More Sock Love

I have been cranking along with my Talbot socks (the houndstooth pattern). I finished 70 rounds of the pattern, which is the official stopping point for the leg in the pattern. But I think I am going to have plenty of yarn to extend the socks another 20 rounds so that they will be knee-high. There is unique gusset stitching as part of this pattern that has me a little nervous. It sort of looks like a checkerboard---very cool. I hope that I can do it. Maybe I am just stalling so I don't have to do that part? The 39690 round sock leg....

Here's a picture when I had about 40 rounds done:

















Anyway, I am very happy with how these are turning out. I think part of the reason for my joy is the yarn I'm using. I just can't say enough good things about KnitPicks Essential (or Stroll, as it's now called) sock yarn. It's cheap as chips, soft as a cloud, and the yarn never frays, splits, untwists, knots or gets too thick or thin somewhere down the line. I've purchased many of the kettle-dyed solids, which are now on clearance. (I even bought another skein of the soot colorway that I am using in the Talbot socks, just to have it on hand.) I also have several of the hand-pained colorways, including Tiger, Tree Fort, Tea Party, and Make Believe. All more beautiful in person, truly.

I am interested in trying the Imagination Hand Painted yarn at some point. (I'm a sucker for anything with alpaca in it.) If anyone has tried this yarn, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Although, it's pretty reasonably priced that I could just buy a skein and try it out!

The other yarn I'm using is Fortissima Colori Disco. I like this one too. It has a nice hand (though not as nice as the Essential) and the sparkly bits aren't scratchy. It's been discontinued, so if you are interested in getting some, Little Knits (linked above) is the only place that I've seen this yarn. And it's pretty cheap. I ordered another ball in the same colorway that I'm using in the Talbot socks.

I have another pair of socks going, too. Just a generic pair in self-patterning yarn -- another yarn that deserves a mention. Premier Serenity Sock Yarn. It's part of the Deborah Norville collection. Yes, Deborah Norville's el cheapo sock yarn is actually very lovely. This yarn runs about $3-$3.50 a ball, so you can make a pair of socks for $6-$7. The yarn itself is a blend of wool, bamboo, and nylon. It's super soft, easy on your hands, and it patterns very nicely. And they feel wonderful on your feet.

True story: I knit a pair of socks this fall using this yarn in the thyme colorway. I wore them once, washed them (washed beautifully) and packed them when I went to visit my sister in NC in December. One night she mentioned that her feet were cold and all she had available at that moment were trouser socks (those semi-sheer, hosiery-type things), and her little ankle-high running socks. So I said, "I have a pair you can wear." I pulled out the Deborah Norville socks. She put them on and had a nice, toasty evening. She wore them again the next night. And the next. That night she said, "Ok, so how much do you want for these socks? Because you're not getting them back." I laughed and said, "Oh, you can have them!" I was so delighted that she liked them. I think that was probably once of the nicest comments a knitter could receive. Just WEAR the stuff we knit!

So anyway, I had planned on experimenting with a short-row heel. I wanted to have the look of continued striping going, rather than the large blocks of color that you end up with when doing the heel-flap kind. I've heard that the short-row heels are easier, faster, and use less yarn. Uh huh. Oh. My. Dog. It took me forever to do that stupid short-row heel, and it looked horrendous. Very holey and flimsy. I ripped it out and did the standard heel flap, which, honestly, doesn't look all that bad and just seems sturdier and more substantial. There is another type of heel that I am interested in trying, the afterthought heel. This looks basically like your a making a toe dome where the heel is. Maybe I'll attempt that on my next pair.

Big Flipping Deal

I was starting to feel that I was among a disturbingly small group of people -- a minuscule minority. In this group are the people who never saw Titanic, and who have no interest in seeing it (me) and who haven't seen Avatar and really had no interest in seeing it (me again).

So, over the weekend Todd and I found ourselves in a situation where we could watch Avatar. We didn't spend a dime to see it (thank Christ). Let's just say that a friend of ours was able to get us "free passes," and leave it at that! ;-) Since I was among a group of people, I was captive to the group will and so, Avatar it was!

What is the big flipping deal with this stupid movie? After about 15-20 minutes into the film I found myself (as well as the others) settling into an easy onslaught of commentary, a la MST3K. I absolutely cannot believe this ridiculous piece of crap won Golden Globes for best director and best motion picture for drama (DRAMA??? WTF???). There is no drama; only contrived, pointless, eye-rolling dialogue within a trite, overdone, predictable storyline that is about as subtle as using a grenade to crack a soft-boiled egg.

There are SO many problems with this movie that I don't even know where to begin. How about the dialogue?

Here's one of the first lines of dialogue that got me going:

Main dude (can't even remember their names): Why didn't you just let them kill my ass?
Main Na'vi woman: Because you have a strong heart.

My eyes rolled so hard they almost came out of my head.

What the fuuuuuuck? The notion of "a strong heart" or "a good heart" is the most ridiculous, weak, American plot convenience that exists. Why would a race of alien people, who are ostensibly at war with the "sky people" that come to steal their resources, make THAT kind of statement? It makes absolutely no sense.

More weak dialogue? That would be any words that came out of the mouth of the movie's absurdly stereotypical antagonist: the military general (of course) running the show. He's a 60-something, hard-ass, crew-cut, buff, racist, misogynist, jackass with three huge scars that run from the back-side of his head to the front, as if he lost an epic battle with an enraged garden rake. I forget his name too. But it doesn't matter. Really, there is nothing memorable about this movie at all. Anyway, he says things like "I got them by the balls!" And "Time to bring the pain!" No, I am not making that up.

Did I mention that this movie lacks any kind of subtlety at all? It does. Drama MY ASS.

Ok so how about the acting? Well, you know you've got problems when the most acceptable acting performance in your movie was delivered by Michelle Rodriguez. Maybe I should stop there. I will. But I do need to add that I think that the apparent life-sized, puppet version of Sigourney Weaver didn't hold up too well during the nearly 3-hour running time. Hey Cameron, maybe you should reconsider allowing actors to telephone in their performances?

The story is, as everyone is saying, nearly identical to Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves (or as South Park jibed: Dances with Smurfs). What makes Avatar slightly more unique than either of the stories I just mentioned is that Avatar COMPLETELY LACKS ANY DEPTH OR SUBTLETY OF ANY KIND. Cameron comes out of the box hammering the story into your face with absurdly one-dimensional characters.

But what everyone is really talking about with this film is, of course, the visual impact it presents. Nearly everyone I spoke to who saw this film all had the same thing to say, "Story and dialog were so-so, but the GCI (or graphics, or visuals) were unbelievable. You have to see it to believe it." Okay. I did see it. And, um...well...I hate to break it to you but, I'm not that impressed.

First of all, the Na'vi people are blue, 9-feet tall, skeletal, lumbering, mammals with tails that serve no purpose whatsoever. They have cat-like, wide eyes and mostly cat-like noses. They all look identical to each other. There is seriously little to no variation on what these beings look like. Towards the end of the movie they decide to go around Pandora (which must be pretty friggin' small) to ask for help from the other tribes to assist in getting rid of the general and his soon-to-be, ass-kicking army attack. Aside from the occasional bone in the nose (no I'm not making that up either) or different clothing, tribes from other parts of Pandora look EXACTLY like the ones we are introduced to and journey with throughout the film. Way to go, Cameron.

Second, most of Pandora looks like the cover of an 11-year-old girl's Trapper Keeper: Purple, pink, blue, and sparkly with unicorns! If you can't picture that, Pandora looks almost exactly like Zangarmarsh from World of Warcraft.




I kid you not.



All the animals have pink, blue and purple on their anatomy somewhere and many have extra legs or wings. Big deal. Know what fantasy animals really looked awesome on screen, and they didn't have to be pink, purple, blue and have 6 legs? The oliphants from Lord of the Rings.


As for the action, flying, fighting, etc. where Cameron used motion-capture on the real actors (though Sigourney Weaver is a HUGE MAYBE) that looks ok. But it isn't anything I haven't seen already in other films. I pretty much hated the prequel Star Wars movies (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith). However, I saw all the same "groundbreaking" stuff in those movies as I did in Avatar. So how was this movie any different or better? It wasn't either. Period.

Maybe I am just cynical and jaded, but I fail to see why Avatar has generated SO much interest, acclaim, and CASH. Boy am I glad that I didn't pay one, red cent to see it.

Sock Love

So the socks I knit for Josh & Jen went over well! I think they really liked them, and it was a relief when they tried on their respective pairs and they both fit wonderfully! Whew!

If you would have asked me a couple of years ago what was the last thing I would ever be able to knit I would have said SOCKS. It's amazing to me how rewarding and enjoyable sock knitting has become for me. That said, I have acquired a lot of sock yarns. Even so, I don't have too many solid colors, but I saw this pattern on Ravelry today and I just fell in love with it. In fact, I bumped it up to #1 in my queue and I just might cast-on tonight!

So what would you think if I used these 2 sock yarns (yay -- from my stash) to knit it:

Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed in Soot and

Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Colori Disco (this colorway is #2) I used the close-up photo so you can see the metallic, sparkly bits in the yarn. But the color is a subtle ombre of gray and taupe and it's a little brighter/lighter than it appears in the photo.Since you only need a standard amount of sock to be able to knit a pair (around 400 yards), I was thinking of making these super-special: a pair of knee-length socks!

I also have that kettle-dyed Essential in a deep purple (almost eggplant) color, which could be an option as well.

Love-Fest 2010

Finally! I'll be heading down to good ol' Manassas, Virginia for the weekend to celebrat Valentine's Day with a couple of great friends (Josh & Jen, we love you guys).

We'll be back on Monday, hopefully. That is, if we're not trapped by another blizzard! But even still, I'd rather be trapped with good company than be at work, which was an absolute nightmare today. My job...ugh....

Anyhoo, hope you all have a very lovely Valentine's Day, no matter how you choose to celebrate it (or not)!

By The Way...

You may have heard (or even experienced it if you're on the NE corridor of I-95 between N. Virginia and N. New Jersey) that we've been getting a ridiculous amount of snow over the last week. I think the technical term is a "shitload."

Anyway, after getting pounded with about 28-30 inches on Saturday, we're currently under assault again, with another 20-24 (at least) expected by the time it's over. Here's a couple of photos I took this afternoon:

I couldn't venture too far out of my house, so this it what I could get from car-port.



Our poor pine tree looks like it's about to give up those bottom branches. They're seriously hanging only about 12 inches from the ground.












Those are azalea bushes near the pine tree. They are at least 36" tall. You can see that they're nearly completely covered.
It's still snowing too and will most likely continue until 10:00pm tonight. Sigh. At least I had off from work today!