Triumphant Return (For Today, Anyway....)

I suppose I should format this post in the Standard Acceptable Prose Of Long-Absent Blogger, which is to say that I should start out with generic shock at how long I've been silent ("Has it really been [insert number of days] since my last post??"), proceed to vague reasons and apologies for said absence as if your every morning hangs on my updates ("Test knitting....busy-ness....secret projects....etc.....sorry sorry sorry....") and then finish up by regaling you with every boring and excruciatingly minute detail of the last however-many-weeks-or-months that I've been absent ("So THEN my boss said....and I told her....and she told me....and I said to her....")

Okay, now that all that is out of the way....hi! Yeah, I know. But like I said, secret projects, plus a very busy few months that have plenty to boast in worthy news - a long-in-coming shop update and sale, rehearsals and opening for the local community theatre show Li'l Abner, which turned out to be more challenging for me than I'd originally anticipated, more detail on that toward the end of the post, a trip or two, and a planned development - but not enough energy to post it all. I have some knits I need to photograph and share, which I will no doubt get to eventually.....well, let's not say "no doubt" but you can hang with the firm deadline of "eventually".

There was the Loopy Ewe Spring Fling, where I took practically zero pictures but had quite the time, especially visiting Loopy (with Aimee and Teenuh!) and seeing my yarn on their shelves. (On that front - it was quiet with Loopy for a while, but I have another batch in the works for the summer with both Loopy and The Sweet Sheep. A new yarn base too. Woot!)

Travis and I got out of the hotel one day to visit the Arch.

It's the silver thing you can see a chunk of behind me. Nice shot, eh? I kind of blew off a class for that, but I'd proven myself so mind-numbingly stupid and worthless in the first class that I doubt the instructor missed the joy of my blank stare. Here's (a crappy iPhone photo of) said instructor indicating her approval of my decision:


Speaking of whom.... There was also the matter of this little book that came out that is totally mine by virtue of the fact that my name is in it somewhere and I knit a sock for it. I'm speaking of course of Cookie's sock book (gee, have ya heard about it?) Sock Innovation. Here's the contest part - didn't I mention the contest part? - I'm giving away a copy of this book. You already have it, sure, but do you have a SIGNED copy? No? You can have one of mine, then! The entry is a toughie - leave a comment on this post before Friday, May 15 at midnight (Eastern). Anyone anywhere can enter. Since a bunch of "MINE! GIMME!" comments can get tedious, I'll give you a topic to discuss if you prefer, at your discretion. Here's a starting point:


We are with child, and I'm now about fourteen weeks along. Discuss. ;-)

Thoughts on Watchmen

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.................

....that is all. Thanks for tuning in to this week's edition of Fangirl Obsessive: The Notorious Nitpicker Goes To The Cinema.

Three Things

Today we'll focus on some of my better news of late:

1) It's hubby Travis' birthday! Well, March 3rd - which is what day it will be by the time feeds update, probably....I'm close enough!

2) I finished another something:

Pardon my distraction - the president is speaking.

This is the Herringbone Cowl by Lauren Osborne, knit in Zen String in the "Gwendolyn" colorway, size US 4 needles. Took for freaking ever to knit because due to the stitch pattern, I was getting about 16 ROWS TO THE INCH. Blurgh. Still, I love the way it turned out.


Ew, flash photos. But stitch definition is good too, so we suffer...

3) We auditioned for a show, and it looks like we'll both be in the cast, possibly playing multiple roles. I don't particularly care too terribly much what I'm cast as because a) it's a fun silly show likely to be full of people I enjoy being around, who are talented and entertaining, and I love the director oodles and lots, and b) it's not totally guaranteed but it looks like OH MY GOD FREAKING GEORGE PEREZ IS GOING TO BE IN THE SHOW TOO. YES. THAT GEORGE PEREZ. I'm in geek heaven. (After being around him a couple of times I can add that he is, incidentally, also on the short list of nicest guys on the whole planet.)

George Perez!!!!

FO - Way More Interesting Than Blah-gging The Oscars

Okay, I have a blog post about the Oscars that I abandoned about twelve minutes into the broadcast, after spending much of the preshow basically writing, "I like that. I like that too. That's nice." Well, that and lots of bitching about Seacrest. But yeah, the show overall, while I enjoyed it and liked the new style generally speaking, was pretty dull from a blogging standpoint. Mostly good fashion, no surprises in the winners (other than foreign film: whaaaaaat?) and overall just not a lot to snark or get really excited about. My post will probably languish in draft hell for all eternity.

But I did finish this yesterday:

A garment! And my first vest! I am SO not a vest girl, but I had these three balls of one DK yarn and two balls of another color of said DK yarn, and I was thinking colorwork vest. Two-color, non-intarsia colorwork. There turn out to not be a whole heap of options in that category that thrilled me, but I found this during my Ravelry search and thought it was just really pretty. Simple, flattering, wearable, work-appropriate...good things. I sweated my yardage the whole time I knit and I just BARELY had enough yarn - I think I have about five grams left over of each color. Squeak!!


It turned out really well, I think. A little tiny bit on the big side, but long enough - a miracle in my world - and not too small around the bust - another miracle - and big enough to allow for a shirt underneath without constricting my movement. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the fit. It's loose enough to allow for weight gain later, too. Not that I'm anticipating it. (I'm on a group weight loss thing right now and so far I'm doing pretty well - down eight pounds, hurray! Yay for being healthy - my habits were getting pretty shameful there for a while.)


Pattern Deets:
Cables & Spice Pattern by Diane Carlson
Size: 37" bust
Needles: US 5 & US 3
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy 013 (red, 3 balls) and 06 (pink, 2 balls)
Start: January 28, 2009
Finish: February 22, 2009


Pardon my wrinkliness - I wore this all day at work prior to taking photos. Bad knit blogger. The good news is that it holds up well. The pattern is also really well written and simple to execute, with not a lot of finishing, either, which is a very good thing in my book. No seaming at all - just grafts at the shoulders. Me likey. I'm also looking forward to giving this a wash - yes, I'm a slacker and wore it to work without even blocking or washing it - Hempathy blooms so beautifully when it's washed. This will probably only get better.


Okay, now I'm just being silly.

Oscars - A PSA For Those As Compulsive As Myself

So every year I get really obsessed with the Oscars for no discernible reason (they are not in any way indicative of the BEST work of the year, just the most publicized...and yet I plan my whole late winter around this event) and I drive myself crazy into the ground trying to see as many nominated works as I can. (It's especially difficult to pull off when I restrict myself to the first showing on weekends, traditionally the cheapest available ticket and the only budget-friendly way to stick to my plan.)

I've seen a number of powerful and impressive films in this pursuit, and then like NONE of them got nominated for best picture. Lucky for me, that sacred institution AMC Theatres is doing something that theatres nationwide should have been doing annually for 30 years - they're showing all five best picture nominees back to back in a single day. Blessedly, the tickets are cheaper than they would be to see each individually - $30 for all five - and include bottomless popcorn, a saving grace for those of us with husbands of infinite metabolism. (I for one will tote a bag of radishes and cucumbers, thank you.)

I'm saying hallelujah that the one film we did see, Benjamin Button, is the one showing smack in the middle of the day. There's a lakefront park and walking trail about 100 yards from the theatre, so we can get outside into the real world, have lunch, go for a walk, hit a Starbucks....I think it'll be a nice day. It's especially great for those of us in a strange area where, inexplicably, Paul Blart showed in every multiplex but no one really felt like putting Milk on a screen. (Um, thanks? Welcome to the South, baby.)

If you want to see if an AMC in your area is mounting the effort, check here.

And I'm thinking I may "live-blog" the whole event. (The Oscars, not the five movies. God, would that be torture for you or what?) By "live-blog" I mean, I'll write one ungodly long post and then publish when the thing is over, rather than assault your bloglines with 1400 posts all night. Things I always like to snark on: who won, who deserved it, who gave a catty sideways look when she lost (lookin' at you, Jolie), who looked great (expectation: Hathaway) and who looked jacked as hell (expectation: Cameron Diaz, as always, will appear to have run there straight from the gym...in Encino; and God willing, Meryl Streep will show up in stirrup pants again like she did to the SAG Awards, not expecting to be shown on camera in full view and only dressing for her gracious-and-lovely-from-the-bust-up loser shot.)