hand eye crafts

Most excellent!  It seems like there's enough interest in Classic KH and KC to give it a whirl come February.  Thank you for your enthusiasm. A couple of issues come to mind, though.  Do we limit our nominees only to those of whom photos exist?  I have a friend who would like to spend time with Buddha, but what sort of image would I use?  Also, do we run into the problem of people not wanting to vote against someone because it's, oh, say, Buddha ? Still, I'm willing to try it if all of you are.  It looks like several of you already have nominees in mind!  As for me, there are a couple of locks: Those of you who are due prize packages from me, know that I'm waiting for a couple of last-minute additions to arrive.  The boxes will be to you as quickly as possible.

It might have started with this photo: Maybe this one:    Then again, it might have been this: Whatever started them, however, I have had several conversations about how people who aren't with us any longer would have made wonderful Knitters' Hunks or Knitters' Chicks.  You see where this is going, right? Would you be interested in "Classic" KH and KC contests?  (Not, as my child said, "Dead People KH.") I'm thinking February, as that would slice the year right in half.  Let me know what you think.

Looking back on this year's Knitters' Hunk and Knitters' Chick contests: There were more contestants I didn't know this year than ever before. The fields were varied and very interesting, I thought.   What did men's suits do before Colin Firth came along to wear them? All photos of Judi Dench are remarkable;  they show so much character.  I found myself just looking at them longer than was technically needed, because they enchanted me so. In many of the photos I went through, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Heughan liked a lot alike. More portraits need to be black and white.  Well, all portraits need to be in black and white, but that's just me. Very big thanks to Twinnie for allowing Calypso/Bomber to be our mascot. (By the way, good job on the halter lesson C/B!) If you'll remember, I said that I had a post-contest announcement to make.  That's still true;  stay tuned!

Your mom is not alone, honey. And, oh yeah, he has a twin brother.

I would have sworn that I published the post with the KH and KC winners after the polls closed last night.  I didn't see that I didn't until signing on a while ago.  Sorry!  These are the final vote summaries: Judi Dench 16 45.71% 45.71% Michelle Obama 19 54.29% 54.29% Henrik Lundqvist 18 62.07% 62.07% Ewan McGregor 11 37.93% 37.93% (Not sure why the blue squares are showing up;  sorry again.) Now for the winning nominators. Terry  nominated Mrs. Obama, so she gets the Knitters' Chick Grand Prize.  (If she'll send me her address, that is.  Terry, it is the name of this blog at hotmail dot com.) Jorene  nominated Dame Judi, so she gets the KC Runner-Up Prize.  To fully disclose --- Jorene is my cousin.  She is a stalwart supporter of these contests, sending voters over from her Facebook feed. Congratulations to you both, and to Michelle and Judi. On the Knitters' Hunk side, Camille  got Henrik Lu...

Knitters' Chick 2017 Michelle Obama Knitters' Hunk 2017 Henrik Lundqvist (Back later today to announce the winning nominators.)

"Hang on;  let me get over there to you." "Is this good?  Am I in my light?" "Vote, people!  It's your chance to choose a champion! (Working on my alliteration skills --- what do you think?") You heard Calypso --- get to it! I Want The 2017 Knitters' Chick To Be I Want The 2017 Knitters' Hunk To Be

No, sillies.   This kind of semis: KC Semifinal 1 KH Semifinal 1 KC Semifinal 2 KH Semifinal 2 Just one day after this one. . . All winners announced Saturday!!

It isn't entirely true that all the KH and KC winners are surprises for me.  I'm sure that those of you who've participated over the years can also "predict" what's going to happen based on the nominees.  The sublime variety of nominees this year has kept that from happening too much, so thank you!  Still, there are a few whose presence do not surprise me. Semifinals tomorrow, then Finals (and winners) by the weekend.  We're almost done!! KC Q.3 KH Q.3 KC Q.4 KH Q.4

We're dealing with fraction terms now, what with "Quarters" and "Semis." So, yes, those arithmetic and math lessons are  coming in helpful.  (Thank you, Mr. Gee at PDS/USN: my favorite math teacher ever.) Each year, I block the "View Results" function on the polls, so that the winners will be true surprises.  This year, I'm going to start that with the Semis, so this (Quarterfinal) round will be your last chance to keep up with what's going on, vote by vote. You'll adjust.  Trust me. KH Q.1 KH Q.2 KC Q.1 KC Q.2

Once you break a tie. KC 3.3 Tiebreaker KH 3.5 KC 3.5 KH 3.6 KC 3.6 KH 3.7 KC 3.7 KH 3.8 KC 3.8

Here are some words I'd never imagined myself having to type: Riley did not like this food.  She turned her nose up and sashayed herself and her fluffy tail right out of the kitchen every time, and every way, I tried to give it to her.  The taste?  The texture?  The shape of the kibbles?  No idea.   Erin did  like it, however.  She hasn't devoured it, but she hasn't refused it. This is the first Chewy product I can remember not being a hit here.  Each month, I receive products from Chewy.com to test and review.  There are never any monetary transactions, and my opinions are true reflections of our experiences.

There keep being ties! Which means there had to be an emergency KH/KC Board meeting this morning to decide what to do.  Okay, it wound up being a unilateral decision. Sterling K. Brown and Peter Dinklage tied for a second time, so they'll both be put up against the person who's waiting for them in the Third Round.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Michelle Obama tied for the first time, so they will be given one more try at determining a clear winner, then go to a head-to-head-to-head match-up it there's still a tie.  (By the way, the same person nominated Ginsburg and Obama.  Hi, Terry!)  Actually, there are fifteen people (15!) still eligible for nominator prizes, several of them with multiple nominees left.  The Tenth Anniversary is going great!

Well, eight at time . . . KC 3.1 KH 3.1 KC 3.2 KH 3.2 KC 3.3 KH 3.3 KC 3.4 KH 3.4 Remember, no Sunday voting.  Rest your brains, as we will be crowning our new champions in mere days.  Get outside, enjoy some fresh air, maybe even some sunshine.  Take direction from Calypso here:

Okay.  Let's settle these.  The goal is to fill out the Round of Sixteen bracket, though we'll be able to begin voting on half of it tomorrow.  Then, remember, no voting on Sunday. There are still a  lot  of you in the running for prizes.  If someone you nominated is still in, so are you. KC 2.9 Tiebreaker KH 2.10 Tiebreaker KH 2.13 Tiebreaker

We here at KH/KC HQ hope you are all well and fighting-fit.  The vote totals have doubled, tripled even, in the last couple of days.  Is someone out there "cheating"?  You little scamps. . . Yesterday's voting brought the closest finishes yet, with three races ending in ties, four by one vote, the last by three.  So, there will be tiebreakers tomorrow, before we officially get to the final sixteen.  While I pull them together, an amuse bouche for you today: KC 2.13 KC 2.13 KC 2.14 KC 2.15 KH 2.14 KH 2.14 KH 2.15 KH 2.16 KH 2.17

Believe it or not, the day after tomorrow we will begin The Round of Sixteen!  We're doing nothing but picking up speed . . . KC 2.9 KC 2.10 KC 2.11 KC 2.12 KH 2.10 KH 2.11 KH 2.12 KH 2.13

Trust me.  I know how ridiculously difficult some of these pairings can be.  When I'm filling out the brackets, I try to be sure no one has two of their nominees facing off in the First Round.  Other than that, I allow randomness --- randomosity? --- randominion? --- randominique, nique, nique? take care of the rest.

In my little parcel of Athens, over the last 36 hours, there have been winds like I've never experienced.  There are lots of branches in the yard, and the wooden bench on the porch was blown into the yard, but none of the trees came down.  I never lost power.  I'm luckier than most of Athens, and infinitely luckier than those south of me.  Keep all of them strengthened and comforted with your thoughts. I got to do something for today that I've only gotten to do a couple of times in the last ten years, and that's use a photo of both nominees in a match-up. The other day on Facebook, I bemoaned the lack of pictures of people in tiaras/hats. It was because of the first pairing here. There are lots and lots of pictures of QE II in hats, tiaras, crowns, what have you. Michelle Obama? Not so much. The Bomber says, "Off you go!" KC 2.5 KC 2.6 KC 2.7 KC 2.8 KH 2.5 KH 2.6 KH 2.7 KH 2.8 KH 2.9

Are you ready for Round Two?  You might want to take some power naps, eat some power bars, breathe some powerful breaths, 'cause --- I'm telling you --- there are some doozies of match-ups coming. Let's be happy, though, shall we?  There are some wonderfully beautiful people out there in this world. KC 2.1 KC 2.2 KC 2.3 KC 2.4 KH 2.1 KH 2.2 KH 2.3 KH 2.4

It seems like everyone I know knows someone in/from Florida.  I hope and pray that those you care about are safe, and that your mind is at ease.   Round One of Knitters' Hunk is done.  Round Two of Knitters' Chick can begin, too, as Julia Roberts won the second tiebreaker against Bonnie Raitt.  Several compliments on nominees have come in, so be proud.  Specifically, the nominator of Gwendoline Christie and the nominator of Peter Coyote have received a "Brilliant!" We will move on, electricity willing.  Thank you all, and know I'm thinking about you and yours.

Calypso makes his first mascot appearance to tell you that there will be no voting tomorrow.  And he emphasizes that message with his hardest stare.  Do not question Calypso. KC Tiebreaker KH 1.19 KH 1.20 KH 1.21 KH 1.22 (BTW, the name is "Henrik," not "Henry." My bad.) KH 1.23 KH 1.24

You'll notice that the number of choices you have to make today is a little odd.  These are the last of the Round One match-ups for KC.  Tomorrow, you'll see the last of KH Round One, and I just tried to split things up a little. Also, if you haven't seen one (or more) of your nominees yet, don't panic.  Lots of people got first round byes. Yesterday's victors: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Emma Thompson Emma Watson  Daniel Craig Idris Elba    Jerome Flynn Jon Hamm Yesterday gave us our first tie.  We will, then, revisit Bonnie Raitt & Julia Roberts tomorrow.  KC 1.13 KC 1.14 KC 1.15 KC 1.16 KC 17 KH 1.13 KH 1.14 KH 1.15 KH 1.16 KH 1.17 KH 1.18

The latest winners are Patti Smith Dolly Parton Michelle Obama Reese Witherspoon (By a single vote.) David Tennant Milo Ventimiglia Peter Coyote (By two votes.) Justin Trudeau As for today, we must ask that you keep your "OMG"s and whistles to a minimum, as outbursts sometimes disturb other voters. Thank you. KC 1.9 KC 1.10 KC 1.11 KC 1.12 KH 1.9 KH 1.10 KH 1.11 KH 1.12

Seriously.  It seems like we just starting voting yesterday. Oh.  Yeah. The first day's winners: Salma Hayek Gwendoline Christie Amal Clooney Mackenzie Davis Patrick Stewart Hugh Grant Alexander Skarsgard Robert Redford KC 1.5 KC 1.6 KC 1.6 KC 1.7 KC 1.8 KH 1.5 KH 1.6 KH 1.7 KH 1.8

Poll workers will check you in.  You have until 11:59 PM Tuesday to cast your votes. Your ballots: KC 1.1 KC 1.2 KC 1.3 KC 1.4 KH 1.1 KH 1.2 KH 1.3 KH 1.4

Please believe that how the names come out of the Fedora of Fate is utterly out of my control.  I just write them down as the appear.  Don't hurt the messenger, k? Without identifying anyone in the field, here are my thoughts on the first day of looking for pictures: I never knew who the woman in the shampoo commercial was until the search for a KC photo revealed her to me. If the picture of your nominee used isn't one you particularly like, I'm sorry.  There are lots of people in the contest that I'm not familiar with. I spent just short of five hours  yesterday looking for photos.  Sometimes, matches are dang hard to find.

Can you monger anything other than fish, cheese, or whores? What does a glove fit as well as? Why call them "imponderables"?  They're the most ponderable questions of all. Do you really know the back of your hand that well?  Could you pick it out of a lineup? If it's hard out there for a pimp, go inside every once in a while. You know that if she keeps goin' 'round the mountain, she's not going to get anywhere, right?  She has to go up now and again. People don't express their First Amendment rights.  They express their opinions under the protection of, or due to, the First Amendment. Whatever became of birthday "spankings" --- the ones that ended with "And one to grow on"? Why would you even have  a cake if you weren't going to eat it, too? And why would you have a contest without an adorable mascot? This is Calypso, my  Twinnie's  alpaca.  She has given permission for him to be our mascot, and so shal...

The brackets are filled out. The seeds go in first, since they have to be in specific spaces.  Oh, and here are the seeds: KH 1.  Ewan McGregor 2.  Denzel Washington 3.  Sam Elliott 4.  Mike Rowe 5.  Kit Harington 6.  Gerard Butler 7.  Nikolaj Coster-Waldau 8.  Chris Hemsworth 9.  Sam Heughan 10.  Justin Trudeau KC 1.  Helen Mirren 2.  Tina Fey 3.  Maggie Smith 4.  Isabella Rossellini 5.  Sandra Bullock 6.  Lily Tomlin 7.  Gal Gadot 8.  Kate McKinnon 9.  Queen Elizabeth II 10.  Meryl Streep 11.  Elizabeth Warren 12.  Betty White Once the seeds are in, I go back and forth, side to side, filling in names going down the page.  I will skip if the names drawn are nominees from the same person.  Otherwise, it's completely random, and  Well, you'll see.  Starting Tuesday.

Because it is the First of September, let me say Happy Birthday, Barry Gibb.  💞 It's a day of rest here at KH/KC HQ.  Not because it's Barry's birthday, although that would be sufficient reason.  It's because all the nominations are in, and there's a chance to deep-breathe before filling out the brackets.  At some point in the day, the seeds will be set, which needs to be done before the brackets can  be filled.  The first four seeds in both contests are  those  who went in automatically, followed by people who were nominated by more than one person, with ties broken by alphabetizing.  Showing you how to make sausage again, aren't I? Your choices, as ever, are wondrous, with many new (and new to me) faces this year.  Many faces I will thoroughly enjoy looking at (and looking at) as I comb for pictures. Thank all of you for joining me in this every year.  Good luck!