2009?

So will 2009 be the year I actually get my act together and take the blog a little bit more seriously? By which I mean continue to post facetious and outlandish material, but on a more regular basis? We shall see. I'm certainly going to try.

Anyway, here is my last Finished Object of 2008. Considering I'm apparently getting more and more neurotic as I reach the age of 30, it's quite fitting that lace knitting completely absorbs and obsesses me almost to the brink of madness. Even at 3am after a bottle of wine, I am telling myself not to stop until I have 328 stitches on my awesome Addi Lace needles. Some might say I need to get out more, but I go out all the time!



I finally made a Swallowtail Shawl (ravelry link). I used Handmaiden Yarns Mini Maiden, which is a glorious wool/silk fingering weight blend in Indian Summer colourway with 3.5mm Addi Lace needles.



delightful!

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.

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.

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!!

Recipe for Disaster or Recipe for Success??

Ingredients:

28 episodes of Twin Peaks
Hedera sock pattern
1 hank of Socks that Rock Raven yarn
Imported British chocolates
Beer

Combine!
Only time will tell if this will result in a completed pair of socks for Southern Summer of Socks, or whether it will result in me roaming the streets talking backwards and carrying a log.

Merci Beaucoup Ami Secret!

Thanks secret pal!!
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

this BEAUTIFUL yarn arrived in the mail yesterday from my secret pal via the Loopy Ewe (also my favourite online yarn vendor!). It's J.Knits Lace-a-licious in Massachusetts colourway. The photo doesn't do the yarn justice, it's superfine alpaca and it's so incredibly soft and squishy.
i've decided to make the Lily of the Valley Shawl from Lace Style with it.
this is perfect summer knitting!
also in the package were the awesome Kitchener Stitch markers, which i've been wanting for ages!
hooray for my secret pal! you rock!!

hare-brained schemes episode 768..

Colour Inspirations for Bedspread
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

an addendum to the mad summer plans. another project i will be working on over the summer is a massive knitted bedspread. it's going to be based on Kaffe Fassett's Turkish Carnation motif (for that added touch of exotica).
and how HOT is the colour scheme? i'm totally loving it. the pictures in the background are little postcards from some films i love which inspired the colours for the blanket (from left to right: High Plains Drifter, The Devil is a Woman, Sunset Boulevard and The Cameraman)
The plan is to eventually have these framed and in the same room as the bedspread. this is of course when i purchase "hot lawyer dream house"...location as yet undetermined...

Booklust

Recently acquired books
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

per yesterday's grand summer plans post, here are some books i've acquired recently that i plan to read in the summer:
(from top)

• In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Kim Cooper: part of 33 1/3 series. this one is about Neutral Milk Hotel. no more needs to be said.
• The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol 2 and 3: a really great manga about five students who assist the dead who can't move on.
• The Crimson Petal and the White, Michel Faber: some sort of mad Dickensian romp featuring brothels and perfume merchants.
  
• The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter: dark retellings of some Grimm fairytales
• Tourism, Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal and Platform, Michel Houllebecq: I plan to read these two together and try to make some sort of mad comparisons and informed statements about French and British nihilism.
• Fun in a Chinese Laundry, Josef von Sternberg: autobio of the man who made Marlene Dietrich a star.

HURRY UP SUMMER HOLIDAYS!!! i'm freaking out here!!!!

the livin' is easy

so it's that time of year again. the time when i start plotting madly about all the things i'm going to do and/or achieve in the summer. usually it's completely over the top and unrealistic, but i figure if i can do about 50% of the following it'll be a good summer:

• take classes in Arabic and/or French. I LOVE learning languages, and want to utilise both of these in future trip to Morocco.
  
• take a printmaking class. i have many grand schemes involving art deco woodblock and lino print action.
• read all the books i've been threatening to read all year but have been too heavy to lug around with law textbooks
  
• go somewhere hot and drink pina coladas (i'm thinking tahiti?)
  
• knit a truckload of socks. this endeavour will no doubt be assisted by my planned participation in Southern Summer of Socks
• learn to use my spinning wheel
• sew myself some dresses
  
• write my knitting book (subject top secret)
• play badminton
  
• master the art of falconry
  
• release a Christmas album