Movie Monday - 3/26/2018

The Greatest Showman wasn't high on my list of movies I wanted to see, but when we were on Spring Break recently, I had the opportunity to do so. My trepidation centered around the fact that I was not impressed with Hugh Jackman's singing ability in Les Miserables. To his credit, he did a decent job in The Greatest Showman, except for the bar scene after the fire - the nasally vibrato was back, and it wasn't pretty. It was just as I had remembered it from before. That being said, this film was not a heavyweight, but it was very entertaining. It's about P.T.  Barnum's rise to fame. Michele Williams, Zac Rfron and Zendaya also star.  I liked it.

MK out.

FO Friday 3/16/2018

Hey, hey!

I finished a pair of socks.

Pattern: Candy Floss Socks by Emily Clawson
Yarn: Rainy Days & Wooly Dogs Ricin - Gothsocks in Frostbite
Comments: I added another column of cables on the other edge of the top of the foot. I like my socks to work on either foot.

I finished a cowl

Pattern: Hawthorne Cowl by Circle of Stitches
Yarn:  Malabrigo Rios in Cumparasita and Sandstone
Comments: This project fulfilled the Brioche assignment for Loopy Academy. I wasn't sure if I would like Brioche. Now I know that I do. The fabric is so squishy!

Now, I'll concentrate on my Tracie shawl until I cast on the next assignment and another pair of socks.

MK out.

Book Chat - 3/15/2018

I recently read 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster. The book follows Archie Ferguson's coming of age, but the twist is that there are four versions. Each chapter is subdivided into four parts and each part follows a different rendition of Archie's life. It was an interesting way to tell a story, but in the beginning, it was hard to keep all the storylines straight. I had to make a chart. It's not a beach read! Higher level brain cells are required. In the end, I really enjoyed this book.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 3/12/2018

Set in 1979, 20th Century Women is about an older, single mother (Annette Bening) trying to raise her teenaged son (Lucas Jade Zumann) in a changing world. She enlists the help of two young women (Elle Fanning and Greta Gerwig) and a handyman (Billy Crudup) to achieve her goal. The acting was really good. There was enough quirk to keep me interested. It was pretty good overall.

I watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople without knowing much about it. It is set in present day New Zealand. Belle (Rima Te Wiata) and Hec (Sam Neill) agree to foster Ricky (Julian Dennison), who's a bit of juvenile delinquent. Just when Belle breaks through Ricky's reserve, she dies. Hec believes that the welfare department will come back to take Ricky away; so, Ricky fakes his own death and runs away. Hec finds him, and soon, the two are the subject of a nationwide manhunt. It was pretty funny. I really liked it.

MK out.

Non FO Sunday - 3/11/2018

Hellerrrrr!

I didn't finish the socks by Friday. However, I worked on them the last two days 

and they will be finished by this coming Friday.

I hope the cowl will be too, in keeping with my goal to have an FO every Friday this month, but I'm not making any promises.

In the meantime, here's some pretty scenery to entertain you.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 3/7/2018

I do have quite a few WIPs currently, because I want to knit all the things, and I've cast on a good number of them.

I'm trying to concentrate on three of them right now, because two have a deadline.

First, I'm up to the heel flap on the March socks. I'd like to finish them this week, but I have lots going on.

Next, I'm working on my Loopy Academy Brioche assignment. I like it so far.

Finally, I went to a knitting retreat this weekend and I bought some yarn. (For those who are keeping track, I've bought yarn every month this year so far.)

I bought two lovely skeins of Suburban Stitcher Single Sock. 

I started a Tracie Shawl by Joji Locatelli.

I met Joji Locatelli and Veera Valimaki at the retreat.

I bought some more yarn, but I'll share it at a later date.

MK out.

The Oscars 2018

I am very frustrated at the moment. I wrote a whole, big, long post about the Oscars and Blogger ate it somehow. I'm pretty good about hitting the save button every few sentences, but even that didn't prevent this situation from happening.

The show has already started, but here are my favorites for each category. 

Best Actress - Frances McDormand in Three Billboards
Best Actor - Gary Oldman in The Darkest Hour
Best Supporting Actress - Allison Janney in I, Tonya
Best Supporting Actor - Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards 
Best Picture - I can't decide between Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Shape of Water.

MK out.

A Movie Post - 3/3/2018

I am all caught up with the movies nominated for the top five (in my opinion) awards.

I remember living through the whole Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan incident. In I, Tonya, Margot Robbie has been nominated for Best Actress for her depiction of Tonya Harding. Allison Janney plays Tonya's mother and has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I don't remember the facts that well, but the movie seems to follow them well enough. It was a little campy, but overall, I liked it.

I liked Denzel Washington's performance in Roman J Isreal, Esq. much better that I did in his performance in Fences last year. He plays a rather idealistic lawyer who can memorize law statutes to the letter, but isn't so good with the interpersonal aspects of his job. His boss and mentor dies, which turns his world upside down.  He makes a few bad choices that land him into dire straits. I wasn't very impressed with the movie overall.

MK out.

FO Friday - 3/2/2018

I finished some things:

Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn: Artyarns Cashmere Sock in #295, a great red
Comments: These socks took all month to knit because other things kept taking my time away from them. The pattern is simple, yet elegant. The yarn is beautiful, very soft, but pretty splitty. I'm not sure I'll make a pair of socks with it again, but a nice cowl might be in order. 

Pattern: Liesl by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Azul Profundo
Comments: I finished it. It grew more longways with blocking. That's what I get for not swatching and blocking the swatch. 

Even though it's longer than I intended, I'm growing to like it. So, longtime WIP made from deep stash - DONE!

MK out.