Envious Seraphim

Another Finished Shawl

Yarn: Madelinetosh Eyre Light in Envy - 2 skeins
Pattern: Seraphim

I wear this shawl regularly and I adore the softness of the yarn and the generous size.

Mystery Shawl No 1

Stephen West Mystery Shawl Currently up to Clue 3

Yarn: Madelinetosh Pashmina - A: Flashdance; B: Logwood; C: Curiosity.

Stripe Shawl

Stripe Study Shawl - Wollmeise Twin in Dornroschen and Patonyle Black

One of a few shawls I finished recently

Yarn: 2 skeins of Wollmeise Twin in Dornroschen (20 grams left)

2.1 balls of Patyonlye 50g black

Tour de Fleece

A sample of my spinning for the tour

Obsession

Please forgive my absence as well as being busy I have become a little obsessed.

I now have 2 versions of the Stephen West Mystery Shawl on the go and am absolutely obsessed with completing Clue 3 (in large) for both shawls before the next clue.

I have to get my act together with photos to share. Still navigating the multiple device thing.

Celebrating my other great obsession (film) I wanted to share a fabulous series kicking off tonight at the Art Gallery of NSW. Yes film at the art gallery and it's free!

The series is called Weimar to Hollywood in conjunction with the mad square: modernity in German art 1910-37 exhibition currently taking place. The series will demonstrate the decisive impact of German filmakers of the same period.

Highlights include ledgend Lousie Brooks in Pandora's box, Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel (Marlene Deitrich), Murnau's Nosferatu and completing with a fabulous series from Fritz Lang - Metropolis, M, Scarlet Street, The Big Heat and The Blue Gardenia.

Details at the AGNSW site here.

One of the great things about Sydney is there is a film festival on almost all the time. Possible Worlds (the Canadian Film Festival just finished on the weekend it opened with Score a Hockey musical with Olivia Newton-John). September sees the Sydney Underground Film Festival take place in Marrickville. Palace also host Israeli Film Festival next week and the Russian Resurrection Film Festial in September, The Lavazza Italian Film Festival in September, and a Poetry in Film Festival in October.

And of course the Chauvel in Sydney hosts the Cinemateque on a Monday night (I remember when it used to be weekends as well)- sob. Upcoming highlights include Yellow Submarie August 22nd and White Heat August 29th.

Film gems are everywhere in this town - even when we have lost many of the great repertory cinemas and a few of our Art Houses as well.

Anyway back to work and when time allows knitting and film watching.

The Power of Knitting with Friends

This morning I joined Fee, Sue, Alison, her mum Annette and a couple of hundred or thousand of Sydney's knitters at the ABC Knit-in.

There was lots of activity including thousands of squares for wrap with love and a giant green and gold scarf for the Wallabies vs All Blacks Game.

Fee was interviewed about her fabulous groovy/funky knitting and spoke brilliantly.

I wanted to touch on one of her points briefly. I belong formally and informally to a number of knitting groups. The Knitters Guild NSW Inc, Morris & Sons Thursday Night S ' n' B (who decamp to the pub afterwards to continue the knitting) the most regular. These groups both formal and informal have educated me, informed me, entertained me and made me laugh.

From colour to technique being with this diverse and talented group of knitters has inspired me to stretch my knitting taking on a more complex and challenging series of projects. A culture of generosity exists - phrases like you can do it, it just takes practice are common, as is one knitter showing another a technique or skill they have learned.

A group who accepts my obsessions (both fibre and textile) and allows me to be and learn.

The energy I get from these meetings is amazing - lifting me on a dull day and inspiring me further on a great one.

Thanks Knitters.