Red Sweater: Finished

That's all, folks! I would probably make some more modifications if I were to do this again, but it was a positive experience overall.

Yarn: 10.5 balls Knitpicks Mainline
Pattern: My own (top-down raglan)
Needles: US 8 (Denise interchangables, then dpns for the sleeves)

As I have mentioned before, this was supposed to be the Something Red sweater from Knit and Tonic, but after a running out of yarn fiasco, I switched gears to this.

Oh, and here's the back view.

***Edited to add the pattern!

Red Blazer

Finished Size: The sweater is a small, measuring 33" across at the bust. My bust measurement is just under 32", and it fits me with a dress shirt underneath.

Materials:11 balls of Knitpicks Mainline (82 yards/50 grams, 75% pima cotton, 25% merino wool)
1 29” US 8 circular needle
1 set of US 8 dpns (for the sleeves, you could also magic loop these)
6 0.75” buttons

Gauge;4 stitches/6 rows per 1” in st st

The Collar:Using the circular needles, CO 57 stitches. Work in seed stitch for 2”. At the beginning of the next row, ktog. Work the rest of the row in seed stitch until you get to the last two stitches. Ktog. Work the next row in seed stitch. Repeat these two rows four more times, so that you have decreased a total of 10 stitches, 5 at each end. Break the yarn.

The Neck:Using the same needle you were knitting on before, CO 8 stitches. Then pick up 7 stitches along the slanted edge of the collar. Purl across the live collar stitches. Pick up 7 stitches along the other slanted edge of the collar, then CO 8 more stitches using a cable cast on. Start the raglan:Seed stitch across the first 15 stitches. Knit 2. M1, K1, M1, knit 7, M1, K1, M1, knit 25, M1, K1, M1, knit 7, M1, K1, M1, knit 2. Seed stitch across the last 15 stitches. On the next row, seed stitch the first 15 stitches, purl until the last 15 stitches, seed stitch these last 15 stitches. Repeat these two rows until the raglan armholes fit around your arm.

Divide out the sleeves:Work in pattern until your first raglan increase, knit across the three raglan increase stitches (where you were doing your M1, K1, M1’s before), transfer the sleeve stitches to a holder or waste yarn, knit across the next three raglan increase stitches (where you were doing your M1, K1, M1’s before). Knit across the back until the next raglan, knit across the three raglan increase stitches (where you were doing your M1, K1, M1’s before), transfer the sleeve stitches to a holder or waste yarn, knit across the next three raglan increase stitches (where you were doing your M1, K1, M1’s before). Finish the row in the established pattern.

Work the body:On the next RS row, begin the bust decreases. Seed stitch the first 15 stitches, then knit the next 13. Then perform a double vertical decrease: “Insert the right needle into the next two stitches as if to ktog, and slip them to the right needle. Knit the next stitch on the left needle. With the left needle, pull both slipped stitches over the stitch” (Vogue Knitting Quick Reference pg 21). Knit through the back, and do this decrease again on the other front. Work the WS in pattern (without any decreases). Repeat these two rows once more. Then repeat the vertical decrease every four rows 5 more times.

AT THE SAME TIME work underarm decreases: one inch after dividing for the armholes, ktog 9 stitches before the armhole join, and ktog in the same manner after the armhole join. Repeat this under the other armhole. 8 rows later, ktog 7 stitches before the first armhole join, and ktog in the same manner after the armhole join. Repeat this under the other armhole. 8 rows later, ktog 5 stitches before the armhole join, and ktog in the same manner after the armhole join. Repeat this under the other armhole. 8 rows later, ktog 3 stitches before the armhole join, and ktog in the same manner after the armhole join. Repeat this under the other armhole.

AT THE SAME TIME, work three 2 stitch button holes starting 10 inches after the start of the body (measured from the neckline). These should be spaced 2 inches apart. Work even until the body is 4.5” shorter than your intended length.

Hip increases: Work 15 stitches in seed stitch and 16 in st stitch. M1, K3, M1, knit until there are 34 stitches left, M1, K3, M1, finish the row in pattern. 4 rows later, work 31 stitches, M1, K5, M1, and then work the back and the hip increase similarly on the other front. Continue to increase in this manner two more times, every 4 rows.

End border: Work in seed stitch for 2 inches. BO.

Sleeves: Transfer the sleeve stitches to dpns. Knit in the round for 1.5”. On the next round, ktog 3 stitches before the underarm join, and 3 stitches after the underarm join. Repeat this decrease round 2 rounds later, then 4 rounds later, then 7 rounds later, then every 10th round. Continue in this manner until the sleeve is 1.5 inches shorter than intended. Work in seed stitch for 1.5 inches, then BO. Repeat for the other sleeve.

Block as desired, and sew on the buttons. Three are used as decoration, to give a double-breasted effect.

Enjoy!

More sewing

My red sweater is finished blocking, but I haven't taken photos yet. I hope to have some soon, along with a write up of the pattern.

But meanwhile, I have been sewing a bit. I have gotten used to making tote bags, and I whipped up one last week that I thought looked decent enough to share. It's Batman themed, lined with Batman licensed fabric I got at Sewfisticated Fabrics and adorned with a Batman and Catwoman illustration by Jim Lee (from the Hush arc by Jeph Loeb). I like the size of this tote, and it's great for taking to the library, though really oversized books don't fit in it.

I also learned how to make sewn headbands this week, so I think I'll make a few for myself. I feel like that would be a cool fall accessory, now that I'm wearing my hair down again. (I have to tie it up in the summer, or else it drives me crazy).

Fingers crosssed

I think I'm almost there. I may not end up liking the way I blocked the collar, so that could still create problems. But otherwise I may actually finish this sweater! If this works, I guess I can bury my complaints about the project. And by the way, wet wool/cotton smells a lot like wet dog. It makes me miss Mr. Puppy. (Also known as Jiminy, my parent's dog.)

Tutorial: T-Shirt Stenciling

Grumperina's post this morning inspired me to share my method for t-shirt stenciling. I have been stenciling for almost a year now, and I'm not great, but I have found what works for me.

Step 1: First you need a shirt, obviously. I always buy mine at a craft store, since I find that the “youth” medium size fits me. Make sure that the brand of shirt looks respectable (many craft stores carry Hanes, which work well). Other possible sources are discount stores like Target. But you probably don’t want a shirt that is ribbed. Stenciling on bumpy fabric is really hard. Cotton or cotton/poly blends are good choices.

Step 2: Wash the shirt to remove the sizing. A lot of people skip this step, but I have heard some people say that the ink doesn’t set as well if you don’t. I often also machine dry the shirt to see if it will shrink a lot.

Step 3: Pick your stencil. There are tons of great sources on the internet for stencils. The motherload is http://www.stencilry.org. I also sometimes download webdings fonts from http://www.dafont.com/. One thing to keep in mind is how difficult the stencil will be to cut (are there tons of little lines?). You also have to watch for “inversion.” This occurs when you cut out the negative space in a stencil and then paint the stencil as if these spaces are the positive ones. A better explanation, including diagrams, is here http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1084/inverting4aa.jpg. If you cut out the dark spaces of a picture, you should paint these in a darker color than your t-shirt.

Step 4: Resize and print your stencil. You can copy a picture from the internet into a program like MS Word and resize as you choose. Then print it out on normal printer paper. Photoshop can help, but it isn't strictly necessary.

Step 5: Tape your stencil onto a piece of freezer paper. You should tape the stencil onto the papery side, not the wax side. Freezer paper is like one-sided wax paper. You can buy it at the grocery store, usually next to the wax paper. If you can't find it in the grocery store, they also sell it at craft stores for quilting and applique work. If you live near a Wegmens grocery store, I did find a 75 square foot roll of freezer paper there.

Step 6: Cut out your stencil, making sure to cut through both layers, printer and freezer paper. You can use an exacto knife or small scissors. I usually prefer the latter, as it is easier on my hands. But for some stuff, a knife will be needed. If you are using scissors, gently poke the tip through in a large space that you are cutting out (like we did in kindergarten to cut holes in the middle of paper). One thing to watch out for is “islands,” places where you don’t want to cut out a piece, but they are surrounded by space you do want to cut out. There are two ways to deal with these. One is to just cut these out and save them. Later you will attach them to your t-shirt in the appropriate places. The other is to leave “bridges,” strips of paper that connect these islands to the rest of the stencil. You will have to paint in these spaces left by these later. It’s your preference. I usually go with the bridge method, as I tend to lose the little pieces.

Step 7: Remove the printer paper from your freezer paper stencil (be careful to pick off all the tape or else it will get scorched). Iron your stencil onto your shirt where you want it, wax side down. The wax will stick to your shirt. You should set your iron on the appropriate heat setting for the t-shirt fabric you have. If you have any loose islands, iron them in the correct place. Make sure your stencil is really stuck on there.

Step 8: Paint! Using a sponge brush, dab fabric paint all over your stencil. Don’t brush it on, instead, dab in an up and down motion. Also, add paint gradually. Do not glob it on. You may need to do a few coats to get good coverage. Wait for it to dry.

Step 9: Peel off your stencil carefully. If you had bridges, carefully fill them in with paint. Heat set your paint with an iron if the bottle says to.

Done! Be careful when washing your custom shirt. I usually wash them inside out and hang them to dry.

Post pictures at craftster!
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=140.0

Other tutorials:
http://72.29.83.164/~stencil/tutorials.htm
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=45311.0

Paint recommendations:
I have used both Speedball screen printing inks and Jacquard fabric paint. These work well, but you need to heat set them or they will just "sit on top of" the shirt and not bond to the fabric. Note that some brands of paint will not show up on dark fabrics.

And here's a copy of the stencil I used in the picture above. I made it from a sketch by Cameron Stewart, a great comic book artist, of Catwoman.

Go, go, go!

I am almost there on my "not quite Something Red" sweater. I have the bottom of the second sleeve, then some blocking. I'm not 100% happy with it, but this is what happens when I go it totally without a pattern. I always think I can do better. I put the buttons on the front so I could see what they look like, but I am contemplating getting different ones. I'm not sure yet. I sort of just want to finish so I can talk about something else!

Shopping Spree

As I mentioned before, Michelle and I went to the Hub Mills Classic Elite yarn outlet last week. It was intense. They had lots of deals on Classic Elite yarns, including cones and mill samples. They also carry Sirdar, Stacy Charles, Cascade, Brown Sheep, and GGH. I ended up getting four balls of red Sirdar Nova (they were the same dye lot as some balls I had bought in Rochester last winter, so I thought that they were fated to come home with me) and sixteen balls of Patina samples (only 3.50 USD for over 100 yds of a cotton/silk blend) in a light blue color. I'm not totally sure what they will become, though I am thinking of making another of this sweater with the Patina. Michelle picked up some bright yellow and orange cotton for a baby sweater, a cone of cotton laceweight, and a cone of some interesting white yarn that she's going to do some dyeing experiments on. A good time was had by all.

Back from Rochester

I was visiting my parents over the weekend. I didn't bring my knitting, because I'm too paranoid about it being seized by airport security. I did do some crocheting, but I don't have pics of that. I got back last night.

Today I actually used my sewing machine. I made the "Flare Bag," the first pattern in a book called Bag Boutique by Amy Barickman. Since I really suck at sewing, I'm pretty pleased that this came out useable. I'm hoping to make some totes soon too.

I also finished the body and started the first sleeve of my "Not-Really-Something-Red" sweater. I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Plus, tomorrow Michelle and I are going to the Hub Mills Classic Elite warehouse store!

Almost there

I have made good progress on my "formerly Something Red" sweater. I had to rip back a couple times because I didn't like the waist and bust shaping, but I'm cool with what I've got now. From here on in, I just have to make sure it fits over my hips and that the button holes look good. And of course, the sleeves. Can't forget those.

In other news, I forgot to mention two movies I saw in the last month. The first was Wordplay, a documentary about the crossword puzzle culture encouraged by Will Shortz and the NY Times. I very much enjoyed it, even if the story wasn't exactly groundbreaking. They had great personalities featured, including Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart. Stewart was particularly endearing when he said he was so confident about his Monday crossword skills that he would write it in glue stick. I would give it a 7.

The second movie was Clerks II. This was the usual offensive Kevin Smith fare, complete with lots of lurid sexual and bathroom humor. But surprisingly, this movie was also a very sweet love story. I was bored during the first half, but then there was this random extended dance sequence (I kid you not). And from there on out, the heart of the movie won me over. I'd say it was a 6.

It's still okay

So I didn't freak out and suddenly rip out my sweater. At least not yet. I am liking the way the collar is shaping up, and the color is still speaking to me. I really do not like how much this yarn (Mainline from Knitpicks) sheds, though. After I knit for a while, I am covered in little pieces of red fuzz. And these fuzzies pill up on the surface of the knitted fabric too. This may start to piss me off alot, as time goes by. However, I only paid about $20 for the yarn, so I'm not really going to complain too much. Hopefully I will reach the part where I divide out the sleeves from the body soon. I do love knitting top down sweaters!

Let's try that again

I frogged Something Red. I decided to try to make myself a jacket without using a pattern. I wanted a notched collar, but I didn't really have any other vision for the project. So I decided to just cast on for the collar and go with it. After I started rolling, I realized that this may end up looking a bit like a top-down raglan version of Kim Hargreaves new pattern, Thea. That is totally cool with me, as I like the look of that. Plus, if I run out of yarn, I can opt for the short sleeve version Ms. Hargreaves has so kindly already worked out. I'm debating what sort of shaping I'm going to use and whether I should do a back vent or not. I would probably edge the whole thing in seed stitch if I did (as opposed to ribbing along the bottom). We shall see, I guess.

Rewind

So I got to the button band on Something Red, and I decided that I don't like this project. Between the praying that the yarn lasts and picking up 200 stitches, it lost some of the fun. Plus, I don't think it looks quite right on me. So it's time for a jump into the frog pond! I'm not sure what will actually emerge from this project.

Progress

I have been really busy with Something Red. But I'm not sure I'm going to have enough yarn. I skipped the second round of increases in the ribbing portion, and went up two needle sizes instead. Fingers crossed. If I do make it, I'll probably be down to the last yard.

Rolling

I made some progress on Something Red today. I cast on this morning and started the raglan increases. I'm liking the feel of the knitpicks yarn. We shall see how it wears.

In other news, Mike and I saw the "Americans in Paris" art exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, today. The show featured the infamous "Madame X" painting by John Singer Sargent, along with numerous fascinating works by Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, and many other notables. "Madame X" was displayed next to "Mrs. Henry White," also by Sargent, which made for an interesting contrast. When it was first released, "Madame X" was considered too daring, cutting into Sargent's portrait business. It's still provocative today. This show was a superb collection, though I wish it were more economical to see (student tickets are $21 on the weekends, though I believe Harvard students can see it for $5 during the weekdays). Plus afterwards we stopped by the Copley room, my favorite gallery of all the art museums I have ever visited.

New project

I decided I should actually post in progress photos of one of my projects. I keep knitting things for swaps, which I feel like I shouldn't post pics of before the recipiants get them. Otherwise, I have been knitting quick little projects. But I have finally decided to start another sweater for myself. It's Something Red from Knit and Tonic. I ordered the yarn from knitpicks, because they had put Mainline on sale for $1.97 a ball. I figured about $20 for the yarn was a steal. The color I chose was "Red Velvet Cake," since I couldn't resist the idea of having this cardi in red. So I swatched last night on my Denise 7s and 8s. Although I kinda like the 8 swatch better, the 7 is much closer to stitch gauge (the swatch on the right is the 7 one). Though my row gauge is off by about 1-2 rows per 4 inches. I'm going to have to watch out for that, but since this is a top-down raglan, I think I can deal.

Encore

Happy Birthday Gus! Yesterday we hung out with Gus and co. all day celebrating his birthday. We sat around at Walden, went to Unos, and then played Encore at Gus's place. This game involves trying to come up with as many songs as possible that contain a given word. You have to be able to name six consecutive words surrounding the target one. For some reason, I continued to try to think of more after the game ended. And I realized that one of the words we had, "home," was ludicrously easy. This is way after the fact, grant you, but at least I can think about me "dominating the pro tour unmercifully" with these gems.

Songs with home in them:
-Rocket Man by Elton John, "I'm not the man they think I am at home. Oh, no, I'm a Rocket Man." Sung in a Stewie from Family Guy voice, of course.
-The Way by Fastball, "You can see the shadows wandering off somewhere. They won't make it home but they really don't care."
-I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan, "So pack up, go home, you're through."
-Spiderwebs by No Doubt, "Sorry I'm not home right now. I'm walking into spiderwebs."
-Journey Into the Past from Anastasia, "Home, love, family. I will never be complete until I find you."
-What if God Was One of Us by Joan Osborne, "Trying to make his way home."
-Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire theme, line that goes "Yo home, to Bel-Aire!"
-Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, "You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, and I don't want to go home right now"
-Adam's Song by Blink-182, "I couldn't wait 'til I got home to pass the time in my room alone" (extra points because that has "room" in it, another one of our words)

Swap Knits

So I finshed the Skully and the winter set that I was working on for two swaps on craftster.

Skully Sweater
Pattern: from SNB
Yarn: Doubled Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 11

Winter Hat, Mittens, and Scarf
Pattern: Hat is the Basic Cable from SNBN. Mittens were made up as I went along. Scarf was based on the Irish Hiking pattern.
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino
Needles: US 10 for the hat, US 10.5 for the scarf, US 7 for the mittens

Click here for pics, unless you are the recipiants: Skully, Winter Stuff.

Catch Up

Sorry for the lack of posts. I was going to post earlier, but I ran into computer trouble. So let's catch up.

Crafting news:
As usual, I have been working on some things for swaps at Craftster. I did the Friend of Craftster swap, where I crocheted and stenciled a bunch of things (you can see them at the recipiant's blog, here and here). I'm currently working on a knit project (an Irish Hiking cabled set of mittens, scarf, and hat) and stuff for the X-Men swap I'm organizing. Otherwise, I haven't been doing to much crafting for myself.

Work news:
My job at the Fed is going well. The data set I've managed to wrangle has some promise. But we have a definite endogenity problem that needs dealing with.

Reading news:
I finished two books by Isabelle Allende, Zorro and Daughter of Fortune. Both were excellent, though I would say Daughter of Fortune was more totally realized. Allende has a lovely way of just naturally dropping her readers into an incredibly detailed world. She will drop hints of what is to come, but these seem entirely natural. This reminds me a bit of the early Tom Clancy novels, where you felt as if you were just watching real people's lives, which had a spontaneous, full quality. I also was fascinated by her exploration, in Daughter of Fortune, of a bi-racial relationship between a Caucasian and an Asian. It's not something you see as often as say, a Black and White relationship, and that was interesting in and of itself. But of course, I am also in such a mixed relationship, so it had a personal resonance. As for Zorro, I was quite taken with Allende's recasting of the hero as the son of a Native American. It added an unexpected quality to the character. I would give Zorro a 7 and Daughter of Fortune a 9.

Movie news:
I saw A Prairie Home Companion, X-Men 3, and Pirates of the Carribean 2. All three were good (though none was amazing). I would say that I enjoyed Pirates the most, but that was just because of it's incredible enthusiasm. It really wasn't plotted that well, but the lines were funny (not inspired, but definitely amusing), the acting was accomplished, and the direction was visually appealing. The long sight gags were the highlight. X-Men 3 has a similar feel, though everything is just of slightly poorer quality. In particular, I have no idea why some things like the Angel story-line were included. It added nothing to the rest of the film. A Prairie Home Companion was very well acted and directed, but it too didn't have a snappy plot. It just was. I am not a fan of NPR, mind you. I grew up with an indifferent affiliate in Rochester, and I have trouble hearing the chatter of it in the car. Something that makes me feel deaf is not appreciated. However the movie has its fun moments. I would give X-Men 3 a 5.5, Prairie Home Companion a 6, and Pirates a 7.

Summer Day

Today was really hot outside. And of course that means that today was the day we decided to go mini-golfing. At a "Revolutionary War Themed" course, no less. Mike kicked our butts, but I'd like to think that the rest of us (Kerri, Michelle, Gus, and I) took it gracefully. Next weekend Mike and I are going to Cape Cod to meet my family, so it looks like I'm getting my fill of outdoor activity.

As for crafting, I have managed to stencil another couple shirts and sew a tote bag. I'm actually really proud of the latter, because it's the first thing I sewed with a lining that didn't come out totally warped. And I'm almost finished with the first sleeve of the Skully, which means I only have one more sleeve to go before it's done.

Celebration

I passed both of my generals. Yay for being done with my first year!! And because I haven't shown much in the way of yarn content lately, here's a pic of another crochet clutch I made. It's the In Bloom pattern (again) from the Happy Hooker.

Rainy Day

Just sitting about listening to the rain outside. Figures that once the weekend comes, the rain arrives too. Sandra from craftster has asked me to knit her a Skully Sweater from SNB. In return she will make me a bunch of needle felted goodies and a One Skein Wonder. I'm going to swatch for that today. Otherwise, I've been reading Zorro by Isabel Allende (gasp, Gloria is reading something besides a historical mystery!), which is quite good. She has a wonderful way with words and situations, a sort of dry humor. I wish I was fluent enough to read and appreciate her in the original Spanish, but my skill isn't accomplished enough to really get the flow of her work. We used to have to read her in AP Spanish, but it's slow going compared to reading the English translation.

I'm back

After a weekend spent at my parent's house (which included an unpleasent car trouble surprise, but it's all fixed now), I'm back in Boston. I start my summer job next week, but I'm taking it easy for now. I've been crocheting some, but I can't share because it's for a secret santa type swap at Craftster. But, I did do some stencils for some other swaps (Kill Bill, The Cure, Wonder Woman).

Done!

I'm done with generals!! (Though I have to wait a couple of weeks before I know if I passed.) So now I can just sleep and relax. I am very happy right now!

Current test status

Here's the update:

Econometrics Final: Done. Mild surprise over the last question, but it wasn't too bad.
Micro General: Done. That was hard. And it took forever. Fingers crossed.
Macro General: This coming Tuesday. I can't wait to be done with this!

Present for my sister

Pattern from here.

When Pigs Fly.

Pattern from here.

11 Hours

11 hours of studying yesterday. OMG.

What WOULD Jane Austen Do?

I am still studying like mad. I sat for 10.5 hours yesterday, and I am going for the same record today. I have allowed myself 10-15 min study breaks here and there, but that's it. Argh! But the final on Saturday was fine. Not amazing, but alright.




These are some pics of a t-shirt I did for the Jane Austen Swap on craftster.org. I want to make myself one now.

MY HEAD HURTS!

Last day of classes. Which means I have a final on Saturday and Generals in two weeks. I have been studying into the evening every day, and it's already getting old. The next two weeks are going to suck. I only hope I make it!

Currently Spinning

http://www.hotfreelayouts.com/music.php

Idea courtesy of I May Be Knitting A Ranch House.

Study, study, study! (And some book reviews)

So I have an econometrics final in two weeks. It's on a Saturday for some mysterious reason (does Harvard even know about Shabbat?). Which means I need to study. But wait, I also have general exams in May, which cover a whole year's worth of material from two courses. Which means I really need to study. Guess what I'm doing today and tomorrow?!

In other news, I read the third installment of the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series, North by Northanger. The author actually managed to sort of explain why she named the book that (it appears in a line of the text). The wierd thing about this series is that it doesn't deal with murder mysteries. This is odd because I would say the bulk of mystery novels are about murders. I don't mind the change, but it does feel different. This installment bounced between some odd conspriacy involving Northanger Abbey and the drama of Elizabeth's pregnancy. The balance between the two wasn't always there. But the characterization remained compelling. I am still wondering if this series will have to end when they run out of Austen books to spoof in the titles. I give it a 6.5 overall. My previous reviews of the first two books in this series are here.

(This paragraph will mean nothing to you unless you read mainstream comics.) I also read DC Comic's Identity Crisis. Damn that thing is wordy. Almost Bendis wordy, but without that extra polish. It was good, and a nice set up for the current havoc in the DC Universe (ie Infinite Crisis). The art was enjoyable too. I think Mike is trying to get us to buy the 52 year-long special super extended series. At this rate, it might happen. Might.

Good News

I have something to do over the summer! I got a job with a great research project at the Boston Federal Reserve, so I am excited. But, I have to pass my general exams first. It's time to study!

In crafty news, I have continued with the crochet, and I made the "Fit to be Tied" purse from the Happy Hooker book. It took about one skein of Lion Brand Woolease worsted. Plus, I lined it with patterned fabric for once (as opposed to felt). I like it a lot.

A Book Review and a Movie Review

I finished up the last two entries in the Jane Austen mystery series by Stephanie Barron. #7 is Jane and the Ghosts of Netley Manor and #8 is Jane and His Lordship's Legacy. Spoiler....




As you can guess from the second title, something tragic happened to Lord Trowbridge in these installments. This saddened me greatly, but I hardly expected him and Jane to live happily ever after. These two books were a fitting and well-crafted end to their relationship. I have to say that the mystery fell a bit by the wayside in #7, eclipsed by the Jane/Trowbridge characterizations. Nevertheless, I found this to be a worthwhile read. #8 was even better. In it, Jane receives a trunk of Trowbridge's papers from twenty years before, which hold the clues to a mystery facing Jane right now. Barron includes the text of several letters, giving readers a chance to examine the evidence themselves. This entry is well-paced, and allows readers to commiserate with Jane over the loss of Trowbridge.

In other news, I saw Thank You For Smoking last weekend. It was CRAZY. But in a good way. Aaron Eckhart plays a wiley Big Tobacco lobbyist who must face down the challenges of Senator Finistirre (William H. Macy), a tree-hugging type politician who wants a skull and crossbones printed on every box of cigarettes. Then a whole bunch of looney stuff goes down. There really isn't a plot, but it doesn't matter. All of the actors embrace the their parts with bravado, reveling in the smarminess. These performances combined with Jason Reitman's spry direction make this film a hilarious and dark look at what goes on behind the curtain in American business and politics.

Stash Flashing

You can't stop me now!

I have been crocheting like mad this week. The end result is these two hats. The pink one took less than a skein of Caron's Sayelle in the color Cotton Candy. I used a pattern from Family Circle Easy Knitting Holiday 2004. (I love how now I can use the crochet patterns sprinkled throughout my knitting magazines!) The red one took about a skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky, and the pattern can be found here, on this other site. Both took me about a day of work each. I love how fast crochet is! But I can definitely see that it takes more yarn than knitting (I made a hat similar to the red one in knit using way less than one skein of WE Chunky).

New hat I've been working on

I have been trying to work out my own cloche pattern. I knit four versions, and this is the latest. I finally got Mike to take a picture. I'm not sure if I should change the brim. And the fingerless gloves pattern can be found here.

"Spring Cleaning" (sung a la Rocko's Modern Life)

It's gorgeous outside. Sunny, warm, perfect. I wish Boston was always like this. Not too hot, not too cold. It makes me want to organize and clean. There is so much stuff sitting around the apartment that I need to get rid of. But things are still basically under control, despite the fact that I let things get away from me during midterms.

Also, for whatever reason, there is a glich in my blog code. Sometimes my text in the most recent post doesn't load. If you want to see it, just scroll down and then scroll back up. I have no idea why that is happening, and I don't have enough time to figure it out right now.

I finally saw Brokeback Mountain. It was superb. I've been really spoiled by good movies lately. Now I am only one movie short of seeing all 5 Best Picture nominees from 2005. I guess I'll have to rent Capote.

I do have some new knits to show off. I'm hoping to con Mike into photographing them soon.

Another Year

Yup, it's my birthday. Which means I have a midterm this afternoon. I feel fine about that; I just want it over with. But guess what Mike gave me for my birthday. The photo is a hint. That's right, a ball winder!!!!! And a swift. I feel so cool. Which probably makes me a dork.

One down, one to go

I finished my first midterm, for Econ 2010b (Micro II). It was long. Plus, I miswrote something in the last question, which snowballed into a huge mess. But it was a fair exam, and it feels good to have it done with. Next week (on my birthday of all days) I have my Econ 2120 (Applied Linear Econometrics) midterm. We shall see how that goes.

As for crafting, I finished another Anthropologie-inspired capelet for a swap. You can see it here (don't click if you're Snacker!). I used a little less than three balls of KnitPicks Sierra in Pool and US 11 Denise circs.

More Crochet Fun

So I made another project from The Happy Hooker. This is the One Skein Scarf. I used a bit less than one skein of Paton's Classic Merino (the yarn called for in the pattern). Since I didn't have the size hook called for in the project, my gauge was smaller. But I planned on that happening, so there! I'm really digging crochet, at least in these simple projects. I'm planning to tackle something bigger soon.

I learned to crochet! For real this time!

I got Debbie Stoller's new book, Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. From it, I finally learned how to crochet properly (I had kinda learned when I was in elementary school, but my work was rather sketchy). And I have a project finished! This is the Garden Scarf from the book, using less than two skeins of Knitpicks Sierra. I made the scarf a little longer than the pattern called for, adding on 3 extra flowers.

Cool Swap Swag

I just got the neatest craftster.org swap package in the mail today. My partner was Crafty_Dame, and the swap paired up knitters and seamstresses, so that we could trade sewn and knit goodies. I sent Crafty_Dame this skully sweater, and in return I got three skirts and a purse. This is a picture of me wearing one of the lovely skirts and holding the purse. I love them!
Craftster is really the coolest thing.

Oscar Wrap-Up

So apparently last night's Oscar ceremony was the second least-watched in history (at least in the history of televised ones). I find this ironic, because this was the first year in quite a while when I had actually seen a number of the nominated movies. By my count, I saw 10: Munich, Good Night and Good Luck, Crash, Pride and Prejudice, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Batman Begins, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Syriana, and Mrs. Henderson Presents. I find that to be a nice mix of movies, including blockbusters and smaller films, period pieces and sci-fi/fantasy flicks, social dramas and escapist fare. Really, I thought it was a great year with something to suit everyone's taste. So I don't really understand why box office was so sluggish. Granted, recent years have really saturated us with movie "events," like the LOTR trilogy, the early Harry Potter movies, and those way over-hyped Matrix sequels. So maybe we're just falling back towards equilibrium. There was no big event that began in 2005. Instead, we got the end of the Star Wars films (which was pretty cool, despite the fact that ROTS had some flaws) and the continuation of well-tested franchises like Batman and Harry Potter. Nothing truly new to stir things up. Of course, we (or at least I) don't really have enough data to say whether this is just a consolidation or really a total shift in the market. Frankly, I think that 2005 is a year I will look back fondly on as far as the movies it produced.

The Oscar ceremony itself was suprisingly short (it finished at about 11:30 PM Eastern). I thought Jon Steward did a great job at being funny while still respecting the atmosphere. I'm happy that Ang Lee won for Best Director, as he has been the pride and joy of Taiwanese film culture for years. I am also glad that George Clooney won for Best Supporting Actor since he was quite good in Syriana and because I've liked him in almost everything I've seen him in. I was a bit startled when Crash won for Best Picture. That movie is profoundly affecting, though perhaps contrived. Regardless, it is an impressive achievement. I will admit that I liked Good Night, and Good Luck and Munich more, but I guess I have to accept that this wasn't their year.

In related news, Mike can't do arith-i-mAtic, Gus is a vigilant member of the spelling police, and neither Amy nor Gus is someone you want to pick lotto numbers with.

Random

Dude, I just found out that Matthew Macfadyen was born in 1974. That means he was about 30 when he filmed Pride and Prejudice in 2004. Whereas Keira Knightley was 19. Mike guessed that he was 24 before I looked it up. I find this weird because I get a very young and well-matched vibe off of the two in in the movie, so I never would have guessed. To compare, there is about a 9 year age difference between Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. When the A and E series was released (I don't know exactly when it was filmed), Firth was about 35 and Ehle was about 26. I believe that Lizzie is supposed to be 20 (I think she turns 21 during the course of the novel), and Darcy is supposed to be in his mid-twenties.

So I guess Keira was really pulling her weight in giving the newer version that young freshness.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I did go out and buy the Pride and Prejudice DVD this week. I watched it as soon as I got home.

Long Time, No Post

Sorry folks! I know I have been laggard with the posting. The semester is starting to heat up (midterms are coming, plus I have been juggling some new research ideas), so I haven't had too much blog time. But here are some pictures to mollify you. Yes, that is a Van Gogh inspired "My Little Pony" that I painted. The other is a pic of a t-shirt I stenciled with Brandon Boyd from Incubus.

Top Five Movies

Mike and I, to pass the time in the car, decided to try to name our top five movies (chosen for their merits as a film and for personal reasons) in different genre catagories. I figured we'd share our picks with the world. Feel free to agree or disagree. Plus, these are a little rough, because we did it really spur of the moment.

Mike first; then Gloria:

Sci-Fi/Fantasy:
The Empire Strikes Back;The Empire Strikes Back
The Two Towers; The Two Towers
Serenity; Serenity
The Princess Bride; The Princess Bride
Back to the Future II; Fellowship of the Ring

Family/Animated:
The Lion King; Beauty and the Beast
Finding Nemo; Finding Nemo
The Curse of the Wererabbit; Mulan
Muppets Take Manhattan; Babe
Willy Wonka (1971); A Little Princess (1995)

Musicals:
Singin' in the Rain; Singin' in the Rain
1776; 1776
The Music Man; Shall We Dance (1937)
The Merry Widow (1934); The Merry Widow (1934)
On the Town; My Fair Lady

Action/Adventure:
Batman Begins; Batman Begins
Indiana Jones (Lost Ark); Pirates of the Caribbean
GoldenEye; GoldenEye
Adventures of Robin Hood; The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Die Hard; Oceans 11

Drama (political/war themed):
Munich; Munich
Good Night, and Good Luck; Good Night, and Good Luck
Wag the Dog; Glory
Cradle Will Rock; Saving Private Ryan
Casablanca; Casablanca

Drama (personal themed):
Good Will Hunting; The Winslow Boy
A Few Good Men; The Apartment
The Big Chill; Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Broadcast News; A Beautiful Mind
Sliding Doors; American History X

Thriller:
All the President's Men; Spellbound
Sneakers; Vertigo
The Sting; The Lady Vanishes
The Usual Suspects; The Usual Suspects
The Hunt For Red October; The Hunt for Red October

Romantic Comedy:
Grosse Pointe Blank; Grosse Pointe Blank
Trouble in Paradise; Trouble in Paradise
Shakespeare in Love; Shakespeare in Love
Love Actually; Bridget Jones's Diary
When Harry Met Sally; His Girl Friday

Comedy:
A Fish Called Wanda; A Fish Called Wanda
Blazing Saddles; In and Out
Pirates of the Caribbean; 10 Things I Hate About You
To Be or Not to Be; To Be or Not to Be
Mash; Monty Python and the Holy Grail

For the record, we agree on 20 of the above (not counting the fact that I put Pirates in Action/Adventure and he put it in Comedy). Plus, within each catagory, things are just listed in random order.

Another Sweater

I made this sweater as part of a swap on craftster.org. I modified the pattern by adding a hood and putting in sleeve decreases. Otherwise, I kept to the instructions.
Pattern: Skully Sweater from Stitch 'n Bitch
Yarn: Doubled Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 10.5
Time to knit: 2 weeks
This was pretty easy, except for the instarsia skulls on the sleeves. Those were pretty tough, since I had to carry two strands for every new color. But I survived!

Movie Review: Mrs. Henderson Presents

This movie was quite enjoyable, though seriously flawed. It had little discernible structure, and the writing relied entirely on one-liners and situational comedy to carry the action. I felt like I was watching a bunch of moments (some very well executed, some clunky) loosely strung together. This is really a shame, because Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins give great performances, and the premise of the film could have made for so much more. Dench plays Mrs. Henderson, a wealthy widow who decides to buy a run-down theater, the Windmill. When the Windmill's shows fail to bring in consistent audiences, she proposes a revolutionary idea: put nude women on stage. She manages to push her plan past the censors, all the while battling her prickly theater manager, Vivian Van Damm, played by Bob Hoskins. (PS, I was terribly distracted by the fact that the movie kept calling Van Damm "VD," which just connoted Venereal Disease to me.) The show is a great success, but then WWII starts, and the Windmill becomes a much-beloved institution to the young men being sent to France (though that phase of the war ended rather abortively at Dunkirk, which is not explained at all in the movie, which instead jumps straight into the Battle of Britain). The war sweeps the film up into a patriotic mood, as Mrs. Henderson and Mr. Van Damm refuse to close the Windmill, believing it their duty to stay open for the sake of the men in uniform. A couple rousing speeches later, the film just ends. It's really weird. Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself, and the direction and acting was generally good.

Book Review: Finally off the Jane Austen Kick

Hello folks. Yes, I did actually read installment's five and six in the Jane Austen mystery series (Jane and the Stillroom Maid, Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House). They're quite good, but I figure you guys have had enough of that.

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding--6
I read this one over Christmas break. It's like a cross between Bridget Jones's Diary and Ian Fleming. I'm serious. Olivia is almost as nervous and self-conscious as Bridget, but she also figures out how to navigate an international spy situation. The mix is odd, but it does make a great backdrop for action and romance. The fact that Al-Queda plays a major plot role is also interesting, if weird, given the lightness of the other material. I keep getting the feeling that Fielding really wants to be a foreign correspondent journalist (witness the Thailand drug dealing part of Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, and Fielding's debut book, which featured African refugees) rather than a chick-lit novelist. Her compromise is contrived, but still fun.

Cavalcade by Walter Satterthwait, 3rd in the Phil Beaumont/Jane Turner mystery series--6.5
This installment puts our favorite Pinkerton detectives in early 1920s Germany, just as Hitler is building his Nazi party. Phil and Jane are hired by the Nazis to investigate an attempted assassination attempt on Hilter. As Phil and Jane become familiar with the party leaders, the detectives discover far more about the disturbing anti-Semitism and militarism of Nazi ideology than about the assassination itself. This mystery is a bit odd, in that solving the actual crime is not the primary focus. (Indeed, that aspect is resolved rather hastily in a couple paragraphs at the end.) This is instead an exploration of the evils of Nazism, and the ways in which it could attract both scary psychos and seemingly normal people. This atmosphere very well rendered. In addition, we get some great character development of the Jane/Phil relationship. Satterthwait also sounds an ominous final note, hinting that other western governments allowed Nazism to gain power because they viewed the alternative, communism, as even more dangerous. I have heard this theory discussed in history courses, and there is probably a grain of truth in it. But then, we have the benefit of hindsight. Governments probably make such "bargains with the devil" every day. It's just that they usually don't turn out quite so horrifically.

Movie Review: Not the happiest double-header

This weekend I decided to go super depressing and watch both Munich and Syriana. (I wanted to see both before the Oscars.) They are both sobering looks at the past and present situation in the Middle East, and both are superbly crafted. Of the two, I would say Munich was the better movie. I certainly found it more affecting. The performances were incredibly touching, though generally understated. I am surprised that Eric Bana did not get more Oscar buzz for his work. Spielberg has great control over his material, balancing his artistic license with the facts. The script by Tony Kushner (I heard a very interesting interview with him on Fresh Air, btw) and Eric Roth is well-paced. My only problem with the film was that is was too long. But I don't really see how much material could have been cut anyway.

Syriana follows the structure of Stephen Gaghan's other famous work, Traffic, very closely. Therefore, it jumps straight into the action without preamble and introduces characters quickly. It's a bit confusing, but purposefully so. No one character takes center stage, as their stories are cut together and intertwined. (George Clooney has a largish part and gets top billing, but he's still nominated for a supporting actor Oscar, not a best actor Oscar.) The ending is abrupt but strangely cathartic. There are no answers, but somehow there is a sliver of hope and humanity. The world is caught in the grip of King Oil, but his reign is constantly affected by the actions of individuals. Individuals do matter, even though many will fail in their aims.

Class is back.

Ah, vacation is over. Well, I had to expect that.

This semester's classes are here. I've got Econ 2010b (micro II), Econ 2010d (macro II), and Econ 2120 (linear applied econometrics). My schedule looks reasonable, except macro is at 8:30 in the morning (why?!). We've started general equilibrium in micro, which appeals to the international trade economist in me. We spent all of micro class today drawing Edgeworth boxes (I can't draw an even rectangle to save my life, even on lined paper). I bet this touchy-feely level of GE is going to disappear soon, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. These classes look like they will be useful and interesting, so I'm optimistic.