Tuesday, August 17, 2021

While Miz Kittling Knits: McDonald & Dodds

 

Between the pandemic and all the problems with my leg, I've been spending a lot of time at home with my legs elevated. It's extremely annoying, but at least I am fortunate. How am I fortunate? Two of my passions-- reading and knitting-- are sedentary. For anyone who reads my blog on a computer where they can see the entire page, sidebar and all, they see that I list what I'm reading by physical book, eBook, and audiobook. I've never had a problem reading more than one book at a time, and now I can take full advantage of three of the formats books come in. 

I always read in bed before going to sleep, and that's when I read my eBook. In the afternoons after writing blog posts, I read a physical book, but during the hour and a half before dinner, I knit and listen to an audiobook. Audiobook time is when I work on small projects. The afghans I knit are always kept for the evenings in front of the television with Denis.

Today, I'm going to share a couple of small projects that use the same type of yarn-- Isaac Mizrahi Craft Yarn-- in two different colors. I'm not going to go into detail about the yarn I used because it's been discontinued. All I'm going to say is (1) It's as soft as a cloud. (2) It's 100% acrylic. (3) It's absolutely gorgeous.

The first project can be used in multiple ways. I used one strand of the Mizrahi yarn, size 11 circular needles, and a simple knit one, purl one ribbing pattern.

This photo shows the ribbing stitch more clearly. I can use the finished piece as a bench cover.

Or I can use it as an incredibly soft and warm piece to keep my legs or shoulders warm.

I think of this as my Wrong Side of Goodbye project after what I was listening to while I knitted it (even though I also listened to a second book while I finished it).

The second project is a simple scarf in the same ribbing stitch. My Project Hail Mary scarf.

Here's a detail shot to show you the multi-colored metallic thread that runs through the Mizrahi yarn. It catches the light beautifully and really gives the finished product so much depth and style. I love it!

Okay. I was listening to audiobooks while I knitted these, but what was I watching while I was in the family room knitting an afghan? A Britbox original, McDonald & Dodds.

Synopsis: "A shy and enigmatic Detective Sergeant is partnered with a wildly ambitious Detective Chief Inspector to solve crimes in the historic city of Bath."

One of the major draws of these 90-minute episodes is the stunning photography in and around Bath, England. Gorgeous! It's a typical mismatched partners crime drama. McDonald is a Detective Chief Inspector determined to be the quickest on the fast track to bigger and better things. It's all technology, forensics, and speed with her. Her iPad is always with her, and she's always tapping away on it. In the first season, Detective Sergeant Dodds drove her crazy. He's quiet, unassuming, likes to investigate things his own way, and is considered a dinosaur who desperately needs to be thrown out to pasture. Why is Dodds a dinosaur, and why does he drive McDonald nuts? Because one of his preferred ways to investigate is to go to the library! (And therefore, one of the reasons why I love him.)

The second season has mellowed slightly because McDonald isn't a fool. She realizes that Dodds can be brilliant in his own way, and she even tells him that he makes her look good. (And the better she looks, the swifter she'll be on that fast track.)

Britbox is doling out season two episodes at the rate of one per week. The way Denis and I are lapping them up, I think we should've waited until they were all available so we could do a little binge watching!

9 comments:

  1. I like McDonald and Dodds, too, Cathy. And one thing I really like about is is that the characters are developing over time. They're forming a better partnership in the second season, and I like that. And about your knitting? I love the blend of different shades in that yarn - it's beautiful!

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    1. Yes, I really appreciate the character development, too. It's completely unrealistic to think that two people working together won't change in the slightest over time.

      I love this yarn and all the colors it comes in. The main color is soft as a cloud, and that metallic thread running through it gives it sparkle, depth, and life.

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  2. We enjoyed the first season of McDonald and Dodds, too, but have let Britbox go on a temporary hiatus, so it will be a while before we see season two. We've just begun a made-for-Acorn series called Dead Still that's about a Victorian age photographer who specializes in posing corpses for one last family photo. It's really well produced and the characters are very believable.

    Happy Reading! Hope you feel much better soon, but I do admire the way you're not letting this get to you.

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    1. I tried Dead Still, and it just didn't grab me enough to keep watching. On the other hand, Denis and I have been gobbling up Line of Duty like it's going out of style. Really like the story lines in LOD.

      I'm feeling good. In fact, Denis and I will be heading out to the zoo in an hour or so!

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  3. First of all, that yarn is lovely with all of those colors running through it. I wonder why it's discontinued. Puzzling.

    Second, McDonald and Dodds sounds interesting. I"ll look out for it.

    Third, I watched four seasons of Line of Duty and I liked it much. Very intense, interesting characters and good plots. I must try to find the fifth season.

    And the acting! What can I say? It's a stellar cast.

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    1. This yarn has been "out" for several years. It's normal for different types and colors to be discontinued after a certain length of time, particularly if sales have dropped off. I fell in love with it and bought several skeins in all the available colors a couple of years ago.

      Denis and I have both Britbox and Acorn. We're currently on season five of Line of Duty on Acorn, and we'll switch to Britbox for season six. We'll be sad when we're caught up... but we can't stop watching!

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  4. Your reading habits work well! McDonald & Dobbs sounds good, and I need a bingeable outlet right now. :)

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    1. I know what you mean. Denis and I are bingeing on Line of Duty.

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  5. Line of Duty is very good. Keeley Hawes is fantastic, a totally different person chatting on a late-night show. Funny, gorgeous, making fun of her character's personality changes. She said she never knew which persona was showing up at work when she was in Line of Duty.

    I also liked Thandi Newton a lot when she was featured.

    Now to find seasons 5 and 6.

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