New Knitting Group?
I was at our local library this afternoon and they mentioned that they’re thinking of starting a free knitting group on Sundays. Except for being prime movie watching days, Sundays work well for me. So if you live near Florence, MA, this may work well for you too. I’ll keep you posted as March nears.
Best & Worst Movies of the Year
I’ve finally narrowed down my choices for the best and worst movies that I saw this year. Since I’ve started keeping track of my movie watching, I’ve seen the second least number of movies this year. The year that I saw the least number was when I had my second child and Bill was traveling a lot for the law firm. But I finished the year well, seeing 16 movies in the theater in December. Check out my Best & Worst Lists if you’re curious about previous years.
Best 10 Movies of the 63 I saw in the theater
Babel (2006)
The Departed (2006)
Dreamgirls (2006)
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Little Children (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
The Queen (2006)
Shut Up and Sing (2006)
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
United 93 (2006)
Worst 5 Movies of the 63 I saw in the theater
The Da Vinici Code (2006)
Friends with Money (2006)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
Running with Scissors (2006)
Scoop (2006)
Best 7 DVDs of the 28 I saw
49 Up (2006)
Hustle & Flow (2005)
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)
Lagaan (2002)
The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
Rock Star/Knitter Surprise
So I was topping off my week of solitude last night by watching a recent episode of Knitty Gritty. It’s easy t.v. to “watch” while knitting. To my surprise, Vickie introduced her guest of the day as Kelley Deal. What!? So that’s what she’s been up to; designing her own felted ROCK STAR bags.
Kelley used a technique called “Swiss darning” for the design on her bags. Really this is just duplicate stitch. But at the end of the episode she mentioned how the Swiss darning created a sort of embossed effect on the bags. Hmm, I like that idea, 3-dimensional texture. I’ve also had not much luck with felting some of my stranded knitting in the past. I can see how duplicate stitch could help with that. She also introduced me to an alternative to endless i-cord knitting for handles. But I can’t tell if her alternative would be more tedious or not.
Time to Control the Stash
I’ve been lusting after the Voyager for a couple of months now and have decided that I would like to buy the loom by the summer. To make some space and help save up for the loom, I’m joining the Knit from Your Stash 2007. Here are my guidelines.
I will knit from my stash starting today until I can save up for the loom — hopefully within 6 months.
I will not buy any yarn during this period, with the following exceptions:
• If I’m knitting something and run out of yarn, I may purchase enough to complete the project.
• I get one “Get Out of Jail Free” card — I’m allowed to fall off the wagon one time.
• If I’m making a 2007 gift for someone that I really and truly do not have the yarn, or an adequate substitute for, I may buy only enough yarn to knit that gift.
• Yarn purchased out of state while traveling does not count. That’s souvenir yarn, that’s what it is, and it’s safe.
• I am allowed to buy yarn if I join a Knit Along with a specific time goal for project completion.
• I’m allowed to purchase yarn that is required for a class.
• I’m allowed to purchase the scarf yarn that I’ve already ordered when it arrives.
Here is my stash. This does not include yarn for the projects that I’ve already started. But it does include the yarn of projects that I will never complete. Hopefully in six months, the stash will be greatly reduced.
I see the future of many knitted things, some sweaters, knitted toys, shawls, pillows, socks, bags, slippers, hats, mittens, scarves and who knows what else. I’ll be plenty busy. I don’t think I’ll run out of yarn. Kind of scary seeing it all out like that. Time to put it away.
