Movie Review: Rams (Hrútar)

On March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Misc1 Comment

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If you like Iceland, this movie is for you! It’s currently on Netflix and it’s won a whooping 31 awards & garnered 14 more nominations. Thank you IMDb.

I’ll admit, I thought it was a documentary when I started it. Turns out, it’s not. It’s the story of two brothers coming together to save their adjacent farms after decades of not speaking. It runs the full emotional gamut. It’s heartwarming, funny and incredibly sad, all at once.

And that’s before I even mention the sweaters! The sweaters are inspiring. I want them all. I’m still not sure how I bought so much Lopi and have yet to make myself a traditional lopapeysa.

While it’s a work of fiction, with a script and actors, I can’t help but think it’s inspired by some real life accounts. I spent time on several farms when I was in Iceland. The film took me back to those days, instantly. They certainly didn’t film on a ‘set’. I doubt there was much set dressing. They just went to a farm.

The Icelandic countryside was beautifully shot. Did they even think about it and plan that or does it happen because it’s such an amazing place? Either way, I appreciated it. I’m a big fan of movies where the location is a character.

This is undeniably an Icelandic story.

All the little things add up. There’s a scene out on a road, near a one lane bridge. Many bridges in Iceland are only 1 lane, with no shoulder. There is room for only one vehicle. You have to look ahead and check for clearance before crossing. When you drive across the first one, it’s a bit odd. By the end of the day’s drive, you’ve done it 6 or 8 times and it’s old hat. Just another piece of Iceland that makes it so unique.

One caveat though, it’s subtitled, so put down the knitting to watch. Still, I highly recommend it. If you’ve got Netflix, it’s worth your time!

Happy Sunday!!

FO Friday – Connect the Dots

On March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Shawl3 Comments

New hat for the weekend! Nothing fancy, just a plain stockinette beanie with a little stripe. Easy Peasy.

The real story of the week is a bout of Castonitis. With all this finishing lately, I’ve been contemplating new cast ons. I may have gone a bit overboard once I got started.

First, a little Peanut Warmer for the impending nephew. It’s so tiny, size 0-3 months. It’ll be done in no time!

After that, I sorted my stash picking blues, greens and purples for a new Dotted Rays.

Of course, as I sorted all the cool colors out, a pile of warm colors that was just as appealing formed. And so, Dotted Rays #2 joined the cast on party.

Needless to say, this completely obliterates my strict 6 project limit. I’m currently at 10 and I’m not ruling out #11 this weekend.

Whoops.

I am imposing one rule, though. There needs to be, at least, a tiny bit of order.

If I want two scrappy Dotted Rays at once…I have to weave the ends as I go. So far, so good. It makes photos nicer and it actually helps with the knitting too…no extraneous tails to get tangled with the working yarn. Totally practical!

Now let me see what else I can cast on…

Happy Friday!

The Making of a Monster

On March 22, 2018March 22, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Toy, WIP6 Comments

The time has come. I’m no longer talking about knitting monsters. I’m actually knitting them! Yay! This is Kevin. He’s going to be a pocket monster. Eventually, there will be sweaters and blankets with pockets for Kevin to live in. He’s going to get a whole bunch of friends too. They’ll get pockets too! Pockets & Friends and Friends & Pockets! I love the whole thing.

I am a little stuck right now though. Monster faces are hard. I’ve eliminated buttons, safety eyes and other sewn on items (like felt or bobbles). This leaves me with embroidery options. And they have not gone well. The eyes are proving difficult.

I tried duplicate stitch. It was dreadful. I tried some plain X’s. That’s not the thing either. Kevin isn’t dead.

Satin Stitch is next on my list of things to try. I’m not optimistic. My embroidery skills are nil. At this point, everything goes in and out through Kevin’s crotch. It’s a real challenge to manipulate embroider in a tight space with barely any access. So I’m taking a little break before I attempt the eyes again.

I’m pleased with my crooked little mouth, though. I can do intentionally askew. That’s completely my speed! He’s gonna be so cute when (if?) I get the eyes right!

FO Saturday – Baby’s First Blankie

On March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday6 Comments

My third and final FO of the week…Baby’s First Blankie! The yarn is Goshen, from Valley Yarns, a cotton/tencel/silk blend, perfect for a summer baby.

I didn’t follow a pattern, just knit some stockinette stripes and threw on a garter stitch border. It went according to plan until…

…I read the yarn label. They’ve labeled this yarn as hand wash. PSHAW! These kinds of things make me a little crazy. I can imagine how they rationalize that choice but c’mon let’s attempt to live in reality. It’s a cotton baby blanket?!?! I just threw it in wash. Blankets need to be washable. I did, at least, put it in a garment bag.

I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I’m ~~playing Barbies,~~ shopping the stash for a selection of neutrals. I’m thinking Black Panther Wrap…

FO Friday – The Noro-Lopi Love Child Sweater

On March 16, 2018March 16, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Sweater9 Comments

It’s finally finished! Wooo!

I’m so excited to have a new sweater! And this one is darn near perfect! I’m going to be getting loads of wear out of it! The pattern is a top-down raglan called Vivido, from Carol Feller. The stripes are my own modification but everything else is as-called for.

I chose this pattern simply because of the ‘if it ain’t broke’ mindset. I’ve had great success with my two previous incarnations of this sweater. It’s a great daily wear garment, which is what I need at this point. (As much as I love Bill, there’s only so many places he can be worn!) Plus, I knew the colorwork was going to be the star of this show. No need for the pattern to compete with that. This pattern is exactly the blank slate I needed!

The yarns are the interesting bits in this sweater! The brown yarn is Plutolopi, an unspun pencil roving, from my Icelandic adventure. The stripes are from a Noro Rainbow Roll. I love both of these yarns so much!! The unspun nature makes them fragile, and so, not for everyone but it also gives the garment amazing loft! This is a 200 g sweater. My last Vivido, a bulky weight wool, weighs 600 g. That’s a big difference, especially in a town where micro-climates and layering mean sweaters often get carried instead of worn.

The difference in weight, also, means a difference in drying time. A 600 g sweater can take days to dry. This baby dried overnight during a rainstorm!

YES, this is definitely my new favorite sweater.

I might make one slight adjustment though. The first button hole is low. In a solid colored sweater, I didn’t mind. The stripes kind of exaggerate the gap.

I think a little snap will fix it up. I’ve always wanted to try snaps out. If it stops raining long enough to go for a walk, I think I’ve finally found my excuse to buy snap!

Woo! Hope your Friday is equally exciting!!

FO Thursday – Surprise Yellow

On March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Scarf9 Comments

Who’s ready for the weekend? We’re kicking things off early here at FogKnits headquarters! There’s been so much FO’ing this week, that Friday can’t contain it all.

First off the needles this week, a new Hitchhiker.

There are over 29,000 Hitchhikers on Ravelry. That’s a staggering number. Sure, 14 of them are mine. Obviously, I get the fandom with this particular scarf. Still…29,000!! That’s incredible! Imagine how big that pile would be!! Wow!

This particular Hitchhiker is special because it’s striped…

…and I only had to weave in two ends!?! Seriouesleeeeeeeee! Love that! This is another self striping skein of shawl yarn from Gauge Dye Works. And it’s a Merino-Cashmere-Nylon (MCN) blend. It’s so soft. I just want to put my face on it and take a nap.

I don’t usually go for yellow. Actually, I never go for yellow. I hate yellow. If I had an arch nemesis, it would definitely be yellow. I didn’t pick this yarn. It came to me in a swap. I reluctantly accepted it’s yellowness. I begrudgingly knit it, only because I was unable to re-trade it for a better color.

So, of course, despite all my protests, it turns out, this Hitchhiker is just exactly what my wardrobe needs. Stupid yellow.

It’s perfect for pretty much every outfit I own. Every one. A zing of yellow really peps up my sea of blues and greens so I’m giving it a try. We’ll see how it goes. I may be won over. I mean, At least it’s not pink!

Progress, on Wednesday

On March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Sweater, WIP5 Comments

Somehow, despite myriad variables, I’ve got three projects converging at the finish line. Approaching the end of a project always gives it a bit of a boost, a sort of second wind. Now, multiply that feeling of accomplishment by 3, and call it Wednesday! Woooo!

I’m putting the border on a summery stroller blanket for the Nephew. I’m putting the buttons on my Lopi + Noro cardigan (the brown ones).

And I’m resisting the urge to put my next sweater on the needles. I decided on the color palate. Casting on is the logical next step. Of course, finishing the sweater that’s 99.7% complete is also quite logical. It’s hard to know exactly what to do!?!

I’ll keep you posted, as always! Happy Pi Day!!