engrossing x 3

engrossing #1
At the weekend I watched the SF film District 9 with D. He'd already been to the cinema to see it with J1, but I had to wait till the DVD came out. 

It's the most unusual film that I've seen in a long time. It's partly shot in normal film style, partly as a documentary, intercut with footage from CNN style news crews and images from the CCTV cameras. Visually it's gripping.

The story is based in South Africa where an alien ship has been stationed in the sky over Jo'burg for 20 years, the aliens are living in refugee style camps, District 9. The aliens are not humanoid but resemble large insect/prawn type creatures. They are both feared and envied for their technological advancement. Man's inhumanity to man and other sentient species was thoroughly explored.

It was a riveting film, as you would expect from Peter Jackson, and I had to put my knitting to one side to concentrate!

engrossing #2

I've been spending a bit too much time playing Farmville on Facebook. It's so cute! But what a time suck! I'm going to have be as tough on myself as I am on the kids and their computer games, which is going to be odd playing both roles, but it's eating into my knitting time. It's all very well collecting the wool from the sheep on my farm but I want to play with it IRL. Gah!
Still, the serious articles complaining that Farmville isn't like real farming (well, duh!) made me laugh!!

engrossing #3

I can now see why some knitters get fixated on lace. I started this blanket Cerys in Madeira, made one or two mistakes, but I was going to leave them in. Came home, made several more mistakes and frogged it back to the provisional cast on.

Now I'm taking it much more slowly, recounting every lace line, have markers in at strategic points, am using a highlighter pen on the pattern and, most importantly, focussing on it and nothing else- no TV on, no netbook on the sofa beside me, no audio books plugged in my ears, just peace, perfect peace. and so far, I've got one pattern repeat done!

But it's such a joy to see the pattern emerging, and the handdyed yarn from yarnaddict Anni (the designer, Anniken Allis) is gorgeous and still reminds me of the changing colours of the Atlantic.

Progress will be slow, but well worth it.

PS- the football was not engrossing this weekend as my team were walloped 7-2 by Chelsea. Gah!