Highland Triangle #3!

That's right, I have started Highland Triangle #3 in earnest. This is the last one I have to make for my bridesmaids, and then I can move on to other projects. It's a testament to the pattern that I have been able to knit it three times in a year and not freak out from boredom. Cheryl Oberle did a good job designing something that is interesting to knit without being TOO challenging. I have been happy with the finished results, also. So I give the pattern a thumbs up!

I'm slightly less taken with the yarn I am using, Brown Sheep Nature Spun. It's a decent quality wool, but it gets a bit of a halo that picks up lint easily. This wouldn't be such a problem if I were using a more neutral color, but light lint shows up really easily against black. Nevertheless, this yarn is a good value, and I appreciate that it can come on a cone, making it easy to knit lace from.

Some Movie Reviews and Random Chit Chat

So I finished knitting Highland Triangle #2. I only need to block it and weave in two ends. Of course, I don't really have room to block it in my apartment, so it may be awhile before that gets done.

Also, I got my invite to Ravelry. My username is quincy134, so please friend me if you want to!

And now, onto the movie reviews. I rented a bunch of stuff last week, plus I caught a few things in the theater. Note that there are some spoilers

Spider-Man 3
This movie was pretty bad. It was too long, much of the dialogue was embarrassing, and I have no idea what they were trying to do with the Tobey Maguire dance sequence in the middle. Unlike the previous two installments, it went totally over the line from quirky to ridiculous. If I were them, I would have cut out the Sandman plot entirely.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End
Also not a great movie. It's sad, because I actually kinda enjoyed Dead Man's Chest. But this installment was a bit more perfunctory, finishing up the threads thrown down in the last movie without offering much new. The action sequences were fine, but they didn't have the interesting sight gags that were in the second movie.

The Painted Veil
This movie is beautifully shot, well acted, and nicely designed. But the script leaves something to be desired. There is cliched dialogue ("Forgive me..." "There is nothing to forgive."), and you know the entire time that one of the main characters is going to die. This is a shame, because Edward Norton and Naomi Watts have good chemistry.

History Boys
Of these movies, this is probably the most inventive and the best written. However, I'm not sure what the point of the film was. It's adapted from a Tony Award winning play, and perhaps the stage version makes more sense. One of the main characters is basically a pedophile, but the movie seems to sympathize with him. I'm not sure if it is trying to be provocative or if the author actually believes that such behavior is excusable. If nothing else, the ensemble acting is excellent.

Miss Potter
Out of these five, I probably liked this movie the most. However, it too lacks something in the script and plotting. This may be because the creators were trying to follow the time line of Beatrix Potter's life, or it just may be because the script wasn't well constructed. It's unclear, mainly because I don't know much about Beatrix Potter. Nevertheless, the acting is nice (though at first you think that Renee Zellweger is being a bit over the top), Zellweger and McGregor have good chemistry, and the way they use Potter's drawings to move the story along is visually interesting.

So close!

I'm working on the bind off on Highland Triangle #2. Of course, it's taking forever, because you have to work two rows of the pattern in order to bind off one stitch. However, I think I can finish soon.

In other news, it is HOT here in Boston. 96 degrees F yesterday. And my office is really poorly air conditioned (I have a cubicle in a room with about 30 other cubicles, and this has 4 old window units trying to cool the whole area.) Plus, some pipe in the ceiling started attracting condensation, which meant there was this giant dripping wet spot in the middle of the room. But it is supposed to drop into the low 70s tomorrow and for the weekend, so it's almost over!

AFI's Top 100 Movies

I Play with Pins and Needles mentioned that AFI had updated their Top 100 Movies list. This got me curious as to what I had seen on said list. Bold=Seen. *=I really like it.

1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.

2. "The Godfather," 1972.

* 3. "Casablanca," 1942.

4. "Raging Bull," 1980.

*5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.

6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.

7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.

8. "Schindler's List," 1993.

*9. "Vertigo," 1958.

10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

11. "City Lights," 1931.

12. "The Searchers," 1956.

*13. "Star Wars," 1977.

14. "Psycho," 1960.

15. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.

16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.

17. "The Graduate," 1967.

18. "The General," 1927.

19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.

20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.

21. "Chinatown," 1974.

*22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.

23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.

24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.

25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.

26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.

27. "High Noon," 1952.

28. "All About Eve," 1950.

*29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.

30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.

31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.

32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.

33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.

34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.

35. "Annie Hall," 1977.

36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.

37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.

38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.

39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.

40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.

41. "King Kong," 1933.

42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.

43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.

44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.

45. "Shane," 1953.

*46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.

47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.

48. "Rear Window," 1954.

49. "Intolerance," 1916.

*50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.

51. "West Side Story," 1961.

52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.

53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.

54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.

55. "North by Northwest," 1959.

56. "Jaws," 1975.

57. "Rocky," 1976.

58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.

59. "Nashville," 1975.

60. "Duck Soup," 1933.

61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.

62. "American Graffiti," 1973.

63. "Cabaret," 1972.

64. "Network," 1976.

65. "The African Queen," 1951.

66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.

67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.

68. "Unforgiven," 1992.

69. "Tootsie," 1982.

70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.

71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.

72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.

73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.

74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.

75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.

76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.

77. "All the President's Men," 1976.

78. "Modern Times," 1936.

79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.

*80. "The Apartment, 1960.

81. "Spartacus," 1960.

82. "Sunrise," 1927.

83. "Titanic," 1997.

84. "Easy Rider," 1969.

85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.

86. "Platoon," 1986.

87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.

*88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.

89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.

90. "Swing Time," 1936.

91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.

92. "Goodfellas," 1990.

93. "The French Connection," 1971.

94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.

95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.

96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.

97. "Blade Runner," 1982.

98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.

*99. "Toy Story," 1995.

100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

That's 30 I've seen. I'm happy that Vertigo and Casablanca are so high up there, but I was a little puzzled by The Sixth Sense being on there at all.

The endless border

I'm plugging away at the border on Highland Triangle #2. I'm tantalisingly close to the bind-off! What has surprised me is how long one cone of Brown Sheep Nature Spun has lasted. I figured that I could get 1 and 1/2 shawls out of one cone, but it looks more like I will get nearly 2.

Another Meme

Thanks for the kind comments about my Nantucket Jacket! I have now moved on to Highland Triangle #2 again. I'm well into the border now, but there is still a ways to go.

I got this meme from livejournal:

1. Do you knit continental or English? English.

2. How long ago did you learn to knit? Eh, around 1990?

3. First FO? A drawstring bag.

4. Favorite yarn? I'm willing to try most things, but I love merino.

5. Favorite pattern? There was this cabled cardigan from Vogue Knitting a couple years ago. I think I'm going to knit it again.

6. Favorite pattern source? VK and IK magazines.

7. Favorite needles? Denise Interchangables, though I also like aluminum needles.

8. Nicest thing you’ve ever knit? A cabled sweater in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. But the yarn isn't holding up well, so I'm thinking about knitting it again (see question 5).

9. Most hated project? Nothing comes to mind. I always think I'm going to hate something at some point during the knitting, but I usually make peace with it later.

Nantucket Jacket: Finished!

That's right! I finished the Nantucket Jacket. I really enjoyed knitting this sweater. The cable/twisted stitch pattern is fun, and the gusset shaping is unique. I was dubious about making a wool sweater with elbow-length sleeves, but after wearing it around for a bit, I've decided I like that feature. Overall, it was an enjoyable project that produced an end result I am happy with. However, I am still unsure about the yarn, Berroco Pure Merino. It's very soft, but it stretches a lot. I will have to be very careful when I wash this sweater.

Pattern: Nantucket Jacket from the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits by Nora Gaughan
Needles: US 9 Denise Interchangeables
Yarn: 13 balls of Berroco Pure Merino
Notions: 6 5/8" buttons
Size: 34" chest

Modifications to the pattern: After knitting the waist decreases as written, I knit for 2 extra inches before I did the bust increases. For the sleeves, I knit the sleeves for the next size up, because some people had complained about the sleeves being too tight (however, I don't think this mod was necessary, since the yarn I used is so stretchy). When I crocheted the scallops on the sleeves, I did it with the RS facing and worked in rounds, instead of starting with the WS facing and turning after the first row. For the crochet on the button bands, I did the sc row in one hook size, then I went up two hook sizes for the scallop row. I also did the scallops as *sc, skip 1 st, dc/ch 1/dc/ch1/dc all in next st, skip 1 st* instead of *sc, skip 2 sts, dc/ch 1/dc/ch1/dc all in next st, skip 2 sts*. I found that this made the scallops stand out a bit better. Finally, I worked six buttonholes instead of five.

Block like the wind

I am so close to being able to put my Nantucket Jacket together. So close! Of course, it takes two days for a piece to dry on my blocking table, so I still have to wait a bit longer.

In the meantime, I should probably go back to Highland Triangle #2. It has been sadly neglected this past month.

In other news, I visited the Adams National Historic Site this weekend. It consists of three historic homes: the house where John Adams (as in the 2nd president of the United States) was born, the house where John Quincy Adams (as in the 6th president of the United States) was born, and the house John Adams retired to (known as the "Old House"). I have been to the site three previous times, but I still love visiting. It's cheap for what it is ($5 admission to all three homes), and the park ranger tour guides are always interesting and quirky. I have learned something new on each visit. This time I took a closer look at the afghan on top of the guest bed in the Old House (it was made by John Quincy's wife, Louisa Catherine). I realized that it was knit. And knit at an incredibly tiny gauge! Can you imagine knitting a roughly queen-size blanket in plain white yarn at what looked to me like DK or sportweight gauge? I was impressed. Below is a picture of me standing next to the side of the Old House in the garden. It's funny, because I have pictures of me standing in that spot both from when I was in high school and college. Can you tell I like this museum? If you are ever in the Boston area, I highly recommend it.

7 Things About Me

Thank you for your kind comments on my Nantucket Jacket progress.

So Andrea tagged me to list 7 things about myself (thanks for thinking of me, Andrea!). I already did the 6 things version of this, but I thought I would change things up and list 7 things about my knitting.

1) Although I rarely buy clothes in red, I love red yarn. Witness this sweater, this hat, this capelet, these fingerless gloves.... The other common colors for my knits are purple, blue, and gray. As my local knit-bud Michelle says, these are "Gloria Colors."

2) I'm a big fan of cables. The current Nantucket Jacket I'm working on is right up my alley. My other favorite cable project was my Vogue Cabled Cardigan (which I am thinking of knitting again). I also really love the Basic Cable hat pattern from SNBN.

3) Somehow I ended up being a sweater knitter, as opposed to say, a sock knitter. I open up a knitting magazine or a pattern book, and I am immediately drawn to the sweater patterns. Although, I have recently been looking more at lace wraps and socks.

4) I try to mix it up with the fibers I use. I am perfectly willing to use more "craft store" type yarns, such as Lion Brand, Caron, or Red Heart for some projects (I have a pair of mittens done in some acrylic from Wal-Mart that are the hardest wearing knits I own). I also like the inexpensive natural fiber options, such as Knitpicks, Patons Classic Merino, or Brown Sheep. Lately I have been looking into using Valley Yarns, the discount brand WEBS puts out. But I also love the expensive stuff too. Rowan, Berroco, and Classic Elite are favorites. Although sometimes a heaftier price tag does mean better quality, it doesn't always (I have to say I am less than thrilled with Cashmerino from Debbie Bliss, for example). I try to keep an open mind.

5) I go through cycles with my knitting. Sometimes I knit A LOT, then other times I don't touch the needles for weeks. This is usually because I'm working on a different craft, such as sewing.

6) My favorite online source for yarn is WEBS. They have an absolutely amazing brick-and-mortar store too. You cannot beat their 20% discount on orders over $60, and their sales are always way too tempting.

7) I'm a "sit in front of the TV" knitter. I like hearing stuff in the background while I work. My favorite show for knitting is ER.

It seems that most people have been tagged for one incarnation of this meme or another, but if you haven't, please consider yourself tagged!!

Getting closer...

I finished one of the fronts, and now I am a goodly way into the other side. I can feel this sweater coming together! Except, I'm beginning to think it should have long sleeves, not these elbow-length ones. We'll see how they look.

Knitting Meme

'bold' for stuff you've done, 'italics' for stuff you plan to do one day, and 'normal' forstuff you're not planning on doing. I got this from I Play with Pins and Needles.

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl (wrap?)
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backward
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

For the weekend

Guess who's going to the WEBS Tent Sale and Fiber Festival (scroll down for the info)?!

The Back is FINISHED!

DONE!

Getting there

I am back to the armhole shaping on the back. I'm glad I ripped back because the hip gussets do look better now (though you probably can't really see a difference in the photo--it may just be me). Hopefully I can finish this piece soon, and without incident!

Sleeve Number Two

I finished the second sleeve, and I'm halfway through the back. When I first blocked out the second sleeve, it did stretch out a lot. But I scrunched it up on my ironing board, and it dried back to the right size.

Back on Track!

I finished the first sleeve on the Nantucket Jacket, and it is blocking right now. It didn't get huge when I took it out of the water, so maybe that will work out. I did make two changes, in that I knitted the sleeve for the next size up (because this pattern has very narrow sleeves) and I omitted the seed stitch along the edges. Now, on to the next sleeve!

Nantucket Jacket: 1, Me: 0

Remember how I was doing so well with the Nantucket Jacket? Well, scratch that. I realised I had made a mistake back at the top of the seed-stitch hip gores. And although I could have ignored it, I decided to rip. I should really start with a sleeve anyway, to use as a extra-large gauge swatch (a la Grumperina's recent post), since I have grave concerns about how this knit fabric will react to wet blocking. I'm trying to be zen about losing all of that work. It really serves me right for not counting my stitches earlier. I guess it just fits with my past sweater history, as I don't think I have ever knit something this big without a major redo.

Gore Place Sheepshearing Festival

I attended the Gore Place Sheepshearing Festival this past Saturday. It was a great time! They had a crafts fair, a "fiber tent" with tables from local yarn stores, a sheep dog demonstration, lots of food, and a petting zoo. I got to see plenty of sheep, alpacas, and goats. And to top it off, it didn't start raining until after the festival was over. Go Boston weather for cooperating for once!

I am also a ways into the back of the Nantucket Jacket. I started the armhole shaping this morning, so hopefully I will finish this piece soon. I want to try blocking the back out before I move on to the fronts, because I have heard that Berrocco Pure Merino stretches out after wet blocking. I wet blocked my swatch, and it did expand a bit, but it dried back to a normal size. I just want to make sure that nothing crazy will happen with the final product. I know I probably should have started with a sleeve, since that would have been a smaller piece to test out, but I started knitting the back first out of habit.

Moving Along

I am a few inches into the back of the Nantucket Jacket. I'm finding the stitch pattern to be surprisingly relaxing. And the yarn, although a little splitty (especially for wool) is quite soft. So far, so good!

And did anyone else see the beautiful knit chuppah in the upcoming summer 2007 issue of IK? It's like they know I'm getting married! Except, there is no way I will ever knit a project that requires 18 skeins+21 cones of yarn.

Swatch Time!

Somehow, I got a cold this weekend. I felt sick on Friday, but I didn't realize how bad I felt until yesterday. However, things have been much better today.

I did stencil a shirt (for a craftster swap), and then I dug into swatching for the Nantucket Jacket. I think this is the first time I'm knitting a pattern in the exact yarn and colorway that is called for. I usually either go for a yarn that is cheaper, or if I'm treating myself I end changing the color to red, purple, or blue. But this sweater was already knit in a reddish color, and I got the yarn for my birthday.

Spring Cleaning

Boston appears to have finally escaped the "April Showers" portion of this year's program. Which means it's time to clean out my closets and welcome spring!

I started with my yarn stash. I had taken to just piling knitting stuff up in a corner, but it was getting ridiculous. Now I actually know what I have! Of course, the stash still looks a bit bloated. I need to work on that.

Crochet time!

I was looking at my rather ridiculously sized yarn stash last night, wondering what I should work on. I didn't want to pick up a big project. As a result, I decided to crochet a hat to match a One Skein Scarf (from the Happy Hooker book) I finished last fall. Nothing fancy: just HDC in Caron Simply Soft. Maybe it will give me the energy to tackle something larger. I did wind a ball of Pure Merino in preparation for the Nantucket Jacket, but that's as far as that went.

In stash accumulation news, I got a late birthday present from the lovely Michelle, two skeins of Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud and the book Romantic Knits. Plus I picked up Lace Style. Apparently I'm into lace right now!

It's Raining

I'm sitting at my desk in the economics department (somehow the grad students got the short straw and are relegated to the basement) listening to the freezing rain/hail mixture that is coming down outside. That's right, it's the end of the spring semester, and I'm in full-on disaster mode. Work, work, work.... I am sorry I've been so laggard in posting lately, but unfortunately school comes first.

But, I do have some knitting plans! I started in on the border for Highland Triangle #2, but somehow I managed to pick up the wrong number of stitches. I was way off. I haven't gotten up the courage to start into that again. However, I do still have all that yummy Pure Merino for the Nantucket Jacket. Maybe it's swatch time?

And PS--thank you all for your kind birthday wishes!

Another Year

My birthday was on Friday. I had a great time, since I took the day off and just hung around the house. It was quite relaxing. Then a few of my friends came over, and we grabbed dinner and played Taboo (which, surprisingly, did not end in tears). Plus, I got the awesome knitting swag you see pictured here. Beth gave me Victorian Lace Today (which I have been wanting since I first saw it in Barnes and Noble several months back), and Mike's dad gave me enough Berroco Pure Merino to make the Nantucket Jacket that was on the cover of the Winter IK. I see some more knitting in the coming year!

Still Life of Shawl with Ikea Chair

I finished the center part of Highland Triangle #2. Now I just need to pick up the stitches for the border and then do lots of boring YO's and K2tog's. I wish I could just make those parts of the shawl magically finish themselves. The center pattern is somehow more exciting, even though it's just a bunch of YO's and k2tog's too. Watching them form the diamond patterns makes it more palatable for some reason.

Best and Worst of 2006: Movies

Now that I have caught up on a bunch of films from the end of last year, I feel that I can make this list somewhat well-informed. There are still things I want to see (Letters from Iwo Jima, Children of Men, The Painted Veil, History Boys), so keep that in mind.

The Best:
1) United 93. This is the only movie I saw from the past year that I wouldn't change at all if I were making it. It was respectful of the tragedy without being soft. I thought Paul Greengrass deserved an Oscar for directing and writing this film.

2) The Queen. Even aside from Helen Mirren's brilliant performance, there was a lot to love here. The script was creative with its material, the direction was appropriately restrained, and the acting was wonderful all around.

3) The Departed. Some things about this movie aren't quite right (re: the psychiatrist storyline). But it is such an amazing collection of performances, that it almost doesn't matter.

4) Little Miss Sunshine. I haven't had as good a laugh watching a movie in a long time.

5) Casino Royale. After the last few somewhat embarrassing Bond movies, this one brought the franchise back into full swing. And Daniel Craig is surprisingly hot, though in an "ugly-hot" sort of way.

6) Thank You for Smoking. Although it doesn't hold up as well after repeated watchings, this is an incredibly creative film. And it's crazy. CRAZY.

7) Wordplay. This isn't a hard hitting documentary, but the love it shows for the subject matter (crosswords) is inspiring.

8) The Good Shepherd. It was too long. The performances were excellent, though.

9) The Pursuit of Happyness. This one is all about Will Smith and his son. The rest of the movie is okay, but they are phenomenal.

10) A Prairie Home Companion. I don't like NPR (I'm slightly deaf in one ear, so I can't hear things that aren't music in the car, which is the only place I listen to the radio). But I have to admire both the performances and the direction in this film. Robert Altman will be missed.

11) Dreamgirls. This was beautifully produced and well-acted. Something is lacking in the pacing, though.

12) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This film is on probation until the third one comes out, as it's really only one half of a two-part movie. But the joy and creativity that shone through the action sequences was quite enjoyable.

The Worst:
1) X-3: X-Men United. I don't understand what happened. The second one was so good, whereas this one was so flat.

Oscar Wrap-Up

I enjoyed watching the Oscars this year. I thought Ellen did a good job, keeping the jokes funny but brief and moving things along reasonably quickly. I was pleased with Martin Scorsesee's win (though I thought Paul Greengrass made the better movie). It's also sad that Peter O'Toole has yet to win an Oscar (besides his honorary one). The two highlights of the ceremony for me were the opening film about the nominees and the wierd song routine that Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Riley did. I loved it when Ferrell sang "Hey Ryan Gosling, you're all hip and now. Well, I'm going to break your hip, right now!"

By my count, I managed to watch 8 of the nominated movies before the ceremony: The Queen, The Pursuit of Happyness, Little Miss Sunshine, The Departed, United 93, Dreamgirls, The Good Shepherd, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. However, I failed to catch Letters from Iwo Jima. But I'm going to make an effort to see it.

Movie Review and a Book Review: Enigma

Yes, I changed the template. I'm too lazy to use anything but the pre-loaded blogger layouts, but that pink one was beginning to get old. I thought the blue here was soothing, so there you go.

In other news, I recently rewatched Enigma (a movie from 2001), which led to me reading the book it was based on, also Enigma, by Robert Harris.

The Movie
I was impressed with this the first time I watched it, and it holds up really well. The script was written by Tom Stoppard (who wrote Shakespeare in Love, along with a slew of famous plays such as Arcadia, Jumpers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead...). However, the film is incredibly conventional for Stoppard (the storytelling is quite linear and no one ends the movie with a pineapple on their head). But it's a good conventional, in that we get effective storytelling and character development. The acting is solid, led by Dougray Scott as a cryptanalyst, Tom Jericho, working on breaking the German submarine enigma code. He enlists the help of Hester (Kate Winslet) to unravel another puzzle: the disappearance of Tom's former girlfriend, Claire (Saffron Burrows). Both Tom and Hester have to dodge the questions of an oily investigator (Jeremy Northam) who is looking into Claire's whereabouts. And then somehow all this gets dropped into the middle of one of the largest convoy battles of World War II. The story sounds more contrived than it is (or maybe the movie just does a really good job of selling it). The film is quiet and simple, acting like a modest slice of life movie that just happens to also be a war movie. As an added plus, we get some great British character acting, including Matthew Macfadyen (2005's Pride and Prejudice) and Tom Hollander (2005's Pride and Prejudice, and PotC: Dead Man's Chest).

The Book
I was surprised by how similar the movie is to the book. The two are extremely close, except for a brief departure at the very end. Regardless, the book is a different experience, dwelling on details a little longer, and really probing the character of Tom. But the language remains frugal and effective, so this close characterization isn't overdone. My one qualm upon comparing the book and the movie is that Hester is a much stronger character in the latter. The book is really Tom's story, while the movie is more about Tom and Hester. I sort of like the movie's focus more. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

There is one historical note to all of the above. The man actually responsible for many of the British breakthroughs with enigma was Alan Turing, a pioneer of computer science and a man prosecuted for being a homosexual. He was a fascinating person himself, but this book and movie are not at all about him. They are pure fiction.

From the pre-blog file

I was looking through my photobucket album, and I noticed that I had pictures of this outfit I made a few years ago in college. I never posted pictures here, so I thought I would share. The skirt is basically just knitting around and around in circles, then doing some eyelets for the ruffle. Not rocket science. Then you just sew some elastic into the waistband, and you are good to go! I haven't worn it in a couple years, but it was one of my favorite skirts senior year of college. I think I remember wearing it to the Boston Knit-Out and Crochet that year.

Skirt

Pattern: Rebecca 25
Yarn: Cotton-Ease for the black and Sugar and Cream Cotton for the burgundy (this was before I discovered LYS's with expensive yarn!)
Needles: US 6 Susan Bates circulars

Tank Top

Pattern: none (it's just a panel of st stitch with i-cords attached)

Yarn: Cotton-Ease

Needles: US 6 Susan Bates circulars

Looking ahead

I'm sorry I have had so little knitting content lately. It's because the semester is heating up, and I haven't had time to knit much. I did sew a little, but all I have to show for it is half a skirt. I haven't finished that because I didn't have a zipper for it.

I did want to figure out what is in the "to knit list," though. I stopped planning new projects because I have to knit all those Highland Triangles (I'm on the last repeat of the center chart on #2 right now). But I do have yarn sitting around for these:

1) Cabled boat neck sweater from Debbie Bliss's Cathay book. I got the yarn for this two summers ago in London, but it's just sitting there. The color I have is this bright pink.

2) A hat using this great handspun I got in a Craftster swap from TheBon.

3) A cabled wrap from Wrap Style, using some red Wool of the Andes from knitpicks.com.

4) Enough yarn (it's the blue yarn in that picture) to knit another VK Cabled Cardigan, since the first one I made is getting old and pilly.

5) I'm contemplating the Nantucket Jacket that was on the cover of the winter IK, too. But I don't actually have the yarn for that yet. Maybe I should hold off.

Movie Review: The Departed

Next up on our magical mystery tour of oscar movies: The Departed. I'm probably the last person in Boston to see this movie.

Overall, I liked it. It was like watching a very slow train wreck, in that you know exactly how it has to end, but you're mesmerized anyway. I could have done without most of the first hour. A little too much set-up. And I hate to say it, since she was the only actress with any lines of note, but I would have trimmed the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) storyline too. But the last hour was incredibly riveting. All of the performances were strong, including Leo's, who continues to surprise me. If the first movie you see him in is Titanic, he kinda has to spend the rest of his career trying to dig himself out of a hole. But he has done that admirably since (Catch Me if You Can comes to mind). Matt Damon does a good job of being the glue of the movie, allowing everyone else to be flashier (though Jack Nicholson is flashy no matter what he does). I still don't understand why Alec Baldwin's and Mark Wahlberg's characters had so much hair, but their performances were great examples of perfect character acting. And I forgot that Martin Scorsese doesn't just have a verbal ADD style (watching his interviews is fascinating) but also a visual ADD kick. It works, though.

Next up: Letters from Iwo Jima, if I can get out to the theater.

Movie Review: United 93

I was scared to watch this movie. Watching something about 9/11 when the memories are still so vivid ... but I'm very glad that I did. This film is an important story, and it will be an important document of 9/11 50 years from now. When Mike and I started the movie, I was nervous that something in it would be handled poorly, embarrassing the memory of the event, instead of honoring it. But that moment never came. Paul Greengrass (who wrote and directed) deserves great credit for creating the best constructed movie I have seen from 2006, and doing it with such emotional source material. Many of the people involved in that day (FAA officials, air traffic controllers, military personnel) play themselves, and that works surprisingly well. The film is also a scathing indictment of the administration, showing us how little ability our airspace control system as a whole had to deal with a situation of this magnitude, despite the heroic efforts of individual members. As a result, the passengers and crew of United 93 are on their own, and their final act is captured movingly and appropriately in this film.

Next Up: The Departed

Movie Review: Little Miss Sunshine

Finally got around to seeing this one. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Some people have told me that they loved it, others not so much. I think the problem is that this movie is based on a series of utter unbelievabilities. How exactly did this gangly, not entirely beautiful Olive (Abigail Breslin) win a local beauty contest to begin with (or even come in second)? How did Steve Carell's Frank self destruct so badly as to go from being a successful professor at Yale (the university isn't mentioned by name, but I think that was implied) to needing a teenager to be his suicide watch? How did Dwayne (Paul Dano) survive public school without speaking for 9 months? In what world would the bastardish Richard (Greg Kinnear) marry a caring woman like Sheryl (Toni Collette)? This movie makes no apologies for this set-up. In fact, the opening scene just throws it on the dinner table without any fanfare. If you accept it, the rest of the movie works. If you don't, it doesn't. I accepted it.

Next up: United 93.

Movie Review: Dreamgirls

Mike and I are trying to watch at least one Oscar movie a week all of February, so as to be able to catch up before the ceremony. First up was Dreamgirls.

I was impressed with the production values on this film. The acting was solid, making good use of interesting casting (Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson did give Oscar-caliber performances). Bill Condon's direction was smooth, guiding us through years worth of plot. However, I was less than taken by the music. It seemed slick and unemotional, cooked up for the stage. The singers did their best to liven things up, but there was something fake about it. The other issue I had was that the pacing was a tad off. The movie would dwell on one thing for a LONG while, then skip forward suddenly. I just didn't buy it. Nevertheless, it was definitely worth seeing.

Next up: Little Miss Sunshine.

Oscars 2007

Nominations are out! I've held off on making my best of 2006 list for movies because I haven't seen everything from last year that I wanted to see.

So far, I have seen the following Oscar nominees: The Pursuit of Happyness (Best Actor), The Queen (Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, and others), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Art Direction, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects). This is a pathetically small list! I am hoping to see The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, Dreamgirls, and perhaps Letters from Iwo Jima before the ceremony. I also sort of want to see Blood Diamond (though I've heard the film is only so-so; it's apparently a case of good acting in an average movie) and United 93 (if I can stomach that).

Highland Triangle #2!

I have been knitting like crazy lately, so I am through 5 out of 6 repeats of the main body pattern. Then on to the neverending border.... I don't have pictures, but the shawl looks just like the last one, so it shouldn't be hard for you to use your imagination.

In other news, I have been sewing, and I made two new regency dresses. You can see pics at my livejournal.

Best and Worst of 2006: Installment Two

Next up, books! Note that the books included here are from those I read in 2006, not from those published in 2006. I'm not that up to date on my reading material. Also a warning: I didn't get much time to read for fun this year. Even when I was riding the subway to work in the summer, I spent most of my time reading The Economist. So this list is short. *Sniff*

The Best:
1) Daughter of Fortune and Zorro, both by Isabelle Allende. Allende has an amazing voice. She carefully crafts a detailed world for her characters, but doesn't let the environment overpower the story and plot (unlike some talented authors...I'm looking at you, Tom Clancy!). Both of these books examine the immigrant experience with breathtaking honesty and poignancy.

2) Jane and His Lordship's Legacy by Stephanie Barron. Barron's Jane Austen mysteries is one of the best historical mystery series I have ever read. Although early installments were a little obvious (as in you could spot the villain well before the reveal) and mired in their attempts at historical scholarship (Barron frames the books as lost letters and manuscripts by Jane Austen herself), Barron has managed to get past the gimmicks and write engaging stories. This entry is the best of those I have read (I haven't yet gotten to the newest book, which was just released), a fitting end to the Jane/Lord Trowbridge relationship. I'm just not sure where we go from here, as Jane died relatively young, and the series is now nearing the last years of her life.

3) Cavalcade by Walter Satterthwaite. This is the third mystery in the Phil Beaumont and Jane Turner series. In it Jane and Phil investigate an assassination attempt on Hitler. It's a really weird book, but Satterthwaite makes his characters accessible and really tries to take the darkness of his subject matter seriously. But not too seriously. If you want to check out this series, I would recommend starting from the beginning, though (with Escapade). The previous two entries were stronger.

Honorable mentions to Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding and North by Northanger by Carrie Bebris. Just some chick-lit goodness.

The Worst:
1) The Edwardian mystery series by Marion Chesney. These mysteries are on crack. Chesney just likes to jump from one situation to the next, without any explanation, and then suddenly reveal the murderer in a cliched final reveal scene. Skip these.

2) Yet again, all the books I didn't get to read this year. Damn you, lack of free time!

Best and Worst of 2006: Installment One

Yes, it's that time again! Time for Gloria to make pointless lists about what sort of books, tv, and movies she was into this past year. I know I'm running a bit late, but bear with me; I've been dealing with end of semester stuff.

Let's get the ball rolling with TV.

The Best:
1) ER. This has been at the top of my list now for two years in a row. This is probably because it is my favorite show ever. I realize that this makes me a little biased. However, this show has also been surprisingly successful for NBC during it's 13th (!) season, so much so that they decided not to put it on mid-season hiatus. Season 12 ended strongly, with a massive shoot-out in the ER and with Abby going into labor. Season 13 has been even tighter, with effective guest appearances by Sally Field and Forest Whitaker. But now Laura Innes is leaving! She made Dr. Weaver an interesting and compelling character for 11.5 seasons. Yet, I have faith in the show's continued strength. Even John Stamos is working for me (I got over the Full House connotations).

2) The Closer. This show just keeps getting better. The second season had more zany moments, which really endeared it to me. Even the mysteries are getting less stupid. Kyra Sedgwick is doing a wonderful job, and the entire cast meshes incredibly well. This is the series that will restore faith in the police procedural.

3) The West Wing. It's over! The show ended after 7 years. I was very impressed by their ability to rewrite things after the untimely death of John Spencer. They managed to honor his work while still carrying on with the plot. I'm still a little miffed at the way in which things ended for Toby, but at least he didn't go to prison. And Bradley Whitford finally got me to love Josh, despite the fact that he's a self-righteous bastard. Somehow I like John Wells' softer Josh better than Aaron Sorkin's crazy "I know what I'm doing so just do what I say" Josh. I know, that's blasphemy, but I respect John Wells and Aaron Sorkin. It was a fitting end to a great show.

4) Veronica Mars. I started in on this show just this season. Then Mike and I watched the DVDs of seasons 1 and 2 in about a week. Suffice it to say that I am now obsessed with this show. Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring are phenomenal. Plus the mysteries are compelling (if a little oddly plotted and paced--I hate how they sometimes drop things for episodes at a time). I do think that the Lily Kane case is the best arc the show will ever have, and that it suffers now because of it. But I'll still watch for the Logan and Veronica scenes alone. It seems unlikely that this show will get another season (they only got a 20 episode order for this one). I just hope Logan and Veronica end up together in some suitably happy relationship.

5) Heroes. This show creeps me out. The gore in the indestructible cheerleader scenes is a bit much for me. But so far it has been really well constructed, with tight cliffhangers. And it balances a lot of characters effectively. I've been a fan of Adrian Pasdar since he had a recurring role on Judging Amy, so I'm pleased to see him, even if he is playing a horrible person (though I am sure he will be redeemed somehow). It is also great to see Milo Ventimiglia and Greg Grunberg (of Gilmore Girls and Alias, respectively). Plus the Tim Sale artwork is beautiful, as always.

6) Scrubs and 30 Rock. All hail the return of Must See TV Thursdays! I am not normally a sitcom person, but these two are just too much fun to pass up. Plus, they're on right before ER, so it's no big deal to turn on the TV a little early. At first I was puzzled by 30 Rock, but Alec Baldwin kept me coming back. But now the show is genuinely hilarious. Scrubs has always been strong, and it is just rolling through what looks to be another great season (apparently its last, as Zack Braff is not coming back).

7) Gilmore Girls. It's weird without Amy Sherman Palladino, but Gilmore Girls is still trucking along. At first I was afraid that the dialogue was going to get just fake enough to become annoying (it's not as if it has ever been that natural). But the new show runners seem to have ironed that out. I really hope Lorelai can just settle down and be happy. Christopher is trying so hard to make their relationship work. The Rory/Logan storyline is getting a bit boring though. Somehow Rory is just not as cute as she used to be. I did love the knitting episode. Lorelai even had a shirt from Craftster!

8) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. This show has SO much promise. Great cast, great director, great writer...but somehow it's not quite right yet. Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry are really working it, as are Amanda Peet and Steven Webber, but the plots and dialogue aren't really singing. Many of the situations feel stilted (after having watched West Wing and some Sports Night, I keep thinking, "...and here is where we get the patented Aaron Sorkin touchy feely scene...and here is the classic freak out scene...etc."). But Nevada Day was nice, and I still have faith that this many talented people will make something of this show.

Honorable mention to Without a Trace. There is just something about Anthony LaPaglia that is watchable.

The Worst:
1) Alias. Arrrrrrrgh! At least they brought Michael Vartan back. That and the fact that Victor Garber's Jack ended the show credibly are really the only saving graces. I would prefer to forget that seasons 4 and 5 ever existed.

2) CBS for canceling Smith after only a few episodes. I was very intrigued to see John Wells working on a show that had such unlikeable characters. And the first episode was so well made that I thought it could be a feature film. A good feature film. Ah well, better luck next time.

Highland Triangle #1 Finished!!

Ta Da! (Click for a bigger pic.) I finished Highland Triangle #1. Only 2 more to go! This pattern was actually quite enjoyable to knit, and it wasn't a bad introduction to lace. I used about 3/4 of a cone of Brown Sheep Nature Spun, on US 10 Denise circulars. I have to say I was surprised by how big it came out. I wasn't expecting something this wide. But that does make it very snuggly. Considering that I didn't touch this for weeks at a time, I was also surprised by how fast it knit up. I started it in the middle of October, and I finished it right at the end of December. My hope is that I will be able to speed things up a bit on the next two. And I already started the next one.

Happy New Year!!!!

Man, sorry I went so long without posting. December got sucked up by finals. Anyway, I finished two classes, International Trade and Cross-Section Econometrics. I only have Industrial Organization to deal with during reading period. Plus, I have signed up to present a research paper in February at the International brown bag. I am not anywhere close to being ready for that, but I think I can get something together this month.

Christmas was nice. Mike and I spent most of Christmas weekend watching 1.5 seasons worth of Veronica Mars. That rocked. But it also made all the episodes blur together. I guess that just means we'll have to watch them again!

In knitting news, I have FINISHED AND BLOCKED Highland Triangle #1. I even started Triangle #2. I will have pics soon.

Also, I Play With Pins and Needles has tagged me to list "6 Weird Things About Myself." Let's see....

1) I like eating ice cream for breakfast. Mint chocolate chip is my favorite breakfast choice. But not for when I'm eating ice cream for a snack. Then french vanilla or cookie dough is better. I haven't indulged in a breakfast sundae in quite some time, though.

2) My nose makes a squeaky noise when I blow it. It's really embarrassing sometimes.

3) I have a fear of geese.

4) I love the way my parents' dog smells at the spot on top of his head between his ears. My sister calls it the "puppy corn chip smell." Somehow that scent reminds me of home.

5) I have a friend from high school who has repeatedly given me a stick (as in a twig from his backyard) for Christmas. It started as a joke many years ago, for some unknown reason.

6) I collect those souvenir spoons you see in vacation spots. I have hundreds.

I tag Jessie, and anyone else who wants!

So Many Stitches

I am working on the bind off for Highland Triangle #1. It's taking forever, because it involves making this pointed edging as you bind off. But I like the look of it. Hopefully I will have it done soon!

In other news, I have been sewing some more. I decided to try to confine most of the sewing chatter to my lj, http://quincy134.livejournal.com/. Feel free to visit!

The semester is almost over here at Harvard, which means it's crunch time. I will have one final during January (Harvard has it's official exam time after Christmas), but I will have one on December 20th too. So I'm off to study!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, to those in the states!

Shawl Update

I managed to get an okay picture of the border on Highland Triangle #1. It's going alright, but the knitting is getting a little mindless now. I liked the center stitch pattern better. I've got 2.5 more repeats of this chart to go, and then I have the bind off edging.

In other news, I am waiting for Matlab to run through my code for an econometrics problem set. Matlab is the slowest program I have ever used. It even takes forever to start up. Now I'm getting it to run some Monte Carlo experiments, and waiting for it to crash my computer. I was driving through Framingham last weekend, and we passed the Mathworks building (the company who makes Matlab, you may have heard them mentioned on NPR as a sponsor). I thought about pulling over and giving them a piece of my mind. Except it was Friday night and no one would have been there to hear my rant. But the idea seemed like a good one at the time.

Quick Note

Yes, I have been knitting! I have started the border to Highland Triangle #1, and that's going fine. But the stitch count is growing rapidly, so each row is taking longer and longer. The gauge is still pretty big, so I'll have a maximum of 400 stitches at the widest point. Hopefully I'll have a pic, though the shawl just looks like this big black blob on my needles.

In other news, Mike is super happy over the current Democratic Party sucesses, so we've been watching CNN more than usual. I'm also quite pleased over the outcome, especially since Representative Barney Frank (Democrat from Newton, MA) spoke yesterday about liberalizing trade and working on economic growth issues. I'm also very interested to see what Deval Patrick has in store for the state. So I'm optimistic. But I'll leave the real political analysis for those who are more in the know.

In other news, it's raining here. And it rained yesterday too. This really puts a damper on my mood. And the problem set I have to do isn't helping. Back to work!

Sorry for the lack of posts. I haven't got any good photos to share of my current adventures, so I figured I'd hold off until I took some.

If you live in the US: PLEASE VOTE TODAY.

I am an economist, so I know all about the "my vote doesn't really matter because the probability that I will be the marginal voter is basically zero" models, but it's the best political process we have, so we might as well use it!

Meme

48 Things You Could Care Less About
1. FIRST NAME? Gloria
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope. I think my mom got my name out of a "here's how to name your baby" type book.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? When I saw my new problem set this morning. I didn't actually have tears, but it was close.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's okay. I can read it, so that's fine with me.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Ham. Very un-Kosher.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so, but I do make fun of people a lot, which could probably become annoying.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just this blog. I have never been good at keeping a handwritten one.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way. I'm afraid of heights.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Raisen Bran
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope. I wear holes in the heels of my sneakers because I'm too lazy to untie them.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Strong enough to deal with things, but I could be stronger both physically and emotionally.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate. I am so boring.
14. SHOE SIZE? 10. Actually one of my feet is 10.5 and the other is 9.5 . I don't know how that happened.
RED OR PINK? Red.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The way I can go from being happy to freaked out in one minute.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My sister.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Why not?
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans, black turtleneck, grey sneakers.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Tostitos.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The new Killers album, which is a bit unsatisfying.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue? Maybe?
23. FAVORITE SMELL? My parent's dog.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mike.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Color of hair.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I've never personally met Elizabeth, but she sounds like my kind of person based on her blog.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Ginger ale.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Horseback riding (English hunter/jumpers)
29. EYE COLOR? Dark brown.
30. HAT SIZE? 23". Enormous.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Glasses.
FAVORITE FOOD? Cheez-Its. Somehow I can eat those whenever.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. I am too easily scared. I'll get nightmares for days if I watch a scary movie.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Whichever isn't now.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Depends on who's doing the hugging and the kissing.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice cream.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? My sister Jessie?
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? It's plain grey.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I was at a meeting, so nothing, but I avidly watch ER, Gilmore Girls, Studio 60, Heroes, and Without a Trace.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Couldn't really say.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles, but I have little exposure to the Stones except for in passing.
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? China.
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? uh, studying a lot?
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Baltimore
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? nicked it off of A Mingled Yarn (Elizabeth).

Regency Dress

Here's my regency dress that I'm planning on wearing to Amy's halloween party on Saturday. It's far from perfect, but I'm proud that I was able to sew something like this at all. It took me about a week to finish, working in the evenings. I want to try to make another, and see if my skills can improve. It's tough, because I find that sewing takes too big chunks of time compared to knitting. Although I spend more time per project on knitting, it's easier to just pick up and put down. So I can knit in between doing other things. With sewing, I have to sit down and devote a lot of time to it, or else things get messy really fast. But I want to try more sewing projects.

In other news, shawl #1 is going well. I'm on the fourth (of six) repeat of the chart for the body of the shawl, but then I have, as mentioned before, the giant knitted-on borders. We shall see how those go.

New Project!

As some of you may know, I've been engaged for a while now, and Mike and I have decided to get married in the summer of 2008. My current project is to make shawls for some of the women in the wedding party. I'm not sure if I'm going to be sucessful, as this means I have to knit A LOT, but I'm giving it a go. Plus, Michelle has graciously offered to knit a couple for me too (thank you, Michelle!!!).

So, I ordered three cones of Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport from Paradise Fibers, and now I am knitting away. I chose the Highland Triangle pattern from Folk Shawls. I cast on for the first one a week ago, and now you can really see the pattern coming together. But I still have a long way to go, as this shawl has giant knitted on borders. I chose black (not a wedding color, I know!) because I know it will match well with the colors both Michelle and my sister wear a lot. Wish me luck!

FO Galleries

I just finished making some rough picture galleries of my FOs. Links are on the sidebar. Take a peek!

Historical Knitting/Crocheting Links

I have been collecting up these links for inspiration. Maybe they will pique your interest too!

Elizabethan Hand Knit Hose
Glamarama: Vintage Knitting Patterns,
Godey's Lady's Book: 1852-1860
HJS Studio Tutorials: WWI and WWII Knitting Patterns
Lady's Treasury of Costume and Fashion: The Work-Table
Once Upon A Pattern
The Victoria and Albert Museum: 1940s Patterns to Knit
The Vintage Connection: Knitting Patterns
Two Sisters Vintage
White Lies Designs
Yarn Lover's Room: Antique Knitting Patterns
Yarn Lover's Room: Antique Crochet Patterns

More to come...

Halloween Costume

Still not much to report on the knitting front. I am still waiting for an order of yarn to come in the mail.

However, I have been sewing! I have been working on my Halloween costume, a regency style day dress from Simplicity 4055, which was designed by Sense and Sensibility Patterns. Considering that I haven't sewn clothes in ages, it's going pretty well. This is a pic of the finished bodice. I've attached the skirt now, but I need to put on the buttons and give the dress a good ironing. The fabric (of which I have a decent amount left over) and notions for this cost less than $20, plus $10 for the pattern. And I think I'll use the pattern again, as it's working quite nicely (though I had trouble understanding the directions Simplicity included. I ended up following the "Sewing tips" section on the Sense and Sensibility site).

Weekend!

Nothing much going on here. I am waiting for an internet order of yarn to come in so I can start my next project. So I have just been crocheting a little bit. I've got a long weekend because all of my professors are Jewish and observe Yom Kippur.

I did read the next book in the Edwardian Mystery series by Marion Chesney, A Hasty Death. It feels like reading a story outline. Chesney doesn't bother to elaborate on ANY plot points. She just zips from one place to the next. It's really, really weird. One minute Rose and Harry, our protagonists, are breaking out of an insane asylum. The next they are at a country house party. Ten pages later they are confronting a crazed murderer. Because of this ADD-style, the characterization suffers. This is a shame, because the characters were the best part of the first entry in the series, Snobbery With Violence. Now I'm not sure what to expect from the next installment. These books are short (~200 pages), so I don't mind giving another a try. I just hope Chesney will slow down and take a breath in the next one. I would give this a 5.

Quick Movie Review

I'm waiting for Adobe to convert a PDF to a text format so I can use the highlight tool in it. While that's running, I figured I should write a quick post.

I finally saw The Constant Gardner this past Saturday. I had been wanting to watch that one since last year. Anyway, I thought it was very well made and very compelling. Ralph Fiennes portrays a UK diplomat who inpulsively marries a young radical, played by Rachel Weisz (she won an Oscar for this role). Then, she is killed in Africa for sticking her nose in a corrupt drug company plot. Her husband pieces together what she was doing and continues her work, in the process discovering much about her, himself, and their relationship. It's a horrifying romantic movie, though it has a typically cynical Le Carre ending. (I have only ever read one book by John Le Carre, so I'm going more off of what I hear than first hand experience.) Ralph Fiennes's performance certainly makes the movie. I was also particularly taken with the use of color and focus to signal flashbacks. Overall, I would give it a 7.

Into the groove

So classes started this week. I am contemplating International Trade, Industrial Organization, Time Series, and Cross Section/Panel. That might be too much econometrics, but I do want to take these courses.

And I finished a short book, Snobbery With Violence by Marion Chesney. It's the first in the Edwardian Mystery series, featuring Lady Rose and Captain Harry Cathcart. I found Chesney's style very appealing, full of dead-pan humor and wit. But the book is only a little over 200 pages, and the mystery part didn't start until quite a ways in. I felt the pacing was off. I understand that Chesney was trying to introduce us to the characters and their lifestyles, but the ending was really rushed. But I am looking foward to seeing how the relationship between Rose and Harry progresses. Rose is a suffragette with very little understanding about how the real world works, while Harry is a world-weary war veteran. Of course the requisite sparks fly, but these are interesting characters who can rise above the somewhat cliched "opposites attract" situations. I would give the book a 6.

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.