In knitting news...

I'm feeling a bit guilty about just how little time I've spent knitting lately. Must rectify by getting out of bed earlier! However I do have some photos to share :-)

Owl milo for one cute baby in Naturally Loyal 8 ply? Size 6 months

Jarred Flood's rosebud hat in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (apologies for the dark photo)

This is finished but I love the close up of the bobbles.
Gwen Stacy hat in Naturally Loyal 10 ply.

I want all this yarn!!!!!! Visited Holland Road Yarn Company. So tempting!

And I got interviewed for the paper about Lights Up Knitting. Also taught these 3 to knit!

3 more films ticked off

Only God Forgives was obviously a must see for me simply because of the Gosling factor. It didn't disappoint. It was even worth coming into work for on my one day off for the week. It was nowhere near as violent as I was expecting, beautifully shot, and playing to Ryan Gosling's strength (that moody look) had very little dialogue. 

Just tonight I finally saw Elysium. It was a great watch. Less action blockbuster than I expected, and more social commentary. It's definitely worth a watch (and the Dolby Atmos sound is also very cool). 

The other film I watched was The Way Way Back. It was the perfect, light hearted, quirkly coming of age story. Steve Carrell played a fantastic arsehole :-)

Movies I've seen on the big screen July/August - all 18 of them...

Before festival started I headed to Lighthouse Cuba on a day off to see the latest Penelope Cruz film, Twice Born. I was not disappointed. Her and Emile Hirsch were fantastic in a film that kept delivering more and more. It was set in Italy and war torn Bosnia over a period of about 20 years. The story kept me guessing and really tugged at the heart strings.

A couple of weeks before I got my Gosling fix, again at Lighthouse Cuba. The Place Beyond the Pines was simply amazing. I loved it. 

The past 18 days we've hosted the New Zealand International Film Festival. I managed to squeeze in 16 films as well as working a nice 168 hours or so....

I really liked every film I saw. They were all so different. In no particular order, I watched:

The Bling Ring

The East

Frances Ha

The Gilded Cage

Ginger and Rosa

The Great Beauty

In The House

Like Father, Like Son

Much Ado About Nothing

Mud

Omar

The Past

Twenty Feet from Stardom

Uncharted Waters: The Personal History of Wayne Lynch

Utu Redux

Wadjda

If I had to pick a top 5 to recommend though, it'd be:

Frances Ha - shot in black and white, this off beat comedy was so great. Even better, it's out very soon in cinemas so go and watch it! 

The Gilded Cage - this French movie was the last I saw and what a delight! There is nothing I didn't love about this film.

The Great Beauty - one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Watch it!

Much Ado About Nothing - Joss Whedon hit the mark with this film shot in only 10 days at his house. The slapstick will have you in fits of laughter.

Wadjda - an adorable film set in Saudi Arabia and shot by a woman director. Worth seeing just because it's made history for this, but also it's really well done. Made me cry with happiness.

Am now totally exhausted. And still didn't get to see half of the ones I wanted to. 

Style

I was thinking today, as I was getting dressed, that at the age of 25, I seem to have found my style.  I don't mean by that that I am stylish in the slightest. It's probably more that I'm a lazy dresser and shopper and all my outfits are much the same. 

My process goes like this...

Do I have time to iron anything?
No - wear a lace dress
Yes - choose dress on basis of whether or not it requires a slip underneath

Choose tights..
Black, skin colour or branch out into grey or brown

Choose a cardy from drawer stuffed with cardigans. Black, grey, beige or purple.
Or pick a power blazer if pockets are required for the day.

Put on large necklace or earrings or both. Preferably one featuring owls.

Belt and scarf optional.

If cold or hair unbrushed, put on handknit hat.

If time, straighten hair. Normally just chuck it in a messy bun or put hairtie on wrist to deal to later.

Pick shoes. Black flats or black flats unless you aren't on the way to work and it's between August and May, in which case jandals are appropriate. 

Apply basic make up in a 2 minute job in front of the mirror at work. Foundation, mascara and lipstick only.

And if it's your day off, jeans, a cardy and black t-shirt will do.

What's your personal style?

Movies I've seen on the big screen recently

I'm getting a bit behind on movie watching. I only get one night off a week and am not an early riser so I struggle to see them on work days, and hate to go to work on my one day off. Tomorrow I'll be getting my Ryan Gosling fix though at a different cinema in town.

Love all three of these (saw Gatsby twice) except Man of Steel. I thought apart from the eye candy, it was a little dull. Really enjoyed World War Z though and Before Midnight was a perfect end to the trilogy (unless they make a 4th in a decade's time?) but the conflict throughout did make me feel more than a little tense.

Knitting in the islands

I am still meaning to do a post about my trip to Samoa. For now, here's some pictures of knitting in Samoa. 

I find it really hard to sit still and relax these days without knitting - it just feels wrong. So of course I took a few small projects to the islands with me. I knitted every day, bar one (and only because I was so ill I could barely move, let alone pick up the needles).

Thinking of the heat, I took cotton with me to make a dish cloth, and sock yarn. I attracted a lot of attention knitting over there - both from fellow tourists and the locals. Men and children were not shy to come up and stare and ask a lot of questions while I knitted in public. The woman running the fales were intrigued by what I was making and kept checking my progress at meal times, as most of them do a lot of weaving and edge their mats with yarn. 

There really is no better way to unwind than sitting on the beach with a beautiful view, the sun shining and needles clacking :-)

Finished projects

This week I finally finished the baby outfit I started to work on in late May. It feels good to have it done and sent off. Now I can knit for myself guiltlessly. I love the look of the booties but must convert them to the round because sewing up, quite frankly sucks!

I also whipped up a hat for my friend in a couple of days. Inspired by the life aquatic, it's made from the most gorgeous scarlet yarn. I had been promising a hat for a while and this jumped from 12th in the queue to 1st because I feel so deeply in love with the yarn. I needed to knit it then and there. I now have two spare balls to use as I massively overestimated how much I'd need. Ideas?