Fall 2006 Knitscene Project guide Fall 2006 issue available June 27, 2006
My favorite item in this issue is the Central Park Hoodie (photo copyright Knitscene and Interweave Press)
It uses Tahki Donegal Tweed but it'd look great in other worsted yarns.
Last night the boyfriend and I went to see the DaVinci code. Despite bad reviews, I was mildly supporting of Tom Hanks in the role and the recent successes of books->movie transformations (Harry Potter, Lion Witch & Wardrobe). We both read the book a long while back and enjoyed the fast paced writing with just enough sensationalized "history" to keep it going.
The movie, however, fell far short of lowered expectations. So short that we spent dinner talking about the movie's plot holes. Part of Dan Brown's writing style keeps the mystery going without too much questioning. But the movie, however, just proved the old adage that books are better than the movies. And even Grisham has better movies made than poor Dan Brown. Casting was a bit off here and there, especially with the decent cadre of leading middle aged male stars to choose from. Tom Hanks, I love your movies and talent, but you really should have passed on this not-so-fantastic film+production crew. The movie's inadequacies introduced doubt, and the boyfriend who is reasonably knowledgeable about history, supplied the rough timeline while I harshly picked apart the plot's timeline while eating cashew chicken. Yes, the movie didn't enact the book's many glib explanations. Nor did it keep me interested while they used head shots of Mr. Hanks and computer cgi to provide background info. This time spent staring at the nice effects and listening to Tom Hanks' rounded accent was time put to questioning. Really, Robert Langdon's role in the script and Hank's casting was a bad magician's attempt fancy hand waving distractions. Alas, it didn't add the magical flair needed. Lest you think I'm trashing Tom Hanks unnecessarily, winner of Academy Awards, let me just say that he wasn't the only one who was not cast correctly. Oh no, he's just the one who got the most screen time, literally.
The movie had promise but was ruined by a poor screenplay or director. The scenes left in the final version really don't do a mystery movie any justice. Had it just been an action movie, perhaps it would have been acceptable if they'd blown some things up.
Verdict: Take a pass on seeing it in the theaters if you've read the book or enjoy mysteries. Maybe rent it when the dvd with deleted scenes comes out or watch it on tv. Trust me, the commercials won't ruin the very little suspense. More likely, they'll cut to commercial while the magical rabbit, Hanks, is having another monologue.
Who would you have cast in Robert Langdon's role?
( Edited for horrid writing. Diarrhea of the keyboard, strike to the rescue!)
How does one properly inscribe a book that is a gift to mark a special occasion and say Thank You?
Should I write nicely on the title page or is that space for the author's signature? What about inside the front cover?
Is writing in a book verboten, considering that they may want to return or re-gift? What about the sanctity of a book?
Is the tactful approach a nice card detailing the meaning of the gift, leaving the book unspoiled?
Advice from Franklin, Emily Post fans, literate people, Martha Stewart, and talking sheep welcome. Tell me if I should scrawl in this book, and if so, where.
My first yarn dying attempt came out nicely.
Dye: Wilton's Violet and Black Pastes
Yarn: Henry's Attic "Kona Superwash lace Fingering Weight":http://www.catnipyarns.com/niphen.htm
Goal Color: 1/2 Purple and 1/2 Dark Purple.
Actual Colors: Different Shades of purple all over with some charcoal, blue, and mint green.
Related Dye-O-Rama posts:
- Wilton's Violet and Black
The green is going to stay due to popular vote. The colors remind me of the Carribean and of Northern Lights. A quick images.google.com lookup lead to this wonderful Northern Lights in Norway I envy Norwegian knitting skills and Norwegians can actually use woolies, so Norwegian Northern Lights it is.
Next dye project will probably be with Kona Superwash DK and Wilton's Greens or ProChem OneShot. I like how the Kona feels once washed.
How and Kona Fingering Weight review in the Extended Entry >
A selection of my Japan photos are up. See them on Flickr.
There's another batch to upload and I'll post the bigger set to my gallery. My pal Stephi gave me a flickr Pro account and I'm definitely going to order a QOOP photobook or poster for hard copy viewing.
I love Firefox and have been a user since... oh 0.7 or so? There's been great new extensions, improved stability, and new features except for a single nitpick- I've noticed that Firefox has become a really big memory hog.
This is After getting rid of memory leaking extensions and performing certain memory optimization tweaks. The best tip I've read recently? Get more memory. Ah well, more memory is good for my computer anyhow.
IE7? Well, I'll probably download it at one point when I have time to prevent it from taking over my entire computer. Probably not going to switch over just for tabbed browsing, though. I've got a lot invested in my firefox extensions and tabbed browser settings!
