This weekend, we saw The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The critics didn’t care for this movie, generally stating that there was no story line, that it made no sense and that the title was mis-leading, it messed with the story of the comic books it was taken from...etc.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
For me, the only real problem with this film was the sound levels. If you keep the volume high enough to easily hear the dialogue, the action sequences are going to blow you right out of your recliner. If you keep the volume low enough to prevent your neighbors from thinking you’re staging a small war in your living room, you won’t hear the dialogue.
Otherwise, the film is great fun. Set in 1899 at the tail end of Queen Victoria’s reign it’s a combination period piece and adventure story. The story is admittedly slight, but it is there and follows through logically. The sets and the action are wonderful to see though we shouldn’t, perhaps, look too closely at the technology being used - most of which wouldn’t become available for another 50 years. Most spectacular of all is the Nautilus - a super-sub with all the gingerbread of a Victorian mansion.
No, it doesn’t require any heavy thinking and it doesn’t have any axes to grind about world poverty, racism or man’s inhumanity to man. It’s just a fun ride - and sometimes that’s all a movie needs to be.
I finished up the hat and the first of the second pair of socks this weekend.
Hat and sock
The red, Cameron Scarf is still in the works too. It has become my kitchen project and gets two or three pattern repeats a day worked while I am just sitting in the kitchen while Myria is cooking. I must say, KnitPicks’ Wool of the Andes (their standard, worsted weight wool) is quite nice to work with and has a nice hand as well. I’ve heard others opine that it isn’t soft enough to wear next to the skin but I think it would be just fine. Maybe color, or the dye used to produce the color makes a difference? I have no idea. I like the yarn a lot - the colors are vivid, the stitch definition I excellent and the price is certainly right :)
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I LOVE that hat, and the sock is so cute (but yes, you do need another). I also enjoyed the movie, by the way.
Thanks Rob :) The basic pattern is here:
http://ooobabyknits.typepad.com/ooo_baby_knits/2004/07/something_old.html
My changes were adding the sock yarn, knitting the body of the hat a bit longer than called for (1/2-3/4") and changing the decreasing slightly. When the “K2tog, K3” round had been done, I continued to decrease on every row rather than every other row to get a more rounded top (hence the light extra length in the body). When I was down to six stitches, I went to I-cord, decreasing one stitch each row until three were left and working until I had enough length to make a nice loop.
Yeah, I am going to have to get going on the second sock :)
Loved “League”! And enjoy it each time, too…
Great Color on the hat!
Shelly - Thanks about the hat - and thanks for letting me know that I’m not alone out there in enjoying the movie :) I notice Amazon’s got it on deep discount which I’m assuming means it’s probably either going out of print or (hopefully) will be mass pressed for the 2/$11 bin at WalMart :)
I bought “League” used at a gamer’s store & have enjoyed it over & over. There’s just something about it...as I say, it makes a good knitting movie!
Very cute hat - I really like the smatterings of color. :)
Bron - That’s a good thought - a knitting movie! That’s exactly how I’ll probably use it in the future :)
The “smattering” works because the sock yarns (both the Opal and the Meileinweit) have some cream as part of their color composition and where that cream coincides with the Fisherman’s wool, it creates a “no color” area. I like it too - for,small things. Not sure how I’dfeel about it for a sweater or something on that scale.
i’ve always wondered whether certain dyes might have the coarsening effect felt on some yarns- otherwise, what would explain why two skeins of different color but the same brand of yarn could feel so very different-
i continue to be amazed at what the combo of the white and the sock yarn look like-
i like movies with ‘admittedly light’ plots- too much thinking interferes with my own admittedly skatty ability to follow along while doing other things (like breathing, sitting upright, etc)- anyway, it has sean connery in it, so what more could one want?
stay happy-
Barb - Durn tootin’ Sean Connery is still one of the most attractive men alive :) ‘Course I wouldn’t throw out Johnny Depp for eating crackers either :)
I enjoyed League too, it was mindless fun. I’ve had similar problems with dialogue. On a few DVDs, the sound has been barely audible and somewhat distorted. I wonder why that is?
Pam - No idea, I’m afraid. I just remember thinking about LXG that it must have been all but unielligible in the theatres :)
I loved the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen--pure and unadulterated eye candy. And yes, the sound levels were deeply annoying in the theatre since I could hear all the booms and crashes and whatnot but couldn’t reliably hear what people were saying.
Melanie - Yep, eye candy is exactly right and I particlarly like the periods clothing and architecture.
I’m not surprised at your theatre experience though; Myria tells me that theatre speakers are notoriously badly tuned.
You mean there are others who liked the movie too? I’m not alone! It’s a great movie to listen/semi-watch while knitting. A little action, great costumes, elaborate sets.
The baby set is cutey--why have the second sock match match? The baby will never know :)
Love the baby hat and sock. I had to match yarn for my last pair of socks. I thought the same thing...what to do with the leftover scraps.
Toni - Funny you should mention that :) I started the second sock the other night, only to find that despite all the yarn I’d pulled out trying to match the starting point of the first sock - it’s still not going to match.
And I guess you’re right, the baby won’t care.
Maureen - Well I’m just going to hang onto them for now. I can’t see tossing them and I’m sure they will be just perfect for something-or-other one of these days!
