Corsets & Corpses

Somethings are just so wrong on so many levels. This cover falls into that category or should I just say the really gory. Tonight with beloved Cuz we discovered this odd contribution to the Austen cannon. We thumbed through the book, looked at the juvenile fictionesque illustrations which we agreed were disappointing. Okay, if we suspend all disbelief and move beyond the whole zombie thing. It was difficult to forgive the Victorian drawings for a regency time period. And the ninja thing was unforgivable. Oh and conceptionally, I just don't like zombies. However, the discussion questions at the end of the book were in fact delightful and in our opinion the best part of the book.

I see some friends sitting around after too much to drink and coming up with this idea. The next day Mr. Grahame-Smith, who is in between jobs, reading the note on his hand about Austen and zombies. He sat down and wrote a book proposal on the spot. I just can't get over the juxtaposition of Austen and zombies. What's next Austen in space?

Yay Roger 4 pointing out that knitting needles can b used 2 measure with. Non-knitting genius!

Ugliest Yarn Ever

Every day we all make bad choices, but some choices are almost unforgivable. Case in point I have been going through my stash to catalogue it on Ravelry. I am proud of myself, I have dutifully been photographing and adding yarn as I find time. I have been through about 60% of my yarn and today was a difficult day of sorting. I dug out the blue Rubbermaid container of poor made purchases that I keep under my bed. These yarns of unnatural fibers I have accumulated through sale bins from questionable places.

Some are so ugly I think I should have been paid to take them off the hands of the retail outlets I procured them from . What will I ever do with these garish mistakes? The Bling Bling by Bernat is so hideous that I think nothing is worse, but then I found the Cha Cha by Patons. This acrylic monstrosity is so bad, I think it is like a nasty seventies shag carpet rolled up and put in a skein of yarn. My shame is great for owning something so amazingly ugly. Whatever will I do with it?

Greener

If you know me, you know I love the color green. I don't know what it is about green, but when I see something in that color I like it a little more than if it was say, blue. I feel like I might be on to something because think of the things that are green, money, grass, limes, asparagus, good arts and crafts pottery.

Also with my auburn hair I look good in green. Even my mother agrees the hue suits me. I am so ga-ga for green I want everyone to wear green to my funereal (talk about being self-absorbed).

Anyway, I am trying to inventory my yarn on my ravelry account. I am doing it a little at a time, but I have notice there is a significant amount of green yarn. Yarn of all kinds of fiber, weight, and amounts. I could truly have a dedicated green yarn stash bin.

I admit I have a problem. If there was a twelve step program for people obsessed with green I think my friend would do an intervention, but I know it wouldn't stick. But on the other hand no one is ever in doubt as to what color to get me of anything. I still dream about someone giving me a bottle green prius, but it has yet to show up in my driveway.

Happily I just received a new skein 0f sock yarn, because well I just don't have enough green sock yarn. It came from a yarn shop in Alexandria called, Knit Happens. The lovely yarn is pictured above. I had kind of icky week, so the green yarn made my week less icky. Of course this means I will have to knit more socks.

More on the Sock Saga

Scoreboard

Tempest 4

Socks 2

I am gaining on my sock debt, and I am a monogamous knitter again. Just one more pair of socks to go, I am feeling very full of myself right now.


I was so stoked with my accomplishment that I wore my socks to work on Monday, despite the fact that wool socks in late spring is a little sweaty. But I didn't care as I crowed to co-irkers, about my knitting prowess. I love that these socks are cammo colored. This pair, like the first was knitted with Plymouth Happy Feet. I love that the yarn is a wool and nylon blend knitting up to a springy fabric. The socks were comfortable and will match my very green wardrobe.



So here is the problem while at the LYS I stumbled across this lovely Knitcol yarn by Adriafil and saw some brightly colored socks on my size 10 1/2s. I couldn't stop myself I bought the yarn and needles to do the two at a time on two circulars. I want to start them now! Apparently, I want to knit more socks and want to fall off the monogamous knitting wagon. But can you blame me with this crazy yarn?

The Reader

I am so far out of the film loop these days that the last movie I actually went to see in the theatre I fell asleep in. The movie was good I was just tired, but $8 to sleep in a theatre is not money well spent. Lately, if I see anything it is a DVD picked up at the library. This weekend my choice was The Reader with the always fascinating Kate Winslet.

I do remember it being out in the theatres with the accompanying hoopla over her performance, and I even had an idea what the story was about. Just had not seen it yet. While working on the sock knitting debt in the wee hours of the morning I watched the film. I was blown away.

Before I move forward I would like to say that if you haven't seen the film yet you may consider some of my comments spoilers so maybe you should read no further. However, I will keep it general. This film for me is about guilt and the quest for redemption. Unachievable redemption. How do you forgive Nazis? How do you make Nazis sexy? And how do you make a viewer feel guilty for even identifying with a character who has committed unforgivable acts?

Over and over again Winslet's character makes poor choices trying to hide her shame. And yet she is human enough that I could identify with elements of her character. I think the hardest moment for me was when she says that she was just doing her job and that job was to send people to their death. I think of all the times I do things by rote at my job and wonder under what circumstance would I do the same as the main character.

The film itself barrages the viewer with the characters' attempts to cleanse themselves of their sins. The water imagery is almost overwhelming. Their are lots of bathing scenes and swimming scenes. Rain and snow abounds. I actually felt like I was drowning under all the water related scenes. I noticed in the deleted scenes that there were even more water metaphors that even the filmmakers said enough to.

Overall, this was not an escapist two hours, but for me a hard two hours of drama that made me feel wretched for the state of humanity. I don't need wretched right now. Next time I will skip the drama and watch the mindless Bride Wars instead.

Tangled Yarn

I hate bad yarn days more than I hate bad hair days. And trust me I hate bad hair days. So today was not the best yarn day. I had my second toe-up sock class tonight. I was excited, all ready to knit in the comfort of the Georgia's beautiful little shop, Hearthstone Knits http://hearthstoneyarns.com/ with the other eager knitters. So I did not feel the love from my knitting when I was the last knitter to get to the heel turn. Then the heel had one too many stitches. The stitch is just hanging out there waiting to be saved or salvaged or picked up or something like that one of my very talented knitting friends tried to explain to me. In the end I still don't think I got how I am suppose to be fixing the problem. And here it is 2 in the morning and I am still thinking of how I screwed up my sock. Rats, I hate being the mediocre knitter in the room.

Sock it to me!

On my infinite sock quest, as I have mentioned before I was six socks deep into debt. Well pull out the scoreboard cause I just finished my two at a time, cuff down, socks for Natalie!

Socks 4
Tempest 2


And the socks are being modeled by the very lovely recipient of these beauties. They fit her perfectly as if they had been knit to fit her pretty feet...oh wait they were.

I am kind of impressed by how sweet the Plymouth Happy Feet knitted up. The only problem I really see with my efforts, is well, it is almost summer and here are these snug wool socks. Not exactly season appropriate. Oh well there is always next winter.


On another yarn related front, the awesome Dyeabolical Yarn Diva ( http://stlrachelknits.blogspot.com/ ) has been dying away in her studio and came up with a cotton slub yarn with my name all over it. She said she dyed the yarn with me in mind. I am taking the liberty of naming the yarn "Jamie Green."

I am pretty certain I will get something light and summery knitted with it by next winter.