I am being white-anted by technology

In a totally non-knitting realated topic here is a photo of what you can do when you have the money to hire the Concert Hall for a private little party. This is from my work computer because I am being white-anted by technology.

First day back for a week and all the email and attachments I sent myself are blocked. I am either very subversive or pictures of yarn are now considered pornographic by the NSW State Government.

OK, they may be right in the second case but I want to post about my lovely Manos Del Uruguay yarn that was brought back from Purl in New York in a Macy's bag. I want to show the fantastic progress on the Cleckheaton jacket (doing the lacy edge) and how I've picked up the Pullover Flair and started knitting the sleeves. I want to show the beautiful colours of the SeaWool and how I've braved the tangled complexity of 5 bamboo 3mm DPN to start knitting my first sock.

It is obviously not to be, so I must wait until I have finished my 15hr shift of Handel in the Concert Hall and travelled home to my computer which, hopefully, will be more sympathetic to my tales of Yarn.

In the meantime here is a very apt note from our sponsor; the patron saint of knitting, Elizabeth Zimmerman.

The drought is 'cracked'

This may be the yarn I knit my first ever pair of socks with - the Fleece Artist Sea Wool arrived in the Post Box all the way from Little Knits in Seattle on Friday accompanied by 3 skeins of Muench Touch Yarn destined for the Vintage Velvet Scarf from Scarf Style, albeit a short version.

The Sea Wool is a 70% Merino, 30% Seacell blend, machine washable and knitted up on 3mm needle for a tension of 26st/10cm. The 350m/115g skein came with a pattern for Bordello Socks which seem to be fairly basic to my untrained eye. I was fascinated to read of the amazing properties of the Seacell component;

"The seaweed extracts also promote the production of glucosaminoglycans, which not only accelerate the healing process of skin inflammations, but also protect the skin from free radicals (acc. to Alban Muller International). All in all, SeaCell® pure is more than just a fiber – it can promote activity and create a sense of well-being."

I'm all for the promotion of activity, especially in socks.

Along with all the welcome drought-breaking rain we had on Friday it seems as if the postal drought has cracked also. My International Scarf Exchange partner received her scarves and then gave a lovely write up on her blog. The High Anxiety I was feeling about that has subsided to be replaced by moderately high anticipation. There is still my scarf and a Knitter's Treat to come.

Knitting of the second Cleckheaton Jacket is continuing at a speedy pace mainly because I have the armless body of the Interweave Knits Pullover Flair sitting in a prominent spot reminding me not to get too far ahead of my UFO's.

I was very disciplined at the Guild meeting this afternoon and resisted the extensive display of our retail guests Rex & Evelyn Reynolds. They had a lot of Filatura Di Crosa and some beautiful Mohair. This is Evelyn showing off one of the many items that could be knitted with their yarn with two tables packed with fibre goodies in the background.

Not Wool

A parcel arrived in the mail finally - to dispel any notion I may have had that my empty space of a Post Box was on strike. Along with Lace Style (which is destined for the Guild Library) Amazon had a very good deal on Amy Singers new book "No Sheep for You". I bought it after reading some very good reviews and I must concur with them.

This book is an enjoyable and informative read. I normally skip straight to the patterns when I get knitting book but not in this case. The first three chapters on all the different types of non-wool yarn, their history and properties kept me engrossed for a full train commute and the information continued in other little essays like 'How to Wind Slippery Yarn', 'Needle Fuss Factor' and 'Are you really allergic to wool?".

The 20 patterns that are included were so much icing to the cake. I can't say much about them that hasn't been said by others but they're in a great range of sizes and have clear instructions and diagrams in the Interweave Press style (of course). There is a good variety of garments for women and men, including aran jumpers, ganseys, sweaters, cable cardigans, jackets and accessories.

The yarns vary from cotton, cotton blends, silk, linen and hemp. There is not one pattern that is a waste of paper and the book is not aimed at the beginner or the hip knitter ( a welcome relief), in fact it has several top-down patterns, a steeked Cardigan and an amazingly complex but beautiful aran. The pattern is called Morrigan, after the celtic goddess of sex, strife and war and by the look at the 4 pages of detailed charts it is aptly named.

My favourites are the Hemp 'Manly Maze' sweater (as modelled by Franklin), the Classic Elite 'Sweet Indugence' silk robe and the deceptively simple 'Tuscany' Shawl. It is definitely on my 'todo' list

Update on Other Knitting Progress

Before I digress into knitting distractions there is progress being made on other projects. The intoxicating speed of the Mega Stoppino jacket inspired me to keep up the pace with the Cleckheaton Cardigan. Because the striping properties of the Vero yarn ended up looking like a football jumper I used three balls at once to give a much smoother colour transition. It was interesting to see Meg's progress on the same pattern with the Vintage Hues yarn. It seems to have a nicer variegation and so tempts me to try it. This does not bode well with my commitment to the Stash-Along Wool/Silk jumper which still waits, armless and so near completion.

A Mother's Day

Normally I'm not big observer of the 'commercial' celebrations like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day but today I was happy to make an exception. The Young Dragon and I just arrived back from a few days in the City and there, sitting on the kitchen table, was this lovely group of gifts. It was made all the more touching by the fact that the envelope holds a voucher for a session of aromatherapy indulgence, something I've been yearning after for a few months. So, thank you, to two very important males in my life.

The show I've been working on recently caused me to consider the concept motherhood and how my attitudes have changed. It's a powerful play. A fairly 'in-your-face' factual portrayal of a gay relationship set mostly in Melbourne in the 80's. There's nothing gratuitous about it, although the antics of 16 yr old schoolboys on a sleep-over are a bit 'too much information' at times.

The music and scenarios are very familiar to me and evoke a time when I was single and partied to the sound of Supertramp and The Violent Femmes. Several of my friends and acquaintances died of AIDS at that time, as do both the main characters. It was so much a part of the industry we worked in that it wasn't shocking, just tragically sad.

Stephen Dunne's review puts it well;
"Australia's experience of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and '90s is thus ancient history, and so much of that time is gone: a time of the dead and the dying; vigil shifts at ward 17; watching brilliant and beautiful men sliding into garbled dementia; ... anger and love and screaming horror at the waste of so many lives. Surprisingly easy to let all that go."

The final scenes of this play not only brought back memories of watching friends slowly waste away but also evoked in me a new emotion; the fear of being in the same position as the parents sitting beside the hospital bed and the tragedy of watching a child die. I only operated the show with the sound up once.

It's a long show but it has the audience laughing and crying throughout - I recommend it to all whatever your inclination or situation.

Post Box Stalker

I've been stalking my Post Box because I'm expecting a lot of goodies from overseas and they seem to be taking an excruciating time to turn up - Ah, the tyranny of distance.

I'm awaiting knitting books from Amazon, an order of Muench from Little Knits, (did I ever tell them I don't live in Canada I wonder?) a Scarf from ISE4, and a box of goodies from Knitter's Treat (that's on a boat somewhere - fair wind and calm seas to it).

At least the new copy of Interweave Knits manged to overcome this hurdle. Faster than the speed of light, no sooner than the email announced its publication than the hard copy turned up. Oh, that all overseas parcels could be that speedy.

The patterns in the magazine are a little Parson's egg - some them even bordering on a little rotten maybe.
I love the Cable Yoke cover sweater by Pam Allen, and the delicate Oriel Lace Blouse by Shirley Paden. The free pattern for Norah Gaughan's cotton Pomegranate Blouse is already in my ToDo folder.

The other end of the spectrum is mostly in the finishing details of patterns like Kate Gilbert's Wing Top. The front neckline looks patchy and the garter stitch hem clumsy. It doesn't do the drape of the "ethereal pink...slippery silk yarn" justice.

The pattern that stood out in this category though is the "rustic, handmade, unblocked feel" of the 1824 Blouse. It's only my humble, untrained opinion but the reverse stocking stitch and the nubbly cotton yarn make this sweater look as thought the model is wearing it inside out. It won't be making it to my ToDo folder.

This edition does not have Eunny Jang as editor so it will be interesting to see what she brings in the Autumn issue.

M.S.A.S.

I'm a proud member of the Montse Stanley Appreciation Society. Her Knitter's Handbook has come to my aid many, many times and it has pride of place in the bookshelf beside my knitting spot. Here it's shown in its current position beside the work in progress.

The speedy construction of the Cleckheaton Jacket faltered at the finishing stage because of shoulder seams. Mattress stitch was fine for all the other joins but it created a bulky ditch on the shoulders and even though I had finished sewing the collar and sleeves into the shoulders I wasn't happy.

Three needle bind-off was considered but that would have required the front and back to be frogged at least 4 rows and I didn't want to go down that path. Montse's solution was a nice neat 'fake graft' that smoothed out all the offending bumps and furrows and I didn't have to unpick any of the bound off stitches.

This is the jacket pre-grafting and only requiring a few loose ends to be tidied. The grafting solution meant minimum disruption to the seams and no re-knitting of rows. All that is now required is a bit of hem and collar blocking and a nice fastener for the front.




A few Montse facts - she came to England in 1974 from Barcelona and founded the Early Knitting History Group. There is a Montse Stanley Knitting Collection at Winchester School of Art "consisting of a wide range of over 800 knitted objects, 5000 magazines, 1500 knitting patterns, photographs, postcards and books, as well as small tools and sample yarns".
The Knitter's Handbook is one of the knitting canons, a must-have for any serious knitting reference library. As Ellen explains in this wonderful post Montse has an uncompromising attitude to standards that at times can be off-putting - especially to a beginner. The overwhelming number of techniques she illustrates can also be a bit daunting at first but they have proven their worth to me numerous times including today.

Only a week

It's only been a week since I was here last but it seems a lot longer. Some things that were planned didn't happen but some things that weren't planned did.
Our annual visit to Lithgow for Ironfest was cancelled because of the three days of much needed rain that would have made it a Mudfest. It was a shame to miss the Jousting, the Peasant flogging and the Battle of Lithgow between the French and English armies but it will be on again next year.

The weekend was productively spent in Sydney starting with a visit to SSK and a diverse lot of knitters. I haven't been to this Newtown knitting group for ages so it was good to see all the familiar faces and a few new ones. I was very impressed with Sandra's Sunrise Circle Jacket with the lovely drape. She used Filatura da crosa Zara which was much softer than the original yarn and made for a very flattering line.

As we did this time last year we had an early birthday celebration for the young dragon at Daikoku Teppanyaki in Double Bay. The birthday boy revelled in the theatrical performance of the chef, culminating in a shower of egg, many of which he caught, trained seal style. He's a talented lad.

It's also a bit embarassing to note that this time last year I was patting myself on the back for finishing the back of the Cleckheaton Studio Mohair Cardi and only had the sleeves to go. One Year Later it is still waiting! Considering I have just knitted the Mega Stoppino Jacket in a fortnight (more on that later) something needs to be done. OK - a few differences, the jacket is 10ply yarn on 6mm needles and is a very, very simple pattern, but that is no excuse. Along with the Stash Along (which is proceeding fairly well) I feel the need to do a UFO purge. Therefore any Bendigo yarn splurges I may have been planning are postponed.

Wicked Bendigo

I've just been told that Bendigo, one of the few remaining Australian Woollen Mills and a stalwart of mail-order knitting for so long, has finally got a website. It is simple, easy to navigate and on my favourites already. It's come just at the right time because their Wool, Mohair and Alpaca blend, aka Mystique, looks perfect for Wicked from Zephyr.

Thank you to Pamela for the heads-up.

The Lana Grossa, Mega Stoppino (just rolls off the tongue doesn't it?) is powering along. It's nice to knit on big needles with a big yarn sometimes. Only a right front to finish then all that lovely seaming to do. This is why I normally knit in the round.

Our Local

It's not a time of celebration or glorification of War.
It doesn't honour the aggressors or the victors.
It is a time of remembrance, of respect, of contemplation of the Human cost of War.
It puts a name to the statistics.

My Grandad was on the beach at Gallipoli and the trenches at the Somme. He lost three brothers in this 'War to end or wars' and never, in my memory, went on any Anzac march. I don't blame him for that - why would any sane human want to remember and relive this most tragic and terrifying experience. He did come back though - permanently changed by what he had experienced but still alive and in one piece.

Today we went to the little service in our local park and stood in the rain and mist for an hour while the service was held. It was brief and to the point. References were made to the futility of many of the battles that were fought with such tragic outcomes. The crowd was small but composed of a true cross section of the community- kids, teenagers, grandparents, all there for one thing - not to forget.

At the end of the service the Ladies of the local Croquet and Lawns Bowls Associations put on refreshment - as they do. There was Anzac biscuits and freshly baked date scones and egg sandwiches, all the traditional fare of such events. The kids had cordial and Orange drink while the adults drunk cups of tea poured from huge teapots.

Anzac Day Service

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.

Green Gables and friends

Green Gables is done - at last. The rich teal colour of the Classic Elite Provence cotton has attracted a few nice comments and the adaptations I made to the length and sleeves don't seem to detract too much from the classic design. It is a close fitting top as can be seen by this bathroom mirror shot but I am very happy with it. I have the next Zephry pattern, Wicked, stepping up to the queue but it must wait its turn.

The Cleckheaton Country Silk goodness of the Interweave Knits Pullover Flair jumper is at sleeve stage and I am tossing between knitting from the top down on two circulars or doing it the traditional bottom up way. The main body was all knitted on circulars and this made for speedy progress if not a bulky package.

In keeping with the commitment mad back in January these items are all from the stash and I have only fallen off the wagon once, as allowed by the 'get out of jail free' clause.

The yarn is Mega Stoppino by Lana Grossa from the variegated, bulky-weight family that is so very popular at the moment. On Saturday Paula, at Rubi & Lana's, said those dreaded words that guarantee a sale; "I've only got 10 balls left and there won't be any more coming in for a few months."

The rich blue/green/black shades were like a magnet to me and, in a fit of mild guilt at having made such an impulsive purchase (3 minutes between entering the store and making the purchase) I cast on this pattern 5 hours later. I must admit at 16 st/10cm on 6mm it's a fast knit and the yarn is being true to its promise of saturated colour.

The people at Cleckheaton consistently attract me with their designs and pattern books and this, their latest, had only just been taken out of the box at the Wool Inn before I had it. Unfortunately I can't say I have the same attraction for the colourways of the Vintage Hues yarn but there are so many wonderful substitutes available it's not a problem. Vero Tweed swatches up to the same gauge in 100% wool and has a warm plum/green/purple shade. It's destined for the cover pattern from the same book. By this time I should be well and truly over the variegated yarns phase for a few months.

The other Cleckheaton pattern book is the latest for Studio Mohair and it has a lovely jumper/sweater in it that has really got me wondering about pattern referencing/appropriation, inspiration?
Contrast and compare this sideways knitted sleeves, rib body, square neckline garment with this sideways knitted sleeves, rib body, square neckline garment. There are some obvious differences of course; lace sleeves, different gauge yarn, no stripes, but where does the original pattern stop and the new one start?

Knitters Treat

I've just been told I have a Knitters Treat Exchange parcel coming - so a big Thank You to my Treater! S/he has told me the cost of Air Mail Postage was a bit scary so it's on a boat - a fast one I hope - but that makes the anticipation all that better.

I am still gathering together goodies for my Treatee but I'll have to keep that postage limitation in mind as well, it has to travel to the Northern Hemisphere. The Chocolate Rat pictured here is not going to be included in the parcel but the little gift bag full of delectable goodies is.

In the spirit of compiling suitable treats for this exchange I went on a "research" trip to the Chocolate Cafe in Katoomba where I had to sample the Real Hot Chocolate - I must report it passed the test with flying colours.

Buttons of pure chocolate, white, milk or dark, are melted in a special candle-heated cup then mixed with warm milk. The delectable liquid is drunk through the hollow stem of the spoon like a straw. They don't skimp with their serves and they top up the milk if you get carried away. All in a good cause!

Women of Art

During the course of our two day Canberra stay I did catch up with a few 'old friends'.
Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston, Stella Bowen and Grace Crowley

These are all Australian artists of a similar generation who come from a time that mostly regarded women painters as hobbyists.




There's something about their clear lines, their use of colour and their choice of subject that I deeply admire

I was pleased to see their work at most of the places we visited; The National Gallery of Australia; The National Portrait Gallery at Old Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial Museum.


Many of these women went overseas to study and have their work recognized in its own right. Some, such as Stella Bowen and Nora Heysen, became war artists.

I wanted to do something for the war effort and I offered my services for making sandwiches down at Rushcutters Bay for the navy. I did that for a while but they complained that I put too much butter and filling on the sandwiches and I was dismissed from that. From an interview with Nora Heysen, 25 August 1994




Heysen was frustrated by the restriction of only painting 'safe' studio portraits of the commanding officers of the women's auxiliary services. Despite this she still produced some fine works such as this one of Transport Driver Florence Miles.



I came upon the painting in a small corridor overshadowed by a large Mosquito plane but it was this small canvas that caught my eye. In a building dominated by large mechanical war machines and huge monuments it brings in a human perspective.

Canberra Travels

Our trip to Canberra went the scenic route via Grand Pacific Drive and the spectacular Sea Cliff Bridge. I have been known to admire large engineering structures and this sweeping curve of concrete is no exception. We missed the Bulli Pass turn-off so the scenery deteriorated to suburban commercial enterprises once Thirroul was passed (much as I admire the growing prosperity of Wollongong and its environs it doesn't make for a relaxing drive.)

Lunch stop at the Nan Tien temple was a welcome respite. We bypassed the downstairs restaurant for the more utilitarian cafeteria upstairs, lining up with the locals for a "three course" vegetarian meal for $8.00. It's no-frills but all part of the whole temple experience.

I missed the Canberra S'n'B at the city centre because we didn't rush the journey and I wasn't game to suggest we should hurry because of a knitting meeting.

There was much negotiation as to what would be visited on our short stay in the Nation's Capital but by a bit of juggling we managed to get through;
Questacon, The National Gallery of Australia, Old Parliament House, The National Museum of Australia, The Australian War Memorial and Cockington Green with a minimum of fuss. I was very impressed that most of the public buildings had no entry charge so that made for an economical holiday.

For me the highlight was the Print exhibition at the NGA. A huge display of over 300 works covering 200 years of Australian art and social history. The exhibit featured an extensive number of print artists, such as Jessie Traill, Christian Waller and a whole lot more. While the boys were exploring the delights of the Science Museum I spent a few hours wandering from print to print, going back, again and again, to favourites.

My interest waned at the Expressionist phase of the 1940's and 50's as it was all too dark and gruesome for my liking. I preferred Samuel Calvert's wood-engraving of a country lass "At The Creek" and cheeky chooks.

ISE4

Here's Jiji looking a bit nervous - the ISE4 scarves are packed and about to be sent off across the Pacific.
Backyard Leaves from Scarf Style has been added to the mix as well as the Illusions faux cable scarf. Jiji is looking a little bit concerned because he doesn't want to be kept on tenterhooks for too long. Hopefully Australia Post will do right by him. (Also the fact that the scarf recipient hasn't posted to the ISE4 blog makes him a bit nervous but I'm sure it will all come out right).

It's nice to have the Camera back.

Happenstance

Sometimes things just all come together - and that's what happened this Easter weekend. I made it to Rubi and Lana's for a small but lively group. Gemma made her first visit there after hearing about us through ISE4. I hope we weren't too boisterous.

I remembered to bring the knitting bag this time with all the carefully packed projects and the new edition of Yarn Magazine. I was pleased to see an article in it on copyright written by Jenni - a past member of the Blue Mountains Knitting Guild. She is a very skilled knitter and since she moved South to Melbourne is now working for a law firm, so I presume she knows what she is talking about.

It was a timely article as I think as there is a lot of confusion about what constitutes copyright in the knitting world. I have read so many comments that start or end with "I'm not a lawyer but..." and then often go on to give an American version of the legalities of copying patterns or designs. I am not even going to venture an opinion about this issue - just like I won't diagnose that ache in your shoulder or give a quote on re-roofing the house. Leave it to the experts I think.

I did finish the ISE4 scarf and borrowed the cousins' camera to take a pre-blocking photo. It's not as long as I would like but it is beautifully soft and the colours accentuate the faux cable well. I didn't use the extra skein of accent yarn included as the Sari silk mix didn't drape as well as the pure Merino. I plan to send off the parcel within the week because the other overseas exchange I enrolled for came through. I have 2 little piles being made up at the moment - goodies for ISE4 and goodies for the Knitters Treat Exchange. Now I know why I couldn't do this long term as in SP10 -the stress of getting "the right thing" is just too, too much. (holds hand to brow and sighs).

The weekend continued well when I managed to go out for dinner that night - a rare occasion. Grab your Fork's review of the new location of The Malay Chinese restaurant had me hankering for a big bowl of Laksa with a cool, refreshing Ale. This wasn't to be because the Malay was closed. We continued on to the Korean Quarter of Sydney CBD and, after a short browse through King's Comics, came upon a gem of a place.

The night was balmy, the streets wet from a recent rain storm and spicy barbecue smells led us round the corner down an alleyway off Pitt Street to the obscure entrance of Sydney Madang - Korean Cuisine & Charcoal BBQ.

I could not have asked for a better place to fulfil my yearning for something hot and spicy. Sitting inside the wooden panelled interior with the rain teeming down outside, a big bowl of Bibimbap, Kimchee and a VB in front of me it could have been anywhere in Asia. Especially as the line of people waiting to get inside were mostly Korean students, always a good sign of quality and value for money.

The evening was capped with a promenade around the George St block to 85C, a "Cake and Beverage" store where they packaged their cakes and pastries in quaint little carry boxes. A perfect finish to a lovely day.