I didn't even know I had a lucky yarn star.
I have to tell you: I never win anything, no matter what kind of contest or raffle I enter. Whether it's tossing ping pong balls in goldfish bowls, or pressing through the crowd at the cakewalk booth, or slapping down pinto beans on my loteria boards, I just never ever win. Never. Anything. I am perenially Charlie Bucket, before he unwrapped the Wonka bar with the Golden Ticket.But! Just within the last week and a half, it's like I went to Yarn Vegas and won the knitting jackpot! First, I sent my name to Give a Little for Katrina Relief back in September, and just the other day, this arrived in the mail:
The Cheaper Than Therapy book, edited by Annie Modesitt, and these cute little buttons:
Aren't they swell? The lovely and irrepressible Melissa Shaw sent them to me (and if you order more than $15 worth of goodies at her shop, like stitch markers or needle cases, she'll send you one for free). Even better, she authored a chapter in the book, so it's signed by her...and by Annie!!! So cool!
And, then. Well, I thought things couldn't get much better, but I was flat out wrong. I checked on my friend Ashley's blog, and lo and behold, she was announcing that I won her Snow Watch 2005 contest! Since I was raised in the wintry north, I was pretty damn well positioned to guess when it might snow for the first time in Ashley's new home of Grand Rapids, MI. To be fair, there were two rounds of guesses, since the first time those infallible meteorologists projected snow, it was back in October, and well, the snow just did not materialize. But, the second time I predicted November 13, and I was closest without going over when Ashley got her first snow (and Bailey's--click on the sweet video of Ashley's dog trying to figure out what to do with all that white stuff.)
I'll post the yarny goodies when they come in the mail...can't wait! All's I know is that there's some laceweight coming to me...woo hoo!
I also got some FOs to share with you all:
Another One Skein Wonder, worn atop my Lady Luck tank (which was being worn ironically at the time). And that blue pendant? Tar-jay, my friends! (I scrounged it out of the clearance dollar section, that is how low I will go.) The tan Karabella Vintage Cotton ribbing was added because I thought I ran out of the Tahki Cotton Classic, but after my Flash Your Stash meme, I discovered I had squirreled away some of the black cotton, which might have been enough to finish the whole thing in black. Ah, well, that'll learn me to clean out my stash once in a while.
And if you haven't been following the Cover Your Head knitalong, here's some hats I've been cranking out:
A modified Halley's Comet Hat, from Marnie Maclean's pattern, and the Umbilical Cord hat, from Stitch and Bitch.
And here's a simple roll brim I whipped up out of scrap Manos del Uruguay and Tahki Donegal Tweed. I had just enough of both, so it worked out like a charm!
Lately, I've been knitting hats while watching movies, and it's funny how those projects will probably always remind me of what I watched as I knit. So I was thinking that, along with FO posts, I might give you all a little blurb on the movie (like Laura did the other day with Birth--don't rent it!).
I knit Halley's Comet while watching Shawn of the Dead, which was pee-in-your-pants hilarious and searing commentary on the malaise of the urban condition. All in one! I maybe exaggerate a bit about the searingness of it, but its most funny moments come when Shawn is initially unable to tell that the zombies have infested his neighborhood because, well, he's used to seeing people shuffling about, moaning, hands outstretched, after a Saturday night. Walking to the corner store while a man races past him as though trying to outrun a mugger (or a zombie)...no big whup.
The Scrap Hat I knit while watching Next Stop: Wonderland, an OK movie about a woman whose mother places a personals ad for her and who subsequently has a string of bizarre dating experiences. Like I can identify with this? (Yes. A WHOLE lot. But that is a subject for another blog.) I think I might have liked the movie more if I'd found the actress a smidgen more engaging, but Hope Davis goes through the entire movie like she's trying to act her way out of a Percodan bottle.
I dunno, is that harsh? It's just that I've also recently seen Me, You, and Everyone We Know, which was truly a fantastic movie. The characters in Wonderland were meant to be offbeat and funny, but they just really don't come close to how odd and quirky and endearing the folks are in Me, You, etc. The writer and director, Miranda July, also plays one of the lead roles; normally this would turn me off as the worst kind of narcissism, but she pulled the performance off with grace and humor (much like Steve Martin did in Shopgirl). This film is one of those ensemble pieces that have several interwoven storylines...rather than try to explain, I'll just let you click here to read more.
And Walk the Line? Two words for you ladies: Joaquin Phoenix. Nuff said? Run, don't walk, to see this film. (Oh, gawd. I'm turning into Gene Shalit before your very eyes!)
4 Comments:
Perennial Charlie Bucket, no more! Congratulations on your great haul! I'm so happy for you!! :-) A book signed and authored by Annie Modesitt herself- how awesome is that? And yay for laceweight yarn, too! Your OSW looks fantastic, and I'm all over that $1 pendant. You're lucky I wasn't there trying to beat you to that bin. ;-) Your hats look great! I especially like Halley's Comet-so pretty. And as for "Walk the Line," Joaquin Phoenix is reason enough for me!
Hey girlie! Were your ears burning last night? We had Lalo's birthday dinner.
Anyway, went to see "Walk the Line" with M and L and I actually feel asleep! Only b/c of the 2 hours of sleep I got the night before, but I'm not complaining!
Spot-on analysis of "...Wonderland", but the soundtrack's almost worth it.
Congrats on your windfall! And, sorry to point this out, but there is more to say about Joaquin Phoenix - Yum!
Yay Olga! Glad you won some Sweet Yarny Loot. Also, I love your movie reviews. If there is one thing I love as much as yarn, it's movies. I've been wanting to see Walk the Line, but it will probably be a rental. Don't know if I could get Mr. A interested in (1) country music and (2) Joaquin Phoenix. LOL!
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