FO Friday - 8/31/2012

As I told y'all yesterday, the scarf I knitted in the LSSK scarf swap has landed.  I can show y'all the super secret project now:



I used Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk Paints in the Water Lilies colorway and the Drops 120-19 Scarf pattern.  It was a relatively fast knit...all garter until the border...which is crochet. 



I really like how it turned out.  The recipient seems to like it too.



I finished Derecho - my Camp Loopy 3 project.  I used Tosh Sock in Antler, Iris and Tart. 



I love the Tart.



That sentence can be taken more than one way.

MK out.

A Little Karmic Balance...

Remember these socks...made using the Maylin pattern?



The Random Number Generator picked me to win one of the prizes for the June SKA sock challenge.  My prize donor was SheilaR and she dyes up some pretty yarn.  Interestingly, before I found out that I had won, I was thinking about Socktober coming up and how I didn't have any Halloween yarn.  When I went to Sheila's site and saw her lovelies whose colorways are all named after songs from my era...

(I know, right?  Win-Win!!!)

...I found Monster Mash - all orangy and brown and blackish. 



But then, she put up Jimmy Cracked Corn (and it looks like candy corn) and I couldn't decide between the two.



So, I didn't choose - I bought one of them (because I have so much willpower) and was gifted the other.



The stitch markers were part of my prize too...and she made them Halloweeny just for me.  Aren't they cute?



I will definitely have to return to her etsy store...Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Midnight at the Oasis are calling my name...

In other news, the Lone Star State Knitters yahoo group had a scarf swap.  Remember that secret project?  Tune in tomorrow to see it...My recipient has gotten it already.

I received my package yesterday:



I just love this pattern - Juliet by Louisa Harding.  I've made it before and it is a fun knit.  I gifted that scarf; so, now I have my own Juliet to wear and enjoy.  It's the most perfect shade of pink - all bright and hot and fucshia-y.



The rosette (Look! Sparkly!!!) is a magnetic closure. Too cute!



And finally, I have three pair of socks going right now, and I'm about to start a fourth. Shoot me now...

MK out.

Movie Monday - 8/27/2012

I've seen a few movies recently:

The Last Lions is a documentary about Ma di Tau, an African lioness, and her three cubs as they go about their quest for survival. It was very good and it pointed out the fact that Africa has a diminishing population of lions. I noticed that I have a hard time watching the cruelty of nature, even though intellectually, I understand all about survival of the fittest and other laws of nature. Despite that difficultly, I liked this film.

Hope Springs is a cute movie with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones playing a longtime married couple who have lost the intimacy in their relationship. Steve Carrel plays the marriage therapist Meryl's character enlists to help them fix the situation. I really liked Steve Carrel in this more serious role. I've grown tired of the sophomoric characters he plays in his more comedic movies. Tommy's character wasn't too much of a stretch, but Meryl really hit all the notes portraying a woman at the end of her rope regarding the relationship with her husband. I liked it.

The Queen of Versailles started out being a documentary about the largest home in America under one roof.  David and Jacqueline Siegel started building this 90,000 square-foot house a few years ago.  When the market downturn in 2008 happened, the focus of the film changed to Siegel's scrambling to save the house, as well as his large timeshare resort in Las Vegas.  It shows the family cutting corners, such as having to fly commercial instead of taking the family airplane to visit old friends and family.  On the one hand, it is so hard to imagine the wealth and the charmed life these people lead.  On the other hand, it is entertaining to watch them trying to cope with  the normal issues of the common folk.  It was a very entertaining movie and I really enjoyed watching it.
MK out.

The Tart Life...

...as opposed to The Sweet Life.

Sometimes, life can be challenging, as it is currently at Chez Merry Karma.  The blogging has suffered and will continue to do so until things settle out a bit.  Some projects will be coming to fruition in the next couple of months and then, hopefully, things will get back to normal.

Until then, here is a little yarn porn for you.  It's the leftovers of Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Tart from the Derecho Shawl:



And here is something interesting I saw the other day:



My first thought was, if one is so excited about his/her recent divorce that he/she felt the need to shout it to the world in writing...one should have checked his/her spelling.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/15/2012

I took the pictures earlier today, but it's been one of those days in which tasks had to be completed in steps.  Those kinds of days are challenging at best...

There are four projects jockeying for attention currently.  The first one is the Super Secret Project: 



My plan was to have this project completed by August 15th.  Today is August 15th.

Yeah.

I am more than three quarters of the way finished with the knitting.  Then comes the crocheted edging...but it will get done. 

I've worked on my Tara Socks since the last time I posted a picture:



Five of the seven required top-of-the-foot repeats are complete.  I just need to keep at it.  I have not even gotten to the intricate twisted-stitch cable part...Oy!

I've barely started the fourth section of the Derecho shawl:



It's another case where I just need to sit down and knit on it.  What has taken my attention away from the three already mentioned projects is this little gem:



Can you guess what it is?  (Ruby - no guesses from you.)

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday 8/14/2012 - TV Trays and TV Dinners

This week's topic in 10 Favorite TV Shows from Childhood.  [To Carole - I think you are younger than I am, even though there may be some overlap.]

Anyway, we watched a lot of tv growing up.  That's how my momma learned how to speak English; so, it was a win-win for the whole family.  I know that there are tons more than ten that were my favorites, but I'll stick to my young teen and under years - that should narrow down the list a little:

1.  Dark Shadows - My friend Patty and I would run to our respective homes after school to watch this gothic soap opera.  Then, we would discuss the previous day's happenings on the playground during PE the next day.  I had a little crush on David Hennesy - He played David Collins.
2.  The Monkees - I fell in love and married Davy Jones while watching this show.
3.  The Partridge Family - I cheated on Davy with David Cassidy, and luckily - he never found out...
4.  Medical Center - I wanted to grow up and become a nurse to work with people like Dr. Joe Gannon.  (Whew!  No Davids on this show...) 
5.  Green Acres - I always did identify more with Lisa...
6.  Bewitched - Ah, if only twitching my nose could get things done around here...

and I really miss fun, variety shows such as:
7.  The Ed Sullivan Show
8.  The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour
9.  The Carol Burnett Show
10. The Red Skelton Hour

There are so many others...but I am going to stop now.

MK out.

FO Friday - 8/10/2012

It's still Friday....

I have FOs....

The first one is kind of a repeat, but with a twist. 



I had the name of the recipient embroidered on the top of the stocking and it is all ready to gift.  I used Ella Rae Classic Solids and Heathers, just as I did with the other three stockings I made recently.  It's not merino, but it is a nice utility wool. 

And finally, I present my July 2012 socks. 



One of the Sock Knitters Anonymous' challenges was Colorwork/Stranded Knitting/Intarsia.  The pattern is Zirkel by Stephanie van der Linden.  It was the MOCK last July and although I didn't make it then, I filed it away to save for this year's colorwork month.   I used Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Robin's Egg and a red that I am calling not Tart/not Scarlet.  All in all, I liked knitting this pattern. 



MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/8/2012

I've been mainly working on my Super Secret Project these days.  I want to get it done, done, done.

I have done a little work on Derecho - my Camp Loopy 3 Project:



I just love it so far.

Did you notice that there wasn't an FO Friday post the other day?  Well, yeah...I even had two FOs to show.  I promise to have one this Friday.

What's on your needles?

MK out.

Movie Monday - 8/6/2012

Rock of Ages is based on the musical of the same name.  It’s a cute, predictable story about a girl who comes to LaLa Land, trying to make it big and ends up helping to save the venue where she had landed.  It really reminded me a little of the movie Burlesque.  The performances are over the top, but definitely entertaining.  Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Diego Boneta (a newcomer), Julianne Hough, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand (OK – his performance was just Russell), Paul Giamatti and Mary J. Blige thrill us with their talents.  The music was from the 80s hair band era.  It was good.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/1/2012

Here's what's on my needles currently:



From left to right: I started my Camp Loopy 3 project, Derecho, on July 27th but haven't worked on it since in my mad-dash-end-of-the-month-flurry to finish as many things as I could have from my July4th WIPs before the end of the month.  Next, the May 2012 socks have been waiting patiently, as have the April 2012 socks, respectively.

As you can tell, I didn't finish all six of the projects I had OTN at the beginning of July - but four out of six is nothing to sneeze at.

I also have a super, secret project going...details to follow in a few weeks.  It's the scarf I am making for a scarf swap:



Finally, this ball of yarn is destined to become the August 2012 socks:



I think that they will be either plain vanilla stockinette or 2x2 ribbing.  I haven't quite decided.

I am off to knit a while. 

What's on your needles?

MK out.