Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Monday, 30 January 2012
The eight things I'd take to the moon if I were going to the moon and could only take eight things
- Mass driver
- Books
- A (very) long-range radio
- Yarn
- Needles
- Slippers
- Sushi
- A small brass cannon
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Mr & Mrs Smith
There's nothing particularly ground-breaking about the setting for Mr & Mrs Smith. Marriage/relationship sitcoms are an obvious staple of both TV and radio comedy, often with some rather forced twist on the family setup to make things interesting.
Mr & Mrs Smith doesn't have any unnecessary nonsense, nor the tacky punned title that I think it might get if it were a TV sitcom, it's just about a recently married couple going to counselling. The pilot was aired last week and the full series began on Tuesday.
It's a little difficult to have an opinion on the programme without having an opinion on the relationship between Will and Annabel because it forms the basis of the whole thing. I can't be the only listener secretly playing therapist during the episodes. The jokes are funny but there's also a secret pleasure in having a window on a relationship that's clearly in trouble, it's like the top-quality gossip you get to hear about your best friend's boyfriend's sister and her terrible love life, only in half-hour packages without the guilt.
In Annabelle, geeky Will has clearly bagged a normal (to quote the IT crowd). He needs to get back early from their romantic break to see Avatar and he claims to speak three languages: schoolboy French, conversational Klingon and Elvish. I have met a LOT of Wills. By contrast, Annabelle has more usual - if blown-out-of-proportion - concerns like impressing people at work and getting upgrades at the hotel.
I don't think it will surprise anyone that I find myself identifying far more with Will than with Annabelle. What worries me is that I'm not sure I'm supposed to, I don't think he's intended to be the reasonable one in the relationship. But I think this gets to the heart of the one issue I have with Mr & Mrs Smith: I just can't understand how these people would be married. Dating, yes. Engaged, maybe. But married? I don't buy it, I can't see what they possibly have in common.
I know a lot of geeks and the one thing we don't do well, if at all, is hide our geekiness. It might be possible to date a person for a short time without encountering the sort of obsession and social awkwardness that Will has but it usually comes to the surface pretty quickly. So, with that in mind, I can't understand how a 'normal' like Annabelle would have married someone like Will, only to almost constantly find fault with him after the fact. What happened to loving people because of their faults rather than in spite of them?
Anyway, once you've bought into the premise that Will and Annabelle are married, Mr & Mrs Smith is entertaining and well worth a listen. I'm particularly curious to see if it'll make it to a second series or whether Annabelle will just run off with the multi-lingual, jet-setting therapist.
Mr & Mrs Smith doesn't have any unnecessary nonsense, nor the tacky punned title that I think it might get if it were a TV sitcom, it's just about a recently married couple going to counselling. The pilot was aired last week and the full series began on Tuesday.
It's a little difficult to have an opinion on the programme without having an opinion on the relationship between Will and Annabel because it forms the basis of the whole thing. I can't be the only listener secretly playing therapist during the episodes. The jokes are funny but there's also a secret pleasure in having a window on a relationship that's clearly in trouble, it's like the top-quality gossip you get to hear about your best friend's boyfriend's sister and her terrible love life, only in half-hour packages without the guilt.
In Annabelle, geeky Will has clearly bagged a normal (to quote the IT crowd). He needs to get back early from their romantic break to see Avatar and he claims to speak three languages: schoolboy French, conversational Klingon and Elvish. I have met a LOT of Wills. By contrast, Annabelle has more usual - if blown-out-of-proportion - concerns like impressing people at work and getting upgrades at the hotel.
I don't think it will surprise anyone that I find myself identifying far more with Will than with Annabelle. What worries me is that I'm not sure I'm supposed to, I don't think he's intended to be the reasonable one in the relationship. But I think this gets to the heart of the one issue I have with Mr & Mrs Smith: I just can't understand how these people would be married. Dating, yes. Engaged, maybe. But married? I don't buy it, I can't see what they possibly have in common.
I know a lot of geeks and the one thing we don't do well, if at all, is hide our geekiness. It might be possible to date a person for a short time without encountering the sort of obsession and social awkwardness that Will has but it usually comes to the surface pretty quickly. So, with that in mind, I can't understand how a 'normal' like Annabelle would have married someone like Will, only to almost constantly find fault with him after the fact. What happened to loving people because of their faults rather than in spite of them?
Anyway, once you've bought into the premise that Will and Annabelle are married, Mr & Mrs Smith is entertaining and well worth a listen. I'm particularly curious to see if it'll make it to a second series or whether Annabelle will just run off with the multi-lingual, jet-setting therapist.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
A Little More Fascinating
Today's knitting has consisted entirely of Winterthorn 3 but I have been able to get some passable photos and do some felting.
A couple of days ago I got round to casting off prototype 2 of the fascinator. The main aim of prototype (or proof of concept?) 2 was to get the size sorted and - as soon as I'd cast off - it was very clear that it was all it would do. Because it's square. And it's not meant to be square.
I once made a scarf where I entirely failed to understand the geometry of what I'd made. I wanted long, pointy triangles yet somehow I was very surprised when I ended up with some very odd, right-angle-y triangles. That really should have taught me to at least think about where my increases would be.
Still, all that matters is that I can check the size. I have a whole other ball to get the shape right. And, once an entirely pointless load of washing was done, it didn't look too bad.
I did try twisting it round into a few different shapes but this was the most promising. Promising yet square.
Unfortunately the little curl is a bit too small to fit the contrasting bit I've already knit but that's because it's actually ridiculously big. I think I'll be trying to make up another load to felt a new contrasting curl for the centre.
I'm quite looking forward to decorating it with some of that weird netting and beads to see if I can make it remotely attractive. I'm not certain that any amount of decorating will disguise the fact that it is a) square and b) boring grey. But I'm looking forward to the challenge!
A couple of days ago I got round to casting off prototype 2 of the fascinator. The main aim of prototype (or proof of concept?) 2 was to get the size sorted and - as soon as I'd cast off - it was very clear that it was all it would do. Because it's square. And it's not meant to be square.
 |
| This is a fascinator. Really. Trust me. |
I once made a scarf where I entirely failed to understand the geometry of what I'd made. I wanted long, pointy triangles yet somehow I was very surprised when I ended up with some very odd, right-angle-y triangles. That really should have taught me to at least think about where my increases would be.
Still, all that matters is that I can check the size. I have a whole other ball to get the shape right. And, once an entirely pointless load of washing was done, it didn't look too bad.Unfortunately the little curl is a bit too small to fit the contrasting bit I've already knit but that's because it's actually ridiculously big. I think I'll be trying to make up another load to felt a new contrasting curl for the centre.
 |
| Where would I be without T pins? |
It's now blocking in a desperate attempt to stretch if from a square into something a little more fascinator-shaped.
I'm quite looking forward to decorating it with some of that weird netting and beads to see if I can make it remotely attractive. I'm not certain that any amount of decorating will disguise the fact that it is a) square and b) boring grey. But I'm looking forward to the challenge!
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Inspiration on the Park & Ride
This is how I now view the internet:
This post contains two important lessons of the week:
1) I really never stop thinking about knitting
2) Everything looks better in my head
The bus company has clearly been having a rubbish week. The buses have been full and late and generally a bit rubbish. This has been my excuse for - when I finally get on a bus - just switching off and not doing any knitting. Any rumour that this is because my current bus project is the damned frog is entirely unfounded. Maybe partially unfounded. Okay, entirely founded.
Anyway, yesterday I actually got a seat and found myself staring at a rather interesting scarf. It was woven rather than knitted but the way the threads intertwined fascinated me. I've been thinking about something with dropped stitches for a while and all of a sudden I could picture a pseudo-checkered scarf with woven bits.
When I got home I waited only long enough to eat dinner and notice that the first series of Sherlock had arrived from Amazon. Then it was to hell with Winterthorn V3! To hell with my fascinator, my rainbow scarf and my sizergh scarf! It was time to try weaving dropped stitches!
About ten minutes into the first episode of Sherlock, it was obvious that it wasn't really working. By the time Watson was meeting with Mycroft I knew I needed a new plan.
By the time I started the second episode I had an interesting but rather unoriginal-looking pattern that might actually work. Photos will probably follow on the weekend when I can get some decent light.
So, the reason I was composing scarves on the bus? http://www.nimuyarns.co.uk/ and their flash sale on Friday that enticed me into breathtakingly beautiful yarn at 20% off. I managed to limit myself to two skeins: Torva and Aira (again, pictures to come on the weekend). I've found a pattern for the Torva but the Aira has such a stunning sheen and subtle colours that I want something a bit different to show it off.
Although it might not be the intricate woven plan I made on the bus, I think the new drop-stich sample might just work in the Torva. The more I think about it, the more I think that the woven idea might be fantastic in two colours. The only thing letting it down is the fact that the woven sections are so tightly packed that it's hard to distinguish them from the moss-stitch sections. There's something in it, I'm just not sure what.
And the Torva? Well, if I can bring myself to wind that vivid blue skein into a ball, it's going to be my next bus project.
Frogs? What frogs?
This post contains two important lessons of the week:
1) I really never stop thinking about knitting
2) Everything looks better in my head
The bus company has clearly been having a rubbish week. The buses have been full and late and generally a bit rubbish. This has been my excuse for - when I finally get on a bus - just switching off and not doing any knitting. Any rumour that this is because my current bus project is the damned frog is entirely unfounded. Maybe partially unfounded. Okay, entirely founded.
Anyway, yesterday I actually got a seat and found myself staring at a rather interesting scarf. It was woven rather than knitted but the way the threads intertwined fascinated me. I've been thinking about something with dropped stitches for a while and all of a sudden I could picture a pseudo-checkered scarf with woven bits.
When I got home I waited only long enough to eat dinner and notice that the first series of Sherlock had arrived from Amazon. Then it was to hell with Winterthorn V3! To hell with my fascinator, my rainbow scarf and my sizergh scarf! It was time to try weaving dropped stitches!
About ten minutes into the first episode of Sherlock, it was obvious that it wasn't really working. By the time Watson was meeting with Mycroft I knew I needed a new plan.
 |
| See the woven sections? No? That's cause they're rubbish. |
By the time I started the second episode I had an interesting but rather unoriginal-looking pattern that might actually work. Photos will probably follow on the weekend when I can get some decent light.
 |
| Am I the only one seeing little wheat sheaves? |
 |
| Torva |
 |
| Aira |
 |
| See the woven sections now? |
And the Torva? Well, if I can bring myself to wind that vivid blue skein into a ball, it's going to be my next bus project.
Frogs? What frogs?
Monday, 23 January 2012
A Taster Menu
"I'd quite like to listen to more radio comedy," my brother-in-law said on the weekend. Well, that's not an opportunity I can ignore!
There are two things - okay, maybe three things - that I feel passionate about to the extent that I try to convert unsuspecting friends. The two important ones are knitting and radio. On a good day, data is the third. I'll admit that I've had most luck with knitting.
So here's a chance to introduce someone to radio comedy and all the things I love about it. And, in true Radio 4 style, this has become a sort of Desert Island Discs-style challenge: What eight radio programmes would I pick to introduce someone to radio comedy? And, while we're at it, why are there no synonyms for comedy or programme that begin with D?
The rules for this thought experiment are straightforward: Pick eight programmes that showcase different aspects of radio comedy for a new listener. Each programme can be represented by just one series (not one episode, I'm not that hard on myself) and they must be broadcast on Radio 4 or 4 Extra (because where else are you going to get your radio comedy?).
The short list is a long one and difficult to narrow down.
It's easy to overlook staples like The News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue that I think we all take for granted as the backbone of radio comedy. The most interesting constraint as far as I can see is the fact that it has to be aimed at a new listener. Ed Reardon's Week cracks me up but is it a little too grumpy-radio-4 for a newcomer? Does Bleak Expectations take a bit too long to click? Where is the line between comedy and comedy-drama? Does it even matter?
More importantly, what are these key aspects of radio comedy that I feel I need to include? Something satirical, a panel show, something surreal, something that was translated into TV? Well, okay, the News Quiz ticks all those boxes at times but I think that may be cheating.
If people raise an eyebrow when I say I'm a radio 4 listener (something tha happens less and less now I'm in my thirties) it's always comedy that I use to respond. I list all the programmes that started on Radio 4 and made their way to TV. Sometimes they're surprised, mostly they just look at me like I'm a bit of a nut. But it always reminds me of the huge variety of comedy that Radio 4 produces.
I don't have my eight Desert Island Synonym-For-Comedy-Beginning-With-Ds yet, but I''m enjoying thinking about it and the sheer wealth of comedy that I have to pick from.
There are two things - okay, maybe three things - that I feel passionate about to the extent that I try to convert unsuspecting friends. The two important ones are knitting and radio. On a good day, data is the third. I'll admit that I've had most luck with knitting.
So here's a chance to introduce someone to radio comedy and all the things I love about it. And, in true Radio 4 style, this has become a sort of Desert Island Discs-style challenge: What eight radio programmes would I pick to introduce someone to radio comedy? And, while we're at it, why are there no synonyms for comedy or programme that begin with D?
The rules for this thought experiment are straightforward: Pick eight programmes that showcase different aspects of radio comedy for a new listener. Each programme can be represented by just one series (not one episode, I'm not that hard on myself) and they must be broadcast on Radio 4 or 4 Extra (because where else are you going to get your radio comedy?).
The short list is a long one and difficult to narrow down.
It's easy to overlook staples like The News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue that I think we all take for granted as the backbone of radio comedy. The most interesting constraint as far as I can see is the fact that it has to be aimed at a new listener. Ed Reardon's Week cracks me up but is it a little too grumpy-radio-4 for a newcomer? Does Bleak Expectations take a bit too long to click? Where is the line between comedy and comedy-drama? Does it even matter?
More importantly, what are these key aspects of radio comedy that I feel I need to include? Something satirical, a panel show, something surreal, something that was translated into TV? Well, okay, the News Quiz ticks all those boxes at times but I think that may be cheating.
If people raise an eyebrow when I say I'm a radio 4 listener (something tha happens less and less now I'm in my thirties) it's always comedy that I use to respond. I list all the programmes that started on Radio 4 and made their way to TV. Sometimes they're surprised, mostly they just look at me like I'm a bit of a nut. But it always reminds me of the huge variety of comedy that Radio 4 produces.
I don't have my eight Desert Island Synonym-For-Comedy-Beginning-With-Ds yet, but I''m enjoying thinking about it and the sheer wealth of comedy that I have to pick from.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Kiss, Kiss, Hoofprint
Warhorses of Letters was the most unexpected and brilliant thing on Radio 4 last year. I'm still trying to find people that haven't heard it so I can tell them how much they really need to listen to it. So how is it that I haven't actually thought of googling it before? I don't know.
But now that I have, I've found this: http://unbound.co.uk/books/warhorses-of-letters
I know that most of the tiny number of people that have found this blog have got here because of the knitting content but, if you want to read something really giggle-worthy funny, please check out the link and buy the book.
I heard a lot about Unbound when it launched but I hadn't actually checked out the books that were being funded. I didn't imagine there would be a Warhorses of Letters book though! I read down the list of funding options trying to work out whether there was any way I could possibly justify spending £85 to get an embroidered horse blanket. In the end I came to my senses and went for the practical option of the hardback but that has to be the absolutely most awesome promotional item ever.
I'm definitely going to be checking back into Unbound on a regular basis, hopefully there will be more fabulous books that I can help to fund. The idea of helping to bring a book into being is irresistible!
But now that I have, I've found this: http://unbound.co.uk/books/warhorses-of-letters
I know that most of the tiny number of people that have found this blog have got here because of the knitting content but, if you want to read something really giggle-worthy funny, please check out the link and buy the book.
I heard a lot about Unbound when it launched but I hadn't actually checked out the books that were being funded. I didn't imagine there would be a Warhorses of Letters book though! I read down the list of funding options trying to work out whether there was any way I could possibly justify spending £85 to get an embroidered horse blanket. In the end I came to my senses and went for the practical option of the hardback but that has to be the absolutely most awesome promotional item ever.
I'm definitely going to be checking back into Unbound on a regular basis, hopefully there will be more fabulous books that I can help to fund. The idea of helping to bring a book into being is irresistible!
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