KnittingMy best guess is that I knit 17 pairs of socks in 2007 (and the 3 single socks pictured here which probably will not get mates). While that's fewer than in 2006, they show a lot of experimentation. I figured out how to add gussets to improve the fit of short-row socks, and I worked out a modification that I really like for Judy Gibson's You're Putting Me On socks. I find myself turning more and more often to Bordhi and Beattie's books for inspiration. And ever since Mel wrote those bang-up instructions for the Sherman Heel, my devotion to the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts method has ebbed.
More notably, I made two successful sweaters: the red, seamless hybrid EPS and the green Cobblestone. And this is the year that I finally began to build a stash. (Damn you, Knitters' Market).
BooksI read 48 books last year, a 65% improvement over last year. That's still far from my high point in 1999, when I recorded 92 books for the year (I learned to knit Thanksgiving 1999; the drop-off in reading has a clear explanation). The combination of working around books again and the continued presence of the LibraryThing widget shaming me from over there on the right keeps my numbers high. Still, they'd be higher if it weren't for knitting, Sudoku/Kakuro, and the Nintendo DS.
Notables:
- Two delightful novels from Michael Chabon. My affection for Yiddish Policemen's Union has faded over the months, but that only means I'll enjoy re-reading sometime.
- A close second for the best book I read last year is The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson.
- A few fantastic graphic novels: Pride of Baghdad, American Born Chinese, and The Plot. All three of these I re-read immediately upon finishing them.
- Best audiobook I listened to this year was Acceleration, although right now I'm listening to The Book Thief, and it's even better.
- A good pairing: I read Hero at the same time I was listening to Evil Genius.
- Some things I gave 4 stars to in my LibraryThing ratings are among my favorites from the year: Arthur Phillips' Angelica, Reza Aslan's No god but God, and Kenneth Oppel's Skybreaker. Skybreaker is one of several good sequels/series entries I caught this year.
MoviesI saw 23 movies in theaters last year. My favorites were:
- Breach. I love me some Laura Linney.
- Grindhouse. Mike and I argued for weeks. He said the Quentin Tarantino half was better; I argued that there is no such thing as "half." But he was right.
- Ratatouille. I love Brad Bird's work. Iron Giant is one of my favorite films. Bird's themes tread a thin path through Ayn Rand territory, but he makes it work for me.
- No Country for Old Men. The story arc is flawed and unsatisfying, but the Coen brothers are at that the top of their game. They play the tension in a scene like it's a piece of music. It's just a shame that that tension has nowhere to go.
- I saw one movie in a theater twice: The Simpsons Movie.
1 comment:
I meant to suggest that you read "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan, somewhere between a kid's book and a graphic novel; think Chris Van Allsburg if he did comic strip art. I checked it out of the library--try *your* local library.
Post a Comment