of his friends with an axe after walking in on them in the process of dismembering his pet dog for meat (link)
4. The guys who wheeled their deceased friend around New York "Weekend at Bernie's" style to try and cash a cheque - my personal favourite (link)
These sure are strange days on Planet Earth.

festival fever

Went along to Sydney Festival First Night, a great way to kick off this year's festival.
Started out at Hyde Park, walked through snow/tickertape in Martin Place, Plump DJs, then on to the Domain for summer sounds with Brian Wilson, and back to Hyde Park for Pink Martini, fireworks and bats!! The only lowlights were the RIDICULOUS over-policing and stupid drink voucher system.
And tonight...Spank Rock at the Becks Festival Bar!!

resolutions

I love a good list, particularly one filled with unrealistic goals. So without further ado, here are my Resolutions for 2008:

• stick to budget. Aim to have $3K saved by the end of the year in the African Holiday Fund
• continue yoga at least once a week, but without turning into a "yoghurt fancier"
  
• get rid of some unwanted stuff on eBay or Freecycle it. It's all about minimalism folks!
• knit up all the yarn I have lying around before buying any more. See above re minimalism.
• get knitting articles/designs published. Work on knitting book.
  
• visit more lighthouses
• drink more cocktails and less beer
  
• procrastinate less (hahahahhahahhahahahhah)
  
• blog more than once a month
  
• continue being hot
• bring Vincent Price back from the dead