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Today’s segments include: drafting, fully drafted, Lit Review and 5 favorite things: Graphic Novels edition, and noteworthy.
Drafting:
Afterthought Heel Socks by Laura Linneman in String Theory Continuum colorway Witch Head Nebula on size 1/2.25mm Hiya Hiya sharps.
Time Traveler Socks by Liz Sedmak in Marigoldjen sock colorway Galaxy on size 1/2.25mm Hiya Hiya sharps.
Saturn’s Rings Shawl by Verybusymonkey in Skinny Bugga colorway The Very Quiet Cricket on size 6/4.00mm signature circular.
Fully Drafted:
Afterthought Heel Socks by Laura Linneman in Vesper colorway Spring Time Happy Dance on size 0/2.0mm Hiya Hiya sharps. The Crystal Heel method!
Lit Review and 5 favorite things: Graphic Novels Edition
1. I wanted to buy myself something nice for my birthday, so I decided to pick up Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. It was a fun read, and quick–I read a chapter a night whenever I read before bed. Allie Brosh has a blog by the same name, and each chapter was a humorous non-fiction story based on the way she thinks about the world. The comic art complemented the text and was integral, but the art and text were separated unlike many graphic novels.
2. I enjoyed Hyperbole and a Half so much that I ended up seeking out and joining a graphic novels book club on Goodreads.
3. The book for March was Sandman Vol 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman. I’ve read all of the Sandman volumes before, but it’s been a few years. Gaiman’s work follows the Sandman character, a man/apparition? that causes dreams. In many of the volumes, Sandman is the main character, but in Vol 3 he is a peripheral character that appears in each of the 4 stories. I enjoyed each of the stories, especially the 3rd one that features William Shakespeare, who supposedly was inspired to write by the Sandman, hosting a play for lots of fantastical demons and other characters.
NOTE: I forgot to mention this graphic novel is dark, and sometimes a bit confusing, although this volume is clearer than some of the others. However, the dark quality of the storytelling is not for everyone, so keep that in mind before you read it.
4. The book for April was Hawkeye Vol 1: My Life as a Weapon by Matt Fraction. I just decided to get it because of the fantastic reviews, and not because I really like reading superhero graphic novels all that much. This graphic novel is not like most superhero graphic novels. It is funny, and the storytelling is great. Hawkeye is an underdog character without superhuman abilities; he’s just great at shooting arrows, and sometimes his arrows have special abilities. He’s also a bit self-deprecating, and he often finds himself falling in and out of trouble.
5. When I posted my review of Hawkeye on facebook this morning, a friend of mine wanted to know if the cover is based on the Hawkeye Initiative. I had to look up what the Hawkeye Initiative is, and it is an awesome feminist collection of memes where outrageous comic women are redrawn with the body of Hawkeye. Brilliant. I’m also feeling inspired by this collection of memes to create a meme assignment in my Visual Literacy class in the future. Memes are an awesome way to poke theoretical fun at ridiculous images and ideas about almost everything, including social issues like the feminist ones of this tumblr.
Noteworthy:
March’s yarn personal yarn club winner of happiest girl dyeworks is SallyFromIdaho
April’s yarn personal yarn club: Fleece Artist Merino 2/6
Events: Maryland Sheep and Wool, SSK, Huntingdon FiberArts Fest, and Knitter’s Day Out. Rhinebeck?
NOTE: I also forgot to mention that when I was in Indianapolis for a conference, I got to have dinner with JoAnnaSpring of the Knit Spin Farm podcast and Malia of the Yarnraising podcast, and we also played a couple of games of Hanabi. It is interesting to see how different groups play the same games–Malia had some house rules for Hanabi that made it a very different game than when I typically play it. I also just really enjoyed hanging out with them! Check out the picture of the 3 of us: