Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Remember that post . . .

that post where the last line read "I finished a pair of socks yesterday - let's see if I can get them posted before mid-April!" Well, it's mid-April.  And here are those socks I mentioned.  Bad, bad blogger.

Cast On: 20 November 2009
Completed: 31 January 2010
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool - Denim
Needles: US5 (3.75mm) DPNs

Quite honestly, I finished these socks so long ago I'm not sure what to say about them.  I remember I liked knitting the pattern.  And I can tell you they are thick, soft and warm - perfect for those cold hardwood floors in my house.   They go great with my blue Sock Monkey Jammies, and with my Blue Fleece Jammies with the Stars.  Which means I pretty much wore them non-stop in February and March.  Now that spring is here and my floors are warmer, I guess they get a little break over the summer.  At least they're finally get some glory on the blog!!

Monday, April 12, 2010

MeMe Monday - Movies


Last week Kerri was stuck for a quick post and sent out a plea for a good Meme she could grab.  Christopher responded back with a link to this Movie Meme. I couldn't resist grabbing it myself!


Name a film that you have seen more than 10 times.
I haven't counted, but I've probably seen Sleepless in Seattle at least a dozen times.

Name a film that you’ve seen multiple times in the cinema.
Believe it or not, I've seen my all time favorite movie, Gone With The Wind, on the big screen twice!  They re-released it in the theaters in for its 50th anniversary.  And a local theater in town showed it a few years ago.

Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a film.
Well, I'm suddenly a huge James Bond fan since Daniel Craig got cast!

Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a film.
I'm not keen on any of those action-adventure guys, like Vin Diesel or The Rock.

Name a film that you can and do quote from.
Well, of course, if you've seen a movie more than 10 times you are bound to quote from it - so I've been known to spout lines from Sleepless in Seattle.  (It's gotten so bad that even Pete quotes from it sometimes!)  I also love to quote from my second favorite movie of all time, The Godfather.

Name a film musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Ummm, I used to know the all the lyrics to Rent, although I never saw the movie version.  I saw the original production on Broadway.

Name a film that you would recommend everyone see.
Of course I think everyone should see my favorite movies, but would they like them?  I guess The Godfather has a better chance of appealing to both males and females.

Ever walked out of a film?
Not that I recall.

Name a film that made you cry in the cinema.
Oh gosh, I'm a sap so there are a lot.  I know I balled in the theater when I saw Sense and Sensibility with my best friend.  I still cry every time I see it.

Popcorn?
Yes, with lots of butter!!  When Pete and I watch movies at home, we usually make Jiffy Pop.

How often do you go to the cinema (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
We don't go to the movies all that much.  Maybe a couple of times a year.

What’s the last film you saw in the cinema?
We saw Sherlock Holmes with my brother-in-law.  I really enjoyed it and I thought Robert Downey Jr. did a fabulous job as Sherlock Holmes.

What’s your favorite/preferred genre of film?
It depends on my mood.  I love a good comedy.  I like a chick-flick every so often.  A great drama can be so engrossing.  I can't watch slasher films though.  Ugh.

What’s the first film you remember seeing in the cinema?
The first one I remember seeing is Bambi.  I remember the part when his mother got shot.  I think the first movie my mom took me to see was Pinocchio or Cinderella, but I don't really remember either of those.

What film do you wish you had never seen?
When we were dating, I went with Pete to see some computer generated sci-fi movie that I don't even remember the name of.  It was so damn boring, it felt like it was seven hours long!  I could have done without seeing that one - but I'm happy Pete enjoyed it.

What is the scariest film you’ve seen?
I really try to stay away from scary movies.  Pete is a huge fan of Jaws, and he tends to watch it when ever he can find it on T.V.  So I guess I'll go with that one.

If you could be any character portrayed in a movie, who would it be?
Any good character usually has to go through some pretty horrific stuff.  I'd love the wear all of Scarlett O'Hara's big ballgowns, but I'd never want to go through everything she did.  Does my wedding video count, because I was perfectly happy playing "the bride" in that film!

Total number of films you own on DVD and video.
I'd say a few dozen.  I need to weed them out though, because a lot of them are pretty old and we don't really like them any more.

Last film you bought.
We don't buy a lot of movies - we usually just rent them from NetFlix.  I guess my most recent acquisition would be Casino Royale, which the Easter Bunny left in my basket a few years ago.

Last film you watched.
We watched The Sting over the weekend.  Pete asked me if I though Robert Redford was dreamy, and then was surprised when I said YES!!!  Sometimes guys just don't get it.

Five films that mean a lot to you.
This might be the toughest question of the whole meme for me.  There are movies I love and can watch over and over, purely for their entertainment value.  But I feel like for this question, I'm supposed to name deep, life-changing movies.  Instead, I'll just name five movies that I haven't yet mentioned, that I could watch any day, any time.  Most of them probably don't have any deep life-changing messages, but they are FUN!

Bridget Jone's Diary
When Harry Met Sally
Forrest Gump
Say Anything

and, it's stupid and silly, but I just love Airpane!

What are your favorite movies?

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Gloves and Mittens . . .

Yesterday, Mom and I did something we've been wanting to do for quite a while.  We went to visit my great-aunt Stella, my grandmother's sister.  The love of knitting runs through my family, from Grammy and Aunt Stella to me.  I don't ever remember Grammy not having a WIP in her knitting basket and she knit every night while watching TV.  Even after more than eight years, I have her last project, still on the needles, just as she left it when she passed.  Aunt Stella is just as good a knitter as her sister was.  I'll always regret that I didn't take up knitting until after Grammy was gone.  But you might remember that Aunt Stella gave me my first knitting advice (sort of) when I was just starting out.

So yesterday, I picked out some of my best projects and we headed over for a visit.  She inspected my Olympic Hat, Sunrise Circle, Clapotis, Hypoteneuse and Kiri closely.  And to my surprise, she was quite impressed!  She admitted to always looking for mistakes when she looks at other people's knitting, but she couldn't find any in mine.  (Although I know if she looked harder she would have found plenty.)  We had a lovely afternoon chatting about knitting, crocheting and other non-fibery topics (so my mom wouldn't feel left out - because in my family, the knit-love skips a generation).  And look what she gave me!!


An old, errr "vintage", book of mitten and glove patterns.  According to the cover, you can "knit and crochet for the entire family".  Did you get a look at the price.  Thirty-five cents!  Funny, huh?  It's true that some patterns are timeless.  I've fallen in love with this one and am definitely going to give it a try.


It seems so cool to me how some things change but so many things don't.  Aunt Stella could never have dreamed of the knitting apps I have on my iPhone.  But a knitting booklet that is easily older than I am still has patterns today's knitter would want to knit.  It really is a timeless art.  Although some patterns?  Some patterns are best left behind . . .


I joked to my mom that I'd be knitting these up for her birthday gift - but truth be told, this pattern will never see my needles.  Those freaking scary clowns remind me of something out of a Stephen King novel!!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Y@rn P0rn Friday . . . Rocking Prize Edition

Hey, what do we have here??
This deserves some closer inspection!!
A while ago I won a contest over at Melissa's blog.  Well, to be completely honest, I didn't even realize it was a contest!!  See, she signed up for a charity run for St. Jude's and I contributed.  Out of the goodness of her heart, she drew a name from all of her contributors to win a prize.  And the name that came out was mine!  Look what I won!

Socks That Rock!!!
That's right! A gorgeous skein of Socks That Rock Lightweight.  The colorway is called Rainforest Jasper and I couldn't love it more.

Beautiful shades of turquoise on one end.
Lovely earth tones on the other end.
Thank you, Melissa, for the lovey prize. I can't wait to cast on a pair of socks with it!!! Although it looks like I may have a bit of trouble getting it away from a certain someone who is also quite taken with it.

Mine, mine, mine, all mine!!!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Message from the Knitting Gods . . . .

How do you know when the Knitting Gods are displeased because you are working on a project you have no business working on until more important WIPs get finished?


They pull your needle right off the damn cords!!!

Okay, okay, I get it.  Putting Hemlock Ring away right now.