emily k(nits, watches, and writes)

I started knitting this guy on Thursday, June 23rd. Friday morning this is how far I had gotten:

Clinton

Today is Monday, June 27th, and here is how much I’ve gotten done:

Clinton

It’s been such a quick knit for me, mostly because I am so excited to switch colors. The gradation of the different colors is wonderful, and all you need to be able to do is work with two colors at once.

I’m following the tip from Mason Dixon knitting of turning stranded colorwork inside out. It helps keep the floats on the loose side.

When I was little, before the internet was a Big Thing and I could afford buying strategy guides for games, I would write letters to Nintendo asking for help. I got a few replies, yet this one was the most useful. I had written asking for two things: the location of the secret shells in Link’s Awakening for GameBoy, and the location of Master’s Emblems in SoulBlazer for SNES. A helpful gent named Dervin Camden (a pseudonym? perhaps… but an excellent one) sent me this reply:

Letter From Nintendo

If only customer service was this helpful nowadays. Well, I guess the internet takes care of that, doesn’t it? I think I wrote them this letter about a year before I got a reply. But hey! They still replied. Link’s Awakening and SoulBlazer are still two of my favorite games (I still have the poster that came in the box for SoulBlazer). Thanks, Nintendo.

So, you’ve found yourself hooked on Doctor Who thanks to PBS and/or BBC America. What next? Well, Netflix has every episode of the revival of Doctor Who, series 1 in 2005 through series 5 with Matt Smith in 2010, up and streaming through their service.

Doctor Who on Netflix

If you don’t have Netflix you can get a free trial very, very easily. And I guarantee you’ll be hooked. It’s the way of the future, man.

I very highly recommend watching through a PS3, Roku box, or Xbox360. The video quality is the best you can get, and watching it on your tv is really the best.

Now that we’re on summer break until the show returns in the fall, you’ve got plenty of time to catch up. Get to it!

I know it’s pretty easy to download episodes through torrent sites, but if you watch through Netflix it shows interest in the US! Something the BBC is starting to take very, very seriously. After all, they’ve been considering releasing an international iPlayer. Fancy.

I’m an unabashed Berroco fangirl so I’m not even going to bother explaining why I’m doing this. The Fall/Winter 2011 doesn’t have one book in particular that I’m flailing over, but there are a few patterns that I will for sure be lusting over when the booklets arrive this summer:

Clinton

Clinton is a stranded colorwork cowl where you only use two colors at a time. Sounds perfect to me. The color combinations are gorgeous and I am SO making this as soon as the booklet comes into the shop.

Fieldstone

Fieldstone. A seamless, top down pullover with a fair isle yoke, a bit of garter trim, and and some fair isle sleeve details. EZ would be so proud of this.

Panna

Panna, an open-front, boyfriend length cardigan with ribbed trim and garter stitch edging. Simple and beautiful.

Ekberg

Ah finally, some patterns for Flicker! These Ekberg mittens are adorable and I love the cuff details.

And from Norah Gaughan’s new book:

Nyx

Nyx, a luscious, cabled cowl with a hint of glitter from the tinsel in Blackstone Tweed Metallic. (Aside: is shiny coming back?)

Overall, not a bad season for Berroco patterns. I’m pretty disappointed in the lack of crochet patterns, though. And I fear what direction they might go without Cirilia Rose…

Now you can spice up your knits with a little Dalek action. Add these guys to any stockinette fabric that is a multiple of 10 stitches.

Use adorable, fun colors to emphasize how adorable we all know Daleks really are.

Daleks Marching

You can queue it up on Ravelry, and add it to your Google Docs.