Movie Monday - 12/31/2018

The documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbor? is about the life of the beloved Mr. Rogers. His wife, sons and sister appear in the film. I miss him. It was good.

Chappaquiddick is a dramatization of Ted Kennedy and the accidental drowning of Mary Jo Kopechne. It gave good insight on the machinations that followed the event. Jason Clarke plays Kennedy and Kate Mara plays Kopechne. It was interesting.

Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck star in The Old Man and the Gun. It's based on the true story of Forrest Tucker, who led a life of crime and even escaped prison to continue his line of work. It was very good.

Based on a true story, Green Book chronicles the music tour by classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley that he takes in the Deep South in the 1960s with his driver/body guard Tony Vallelonga. Mahershala Alli and Viggo Mortensen star and it's really good.

Eighth Grade, starring Elsie Fisher is about the angst of middle school/almost high school. It was cute.

Happy New Year to all!

MK out.

FO Friday - 12/7/2018

Finished objects! 

You read that right.

Pattern: Hermione's Everyday Socks (just on the front of the leg and instep) with a contrasting Eye-of-Partridge Heel.
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Birthday Cake and Madelinetosh Twist Light in Antler for the heels.
Comments: With a name like that colorway, they were the perfect socks to make during my Birthday Month. The speckles kept me amused too.

Pattern: Plain Vanilla Socks with a contrasting Fish Lips Kiss Heel
Yarn: Rainy Days & Wooly Dogs Strychnine - Gothsocks in Red Queen and Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply Toes in Ghoulish for the heels and toes.
Comments:  This yarn was from deep stash...very deep stash. I like the contrasting colors. They look rather Suessical, but they could pass for Christmas socks too.

I still haven't done finish work on an FO from several weeks ago. Maybe, I'll do it before the end of the year. No promises.

Then, there's this little number:

It's how far I've gotten on a Hitofude since July of 2016. I've tried to get back to it and finish it, because it's not a hard knit, and it's supposed to go fast. 

BUT...it wasn't sparking joy.

 I took a long, hard look at it and realized that I wouldn't get much wear out of it. I'm going to frog it and reclaim the yarn for something else.

Don't know what yet.

MK out. 

(Always click on the pictures to see the whole thing if your device cuts them off.)

Book Chat - 12/6/2018

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

Rosie and Penn have five kids, all boys, except the youngest one wants to be a girl.  It's a good story about family, well-intentioned secrets, fairy tales, the middle way, how life is hard and how life is good. I really liked it.

MK out.

Book Chat 11/29/2018

Still Lives by Maria Hummel

Kim Lord is an artist who stole gallery worker Maggie Richter's boyfriend, new gallery owner, Greg Shaw Ferguson. On the opening night of Kim's new show at Maggie's gallery, Kim turns up missing. Maggie starts suspecting everyone she knows. It was good.

When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker

Luke Richardson comes home after his wife Natalie's funeral and begins the task of finding the new normal for their kids and himself. Then, letters from Natalie start arriving. OMG! Read this book. It was very good. 

The Briefing:  Politics, The Press and the President by Sean Spicer

Spicer chronicles his time in the White House under the Trump Administration. It was an interesting perspective.

The Other Woman by Sandie Jones

Emily Havistock finally meets her boyfriend Adam's mother Pammie. At first, the older woman seems a little dotty. As time goes on, Pammie is hateful to Emily, but only behind her son's back. What gives? Read it and you will find out. It was good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 11/5/2018

Movie watching season is upon us...fa la la la la, la la la la!

(And Countdown to Christmas has begun on the Hallmark Channel; so, I've been recording all the new ones to start watching after Thanksgiving.)

RBG is a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I learned many things that I didn't know about her. I wasn't aware of her prior work with women's issues. I rather think that makes her even cooler in my book. I liked it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a lovely little period piece based on the book by the same name. It's set in the Channel Islands after World War II. Lily James plays Juliet, a writer who becomes intrigued with the town of Geurnsey and its Nazi occupied past. A handsome farmer named Dawsey (Michiel Huisman) helps sweeten the pie, pun intended. It was sweet and I liked it.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is based on the memoir by Lee Isreal of the same name. Melissa McCarthy stars as Isreal, who wrote several biographies about powerful women in her heyday. However, tastes changed but she didn't; so, she found herself needing a job. She turned to forging letters and documents from famous people and selling them to make ends meet. Her partner in crime is played by Richard E. Grant. It was good.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a bit of the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen. Rami Malek plays Mercury. The actors that play the other three band members look a lot like the real band members. There is already controversy about the way facts were presented in the film, but I'm good with the movie and the acting. I liked it.

A Star is Born, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, is the third iteration of the story of rather famous boy meets talented girl. He encourages her talent until it starts to eclipse his. Drama ensues. I think I like this version the best. The acting was very good, the singing was phenomenal. Who knew that Bradley Cooper had musical talent? Wowsers! He was awesome! (Besides writing and performing some songs, he directed and produced the film. ...Wowsers!) Lady Gaga looked beautiful and her singing shined. I liked it.

There are more good movies coming out in the next few weeks, and I'll try to see as many as I can.

MK out.

FO Friday - 10/26/2018

I've finished a couple of things since we last spoke. In a departure from my usual format, I'm going to be brief. Crazy things are happening at Chez Merry Karma.

I made a hat for my niece, using a pretty pink colorway of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino: 

I made a pair of socks for The Husb, using the Yoda colorway of Must Stash Yarn and Fiber's Perfect Self Striping Sock:

I made a pair of socks for me, using the Hippo for Christmas colorway of Lolodidit's Everyday Sock. I used Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Tart too (for the heels and a little on the cuff):

I finished one other thing, but I haven't completed the finish work; so, no pictures today.

MK out.

Book Chat - 10/25/2018

Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff is a behind-the-scenes look at the first nine months of Trump's presidency. It was entertaining.

Fear by Bob Woodward is another interesting look at the first year or so of the Trump presidency. The prose didn't flow as smoothly as in Fire and Fury, but it was good.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is sooooooo GOOD! You must read it. Growing up in the marsh of a South Carolina coastal area, Kya is abandoned by everyone in her life at a young age. She is left to fend for herself.  A local neighbor teaches her to read and another pays her for the mussels she brings him to resell.  She grows up despite all the odds. That's all I'm going to say, because I really don't want to spoil it. Read it!

MK out.

Movie Monday - 10/22/2018

Wes Anderson directed the animated feature, Isle of Dogs, about a dystopian Japanese society that has removed all dogs to an island because of an outbreak of canine flu. The story follows a boy's search for his dog. It was quirky, as Anderson's projects tend to be. Many good actors (male and female) lended their voices to the characters. It was good.

Wild Oats, starring Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange and Demi Moore is about a recent widow (MacLaine) who receives $5 Million from her late husband's insurance company. She and her BFF head off to the Canary Islands to live it up a little. Sweet, huh? Except the insurance payout was supposed to be $50 Thousand. Add the insurance company investigator, a few scammers and odd and sundry men, and you have the makings of a rollicking good time. It was cute.

Charlize Theron stars in Tully, about a very tired mom of three (one unplanned and just born and one with an unrevealed developmental disorder). Her brother offers to gift her a night nanny. At first, she resists, but then she relents. The movie is basically about the relationship between the two women. It had some twists. It was good.

MK out.

Book Chat - 9/6/2018

I've read several books over the last few months. I'll just list them here:

Happiness: A Memoir: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After by Heather Harpham

You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Bowling Avenue by Ann Shayne

Sourdough: A Novel by Robin Sloan

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

All were good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 8/27/2018

The Zookeeper's Wife is based on a true story. The Warsaw Zoo was partially destroyed by German bombing early in World War II. The couple who owned it started providing a way station for Jewish people to help them get out of harm's way. Jessica Chastain stars. It had all the feels. It was good.

In Finding Your Feet, an aristocratic woman learns that her husband has been having an affair. She moves back in with her sister while she decides what to do next. Imelda Staunton, Celia Imrie, Joanna Lumley, Timothy Spall and David Hayman star in this humorous and poignant little film. I liked it.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 8/13/2018

In The Leisure Seeker, Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren star as a couple taking a trip in their vintage RV. It has cute moments, but it is rather poignant in light of what was going on in the big picture, as each person has a serious condition. Good acting, good story. I liked it.

Book Club is a cute chick flick with Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Mary Steenburgen. The four are longtime friends who for years have met once a month to discuss books and life situations. Each woman has a stalled love life for a variety of reasons, but when they read Fifty Shades of Grey for their club, it inspires them to take some risks. Of course, mayhem ensues. I enjoyed it.

Debra Winger and Tracy Letts play a married couple in The Lovers. Both are engaging in longtime extramarital affairs. One day, after sharing an accidental kiss, they start seeing each other a little differently. It was good, but even though the ending made sense, I wasn't really happy with it.

MK out.

FO Friday - 8/3/2018

I started a pair of socks while on our trip last month and finished them the other day.

Pattern: Magnolia Socks by Helen Stewart

Yarn: Grinning Gargoyle Dedo in Honeysuckle

Comments: It's another great pattern from The Handmade Sock Society by Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade. The yarn is rather deep stash. I bought it at the second Sock Summit in 2011. I enjoyed the knit immensely.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/1/2018

After almost a month of globetrotting, I am back in the country. We got back a week ago, and reentry has taken this long. I'm still not finished putting all the things back where they belong, but I'm getting  there.

The other day, I swatched for four new sweaters.

The swatches have been blocked and I'm itching to start all of them, but first, I pulled out a WIP/UFO from three years ago. It just needs the sleeves and the upper bodice/neckline done.

I have to finish this one before I can start one of the other ones. I want to start all of them now though. I don't think I can choose just one.

MK out.

FO Friday - 7/6/2018

I finished a pair of socks recently.

Pattern: Plain Vanilla Socks with a Fish Lios Kiss Heel
Yarn: Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs Strychnine in Fresh Start
Comments: Nice base...too bad the company went out of business.

In Iceland.

Having a wonderful time.

Wish you were here.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 7/2/2018

The Party is about an intimate, celebratory gathering Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas is throwing after she wins a job promotion. Timothy Spall plays her sad, preoccupied husband Bill. As her guests start arriving, Janet is busy juggling completing the meal preparations and texts from her lover. Soon, we learn that others are keeping secrets also. Patricia Clarkson and Emily Mortimer also star. There's not much action, but there are some darkly funny moments. It was good.

MK out.

FO Friday - 6/29/2018

I wanted to have a pair of socks finished by today to show you, but they are only almost finished as I type. The knitting has fallen by the wayside lately. Sewing has been taking up quite a bit of my time. It hasn't been pleasure sewing though. My SIL and I are trying to start a children's clothing line. While we eventually won't be doing the actual sewing, we are doing the bulk of it now. The actual sewing is only one small part of running this business. Even still, when one finally sits down to sew but it's on a deadline, it sucks the fun right out of it.

That being said, I did recently make one of our styles to gift to a sweet little girl I know.

Pattern: Luna by Island Baby.

Fabric: from the Fleurologie Collection by Moda Fabrics

I even made bias tape to bind the hem

and to form a casing for the elastic.

Oo-la-la! I hope she likes it.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 6/18/2018

Based on the memoir by the same name, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool is the true story of Gloria Grahame's relationship with a much younger man. Annette Bening plays the aging Hollywood actress who had quite a colorful past. Jamie Bell plays Peter Turner, the younger man who wrote the book. It was good.

Wonder Wheel is Woody Allen's latest film set in Coney Island in the 1950s. Kate Winslet plays a former actress, now in a less than happy second marriage. Her son by her first marriage is a pyromaniac, her husband is an alcoholic and her grown step-daughter puts a wrench in her plans for happiness. Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple and Jim Belushi also star. It had promise, but it didn't deliver.

MK out.

FO Friday - 6/15/2018

I finished a pair of socks!

Pattern:  Winte Rose Socks by Helen Stewart 
Yarn:  Handmade Fine Yarn Casbah in Radiant Orchid
Comments: This pattern is the first release from this year's The Handmade Sock Society.  I enjoyed knitting this pattern and the yarn is yummy. It was my first time to use this yarn.  I'm very happy with this pair of socks.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 6/4/2018

I've watched a few flicks.

I had higher hopes for Table 19, based on its synopsis on various sites. Anna Kendrick plays Eloise, who gets dumped via text by her boyfriend. She was supposed to be the maid of honor in her friend's wedding, but since said friend is the sister of the ex-boyfriend, Eloise is relieved of that duty. She's also assigned to Table 19, the table of misfit guests. It's a good setup, but it doesn't really fly from there. Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, June Squibb, Stephen Merchant and Tony Revolori also star. It was alright.

Treblinka's Last Witness is a documentary. Samuel Willenberg tells about his time as a prisoner in the WW II death camp. It was a fascinating story of a person's journey of survival.

I watched Mother! for about 10 minutes before I took the DVD out of the player and sealed it in the Netflix return mailer. It was weird. Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris are in this film. Lawrence plays a woman, living her life, minding her own business (allegedly) until some strangers barge into her home and things get strange. Who knows if I would have liked it. I wasn't impressed at the get go; so, I just didn't watch it.

MK out.

FO Friday - 6/1/2018

I finally finished my May socks yesterday!!!

Pattern: Winters Frost by This Handmade Life

Yarn:  Fresh from the Cauldron Gradients in Mykonos

Comments:  Thanks to the Grocery Girls, I tried out knitting with a sock blank. 

Of course, it had to be a double blank (2 yarns are held and knit together), because I like to knit my socks two-at-a-time. Plus, single blanks tend to produce socks that are not identical twins since the socks are knit one-at-a-time and the yarn is used in sequence. MK don't play that. 

I don't think using sock blanks again is in my future. About half-way through, I wound each yarn into two separate balls.

MK out.

Sump'm Sump'm Saturday - 5/26/2018

In continuing my tradition of making only thoughtful purchases of yarn this year, I bought yarn for the fifth month in a row.

Sorry, not sorry.

MK out.

Book Chat - 5/24/2018

(Blinking and rubbing her eyes from the glare of the sun.)

I've read some good books lately and would like to tell you about them.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy is set in India, mostly around the turn of this century.  It is full of interesting characters, but it was a little hard for me to keep them straight sometimes. Overall, it was good and I enjoyed reading it.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal is full of Indian characters, but it's set in England. It's setting is more present day. A young woman answers an ad to teach creative writing in the heart of London's Punjabi community to a group of older women who think that they are enrolled in a literacy class. It was very good.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is a present day story set in Shaker Heights, Ohio, the author's home town. The lives of two families becomes intertwined when the children become acquainted. It was light, yet complex. I really enjoyed it. I hear this book is going to be made into a movie or mini-series. I am looking forward to it.

That's all for now.

MK out.

FO Friday - 5/4/2018

The dash has been keeping me busy. I finished the first project I'll show you last week. I meant to write about it before now, but again, dash.

Pattern: Just a plain vanilla sock; so, no pattern, except for the Fish Lips Kiss Heel
Yarn: Must Stash Yarn Perfect Self Striping Sock in I Am Fearless, from The Affirmations Collection    and a white Perfect Mini
Comments: I really love Stacie's yarn. The colorways are fabulous. I want to knit all of them. Her base is so squishy! Stripeys shine the best in plain vanilla, in my opinion, and this yarn was no exception.

Pattern: Hiraeth by Rae Gronmark
Yarn: Spirited Fibers Fingering Weight in Malbec, Coffee and a speckled
Comments: I made the small version of this pattern. It was a fun knit. I like the yarn and the pattern.

However, beware. The darker colors have a lot of excess dye that made the cream speckled less cream.

I'm not too torn up about it because I was thinking that there was too stark a contrast between the cream and the other two colors.

In other news, I'm not happy about the excess dye from Tart turning the Antler in my Derecho a pink color...

...despite the cold water soak with the three color catchers.

I've heard of ways to prevent this sort of thing from happening and I need to research it. I want to make a Fading Point Shawl using these skeins:

The two Madelinetosh yarns on the left end are supersaturated colors and I'm worried. I want the gray in the two skeins on the right to stay gray.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 4/18/2018

Because I'm about halfway finished with this shawl:

I started this shawl:

And because I'm more than halfway finished with these socks:

I started these socks:

MK out.

FO Friday - 4/13/2018

Sorry...very late with this post.

Pattern: Tracie by Joji Locatelli
Yarn: Suburban Stitcher Single Sock in Tandoori and Sweet Pea
Comments: I actually finished this shawl last week and wore it to Fiber Fest. The pattern is very well written. It was my first time to use Suburban Stitcher yarn and it's very nice. I liked it so much that you may have noticed that I bought more at Fiber Fest.

I used one size smaller needle than suggested to make sure I didn't run out of yarn. The shawl came out kinda small, but I knew it would grow after blocking. I was right, but it's still not as big as Joji's. I'm totally fine with it, because I'm not a very tall person.

For comparison, I took an  unblocked picture

and then a picture after blocking. 

I think the size is perfect for me.

Pattern: Wisp by Cheryl Niamath
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Amaroso
Comments:  I like the pattern, and the yarn is nice, but I've decided that I don't really like knitting with lace-weight yarn. The only modifications I made was to knit one more repeat to make the yardage requirement and I skipped the buttonholes. If I make it again, I will use a provisional cast-on and graft the ends together. This time, I will seam the ends together. This project fulfills the "use lace-weight" requirement for Loopy Academy. 

MK out.

DFW Fiber Fest - The Aftermath

I helped my friend in her booth on Friday. 

It kept me from going too crazy.

Well, I really could have gone crazier. The sock blockers are from Perfectly Catchy Designs. The cute bag is from Whimzee Stitches Designs.

I found the best skein to go with my Plucky skein at the West 7th Wool booth that was right across the hallway from where I was hanging. It's Conference Call by Madelinetosh on TML.

The Suburban Stitcher booth was right around the corner from Must Stash. I'm using the exact colorway that Dianne used to make her Suburban Wrap. I really love this combo.

Of course, I had to buy some Must Stash Yarn. It was really hard to pick. 

I bought I Am Fearless and a blank mini for cuffs, heels and toes. I really like her new Affirmation Series. 

And I bought some yarn to make a Sock Arms Sweater for a special someone.

All, in all, not bad. 

In other news, I ordered the yarn for Loopy Academy Extra Credit today; so, hopefully, I can just sit back and knit now.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 4/9/2018

Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning and Colin Farrell star in The Beguiled. Set during the Civil War, only two women and a handful of students remain at a girls school in Virginia. One day, one of the girls comes upon a wounded Union soldier. She gets him to the school, where the headmistress decides she'll delay deciding what to do with him until he heals. Soon, all the girls develop a shine for him and he takes advantage of the situation. It was good.

In 2010, the Argentine film, The Secret in Their Eyes, won Best Foreign Picture and I remember seeing it in the theater. It was very good. In 2015, the film was remade with Julia Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nicole Kidman. Roberts plays an investigator with the LA district attorney's office whose daughter had been brutally murdered thirteen years prior and the killer had gotten away. Her friend and former FBI counterterrorism agent (Ejiofor) now thinks he's found the guy and goes after him. It was just as good as the original.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 4/4/2018

Hello, hello!

Update on the number of  current WIPs - five. That number is about to go up by at least one, because I have to start my April socks. I haven't decided which yarn I'll use, but it's going to be a stripey this month. I'm doing the Grocery Girls Sock Bash - a challenge to knit a pair of socks a month for the year - and the theme for April is stripes. I have several stripeys in my stash, but DFW Fiber Fest starts Friday and a new stripey or two might make its way home with me.

There are two WIPs I'm trying to concentrate on right now though. The first is the Loopy Academy lace yarn assignment

and the second is a shawl that was started January, but was quickly put aside for other shiny new projects

Speaking of DFW Fiber Fest...I don't know if y'all noticed, but I've purchased yarn in every month of the new year so far. 

In January, I bought the yarn I'm using for the shawl I mentioned above.

In February, I purchased some yarn to make a sweater.

Last month, I bought yarn to make two hats, a shawl, a sweater (more like a sleeveless top), and a pair of socks. Two purple skeins for the sweater mentioned above made it in this picture. Ignore those two.

Here's the yarn to make the shawl. The shawl is finished and blocking at the moment.

I'm supposed to be cold sheeping lite - using stash, unless there's a compelling reason to purchase yarn (ex: someone's having a baby and I don't have yarn suitable for the gift I intend to make, Loopy Academy assignments, I've run out of yarn for something I'm making OR I just feel like it. OK, not that last one.)  

So, back to DFW Fiber Fest, I want to find a skein to go with this one to make a shawl by Joji Locatelli.

And I want to buy yarn to make the Suburban Wrap, also by Joji Locatelli. And I want to buy yarn to make the Humulus pullover.

I will leave you with the Party in My Mailbox I had recently. I purchased these cute enamel pins from the Grocery Girls.

See y'all on the flip side.

MK out.