Merry Karma

Ten on Tuesday - 1/24/2012 - I'm Ready for My Closeup Now, Mr. DeMille...

2012-01-24T08:18:00.003-06:00

I am still alive, I just have limited communication and publishing methods available at the moment. I will have to edit this post back to my usual style once I can get my hands on more civilized methods...and there are no spell check capabilities; so, beware!

I am all o.v.e.r this week's topic for Ten on Tuesday. Carole asks us to list Ten Movies You Want to See Right Now.. The Oscar nominations have just been announced, and there are seven movies nominated for the "big five" that I haven't seen yet:
1. War Horse
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
4. Hugo
5. Albert Nobbs
6. Warrior (because Nick Nolte got nominated for Best Supporting Actor)
7. A Better Life
To round out my list:
8. The latest Sherlock Holmes because I loved the chemistry between Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. in the first one.
9. The new Mission Impossible because I heard it was really good.
10. A Separation because it looks good - and, bonus: it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language.

MK out.

FO Friday - 1/13/2012

2012-01-13T16:49:00.001-06:00

I present the Flourish shawl...knit with about 400 yards of yummy Brooks Farm Mas Acero - a delectable blend of wool, silk and rayon - and using 5.0mm circular needles. I made the medium.

I just noticed that the sample is in purple too. Maybe, that's why I thought of my purple leftovers from the Gathered Pullover that I made in 2009.

It was a fun knit.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 1/11/2012

2012-01-11T17:48:00.000-06:00

Wow! It's almost 6:00 PM, and I haven't knitted yet today...It's been a busy one for me.

I can show progress photos of the projects currently OTN though...

The baby blanky is coming along:

I am about half way through Clue #2 on the mystery socks:

I started a little something pink to alternate with the afghan when I am caught up with sock clues:

That's it. What are you working on?

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 1/10/2012 - Soup's On!!!

2012-01-10T10:57:00.000-06:00

This week, Carole asks us to tell our Ten Favorite Soups. It's a great day to eat soup around here today - gray, cold, wet...

I love soup. I love many different kinds, but here are ten that quickly come to mind:
1. Lentil soup - my mom's recipe...straight forward with lentils, onions, carrots, garlic, water and a little olive oil for sauteing. Yum!
2. Split pea soup...again, another Momma recipe and not too many ingredients, but so filling.
3. My momma also made a chickpea soup that I just love. She was great with minimal ingredients and big taste.
4. Avgolemono (Lemon Egg) Soup...Yep, it's another Momma specialty. This one is a little more involved, as we make our own chicken or turkey broth (after Thanksgiving or Christmas...it is a must to use that leftover carcass), but it is so worth it.
5. Momma's Beef Stew - all my kids love this one...even some of their friends.
6. Chicken Tortilla Soup, although I haven't had a good one since Tia's closed.
7. La Madelaine's Tomato Basil
8. Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup - with grilled cheese sandwiches, please. My mom asked me to make this for supper sometimes, when the boys were gone and it was just the two of us...
9. Lobster Bisque - Truluck's makes a good one.
10. The borscht at Nikolai's Roof in Atlanta, Georgia...love it. Sadly, I haven't been to Atlanta in a while.

I am so thankful that I learned how to make the soups my momma made; so, I can make them anytime I am hungry for them. I guess I should learn how to make some of the others - except Cambell's can keep making the Cream of Tomato for me.

I think I may make soup for tonight's supper now...

MK out.

Sad Sunday

2012-01-08T15:02:00.000-06:00

I took this picture outside of our house Friday night. We always keep our tree up through Epiphany. (Pardon for my less than stellar photography skills.) It kind of made me sad. Inside, it was all warm and shiny - outside, it was dark and kind of gloomy...a dichotomy, of sorts.

Yesterday, I brought down the boxes and took a few ornaments off the tree. We will finish the task today.

It is always sad to put away the last bits of Christmas.

The good thing is that it will come around again...

MK out.

FO Friday - 1/6/2012

2012-01-06T13:55:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine asked me to make a particular hat for her daughter for Christmas. We settled on a pretty gray in Berroco Lustra and some scraps of pink yarn that I had around...(Imagine...I have scraps of pink yarn laying around...)

Here's the happy recipient wearing her hat:

Next - Hold onto your hats...grab your smelling salts...

I blocked the Citron shawl yesterday!!!

I know, right?!?

I used every inch (almost) of this yarn that I had. I've seen Citrons that are teeny tiny. This one did not turn out huge, by any means, but I think it's a good size for a nice shawlette.

The yarn is Shaeffer Yarn Company Anne in some colorway that they got at the end of their dyepot and I used my beautiful 4.0mm Signature circulars. I did an extra repeat of the pattern, except for the last two rows, and then started the ruffle. I only did eight rows of the ruffle before binding off, and I had about 8 inches of yarn left.

I got this baby blocked just in time...It is a Christmas gift, and today is the twelfth in the Twelve Days of Christmas...whew!!!

It is now on it's way to the recipient.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 1/4/2012

2012-01-04T23:06:00.000-06:00

Currently, I have only two projects OTN. I sort of have a plan for the next couple of months...lots of babies being born and other motivations...

I am a member of the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry. Every month, they hold a challenge where you can knit a sock by the featured designer, or knit a pattern that incorporates the featured technique or you can join in the Mystery Sock (MOCK) KAL (knit-a-long) every other month. I've mostly lurked until last Spring when I joined one of the challenges. I tried to join another one or two, but things came up and I didn't really participate in that way. This month, I thought I would do the MOCK. The first clue was released, and so far, I really like the pattern.

I dug up my American Red Cross knit kit in the commemorative tin because I thought the green yarn would lend itself well to the Flora or Fauna theme of the month.

See, it is green - a kind of Army green, but also a deep-in-the-woods kind of green.

The MOCK is designed by Carrie Sullivan of irishgirlieknits. It is called Blathnat, meaning "little flower" in Gaelic. Pictured is the first sock. I thought I'd do the first clue on each sock separately, and then join the two socks on two circs after that.

I am also making a little blanky for a special person who will be born next month. I had a ton of Caron Wintuk from years ago that I had bought for a different project that got derailed. I am doing a basketweave pattern with a seed-stitch border. I like it so far. The yarn...not so much. I have become quite the yarn snob.

I am continuing to Cold Sheep in 2012. I was fairly successful in 2011. I only made thoughtful purchases, and not that many...until I got myself into the Goth Socks Club. It's only one skein of sock yarn per month, for as long as I stay in...Not sure how long that will be yet. Anyway, I was perusing my stash pictures on Ravelry and I thought of projects to make and paired them with yarn and made a list.

I have some cotton chenille yarn that has aged to perfection in the stash and needs to be used this year. It's not Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille; it's some off brand that I had found years ago. It doesn't feel like the Crystal Palace, but maybe that yarn snobbery in me is coming out...I don't know.

I had the biggest urge to make a washcloth yesterday; so, I grabbed one of the partially used balls and some needles. I cast on and worked on it at the STARS game last night. I finished it today. (Y'all are seeing an FO and it is not FO Friday. Shhh, don't tell.) Knitting with this yarn aggravates my bilateral Blackberry thumb issue to no end. I was thinking about making one of these babies a week until I finished up the yarn, but I may have to rethink that plan...

I didn't make as many projects in 2011 as I have in previous years, but I didn't do too badly. I made:
7 pair of socks

6 adult hats
2 baby hats
2 baby booties
3 shawlettes
2 adult sweaters
2 baby sweaters
1 felted tote bag
4 washcloths
1 baby afghan
1 toddler poncho
3 Christmas stockings

I am going to become stashless one of these days...I just know it!

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 1/3/2012 - The List

2012-01-03T06:23:00.018-06:00

I have given up with New Year's Resolutions. I do write down lists of things that I'd like to accomplish in the coming year, but it is more of a goal setting exercise. Carole asks us to tell Ten Things That We Want to Do in 2012.

When I wrote my lists of goals for this year, I noticed that it is rather chore oriented, but I have several "projects" on my plate, and I would really try to get them done. In the last almost year and a half, The Husb and I lost our remaining parental units. Consequently, we have some additonal real estate that needs attention. I have listed the big things here and I tried to include some fun things too: (I write l.i.s.t.s of goals, and trust me when I say, there are way more than ten things I'd like to accomplish this year.)

1. Decrapify and organize the paperwork files...I really hate paperwork, and I've really let it get out of hand.
2. Finish cleaning out and sell my mother's house.
3. Finish cleaning out and sell my inlaw's house.
4. Finish cleaning out the condo...we might keep this one.
5. Settlle the estate for which I am the executor.
6. Study for and pass my recertification test.
7. Knit from stash to reduce it by one-third this year...If I buy yarn through the year, I will have to knit that much more...
8. Send some cards and letters...like through the mail.
9. Spend more time with friends...and be sure to tell them how much they mean to me.
10. Do at least one fun thing and find joy daily.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 1/2/2012

2012-01-02T23:41:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year everybody! It feels a little weird typing 2012, but I'm sure I will get used to it.

The Best Actress category is going to be one to watch this year. I saw three, if not four, films that should garner nominations for the actresses in them:

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) has a problem. For someone who cannot get enough sex, he sure doesn't seem to enjoy it. He doesn't appear to like himself much, much less other people. His sister (Sissy, played by Carey Mulligan) comes to stay with him and he is less than thrilled...especially when she walks in on him when he is having some private time. It is quite evident that both siblings have emotional issues. We never find out why or how they came to be how they are. Shame is rated NC-17 for good reason. It is worth seeing just for Carey Mulligan's performance. She should get a nomination. Michael Fassbender was pretty good too. It is a depressing movie, though, and not for everybody.

Run...Don't walk to see My Week with Marilyn. It is based on the true story of Colin Clark talking his way into a job on the set of The Prince and the Show Girl, that starred Lawrence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn (Michelle Williams) was married to Arthur Miller at the time. Olivier (Kenneth Branaugh) was married to Vivien Leigh. Miller leaves for a week, and Monroe pals around with Clark (hence the title). Michelle Williams should win the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance. She was incredible. She will be up against Meryl Streep in Iron Lady. If they figure out a justification to nominate her for Best Supporting Actress, (after all, the main character is technically Colin Clark) there will be no problem in winning in that category. Seriously though, I think her performance just about rivals any of Meryl Streep's. What I cannot understand is why they made Julia Ormond (who played Vivien Leigh) look so old and matronly. Leigh was only supposed to be 42 at the time. I really liked this movie.

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo should also be nominated for an Oscar. You have to see her as herself to really appreciate her talent. She plays a person 180 degrees different from her, and she does it in quite a convincing fashion, in my opinion. The movie is a pretty good adaptation of the book with the same name by Stieg Larsson. Daniel Craig also stars. There is a scene in the film that is pretty graphic (and the 2009 Swedish version is supposed to be even grittier) and hard to watch, but aside from that, i thought it was a pretty good movie. I wonder though, if someone hasn't read the book, would the movie be as good? Hmmm...I don't know, but I was quite entertained by Mara's performance.

Charlize Theron plays Mavis, an unlikeable character, in Young Adult. She is a former beauty queen who has become a ghost writer of a successful book series for young adults. The people back home look up to her as someone who has made the big time, when in reality, her life in the Mini Apple isn't as glamorous and wonderful as people think. In many ways, she acts no differently than her high school characters, although she is in her thirties. She leaves the big city of Minneapolis to return to her hometown when she finds out her high school flame and his wife have just had a baby. In her mind, he and she were meant to be together, and she aims to get him back. Alcohol fuels her delusions. Matt, an unpopular character from her high school days tries to help her see the error of her ways. It was a cute little movie - funny, yet sad. Depending on the rest of the field, Theron might get a nomination for her performance.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 12/28/2011

2011-12-28T21:59:00.000-06:00

I figured out where I was on the Flourish shawl!!! I have worked on it a little since last week, but you cannot really tell. Here's a little peaky of it:

The reason that Flourish hasn't progressed greatly is that I dropped it on Monday in order to finish the Citron shawl because I want to gift it before the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. It's finished and now needs to be blocked. How does one block a Citron? It has to have a bath first...that I know, but...then what? Lots of pins on the round part or weed-eater cable or what? Help.

I cleaned out the daughter's bunny cage today. Meet Africa. He is temporarily in my care. While I had him out of the cage, he made me a little yellow puddle on the floor. I think he likes me.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 12/26/2011

2011-12-26T23:23:00.017-06:00

Despite scurrying around with last-minute Christmas preparations, I did watch a few flicks in the last week...

On DVD:
Jumping the Broom is a predictable little movie about cultures and socio-economic backgrounds clashing as two people are preparing to tie the knot. Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Paula Patton and Laz Alonso star in the film and all do a good job. It was cute. I liked it.

I just love Russell Brand. Most of his characters in movies are a little naughty - on the bawdy side - but I find him cute and the antics are fun to watch. In Get Him to the Greek, he plays Aldous Snow - a rock star that is sobriety-challenged. He is being escorted by Aaron (Johah Hill), a record label executive, from London to a sort of comeback concert in Los Angeles. It was rude, crude and socially unacceptable at times, but I was entertained.

The documentary Catfish is a bit controversial. A 24-year-old photographer, in New York in New York is sent a painting of one of his pictures that was painted by an 8-year-old girl. Soon, he gets to know most of the family via telephone calls, e-mail and the Internet - specifically Facebook. I cannot say too much about the film because it would spoil it, but critics of the film question its authenticity. At best, it can be seen as a cautionary tale. I liked it.

In theaters:
Like Crazy is a love story between Anna (Felicity Jones) and Jacob (Anton Yelchin). They meet in school; they fall in love; she overstays her student visa. After she goes back to England and tries to return to the US, she is deported. Even though they marry in England, she still has that student visa issue to clear up. His work is in the US. They are kept apart, and interestingly, both have affairs while they are waiting for things to work out for them. (Really?!?) I didn't buy the story, but the acting is pretty good. It was alright.

George Clooney and Ryan Gosling star in The Ides of March. George Clooney also directed, helped write the screenplay and produced this film. It is about a senator (Clooney) trying to win the Democratic nomination for president and all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans that his press secretary (Gosling) has to handle. It is also about how ambitions can sometimes get in the way. It is well acted and a very good movie. I liked it.

Until next time...

MK out.

FO Friday - 12/23/2011 - Merry Christmas Y'all

2011-12-23T11:05:00.000-06:00

I finished these Christmas stockings in November, but then I took them to the embroidery shop and it took a few weeks to get them back. I gave them to the recipients last week, but waited until today to show them to you:

The stockings are made from Ella Rae Classic wool in mostly Christmassy colors and using 5mm 16-inch Addi turbos.

I winged the pattern, knitting top-down with a picot edging for the feminine ones and a funky edging for the masculine one that I will not use again, most probably.

Then, I proceeded to the short-row heel, continued down the foot and grafted the toe.

Here is an FO from several years ago. It is a shawl that I made for myself using Trendsetter Dune yarn. I remember that the pattern (Lacy Scarf or Wrap by Catherine Ham) called for seven skeins, but I stopped after six. I really wanted to wear it and was over it already. I returned the extra skein, and to this day, I keep wondering if maybe I should have gone ahead and used all seven. Oh well...

I love the yarn. It has just the right amount of sparklie...and you know how much I heart the sparklie! It has done a bit of blooming since I first knit it, and it still looks great.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 12/21/2011

2011-12-21T20:08:00.000-06:00

So, last week, I pulled out the Flourish shawl that had been in time out. I didn't know where I was, because, silly me, I didn't write down what row I ended on the last time I worked on it. I looked at the shawl. I looked at the chart. I did some counting and I tinked back about 4 rows. Still, I couldn't figure out where I was. I looked at the shawl. I looked at the chart. I counted. I put the shawl back into the bag. I worked on the two other projects.

Today, I pulled out the shawl.

It still looks the same as it did last week, but I am determined to figure out where I am before I go to bed tonight.

Wish me luck.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - Christmas Lists

2011-12-20T23:07:00.015-06:00

Imagine my surprise just now when I came upon my blog, since I am contemplating a WIP Wednesday post, and notice that my Ten on Tuesday post didn't publish. Well, maybe because it was saved as a draft...

I back-dated it, because I am "detail oriented" that way. (I know what phrase you are thinking instead...)

This week, with Christmas being only days away, Carole asks us to tell 10 Things You Have to Do Before Christmas. Here is my list:

1. Wrap four gifts…but they haven’t come yet.

2. Finalize the actual date our family will celebrate Christmas…Christmas Eve v. Christmas Day Night…Don’t ask.

3. Pull out all the serving dishes and utensils.

4. Double check the pantry to make sure I have everything I need.

5. Bake – I think this year, it will just be pumpkin bread, zucchini muffins and some cookies.

6. Finish writing thank you notes for stuff The Husb has been getting at the office.

7. Pick up the grands and drive down to the Big D to see the Christmas lights.

8. Deliver the baked gifts.

9. Watch It’s a Wonderful Life at some point on Christmas Eve.
10. Enjoy my family and friends.

MK out.

P.S. That is not a picture of my house.

Movie Monday - 12/19/2011

2011-12-19T06:30:00.002-06:00

The race to the Oscars is gaining speed. There are so many movies out right now that I have not seen, and more are being released weekly. I will do my best to catch up...

The Descendents, starring George Clooney and Beau Bridges, is garnering Oscar buzz. Matt King (Clooney) is a descendent to one of the first white land-owning families in Hawaii. He is the trustee of a large piece of property on Kauai. Many of his cousins want to sell it off to developers, and while he plans to take their wishes into consideration, the ultimate decision rests in his hands. The natives are not happy that the land may be sold. Meanwhile, Matt’s wife is involved in an accident and is being kept alive artificially. Not only does he have the weight of the future of Hawaii on his hands, but he is now a single parent to two girls in whose care he has been absent up to now. It was a comedy with a deeper message. I really liked it.

In 50/50, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a guy in his twenties that finds out he has a rare form of cancer. Seth Rogen plays his best friend Kyle. Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston also star in this movie that is intense at times, but definitely heartwarming. The medicine is not always true to life, but it was a good story and the acting is very good. I liked it.

A planet named Melancholia is hurtling towards the Earth on a collision course. Kirsten Dunst plays Justine. She and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) get married and her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland) offer up their estate for the reception. But Justine starts acting a little off and soon, it is evident that she has a mental illness and is falling apart. Claire is the steadfast one. By the end of the movie, as the deadly planet nears, it is Claire who cannot handle things, while Justine knows exactly what to do. Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgard and Udo Kier also star in interesting look at the world coming to an end. It was entertaining, but weird.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is an older film (1972) that is named in a list of twenty-five foreign films that we must all see. I don’t remember who made up the list. The movie is in French with English subtitles. It is difficult to follow, and it seems that the story unfolds in bits, both in dreams and the experiences of each of the six main characters. Basically, it is supposed to be a satirical view of society. Interestingly, the sextet is always supposed to share a meal, but something always happens and they do not actually eat. It was different.

In A Better World won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film last February. It has been described as a cautionary tale. It is a story about bullies – on many levels. Two school children become friends. Both come from homes with issues. One is rather passive, the other is rather angry. The two together are not a good combination. Meanwhile, one of the dads is a physician who goes on mission trips to Africa and treats women who are victims of the local thug. The film is in Danish with English subtitles. I didn’t recognize any of the actors, but they all did a great job. It was very good.

MK out.

FO Friday - 12/15/2011

2011-12-16T13:38:00.000-06:00

Don't faint...The last time I did an FO post that included knitting was in September.

I cannot believe that I never showed y'all the Little Boy Blue sweater. I sewed the buttons on weeks ago and put it away. Well, out of sight and out of mind...

I used 4.0mm - 24" circulars and Tahki Yarns Tweedy Cotton Classic in a pretty blue colorway. The pattern is Old School Cardigan by Kristen M. Jensen. I would gave it a medium difficulty rating on Ravelry. I didn't find it hard, but for someone just starting out with cables, it might be intimidating.

Remember this cardi?

Here it is in action. My mom had picked out the pattern and together we picked the yarn from my stash. She wanted me to make a gift for the son of a special friend of hers. Well, here it is in action:

I was worried about the sizing, but it fits well!

And I had leftovers from that Reynolds Cabana yarn...so, I made a couple of hats, totally winging the patterns:

Y'all have a good one.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 12/14/2011

2011-12-14T22:33:00.000-06:00

Remember those trees and those poinsettia leaves from last week? I scrapped those ideas. The Barbie sweater made the cut and just needs finish work, as does the matching hat. Now, there's a scarf on the go too:

I was commissioned to make a hat, and I've been working on it:

I pulled out the Flourish shawl today. I put it away weeks ago because my stitch count was off and I wasn't in the mood to deal with it. It doesn't look very different from the last time I took a picture, but here it is anyway:

That's my Wednesday.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 12/13/2011 - For the Hostest with the Mostest

2011-12-13T20:31:00.002-06:00

This week, Carole asks us to tell Ten Hostess Gift Ideas.

Here is my list of things that I like to give and receive:
1. Flowers always put a smile on people's faces.
2. There are so many wines out there...It is hard to choose.
3. Chocolates - make mine dark!
4. Homemade cookies are great, especially if you have a specialty that everyone likes.
5. Homemade bread or muffins...I like zucchini bread or pumpkin bread or banana nut bread.
6. A fruit and cheese basket is a healthy treat!
7. I really love kitchen towels. I especially like holiday themed ones.
8. A nice shower gel or lotion (or both) from Bath and Body Works.
9. Handmade soaps add a nice touch to a powder room.
10. There are so many pretty decorative candles, and they don't have to be scented.

I will leave you with something hysterical I saw the other day...

...and no, I won't be giving it as a hostess gift to anyone I know.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 12/12/2011

2011-12-12T23:31:00.000-06:00

Slow week:

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was a over two-hour set up of the final chapter in the Twilight story. Bella and Edward get married…Bella becomes pregnant…Bella becomes a vampire. All of this to get ready for the next part…when the Volturi will be coming after Renesmee. The usual suspects starred in this film and they are either becoming better actors, or they are just growing on me. It’s definitely fare for the Twilight Saga fans, but I really liked it.

Nowhere Boy is about the early John Lennon, before The Beatles. John (Aaron Johnson) was raised by his Aunt Mimi (Kristen Scott Thomas) and Uncle George (David Threlfall). His mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), lived only a few blocks away, but John didn’t meet her until after his uncle died. We do meet the young Paul and George in the film too, but this movie is about how John became John Lennon. He had a rather difficult early life, although his aunt and uncle loved him very much and tried to do right by him. The movie is based on a memoir by Julia Baird, who happens to be Lennon’s half-sister. Overall, the film is very good. The acting is first rate. I really liked it.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday 12/7/2011

2011-12-07T14:41:00.005-06:00

Oh em gee!!! There is actually a WIP Wednesday post this week...

I am making trees, poinsettia leaves and Barbie sweaters.

What about you?

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 12/6/2011 - Ho Ho Ho!!!

2011-12-06T09:34:00.001-06:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year....Carole prompts us to tell our Ten Favorite Holiday Traditions. I'm all over that!

1. Picking out the picture for the Christmas card…since 1990.

2. Attending the Tree Lighting on the Square in our town. We attended this year was the first time in about five or six years, because The Kid started playing sports around then, and he would usually have a game on the night of the event. Anyway, I was glad we were able to resume the tradition this year…It was the 23^rd annual lighting, and The Kid is 21 – so we've gone to quite a few in our day…

3. Putting out the Christmas dishes every December 1^st and using them all month long.

4. Pulling out the decorations and trimming the tree with the as much of the family that is around.

5. Hanging the stockings….same ones…same positions…every year.

6. Lighting scented candles every night. My faves are the ones that smell like a Christmas tree.

7. Watching Christmas movies and specials…A Charlie Brown Christmas is a must!

8. Making cookies...It will be a little sad this year without my momma around.

9. Driving down to the Big D to see the Christmas lights in Highland Park.

10. Putting out the presents under the tree after everyone has gone to bed on Christmas Eve...and in the early years of our marriage, that sometimes meant we didn't get to bed before 0300. Apparently, it was The Husb's family tradition growing up that all the presents weren't wrapped before Christmas Eve when everyone went to bed. I have since modified that part of it...It has morphed to I wrap as I buy over the years.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 12/5/2011

2011-12-05T08:24:00.000-06:00

The weather outside is frightful today. No ice and snow, much to the chagrin of the grandchildren whose ears had perked up to the words "slight chance of snow" on the weather forecast yesterday and were hoping for a school closing today...

Directed by Barry Levinson, You Don't Know Jack is a biographical film examining the career of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Al Pacino plays the controversial right-to-die activist and he is very good, as are Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro and John Goodman. The film ended after he was convicted and sent to jail for second degree murder. He served about eight years before he was released in 2007 for good behavior. Kevorkian died in June this year and was said to have not suffered any pain. No matter which side you support in the euthanasia issue, this movie was thought provoking and entertaining. I liked it.

Terri, starring Jacob Wysocki and John C. Reilly, is a film about an overweight teenager who suffers many indignities at school from students and teachers alike. Aside from his weight issues, Terri stands out because he wears pajamas to school…everyday. His parents died when he was quite young, and he now lives with an uncle, who has his own issues. The school’s vice principal (Reilly) is the only person who gives Terri the time of day, and deservedly so. Terri is very bright and empathetic towards other people. He’s a good kid. I liked it.

The trials and tribulations of dancers are depicted in Every Little Step. This film is about the casting process for the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway. The movie follows the year-long process of casting the leads. What the dancers go through is grueling and heartbreaking at times, but any of them will tell you that if he or she wins a role, it is worth it. It was fascinating and entertaining, but if you are not in the least bit interested in the subject material…you might be a little bored.

I wasn’t sure I would like J. Edgar when I decided to see it the other day. I really wasn't all that interested in the subject matter. I figured that it would probably be nominated for at least one of the major Academy Awards categories; so, I felt compelled to see it. Now, I am glad that I did. I really didn’t know all that much about J. Edgar Hoover, except that he was the head of the FBI until his death in 1972 and that he had “the dirt” on many influential people (and that he used it regularly as it suited him). Leonardo diCaprio, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench and Armie Hammer were wonderful in their roles. It was surprisingly good.

Stay warm and dry!

MK out.

FO Friday - 12/2/2011

2011-12-02T21:57:00.001-06:00

No knitting that I can reveal today, but I am super excited about something:

Can you believe it?!? It's only December 2nd and the tree is up, with lights and decorations. It must be a first.

Next up, finishing the Christmas shopping and starting the wrapping.

Knitting soon...

MK out.

Movie Monday - 11/28/2011

2011-11-28T09:34:00.001-06:00

What a week last week! Hope everyone had a nice time with family and friends and ate too much and stayed up to go to Black Friday on Thursday night and is now ready for Cyber Monday...

Wonder of wonders...I had asked The Husb several weeks ago to put together the tree on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Well, he did. (I know...right?) It is a pre-lit tree (if you remember), and he and the oldest son put it together Sunday night the 20th. I didn't want the lights to start coming on until after Thanksgiving, because I'm funny that way. Interestingly, we took a ride with the grandkids Saturday night, and there are many houses with full blown Christmas decorations going. Well, technically, it was after Thanksgiving, but still...

(I cannot figure out how to rotate this picture...I've done it before, but all my tricks aren't working...Sorry.)

Now...movies...

Cinema Paradiso (The New Version) is an adorable movie set in Sicily before television. It is in Italian with English subtitles...Apparently, when the movie first came out in 1988, the studio cut almost an hour from the film. Years later, it was rereleased in its entirety. I believe there was some controversy that the older version is the better one, but whatever the case, I saw the newer one, and I thought it was good. Salvatore (Toto) is a young boy who lives with his mother and his younger sister. He has adopted the projectionist of the local theater (Alfredo) as his father figure. Toto's love for the movies leads him to become a successful director. The movie begins years later when Salvatore learns of Alfredo's death and returns to the village to pay his respects and from there, the story is told in flashbacks. Philippe Noiret and Jacques Perrin star in this engaging film. I really liked it.

Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally and Hiroyuki Sanada star in The City of Your Final Destination. A graduate student flies to Uruguay to obtain permission to write a biography about a deceased author from the man's wife, mistress and brother. The three of them are living on the estate in a seemingly amicable existence until the arrival of the student, at which point tensions rise. I thought the story was good and the actors did a great job. I was entertained.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 11/21/2011

2011-11-21T23:00:00.036-06:00

Here are two movies I've seen in the last week:

In Summer in Genoa, a recent widower takes his two daughters overseas to Italy for a change of scenery to get over their mother's death. Colin Firth, Catherine Keener, I would definitely see this film just for the scenery, because other than the beautiful shots of Italy, the movie was pretty lackluster. The plot was slow and the acting wasn't anything to write home about...

The Princess of Montpensier, in French with English subtitles, is a historical drama set in France during the 1500s when the Catholics and the Huguenots are trying to tear the country apart. Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet and Gaspard Ulliel star in this love triangle (really rectangle, of sorts) that is, again, a bit slow, but moslty in the beginning. The acting was much better in this film and the attention to detail is apparent. Marie de Mezieres loves her cousin, Henri de Guise, but has been promised to marry Phillippe de Montpensier. I wonder what it feels like to be wanted by so many...

MK out.

Shanghai Girls

2011-11-17T10:47:00.000-06:00

I read this book in August. One of my LYSs, The Woolie Ewe, has a book club. Even though I haven't been able to make any of the get togethers, I still try to read and keep up. The book was written by Lisa See and is set in China in the 1930s. Pearl and May are sisters who are living the high life courtesy of their father’s thriving business. Tragedy soon strikes. The girls are sold as brides for the sons of a wealthy Chinese American businessman in exchange for his bailing out their father’s gambling debts. At first, the sisters do everything they can to avoid going to America to live the life that fate has dealt them, but soon, when the Japanese start bombing Shanghai and they must leave to save their lives, they end up going to America after all. There, they find that the life they were promised is altogether different from the life they find. I enjoyed reading this book.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 11/15/2011 - Keep moving...there's nothing to see...

2011-11-15T18:25:00.001-06:00

Carole's topic this week is Ten Ways to Use Fresh Cranberries. Since I do not really do a lot with cranberries, I've got nothing in that regard. I buy the can of whole berry cranberry sauce for our holiday meals and call it a day. (Sshhh...I know that's blasphemy in some places.)

I was out of town until last night and I didn't write a Movie Monday post. There hasn't been a knitting post in a while...mostly because there hasn't been much in the way of productive knitting. Maybe, I can distract you from my lack of quality blog posts...

Here's some random photos from October:

My flowers that about died from the drought and over 100-degree temperatures this summer are going crazy...that is, the ones that survived are going crazy.

We had a flyover before one of the World Series games in The Ballpark at Arlington.

The Kid celebrated his 21st Birthday.

Happy Anniversary! I ate crab claws...yum!

And we had cheesecake.

Getting ready for Halloween at Chez Merry Karma is always fun.

We went to Naples (Florida) for a long weekend over Halloween. The first night, we ate at Chops in the downtown area. Our waitress (The Mad Hatter) and one of her cohorts posed for a picture...

Thing 1 and Thing 2 were running around like crazy people...I got Thing 1 to stand still long enough for me to snap her picture.

Apparently, Halloween is big in Naples...and I kind of like that.

MK out.

Cutting for Stone

2011-11-10T06:30:00.007-06:00

I read Cutting for Stone in July. The book was recommended in one of my physician assistant journals, of all places. It is the story of a pair of twin brothers who were conceived by the mission hospital’s surgeon and the Indian nun who serves as his first assistant. Because their father flees and their mother dies in childbirth, the boys are raised by the other two doctors in the clinic. The novel is set in the Ethiopian village of Addis Adaba. While growing up, the brothers are quite close, but then an event tears them apart. Later in life, they meet again. The novel was written by Abraham Verghese – an Ethiopian born physician, now living in the United States. Interestingly, the surname of the twins in the novel is Stone, but the title is taken from the line in Hippocratic Oath that states: ‘I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest.’ I really liked this book. It was a good read.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 11/8/2011 - Aa..aa..CHOO!

2011-11-08T09:08:00.002-06:00

I woke up with a monster headache today, and I just happen to have a doctor's appointment - but it's just for a follow-up for another problem. Will I go? You betcha...

It's a coincidence though, that Carole's topic today is Ten Things You Do to Care for Yourself When You Have a Cold.

When I wake up feeling puny:

1. I stay in bed thinking if I stayed there a little longer, I’d feel better and be able to go on with my day.

2. The Husb wakes me up right before he heads off to work asking if I am going to stay there all day or can he make the bed.

3. I get up, get cleaned up and decide I really don’t feel good.

4. I wonder, out loud, if we have any chicken noodle soup, Sprite, crackers and orange juice in the house.

5. I wait for The Husb to look. He doesn’t.
6. I go look to see if we have any chicken noodle soup, Sprite, crackers and orange juice in the house. We have some combination but not all of the things on the list.

7. The Husb says that he will bring the missing things home after work.

8. I gather my pillow, a blanket, the tissue box and DVDs and head to the den.

9. I forget to bring the phones (my cell and the landline) to the couch until one of them rings. Then I retrieve them and put both on the coffee table.

10. I settle in for a day of laying around, napping on and off and almost feeling decadent, if it weren’t for that nasty cold...or in today's scenario...that monster headache, after I get home from the doctor's office.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 11/7/2011

2011-11-07T06:30:00.021-06:00

...and we're back!

In Queen to Play, Sandrine Bonnaire plays Helene, a housekeeper, who takes up the game of chess after watching two hotel guests play a romantic game. Her mentor is one of her employers, Dr. Kroger (played by Kevin Kline). He is a widower, but we don’t find out too much more about him, including what he is doing in Corsica. The movie is in French with English subtitles. The acting is superb, the scenery is beautiful and the story is good. I liked it.

Forks Over Knives is a documentary whose premise is that one should eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle that prevents chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. It features the works of T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn. I found much of the information good and interesting, but I am of the school that extremes are not always the right path to take. I think one can benefit from eating more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes and curbing the intake of animal products, but I like my red meat too much to totally go without. It was a thought-provoking film and certainly one worth seeing.

Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright is based on a true story about the Oakland Athletics baseball team. In the 2002 season, general manager Billy Beane (Pitt), with the help of nerdy statistician Peter Brand (Hill), put together a low-cost baseball team that had everything it needed to win the World Series. It was very entertaining, especially if you like baseball. I liked it.

In Around a Small Mountain, Jane Birkin plays a woman who returns to the circus that her family owned after years away. Sergio Castellitto plays Vittorio, a man that she meets when he stops to help her by the side of the road when her vehicle stalls. Ghosts of the past resurface. The two characters become close. He helps her put things into perspective. The film is in French with English subtitles. It was subtle, as many French movies are, but good.

MK out.

The Help

2011-10-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

I read The Help in July. It is set in the south during the civil rights movement. Skeeter Phelan has graduated from college and is ready to write and to take the world by storm. Her mother has other ideas. She wants Skeeter to settle down, get married and start a family - what every good southern girl of that era was raised to do. While she does take part in the Junior League and other socially acceptable activities, Skeeter also takes a job working as a housekeeping advice columnist in the local paper. It is a far cry from the New York publication to which she aspires, as well as from the advice she received from its editor - to write about something that is really important to her. She starts consulting the African American maids who work for her family and friends for advice about how to answer some of the dilemmas that people send. She soon finds that there is a real story in how these women feel about working for their bosses - many of whom are Skeeter's friends. She pitches her idea to the New York editor and then sets out to earn the trust of the women in order for them to tell her their tales.

I really enjoyed the book, and while the movie was a very good adaptation, it was still better than the film. Maybe, there's something to be said about one's own imagination...However, I highly recommend both.

I will leave you with a little something:

To N. Cruz ~ a haiku

Nelly can catch good,
And he can throw really good,
But hitting is best.

Go Rangers!!!

MK out.

Movie Monday - 10/10/2011

2011-10-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

I only watched one movie this last week...

Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill lend their voices to the animated characters in Megamind. It is a cute movie about a villian whose plans seem to backfire until he figures out what is really important in life. It was good...I think it appeals to all ages.

MK out.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest...

2011-10-06T12:06:00.001-05:00

...is the final book in the Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. I read this book in May. We first met Lisbeth Salander in the first book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She was quite the enigma...a youngish girl who had an old soul. Reading through the Trilogy, we discover more about the injustices done to her through her life thus far and come to understand why she doesn't trust people easily. I marvelled at the fact that she possessed more than just survival skills...She conquered her challenges.

In the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Salander teams up with Michael Blomkvist, a magazine publisher, to solve the case of the disappearance of a prominent family's niece. We also learn that Salander is a talented computer hacker and can be quite resourceful in getting what she wants. In the second book, The Girl Who Played with Fire, Blomkvist is working on a story to expose high level officials who are involved in a sex trafficking ring. When the reporter who had unearthed the evidence for the story and his partner are found dead, Salander becomes the murder suspect. The next day, her guardian is also found dead by the same gun. Salander goes into hiding, while she tries to find a way to clear her name. Her journey brings her face to face with her father and lands her in the hospital. In Hornet's Nest, the story continues, with Salander having to trust in Blomkvist to help save her life and her name.

All three books were really good. I devoured each one of them as quickly as social acceptance allowed.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday -10/5/2011

2011-10-05T15:57:00.000-05:00

The other day, I read on Ravelry that there are 88 days until Christmas. The post was from a week ago...meaning, now there are only 81 days. I counted to be sure.

I have a little Christmas project up my sleeve...it was a commission:

Today, I am working on the Citron. It is moving right along, without having to spend an inordinate amount of time on it. I know it will be small, and I don't think I will have enough yarn to add a repeat, but we will see:

I started the Flourish shawl yesterday. I am using leftover Brooks Farm Mas Acero that I used to make the Gathered Pullover. I am loving it so far. I like the way the yarn feels while I am working it and it is one of my favorite colors; so, it makes me happy:

The Aragorn socks are still in time out.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 10/4/2011 I do! I do!

2011-10-04T08:19:00.000-05:00

This week, Carole wants us to tell Ten Things You Like About Weddings.

1. I like weddings for many reasons, but the top number one reason for me is the wedding cake. I like it plain the best, but I will eat all the foofy fillings and icing flavors...I don't care - just let me eat cake!
2. I get to dress up! (usually)
3. I look forward to seeing the wedding dress.
4. I love the people, whether it is seeing old friends or making new ones.
5. It's fun to see what special touches a bride incorporates into her big day - from the invitation to the place cards to how the venue is decorated.
6. I must have been a member of royalty in a previous life, because I love the pomp and circumstance of a wedding.
7. Flowers make me smile.
8. Music is uplifting during the ceremony, and if the band or DJ offers up Play That Funky Music at the reception, it's always a plus.
9. It is always interesting to see the food offered at the reception...and I like it all!
10. I love that the day is all about love.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 10/3/2011

2011-10-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

This week's installment:

Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis star in Due Date, about a guy (Downey), who has to get back to California for his wife’s scheduled C-section. Peter meets Ethan, a quirky dude (Galifianakis), at the airport. Ethan gets them kicked off the plane and the two end up sharing a rental car in order to get home. There are some funny parts, but the plot has been done before in a better fashion – Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Juliette Lewis has a really funny role as a pot dealer. Michelle Monaghan and Jamie Foxx also star in this film. It was alright.

In Meek’s Cutoff, Bruce Greenwood plays Stephen Meek, a guide who is helping three families cross to the other side of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains to start a new life. Soon, the group finds itself in very rough terrain and with no water in sight. They realize that they must be lost; despite how much Meek tells them how wonderful he is at his job. When they come upon an Indian and Meek wants to kill him, one of the wives (Michelle Williams) stands up to him and forces Meek to spare his life. She figures the Indian is better able to get them across the mountains, and may even help them find water. This movie is slow, the plot is less than intriguing, and the ending is not really an ending. I did, however, like how it seems to be a truer portrayal of what life must have been like for early settlers heading to new territories, unlike most westerns that Hollywood has made.

Bill Cunningham New York is a delightful documentary examining the life of a man doing his life’s work and enjoying every minute of it. Cunningham is a photographer who chronicles fashion. He does photograph the collections, but he is more about how real people interpret and wear the styles. He is not impressed by celebrity or wealth. He is all about the artful self-expression of dressing. He is in his eighties, and still rides his bicycle or walks the streets of Manhattan while taking pictures. I really enjoyed watching this movie.

Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is Morgan Spurlock’s recent documentary that examines how advertising is such an intrusive aspect of our lives. It is everywhere! Spurlock exposed how deals are made behind the scenes, while simultaneously financing his entire film with the advertising income. It was interesting and entertaining.

MK out.

FO Friday - 9/30/2011

2011-09-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

My friend Amy had a baby boy the other day. I made him a little something and took it to the hospital yesterday:

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 9/27/2011 The Daily Grind

2011-09-27T08:09:00.002-05:00

This week, Carole asks us to list Ten Things You Do Everyday. Here's what happens with regularity between the times I wake up every morning and go to bed at night:

1. Brush teeth - more than once throughout the day...
2. Take medicines - fortunately, mostly vitamins...still...and at my age!
3. Work out - I like to take a nice power walk
4. Shower and get dressed
5. Read the paper - I scan the front page headlines and do a run through of the living/style/whatever-your-paper-calls-it section – especially my horrorscope (as I like to call it), the Lu Ann comic strip and Dear Abby (sometimes)
6. Knit a little – it may just be a row or two, but something…
7. Work a little on paper clutter
8. Blogging – if I don’t write a post that day, I will at least check some of the blogs I follow
9. Eat – at least two meals, I don’t always eat breakfast
10. Think about what to have for supper – note- I didn’t say what to make for supper, because lately, there hasn’t been as much cooking around here as before...

There are many days that, despite all the other chores and projects that are on the agenda, this list is all I get accomplished. I feel pretty bummed out on those days. I should look at it from a more positive point of view. It still means the ironing may have not gotten done, but I did do something...

MK out.

Movie Monday - 9/26/2011

2011-09-26T07:24:00.001-05:00

Another installment of Merry Karma movie comments:

I don’t think I ever commented about The Informant! In it, Matt Damon plays a guy working for a large agricultural firm. He becomes very well-versed in the company’s price-fixing conspiracy and then decides to report it to the FBI. Unfortunately, his story and his loyalty keep changing, frustrating the FBI’s attempt to capture the “bad guys.” At the end of the movie, the driving force for this behavior is revealed. Is it greed or something else? I had pretty much figured it out early on…see if you can. Scott Bakula and Melanie Lynskey also star.

Our Idiot Brother isn’t a great movie, but it does have a sweet message. Paul Rudd plays Ned, a very honest guy. His honesty seems to get him into all sorts of trouble. His mother and sisters, played by Shirley Knight, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer, are always bailing him out of his scrapes. He may not be as idiotic as he seems…It was cute. There were some funny parts. It’s definitely a renter.

Reservoir Dogs put Quentin Tarantino on the map. A group of thugs that are to use fake names are brought together by a big boss to commit a jewelry heist. We see what happens before and after the botched attempt. There is some flashing back. It was disgustingly graphic in places. Many good actors are in it: Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Lawrence Tierney and even Quentin himself. Despite that, I would’ve been okay not ever seeing it.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is based on a series of children’s books by Kathryn Lasky. This animated feature is rated PG. I think it is a good decision because the movie is dark and a little too violent for the younger kids. It’s about bad owls and good owls. Some owlets get kidnapped by the bad owls, escape and try to find the mythical good owls who can beat up on the bad ones once and for all. Meh.

In Country Strong, Gwyneth Paltrow plays a country music star who has fallen on hard times. Her husband is eager for her to get out of rehab and get her career back on track. On the tour with them are a songwriter who happens to be her lover from rehab and a young rising star. Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester also star. It was predictable and just okay.

MK out.

I Like to Read

2011-09-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

I used to read all the time. If a book is really good and I want to get to the end to see what happens, I've been known to spend all day and night reading...ignoring housework, cooking, even (gasp!) bathing...

For the last several years, I've tried to limit my reading to about one book a month or so, because life is so hectic that I need to focus on the tasks at hand. I go through many reading dry spells, too, when life gets too busy.

I have been on my once-a-month schedule lately. In May, I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. I like to read a book before I see the movie, because books are generally better, and I feel I might ruin my reading experience in some way if I see the movie first.

The book is set during the Depression. The story begins with Jacob, a veterinary student who is near the end of his training. He suddenly finds himself an orphan without any money. He has to drop out of school and find a way to make a living. He literally joins the circus. He finds himself falling in love with the star of the top attraction, who is married to the cruel animal trainer. Jacob has to fight for his life in his quest to get the girl.

I really liked the book. I thought the movie was an adequate adaptation, but the book is better.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 9/21/2011

2011-09-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

Merry Karma knitting mojo report: Still not too knitterly around here.

My concentration level these days is not where it needs to be to keep Aragorn's twisted stitches and mini cables from trying to fall off the needles...I have had to frog back one too many times. Add to the fact that the dark yarn makes it difficult for night knitting - which is when I seem to have a minute to knit these days. All that to say, the Aragorn socks are in time out for a few days.

I do feel the need to feel some yarn and pointy sticks in my hands. It is comforting. I looked through my queue on Ravelry, and Citron popped out at me; so, I cast on the other night. I'm not very far yet, but here's a little (not very good) picture:

I am using yarn that I bought in Palm Harbor, Florida three or four years ago. It is Anne by the Schaefer Yarn Company in a reddish-orange colorway. I haven't decided if it is too orangy for me; so, it may end up being a gifty. I am enjoying knitting it so far. It is doing the trick.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 9/20/2011 Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!!

2011-09-20T10:07:00.000-05:00

That Carole, she came up with another good one...Ten Headlines from the Year You Were Born.

I'm going to let y'all figure out what year it was (and it was a long time ago), but here we go:
1. TIBETIANS SITE RED AGAIN; Travelers Report Speed-Up of Communizing Efforts
2. GHANAIAN LABOR HAS WORLD TIES; May Join Neutralist African Group, but Keep Link to Free Trade Unions
3. COURT BARS PICKETS ON ATOMIC SHIPMENT
4. SOVIET SPACE PROBE IS FIRST HUMAN-MADE OBJECT TO REACH MOON
5. KHRUSHCHEV TALK WITH MAO BEGINS
6. US SPACE PLAN BACKED BY NIXON
7. 40 WRITERS OUT IN MOVIE STRIKE; Members of Guild Fail to Report in Move Against 56 Independent Producers
8. PARIS WOULD BAN A-BOMB CARRIERS; UN Hears Plan to Outlaw All Means for Delivery of Nuclear Weapons
9. ELECTION REFORM BACKED BY HOFFA; Judge Approves Agreement With Monitors on Rules for Teamster Locals
10. BIG RISE IS PREDICTED FOR YEAR'S AUTO SALES

It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The world continues to be concerned with things such as armaments that threaten global annihilation (the a-bomb v. nuclear missiles v. biological weapons) and the threat of a spread of a hostile ideology (the communists v. terrorists of many extremes). Unions still play a role in our workforce (the teamsters v. the NBA and NFL, most recently).

There have been changes too...it's kind of sad that the US space shuttle era has ended and that our domestic auto industry is no longer the power it once was.

MK out.

FO Friday - 9/16/2011

2011-09-16T18:21:00.000-05:00

The Merry Karma has lost her knitting mojo in the last couple of weeks. There wasn't a problem in the project planning department - just in the execution of the plan department.

I do have some FOs to share that were completed in August...

Better late than never - the June 2011 Socks:

I used Lorna's Laces in Flamingo Stripe on two 2.0mm circulars. I knit them cuff-down, starting with a picot edging, did short-row heels and a what I call a regular toe...nothing fancy, just plain vanilla. I need to practice my short-row heels, because I tried not to strangle my stitches with the wraps, as Lucy Neatby once pointed out I was doing, and I think they turned out too loose. I may not have to worry about it, since I think I found a great way to do short-row heels...

May I present the (Christmas in) July 2011 Socks:

They are also in a plain vanilla stockinette pattern. Using two 2.0mm circulars, and Lone Star Arts Fusion, I did a modified Turkish cast-on toe, worked Cat Bordhi's Sweet Tomato Heel (OMG - it is so easy and I liked the way it made the socks look like peppermint candy!) I continued up the leg in stockinette and finished up with Cat's Cable-Top bind-off. I think they turned out cute.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 9/13/2011 Weekly Expenditures

2011-09-13T10:36:00.002-05:00

Goodness...Carole came up with a toughy this week - Ten Things You Buy Every Week.

My post should be titled Three on Tuesday, because I am stumped! The things I buy weekly with any consistency are:
1. groceries - because even if I'm not cooking much these days, there needs to be something around this house to eat in case we decide not to go out.
2. gas - because I am a flighty person by nature...I don't like to stay in one spot for too long.
3. a decaf vanilla latte - at this great locally owned coffee shop near my house, where I go weekly to collect my thoughts, people watch and pretend that I am somebody.

Since I feel as if I am shorting y'all a bit, here's a sneak peak of the socks currently on the needles:

MK out.

Movie Monday - 9/12/2011

2011-09-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

I watched a few flicks:

Never Let Me Go is a haunting science fiction drama about cloning humans for the express purpose of organ harvesting. It doesn’t get into the legal or ethical dilemmas involved, and neither will I. Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightly and Andrew Garfield star as three such clones. The movie first shows the trio growing up in a secluded, private school. When they get older, they figure out what is going on. Of course, human qualities have not been knocked out of their genetic material, but they do seem to be resigned to their fates. This movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was really good.

Rick Riordan authored a fantasy book series about the ancient gods. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is an adaptation of one of the stories. Percy finds out he is the son of Poseidon. When Zeus’ lightning is stolen, he has to rise to the challenge of bringing it back. Uma Thurman, Catherine Keener, Melina Kanakaredis, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson and Pierce Brosnan are among the host of actors in this movie. It was cute.

In Ondine, Colin Ferrell plays Syracuse, a divorced father with a prior drinking problem, who fishes for a living. One day, he brings up a woman in his net. Is she a selkie or is there a rational explanation for the luck she brings him? His daughter Annie needs a kidney transplant, and is leaning towards the magical explanation. I thought it was a very good movie, but the heavy Irish accents were difficult to understand.

Director Nick Broomfield’s documentary Biggie and Tupac, alleges corrupt LAPD officers were involved in the deaths of these two talented rapsters. Broomfield walks around interviewing people with his camera man not far behind. There’s some concert and other footage of the stars when they were alive. It was really interesting. In the eight or nine years since this documentary was filmed, I wonder if more investigation into these senseless deaths has been made...

MK out.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T11:52:00.000-05:00

I Meant to Post Yesterday...

2011-09-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

...Really, I did. Life kind of got in the way...that's neither here nor there...

I had to have airplane knitting on our trip last weekend. I wanted something that didn't need charts or books or pages...so, I grabbed up all the little balls of Reynolds Cabana that I had left and my trusty Boye US 6 circulars and made a couple of little somethings:

Here's another view:

Now, I am done with all that yarn!

Hope y'all are having a good weekend...

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 9/06/2011 Ready, Set, Knit!

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ten Things I Want to Knit This Fall/Winter:
1.   Doppleganger socks
2.   An Ishbel shawl
3.   A baby afghan for a special little one...pattern not yet determined.
4. Impressionisme socks
5.   Pillars socks
6.   A Flourish shawl
7.   A Baby Surprise Jacket - because I haven't ever made one yet.
8.   A Shoulder Shawl
9.   An Equinox Top
10. A Citron shawl

As you can see from this list, the season does not really inspire the item I want to knit. You may have been expecting hats, mitts, scarves and sweaters...but no. I listen to my stash - it tells me what I want to make next. Of course, lists are subject to change...

If you want to participate in this week's ToT, go here.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 9/05/2011

2011-09-05T23:14:00.000-05:00

Not much movie watching this past week:

Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Ian McShane and Geoffrey Rush star in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Captain Jack Sparrow is forced to find the Fountain of Youth after being hoodwinked onto Blackbeard's ship. It was not the best effort of this series.

They remade 1984's The Karate Kid, but this time, Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan star as the pupil and teacher. Dre Parker and his mom move to China from Detroit. He is harassed by the class bully, who happens to be very good in kung fu. The maintenance man comes to his rescue by teaching him the secret to succeeding in the martial arts. It was cute.

The 400 Blows is an old black-n-white (subtitled) French movie from 1959. It is thought to be one of the founding films of the French New Wave. It is said to be based on the director's early life. In it, Antoine is a young teenager who is misunderstood and typecast by his teacher and fairly ignored by this parents. He spends most of the movie either skipping school or running away from home. He resorts to petty crime. At their wits end, his parents turn him over to law enforcement. He ends up in a juvenile detention facility, and ultimately runs away from there. I liked it.

There was some baseball watching. Notice where our group sat:

In June (the birth month of The Husb), a trip to Boston to watch the Rangers play the Sox in Fenway Park was arranged. It was supposed to be part of an RV trip that would have included stops in Vermont, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, situations at home prevented an extended amount of time away; so, we flew to Boston just for the games.

The Rangers won Friday night, 11-0.

On Saturday morning, we had a little tour of Fenway. We went inside the Green Monsta':

The group spent a little time with Michael Young:

We watched a little batting practice:

We were acknowleged on the Jumbotron:

Unfortunately, the Rangers lost that game, 7-11.

They did come back and win on Sunday, 11-4. We watched that game at the airport...our flight was a little delayed.

MK out.

FO Friday - 9/1/2011

2011-09-02T06:42:00.015-05:00

Not one...

Not two...

but three FOs!!!

First, we have the one that has been on the needles the longest....The Baby Scrap Afghan! I started it in January and finished it in July - except for the trimming and tying of the fringe knots more securely. I did the trimming last night. It looks pretty straight to me:

Second, here's the Little Man Sweater for a special little boy I know. I started it in June and finished all the knitting in July. It just needed buttons and the ends woven in:

Finally, I made a Little Poncho from start to finish (of the knitting) in July. I wove in the ends last week. I made it entirely out of scraps of the Reynolds Cabana I had bought once upon a time because it was a good deal.

Someday, I will show you all the projects that I made using this yarn.

I can be such a procrastinator...I don't know why I cannot just sit down and finish something completely and then move on. I think I get startitis and neglect WIPs, or I get getoverititis on certain projects and set them aside.

Anyway, I have a little over half of a ball of this stuff in black, and little tiny balls in other colors. I see a couple of little hats in my future...Maybe...

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/31/2011

2011-08-31T11:02:00.000-05:00

So, if you read my blog enough, you might have read yesterday's Ten on Tuesday. Carole's list included booze...my bad! I totally forgot. Lorette pointed out that I didn't mention getting the knitting together....Well, that one goes without saying, and it was quasi-covered in number 4. (gather supplies). I listed out the other stuff because I might forget something...The knitting - never will get forgotten! Kat wonders if that boat in the picture was at my house. The pic was snapped on the G after Ike. Happily, it was not my house or boat...sadly, it was somebody's house and boat.

I've been working on the finish work on four projects...it's like pulling teeth! I really put them off and find other things that have to get done first, before I sit down to the tasks at hand. Once I do finish something to the nth degree and it is f.i.n.i.t.o!...k.a.p.u.t!...d.o.n.e! I am really happy. Strangely, I find that the happiness does not seem to reinforce the behaviour and drive me to finish other stuff. I might ponder on that one a while...

One reason may be that things such as this happen:

I was knitting along happily when I discovered this dropped stitch and almost went apoplectic. I caught it with the safety pin and set the whole project aside for several days. I decided I would do a little rigging, instead of ripping back and it worked out just fine. You might get to see it someday soon...

Until Friday, when I can show you some finished stuff, here's what's next on the agenda:

First, I have picked out the yarn (Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Moorland) and the pattern (Aragorn) for my September socks. Mind you, I haven't even started the August socks...but I'll get there eventually. The Sock Knitters Anonymous forum on Ravelry starts the Sockdown year in September. I don't know if I will participate in every single month's challenge, but I've been eyeing that pattern for a while and Janneke Maat is one of the featured designers for the month...Yay!

Next, I've had these two balls of yarn for a while. The multicolored one is Bollicine Sissi. I plan to make a scarf with some beads on the ends out of it. The turquoise one is Knit Picks Shadow Lace. I have been wanting to make Annis; so, I will try it with Shadow.

Back to the salt mines...

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 8/30/2011 Batten down the hatches!

2011-08-30T10:25:00.001-05:00

I am guessing that Carole thought of this week’s Ten on Tuesday topic thanks to Irene and the havoc she created on the east coast.

Here are Ten Ways to Prepare for a Big Storm:

1. Designate a contact person who lives somewhere far from the action that everyone can check in with in case families and friends get separated. Be sure and notify the person.

2. Secure the house. If a hurricane is on the way, board up the windows or close the storm shutters.

3. Secure the stuff in the lawn – bring it in or tie it down – You don’t want any missiles flying around out there.

4. Gather supplies – food, water, baby formula, diapers, pet food, cash, batteries, radios, flashlights, candles, firewood, matches…

5. Make sure the car is full of gas.

6. Pack a getaway bag in case you have to evacuate.

7. Gather important papers and phone numbers.

8. Gather medicines and prescriptions – don’t forget babies and pets.

9. Gather important pictures and albums.

10. Charge up the cellphones, iPads, etc. If the power goes out, they will work for a while.

Stay safe out there!

MK out.

Movie Monday 8/29/2011

2011-08-29T20:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it is 2030 on a Monday...but it is still Monday; so, here goes:

The Help is a good adaptation of the book with the same name by Kathryn Stockett. There were things that were left out of the movie that, had there been enough time, or if the space-time continuum could have been manipulated, would have been nice to include. Leaving out these elements did not seem to hamper the story much. Many good actors starred in this film - and it was well cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney, Cicely Tyson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spence and a host of others. The movie is set in the south in the 1960s. Skeeter (Stone) just graduated from college and wants to be a writer. She starts writing about what it's like to be a maid in that day and time from the maid's point of view. I loved the book and I really liked the movie. See it.

Cairo Time, though a little slow, is beautifully shot and very well acted. Patricia Clarkson, an actress I have long admired, stars as Juliette, the wife of a UN member who is working in Gaza. Juliette, whose children are grown and gone, comes to Cairo for a three week stay, hoping that her husband Mark can join her for a little R&R. When he is detained, his former aide Tareq (played by the equally wonderful Alexander Siddig) is left with showing Juliette around. The two fall in love. The film is a wonderful relationship study. I loved it.

Capitalism: A Love Story is another Michael Moore documentary. It examines our country's debt-ridden economy and its role in the foreclosures and savings depletions of its citizens. Although it is quite left leaning, he does bring up some thought provoking points, no matter your political beliefs. It was interesting.

While watching One Day, adapted from a book I have not read by David Nicholls, I had a sense of foreboding. When it was realized, I was quite shocked none-the-less. Without giving away the story, Anne Hathaway plays Emma and Jim Sturgess plays Dexter. They meet on the day of their graduation from university, and for the rest of the film (the next twenty or so years) we check in on the two on the anniversary of that day. Patricia Clark (yay!) is in this movie, playing Dexter's mother. It was good.

MK out.

Lovely, Broken & Beautiful

2011-08-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

That's me...how about you?

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 8/16/2011 Back to the Beach!

2011-08-16T06:38:00.005-05:00

This week, it's back to the beach with Ten Great Snacks to Take to the Beach!

Since we lived so close to the beach, we would go frequently. Being the smart momma that she was, our mom always packed stuff for us to eat, because there something about the sun and waves that made us all hungry.

We usually had:
1. Water
2. Sodas
3. Juice of some sort
4. Watermelon
5. Grapes
6. Sandwiches - usually baloney or ham and cheese
7. Carrots or celery sticks
8. Chips
9. Crackers
10. Cookies

Yum! Thanks Carole for another trip down memory lane - although maybe not intentional on your part.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 8/15/2011

2011-08-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

Knitting some, not finishing much...Not watching movies...What is wrong with the Merry Karma?

It's been really oppressive around here. We almost set a new record last week for consecutive 100-degree days, but we didn't even tie. A front was trying to reach us on Thursday but didn't make it. Still, the temperatures dropped well below 100. Then, early Saturday morning....it rained - 1.6 inches where we live. It was a welcomed event, for sure. I was kind of bummed about not breaking the record, after living through almost that many days...but...just...not...quite. I got over it though.

My roses may not, even with the rain:

So, I did see one movie...

Gattaca, a science fiction thriller set in a world where people of means can choose the genetic make-up of their offspring, and whether one is allowed to realize their dreams and aspirations is dependent on that genetic make-up. The underlying theme is that discrimination is wrong, no matter what the methods. Ethan Hawke plays a person with inferior DNA who buys some favorable DNA from a paralyzed man played by Jude Law. Uma Thurman, who has quality DNA, plays the love interest. It was really good.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/10/2011

2011-08-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

Howdy, howdy!

The theme for this week's WIP Wednesday is socks. On Sunday morning, fresh off the wonderful high after attending Sock Summit 2011- it took me a whole week to come down - I noticed that the June socks were not finished, the July socks were not started and the August socks weren't even a thought.

I promptly started the July 2011 socks that afternoon. I decided to make them toe-up and I used a short-row method to get them going. I really like working with this yarn. It is Lone Star Arts Fusion in the Aggieland colorway. As I've mentioned before, it looks more red than maroon to me, but I love red; so, I'm good with it. Anyway, the yarn has a nice twist to it, and it feels good in my hands. I am using 2.0mm (US 0) circulars. Since they kind of look like peppermint candy to me...and I love peppermint candy at Christmas time...they are my (Christmas in) July 2011 Socks:

I picked up the June 2010 socks yesterday and transferred one onto my 2.0mm Signature Needle Arts double points. Love these needles - and look out! They are really sharp, but I digress...Anyway, I searched my library for a short-row heel. I wanted a short-row in stockinette - and not a Turkish heel - a real short-row heel. Lucy Neatby does a great garter stitch short-row heel, but I had my heart set on stockinette. I found one in Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitting Socks. I think I really like it so far:

The plan for today is to work both heels on the June socks and get the July socks to the point where it's time to work the (I'm thinking short-row again) heels. Then, I think I will find the yarn and pattern I want to use for the August socks. I might even get them started today.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 8/08/2011

2011-08-08T11:43:00.000-05:00

Finally...some movies to discuss:

Inside Job, a documentary, is a pointed look at the recent economic meltdown leaving quite a bit of the middle-class in dire straights, while the investment bankers were lining their pockets with millions of dollars. It kind of made me sick. It is an eye opener…You should see it.

Wild Grass is a hard to follow movie. Is it because it is in French with English subtitles? Or just because it is a French movie and they are so subtle sometimes that it is hard to figure out what is going on? I don’t know, but there were many scenes in which one isn’t sure if it’s real or if it’s Memorex. And can I tell you how slow it is in places? It’s about a man who finds a woman’s wallet. He becomes so obsessed with her, that she has to have the police tell him to cool it, at which time she becomes obsessed with him. He is seemingly happily married with two grown children. However, he seems to have a dark side that is never explained in the movie. She is a successful dentist who likes to fly airplanes. I recognize two of the actors – Emannuelle Devos, who plays another dentist and the good friend of the lead female character, and Mathieu Amalric, who plays a police detective. Meh.

Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta was pretty dumb. The two play close business partners who are charged with taking care of a set of seven-year-old twins. There were some funny parts – mostly slapstick-ish…but…dumb.

Tamara Drewe is a dramedy about an ugly duckling, who grew up, had a little plastic surgery and returns to her home town where things get stirred up a bit. The movie is adaptated from the graphic novel of the same name. Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Bill Camp, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans and Tamsin Greig star in this cute, little British film set in the quaint little town of Ewedown.

I didn’t really like My Own Private Idaho, starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reaves…can you tell it’s old? The two play a couple of male prostitutes in Portland, OR. Mike (Phoenix) is in love with Scott (Reaves). Scott is from an affluent family, doing the street urchin thing to aggravate his father. Mike has narcolepsy – and falls down asleep when his stress level rises. The two go looking for Mike’s mom and travel to

Italy

, where Scott falls in love with a girl. It was gritty and sleazy – there’s drug use – and none of these things make for a bad movie in and of themselves necessarily. It just didn’t ring my bell.

In Local Color Trevor Morgan plays John, a young wanna-be artist meets one of his idols, Nicholi Seroff, played by Armin Mueller-Stahl. John talks Nicholi into letting him hang around and maybe picking up some tips from the old man. It was slow in parts, but kind of a sweet coming of age story.

Hope y'all are staying cool...

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/03/2011 - Not knitting...

2011-08-03T23:00:00.021-05:00

It's too hot to knit.

(Did I say that out loud?)

It's too hot to cook, too. Instead, it's a good time to tear off the late-1980s wallpaper from the kitchen walls and just paint them.

See it close up?

Now, it's gone.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 8/02/2011 Love is in the air...

2011-08-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

Today's Ten on Tuesday from Carole is Ten Favorite Romantic Comedies.

Oh my goodness, I have so many, but here are the first ten that popped into my mind (in no particular order):

1.   Sleepless in Seattle
2.   Sabrina - both versions
3.   Four Weddings and A Funeral
4.   The Parent Trap - both, but the original the most
5.   When Harry Met Sally
6.   Groundhog Day
7.   Working Girl
8.   The Holiday
9.   Arthur - both versions
10. It's Complicated

It is so hot outside...maybe staying inside and watching a movie is a really good idea.

MK out.

Sock Summit 2011

2011-08-01T18:41:00.001-05:00

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Movie Monday in order to bring you the exclusive Merry Karma account of Sock Summit 2011. So, grab a chair, your beverage of choice (or your knitting) and get ready for some pictures...

I flew into Portland on Wednesday afternoon. I already knew that there were at least two other Summiteers on my flight because I saw them as they boarded and we exchanged the "Are you going to Sock Summit?" greeting. I caught up with one (Annimol*) when we landed, and then we ran into Lucy Neaby in the line to purchase MAX tickets. Here's a not very good quality picture I took of Annimol and Lucy on the train:

This year, I decided to volunteer at Sock Summit. I figured it was a good way to get to know people and really feel a part of the whole thing. I am very glad that I did and I will do it again.

I made some new friends. I met shirleysnh2004 while we were sitting at the volunteer table in between assignments:

I worked with MP on the loading dock Thursday morning helping vendors move in:

I met a fun group of ladies from the most exotic region of our country - the State of Iowa. They are (from L to R) altygrae, Restoknitter and judithio:

Here's a good shot with Annimol:

I also met mccute while we were working on the loading dock together. Here we are at Burgerville:

I ran into a few luminaries in the wild. Franklin Habit was enjoying a Voodoo Donut. He was wearing a kilt, and no, I did not look under it:

Here's Lynn Hershberger. She has been a teacher at DFW Fiber Fest before:

I got a picture of Lucy and me:

Here's a picture of Lucy and Lynn together. They are very colorful:

Next, there's Sandi Wiseheart. The Exotic Iowa girls and I had met her Wednesday night at Burgerville. She was sitting by herself and came over and joined us. From that point on, she was our friend; so, I had to take a picture with her:

I snapped a picture of Tina and Stephanie together (rare) and sitting down (rarer). It didn't last long:

I took some great classes. One was Sock Design Workshop: Know the Rules, Then Break Them with Star Athena:

Kate Atherley taught Writing Up an Awesome Sock Pattern:

I took Writing Sock Patterns from JC Briar:

I didn't get a picture of Parna Mehrbani, but I took a One Hour Wonder class with her called The (C) Word. Copyright for Knitters and Designers. It was very informative, as were all my classes.

I listened to wonderful lectures. Anna Zilboorg gave an interesting talk called Deeper Meaning of Sock Knitting. She seems like such a cool lady that Restoknitter and I adopted her as our favorite Aunt. She was okay with that:

Sock Yarn Stories by Clara Parkes gave me good information about which yarns are better suited for sock knitting and why:

Stephanie's talk This Is Your Brain on Knitting informed us why knitting is good for us.

I participated in the Flash Mob. If you look real hard, and look through to the back row...you will see me.

I shopped...and can I just say, you might be a Needle Ho, if when you introduce yourself to the Signature Needles Arts owner she exclaims, "Oh, I know you! I recognize your name."

So...of course I bought needles. I bought two circulars from Signature to complete my collection of their 5" needle shaft, stilleto point, 24" circulars. I also bought a set of Blackthorne double points in 2.25mm (1 US) because I don't have any, and they are supposed to be very strong and won't snap...and because, well...I don't have any...and I am a Needle Ho:

Sock Summit was the only other time this year (besides DFW Fiber Fest) that I was allowing myself to purchase yarn. So, I did. From L-R, I got one skein of Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga! in Northern Purple Gold Beetle; Goth Socks Strychnine in Red Queen; Grinning Gargoyle's nice, fingering-weight MCN in Honeysuckle and BugSnugger's soft fingering-weight in Calmer - a color making its debut at the Sock Summit. I got that last one to give to my friend Ruby. She was going to come to Sock Summit, but ended up not being able to:

I regretted not purchasing anything from Jenny the Potter at the last Sock Summit; so, I made sure to buy this adorable needle vase this time:

Kind of clockwise - Soak makes some great wool wash. I bought a travel-pak. They also make a nice foot cream called Heel. Bar-Maids makes a nice lotion body bar. I bought the smaller, Lo-Lo To-Go in Honeysuckle. (Is there a theme? No.) I also bought some of their Lo-Lo Cuticle Intensive to carry in my purse:

I found some buttons with knitting-related sayings:

Here's my Sock Summit swag:

The "It" item of the whole weekend for me is The Stitch Light. You pick out the color of your strap, you pick out the little bag (that holds the little things you don't want to lose, and that I tend to lose, while knitting), put it all together, adjust your strap length, sit down with your knitting, turn it on and vee-oh-lah! You can sit there and knit happily along and see what you are doing while (for instance) The Husb is watching tee vee and doesn't like you to turn on the lamp because it causes a glare on the screen. It's by Buffy Ann Designs:

All in all, it was a phenomenal experience. Stephanie and Tina, along with all the ST-2s -Debbie, Rachel, Natalie, Lisa, Stephen and Debra - did a fantastic job. I think Sock Summit is a first class fiber conference. Thank you Ladies and Gents....I had a wonderful time.

MK out.

*Ravelry names used to protect the innocent.

Movie Monday - 7/25/2011

2011-07-25T11:39:00.000-05:00

Agora is a historical drama loosely based on true events, set in Alexandria, Egypt in the fourth century A.D. It was a time when the Christians and Pagans were trying to stake a claim on their territories. The main character is Hypatia, a philospher, astronomer and mathematician who was widely respected. She is played by Rachel Weisz. She has a very loyal slave who is smarter than any of her students, and who has to choose between his loyalties - his master and Christianity. It is a good story, but very brutal and bloody. Why can't people just be nice to each other? That's the central question in my Pollyanna world. Anyway, if you are into historical dramas with some graphic depiction of the inhumanities man inflicts on man...this movie is for you.

Ramona and Beezus is a cute little movie adapted from the childrens books series by Beverly Cleary. I remember reading them to children while babysitting. Joey King plays Ramona and Selena Gomez plays Beezus. Their father is played by John Corbett...so, although it is a cute, little kid's movie with a predictable plot, it's a good way to spend extra time you might find that you have.

I liked Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, even despite the inconsistencies to the story that The Kid pointed out to me. This film is a long way from the warm, fuzzy and heartwarming story of a boy wizard who is finally brought to the place he belongs after a less than warm and fuzzy upbringing. As one watches the HP films, they get darker and darker, and this one was the darkest of all, but it was the final battle between good and evil. As I did when I read the book, I really liked the epilogue set nineteen years after the battle. Again, looking back over the series, I am amazed and humbled by the sheer inventiveness and creativity of JK Rowling's story. This woman is very talented. I still enjoy rereading the books and rewatching the movies. I just love my Harry Potter.

I loved the newest Woody Allen movie Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen is a neurotic little man, and he writes neurotic characters into his movies. Sometimes, he plays the main character, but this time, Owen Wilson does, and he could be a Woody Allen stand-in anytime. My friend Jules thought the story was too superficial and a bit scattered. That may be...but I didn't have high expectations for a deep story - or, maybe, it was just the thing for my mood at the time. Without revealing too much, it's about a guy who has long admired the writers of the 1920s and the Paris of that era. He is a screen writer who has always wanted to write novels. He is in a relationship with the wrong woman which makes his longing for the nostalgia of the past and his associated fantasies more real. So, he decides to chase his dreams...It's probably the best Woody Allen film I've seen in a while.

And with that, I will take my leave.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 7/20/2011

2011-07-20T11:16:00.000-05:00

I have too many things on the needles (OTN) right now, so I've been concentrating on finishing some of them.

I am on the finish line with the Scrap Blanky. I am on the last ball of light gray yarn, and then will bind off with the darker gray:

All I have to do is assemble and do the finish work on the Little Man Sweater. This is an older picture:

I started a little poncho out of all the scraps I have of this yarn from the different projects that I've made:

I had a boat load of this stuff, and to tell you the truth, it's not my favorite yarn. I felt determined to use it up since I bought it. I just cannot give yarn away, unless it goes to someone who is really going to use it. I don't know why I feel this way about it.

I realized that I've made many things with this yarn...I might do a post about all of them in the future.

Let me get back to it.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 7/19/2011 - Pass the Hawaiian Tropic!

2011-07-19T07:10:00.000-05:00

Carole came up with another fun topic for Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Beach Songs.

The reason I like this topic is because I grew up on that beautiful barrier island, known affectionately as The G. Pretty much all my favorite songs in my teen and college years could be my favorite beach songs. I'll try to make sure to include ones with actual beachy-ness...here we go with ten of them:

1. Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft.
2. Hotel California by The Eagles
3. Fun, Fun, Fun by The Beach Boys
4. Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys
5. Catch a Wave by The Beach Boys
6. Surf City by Jan and Dean
7. Vacation by The Go Gos
8. California Dreaming by The Mommas and The Poppas
9. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells...I liked listening to this one on the beach...Don't ask me why.
10. Play that Funky Music by Wild Cherry...because I listened to this one a lot!

This topic is really appropriate, because we just got back from a trip to The G and to Florida. Unfortunately, I only got to swim once in the whole eleven days. It was fun, despite not actually stepping on the beach except for that one time though.

On the way to Florida, we found a fun, local place to eat in Mobile, Alabama:

While in Naples, the fire alarm went off at 0311 one morning:

Yep, we all were standing outside in various forms of dress, but luckily for the crowd, this picture is not very clear and the hedges are in the way:

In Fort Lauderdale, we ate at a cool place called The Rustic Inn - famous for their crabs:

On the way home, we timed it just right to be able to eat lunch in Destin, Florida. I didn't take a picture at the restaurant - we sat overlooking the beach and the frolicking on it - but I did get a shot of the shore...

...and of the bay side:

Although it was hot and humid in Florida, it was way better than the triple digits back home.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 7/18/2011

2011-07-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

Has it really been two weeks? Time flies in the summertime...

It's the season of the blockbuster action hits and the fluffy romantic comedies, and the first movie is both:

Knight and Day, starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise, is an action-packed romantic comedy about a guy on the run from government and assorted agencies, who has something that a lot of people are after and a girl who gets sucked into the drama. We spend most of the movie trying to figure out if the guy (Cruise) is a good guy or a bad guy. The girl (Diaz) is having trouble figuring it out too. It’s a little too much action for my tastes, and most of the action is unbelievable, but it was cute.

Letters to Juliet is a cute little romantic comedy set in Verona, Italy where Romeo and Juliet first met. There’s a wall where people leave notes to Juliet in the hopes that she will help them with their love issues. Amanda Seyfried plays Sophie, an American girl visiting Verona with her chef/restaurateur boyfriend Victor, played by Gael Garcia Bernal. He is basically ignoring her off doing his chef things, and she joins up with the volunteers who answer the letters left for Juliet. She finds one from 1957 and answers it. The woman who wrote it, played by Vanessa Redgrave, comes to meet Sophie to try to find her love interest that got away – much to her grandson’s (Chris Egan) chagrin. It was predictable but very cute and entertaining. I had seen this movie a while back in the theater, but felt like seeing it again. It made me happy.

Tom Hanks plays Larry Crowne, a man who is let go from his job because he doesn’t have a college education. He decides to go to college, where he takes a public speaking class taught by Mrs. Tainot (“that’s Tay-no, not Tie-knot) played by Julia Roberts. She is a nice lady in a bad marriage…you connect the dots. Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Pam Grier, George Takei and Rita Wilson (who I think had a fun role, even though we only see her in a couple of scenes) also star in this predictable, romantic comedy. It was alright, but it was really light fare. I thought it was a little beneath the capabilities of the actors within.

Stay cool.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 7/4/2011

2011-07-04T21:43:00.003-05:00

Happy Fourth!

This week's selections:

My man Mark Ruffalo stars in XX/XY, playing Coles – a guy who can’t seem to dance with the one he brung. He meets Sam and her wild roommate Thea when the three of them are in college. Coles and Sam hook up, but break up after he has a one night stand. They run into each other ten years later. He is in a 5-yr relationship with Claire by then, and Sam has just returned to the States after breaking off her engagement. The chemistry between the two of them is still strong. It was an interesting study of chasing after, as well as defining, happiness.

Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her is an old movie with many good actresses in it – Glenn Close, Amy Brenneman, Kathy Baker, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter and Calista Flockhart – and each woman has a story. Interestingly, the stories are interconnected to some degree. The stories and the character studies are very good. I’ve seen this movie before, but I don’t think I commented about it. I liked it.

Night on Earth is an even older movie that I’ve always wanted to see because Winona Ryder and Gena Rowlands are in it. There are many other good actors in it too: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Robert Benigni, Rosy Perez and Giancarlo Esposito, to name a few. When I saw it coming on Showtime, I recorded it. There are five different vignettes, taking place in a cab in the middle of the night, in five different cities. Each story doesn’t really have an end…the problems of the world are not solved, but the film is a great example of character study. I really liked it.

In the animated feature, How to Train Your Dragon, a Viking chief’s son must capture and kill a dragon to prove his manhood and to earn the respect of his peers. Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill and Craig Ferguson lent their voices to the characters. It was cute and I liked it.

I saw Beginners in the theater. The title seems to be referring to people who are beginners in life and in affairs of the heart. Ewen McGregor plays Oliver. His parents have been married for almost 40 years, yet, when his mother dies, his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer) announces to him that he is gay. Thus, Hal begins his life as a gay man. Oliver has had several relationships in the past, but he has a problem with commitment. Both men meet people, played by Goran Visngic and Melanie Laurent, with whom they try their hands at love. It was a serious movie with amusing parts…and it was very good. You will love the dog.

MK out.

FO Friday - 7/1/2011

2011-07-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

The May 2011 Socks were completed the day before yesterday!!!

I used Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Robin's Egg - a beautiful color. The pattern is Dimpled Socks, also by Madelinetosh. They were knitted toe-up, with a short-row heel, TAAT and using the Kollage Square needles, size 1US.

The pattern is easy and you get a nice texture without too much hoopla.

Now, it's on to weave in ends and block Elphaba!

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 6/29/2011

2011-06-29T12:21:00.000-05:00

I drove myself crazy looking for this skein of yarn:

I was thinking about knitting it up for my July 2011 Socks. The June socks have not been started yet...

Anyway, when I went to look for it in its Rubbermaid tub, I.could.not.find.it. So, I spent quite a bit of time yesterday looking through other tubs, knitting bags, boxes in the closet that might have held knitting at one time or another...

I was so bummed. It's by Lone Star Arts. She was a vendor at DFW Fiber Fest a few years ago. I bought it because the name is Aggieland. How could I resist that? Plus, although it is a shade of maroon and white, it looks red and white to me. I like both; so, it made no matter to me.

I looked in the tub that it should have been in again this morning, and this time, I looked in a bag that has some white alpaca sport weight in it, and there it was. It made me quite happy to find it.

I am hoping to finish these socks today:

I had to get more yarn - and it came - and I finished one already. I did not knit the cuffs TAAT, because I am alternating skeins every row. The new skein is more saturated with the pretty Robin Egg color; so, there would've probably been a sharp demarcation between the two had I not. It would have been to fiddly to do them TAAT with four balls hanging off the needles. I am not in the mood for fiddly these days...two balls is challenging enough. These needles with the joins that are not very smooth are slowing me down too. Oh well...I am trying to keep my eye on the prize - a finished pair of socks. If you remember, they are the May 2011 Socks.

Once I finish them, I am going to try and finish Elphaba.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 6/28/2011

2011-06-28T10:25:00.000-05:00

Carole's topic this week is Ten Favorite Things About the Fourth of July:

1. Sales at the mall - a good excuse for spending money and keeping our economy strong...it's patriotic...right?!?
2. Picnics and cook-outs - hamburgers, hot dogs, beanie weanies (my specialty and always requested by my MIL at her soirees)
3. Parades - I haven't been to one in years
4. Family and friends - cause they make everything more fun
5. Boat rides - speedboats, sailboats
6. Baseball - America's pass time
7. Homemade ice cream - good for the soul...but not the waistline
8. Flags - everywhere...Hooray for the red, white and blue!
9. Fireworks - the ones at The Ballpark at Arlington are the best I've seen locally, but one year we were in Boston for the Fourth of July, and we took a river cruise to watch the show. It was spectacular!
10. Freedom - cause that's why we celebrate the day

Have a good one!

MK out.

Movie Monday - 6/27/2011

2011-06-27T16:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a couple of weeks...

I have been watching movies, but not with my usual passion. There's many things that are pulling me in different directions. There's that grief thing too. It's a time stealer.

Anyway...

Robin Wright (now without the) Penn stars in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, about a woman with a troubled past who grows up to be the wife of a much older man, and mother to two now grown children. Alan Arkin, Juliette Moore, Blake Lively, Keanu Reaves, Maria Bello and Winona Ryder also star. It was definitely a chic flick, but worth a look.

I watched Handsome Harry on Showtime, and I can see why it slipped under my radar. It's about a dying man (Steve Buscemi) who asks his Navy pal (Jamey Sheridan) to look up another Navy buddy (Campbell Scott) and pass along his apologies for his participation in a wrong the gang had committed against the guy years ago. It was okay.

Morning Glory is a cute, but very predictable little film that was worth watching on an afternoon with nothing else better to do. Rachel McAdams stars as a news producer who is trying to reconcile the animosity between the show's co-hosts (Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford) in order to save the show. Again...cute, yet predictable.

Cher and Christina Aguilera star in Burlesque, in which a small town girl (Aguilera) tries to make it big at a nightclub with an iconoclastic owner (Cher). She starts out as a waitress, but soon proves her worth as a singer and entertainer, as well as being an all around smart cookie. It was predictable, but pretty entertaining.

We took two of the grands to see Kung Fu Panda 2. My friend Jules told me it was a snorer, and I had forgotten that until I was telling her what I thought about it and she reminded me. Sadly, I almost fell asleep myself. There were some cute parts, but it wasn't as good as the first one. Isn't that the rule, though? Eh.

MK out.

The Petunias Got a Haircut

2011-06-26T16:10:00.000-05:00

I am not a good gardener...in fact, I hardly think I qualify as a gardner of any kind.

So, I put the plants in the ground, they get watered and I weed every so often. The temperatures have been in the upper nineties to one-hundreds in the last couple of weeks. I was also out of town during this time....but....

Remember..I had noticed that some of the begonias were not getting as big as others in the same bed. The petunias were kind of taking over in areas, and a friend suggested I prune them. The gardener (whose people come and trim the bushes and groundcover) told me that a little plant food or fertilizer might help. Did I do any of that?

No.

So, today, I decided I had to do something. I'm sorry I didn't get any before pictures.

I weeded and gave the petunias a haircut. They were choking out the marigolds in places.

Bad petunias.

So, the bottom bed got the most of my wrath.

I pulled out at least two, maybe three, dead marigold plants from this bed. Dead as in, dry sticks. I'm no plant doctor, but I know signs of life when I see them...or when I don't.

Oh well.

I still need to put down some enriched soil or plant food or something. Then, there's the bags of mulch I've never bothered to open and spread.

Not.a.gardner.

MK out.

FO Friday - 6/10/2011

2011-06-10T23:31:00.002-05:00

I finished it!!! I quickly learned that I am a little rusty in the sewing department, but hopefully, I will get back up to speed with a little more practice.

In other news, we went to Game 5 if the NBA Finals last night. I had my knitting and I was ready for the game:

Who is this guy that goes to just about every important NBA game?

The Mavs won!!! The championship is not yet a Finished Object, but they are well on their way...

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 6/8/2010

2011-06-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have always enjoyed making things for babies and toddlers.

I started a color-block sweater for a friend's little one. It is good basketball game knitting, because I don't have to count or anything, and it keeps my hands busy so I don't get too ner-vee-ous.*

The little dress is coming along:

I just love piping. It is such an understated detail that packs quite a punch, in my opinion:

I used to use a lot of piping when I made things for The Kid when he was little. I would sometimes make my own, but I am not above using pre-made piping.

I am really enjoying using my sewing machine...

MK out.

*Shout out to Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, DeShawn Stephenson, Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, Brian Cardinal and Peja Stojakovic of the Dallas Mavericks!!! What a game last night!!!

Not Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-07T17:23:00.000-05:00

I couldn't think of Ten Ways to Beat Insomnia so I thought I'd show you what I am up to today instead:

Since my mom had commandeered my sewing room as her sitting room, I hadn't done a whole lot of sewing in the past several years. Unlike my knitting habit, I do not have much of a fabric stash. I did go through my mom's quilting things that she had here and kept a few pieces of fabric for which I already have plans, but the rest is going.

I did buy two lengths of fabric last year with the intention to make skirts. I think I will in the next few weeks.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 6/6/2011

2011-06-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's Movie Monday....Monday....Monday....

In Saint John of Las Vegas, Steve Buscemi plays John...a guy with a gambling problem who has moved away from Las Vegas to get away from the tempations. He now lives in Arizona where it seems that his bad luck is perpetuated in all aspects of his life. He works for car insurance company and has a thing for the quirky Jill (Sarah Silverman). She like yellow smiley faces. His boss (Peter Dinklage) sends him out with another co-worker, Virgil (Romany Malco), to investigate a claim in Las Vegas. If you don't know that the script is based on Dante's Inferno, you miss out on all the symbolism, but no matter...While the acting is good and the characters are quirky - overall, the film is just alright.

Youth in Revolt is an adaptation of a novel by C. D. Payne. It happens to be first in a series. I have not read any of them. Michael Cera stars as Nick Twisp, a 14-yr-old boy with raging hormones. His divorced parents are played by Jean Smart and Steve Buscemi. Each parent is shacking up with loser partners - played by Zach Galifianakis and Ari Graynor. Nick meets Sheeni (Portia Doubleday) at the trailer park and starts to pursue her. He wants her so bad, that he tries to manipulate people and ways to get to be with her. It was quirky and pretty good.

The Tourist is a movie of improbable events. You have to suspend belief while watching some of the escapades that unfold. Angelina Jolie plays the lover of a guy who owes a lot of money to a gangster and is in hiding. The Scotland Yard and the gang are after her to get to him. Johnny Depp plays an American math teacher on vacation. The lady uses the math teacher as a decoy to shield her lover. The action takes place in Paris and Venice. Angelina has a smile on her face the whole time, as if she gets the fact that the movie is more of a madcap comedy. Depp didn't get the memo. It's not his best work. He should have played it as Captain Jack Sparrow. It was okay.

Unstoppable, with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, is about a train that left the siding without an engineer and is going full speed ahead. Frank (Washington) is a long-time engineer who is teaching the ropes to Will, when they are instructed by the office to clear the tracks - a rogue train is heading their way. After it passes, Frank gets the idea that if they can catch up to it, they might be able to stop it. The movie is action packed from the word go. I liked it a lot.

MK out.

State of the Garden

2011-06-04T08:49:00.000-05:00

I still need to plant flowers in a couple of areas and put down mulch. I need to hurry with the planting, because it is getting blazing hot around here.

My garden areas have mixed results.

The bottom-most bed is going crazy...the petunias are overtaking, crowding out the marigolds, but the begonias aren't doing half bad:

It is hard to see, but in the middle of the marigolds is the yellow-headed stepchild. When I planted it, it didn't have any blooms and I put it dead center. It looks as if I did it on purpose, with the orange ones encircling it, but I was not intending to have yellow in my garden this year:

The flowers in this bed, higher up on the wall, are the same size as when I planted them (except for that one petunia):

Half of this bed is doing very well...the other half - not so much:

Same with this one:

I don't know what to do. My level of expertise has been exhausted. Besides watering and weeding...I got nothin.'

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 5/31/2011 - Salad Mix

2011-05-31T11:17:00.001-05:00

This week, Carole asks what us to tell Ten Things to Put in a Salad. I lurve me a good salad. I especially like Greek salads, being Greek and all...

I will eat all kinds of other salads though, but here are my usual Ten Things to Put in a Salad:
1. Lettuce - Iceberg is best for Greek salads, but spring mix will work.
2. Tomatoes - I sure like homegrown tomatoes, but they are not always available...especially if one doesn't plant any...
3. Cucumbers - In my salad, they should be chunky cut.
4. Onions - I like the red ones the best.
5. Celery - Can't have too much crunch, as far as I am concerned.
6. Feta cheese - Love the stuff...
7. Kalamata olives - I prefer the pitted ones, but the ones with pits will do.
8. Olive oil - It does not have to be EVOO.
9. Vinegar - anything from plain white to red wine vinegar to balsamic...
10. Salt and pepper.

There you have it.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 5/30/2011

2011-05-30T17:13:00.000-05:00

...and it's Memorial Day. Hope yours is going well.

Katie Jarvis' real life is not too different from Mia's, the girl she plays in Fish Tank. Michael Fassbender and Kierston Wareing also star in this film about a rebellious teenager who goes up against her mother for the affections of a man. It was an interesting study of life in the British projects. It was alright.

I've been hearing about the book, Water for Elephants, for several years. I don't know why, but the title wasn't very appealing to me. Since time is a premium resource, I skipped over it until recently. When it was announced that the film was coming out, I knew I would have to read the book. I finally did earlier this month. It is a good story, about a vet student who finds out that his parents are killed in a car accident, is left with nothing, and decides to leave all he has known to to find some sort of job. He ends up on a circus train, falls in love with a married woman and starts tending to the animals. The film is an adequate adaptation of the novel. I liked it.

I've watched Season 1 of The United States of Tara - Showtime's look at life with a family member with Dissociative Identity Disorder - formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. It is quite entertaining, if I do say so myself.

Don't eat too many hot dogs...

MK out.

FO Friday - 5/27/2011

2011-05-27T11:34:00.001-05:00

I've said it before...At Chez Merry Karma, there always seems to be way more knitting going on than finishing...

To distract you, here is an old FO. I made this shrug out of Cascade 220 wool to wear to STARS games, since it is a little chilly in the building that has a sheet of ice on the floor. To top it off, they keep the air-conditioning going like gang-busters...

I bought the yarn at the Woolie Ewe, and Jill engineered the pattern for me.

I did finish a washcloth out of Louet Euroflax Sport Weight. I was going to use another pattern from the Knitter's Stash book called the Seed Stitch Stripe Washcloth, but I wasn't feeling the love. I liked the concept of alternating ribbing with another stitch pattern; so, I settled on garter stitch. I suppose it could be called Rib and Garter Stripe Washcloth...

It now completes the set:

Will I ever use this yarn again?...Don't know. Although it softens quite a bit after washing, it really was hard on my hands. I've mentioned before that I've heard that they have made it softer to begin with, but I don't know about that first hand.

MK out.

A Wild and Exciting Night That Ended With a Dilemma...

2011-05-26T11:37:00.000-05:00

Don't the guys look relaxed before the game? And this is after being down by 15 points with about five minutes to go, making a run and forcing overtime, before winning the game on Monday night in OKC.

It was quite the defensive game all night. There were missed shots, bad calls, good plays, wonderful stops, big baskets - and the Mavericks were down most of the game, but always within easy making-a-run-to-capture-the-lead distance. They were down by five around the five minute mark, when they started their move. At 1:14, they took the lead and took it all the way to the buzzer...Go Mavs!

The Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Western Conference Champions!

Everybody had fun!

So, during all this watching of the basketball game, I was knitting. I knitted away happily and it is looking less and less likely that I will have enough yarn to have a decent cuff - let alone the 5-6 inch cuff that I prefer.

Oy vey!

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 5/25/2011

2011-05-25T13:26:00.001-05:00

It's Wednesday again...cannot believe how fast the weeks just fly by.

There is no news on the knitting front. I have been working on the same two projects this past week.

Elphaba is coming right along. I've inserted some horizontal bust darts and am now knitting my way down to the waist shaping:

The Dimpled Socks have progressed a little...I've done the gusset increases and am ready to turn the heel:

I hope I have enough yarn to get a decent cuff length...

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 5/24/2011

2011-05-24T09:17:00.002-05:00

Carole's topic this week is Ten Favorite Mail Order Catalogues.

Back in the day, when I was a bachelorette and then young married person, I ordered consistently from the following:
1. Chadwick's
2. Isabella Bird
3. Knights Ltd.
4. Lillian Vernon
5. The Speigel Catalogue

The UPS man actually asked me once why I would order all that stuff, just to send it back. (The nerve...) Didn't he know that if something didn't fit, a person shouldn't keep it? And that extra step of waiting when having to send something back and having a different size sent is the main reason I don't shop for clothes through the mail much anymore...

These days, although I don't really shop for clothes much through mail order, I like these catalogues to see what's in the stores and if it is worth it to go:
6. Chico's
7. Coldwater Creek

Finally, even though I have several wonderful LYSs fairly close, and the world wide web is endless, I love to receive these catalogues to hold in my hand, turn the pages, and add things to my wishlist:
8. Knitpicks
9. Patternworks
10. WEBS

That's it...that's the list!

MK out.

(Note: Picture is totally unrelated to subject matter...just so you know.)

Movie Monday - 5/23/2011

2011-05-23T15:47:00.010-05:00

I'm back this week with another mixed bag of films to discuss:

All the usual actors play the same characters we’ve come to know and love in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. The adventure is coming to a close with this first part of the last book of the popular series written by JK Rowling. As the story unfolds, it gets darker and darker, and this installment was fairly dark. Harry and the gang are on a quest to find the pieces of Voldemort’s soul that he has hidden in different objects across the globe. They must destroy them all to prevent the big V from becoming immortal. It was very good. I cannot wait for Part 2.

Adventureland, with Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Wiig, Wendie Malick, Ryan Reynolds and more, is about a recent college graduate (Eisenberg) whose parents cannot afford to send him on his dream trip to Europe. Instead, he starts working at this sad amusement park and gears up to have the worst summer of his life, until he meets a coworker (Stewart) who livens things up for him. It was not bad.

Tortilla Heaven is a dumb movie set in a small town in New Mexico, where the face of Jesus is burned into a tortilla, and soon, pilgrims from all over flood the place to see the miracle. There were some funny parts, but this film was pretty silly and only good for a stormy day when you’d rather not leave the house and there is nothing else better to do. Jose Zuniga, Miguel Sandoval, George Lopez and Olivia Hussey (where has she been?) starred in it.

In The Back Up Plan, Jennifer Lopez plays a woman who wants to find a nice man, settle down and start a family. When that doesn’t happen quickly enough for her liking, she decides to get artificially inseminated and become a single mother. So she does and on that very day, she meets the man who could be of her dreams, played by Alex O’Loughlin (who plays Steve McGarrett on the new Hawaii Five-O and is a hottie deluxe). She doesn’t tell him she’s pregnant right away, but when she does, he is game to go for it. All sorts of predictable mayhem ensues, but in the end, it’s a cute, little chick flick.

Gulliver’s Travels is a silly, modernized adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s classic. It stars Jack Black as Gulliver (of course), Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Amanda Peet and Chris O’Dowd. It is kinda slapstick, funny in parts and definitely a renter, but one worth seeing.

Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph star Bridesmaids, about two good friends – one who is getting married (Rudolph) and one whose life is really sucky (Wiig) but who agrees to take on the role of maid of honor and all that goes with it. My friend Jules calls it “An SNL skit gone bad.” It was very crude in parts - very crude - but there were some laugh out loud funny scenes. Other bridesmaids were played by Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McClendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper. When the bride’s wanna-be new best friend starts throwing her expensive tastes and ideas around and goes over-the-top with wedding events, the relationship between the two long-time friends is tested. I thought it was alright – very predictable and funny...

MK out.

FO Friday - 5/20/2011

2011-05-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

It's Friday, and I have things to show for it...

Yesterday, I took the FnF Scarf (measuring about 8" X 37" in it's preblocked state):

and blocked it.

It measures 11" X 44.5" and it turned into a Shawlette:

I love it!

I used a Brooks Farm Yarn that is not in production, size 6 needles and the Feather-n-Fan pattern.

I also finished my April socks last weekend:

They are Skew, made with Lucy Neatby's Celestial Merino, size 0US needles. It was an interesting pattern to knit. The socks don't go over the ankles and heels very easily. Maybe, next time I will upsize the needles. I like them though.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 5/18/2011

2011-05-18T09:58:00.001-05:00

I have the finished picture of this project that I took today, but my camera died before I could upload it to the computer; so, y'all are stuck with the same old shot you've seen before...I finished the knitting of this Feather-n-Fan scarf at the end of April. It was the only thing I finished in April. I am counting it as a WIP because it still needs to be blocked - and I am not sure what it is going to be...

It is too short to be a scarf. It may grow up to be a shawlette or something like that. Stay tuned...

Last night, we went to Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals...Awesome game!

I worked on my May socks. They are almost to the heel. Yay!

Finally, see that yarn wrapped around the ball? I frogged back about 2 inches on this top when I noticed a couple of wonky stitches right in the middle of center front. I tried to fix them before I frogged, but it was not pretty. Elphaba must be perfect...

I really like working with the TML. I heart the color. I heart the way if feels in my hands and I heart the fabric it makes. It's definitely a happy project.

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 5/17/2011

2011-05-17T08:11:00.001-05:00

This week, Carole asked us to name ten things we liked to do outside. I know, I know...I am the Queen of Unnatural Things...I am not very granola and I am such a princess and I like to smell and look pretty all the time...My Ten Favorite Things to Do Outside:

1. Lay out in the sun - I don't do it very much anymore...I mostly spend good amounts of money trying to undo the damage done in my sun worshipping days. I still like the feel of the warm sun on my body though...Just wish it wasn't so dangerous.
2. Ride a bike - Again, haven't done it in a while, but I remember the wonderful way it felt to coast on the Seawall with the sun and wind on my face...good times.
3. Take a walk - I like taking power walks as well as slower, more reflective, just breathing and walking walks.
4. Cook - I love to grill, although The Kid has been doing a lot of that around here lately, but he's growing up and not around as much...
5. Eat - in my backyard, in your backyard, at a pic nic, at the beach, at a restaurant on the side of a mountain or overlooking the ocean...just not in Texas in the middle of the summer...
6. Host or attend a party - The Kid had several outside birthday parties in his day...a costume party when he turned two, a party at his preschool where the kids had the run of the playground equipment when he turned three, a Lion King party when he turned four in which I turned the backyard into Pride Rock...We've had adult parties, too - a block party in our cul de saq, a Cajun couples shower for some friends who were getting married - the list goes on....
7. Read or Knit- preferably under a tree, with or without people around.
8. Cruise The Seawall with my friends, with the top down - or sunroof open or all the windows down and the radio turned up...singing at the tops of our lungs. (I haven't done that in many, many moons...)
9. Enjoy the sunset - standing on a deck or in the street or at a restaurant or a party outside or on a boat...
10. Garden - I never thought I'd ever list gardening as a favorite anything...but I do enjoy sitting outside or strolling from bed to bed and enjoying the pretty flowers that I put in the ground.

Thanks Carole, for another good topic.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 5/16/2011

2011-05-16T11:25:00.000-05:00

OMG...I am still a little woozy from watching all that tee vee last week. Can you believe, I haven't watched all the video I taped from the Royal Wedding yet?!? Believe it...

I did watch two movies on DVD though:

The Next Three Days is implausible from second one. A man (Russell Crow) plots to break his wife (Elizabeth Banks) out of prison for a murder that she swears she didn't commit, but for which she is convicted. Liam Neeson also stars in this train wreck of a thriller. Yuck.

Angelina Jolie stars in Salt, about a CIA operative who is accused of being a Russian spy by a guy who defects from the Soviet Union. Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor also star. As the plot thickens, you are no closer to solving the mystery...It was pretty good.

That's it for this week...

MK out.

There's a New Game in Town...

2011-05-12T19:53:00.005-05:00

...and it's called Clear the DVR.

Between the time my momma first went into the hospital and Saturday, when we returned home after the funeral, all my shows recorded in those two weeks as scheduled. The DVR had only about 4% free recording space left. Other than a hair appointment and a lunch date with a friend, I didn't really need to leave the house. I thought I would just sit on the couch, watch my shows and eat bon bons all week. Between Monday and tonight, I watched:

2 episodes of Mike & Molly
2 episodes of Ruby
2 episodes of The Judds
2 episodes of The Real Housewives of New York City
3 episodes of Bethenny Ever After
3 episodes of Brothers and Sisters
3 episodes of Desperate Housewives
3 episodes of Glee
3 episodes of Grey's Anatomy

The DVR has lots of space now...like 46% free!

There were season finales involved...but some shows haven't ended for the season yet: What's going to happen to Susan? Will the Gleeks win Nationals? Will Meredith's actions mess up the clinical trial? Will Jill and Alex really become friends?

Stay tuned.

MK out.

[This post was written Thursday night 5/12 - but I wasn't able to go back in and make final revisions and publish it until 5/13 due to issues that blogger was experiencing.]

WIP Wednesday - 5/11/2011

2011-05-11T10:31:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knit on through all crises is my motto these days...

I have some new projects on the needles. The Madelinetosh Lovers forum on Ravelry is hosting Mad May this month, where people knit things using Madelinetosh yarns. There are all kinds of KALs and general clothing item categories. There will be prizes, but for me, the fun part is just seeing the colors and bases people are using for their projects. I am participating in the Elphaba KAL. One of the group members is an accomplished designer (Mary Anarella) and I just love her designs. She designed this pullover, named after The Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked and The Wizard of Oz. (We never find out her given name in TWoO.) I am using Tosh Merino Light in Tart, cause I can be kind of tarty.

The picture doesn't do the yarn or the pattern justice at this point. I started the project in the car on the way to the Mavs game the other day. I have knitted about 8 rows since that day - I got a lot done at the game, didn't I? It was keeping me from getting too nervous.

I also have an entry in the General Sock category - Dimpled Socks, a Madelinetosh pattern, using Tosh Sock in Robin's Egg. I had a bunch left over from a test knit I did for her, probably enough for a pair of socks, but I am knitting them toe-up. I'd rather have a shorter cuff, than knit them top-down and run out of yarn before I got to the toes. I may like fingerless gloves and mitts, but not a fan of the toeless socks... I am using my new Kollage size 1US circulars. I like the feel of knitting with them, but the joins are not smooth enough to my liking.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 5/9/2011...and more

2011-05-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

I cannot lie - the last two weeks at Chez Merry Karma have been really tough, and movie watching was not a priority. I watched a movie earlier today to have something about which to write:

Taking Woodstock is about how Elliot Tiber (played by Demetri Martin) saved his family's hotel in the Catskills by helping one of the greatest events in American culture take place. Imelda Staunton, Eugene Levy, Emile Hirsch, Paul Dano, Liev Schreiber and Jeffrey Dean Morgan also star in this entertaining film that captured the times. I wish the music from the concert was featured more prominently, but this story was not about concert, but a little about how it came to be. It was good.

Movie Monday should start getting back to normal now...

And then there's the Dallas Mavericks...

Last night, they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 122 to 86, sweeping them in the series and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. They will play the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies v. Oklahoma City Thunder match up. Much has been written and said about how it came that the Mavericks won the first and third games in the series - specifically that it was because the Lakers collapsed, not that the Mavericks played well enough to win. In the first three games, the teams were close in points. The Mavs won by 2, 12 and 6 points, respectively. Last night, the Mavs led the Lakers 63-39 at the half - That's a 24 point lead, people, and they ended up winning by 36 points.

The Mavericks made a record-tying twenty 3-point shots during the game, with Jason Terry and Peja Stojacovic making fifteen of them.

The Mavericks bench scored 86 points last night - the exact number of total points that the Lakers scored. Every Mavs player contributed to the point total. For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant scored thirteen points in the first quarter with a total of seventeen points for the game.

Hmmm....

MK out.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T08:38:00.000-05:00

My Momma
December 23, 1923 - May 3, 2011

MK out.

The Balcony is Closed Today

2011-05-02T11:13:00.001-05:00

Chez Merry Karma is experiencing a family medical crisis. I have not been able to watch a movie since the last Movie Monday post. Please be patient. I will start blogging again as soon as possible.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 4/25/2011

2011-04-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter yesterday and the sugar high has worn off by now. I know I need a little something to take the edge off, but let me get this post written first.

Since last week, I've watched a few movies...

On DVD:
Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis and Betty White star in You Again. It's about a girl whose brother is about to marry the person who tormented her in high school. There were some funny parts and the ending was quite predictable, but overall, this movie is a renter.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is kind of dumb, but it's something to do on a rainy weeknight...Jason Segal, Kristen Bell (Her again - Doh! A funny...she also starred in You Again...get it?), Russell Brand, Mila Kunis and Paul Rudd star in this movie about a guy (Segal) who gets dumped by his girlfriend (Bell). In an attempt to get over her, he goes to Hawaii to meet new people and have new experiences. The trouble is that the ex and her new rock-star boyfriend (Brand) are also there at the same hotel. All sorts of predictable mayhem ensues. It was alright.

Little Fockers is not as good as Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, but it had a few funny scenes in it. In this third installment of the life and times of Gaylord Focker, the birthday party of his twins is fast approaching and he gives it another try to win the trust of his FIL. The usual suspects star in this movie - Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, Teri Polo and Owen Wilson. It is definitely a renter.

The story of the little English town continues in Cranford: Return to Cranford. Most of the original actors return in this reprise...It is one disc with two episodes. I really liked it.

In theaters:
In the original Arthur, Dudley Moore played the lonely, yet eternally drunk title character, just trying to get through life and having a good time. It was a really good movie and it won some awards - the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for John Gielgud, a Golden Globe for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy, and I think the title song even won some awards. Dudley Moore was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, and even though he didn't win, he is certainly remembered for the role - and he played it as if it were made for him. So, fast forward thirty years later, and "they" decided to remake Arthur. Who did they pick to play Arthur? Russell Brand, of course - and let me tell you - I think he did a marvelous job. Anyone else would have just been trying to copy Dudley Moore, but Russell Brand made it his own. Also starring, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig and Jennifer Garner - this movie is good. I liked it.

Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett star in Hanna. Ronan plays Hanna, a girl, who with her father Erik (Bana), an ex-CIA agent, live a solitary life in the European artic regions. Erik has taught her to kill and to defend herself. Blanchett plays a CIA agent who is looking for both of them, and she has a vested interest in finding them. It was suspenseful and entertaining. I totally called the last line in the movie...maybe you will too. I liked it.

Have a good one!

MK out.

FO Friday - 4/22/2011

2011-04-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

I did not intend to stage a blog silence...It just happened that way. Lots of things happening at Chez Merry Karma these days.

Still no new FOs to show. I did dig up a couple of old ones that I had not yet posted on my Ravelry projects page. I keep finding things allover the place that I haven't posted on Ravelry yet...

I made some socks for The Kid back in 2005:

I used Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn, but because his feet are size 12 (even back then), I had to buy some coordinating yarn to finish the toes. Anyway, he's never worn them because he doesn't "want to mess them up." Aww.

The Husb wasn't left out in the socks-knitted-by-me department:

The yarn is Opal...I got it in Skagway back in 2005, but the socks were made the next year.

Kali Anastasi!/Happy Easter!

MK out.

Ten on Tuesday - 4/19/2011 - La Familia...

2011-04-19T09:54:00.001-05:00

...They may start to smell after three days, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.

They provide me with:
1. Love
2. Laughter

3. Comfort
4. Encouragement
5. Support

6. Hugs and Kisses
7. Togetherness

8. Creativity
9. Surprises

10. Family Game Night

Thanks Carole, for another fun reflection on my life...

MK out.

Movie Monday - 4/18/2011

2011-04-18T23:53:00.002-05:00

Get out your pens and paper....there's some good movies to note:

Paul Giamatti stars in Win Win, about an attorney with money problems who finds a way to help his financial issues by becoming the legal guardian of an elderly man. Then, the man’s grandson, whom he’s never met, comes to town. Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffry Tambor, Melanie Lynskey and Alex Shaffer also star. It was really good.

Set in Northern Africa in the 1990s, Of Gods and Men, is loosely based on the true story. The movie, in French with English subtitles, shows eight monks living and working side-by-side with the residents of a Muslim community. They also provide medical care for the surrounding towns. After a group of foreign workers are murdered by some Islamic fundamentalists, the army offers to evacuate or at least provide the monks with protection. They refuse. It was a good film.

Certified Copy stars Juliette Binoche and William Shimell. It is in French and Italian, with English subtitles. Binoche plays a gallery owner who meets up with a British author, and the two embark on a little art history field trip. They get mistaken for a married couple and do not correct the fallacy. The movie is very good, very well acted. It is comprised mostly of conversation, but unlike the Julie Delpy/Ethan Hawke collaborations (Before Sunrise and Before Sunset), the conversation is meaningful and doesn’t sound fake or forced. Delpy and Hawke should see this movie as it is a perfect example of everything their movies were not. It was very good.

Potiche, starring Catherine Deneuve, Fabrici Luchini – one of my faves, and Gererd Depardieu, is set in France in the 1970s. Deneuve plays a well off housewife, whose husband (Luchini) is a greedy capitalist and male chauvinist pig…but those were the signs of the times. It was cute, very French – so, of course there are subtitles – and I enjoyed it.

The Last Exorcism is a mockumentary about a preacher who, after performing many exorcisms and taking advantage of the faithful, decides to come clean about them not being for realz…So, he decides to make a documentary of his last one. I don’t know where I got the recommendation to see this film…it was a horror movie…and not very good.

Cranford is a mini-series of five episodes on two discs. It is set in a little English town in 1842. It is a sweet story with good acting. Judi Dench, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon and many other good British actors whom you may recognize from other British period films star in it. It was very good.

Enjoy!

MK out.

FO Friday - 4/15/2011

2011-04-15T12:13:00.000-05:00

After two weeks of no FO Friday, you would think that I have lots of recently finished things to show off.

You would not be thinking correctly.

I did f.i.n.a.l.l.y graft the toes and weave in the ends on the March 2011 socks:

I used Fleece Artist Merino 2/16 in a Shabby Sheep exclusive colorway called Emily. It was knitted with two size 0US/2.0mm circulars. The pattern is Aquaphobia. The premise with this pattern is that it makes any pooling that many handdyed yarns characteristically make seem less apparent. I don't think it really accomplished the goal with this yarn, but it did achieve a pleasing effect.

The slip-stitching every other stitch, every other row makes for a dense fabric. It is a little bit of a wrestling act getting the socks over the heels, but if you feel like you are going to have to break bones for them to fit - your socks are too tight.

I don't know if I would make these socks again...maybe it is the slip-stitch pattern in general on tiny needles...it made my hands tired.

I finished the Lux Scarf in February, and I finally blocked it last week before Fiber Fest:

I didn't do the greatest job on the flowers, but it will suffice...

I found some FOs that made a few years ago that I have to load on Ravelry. You see them here first....lucky you!

I made these socks for my momma in 2004. She was in the hospital after a little fall; so, I thought it would be a nice little gifty.

I made this scarf from a kit I bought at the very first DFW Fiber Fest in 2006. I cannot remember the name of the kit, but a portion of the proceeds went to breast cancer research. The yarn is the lovely Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 2-ply.

This cute little scarf was made out of some yarn I bought at the Woolie Ewe in 2007 (I think). I don't remember the name of the yarn, but I don't think the WE carries it anymore.

Finally, an FO of a different type...Remember those flowers I planted on each side of the entry? As one goes up the steps, on the left:

On the right:

See that little designer azalea? It is so pretty when it is in bloom. Check out what it looks like when it is not...it's the blob on the very left of the picture above the begonias. It was blooming last week.

I don't like short blooming seasons.

Have a good weekend.

MK out.