..Radio

The next production of the weekend was Sydney Plantagenet’s Psychedelic Quest in the Studio. A Radio Play "BROADCAST LIVE-TO-AIR ON FBi94.5FM". Although it took all day to set up, light and operate it was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to "the next exciting episode" on Sunday, and the following Sunday until it finishes on the 9th of July. The production of the sound effects was the highlight of the night although the cast and support act were fantastic.

Romeo and ...

Another busy weekend that also saw good progress on the Rib Wrap. First there was a stint on the Bell Shakespeare's production of Romeo and Juliet;

"This production is as contemporary as the iPod that Juliet dances to, or the rap delivered as an opening by the street gang in Verona. It is fresh and youthful, well served by Chloe Armstrong and Julian Garner as its star-crossed lovers, poignantly evoking the emotional extremes of adolescence." The Age, Helen Thomson, 22 May, 2006

It was a good production and the script is very true to the original, which makes it a bit longer than some versions. The fast past and frenetic activity of the first half slows right down in the second act so the School audiences always get a bit fidgety towards the end.

The set is very minimalist with No Balcony, just a slope and a bit of artful lighting but it worked.

I caught up with Mary Helen and introduced her to Friar Lawrence (Philip Dodd) who is a talented actor and knitter. He is wearing a sideways knitted vest of his own design that he modestly described as 'just something to use up some spare bits" while M-H is wearing a beautiful Noro (?) creation of her own - very suitable for going out to the theatre.

The Bell company has a few keen knitters within its ranks, both male and female. I'd love to do a study into the relationship of theatre and knitting - maybe it's something about all the time spent waiting or standing by - or all the touring to those small country centres.

Supposedly there is a superstition associated with knitting in the wings - apparently it's bad luck. I've only recently discovered this and I must say that it doesn't seem to be true as I have been knitting in theatre for over 20 years.

And this is from someone who will not mention the 'Scottish Tragedy' within coo-ee of a stage and who freaks out when wished "good luck" before a show instead of "chookas". Maybe I'm selectively superstitious.

Clifford

This is 'Clifford', the amazing 'no aching arms', 'adjustable to any size skein', 'all metal Wool Winder'!
He's a very utilitarian winder, without the polished elegance of his wooden cousins, but his action is true and his base is blue. What more could a knitter ask for?

Unfortunately there are no skeins available to try him out but I have it on good authority that there are at least 3 on order.

Until then I'm sure he will wait patiently, in his box until required.

And the loser is .... the Steinway.

Further to the previous post about the Freedman Jazz Fellowship the announcement has just come through that "Julien Wilson has been selected as the Music Council of Australia/Freedman Jazz Fellow for 2006." This is the line up that he won the fellowship with - it is unusual to see a Piano Accordian in a Jazz band but I did like the total sound the Julien Wilson Trio produced and the laid back look of the whole group - it is jazz after all.

That is more than I can say for another group who had a decidedly avant-garde approach to their performance. Part of their set was performed on a Steinway Grand Piano that was later used by one other performer. During rehearsals the pianist placed a few pieces of metal on the bare strings and the tuning pins a la Steve Reich and others. During the actual performance the "placement" changed to "bash", "drop metal rods and rummage chains". I could only watch with my mouth agape in horror. Just before the house opened I had watched Terry, the piano tuner, carefully and sensitively tune that lovely instrument to it best. Needless to say when the next poor sap sat down on the piano seat the thing sounded like a honky-tonk saloon upright. I hope that this had no bearing on the fact that the group didn't win - but as a consequence of the previous group's 'artistic expression' there were many wincing moments that jarred the enjoyment of the piece.

If I was that pianist I'd be taking the bloke out the back (helped by the piano tuner and a couple of mechs) for a tuneful, expressionistic use of the metal rods and chain.

Fair Produce

I was remarkably restrained I think, in my recent Craft show purchases. Even though I left carrying at least three bags full it all packed down to one bag of luscious yarns.

In the background, courtesy of Sarah's stand, we have three skeins of lovely Colinette Fandango in Nutmeg shade, destined for a top-down, cap sleeve, summer top.

On the left is an little known Chinese brand from the Prestige yarn stall; Fantasia Cronos, 60% wool 40% silk, going for a bargain, how could I resist?

And last but definitely not least; 7 balls of lovely organic Pakucho Cotton in the Dk Green shade. This is destined for a Kitty or Glampyre pattern.

The only other purchase of note was 3 skeins of Lightweight mohair boucle from Claire Patterson Designs that are to be customed dyed and which will eventually, (hopefully) result in a version of this vintage '60's jacket.

This little leaflet from a St Vinnie's shop has on the back a classy "jacket-suit" called Park Lane. Very sophisticated and obviously designed for a flat-chested, slim-hipped androgyne.

Jazz Knit

Tonight saw the culmination of a long day's work lighting the Freedman Jazz Fellowship . It was in the Studio and was one of the few times I can actually design and operate a show I like.

There were 4 contestants ranging from ear-plugs to awesome. I had my favourite but as the winner is not announced until the next day I am still unaware who actually gets the lucrative prize money. I'm pleased to report that the Jo Sharp rib progressed during this time. I kept the rig very simple, 3 colour wash and a few open white specials with minimal changes during the set (the musicians are on show, not my lighting) so I was able to get in a few rows with each number.

I'm not sure, though, if Jazz and knitting really go together. I know that Franklin has written a very thorough and entertaining post on the appropriate Opera Arias for Knitting but I can't say that one could be done for Jazz knitting. Tonight's performance was a bit like this this yarn - all thick and thin and varying colours. I spent a lot of time tinking my 2k1p rib as I didn't have a good flow. This may be because I had to change from 2k1p to 2p1k on the return row so my concentration was out of wack. Knitting in the round is a much easier way of doing uneven rib, methinks.

Stash

Stash, Stash, lovely Stash.

Nothing quite like it to use up the cash.

Koigu and Noro,

Kallund comes tomorrow.

It will outlast me, my wonderful Stash.

Not happy Jo!

I'm doing wonderful things on the Jo Sharp Ribbed Wrap Jacket, I've got the right tension and everything is going swimmingly when the first ball finishes waay before the diagram suggest. Am I doing it too tight - have I left a swatch somewhere and used up the yarn? Google the garment in question and find the errata - 4 bloody balls in this colour instead of 2!! Not happy Jo!

You can't take the sky from me

Wash: A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything.

Jayne: Damn straight.

Firefly: Episode 13, The Message

I, like a lot of other knitters on the net, am a Sci Fi Geek. You name it, I have watched it, several times and then again and again when it comes out on video. I am not therefore surprised to see a strong correlation between knitting, geekdom and Science Fiction. Look at how many patterns there are for all the versions of the scarf from Dr Who. (I have plans to investigate this further one day.) >

My favourite Sci Fi series, short lived though it was, is Joss Whedon's Firefly. I could rave on for hours about the great music, fantastic casting, marvelous scripts etc, etc, but I'll restrict myself to the costumes. In this series they are as good as the scripts - they range from Inara's sumptuous Indian silks to the ubiquitous Browncoat. In knitted items the most famous (or infamous) is Jayne's earflap hat which, I think, does a disservice to the craft>

I much prefer this outfit that River wears in Episode 4; "Safe". It's a loose, Mohair jumper over a cotton dress that she twirls about in, during a fiddle dance. The fact that she is a slim, slip of a girl that anything would look good on does not dissuade me from planning to make one of these one day. It looks fairly basic; boat neck with bell sleeves and big needles. It's on the to-do list.

(I wonder if there's there an acronym for projects that are planned but not quite started yet?)

WWKIP

Here are some of the participants of the highly successful World Wide Knit in Public day held at the Sidewalk Cafe at the Sydney Opera House. This was a very handy location for me as I was able to duck out between shows and partake in a bit of WW public knitting. This slightly damp lot are proudly displaying various bits of knitted goods or their KIP t-shirts and bags. Check out other photos on Kris's or the SSK site.

The dampness was not restricted to the world outside - inside I was learning the cues for a wonderful show called 'Vula' which means Moon in Fiji. The show is "Performed on a stage flooded with water, it combines magic and illusion with traditional song and dance to create a captivating piece of Pacific Island visual theatre." Normally water and electricity don't mix so I'm nervous when the entire stage is one giant wading pool surrounded by lights and leads. The performance is so captivating though, that my fears, though not allayed, are forgotten as I listen and watch the beautiful singing and sinuous movements of the 4 performers.

I don't have much time for knitting either as it's an uncued show - I have to do all the lighting cues myself and after my long stint on House Lights in the Bennelong Palace I'm a bit out of practice. "Wot - you mean I have to concentrate!" I'll have to find a nice simple garter stitch on big needles project to keep on the go.

Dolores has arrived!

Dolores arrived in the mail today and brought with her some lovely rain. In the background you can see all our trees and plants celebrating her arrival. Some people might view the prospect of grey skies and drizzling rain as a depressing prospect but in these parts it is a cause for celebration.

Now, if it can only last for the next few days with maybe a sunny break on Saturday around one o'clock? Especially in the vicinity of the Sidewalk Cafe near the Opera House where Dolores will be in full display along with all the other proud Knitters in Public, life will be good...

Welcome to the Bennelong Point Palace!

Welcome to the Bennelong Point Palace where tonight we feature the one and only Englebert Humperdink!

I get all the great gigs don't I? Once again I was relegated to the arduous task of House Lights - which I must say I carried out with finesse and flair.

I was able to do some much needed swatching though - and the yarns were once again treated to the crooning of “Please Release Me”, followed by “There Goes My Everything”, “The Last Waltz”, “A Man Without Love" and many more. What more can a Mohair blend ask for?

Some progress!

I finally made it Rubi & Lana's for a Saturday Morning knit meet - Sally and I were the only ones there but we had a pleasant time surrounded by lovely wool and knitterly items. I'm toying with the start of some Mittens made from R&L Laceweight yarn and Sally is doing a scarf in Lana Grosso, Meilenweit Mega Boots yarn in a lovely autumn colorway.
I find being in a wool shop for an extended time is a bit like going to a Spa, or having a bush walk. I come out feeling all refreshed and invigorated.

I have made some progress on a number of items lately - especially the Raglan, top-down, this-bloody-sleeve-will-never-be-right jumper - it's finished!.

Now that this bottleneck had been cleared I can move on to more things; such as the two pairs of mittens I made from the lovely Debbie Bliss Cashmerino I received from Lara; sleeve swatching for the ribbed wrap jacket by Jo Sharp ; and continuing on with the Studio Mohair Cardi. The addition of the progress bars on my sidebar may help me maintain this momentum - thanks to Ann of 1 More Row for the code link.

A day in the life...

Here are 4 balls of yarn waiting patiently to be swatched and being rewarded for their patience by a rendition of Beatles' cover music in "Let it Be".

A full house of aging baby boomers was entertained by Leo Sayer, Christine Anu, Rick Price and John Waters. It was not a busy show for me (House Light control - whoopee) so I had plenty of time to plan and sort and empty out my knitting bag from whence these various balls of yarns were retrieved.
Their time will come as I am very near completition of the top-down raglan - the last sleeve seems to have taken as long as the entire garment.

John Waters' performance in this show was a pleasant surprise for me - I still remember him as the spunky Sgt McKellar in "Rush" but of course he has had a long and extensive career since then - including touring the Lennon tribute "Looking Through a Glass Onion" which he co-wrote. And he was on Playschool where all great Aussie actors feature at least once in their career!

Next day was a show at the other end of the cultural spectrum, Alain de Botton giving a "beguiling, jargon-free tour through the philosophy and psychology of architecture" for the Sydney Writers' Festival.

The most intriguing thing I discovered from this talk was the fact that Le Corbusier's stylish house "Villa Savoye" leaked like a sieve and its functional design, "created so that it could be mass produced," took a long time and a very expensive team of artisans to construct.

Sounds like most of my knitting projects.

The Anteknitter

I've decided I'll take on the official title of the anteknitter. This doesn't mean I'm against knitting, - far from it. I mean ante as in;

ante–pref.
Prior to; earlier: antenatal.
In front of; before: anteroom.
[Latin, from ante, before.]

In other words my knitting is like the entree before the main meal - not the full course. This revelation comes after my Show and Tell experience at yesterday's Guild Meeting. While everyone showed their progress with their garments and projects I talked about the frogging I had done and showed the Lace Mitten I was about to pull apart. I have at least 5 or 6 projects on the go and I just purchased some beautiful Filatura Multicolor for another one! I think I have knitting ADD. Symptoms include "inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour".

I will now undertake to focus on finishing the last sleeve of the Raglan top-down jumper to the exclusion of all others. So it is written.

When an eel bites your heel

"When an eel bites your heel and it takes half your leg it's a Moray"

Okay those aren't exactly the words Patrizio Buanne was singing last night in the Concert Hall but he could have been - and the 2000 plus Leichhardt mums out on their Mother's Day treat would have loved it. This guy is a bit of an Italian Hunk. Again I had no idea who he was but his fans certainly did. They loved his crooning, and his swooning, they loved it when he came down into the front row and kissed the ladies' hands and danced with the lucky woman in the centre seat. (though he did have a bit of trouble extracting himself from her enthusiastic embrace)

I, in the meantime was able to continue on with my knitting as well as being entertained by it all.

I progressed on the Lace Mittens, having a few issues with the thumb increase but as this is a prototype, mistakes will be tolerated the first time (and the second, and the third).

I'm trying the "Ivy" Lace pattern from Barbara Walker's "Charted Knitting Designs" (aka The Third Treasury of Knitted Patterns). This is a very simple 9 row, 7 stitch repeat with a bit of a jog on the second group. The trouble I am having in remembering this pattern does not bode well for any complicated Lace pattern I may have plans for. I put it down to my wandering attention span rather than any memory deficiency.

Speaking of Mistakes - here we have before and here we have after.








Problems? Armholes too small, sleeves too tight, neck too sloppy, waist too short - need I go on? Into the frog pond but not all the way - there is a bit that can be salvaged - we will survive!

A Tale of Old Gold Kid Silk

Here is a Kim Hargreaves design; "Cropped Cardigan with Mock Pockets"in Rowan Kid Silk . Per ball the yarn is 25g , 64 metres with a gauge of 20st and 26 rows to 10cm on 4.5mm (US 7) needles.

Also known as Kaffe Fasset Kidsilk yarn it should not be confused with the more contemporary Kid Silk Haze which is
210m to the 25g ball with a Gauge of varying sizes depending on where you're looking.

This pattern is part of a 4 page pamphlet that I have often seen split for individual sale on eBay, either that or Rowan also published the designs separately.

Here is my faithful dummy wearing my version of the completed Cardigan (minus Mock Pockets) in shade 989, "Old Gold" .

There does seem to be a pattern in my knitting here - blocky design, no protection to the lower back from nasty draughts. Because this is such lovely and such rare yarn I do plan to 'reconstruct' this garment one day.

If I had another four balls perhaps I could make this; but my chances of finding one, let alone four balls of this are rarer than hen's teeth. It may not look it but there are 14 balls in the Cardi, so, before I subject it to a frog attack I shall try and create a basic boat neck, 3/4 sleeve pattern that will let the yarn speak for itself and reach past my waist line.

The Guide to the Galaxy

This is a Strand Galaxy computerised Lighting control board and this is me operating it waaaay back in the 1980's. You can tell by the hairdo. This was when I was in the midst of knitting my BIG jumpers. I no longer have the Batwing blue Mohair sweater that was really, really, itchy, or the Black and Pink Mohair Intarsia jumper that was too tight, too hot and too itchy. It's no wonder that the consoles used to be covered with black fluff!

The control board was revolutionary for its time - it had its own operating protocol so it was not compatible with any other computerised Lighting board (not that there were many around back in those days.) but it had lots of colour coded buttons and a nice clear layout. I knew that board like the back of my hand and we did some great things together. But, alas, it was not to last.


The Galaxy went the way of all obsolete equipment and it was replaced by the Strand 500 Series PC based Lighting Consoles. I arranged a wake for it and we gave this hard working board a good send off.

The Sock Knitter: Grace Cossington Smith

I would like to introduce you to Charlotte "Diddy" Cossington, knitting socks for “our boys in the trenches” during the Great War. She is the sister of that wonderful Australian Artist, Grace Cossington Smith (1892-1984) and the subject of her wonderful painting “The Sock Knitter”.

I first saw this painting at the Art Gallery Of New South Wales in 1978 and I was captivated by it. I didn’t knit then so it wasn’t the subject that so entranced me – it was the form and the colour. The image does not do the painting justice – the purple sweater she is wearing is a rich layering of blue, brown and purple brush strokes with a touch of green that is matched by the bag that hangs beside her.

The gallery description speaks of her modernist influence, her groundbreaking style and how she was acclaimed as the first post-impressionist painting to be exhibited in Australia, but was she ever feted for this talent? No, she was a woman, and to make it worse an unmarried woman living a spinster lifestyle with her parents in the northern suburbs of Sydney. It is only now, I hope, that she is receiving the recognition she so richly deserves. I salute you, Grace Cossington Smith.

Louise Harding Cable Sweater

Back in the 80’s I had a friend who shared my passion for knitting and who was also fortunate enough to be able to travel regularly to England, that Mecca of all things Rowan.

Bridget was generous of her time and energy and would bring me back yarns and pattern in abundance. Almost 20yrs later I take stock of the many Rowan books I possess and the items I have knitted and I realise in hindsight, what a gift she gave.
I have lost contact with her over the years so I can only belatedly say, with all my heart, “Thank You, Bridget”.

The trouble with knitting in Australia is that there are not that many months in the year that such lovely chunky knits, such as this one, can be worn.

It comes from Rowan book #16 and is another boxy knit that, for some unfathomable reason, I made in the short version – ending at hip height. As well as being very unflattering to my 5ft 3in stature this length also leaves my nether regions exposed to cold draughts. So it is too hot for temperate days and not suitable for the rare cold snap we may get, here in the Mountains. Am I ever going to do something about it? Noo.