Take this, Mojave!

So, in my ongoing war for sanity, waged against the endless brown, dry windiness that is the Mojave Desert, I am trying to grow plants again.

I do not have my mother's brown thumb (Love you, Mom!). She really only has luck with ivy, weeds, and mint. You know, those plants that you cannot kill. I do not have that type of track record. I had plants in SC. I had plants in VA. I had a practically INVINCIBLE kalanchoe from my freshman Botany class in college. That thing was over 6 years old when it went. I'd had to re-pot it twice because it had grown so much. And then the cross-country move killed it. I had a very healthy African violet too (until Joey knocked it off its shelf and are all the leaves...). And I had a relatively healthy philodendron which couldn't be watered fast enough when we moved out to the desert.

All of this greenery ended when I moved to the desert. I couldn't keep the plants watered enough to survive out here. So, I gave up for a while. The job just took too much time.

But, now that I have time again, it's time for a change. I am tired of a house with no plants. I want to grow herbs again. Add to that, I was seriously jealous of my sister's window box/balcony of plants last year when we visited. Need basil? Step out onto the patio and clip some! A good dose of sibling jealousy will get anything stirring again, right? ;)

The final straw came Thursday when I was running errands in Town and ran to Target. They have their little $1 bins at the front, right, and since this is the changing of the bin contents, the last round of stuff was 50% off. That includes all the little gardening goodies they had. So, I invested all of $2.50 and picked up two types of basil, parsley, pepper plant, and a tomato plant. I don't know how many (if any) will survive, but I am giving it a shot! And if they all dry out, well, I'm only out $2.50, right?

So, I got them potted today, and here they are, all lined up on the window sill in the kitchen. That window gets sunshine, but not the ant-under-the-magnifying-glass type of sunshine we get on the other side of the house. (Yeah, we really don't have a shady window here in the desert.) Wish these little guys luck!

Knitting Updates :)

Oh, yeah, in all that's going on, I've been knitting too! So, here are project updates:

• Gaia - all done, both Sarah and I! I LOVE how this came out. The silk gives it a nice drape, and makes it not quite so heavy, which is good for the desert. And I love how different the same pattern, same yarn but different colorways look. That was part of why this project was so much fun as a KAL, seeing the two different shawls take shape. There was only one thing I'd change in the pattern next time, and that's just personal preference - to make the stockinette and reverse stockinette sections the same at the eyelet rows. You can see it on the picture where's it's zoomed in on the edging, how the eyelet rows are always flanked by purl rows. If I did it again, I'd have that row be whatever stripe I just finished (stockinette or reverse), just to keep it balanced and extremely reversible. Not that it's noticeable now; I'm just picky. Other than that, this was a great mindless knitting project - once you get used to the pattern, just look for the color changes in your yarn. Easy! But with impressive results! Raveled here.
  

• Sugar Leaves - continuing on slowly. I still love this project, but like all my long and slower moving projects, my knitting ADD means I've more than this one going. So, I'll work on it a few rows at a time, and am now through about 3 pattern repeats. Raveled here.
  

• Yoga Set - finally finished up the details :) I've had the bag finished for a while now, and use it regularly. I'm just getting around to the details of the strap loops, seaming the block bag, etc. I'm going to write up what I did as a pattern/guide available here, since (though I started with a bag pattern available, it was really little more than an inspiration piece and I figured out everything else myself). No new pictures on this one yet - they will come soon, though, when I write up my notes. Raveled here.
  

• Yoga Socks - starting on my second one. This is my travel project right now, the perfect size for Weight Watchers meetings, for example. Our aerobics room here on post, where the yoga class is held, is sometimes enthusiastically air-conditioned. So, I'm making a pair of these to keep me a little warmer as we get started. If I like them, I'll probably make more :) Raveled here.
  

• Baloo Hat - another FO to report! A friend does theater costumes, and needed a ear-flap hat with ears for Baloo in a production of "Jungle Book." Basic top-down cap with ear flaps. The ears are picked up from the top of the finished hat, and are based off of the Official Kittyville Hat from Stitch’n’Bitch. The shape of the ears was adjusted to be more bear-like than kitty (I simply adjusted how the decreases were placed) Also, I added 2 rounds of single crochet along the base of the cap and earflaps (to keep it from curling), and two ties of single crochet. Finally, I used tassels instead of pompoms, as am for some reason unable to make good pompoms. Raveled here.
  

More beading fun

Not just stitch markers this time either! Though there are some of those as well :) Sarah saw how much fun I was having with these, so ordered her own supplies, and we spent part of a Knit Night playing with them. These are sets I made on my own, though.

While Sarah was learning how to play with her beading stuffs, I made a bookmark! These are cute, and it's not like I don't have hundreds of books in my house (no, I'm not exaggerating) so I'm sure it will get used. This one I think will spend most of it's time on my knitting bookshelf, as it says "Knit" in little beads and has a little sweater bead hanging on it. So cute! (And yes, I know the 'T' is upside down in the picture!)

So yes, family and friends, you might be seeing something similar in Christmas and birthday packages down the road. ;)

Review: Clash of the Titans

No, not the old one, the new one. Made it's way to post and our tiny theater, so of course I had to watch it. Had to see how Hollywood was reinterpreting a campy classic in the days of modern special effects. So, here for your reading amusement: Clash of the Titans. Discuss, discuss.

So, if you've never seen the original (which means you've never had a mythology unit ever, because CotT and/or Jason and the Argonauts are shown by every teacher I've ever had teaching mythology), the story follows Perseus, one of many sons of Zeus roaming the world in ancient Greece. Perseus is drawn into events in Argos, a city defying the gods and proclaiming themselves as superior. What follows are Perseus' adventures fighting a series of fantastic beasts, saving the day, all that sort of stuff.

The animation was VERY well done. It didn't cut around all jerkily (which was also very nice in the fight sequences). You had good suspense shots leading up to the appearance of any particular monster, then clear shots of the creature themselves. Was very pleased with how things were animated. Not over done or over-emphasized. You could look at the interaction between hero and creature and feel like it wasn't totally out of place. I particularly liked Medusa. Nicely done.

Character development? Ha ha, yeah right. Let's face it - it's mythology. Even more so, it's Hollywood's version of mythology. There isn't any character development. Heroes aren't supposed to go on soul searching quests; they go on monster-killing quests. Zeus will always be a womanizing, flawed ruler; Hades will always be bitter. There are deeper discussions in the original myths, but don't look for it in a 2 hr Hollywood production. It's a Saturday afternoon popcorn flick - just sit back and enjoy the adventure.

Dialogue? Writing? Not great. Andromeda is really a forgettable character, which is sad, considering in the mythology and in the 1981 movie, Perseus's love for her is supposed to be driving him on this quest, to save her from the sacrifice. They kinda skipped over that part in this version and went for a thin revenge plot instead. Still, Io was well written as a character, so that was a welcome relief. Also, the movie's transitions weren't great. Yes, the whole purpose of the movie is Perseus fighting one monster after another before finally fighting the Kraken and saving Argos. Still, the transitions between the monster sequences could have been smoother. You found yourself looking for when he'd encounter the next critter. "C'mon enough with the talking, just get to the monsters"

The acting was good, though. A very nice cast, even in smaller roles. C'mon, Pete Postlethwaite was there, and he was killed off in the first few minutes of the movie! Too bad they weren't given better lines to work with.

Did have a few outright gripes. For starters, the other 10 Olympians are really almost ignored totally. Seemed a waste to me. As always, mythology is played fast-and-loose with by Hollywood. Djinn's are from Arabic mythology, for example, and the Kraken is a Norse beastie (of course, that gripe also includes the 1981 movie too). And Io is one of Jupiter's many conquests and has nothing whatsoever to do with Perseus (though I did like that they included a good female lead, since they wrote out Athena's involvement in the whole story). In the original myths, Perseus is a bit darker, too - there is a lot of discussion of fate, etc. since he was destined to kill Acrisius (his grandfather in the myths, not his mother's husband like in the movie). All of that is skipped over here in place of the god vs man debate. Anyway, if I was to list all the mythological inconsistencies here, I'd have a doctoral thesis, so I will sum it up by saying: if you want the actual mythology, read the stories; if you want an enjoyable CGI-heavy adventure flick, here you go.

Several purely random comments:

• The two hunters reminded me of the two pixies from Willow. Don't know why - a combination of coloring, costuming, slightly comic relief... Or maybe it's just me. There's a lot of things that are, I'm coming to realize.
• Also possibly just me, this had the BEST reference to the original in a remade movie that I've seen in ages! Without giving it away, it concerns Bubo, the iconic owl from the first version. I laughed out loud in the theater. I think I was the only one who did, but I found it hysterical!
• The young soldier in their party is the kid from About a Boy (and Keen Eddie, if you watched that as well). Eight years later and having hit puberty, I didn't recognize him, just that nagging "you look familiar." Hate that feeling! I should know!
  
• Another one I didn't recognize was Polly Walker as Cassiopeia. Another one that I haven't seen in a role in several years, but what I have seen her in, I watch ALL the time (Patriot Games and a Poirot episode). Can't believe I missed that one.
• One I DID catch though was a brief appearance on Olympus by Alexander Siddig, better known as Dr Bashir on DS9. Don't blink - you'll miss it.
• Pegasus should be white. Always.
  

Overall: 3.5 of 5. Not a classic. Good animation. Don't look for depth or mythological accuracy, but it's a fun action movie, so enjoy it as such.

About time!

So, after having a rough, rough, rough spring, I'm finally feeling like myself. Between bad work schedules for Zach, being sick for nearly a month (the 3-week cold that wouldn't leave), several family tragedies, and losing Joey, I've been sick, depressed, lethargic, stressed, and/or otherwise not feeling like myself since about mid-February. Stitches has really been the high point of these last few months.

And I think I'm finally turning the corner!! This past week, I've run 3 times, been to an aerobics class, been to three yoga classes, tried 3 new recipes, and made progress in bringing our house out of C.H.A.O.S ("can't have anyone over status"). Success! Am very pleased with myself and just had to share. :)

It helps too, that the spring winds are finally calming down a little so here is even the chance of running outside again. The treadmill is just not motivating for me :\ I never thought I'd say it, but I'm actually waiting for the summer heat, if only because it means the winds will die down!

So, fingers crossed that I can keep the momentum going!

J is for...

Joey's Influence.

It has now been one month since I lost my baby buns, but I still miss him terribly. After being so important to me for so long, I doubt the ache will pass quickly. His presence is still missed.

I know I have mentioned this before, but since Zach's allergies prevent us from having another bunny, there are lots of other ways bunnies have found their way into our house. Though, in all honesty, this started well before I lost Joey - you have a bunny, and they are such sweet and quirky little guys with such big personalities that they start spreading their influence rather quickly. Mugs, hot mitts, fabric... I see lots of little bunny things in our house. Bunny-ness is just a way of life!

And yes, this includes my knitting. These are just a few of the bunny-influenced knitting accessories currently in my stash. I also have a set of little silver rabbit beads, which will be Joey-specific stitch markers, accented with pastel and chocolate brown beads.

Aside from stitch markers and project holders and project bags and the like, there are lots of bunny patterns that I have found that have been on my queue just waiting for me to have time. And with my handsome boy being such a pretty chocolate brown, many of these patterns will have that color reflected somewhere. The Samhain Hare Tee has both bunnies and Celtic knot work, so it is definitely on the queue. Rabbits in the Grass and the Blue Rabbit Hat are both chances for me to practice my Fair Isle. The Happy Rabbit Carrot Hat is one that I will have to reverse-engineer, but I have Zach's full approval to make it for myself as a silly winter hat! The Pesky Rabbits Tea Cozy is also adorable, and I just need to find a good tea pot to use it with. It will remain on the queue until we find a teapot :) And 2008's Dishcloth KAL had a bunny dishcloth in March.

One pattern, not obviously bunny-related, is a memorial project I plan on making. Right before I lost Joey, I found a skein of yarn on Etsy dyed in a colorway named Chasing Bunnies. One of the colors in the project is a beautiful chocolate brown, just like my baby bun. It's a sock yarn, so a good amount for a little shawl-lette or triangular scarf. I have found one on Ravelry called the Moonlight Sonata Scarf. The lace pattern it's based on is called Sunspots. I look at it though, and can see bunny tails disappearing into the lace background. So, my scarf will be referred to as Adoratails, and I will think of little chocolate bunny tails disappearing into the garden at sunset (those are the colors in the yarn - see it below?). A good lace pattern for a yarn dubbed Chasing Bunnies. This will be my wrap when I need the comfort that Joey gave me for so many years.

More pretty shinies!

Have been having much fun making pretty stitch markers :) It's both frustrating and fun that beads come in large quantities. Affordable beads come in batches of 24 or 25 or so, or on strings 13 inches long - you get the idea. It means I've got plenty to play and practice with, but also means that I end up TONS of stitch markers if I actually make them all up! So, I make them in small batches at a time, and have spares saved up for swaps and gifts and such :)

I have found that this actually works well with my love of fun office supplies. I am a big fan of matching sets, so like stitch markers must be kept together, correct? So, to keep sets of markers together, I keep them all looped on a shaped paperclip! Ta da!

I tried the lobster claw clasp as well. Sturdier than the earrings, but smaller. The earrings fit larger needles (I've used them on size US 8s with plenty of space to move them - I haven't tried them on larger yet, just haven't had the projects on larger needles to use them with) but the lobster claw size I bought fits up to US 7 but not 8s. There are larger lobster claws, too, all the way up to key chain sized ones, but that seems like it would make a very heavy stitch marker, being that big.

While I was playing with all the beads, I also used some of the larger beads to make some drink markers. These are usually marketed as wine glass markers, so you might have an idea of what I'm talking about. I know we don't drink wine in our house (we don't actually own wine glasses) but the rings are fun little designators in case we do ever host something. Besides, they work wonderfully with martini glasses too, and those we do own! We're really more mixed drink people than beer or wine drinkers...