Let's Go to the Movies...

"Let's go see the stars.. Fred and Ginger SPINNING madly.." I need to watch Annie again. When my nephews were young, I used to make them watch it all the time which really just developed in them a hatred of the movie, and it comes dangerously close to a hatred in musicals. If they really do hate them, they hide it well, except for Hello Dolly, they do hate that movie, but only due to a long trip in the car involving a viewing of the movie with no other options for entertainment. Anyway, this post isn't about musicals, though I can go on for hours and hours about those. But instead, about the movies.
Tomorrow, we are going to the AMC Best Picture Showcase. My brother has gone a few times, but each year I have been either busy, or else solidly uninterested in 90% of the movies playing. This year, I had the time, and it seems like a good lineup. It's actually held over 2 days, tomorrow, and the next Saturday as well.

Tomorrow we are seeing:

Toy Story 3, The Kids are All right, True Grit, and the Fighter. We'll be skipping 127 Hours due to my inability to watch someone suffer for an entire movie. I understand it's a great film, but there are limits. I'm already stretching with True Grit. The next Saturday we're watching: Winter's Bone, Black Swan, Inception, The Social Network, and The Kings' Speech. I'm actually more excited about that lineup. It is truly a movie marathon, and I think it'll be really interesting.


Of course, me being me, my challenge will be how many scarves can I get completed in this amount of time? I'm fairly good at knitting in darkened theaters, and I generally knit there. So today, sorted through my yarn packing bulky yarns in a bag to be knitted into scarves during the movies. I was trying to find lighter colors as well. I have different size needles packed up, and am ready to go!

The chosen yarns all ready to go. I like to pack extra just in case!

Any guesses as to how many scarves I can get completed tomorrow? I'll update everyone tomorrow night, providing I survive an entire day at the movies first!

Snowed In

It actually has nothing to do with the snow that I was home all weekend. That was my big plan anyway, never leave the house, never get dressed, stay home all weekend. It worked. The snow was just an added excuse to the thing.

I did make stew, I made rice pudding with brown rice which turned out amazing, and I experimented with English Toffee in preparation for Christmas candy making.

I ate all 3 items to excess.

I spun 2 skeins of yarn and plied a 3rd.

Suffolk Yarn, so pretty but I have no idea what it's destined to be.

 

Handspun Art Batt

I finished a scarf and did 1.5 drop stitched scarves. I like this, pretty, fun, and I love the first one I did out of Araucana yarn. The 2nd I'm doing out of Cascade Pastaza in Forest, I love the look of this yarn, it's partially llama but I don't thoroughly enjoy knitting it. I have an amazingly cute hat made out of it though and the scarf will match.

Drop Stitch Araucana Scarf

Cabled Handspun scarf Merino/angora

Cascade drop stitch

Now it's the start of another week, and next week is Thanksgiving how did that happen?!

It's Our Little Secret...

Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone. Be very, very quiet..

I think I'm starting to like to knit.

Ok, ok, I think I'm starting to like to knit.

No one could be more surprised than me. Really. I have always knitted out of a sense of guilt. All this yarn, and no one using it in a creative manner. It oozed guilt. I mean, a spinner that doesn't knit or crochet? Kind of weird. I spin for the joy of creating art, but to most people yarn is utilitarian. Sure it's pretty, it's for a purpose.

But then, I found Noro. Noro Taiyo, in these mesmerizing colors. That are begging to be made into something. I started sneaking home balls of Noro. Surely no one would notice the labels if I mixed it into the bins of handspun..

Scarf #1, the start of the addiction

And then I found circular needles. Because I've always, always lost needles, typically halfway through a project.

Scarf #2 - Knitted long ways, my Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor scarf

I started knitting scarves, I joked I'd have a scarf in every color of Taiyo. They were my take along projects, sometimes sitting in bags for weeks, sometimes finished in just a few days.

Number 3 - finished at the ocean, lots of errors, but so pretty! and peaceful! And Taiyo-y

 On the last trip, I finished my latest scarf, and then something clicked. The next scarf that I started (out of one of the 6 skeins of Taiyo purchased on the trip), morphed magically into a shawl. A triangle shawl no less. Yes people, I broke through the limit of the rectangle. And I liked it! Yes, I liked it!

Picture missing due to secret project taking place using Shawl

After the shawl was done, which turned into a slight obsession, I started on the next. I found a pattern on Ravelry. And I figured it out. And I am sticking to it. I am using a pattern! And I am liking it! I've even picked out what pattern to use next.

Multi-Directional scarf in the works

Yes, I am a knitter! Maybe someday I will even make another sock! A sweater! A lace cape! Ok, or maybe I'll stick to my scarves. But I have discovered patterns. I am a knitter that follows patterns. I am proud.

I am surrounded by warm colorful scarves - in 90 degree heat!