brahms and lizst

i'm cooped up inside the house for the next few days writing research papers.
lucky for me the ABC Classic FM Top 100 Concertos is being broadcast over the next five days! I'm barracking for Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto to take the top spot! GO SERGEI!!!
when the mad stress of the final few weeks of uni is behind me, there will be some hot updated knitting content and more crazy summer plans.

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

instant gratification

Biker vest - front
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

so a lot of people don't like twinkle. sure, the patterns are a tad wonkily written. sure, the sizing seems a bit bizarre (but it does work out!). but you can't deny the garments turn out pretty darn good.
anyway, next up - tangled yoke cardigan!

Retro Redux Shrug

Retro Redux 2
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

aha! finally a hot piece of knitwear which I can wear this spring/summer. I chose the colour and the pattern specifically to go with this dress, which was gifted to me by Fashion Assassin for some work I did for them earlier this year. But it's such a lovely shrug I can see it being worn with a lot of things this coming spring.
Now all I need is :
(a) weather to clear up and start looking more like spring
(b) invitation to a garden party
(c) wealthy gadabout to invite me to a picnic in the botanic gardens.

more photos on flickr.

be warm, mongolian children!

Charity jumper
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

dear little child of mongolia,
hope this jumper makes you warm and happy!
finished this today and delivered it just in time to the Guardian Pharmacy. They gave me a badge in return!!

Retroactive

Retro Rib detail
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

here is my first completed Retro Rib sock. The second sock is underway, but has been temporarily put on hold while i finish the jumper for the little Mongolian kids.
not much other knitting going on lately, which i blame entirely on the facebook scrabble phenomenon, studying for my corporations law test, and trying to curate an art exhibition. However, my Ravelry queue has reached critical mass. At last count i had 79 projects!!!!
saw Black Sheep last night and loved it! so good to see a funny, old-school horror flick with no stupid CGI effects. although i was very disappointed that there was not one knitting reference throughout the whole film.

Somoko!

Somoko
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

what should i make with this dreamy sock yarn???? it's got kid mohair and silk in it, yum! i'm thinking some sort of luxurious boudoir stocking type deal.

yellow fever

I've been poring through all the things i've knit over the past few years (the original intent being to photograph them for my ravelry page), and i have realised how few of them are actually wearable. Not because they’re badly made, not because they’re unstylish, but because I must have been on some serious drugs when I chose the colour. Over 50% of the garments are yellow. Why??? I rarely, if ever, wear yellow. In fact, I rarely if ever wear many colours other than black, red, pink, and brown. So why the fuck did I keep buying yellow yarn and making nice garments with it that were completely unsuited to my complexion and taste????? Why did i knit a purple jumper???
Luckily, a cursory glance at my more recent/and or upcoming knits reveals i might have come to my senses. My Central Park Hoodie is black, and suprise, surprise, i wore it a lot this winter. My upcoming lace bolero thing is black. My planned Twinkle cardigan is brown. Now all i need to do is offload some Rowan Calmer which for some reason i bought in a peach colour. Peach??? Yikes.

Also, hot opera news. The 2008 Opera Australia subscription brochure came in today's Herald, and i've been riffling through it all afternoon. There’s some pretty good operas coming up next season, including possibly my favourite of all time, Verdi’s Otello. There are also new productions of Carmen and Don Giovanni. I'm thinking of booking myself up a Youth Subscription (under 30) to save costs. Only problem is that the only people i know who would be interested in going to opera are over 30, which would result in weird seating arrangements and administrative hassles. So I need to shanghai some hot under 30s to experience the magic of opera!!! Come on, where are you under-30 opera buffs???

Also, crack open the vodka, the Russian Film Festival is coming to town. Featuring such awesome items as an 8 hour screening of War and Peace, the film version of Hamlet with Shostakovich's fantastic score, and Day Watch (sequel to Night Watch).

it begins!

my ravelry invite came today! i've already amassed a queue of about 30 projects. i have a lot of spare time on my hands at the moment as i'm incredibly ill with some sort of evil influenza virus. my trachea is inflamed, people!
anyway, my ravelry ID is reecie.

Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire

yay! this is my first time doing a secret pal thingo. i love the idea of getting surprise packages in the mail. it will be a sad day indeed if the postal service becomes extinct and replaced with some weird computerised system.
anyway, the questions!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I tend to prefer soft natural fibres, such as merino or alpaca. Am also partial to a bit of cashmere and kid mohair. I prefer lighter weight yarns, usually in the fingering to DK range.
I have a very bad tolerance of novelty yarns. I've used them about twice and each time it was a hideous nightmare.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

My storage system is pretty craptacular. All my circular needles are higgeldy-piggeldy in a cloth bag, and my straights (which i very rarely use any more) are in an old vase. l

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting seriously for about 10 years now. My mum first taught me when i was about 8, and I insisted on trying the largest, most complicated project in the book. Needless to say, it was never completed. I picked knitting back up again when I was in high school, and haven't stopped since!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
My Amazon list is not very well-kept. There's some knitting books on there, I think.


5. What's your favorite scent?

I love vanilla and coconut.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I love candy! Especially gummi!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I used to do a lot of embroidery, but that has taken a back seat lately due to my sock knitting obsession. I also do a bit of crochet, and have dabbled in quilting. I have a spinning wheel but currently don't know how to use it. I keep threatening that every summer holidays i'm going to go to the Spinners Guild beginner's workshops, and i think this summer might be the one!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I love love love old jazz and blues, like Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman et al.
Lately have been listening to Josephine Baker singing in French about Haiti - so wonderful!
Also like indie stuff, especially Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, Bjork, and old school stuff like Sonic Youth. For me, the 1990s never really ended music-wise.
Computers all systems go re MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Favourite colours are probably black, red, pink, brown. Not a huge fan of cream/white/beige type stuff.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live at home with my mum, my Cornish Rex cat, and two poodles.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Scarves and mittens i wear a lot. Not so much hats and ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Socks!!!!!! Absolutely love love love knitting socks!!
Have just recently gotten into lace knitting and have been enjoying it a lot, making scarves and stoles etc.
Also, you can't really go past a good cardigan.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Currently on the needles are two pairs of socks, a lace scarf, a children's jumper for Mongolia, and a black shrug in fingering alpaca (obviously these are not all on the same needles!)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Not really.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Definitely circular. I love Addi needles and bamboo needles. Not a huge fan of plastic.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I have a winder, but not a swift.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I dont' really have any UFOs (shock, horror!). Instead of letting things sit around, i tend to rip them out and declare i'm not making it any more!

18. What is your favorite holiday?

I don't really get into the major holidays all that much. Probably my favourite would be Halloween, even though it's not celebrated that much in Australia. But it usually means some good B-grade horror flicks get screened on cable TV!

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Apart from sock yarns (!), I do love anything associated with lighthouses.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I'm desperately in love with Cookie A's sock patterns, like Twisted Flower etc. Also have been trying unsuccessfully to snap up some Yarntini sock yarn.
Books - craving Knitting on the Road (Nancy Bush). can't think of any others right now, but i'm sure there are more. oh, i know, the new KnitKnit book!
I have a subscription to Vogue Knitting magazine.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Steeking! Still haven't gotten over my dreaded fear of chopping up my precious knitting with scissors! But i have some Alice Starmore projects in mind, so that might be a good starting point.
Also would like to attempt toe-up socks.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Yes!! Love socks!!! My feet are teeny, about 8" around, and about 8.5" from heel to toe.

23. When is your birthday?

22 April.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

Not yet, but apparently there are only 324 people ahead of me on the list. so maybe i'll be on in about a week or so? fingers crossed. (like i need any more reasons to procrastinate from doing homework).

overreaction

Oh, hey, remember that time I binge drank from a tube until I was sick, and that time we paraded around dressed like the ku klux klan (on more than one occasion, including while standing behind Indigenous soldiers), and that time we set the kittens on fire?
Well, no dramas, because we're just being irreverent larrikins. just letting off a bit of steam.
john howard says "let's not overreact" to the fact that certain sectors of an army which is currently illegally occupying at least two countries are engaging in behaviour which is immature, irresponsible, racist, inhumane and unlawful.
For the Australian government to fall back on the ANZAC/Gallipoli tradition as some sort of justification for behaviour of this sort is extremely ill-conceived and insulting.
wow, the blog's gone political!!!!!

old school

Finished Jaywalkers!
Originally uploaded by miss_reecie

finished jaywalkers!!
yarn: Yarn Pirate in Culture Club colourway - love the yarn, love the colours!
pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina from Magknits. Great pattern, fun and quick to knit. The only modification i made was accidental. I didn't read the instructions properly and did a stockinette heel instead. but it worked out fine and they fit really well.
needles: 2.2mm (US1) bamboo set of 5.

rowan hotness

rowan book 42 is out! as usual, it's full of hotness. (yes, i'm one of those people that even liked the mad boho/gypsy issue they did a couple of years ago.)
many of the outfits in this issue make me want to pack up, buy a scottish castle and a deerhound, and just swan about on the moors in hot knitwear listening to kate bush for the rest of my life. although i kind of wanted to do that anyway.

mother's little helper

i've just spent the entire morning at work (and i'm still not finished) researching and compiling a comprehensive list/dictionary of terminology related to illicit drug use. this will probably be the only time in my life that I can truthfully say "I wish pete doherty worked at my office."
knitting content returning shortly, including more finished socks, more works in progress and HOT plans for upcoming spring/summer knits.

demon barber

the tim burton version of sweeney todd is slated for release in Australia in January 2008. i can't wait!!! tim burton, johnny depp and helena bonham carter are quite possibly my own private holy trinity of modern filmmaking. the poster has just been released, and it looks spectacular.

revenge of the socks!

i'm back! straight back into reality as i went back to uni today. am already feeling swamped with copious amounts of readings to plow through for tuesday's classes.
anyway, have put some photos up on flickr, mostly consisting of the Cape Byron lighthouse and more socks i have been making, such as these:

yes, another successful pair of monkeys. man, that pattern is addictive. have almost finished a pair of jaywalkers also. and i've only been back for five minutes and have already ordered more sock yarn, including a skein of the new fleece artist somoko yarn, which is a luscious sounding blend of wool, kid mohair, silk and nylon. yum!

being the worst morning person ever, i didn't quite make it to the knit in this morning down at the ABC studios. but there is some other stuff happening on the charity knitting front:

• Guardian Pharmacy's Guardian Angel World Vision knitting project requires garments for children in Mongolia. Patterns are available here and finished items can be dropped off at any branch of Guardian Pharmacy by 31 August.
• Afghans for Afghans have a current campaign request for items for newborn babies for a hospital in Kabul, as well as clothing for youth aged between 7 and 18, to be shipped out to Afghanistan in September.

holiday update

quick update from byron bay - it just started to rain so i ducked into this internet cafe for a quick email check and web surf. this is the first time that it's rained since i've been here, so can't complain too much, really.
much swanning around has been done so far on this holiday, and much eating of delicious foodstuffs and buying of lovely garments. went for a 5km walk the other day around the lighthouse down to Wategos Beach. Spotted some humpback whales in the ocean which are currently migrating from Antarctica. They were a bit too far away, however, for photographic opportunities.
i've been knitting in spare moments too. the tour de france lace scarf is coming along well, i'm now about three repeats into the central bramble leaf pattern, which thankfully doesn't seem to be using nearly as much yarn as the heavily patterned first border did. so with a little bit of felix felicis i might just have enough yarn! photos will have to wait, however, until i get back, as i am nowhere near technologically savvy enough to work out how to successfully upload photos in an internet cafe.
have also finished a second pair of monkey socks, and started on some jaywalkers using yarn pirate culture club. looks good so far. again, photos upon return.
i went and saw harry potter and the order of the phoenix the other day. it was enjoyable, particularly for the abundance of knitted and crocheted items, particularly those modelled by Luna Lovegood (who is by far my favourite character) and Helena Bonham Carter HOTTING IT UP crazed goth style as Bellatrix Lestrange.
i read brideshead revisited on the train on the way up here and have decided to declare it the greatest book ever.
anyway, am off to the beach now! the rain has stopped!
have to get a start on uni readings too, as i have to go to class straight away on the day i get back. yikes! then the following monday i have to go do tests for a job i'm hoping to get. arg! stupid reality!