I took an intended blog break for a while. But now I am back, just in time to celebrate my 2nd blogiversary (Saturday)! There is a lot to celebrate (I think). Besides my brand spanking new craft space/studio/room/what-have-you...
I have been blogging for 2 years...I have made a lot of stuff. I have developed other fibery pursuits in addition to knitting and I have made a lot of friends through my adventures in blogging. Would you like to celebrate with me? I don't want to say that I am having a contest, because that's not what this is...it's more a raffle with your suggestions as "payment" for a chance to share in the blogiversary fun. So I have a few things that might be of interest to you:
Yarn, of course (let's say fingering weight with enough quantity for a pair of socks, shall we?).
My first spindle, it's up for grabs. It is not without its flaws, but I learned to spin on it, so maybe you could too. And why would you want a spindle without a little fiber to go with it? I'll give you something nice, don't you worry.
Or maybe you have a thing for fabric? How about a grab bag of scraps? Are you into miniature quilts? Or maybe charm quilts are your thing.
And if none of these things strike your fancy, perhaps you want something finished that you can simply unwrap and put on? How about a scarf handwoven by me? I will do a finished object post on this scarf after I wet block it. It's kind of special; but, I am biased, of course. It's purple, silver and lilac and it's made of a combo of silk & wool for the warp and the weft is handspun naturally dyed corriedale wool.
To throw your name into the hat for one of these prizes, all you need to do is offer a suggestion of a really good book, movie or cd/album/whatever that I can occupy my non-crafty time with. After suffering some bitterness over wasting 9 hours of my life reading the last book in the Twilight series, I need some suggestions of books, movies, or music that will make me smile, think, or at the very least, feel supremely entertained.
Leave your suggestion in the comments along with the prize you would prefer to be considered for (yarn, spindle & fiber, fabric or woven scarf). Each suggestion should be entered as a different comment, there are four different prizes, so you can offer up to four different suggestions. That seems fair, right? Leave a comment by 11:59 p.m. (or 2259), August 30th (my blogiversary)--I will announce the winners on Sunday, the 31st.
Congratulations on the blogiversary!
Suggestions, let's see... I recently saw the movie "Dan in real life" and it certainly made me smile. Also the Darjeeling Limited and Station Agent are wonderful non-mainstream movies.
Posted by: Pikku-Kettu | August 27, 2008 at 04:59 AM
Your new space looks wonderful! Very big, too. I've just got a teeny tiny new space myself, but yours is so spacious. How exciting!
So, books. I've just finished Murakami's Norwegian Wood which I'd recommend to anyone. It's a wonderful and interesting love story, set in Japan, which to me makes it a great deal more fascinating than the same tale set in the West. I loved it. If you've never read John Irving, you must read the World According to Garp. I'd not read any either until a couple of weeks ago, and now I can't stop singing his praises! So funny, and interesting, and well written. Completely original too. Also, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a book you should read if you haven't already. It's slow to start but I literally could not put it down for the latter half of the book. It's terrible and brilliant both at once.
Films... hmm. If you've not seen Pan's Labyrinth, it's fantastic, and you should see it as soon as you have a free evening. I'd also recommend the Orphanage, the newest Guillermo del Toro film. They're both quite scary (to me, at least), but some of the most wonderfully made and unique films I've ever seen. (They're in Spanish, so if you do watch them, you might want to plan your knitting to fit in with the reading of subtitles...).
(I would love some yarn, but I feel terribly cheeky writing this, because really I've been recommending the above things to all and sundry in exchange for nothing, so I'd feel pretty bad about accepting anything in return! They really are worth reading and seeing.)
Posted by: jane | August 27, 2008 at 05:04 AM
my fave thought-provoking book is We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Schriver, and I second the Dan in Real Life recommendation above for a light and lovely film.
Congrats on the Bloggiversary! LOVE your new crafty space - especially the red cabinets. Ikea?
Posted by: Kellie | August 27, 2008 at 05:11 AM
Ok, just to clarify that I am not a copy cat! I was posting at the same time as Jane above and we just both happen to have the same great taste in books!! And I must confess to also recommending WNTTAK to anyone and everyone, lol.
And if I do happen to get picked I would love some of your fabric scraps!
Posted by: Kellie | August 27, 2008 at 05:14 AM
hi there -- i'm not sure that i've ever commented here, but i've certainly been lurking and reading for almost a year now. thank you!
here go my suggestions -- in four different comments:
cd: Nothing is Okay by The Everybodyfields (for yarn!)
This was recently recommended to me and I am not disappointed. Gorgeous voices and harmonies, the feel of old school, lilting country and some heartbreaking lyrics.
Posted by: barefootrooster | August 27, 2008 at 06:46 AM
suggestion #2: Rear View Mirror or Be Here to Love Me (Townes Van Zandt)
Be Here to Love Me is also a documentary about Townes -- best of its kind I've seen. Townes seems to have a regional listenership of sorts -- just came from the Southwest to the East, and haven't met anyone who has heard of him, but he was hugely influential in the land of folk/more traditional country. haunting lyrics, tough life, incredible footage and recordings on these albums/movie.
Posted by: barefootrooster | August 27, 2008 at 06:51 AM
oops -- to clarify -- Townes is a musician, and that comment was for the scarf!
Posted by: barefootrooster | August 27, 2008 at 06:53 AM
alright -- and for the spindle and fiber -- i am an uber-beginner, and am thinking that maybe the spindle i have just isn't right for me --
a book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Perhaps the most moving book I have read in years. Beautifully imagined and written. After I finished it in 2005, I went and bought several copies to send to friends.
Happy Blogiversary!
Posted by: barefootrooster | August 27, 2008 at 06:55 AM
For books (I do all audio books as I'm in the car so much) I loved the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke. Harry Potter-ish, but very entertaining and fun!
Posted by: stacey | August 27, 2008 at 06:56 AM
Happy Blogiversary! Your craft room looks absolutely beautiful! It seems like a wonderful space to become inspired and create in. :)
I highly recommend watching the movie "The Dead Girl". It's one of those movies that will stay with you for days afterwards.
Posted by: Melanie | August 27, 2008 at 07:10 AM
Oops - I forgot all about the draw pick! I'd love to be entered for the yarn.
Posted by: Melanie | August 27, 2008 at 07:13 AM
Film rec: The Life of Others, a German film available on Netflix. It is amazing. Happy Blogiversary, yours is one of my favorites!
Posted by: Heather | August 27, 2008 at 07:25 AM
Love your craft room! Lovely!
I would recomment reading My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult. It's a book that will stay with you and it does not have a predictable ending. I think most readers would enjoy it. It's a very moving story.
27 dresses was a fun movie to watch. Light. Entertaining.
I've decided to learn to sew and have an interest in quilting so the fabric would be fantastic. The yarn looks lovely too!
Happy Blogiversary!
Posted by: jackie | August 27, 2008 at 07:26 AM
I'm going to recommend "This Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, if you haven't read it already. The Historian is about a woman who researches in archives and libraries and travels to monasteries in eastern Europe to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler. It's an engrossing read, with lots of action and storyline, and features research with archival records AND (yes, it's true!) an Archivist!! This is highly recommended, and a perfect end-of-summer or early-fall read! Read more of a synopsis here: http://www.amazon.com/Historian-Elizabeth-Kostova/dp/0316011770
Posted by: Andrea | August 27, 2008 at 07:30 AM
Oh, and in my excitement to suggest "The Historian", I neglected to add that, I'd be _very_ interested in the yarn.
Happy Blogiversary!!
Posted by: Andrea | August 27, 2008 at 07:40 AM
love the craft room and congrats on your blogiversary! I've read a few good books lately... The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls and Beautiful Boy by David Sheff (oddly both memoirs). and I love the woven scarf...
Posted by: Kelly | August 27, 2008 at 07:42 AM
I love (and covet!) your beautiful creative space! I need to go back and look at it again ... sigh. Maybe one day we'll live in a larger space!
I've been on a reading frenzy lately. I just finished "hypocrite in a poufy white dress" by Susan Gilman -- very fast and funny. "Heat" by Bill Buford is great as well and just made me love food and Mario Batali even more. I also read Inkheart and Inkspell this summer -- great reads!
And I seem to watch nothing beside Battlestar Gallactica on DVD these days! Enjoy your beautiful room and feel free to liberate some yarn my way!
Posted by: Ann | August 27, 2008 at 07:48 AM
Book rec: The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell. It's a very thoughtful and thought-provoking book about a Jesuit priest who travels to a different planet. It may sound odd, but it's well-written and interesting!
- yarn -
Posted by: Jodi | August 27, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Movie -- Incident at Loch Ness! Werner Herzog is surprisingly willing to make fun of himself a bit, and it definitely plays up some of the problems in the Hollywood film "industry."
- fabric -
Posted by: Jodi | August 27, 2008 at 07:57 AM
How lovely your craft room is! I highly recommend two books 1) A Suitable Boy and 2) The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. Two of my absolute favorites, though the 2nd is what I would call magical realism and not to everyone's taste.
I would be very happy to be the recipient of a bit of your yarn!
Posted by: Svati | August 27, 2008 at 07:58 AM
Your crafting space is so cute! Love the red shelves.
Recommended TV on DVD -- "Spaced" -- British show starring Simon Pegg. Something that would never be made (or at least aired) in the US. Very funny, and quite strange.
Posted by: Jodi | August 27, 2008 at 08:02 AM
Stardust is a great movie.
Ann Aguire's books Grimspace and Wanderlust are fun, action-packed, and sci-fi books with mystery and romance tossed in.
Can I ask, where did you get those awesome red bookcases?
Posted by: Laura | August 27, 2008 at 08:02 AM
The most entertaining book I read this summer was "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson. I had always heard great things about his books, and I must say he didn't disappoint. He has such a quirky, fun way of writing while still being very informative. Happy blogiversary!
Posted by: Meghan | August 27, 2008 at 08:10 AM
I recently read _What is the What_ which is Dave Egger's novelization of the life of Valentino Deng, one of the Sudanese Lost Boys. It was a very powerful and well-written book. Highly recommended.
Yarn interests me...
Posted by: Vitpil | August 27, 2008 at 08:36 AM
Happy Blogiversary!
Your craft room looks fantastic! Love the barrister's bookcases filled with yarn.
For yarn I heartily recommend the Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters. The books are great fun!
Posted by: Christina | August 27, 2008 at 08:42 AM