Two of My Favorite Things

Y'all know I love the knitting...Here are some more finished projects from 2009:

First we have a little hat, called Babushka, I made from Louisa Harding's book Bizoo Bizu.  I used Sirdar's Snuggly DK. 

Here is the model I made from Amy's concept for her Last Minute Slouch.  I used a little more than one skein of Eyre in the milk colorway and one skein of Tosh Sock in the robin's egg colorway.

Then there's another little sweater I made from that same book, Sirdar 337, Little Speckled Chicks and using most of the rest of the same yarn that I used for the other sweater, Sirdar's Snuggly DK.

Finally, I made the Knitting Fairy's Magic Shawl using one skein of Blue Heron Rayon Metallic in their sandstone/copper colorway.  I haven't worn it yet and I finished the thing back in August.

And then my other favorite thing is watching movies.  I've watched a couple of DVDs lately:

I may be the only human on the planet that didn’t like The Hangover, with Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham and Ed Helms. Mike Tyson plays a small role too. A groom and his best men head to Vegas for the bachelor party, and through antics that no one can remember, the groom is lost, and the buddies have to figure out what they did in order to find them. I keep hearing about how hysterically funny it is, and although there are some funny parts, I was not impressed.

The Hurt Locker is a really good story about a guy who defuses bombs in the Iraqi war. The movie’s premise is that we are all addicted to something, and this guy, played very well by Jeremy Renner, is addicted to danger. Ralph Fiennes, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Guy Pearce and Brian Geraghty also star in this film. It was a really good movie.

The Twilight books are really good reads – very satisfying and, if you ignore all the other chores around the house and personal hygiene for a couple of days, very quick reads, too. The first movie, Twilight, is out on DVD. It was poorly adapted from the book, IMHO, and rather poorly acted. Kristen Stewart plays Isabella Swan, a girl who meets the man of her dreams, Edward Cullen, on her first day of her new high school in Forks, Washington. Incidentally, Edward, played by Robert Pattinson, is a vampire. It was a little campy and all the actors looked awkward in their roles, but overall, it was entertaining.

Seen in the theater:

Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend play Victoria and Albert in The Young Victoria, about her early years before and after becoming the queen of England. Jim Broadbent and Miranda Richardson also star in the movie. It was really good – well acted, and beautiful to watch. I love period pieces. Good movie…

In Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges plays a down and just about out C&W singer-songwriter who meets a young, exuberant writer, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. They make an unlikely pair, and she impacts his life in ways that he could not imagine. It was good.


The Blind Side is a very entertaining, feel-good movie, based on the true story of Michael Oher. He was a kid living on the streets. With the help of Shawn (Tim McGraw) and Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) Tuohy, he becomes a star high school athlete and is then drafted into the NFL in the first round. Good.


A Single Man starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore is set in the 1960s. George (Firth) loses his longtime partner and his longtime friend from home (Moore) helps him grieve. Tom Ford, the fashion designer (whose clothes are in the movie) made his directorial debut. There is also plenty of eye candy in this movie for the girls, but aside from that, It was really very good.


New Moon is much better adapted from its book than Twilight was. The same people star in the second installment about the love story between a teenaged human, her vampire beloved and her newly transformed werewolf best friend, (Taylor Lautner). The actors appear more comfortable in their roles – Robert Pattinson doesn’t spend the whole movie sneering as if everything smells badly around him and the chemistry between him and Kristen Stewart is more evident. Although I think Stewart is as precious as she can be, her nonacting in this movie really bugs me. There was plenty of eye candy to go around in this movie with all the young vampires and werewolves going shirtless, and I was in my happy place about that until I figured out that Taylor Lautner is not yet 18. (Ew!) I believe this old lady will have to go Team Edward all the way from now on…At least R.Pattz is legal. Good movie.

MK out.

A Must See...

...especially if you have seen Grey Gardens and you are a knitter:

Click here.

It comes to us courtesy of Ann and Kay - The Mason-Dixon Knitting ladies.

MK out.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Nothing says love like handknits!

I've been trying to publish this post since this past weekend. I am having much trouble loading pictures.



Here are three more FOs from 2009 that I never posted:


I developed a cowl pattern from my stella hat pattern that I designed for Madelinetosh.  The model shown here is made out of some Lobster Pot Hand Dyed Cashmere leftover from one of Amy's projects that she gave me.  It's more her color; so, I gifted it to her.

My Clapotis is made from Brooks Farm Solo Silk that I got at DFW Fiber Fest last year. I finished it in July.

Finally, I made a little sweater back in October out of Sirdar Snuggly DK.  I used Sirdar 337, Little Speckled Chicks for the pattern.

More to come...

MK out.

Baby, It's C-o-o-old!

Thursday , we woke up to a winter wonderland.  It proceeded to snow the rest of the day.  I went into work and finished quickly, then ran to the grocery store.  It was stew weather!

Here's the view from the back doorway yesterday morning.  It was a record snowfall - I think about 12" at DFW.

Cold weather reminds me of handknits.  Here are a couple of FOs from 2009 that I never posted:

First, we have the Thorpe. I made it for The Kid out of some handspun that Amy gave me.

 

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I designed these fingerless mitts for Madelinetosh using the Tosh Sock. The pattern hasn't yet been released.

MK out.

I Didn't Get the Memo...

I saw this guy sitting at the bar, dressed like a monk in a pink "robe." 

















Then, I looked at the table next to us.  One guy had a Nebraska "robe" and the other had a Texas Tech "robe."











And this nice group let me take their picture.











Apparently, it was Snuggy Pub Crawl Night last night in the Big D. 

MK out.

Go Red For Women!

Tomorrow is National Go Red Day where everyone is asked to wear red to raise awareness of women and heart health.  Heart disease is the number one killer in the US, and almost half a million women die each year from heart disease and its complications.

So if you smoke, quit.  Get help...it's hard. If you have some extra pounds on you, lose them.  The South Beach and Mediterranean eating lifestyles can be googled for more information about good eating choices. I don't like the word "diet" because when people "go on a diet," it inherantly implies that they are going to go "off" of it at some point; therefore, not adhearing to the lifestyle changes anymore, and going back to poorer choices and habits.  If you don't exercise, get moving and incorporate some light weights to improve your muscle mass and your metabolism.  It's a good idea to check with your doctor before you begin any exercise program.  My words are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor.

If you wear your red to Macy's, you get 20% more off on any purchases (yesterday through Sunday, February 7).  I was wearing red today and bought new towels that were already 40% off; so, I got a little icing on my cake and no calories were involved!!

MK out.

The Very Good Day

Today was a banner day for the Merry Karma.

First, after a good night's sleep (which always tends to make the day brighter from the get go), the Oscar nominations were announced this morning. There is one movie that I will likely not get to see, as I think it has come and gone. It won't be released on DVD until well after the Oscars, but there are only six other movies that I need to watch before the ceremonies.  Woo Hoo!

Secondly, the sun came out today.  It was very well appreciated.  Everything is better when the sun is shining.

Third, the final season of Lost starts tonight, and my TiVo is set and recording the recap show as I type.  Then it will start taping the actual episode. I'd rather start watching it all a little later, when the distractions have died down a bit.  I cannot believe Lost is almost over for good.  It's been a great ride so far, but I am glad that they aren't going to attempt to drag the story out ad nauseum.  Season Two was a bit of a snorer because they slowed the action w.a.a.a.y down.  (I think it was Season Two.)

Finally, I made some yummy chicken chowder in my new Le Creuset stock pot tonight.  I'm feeling all Julia Child these days; so, I bought it to start making my own stocks to make soups from scratch.  I'll let you know how that goes.  It'll be more like, I will buy good quality stock  and go from there...as I did tonight. 

Interestingly, Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress in Julie and Julia, but I don't think she has a chance this year against Gabourey Sidibe in Precious.

Off to dinner.

MK out.

Pajama Party!!!

I think bears have the right idea...

It rained Thursday and Friday and segued into a gray and cloudy weekend.  And c.o.l.d.  Did I mention the cold?  Saturday, we had plans to celebrate the grandkids' birthdays, as well as a Mavericks game to attend.  Four out of five of them had birthdays in January or the beginning of February.  I got up and piddled for a while, until I decided that resistance was futile.  The television and the couch were calling my name.  It was hibernating weather and I didn't even bother to get dressed.  I had TiVo'd some old movies recently and thought it was a good time to sit down and watch them.  Since we had those plans with the grands, I was only able to watch one until it was time to get dressed and meet everyone for lunch. After that, I spent the time before having to drive down to Dallas for the Mavericks game teaching the now 10-year-old boy and his 7-year-old tomorrow sister how to knit. They both did quite nicely.

Anyway, I have only watched Annie Hall once, and that was in the theater when it first came out in 1977.  OMG!  Diane Keaton and Woody Allen were perfectly cast in those neurotic roles. There was so much that I had forgotten, and the part where Woody sneezed and blew the coke out of the container all o.v.e.r the room was hysterical.  It was an intersting look at pseudo-sophisticated NYC in the 1970s. 

Yesterday, it was much more of the same.  The weather man lied, because it was supposed to be warmer and partly cloudy. In my book, partly cloudy means that the sun will at least make an appearance.  It did not, and the temperature didn't get much warmer than freezing the whole day.  I stayed in my pjs a.l.l.f.r.e.a.k.i.n.d.a.y!  I didn't feel one bit guilty, either.

I watched Separate Lies with Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson and Rupert Everett.  I saw that movie in the theater back in 2005 and really liked it then.  On second viewing, I would still highly recommend it.  Watson and Wilkinson play a seemingly happy couple, until an accident on their property that kills a man starts bringing certain things to light.  G.o.o.d movie.

Then, I watched a dvd I had rented - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - a subtitled movie set in Romania in the late 1980s.  Two college roommates make preparations for one of them to undergo an illegal abortion.  It was rather heavy and disturbing.

Finally, I watched Being Julia, with Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons star in this period piece about a great stage actress (Bening) and her plot to avenge the wrongs committed against her by a young social climbing admirer.  Another really good movie.

MK out.