Thursday, April 26, 2007

Inspiration!

I've always admired people who set projects for themselves in their knitting. Like people who resolves to knit all of Nancy Bush's sock patterns, or knit a Norwegian sweater in 16 days. That sort of thing. But I don't ever have enough patience for that sort of thing.

Then inspiration struck!

I'm not much of a dyer, but I was just listening to Lime & Violet and they were describing the gorgeous colours of several hand-dyed sock yarns. And I thought: why can't I make my own project in dyeing? I'd learn new colours and how to blend and I'd have nine gorgeous yarns at the end!

Why nine?

Because I've always lusted after Sweet Georgia's yarns named after the Whedonverse: Slayer, Firefly, Angel, Willow and so on. So . . . I'm going to make NINE different colourways, each for a character in Firefly.

From left to right: Jayne, Kaylee, Book, Simon, Inara, Mal, Zoe, Wash and River.

Are you crazy?
Probably. I've never dyed yarn with a specific goal in mind before, and my variegated were all shockingly contrasted - cool in the skein, ugly knit up. I think I'll start with just trying to get a gentle handpainted effect with one colour, and move up to variegation. So it would make sense to start with Simon (ice, ice blue and white) and move my way up to River (schizo!).

Doesn't this go against your rules about not buying yarn?
This'll be sock yarn (that way I can dye small amounts and not have stupidly small amounts of yarn about), and that doesn't count.

Won't the yarn for nine pairs of socks plus testing cost a lot?
Yes. But it's not like I'm going to be working on Lorna's Laces here. There's a nice (German?) sock yarn at my LYS that's $3.99 for 50 gm, and KnitPicks looks like it has good prices for what I want too. Plus, I'm not looking at this like stash exhancement. It's going to be a new craft (dyeing), with yarn that I'll likely swap or gift away. Plus, how much does KoolAid cost? And maybe I'll only do 50 gms of some yarn and just make it into socks with contrasting heels and cuffs and so on.

Ideas?
Jayne:
Warm, earthy tones. Dark teal, brown, maroon. Jayne's always touching things, always eating; something hearty.
Kaylee: different shades of pink for her tiered dress in "Shindig," with shades of beige and pale brown blending in for her connection to Serenity.
Book: Perhaps tawny deerskin with very small splashes of red, like confetti or tweed.
Simon: cold and clinical. Two by two, hands of blue. Like the hospital in "Ariel." (Don't get the impression I don't like Simon from this - I do.)
Inara: Rich, luxurious, colours. Deep purple and red, like her shuttle, and champagne for wealth and her dress in "Shindig."

Let me pause now and say, I AM SUCH A NERD. Thank you. Let's continue.

Mal: Brown (duh). But a gentle, changing brown, like Simon's changing shades of blue.
Zoe: This is the same problem as Book. We just don't know enough about Zoe. I'm leaning towards (surprise!) brown, with hints of pink and red. Essentially the same colours as Kaylee, but the balance is inverted.
Wash: Hawaiian shirt time! This will come at the very very end. I was in Chapters yesterday reading vol. 1 of the official guide to Firefly, and Alan Tudyk noted that he was essentially Xander (he's from Buffy - keep up, now) in space. So how cool is it that Bezzie just finished her Xander sweater?
Note: there are a few Firefly eps that feature handknits. One is the ever-famous Jayne Cobb hat in "The Message," which has been duplicated lots of times (it's on my list, I assure you). You'll notice I didn't mention it in my thoughts for Jayne's colours. That's because while it's cool and all, I don't think of orange, yellow and red representing Jayne very well. Same thing for Wash. He wears a very intricate Aran in "Out of Gas," and while it's gorgeous and all, what's the point of dyeing yarn for an Aran sock?
River: Ohhhhh, it's schizo yarn time. Rainbow without being rainbow (you know what I mean? Lots of colours that blend into each other without necessarily being Roy G. Biv). And then, splashes of red!

I don't think KoolAid has a brown colour. Ooops.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

LUUUUUUCY-US!

I was chatting with my friend Steve tonight about the great HBO/BBC show Rome. I just finished watching the first season (spoiler - Caesar gets murdered!) and am a little sad that they only made one more season. In case you haven't seen it, it features two centurions, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, through a period of history beginning at Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul and return to Rome. It's very good, and focuses a lot on the famous players as well (Brutus, Mark Antony, Cicero, Octavian), but some of the most touching moments come from Lucius and Pullo, who are essentially the buddy cops of the pic.
Lucius is the uptight, follow-the-rules one with the wife back home that he hasn't seen in the 8 years he's been in Gaul. Pullo is - well, he's Pullo. Imagine Jayne from Firefly. On HBO. Now crank it up a notch. A leeetle more.

Anyway, we were discussing Rome on MSN, and I thought this needed to be documented. If they can make a movie from a painting (Girl With a Pearl Earring doesn't count), I think this is development gold.

Stephen says:
Yeah, lucius is never going to be the same after that

Stephen says:
you might like the new lucius

Sarah says:
It was kinda funny there for a while though, the way he keeps saying he's not going to be a soldier and keeps getting dragged back. He's got a new job every ep. Today he's a merchant! Today he's an assassin! Today he's a senator! He just needs to wiggle his eyebrows some more and sit around and suddenly Rome would be a sitcom: The Wacky Adventures of Lucius and His Crrrrrazy Neighbour Titus Pullo.

Stephen says:
lmao, that is hilarious

Sarah says:
"Oh, Pullo, what have you gotten us into THIS time?"
"Well, Lucius, I thought we could go to the brothels!"
"But I have to go see Marc Antony in two hours."
"No reason we can't do both."
"But we can't be in two places at once!"
Then, sub in any episode of Three's Company, but with more beheadings and prostitutes.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I'm a little punchy right now

I haven't had a full night's sleep in . . . too long. I've had 5 caffeine drinks today, 2 creme eggs, one Reese's and two 'meals'. I am not in a good place. I have two exams tomorrow, one of which I think I can eke.

I'm not happy.

What do you do with a B.A. in English,
What is my life going to be?
Four years of college and plenty of knowledge,
Have earned me this useless degree.

I can't pay the bills yet,
'Cause I have no skills yet,
The world is a big scary place.

...

It sucks to be me!

Six Weird Things About Me

  • I love movies. Love, love, love them. I have to admit my favourites tend to skew towards the Shakespeare/costume drama/musical arena. So what is my biggest guilty pleasure in movies? TV movies for kids. If it's on the Family Channel, I will watch it, but switch over to the Daily Show when someone comes into the room. (I can sing along to High School Musical.)
  • I read while I walk, even (some might say especially) along streets. I've done it ever since I was little. I used to walk & read all the way to my elementary school. I also read when I eat - generally when I'm eating alone, but also when I go out for dinner with my mom. I can't go to sleep unless I read first, even if it's only for 3 minutes. Keep in mind, my reading has gone way done ever since I started knitting.
  • I don't like mushrooms.
  • I hate warm weather. Hate hate hate it. I don't function well in it, and I get heatstroke fast. I'm all for sun, but another reason I love Vancouver is that 32 degrees (that's Celsius, kids) is considered broiling. Also, I sweat profusely and my cheeks look like cherry tomatoes. It's not a good look for me. Plus, you can't wear jeans.
  • In my opinion, I only have one irrational fear. Rodents don't count, because due to my cats I think I've seen more rodents in my life than an exterminator. But my irrational fear is (drumroll, plzkthnx) vampires. I get worried that they're right behind me, when I'm alone in a house at night. It's like a Nosferatu-boogeyman fear.
  • There is a photo in my grade 12 yearbook of me. I'm holding up a sign that reads, "HAMLET IS A BABE."