FO Friday - March 31, 2017

I have one FO and one almost FO.

Pattern: I used Rainbow Maze for the hat and an improvised recipe for the mittens.
Yarns:  BMFA Socks That Rock Mediumweight in Handsome Man and Frabjous Fibers Mad Hatter in Tulgey Wood.
Comments: I made this cute little set for a friend's grand baby. The next time I make the hat, I will use a solid yarn with more contrast to the multi. I did like how the hat came out though.

The almost FO is my Lost Diadem Socks. I wanted to have them finished today for the March entries to several KALs around the net. The pattern is fancy schmancy and I lost a whole week in the month while I was off living my dash; so, I'm not devastated. There's another reason I'm not finished.

Firstly and not related to the reason, I chose not to do the lace pattern on the back of the leg. Instead, I continued the rib pattern of the cuff. 

Do you notice anything? Look at the right side of the sock on the right. Last night, I discovered that I had set up the rib pattern wrong on the back of that sock. 

And I only noticed it when I had knitted the entire leg!

I put them away and went to bed. I grappled with deciding whether or not it's noticeable enough to fix them. Finally, I figured it would bother me for the rest of the life of the socks if I didn't repair them. 

I started where I needed to put a garter column, thinking that it would be the one that would take the most time. If it ended up taking way too long, I was going to go back to stockinette and just deal with the socks being less than perfect.

Before I knew it (it wasn't all that quick, but hey) I was working on the final column.

An hour and four redone columns of 90 or so rows later, I had socks whose backs matched.

Not too bad, huh?

I think I'm going to have a liedown now.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 3/27/2017

The dash has been hopping lately. I've even watched a few movies! Here's two of them:

Kate Winslet stars in the dramedy, The Dressmaker. She plays Tilly, a woman who was sent away from her home as a child. She returns with an agenda. Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo Weaving also star. It was goooooood! It's a must see.

Bradley Cooper plays a chef in Burnt. He tries to overcome an incident or two in his past that caused him to lose his job and the respect of his peers. Now, he's on a mission to get back on track and to earn a third Michelin Star. Sienna Miller also stars.  It was cute.

That's all for now.

MK out.

FO Friday - 3/10/2017

I'm alive. I've been knitting and doing a little sewing.

Pattern:  A Breath of Fresh Air by Debbie O'Neill
Yarn: The Loopy Ewe Seasonings Series in Tickety Boo
Comments: I made this scarf for the February Monthly Mixer. The prompt was to pick a project that incorporates hearts or the color pink, red or burgundy. I bought this yarn as a kit a few years ago. The pattern came with it. I enjoyed making it.

I finally finished the January Fabric Monthly Mixer:

The challenge was to use three colors of batiks. 

I had a bit of leftover border that I made for a previous Camp Loopy project. It may have four colors of batiks, but I'm not counting. I have tons of that Robert Kaufman Essex Yarn Dyed linen/cotton blend; so, I slapped that batik piece on it and made a kitchen towel. 

That's the first bit of sewing I've done in a while. My sew-jo has been on vacation lately. I hope it comes back soon.

MK out.

Movie Sunday - The Oscars Edition

The show is tonight. Forgive me for my lack of zeal this year. There's been too much on my mind and my plate. In the last twelve days, I've seen seven movies. There is one more I haven't seen (Elle), but it just opened and I didn't have a chance to go see it. I think I will be able to watch tonight's awards ceremony just fine.

Captain Fantastic - A guy who has been raising his kids in the wilderness starts to question if he has been doing the right thing. Viggo Mortensen plays the dad and he's been nominated for Best Actor. Frank Langella and Kathryn Hahn also star. It was good.

Loving - This film is about the true story of the 1967 Supreme Court decision that struck down the validity of laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Ruth Negga stars as Mildred Loving and has been nominated for Best Actress. Joel Edgarton and Michael Shannon also star. It was good.

Arrival - Amy Adams (I heart her!) stars as a linguistic professor hired to help communicate with the inhabitants of one of twelve spaceships that touched down on Earth. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker also star. The film has been nominated for Best Picture. I really liked this movie. 

Moonlight - This follows the story of a boy who grows up in a dysfunctional home. Mahershala Ali (nominated for Best Supporting Actor), Naomie Harris (nominated for Best
Supporting Actress) and Janelle Monae star in this film. It was nominated for Best Picture. I really liked this movie.

Nocturnal Animals - Amy Adams (Yes, her again) plays an art gallery owner.  Her ex-husband sends her a manuscript to read and then to discuss at dinner when he comes into town. It's quite the novel.  There are lots of good actors in this one - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon (nominated for Best Supporting Actor), Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney and Micheal Sheen. It was intense. 

Hacksaw Ridge - This film is based on the true story of  Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector, who served as a medic in WWII. In the Battle of Okinawa, he singlehandedly saved the lives of most of his regiment who had been left for dead when the company had to retreat. Andrew Garfield (nominated for Best Actor), Rachel Griffiths and Vince Vaughn star in this film. It is really graphic and serves to remind us all that war is bad. The film has been nominated for Best Picture.

Jackie - Natalie Portman has been nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the hours and days following the assassination of JFK. Peter Saarsgard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and John Hurt also star in this film. It was good.

My feeling is that Best Picture is between La La Land and Moonlight. I like Meryl Streep for Best  Actress. Casey Affleck is my pick for Best Actor. Viola Davis is my pick for Best Supporting Actress and I like Mahershala Ali for Best Supporting Actor.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 2/13/2017

In the last week, I was able to watch three Oscar nominated films.

In Hidden Figures, based on a non-fiction book by the same name, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae play mathematicians integral to the early US space program. We haven't heard about them before now, probably because they were African American and women. The action centers around John Glenn's mission that made him the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth. Kevin Costner and Jim Parsons also star. The acting was superb. I really liked it.

Lion is also based on a book called A Long Way Home. It's the true story of Saroo, a 5-year-old boy, who fell asleep on a train that took him almost 1000 miles away from his home village in India. He spent some time surviving on the streets until authorities placed him in a state orphanage. Ultimately, an agency places him with an Australian couple who adopt him. When he gets older, he searches for his birth mother. Dev Patel plays the adult Saroo, amd Sunny Pawar, who played the 5-year-old is a real charmer. Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and David Wenham also star. It was very good.

I thought Fences had the feel of a stage play. There were only a handful of actors, limited sets and it was mostly dialogue driven. I did a little research and discovered that the film is adapted from an award-winning play of the same name. Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) is a refuse collector. He has a great sense of duty to provide for his family, but he is no angel. Rose (Viola Davis) is his long suffering wife. Troy's choices and prejudices impact his marriage and his relationships with his two boys. It was alright.

Three more down, a gajillion more to go...

MK out.

FO Friday - 2/10/2017

The February Socks are done!!!

Pattern: Mrs. Weasley's Family Socks by A Homespun House

Yarn:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in ST-2

Comments: OMG! Y'all! I just love knitting with STR. It's so round and squishy! The pattern was easy and fun. And I'm so excited that I finished these socks already. I've got another pair for my boxosoxkal, and they count for several other KALs.  

So, what's next for the Merry Karma? Well, there's still the two other projects in the rotation and a strong desire to cast on another pair of socks, as well as a Loopy Academy project. I've got all the yarn I need to make all three projects.

Hmmm.....

MK out.

Movie Monday - 2/6/2017

I still need to get my booty out to the movie houses. The Oscars are looming!!!

This past week, I watched Hell or High Water on DVD. It's about two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who start robbing banks to raise money to save the family ranch from foreclosure. Jeff Bridges plays the lawman after them. He's been nominated for Best Supporting Actor and the film was nominated for Best Picture. I thought both were weak nominations, but what do I know? It was good, but...

Cafe Society is a cute Woody Allen film about a guy from New York (Jesse Eisenberg) who heads out to California hoping that his bigwig talent agent uncle (Steve Carell) can hook him up with a job. Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively and Parker Posey also star in this movie. There's romance, there's comedy, there's heartache...I really liked it.

MK out.