FO Friday - 12/6/2019

I haven't written an FO Friday post in a while because I haven't had any finished projects to show. Although, I do have some now, I can't show them because they are Christmas presents. I'm pretty sure no family members read my blog, but I'm not going to chance it.

Instead, I will write about another sort of project today.

Since Monday, I've had a Christmas tree ready for ornament placing, standing in it's usual spot in the den. For the past several years, it's been great having a pre-lit tree. I've been able to have a fully decorated tree set up by December the first, and I've been very happy.

The reason there's a pre-lit Christmas tree sans ornaments in Chez Merry Karma is...

...wait for it...

...some of the light strands are out.

The whole Christmas decorating project came to a complete standstill while we have been thinking about what to do next. Should we decorate this one as is and get a new tree next year? Should we go out and buy a new tree this year? Should we even have a tree? In the meantime, a neighbor told me about this magical, little tool:

I bought one today, and it saved Christmas.

What is it with holiday saving this year?

MK out.

How I Almost Saved Thanksgiving

Right off the bat, let me say that I had a fabulous Thanksgiving. For the first time in many years, we went out. From the moment (some three months ago) that I shared with The Husb my very thoughtful feelings about the situation, he started mentioning that there wouldn't be any leftover turkey to make turkey sandwiches. So, my almost saving Thanksgiving had more to do with The Husb's expectations than my own.

At first, I didn't let his grumbling get to me, but then it became more frequent. As it got closer to Thanksgiving, I realized how I wouldn't be having turkey sandwiches either. (I do really like a turkey sandwich.) I was feeling a little guilty too.  I thought about my options. I was already planning on making the long-sought-after chestnut dressing recipe that my mother would make every Thanksgiving and Christmas. The one I haven't been able to find until just recently. How hard would it be to make a small turkey breast too? 

I wasn't totally convinced, but I went to the store to buy the dressing ingredients, while still considering purchasing a turkey breast. 

And then, I found this little product.

The best part is that all one has to do is heat the oven, remove the outer bag, and place the still FROZEN turkey-breast-in-a-bag in a pan and into the oven. 

I thought Thanksgiving (for The Husb, mainly) was saved! I was getting pretty smug about it, but only on the inside because I didn't tell anyone about my plan. I wanted to surprise The Husb.

Thanksgiving Day arrived. I was bursting with excitement while I was getting ready to go out for a nice turkey feast, whose production and cleanup required no effort on my part. And it was good. I was happy. I was THANKFUL.

Later in the day, I cooked the frozen turkey breast as directed. I placed the package of sliced bread on the kitchen counter.I got together the dressing and a couple of other things. 

I called the family to the table. The Husb was pleasantly surprised. We filled our plates and sat down to eat. And then...

#epic-fail

The seasoning was over bearing. It was too salty and too peppery. I don't think I will buy this product again.

To his credit, The Husb didn't complain. 

MK out.
.

Movie Monday - 11/11/2019

The season is in high gear. I'm trying to keep up.

I knew nothing about The Lighthouse before I saw it, other than Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson were in the movie. I figured it couldn't be bad. I figured wrong. It's set on a remote island during the 1890s. The two men spend the movie tending to the lighthouse while trying not to go insane. Things started happening that weren't possible in the real world. I guess it is a bit of a horror movie. It's not a genre that I watch on purpose. I kept waiting for things to make sense or for at least a the point to it all. The point was never revealed. It was just weird.

Midway is set in the Pacific of the 1940s, and begins basically with the attack on Pearl Harbor. It continues to the battle of Midway between Japan and America. I'm not a fan of action-filled war movies, but this film was thrilling without being gory. The cast was full of good actors, including Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Luke Evans and Aaron Eckhart. It was good.

Ed Norton wrote, directed, produced and starred in Motherless Brooklyn. It's based on a novel by the same name. Norton plays a detective with Tourette's Syndrome who is left to solve the murder of his supervisor and mentor, played by Bruce Willis. Bobby Cannavale, Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe are among the awesome cast of this film. I think it's the best movie I've seen in a while. I'm looking for Ed Norton to garner a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Best .Director is within his reach too. It was so good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 11/4/2019

Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman and Antonia Banderas are among the actors who star in The Laundromat. Inspired by true events, Streep plays a recently widowed woman who, while trying to collect insurance money, discovers a whole network of shady enterprises that have one thing in common. They are all connected to a law firm in Panama. If you remember reading about the Panama Papers a few years ago, when a whistleblower leaked private information of over two hundred thousand offshore entities that were engaged in illegal activities, these are the true events. It was quirky and good.

Renée Zellweger does a fabulous job portraying Judy Garland in Judy. The film mostly deals with the last year of Garland's life, when she spends several weeks performing in England on The Talk on the Town. Flashbacks are used to explain how Garland ended up where she did. It was sad watching how a phenomenally talented individual was bested by her demons. It was very good.

I was finally able to see At Eternity's Gate. Willem Dafoe portrays Vincent Van Gogh in his later years. There's a controversial theory that Van Gogh did not commit suicide, but died from an accidental bullet wound. This film tells that story. It was good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 10/14/2019

Not seen in theaters:

Maria Callas: In Her Own Words is a documentary about the life of Maria Callas. It's full of footage from concerts, interviews and home movies. She was a bit of a diva. It was interesting.

Gloria Bell, starring Julianne Moore, is about a divorced woman who enjoys the club scene. One night, she meets a divorced man and they start dating. She soon discovers that he is maintaining a codependent relationship with his ex-wife and grown daughters. Surprisingly, it was just alright. I'm glad I didn't run right out to the theater to see it. 

White Boy Rick is based on a true story about Rick Wershe, Jr. who is the youngest FBI informant in history. The film is set in 1980s Detroit. The FBI enlist Rick's help in tracking drug dealers in exchange for immunity for his father, who is manufacturing weapons. However, being poor and having seen what drug money can buy a person, Rick starts dealing on his own after his assignment with the FBI ends. Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey and others star in this movie. It was good.

MK out.

Book Chat - 10/10/2019

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal is about two sisters growing up in rural Minnesota in the 1950s. I know, I know...recently I told you about two other books about two sisters growing up during the same time period. In this book, one sister takes a more traditional route. She marries and lives a blue-collar life, baking pies at the local nursing home. The other goes to college, majors in chemistry because she wants to make beer and ends up marrying the son of a local beer empire. I have to say, hands down, that this book is the best one I've read in a while — and, I've read some good ones lately. You must read it.

The Color of Water in July by Nora Carroll is about a girl who inherits the family cottage when her grandmother dies. She hadn't been there in many years, following a failed summer romance. She treks to Michigan with her boyfriend to ready the cottage for sale and starts going through the contents. Family secrets come to light. It was good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 10/7/2019

I didn't watch any current films in the last week, but here's what I did see:

Chicken with Plums is based on a graphic novel of the same name. A world famous violinist loses his will to play and to live after his wife smashes his violin. He decides to lay down and die and takes to his bed. Everyday, he looks at past aspects of his life including his love for a woman from before he got married. It is based in Iran, but in French with English subtitles. Isabella Rosellini and Mathieu Almaric are the only two actors I recognized, and both did a great job. It was good.

Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl and Amanda Seyfried are among those who star in The Big Wedding. A former couple's adopted son is getting married. His biological mother, a devout Catholic is coming to the wedding and he is worried that she would not approve of his less than traditional family. Everyone decides to pretend that his parents are still married. Comic circumstances ensue. It was predictable, but cute.

LBJ, starring Woody Harrelson, is the story of Johnson's presidency from before and following the assassination of John Kennedy. Harrelson does a great job. It was interesting.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 9/30/2019

Buckle up, Peeps! Good movies season is just beginning. I hope to be seeing more movies in the coming days and telling you about them. Here's some I've seen in the last month or so:

Downtown Abbey - The King and Queen are coming to stay one night at Downton Abbey, causing a flurry of activity upstairs and downstairs. I went to an early screening of this film and I'm glad I did. The audience was very interactive, clapping when beloved characters first came on screen. It was definitely a fan's delight. All the main characters reprised their roles, except for sorely missed Lily James. I loved it.

Overcomer - A large manufacturing plant shuts down, which singlehandedly destroys the high school basketball team, as players and their families move away to where jobs are. The coach is asked to head up the track team. One athlete shows up to the first practice, an asthmatic long distance runner. Thus, the challenge of the film. It was a heart warming story, but the acting was terrible. It was cute.

The Art of Racing in the Rain - The film was adapted from the novel of the same name by Garth Stein. I read the book and talked about it here on the blog in March. Milo Ventimiglia, Kevin Costner and Amanda Seyfried starred in the very good adaptation. I liked it.

The Farewell - An Asian American family's matriarch has only a short time to live. As is the custom, she isn't told. They concoct a way to gather the family to see her one last time without the grandmother realizing why. Akwafina, Tzi Ma and Diana Lin were among the actors. I thought it would be funnier with Akwafina in it, but it was pretty good.

MK out.

Book Chat - 9/5/2019

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is the story of an Andalusian shepherd boy who sets out to find treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. The overriding theme is about finding one's destiny. It was quite entertaining.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah is about doctoral student working out in the field who is visited by a dirty child that's covered in bruises. The kid claims she's an alien from another galaxy and will not leave. While the scientist and the local man who sells eggs try to figure out what to do with the child, the youngster schools them on life and love. It was good.

When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal is about two sisters. Their dysfunctional childhood lead them to make choices that separated them by a tragic accident that took the lives of one of them. Years later, one of the sisters thinks she sees the dead one (allegedly) on television and travels across an ocean to try and find her. It was very good.

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner is also about two sisters growing up in the 1950s and spans several decades. Their relationship is complicated, as they are as different as salt and pepper, but they mostly love each other. The backdrop of the novel chronicles the social changes that women have undergone in the last sixty years. It was so good.

MK out.

FO Friday - 8/30/2019

It's been a while that I've finished something, and this something was finished about a month ago.

Pattern: Spector by Joji Locatelli
Yarn: Candy Skein Yummy Fingering Superwash Sock in Birthday Cake, West 7th Layer Cake, Robin Egg Maltball and Candy Skein.
Comments: I had originally won the West 7th Layer Cake skein in a contest sponsored by West 7th Wool. It's their exclusive colorway by Candy Skein. I chose the other colors to work around it for this fade. I really like how my sweater looks. The yoke has a pattern stitch on it that is not very evident since I used a speckled yarn. I think I would probably not do that again, but I still like it.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 8/26/2019

Buckle your seat belts. I have a few movies to discuss.

The Kitchen, starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Moss, is about three women who take over the activities of their now jailed mobster husbands. I found out after the fact that the film is based on a comic book series, which explained the convoluted plot and interesting dialogue. It wasn't the best movie I've seen, but it wasn't the worst.

The Lion King is a photorealistic, computer-animated adaptation of the Disney classic. Lending their voices for the characters were James Earl Jones, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Alfre Woodard and Chiwetel Ejiofor, among others. The Kid said the cartoon version was the best. I have to agree, but it was still the same, sweet story.

Blinded by the Light is based on the memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N' Roll by Sarfraz Manzoor. It's about a Pakistani teenager in a working class British town who doesn't feel heard. When a friend introduces him to Bruce Springsteen music, he feels it describes him and his struggles. It was cute, cute, cute. P.S. Sarfraz Manzoor has been to over 150 Bruce Springsteen concerts.

The Peanut Butter Falcon is about a young man with Down syndrome who dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. He busts out of the nursing home, meets up with a fugitive on the run, and together they head towards their goals. Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and Zack Gottsagen star in this adorable re-imagining of Huckleberry Finn.

Also seen recently:

The Providers is a documentary about three healthcare providers (a physician, a physician assistant and a nurse practitioner) in northern New Mexico who are doing the best they can for their patients. They are each a part of El Centro, "a group of safety-net clinics that offer care to anyone who walks through the doors."* The film accurately depicts the plight of provider shortages and the opioid epidemic in rural settings. It was good.

Life of the Party is a comedy about a woman who had dropped out of school when she married the husband who was now divorcing her. She decides to go back to college where her daughter attends. Melissa McCarthy, Molly Gordon, Maya Rudolph, Julie Bowen and Jacki Weaver are among the actors in this film. It was cute.

What They Had is a sweet story about a family trying to deal with their wife and mother's dementia. Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Blythe Danner and Robert Forster star in this story that many families face. It was good.

The Hate U Give is based on a novel by the same name about a 16-yr-old black girl who lives in a poor neighborhood. She attends an elite school in a predominantly white part of town. She lives a bit of a double life, keeping her two worlds separate, until she watches a white police officer shoot and kill her best friend, for no good reason. Amandia Stenberg and Regina Hill star in this still timely film. It was very good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 7/29/2019

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino's latest film, depicts a time in history when America was in flux. Civil rights, the Viet Nam war, changing musical genres and social morés and the sexual revolution were heating up. The main character of the story wasn't a person. It was Hollywood and how it was impacted by that time period. Oh, and Sharon Tate too. It was such a sweet film for the first two hours, that one forgot it was a Tarantino film. And then, during the last half hour, one was deliciously reminded. Leonardo Decaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, along with a whole ensemble cast, starred in this movie. I really liked it.

MK out.

Book Chat - 7/18/2019

So many books, so little time. I keep reading though.

You Had Me at Merlot by Marley Gibson

This story was such a delicious beach read! A divorced, recently fired from her job New Yorker goes back home at the news of her grandmother's passing. Lots of secrets come to light, with a mix of high school crushes and sibling rivalry. Just what the doctor ordered.

Matchmaking for Beginners: A Novel by Maddie Dawson

Another delightful, light read, this book is perfect for a summer weekend - or anytime, for that matter. Blix is an old, southern lady with special gifts. She recognizes similar gifts in her nephew's fiancée and tries to convince the girl that the path she is planning is not the one to take. That's all I'm going to say. I don't want to give a minute of this book away. It was really good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 7/9/2019

The dash, she is busy, but there has been time for movie watching.

Rocketman is a musical based on Elton John's early life. The film reveals several things that I never knew, such as the fact that he studied at the Royal Academy of Music as a child and his parents didn't show him much interest. Taron Egerton plays Elton and Jamie Bell plays Bernie Taupin, who wrote the words to all those iconic songs. It was so good. 

Yesterday is another film with music from the soundtrack of my life. It will remind the world why The Beatles are considered the most influential band of all time, as if the world really needs a reminder. A struggling musician (Himesh Patel) wakes up and finds he's the only person who remembers The Beatles. He soon realizes that their songs can bring him success, he uses them and they do. See it! You'll be singing your way out of the theater.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday 7/3/2019

Working on the lacey bottom of my latest sweater. Then it's on to the sleeves.

Sorry for the cruddy lighting. On our way back to Chez Merry Karma. Hotel room lighting is not the best. The color is supposed to be periwinkle-ish.

MK out.

Movie Monday 6/17/2019

Period. End of Sentence won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. It's a 26 minute film that packs a big punch. A group of women in India learned how to run a machine to make low-cost, biodegradable sanitary napkins. They are trying to increase access to products, improve feminine hygiene, destigmatize menstruation and empower women. I say, "You go, Girls!" 

MK out. 

Book Chat Thursday - 6/13/2019

Lordy, has it really been a month? 

The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson

This gripping story is about a guy and his young wife who rush to help his niece. She has called to inform them that her father had committed suicide and her mother is missing. It was good.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes 

A broke, single mother of two tries to figure out how to pay for her math prodigy daughter's tuition at a posh, private school. Along comes an in-legal-trouble, tech millionaire who offers to help. It was cute.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters in German-occupied France are separated by circumstances. This story follows their complicated paths to survival. I like it.

Join us next time, maybe before the end of the year...


MK out.

FO Friday - 5/17/2019

I am making blue hats for an anti-bullying campaign called Hat Not Hate. You should join me. They need 25,000 hats by August 1st. Read all about it in this link.

I've made two using Lion Brand Wool Ease - a Pennyroyal and a Citrus Hat.

And I've made another Citrus Hat for a gift.

The Spector sweater is further along too, but no peaks today.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 5/15/2019

I've been working on my Spector sweater. Funny how things seem to fly off the needles when you actually take the time to work on them.

It's bright and it's colorful.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 5/6/2019

I've been watching movies, but I keep forgetting to write!

BlacKkKlansman is based on the memoir by Ron Stallworth who was the first African American officer on the Colorado Springs police force in the 1970s. He and his team attempted to infiltrate and expose the local Ku Klux Klan. Stallworth managed to obtained a membership card and talking to the Grand Wizard himself without being discovered. John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace starred in the film. It was very good.

Crazy Rich Asians was kind of a disappointment after reading the book. The people felt like caricatures of the characters, except for Rachel. The adaptation took too many liberties with the story...I really wasn't impressed. 

I've saved some for next time. Y'all remind me.

MK out.

FO Friday - 4/19/2019

It's been a while, Dear Readers. Knitting has slowed to a crawl around here, but I managed to finish something.

Pattern:  Lounging Top by Joji Locatelli
Yarn:  Madelinetosh Euro Sock in Mercury in Retrograde
Comments: I swatched (and blocked the swatch) and liked the fabric I was getting on US 3 needles, but the gauge was a little off. I did a little math and determined that the medium size would work nicely, except it would need a few extra stitches below the waist to have enough ease. I also dropped the neck a little. 

I really like the way it turned out.

MK out.

Book Chat - 4/18/2019

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
This book was inspired by the true story of the Tennessee Children's Home Society. Georgia Tan was the director of the Memphis branch where she would kidnap poor children and sell them to wealthy couples all over the world. The novel tells the stories of two very different families while weaving in the scandal of the Tennessee Children's Home Society. It was very good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 3/25/2019

I wasn't sure if I would like A Quiet Place, starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski (who also directed and helped write the screenplay). It's a post-apocalyptic story set in the not very distant future. There are some creatures who can hear quite well, but can't see a thing. The story follows the Abbott family and their struggle to avoid being killed by the creatures. It was good, actually. I'm not sure I'm ready to watch Bird Box though.  

MK out.

FO Friday - 3/22/2019

Y'all! We got home from our Spring Break trip two-and-a-half hours ago and I've unpacked and had dinner. That's a real record.

And, while we were on Spring Break, I finished a sweater and I steamed blocked it and I wore it.

Pattern: Humulus by Isabell Kraemer
Yarn: Madelinetosh DK Twist in Silver Fox and Silence was Golden
Comments: Y'all! I really enjoyed knitting this sweater. After I knit the entire body and determined it was just too oversized for me, ripping it back to the yoke and reknitting it...I just love how it turned out. 

The pattern is well written. I can definitely see knitting more of Isabell Kraemer's patterns.

Madelinetosh yarns are favorites of mine. DK Twist is at the top of my list.

MK out.

Book Chat - 3/14/2019

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

This book is about a boy (although he's an adult) and his dog. The boy meets a girl and marries her. Then, they have a baby girl. The dog rolls with the changes and gets settled in his routine. Then, the wife dies and the routine changes drastically, but the dog does all he can to keep his family together. The story, as told from the dog's point of view, has a metaphorical theme running through it. It was very good.

Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams

Miranda Schuyler returns home to Winthrop Island after many years. She learns that her former lover has escaped prison. He had been jailed for murdering her stepfather eighteen years prior. Many secrets about the wealthy families summering on the island and the working class people who attend to them come to light. I loved it.

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

Ella is riding home on the train and notices two guys coming on to two teenaged girls. She figures out the young men have just been released from prison. She considers calling some sort of authority to alert them, but decides against it. The next day, one of the girls turns up missing. She's still missing a year later, and someone is watching Ella's every move. It was good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 3/11/2019

Back in the day, the US and Russian space programs were racing each other to be first with different aeronautical milestones. In the early 1960s, the US planned some dangerous missions in an effort to be first on the moon by the end of the decade. First Man is the story of how we got there. Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong and Claire Foy, plays Janet Armstrong. Jason Clarke and Kyle Chandler also star in this film. I was a little girl on that July night that we saw the grainy television images of Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon. It was really something. The movie was good too.

MK out.

FO Friday - 3/08/2019

I've been knitting, but I don't have any finished objects to show today.

I have been maintaining my, albeit slow, pace for the 2019 Decrapification Challenge. Earlier this week, I was looking for something in the cedar closet. I ended up taking everything out that was piled up on the floor or was in any of the spots that are empty in these pictures. (I'm mad that I didn't think to take a before picture.)

Here's what came out of all those empty spaces.

And today, I finished putting it all back together.

I know those socks aren't very KonMari Method, but it will have to do until I find a drawer unit that will work in here.

MK out.

Academy Awards and Life Fails

Hello to the three faithful readers of this blog.

Tonight is the 91st Academy Awards. It's always a special night for me, but this year, I'm just a little worn out. I wasn't able to see BlacKkKlansman or At Eternity's Gate because apparently, AT&T/DirecTV is having software issues with their On Demand movies, even though they are not advertising this issue. Don't get me started with my opinion of the takeover of DirecTV by AT&T, but, I will summarize it by saying that we never had issues with our DirecTV service before AT&T came into the picture.

Anyway, I was unimpressed by the field of movies this year, as well as the nominations for Best Picture. Having seen 7 of the 8 this year, my pick is Roma. 

Best Actress - I loved Glenn Close in The Wife.
Best Actor - I liked all the performances that I saw, but I pick Christian Bale in Vice.
Best Supporting Actress - It's another tough one for me. I have to go with Marina de Tavira in Roma.
Best Supporting Actor - Sam Rockwell's characterization of W in Vice was very entertaining.

As far as life fails. I'm going to have to rip back all the way to the armholes on this sweater. It's just too, too big.

Finally, I have to call the plumber.

Have a great evening Y'all.

MK out.

FO Friday - 2/22/2019

Further progress is being made on the Humulus Sweater. There won't be pictorial evidence today, but I have something else to show you:

Pattern: Elwood by Jennie Wiebe
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Spaceneedle and Daffodil
Comments: I love this little cardi. I will likely make it again. The only thing I've noticed is that the sleeves seem a little narrow. I may do less sleeve decreases or forgo them altogether next time.

Here's another little project that I finished. 

The drawer was a mess before. I couldn't see what all was in there.

Marie Kondo is inspiring me in my Decrapification Challenge 2019. The whole chest is not complete, but two more drawers are.

MK out.

Book Chat - 2/21/2019

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan 

We pick up where we left off in Crazy Rich Asians. All the colorful characters and family members are back. Rachel and Nicky are preparing for their wedding day. Rachel is still looking for her father and ends up getting help from a surprising source. It was very good.

One Day in December by Josie Silver 

From the vantage point of the crammed bus, Laurie locks eyes with her soulmate who is waiting at the bus stop for his bus. In those moments, they speak volumes to each other with their eyes, but neither makes a move. Laurie spends the next year looking for Busboy, as she and her BFF Sarah have named him, but to futile results. Then one day, Sarah brings her new boyfriend home to introduce each one to the other and it's him...Busboy in all his glory. What's a girl to do? We find out in the pages that follow, and it's quite a good ride. I loved it.

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan

Cousins Nicky and Astrid are the only two family members being kept from seeing their grandmother who is very sick and not expected to live. The rest of the family circles like vultures. All are speculating about who will inherit Tyersall Hall since Nicky's chances blew up when marrying Rachel didn't sit well with Ah Ma. Drama, intrigue, it's all there, as are the players from the last two books. It was good and as entertaining as the others.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 2/20/2019

After a month-long hiatus, during which I finished some other FOs (see previous post), I picked up the Humulus sweater yesterday, separated the body from the sleeves and did a little knitting.

MK out. 

FO Friday - 2/15/2019

I've finished three things in the last little while. I will only show y'all two this time because I have to sew buttons on the third.

Pattern: Suburban Wrap by Joji Locatelli
Yarn: Suburban Stitcher Single Sock in Ballard, Clean Slate and Overcast
Comments: I bought this yarn at DFW Fiber Fest last year. I chose the same colors that Dianne (Suburban Stitcher) had used to make her personal one, because I really liked them. I started the project on September 1st. When I did devote some time to the wrap, I made good progress, but things just jumping the line ahead of it. Joji's patterns are always well thought out and very clearly written. 

It was a pleasure to make this project and I'm looking forward to getting much use out of it.

Pattern: Baby Roots Cardigan by ADHD Knitting
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Pink
Comments: I made this cute little cardi for a very special new citizen of the world. The pattern is well written and it knits up fast. I used my last skein of pink Cotton-Ease. I was sweating it near the end...I played yarn chicken while knitting the sleeves, but I won.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 2/11/2019

Christian Bale does an excellent job portraying Dick Chaney in Vice. Amy Adams plays his wife Lynne. The film fills in the background about Chaney's life up to and including being chosen to become W's running mate. Sam Rockwell does a great job with his characterization of the 43rd president. Steve Carell, Allison Pill, Lilly Rabe and Tyler Perry are among the other fine actors in this film.

 

If Beale Street Could Talk is the adaptation of James Baldwin's novel of the same name. It's set in early 1970s Harlem and follows the tragic love story of two long-time friends, Tish and Fonny. Fonny is convicted of a rape he didn't commit and Tish does her best to get him out. It's a heartrending story about issues that still exist today. 

I have two more films to watch before the Academy Awards. 

In other news, I may not get to watch the actual show.

I know.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 2/4/2019

Clint Eastwood, Dianne Wiest and Bradley Cooper are among the great actors starring in The Mule. It's based on the true story of an 80-year old man who transported cocaine through Illinois for the Sinaloa Cartel. It was good.

The Upside is a remake of the foreign film The Intouchables. Both are based on the true story of a paraplegic and his unlikely caregiver. Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman star. It was very good.

MK out.