my precious...

Monday Morning Mirth

 

The Return of the King, part 3 of the LOTR trilogy grabbed 11 Oscars last night. Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times: "There's joy in Middle-earth tonight. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" led the 76th annual Academy Awards with a record-tying 11 Oscars, including best picture and director. Vanquishing all opposition like the forces of Sauron, it won every category for which it was was nominated.

"It's a clean sweep!" exclaimed director Steven Spielberg as he looked inside the final envelope. "LOTR" tied with "Titanic" (1997) and "Ben-Hur" (1959) among all-time Oscar champions. It also became only the third movie to sweep every category in which it was nominated, after "Gigi'' (1958) and ''The Last Emperor'' (1987), which both went nine for nine."

Suspiciously missing was --- THE KING!

No-Ego Viggo was nowhere to be seen - possibly off on a pre-news junket rest before promoting HIDALGO globally. I, for one, was very disappointed the ACADEMY (snark) snubbed the VIG in the nomination department.

Instead, we get perpetual convict role-playing expert Sean Penn as Best Actor! Snark snark - at least he sort of looks like a character from Middle Earth!

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Many thanks to the lovely Laurie from the UK who sent me the cool phone card of THE KING! It is from France and says "Le Seignuer des Anneux"!

Check out her wonderful knitting HERE

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Best Dress: butOFcourse, Nicole in Chanel, mon petit!

Best Speech: RenÈe Zellweger (she's just kind...)

Worst Hair: although Billy Crystal referred to our very own El Guapo as "the sexiest man alive", Johnny (whose performance as Jack Sparrow is described as one part "KEITH RICHARDS, rolling stones, and PEPE LEPEW, the skunk") looked as if he'd fallen into a vat of Depp and couldn't get it OUT OF HIS HAIR!

Dig the YinYang here: Jack Black and Girlfriend

Fashion SlideShow

Lots of Pictures

Comments (10)

What's more fun than a barrel of monkeys? Why nothing, of course, except having a productive weekend...

Let me introduce the newest member of the ChicKnits Workshop, my *new* deco display mannequin.

One of the best things about living in a big city is that you can get/find almost everything - and so landed in the hut a nice pinnable display that strangely enough is MY SIZE!

Very helpful to try on the WIPs and see if they are proceeding to my liking...

I'd have to say, Oui! The Wavy Bulb is going full speed ahead and I couldn't be happier!

The scoop neck is actually going to work the way I planned it! I was afraid once I started picking up stitches that I'd STP but it was only low self esteem tickling my barin...

I picked up stitches around the neck in a 6:7 ratio with a #1 needle. Yes, this is on a garment that is knitted with #6s.

REASON: I wanted to build a *roll* in the collar so I wouldn't have to worry about it flopping all over the place. After 1/2", I switched up to #3s, after 1" of that, I've switched up to #4s.

This will continue every inch - to #5s - finally to #6s - continuing the remainder of the collar until it measures about 6" total.

This wiil make a nicely shaped 4x4 ribbed piece with no pesky increases...

Comments (17)

Driving me ever closer to a Spring Fever Breakdown, are the stores along Michigan Ave.

The Mag Mile is loaded up with all of newest nicities for Spring 2004. Calling to me the loudest is the display window at the Coach store. Coach is showing all sorts of PINK and by golly, a little chartreuse green.

I'm infected with this bug myself. The Rowan All Seasons Pink in the top left corner is destined for a near future design. The Chartruese Zara is a design by Kim Hargreaves called Fern. (Have you seen Alysia's progress on her Zara Fern? She has entered the ranks of top global CEOs and is fashioning that sweater so it fits her! Maintenez le bon travail, Mlle Olliewog!)

The right lower corner is the Wavy bulb magenta and lurking underneath is a protype for a new ChicKnits Spring fancy. It is a cool light pink and leads the parade as I run away from my home in Shrekville (almost) and take the path across the color wheel.

Comments (7)

aran goes to a party

Sooner or later, if you visit or live in Chicago, the meat wagon is going to get you. Doing my part for tourist and resident alike, I celebrated a belated birthday last night at the Weber Grill on State St. (that Great Street).

This restaurant has a huge signature Kettle Grill sticking out of the side of the building about two stories up; the first time I saw it I almost rear-ended the car in front of me.

A Beacon Of Beef! (calling my name...)

Now, I'm normally very restrained in the consumption department (yadda yadda all things in moderation my a**) but last night, sitting in my olive leather booth with fine friends and food there was nothing else to do but SURRENDER TO THE BABY BACKS...

You place your order and it's assigned to your own individual GRILL DUDE who takes your stuff does his (there were no Dudettes) thing on your (in my case) sweet potatoes, aspargus, ribs, etc. then delivers it personally to your table. Even though I watched this take place within steps of my head, I didn't get it until MY GRILL DUDE brought over a platter the size of Conneticut and set it down in front of me.

(Pardon Me. I have never seen the guy come out from behind the cook station and deliver the goods unless it was at the Paulina Grill at 4am and the fry cook wanted to bum a cigarette off of me...)

Ahem. These merry fellows had chef hats and TONGS galore. For real... But, what is up with the tong-age in every chefs hand? Are chefs now not allowed to learn how to use spoons and spatulas anymore but MUST WIELD THE TONG like its an orchestral manuever of the highest order. YAWN...

THE FOOD was so good I didn't care that I had barbeque sauce all over my lower face.

3.5***s

Comments (9)

think PINK

a ChicKnits StashALONG Presentation
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While rambling through my stash searching for pink yarn, I discovered these balls of Magenta Fixation!

THREE lucky people can have these
- email me -
and I will send you some
- ONE BALL per person -

This yarn is perfect for the fabulous
Java a Go GO design
by Mariko
in this issue of MAGknits!

Caroline is FIRST to scoop!

Janet comes in SECOND!

Minna: "Good morning! If there are any balls of the fixation left, I would love to use one to make a java coozie for a long-distance coffee-monkey friend of mine (she frequents the java joints in order to email me from her laptop). It's a win-win situation! I keep her chic and caffenated, and she keeps me updated on all that is hip in the city. (Yes, I'm the country mouse to her citified self.)" Move ALONG #3!