Knitting Friday

Although, I have a conversation going on Ravelry about whether to knit a useful or pretty baby blanket and right now, my prime concern is finishing said baby blanket; I did not forget my promise: there is a pattern and a picture for today’s Knitting Friday.

Just moments ago, I finished the lace summer top which I had also finished for last week’s Knitting Friday. The difference with last week was that then, moments before posting the pattern and picture, I ripped the damn thing out. No, I didn’t “frog”, a cute little word all knitters use. I dug deep into the viscera of that ill-fitting garments and gutted it.

Having said the above, and gotten a psychic closure by doing so, I can happily report that I then spent a week of slightly blissful (though with cliff-hanger quality: Will I fail again?) week, re-knitting the top.

Before the actual pattern, some particulars.
1. This one I made with half-sleeves in stockinette. My original plan was sleeves in simple lace (*YO, K2tog*) but that looked homemade and somehow, granny-squarish.
2. I worked the hem last without starting with a provisional cast on. When this works, it’s always the easiest way to go. This time it worked. So I was able to start right in on the body of the sweater and finish the hem later.
3. I dropped down 2 needle sizes for the body (compared to last week) and did the lace hem in a needle size one down from even that.
4. The neck and sleeve edgings are done in double crochet crab stitch.
5. Starting with this pattern, a list of all abbreviations will precede all patterns. Check them or you may think the pattern is written in short hand. (Since you are reading this pattern online, you can google for any stitch or procedure explanation. There are great online explanations available. Far better than anything I could tell you.)
6. This is a generic pattern. I will tell you the number of stitches/rows that I used in parentheses.. You should base your calculations on your measurements. And now, the pattern.

Lace Hem Summer Top

Abbreviations: (in alphabetical order)
BO = bind off
CO = cast one
DC - double crochet
Dec = decrease
DPN = Double Pointed Needles
Inc = increase
K = Knit
K2tog = Knit 2 stitches together
LF/LB = Left Front & Left Back
LS = Left side
N(s) = needle (RN for right needle; LN for left)
P = Purl
P2tog = Purl 2 stitches together
PU = Pick Up
RF/RB = Right Front & Right Back
RS = Right side;
SC = Single Crochet
St(s) = stitch(es)
St St = stockinette stitch
SSK = as I do it: slip 1 sttich, K 1 stitch , pass slip 1 over K1 & off needle for L slanting decrease
YO = Yarn over
*............* = repeat instructions between asterisks to end of row/round or number of times listed

Equipment: Cotton DK weight (sorry I don’t know the yardage); US 8 and US 9 circular and double pointed needles -(or appropriate Ns for your yarn with 1 N at 1 size smaller.); Row counter; H Crochet hook

With US needles, CO on the appropriate number of sts for the body of the garment. (120 sts)
Join work and K in the round to the armholes. (No need to count rows here.)
Front at Armhole: Divide stitches in half (60 sts) Now working in rows on RS, BO 3 sts on first (K) row. Turn work and BO 3 sts at beg of second (P) row. (Note: By using circular needles I just “store” the stitches for the back on my needle.)
Work even in st st (K 1 row, P 1 row) on these sts (½ of total minus 6 BOs) to neckline. (31 rows)
Front at Neckline, Right Shoulder: (Note: You will now be dividing your front sts into approximate thirds. (on 54 sts, 18 - 18 -18)
Row 1 RS: K across the first third of sts to 3 sts before last st. K2tog, K1. Turn.
Row 2: P back.
Repeat Rows 1 & 2, 2xs. (15 sts) Then continue in st st to shoulder edge. (42 rows total) Do not BO. Put sts on holder.
Front Neckline, Left Shoulder: Starting at RS, BO middle one-third portion of sts . (18 sts.) Now working on the last third of the sts (18 sts):
Row 1 RS: K1, SSK, K across
Row 2 WS: P across
Repeat Row 1 & 2, 2xs (15 sts) Then work to shoulder in st st as other side. (42 rows total) Put sts on holder.
Back at Armhole and Neckline: Repeat as for Front at Armhole and Neckline.
Binding off: Using a 3-Needle BO, graft the stitches on holders together (LF to LB and RF to LF)
Sleeves: With US 9 DPN, PU stitch for stitch around armhole (49 sts). K in round until desired length. (34 sts.) BO.
Finishing:
Bottom Body Hem: With US 8 DPN or circulars, PU even numbered stitch for stitch around bottom of body. (120 sts)
Round 1: *YO, K2tog* Round 2: *K*
Repeat these two rows for at least 1 inch. BO not loosely or tightly.
Bottom Sleeve Hem: With crochet hook (H), work a DC in crab stitch evenly across. (Note: Crab stitch is working a SC from Left to Right. DC crab stitch is working a DC from Left to Right. While a SC crab stitch is usually stitch for stitch, the DC crab stitch makes a bigger stitch and you may have to work every other stitch across for an even look.) Cut yarn.
Neck Finishing: With crochet hook (H), DC crab stitch evenly across the neck stitches. Cut yarn.
(Note: Getting this even was more difficult here than the sleeves. I like the way it looks and falls but you may wish to use another neck finishing.)
Weave in ends and block as desired.
(Lace Top unblocked is pictured at right. I think it looks like a kid's sweater (no shaping) but it works once it's on.)

That’s it for today. Now, I tackle the baby blanket.

Happy knitting.

Website Wednesday

I didn't forget that I promised a "manly" website pick this week and I had googled the Boy Scout Manual and was poised to give that a go.

Then...... I googled "Boy Scouts of America and atheism" and "Boy Scouts of America and homosexuality"where I read that the Boy Scouts allow no homosexuals nor atheists to join their revered group.

The cleaned-up version of my first reaction was: You dirty, rotten scoundrels. These are kids you're talking about. From another website, I learned what a Boy Scout is supposed to be:

Trustworthy, and Loyal and Helpful and Friendly and Courteous and Kind and Obedient and Cheerful and Thrifty and Brave and Clean and Reverent.

Should we add closed minded and bigoted to the list?

Who thought of that great idea, Boy Scouts? Discriminate against young boys who don't fit your ideal. Afraid a 7 year old atheist will topple the religious structure of the world? Convinced a 7 year old understands homosexuality and will use the Boy Scouts as his recruiting ground for this "deviant" lifestyle?

And then my next cleaned up verbal reaction was: You, inglorious bastards.

You are tax exempt, you use public building for meetings and public lands for camping but you wave the banner of: We're a private, not public, organization. Don't touch us. whenever it suits your purposes. So I, the American tax-payer, wind up paying for your practices which would be shot down as discriminatory in any public entity. And somewhere, is the Boy Scout Council smiling and thinking: Yeah, ain't that grand?

So there will be no linking to the online Boy Scout Manual. Which is sad. It's a good manual with excellent advice for boys - and girls. Which is doubly sad because the Boy Scouts do such good work for the boys who fit into their band of accepted beliefs.

Perhaps the Boy Scouts should look to the Unitarian Universalist congregation for a new core belief:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person.

That sounds so much more like what a Boy Scout should believe.

Which brings to me my pick for Website Wednesday: How to Carve a Duck Decoy

A simple explanation of the procedure is found:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4885652_carve-duck-decoys.html

A step-by-step illustrated explanation is found:

http://www.theduckblind.com/cyberclassroom/huntingdecoy/huntingdecoyarticle1.htm

And some more interesting duck decoy reading with a bit of philosophy is here:

http://www.paintduckdecoy.com/

Truth be told, I don't like hunting fowl or animals for sport. (Though I might make an exception to decrease the goose population.) However, I love duck decoys as decoration. It's an example of form following function and the form on some of these decoys, which are priced way out of my range, is magnificent.

No way do I consider this a "manly" art and I know a very skilled female carver and a little girl who is in heaven if you give her soft wood and a knife. But duck decoy carving isn't decorating a room or cooking a recipe so this ones for you, guys.

Enjoy and send me a picture of a finished carving and I'll post it.

Movie Monday with Random Thoughts

I don’t think I’ve been neglecting my blog; I just think the substance has been pretty thin. Take last Knitting Friday. I had all the best intentions but, as you know, I wound up frogging the summer top after I had taken the picture for posting. But on the positive side, the summer top is on the needles again and this time I think it’s a road to success.

Then there was my plan to take a look at the movies in the WWII war years in the U.S. That would be 1942 (since we declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941) through 1945. I made of list of all the non-battle movies in those years and then I hit the wall. I lost interest and I don’t think churning out a blog just because “You promised.” is a good idea. So that plan is on the back (far back) burner.

I do think I took a good look at CGIs in movies. I could have been more thorough and referenced web articles or hard copy references. But most of us don’t watch movies while referring to text books and I wanted this to be my take on CGIs alone. I did forget to mention in my review of Beowulf last week that the horses looked like Playmobile horses especially in the rump area. I guess that could help you date the age of the special effects crew.

But then this weekend, I slipped again. Appaloosa was on (The one with Harris and Mortensen, not the 1960s one with Brando which always seems to be mistakenly included as the plot summary and review for the Harris movie) and I fell asleep. All my good intentions couldn’t keep those little eyes open. I was really interested in reviewing that movie since I had reviewed the trailer for it. But it was not to be.

I did sit through another weekend of Harry Potter and the gang. I’ve decided that I really don’t like the Harry Potter movies and as the series churns towards its endgame, I don’t think the directors like them that much either any more. But the Potter movies make great white noise. Like the comfortable old shoes, they make you feel good but you don’t always want to look at them.

I did see most of a French film (name to follow after I do some serious searching) about a woman judge who was appointed to clean up corruption. Apparently, she got too close to power and at the end of the film she is being told that she did a fine job and now she will be reassigned. Will she go quietly? At this point, like all good foreign films, her husband jumps off a roof. Why not? Those crazy French. So the movie ends with the husband alive but badly injured and the judge saying: Screw the bastards. (In French of course so it’s real fancy sounding.) And you are left with the question: Is she saying: Screw the bastards, I don’t need this hassle. I’ll play along and take the transfer. or is she saying: Screw the bastards, I’m going to bring them all down.

French movies will keep coffee houses alive in France because that’s where millions of Frenchmen must wind up after the movies drinking too much coffee, smoking and discussing themes. (At least, that’s my idealized version of the French.)

But I do find foreign movie more thought provoking than almost all American movies such as Eagle Eye? Beowulf? Coffee? A smoke? A thought? after seeing those. I doubt it. (OK, I know smoking is bad. I don’t smoke but give me some wiggle room here.)

I’d like to hear from anyone who can name 10 current thought provoking American films. That is films which have at least a limited release; and I mean more than one art house in East Podunk.

I’d even settle for a list of five such movies. Extra points for such a movie released by a major studio. There’s a challenge for you.

See you next Monday.

Sermon on Sunday

Probably those living under rocks in the U.S. don’t know that there was a huge political scandal in NJ this week involving rabbis, primarily low level state politicians, and human kidneys. No kidding. It really is the making for a classic joke set-up: 5 rabbis, 3 assemblymen and a human kidney walk into a bar……..

But leaving the chuckling aside, Charles Stiles in NorthJersey.com :

http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/A_body_blow_to_Corzines_reelection.html

muses as to whether this scandal is the knock-out blow to Governor Corzine’s re-election. Apparently, outside of the rabbis and one Republican, the sting netted all Democratic politicians. But Chris Christie (the Republican gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Attorney for the District of NJ) can deny * any political motivation for these arrests by saying: Hey, fellas, this was a sting to catch money launderers (the rabbis). I had no idea that it would lead to politicians (Did I mention they were Democratic politicians?) being caught up in the sting.

The whole scandal really isn’t the point of this posting. If Corzine hadn’t squandered so much of his four years in office he wouldn’t be standing on the precipice now.

This is about how once again the Democratic leadership refused to take the lead with the issue which the Republicans have molded into a club and beaten them over the head with. The issue is: No new taxes. In fact, let’s cut more taxes Republicans say. And the Democrats just run in circles crying: Oh no, we don’t want to raise your taxes either.

Jesus H. Christ. Get a backbone, fellas. Citizens have to pay taxes. That’s how roads get repaired, kids get educated, sick people get well. And if you want what we all seem to think is a “democracy” in this country, then the guys in the trophy homes and not the cashiers at Walmart have to pay more, not less, in taxes.

Stop shying away from collecting taxes. It’s like telling the kid he doesn’t have to brush his teeth, study, or exercise. It’s too late to start changing things when a stupid, fat, toothless adult is standing before you.

The time is now to tell Americans that taxes must be paid for the society to work. And then, and listen up guys, it’s time to tell them that you are going to come down hard on any and all government corruption. I probably wouldn’t recommend the draconian punishments China imposes on their corrupt officials, but I would be sending a bunch to Attica. And while you’re getting rid of Gitmo, nuke your Club Feds at the same time.

Americans have so often shown their penchant to listen to the loonies. All these wackos really have going for them is that they’re loud and persistent.

How about the “good guys” getting loud and persistent with constructive ideas. You might be surprised that America is ready to listen.

*He was accused of trying to torpedo Corzine in the last election –Christie wasn’t running then – by hinting of a possible indictment of NJ’s Democratic U.S. Senator Robert Menendez just before the election.

A Late, Frustrating Knitting Friday

Well, the garment was completed. The picture was taken. All that remained was to upload the picture, cut and paste the text and Knitting Friday would be done for another week.

You would have a new picture, a summer top this time, and the pattern to go with it.

Obviously never a believer of leaving well enough alone, I tried on the top before posting.

Did you hear the wailing? The damn thing was too big!. I don't think the *YO, K2tog* lace border would have been a problem but the stockinette stitch body was flabby. I finally understood why knitters complain that the models must have the garments pinned in the back for a better fit. I grabbed a clothespin and jabbed it in the back for a much better look.

But not wanting to design an avant garde use for clothespins so I could explain their presence down the back of this top: I frogged.

At present, as I type, the top has gone from a US 10 1/2 needle cast-on of 126 stitches to a US 9 needle cast-on of 120 stitches. I've worked three rows of stockinette in the round. So, the adventure begins again.

I was going to provisionally cast on this time and then add a lace hem later but I was lazy and I think I'll be able to pick up the stitches from the bottom without any trouble. This way I can tweak the size at the hem if I have to.

So far, I'm still going with a straight up stockinette stitch with a slight decrease of 3 stitches each side at the armhole. Then once the armholes are done, I'll work the lace pattern: Round 1: *YO, K2tog* Round 2: Knit, for the sleeves. Originally, I planned on a cap sleeve but I may do a half sleeve. It'll be open enough for summer wear.

When I did the fateful trying-0n, I was checking for the look of the sleeves. I had started the lace for the sleeves and I wanted to see how it was going before I continued. That was fine. Little did I expect a major fit problem instead.

And no, I did not swatch. I always cast on about 120 stitches for the body of my garments. It wasn't my fault! It was the cotton yarn. Bad cotton!

So that's the explanation. What it really means is that I lost almost a week of knitting (though my black shawl is coming nicely.) Next week, I hope to have the pattern and the picture (s) up.

Have a week of happy knitting. I hope I have one also.

Website Wednesday

I awakened to a CNN TV image of that woman in red yelling about "I demand to see Obama's original birth certificate." and then I had to eliminate my original website choice for today because as I dug deeper I felt it had an agenda with which I was uncomfortable. So, I'm going to take a little detour before I get to Website Wednesday.

I’ve been thinking about all the yahoos out there in the U.S. who are getting air time to stand up and shout that the U.S. president, Barack Obama, is not a U.S. citizen. This ranting probably makes them happy. Fame is great in the U.S. and the loonier your belief, the more media exposure you seem to get. Plus, with this issue, people can escape the label of racist; after all, it’s only a birth certificate they are demanding. They are saying nothing about the fact that the U.S. president is a B-L-A-C-K man. It’s a win-win situation for them.

Of course, for the image and ethos of this country, it just sinks us further into the primordial muck.

The U.S. has always had its population of "I’m a true American and you’re not" since soon after our founding. When the first large wave of immigrants came to the United States (that is after the county was formed), many who were here before (true Americans) were angry. Irish, Germans, Roman Catholics, etc. were targeted for violence. Starting in the early 1830s, mobs burned immigrant buildings and in 1843 the American Republican Party called for a platform demanding “the disfranchisement of Catholics and the foreign-born." (Dumas Malone, Empire of Liberty, p. 604, 1960 - yes, I have a lot of history books.) Later, this group became the Native American Party (known as the Know Nothing Party, not because they were stupid but because they professed to “Know nothing” about their Party if asked) and ran a national ticket lead by Millard Fillmore. The interesting thing here is that while Fillmore only carried Maryland, he “polled a large popular vote.” (Malone, p. 657)

So, don’t dismiss bigoted or racist rantings. They have had a vocal popular following throughout the U.S. history and now they have the ubiquitous pulpit of television.

OK, you say: Enough diversion, where is Website Wednesday?

Well, it’s right here:

http://www.budget101.com/

I think you’ll like Budget101.com. OK, it has a web mistress but there are neat tips for men. Like how to buy mulch economically. Don’t men like mulch?

And there an excellent printable Income/Expenditure Worksheet. In fact, there is a lot of very good budget info. Plus there’s a lot of pet health advice. (Note: As usual, with any health matters tread carefully unless you get professional advice.)

Budget101 says on About Us: (Our Mission is) To provide cost-effective, time-saving budgeting techniques, that may be utilized by anyone working in or out of the home. At Budget101.com, we strive to help people utilize the tools and resources they have available to dig themselves out of debt. Not a shabby goal.

But I was first attracted to this site through its recipes. I’m a sucker for recipes. I like to read them; not cook with them. This site shows you how to make your mixes like cake and sauce (the barbecue mix looks so simple.) And there are actual recipes to make.

I haven’t checked all the links from this site but I’ll make this one easy for you:

http://www.mickeyforster.com/recipes.htm

This is a fantastic dinner planning, interactive site.

So go check out Budget 101.com. It’s such a comfortable and informative site.

OK, I know, I owe the guys their own Website Wednesday. I’ll check with some men and get back to you. I’m thinking about a manly-man one like: How To Carve a Giant Wooden Bear, Starting With Felling Your Own Tree.

Movie Monday - Beowulf and things they are a’changing

I didn’t wax enthusiastically when Tim Russsert died nor now at Walter Cronkite’s death. The former was the heir of the latter. As one commenter to the link below wrote: Cronkite became the celebrity journalist, Russsert and so many more just steeped into his shoes.

Read this link to a Glenn Greenwald article in Salon:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/18/cronkite/index.html

It’s about Cronkite and Russert but more importantly about David Halberstam who many may not know was a yeoman-journalist covering the Vietnam War and who really did speak truth to power.

Greenwald quotes Halberstam. It’s at a press briefing in Vietnam and a general has just criticized Halberstam’s coverage of the war and basically told him to “stop it”:

And I stood up, my heart beating wildly -- and told him that we were not his corporals or privates, that we worked for The New York Times and UP and AP and Newsweek, not for the Department of Defense.

Read this link and learn what good journalism was once before the tinkle of coin and cocktails with the powerful replaced the grime and grit of fact checking.

Which brings me to my Movie Monday review of Beowulf and yes, it does all tie in. Just as Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green dies watching majestic nature scene from a past era, just as more and more people must read about the days of “real” journalism only in certain history books, so Beowulf may be the harbinger of the day when movie goers will say incredulously: You had real people playing the roles in movies once?

OK, Beowulf is a bad movie. I may be wrong in thinking this was all CGI; but I would rather think this was bad CGI than robotic acting throughout. It sure looked like a fancy-dancy cartoon. (I found out this is Disney theme park type animation - oh, for joy.)

The procedure does need some work. There are times the characters move with stiff necks and Sonny is I, Robot made his pivots more smoothly. Obviously, while they used actor’s faces -Hopkins, Jolie, Penn-Wright, etc, - they only paid them for use of their eyes since their mouths mostly stay prettily closed. And it is rather pretty. No botox needed here. There are no wrinkles on the women and Beowulf seems to only age through graying facial hair. However, the age spots given to Hopkins would probably work into an interesting connect-the-dots picture.

Having pretty much shot the movie down, let me say: I liked it. I liked in on my big screen TV where I could channel surf or walk around or ditch the whole thing and record it for later watching. Truth be told, even the worst movie can’t kill Beowulf since it’s a tale from the dark, primitive past of the human psyche: the hero facing and defeating the unspeakable monster/evil but often paying the ultimate price.

OK, so I remember from the epic poem that Grendel’s mom, all ugly and big, shows up at the mead hall to demand revenge. But I can accept a scene change with the ravishingly beautiful Jolie rising naked from a pool in the depths of a cave. I can even accept the added hanky-panky that occurs. Beowulf, the epic poem, is unkillable. This production may be a car wreck but it’s that rubber-necking car wreck on the parkway where onlookers cause a two-hour delay. Like that, your eyes keep returning to Beowulf. It has some magnificent shots.

However, I said that I saw Beowulf in context with the “fall” of journalism and a lost world’s grandeur as pictured in Soylent Green.

I’ve always thought that actors must be such pesky creatures for movie producers to handle. Fragile egos, inflated egos, no egos. You need an on-set psychologist to keep all the traumas at bay. And then, the salaries. Recently, the economy has curtailed the biggest actors’ pay checks but the money which had been paid to them, as with most of the big payouts in the U.S., was obscene. Plus this takes such a big chunk from the really big money people who are producing the films.

Beowulf shows the way out of this dilemma: pay actors for voice-overs and royalties for their faces and then: “Good-bye and thank you.” Of course, Beowulf also shows a major problem: movie makers have a long way to go to perfect this system but it can be done - silents to talkies; black and white to color.

But “No” you say: People want to see real actors in movies. They want real people. Perhaps, but a lot of their young target audience watches Saturday morning cartoons and love it; they will grow into adulthood still loving it if it’s presented correctly.

But “No” you say: How can you wrap your feelings around animated but in-animate objects. Let me see: Furby, Tamagotchi, Tickle Me Elmo, Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch Kid, Troll Dolls... (source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/755393/10_popular_fad_toys.html?cat=7)

Still not convinced? Then there’s Anime, the brilliant Japanese originating cartoon work which was first inspired by the 1937 cartoon, Snow White. (Wikipedia)

Things change: journalistic integrity, natural wonders destroyed by pollution. These are bad changes.

But what about a sea change in movies? Would that be a bad change?

Knitting Friday

I know I promised pictures for this week’s Knitting Friday and, yes, there will be a picture but not what I planned or probably what you expected.

The short row, short sleeved cardigan in garter which is still being knitted as a sample (the "find all your mistakes" sample) is coming along. I love short rows but I don’t do them much. This cardigan is going to be very warm so I can save that picture till the fall.

I’m “around the corner” in my lace weight wool crocheted 3-double crochet-cluster shawl on a K hook worked on the diagonal. (Say that fast.) That is, I have done the width and turned the corner to crochet for length. The only problem is that although it’s lace weight, it’s warm on the lap in 90 degree summer weather. So that can also wait for cooler weather.

But the picture du jour will be of a pattern I never even dreamed of last Friday. You may remember that I bought scads of black cotton fingering/sport weight yarn. I am/was sure that I needed a summer black shawl. (Though it’s getting close to August and there hasn’t be a day when I wept over not having the perfect black shawl to wear.) Unfortunately, I have little luck with dark yarn knitting so I knew I needed a very simple pattern. Unfortunately, with any color yarn, I seem to have no success with simple lace patterns. I can work stockinette because mistakes are so easy to fix but plain black in stockinette? Boring. And, even though garter is brain-dead knitting, mistake fixings always seems to produce a noticeable sag in the stitch for me. So that left the simplest of lace patterns: *YO, K2tog* for one row and *K2tog, YO* for a second row (with K rows in between.) However, pay me a dollar for every time I mix up the order of those two rows and I’d be rich.

(Pictured right: airy lacy pattern stitch, unblocked. The picture does not capture the diagonal slant of the stitch.)


Then can’t the epiphany. Saul on the way to Damascus had nothing on this. I was looking at a free pattern for a scarf (simple one - CO xxx stitches and work straight up to the length) and the designer used only a three row lace pattern (one row lace, 2 rows knit) and not the four row pattern I use. A light went off! With three rows the lace row was always: *YO, K2tog* (or always *K2tog, YO* - it doesn’t matter) and you never have to remember: Do I start with YO or K2tog this time? since every other lace pattern row will start from the opposite side of the row and eliminate the diagonal slant.

(Pictured left: Right and wrong side of the shawl.)

Here is my lace pattern in three rows: (Note: I know a lot of knitters consider their patterns original. To me, original must be more complicated so use this pattern freely. If you can, sell the finished product. But please don't copyright it. I worked hard on this pattern and that wouldn’t be nice.)

Odd Row Lace Triangle Shawl/Scarf: 55" x 20"
Beginning notes:
1. This is a stockinette pattern and the bottom tip has curled slightly. This may be fixed with slight blocking but I’ll give you my fix for the sample shawl pictured at the end of the pattern.
2. However, another way to prevent the dreaded st st curling is a 4 seed stitch border on each side. If you do this you would start your shawl this way: Set-Up Row 1: CO 2, (K1, P1) in 1 stitch, (P1, K1) in 2nd stitch (4 sts)
Row 2 & 3: Work increase in each stitch by K & P or P & K in them to keep the seed stitch pattern. (8 sts) then (16 sts) Then:
Start Pattern: Row 1 RS: Seed st on 4 sts, place marker (PM), *YO, K2tog* across, PM, seed st on last 4 sts.
Row 2: 4 seed sts, Slip Marker (SM), Pfb, *P*, Pfb, SM, 4 seed sts
(Continue as below keeping the border 4 stitches in seed and working all your increases just inside the markers.)
**You can always slip the first stitch as K, even in seed for an even edge.
3. Another way to prevent the bottom curling is to CO with even larger needles (see below about needle size) and work a few rows before you change to your regular needles.
4. Your first stitch is always slipped as K, even though the edges are seed stitch.
5. You are increasing 4 stitches every three rows instead of 4 stitches every 4 rows. I think this gives the shawl less of a point and more width more quickly.
Equipment: Yarn: Any yarn of your choosing with slightly larger circular needles than recommended for the weight
Yardage: I can’t list the yardage yet since I’m still working with scraps. But I would say 400 yards will give you a nice sized triangular shawl.
Notions: a Row counter: this is a must and use a marker to denote the knit side.
Pattern Stitch A= 1 row lace followed by 2 rows in stockinette
Row 1 RS: Sl1, *YO, K2tog* K1
Row 2: Slip 1 as K, Pfb, *P* end Pfb, K1
Row 3 RS: Slip 1 as K, Kfb *K* end Kfb, K1
Pattern Stitch B = 1 row lace followed by 2 rows in stockinette
Row 1 WS: Sl1, *YO, P2tog* K1
Row 2: Slip 1 as K, Kfb *K* end Kfb, K1
Row 3 WS: Slip 1 as K, Pfb, *P* end Pfb, K1
Note: Every three rows Pattern with switch from Pattern A to Pattern B. So you work A, B, A, B, A, B, A, B, etc.
Finally, the actual pattern:
CO 2 sts.
Set Up Row 1: Kfb both stitches (4 sts)
Set Up Row 2: K1, Kfb 2xs, K1 (6 xs) Then:
Start Pattern A with Row 1: Be sure to mark the right side of your work; you will always do knit stitches on this side. Work Pattern A for three rows. Then work Pattern B for three rows, Continue switching from Pattern A to Pattern B till the shawl is big enough for you.
Final notes:
1. Be sure to use a row counter and a marker. The row after the one divisible by 3 is always the lace pattern row. However, because this pattern has only 3 rows, some times you will K2tog across and other times you will P2tog across for this row. If you have your right side (K side) marked and are using a row counter, you'll be fine.
2. Although this shawl has a knit and purl side so technically there is a right and wrong side, the lace row makes both sides look good. See picture below.
3. For the slight curling at the bottom of this shawl I did a chain 3 and slip stitch around the sides of the shawl with an N hook and then did the crab stitch across the top. The shawl is airy so the loops look appropriate and they weigh down the curling point.
4. This shawl can easily be knit on the diagonal into a rectangular shawl but I didn’t have enough yarn.
5. I didn't block this shawl. You can block it or leave it unblocked.

That’s it. This is a great “grab and take” project. Enjoy.

Website Wednesday

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I love logical thinking. Logic, logic, logic. Mr. Spock all the way. Every Jelly Belly I see, even batch of popcorn I smell freshly batched - immediately my brain kicks in with: No, no. You understand that the instant pure, exhilarating pleasure you will receive as these morsels pass your lips will be short lived. You understand the consequences which you will wear on your thighs for months are not worth the instant gratification. You are logical.

Yeah, right! So I “sin.” I know what I should be doing but it’s so damn much fun not to. You know: The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

But there is a lot to logic. The U.S. would not have close to 70% of our GNP based on consumer purchases if we thought and bought logically. We probably wouldn't have entered into another foreign debacle in Afghanistan now if we had ever thought logically about Vietnam and the two Iraqi invasions.

Logic can be learned. Google “Online Logic Courses Free” and you’ll get an assortment of hits including MIT’s free online university. (Note: MIT was one of the first free online universities. In the beginning, I felt their professors came kicking and screaming into this concept. Other online universities were more generous, including Yale’s excellent poetry course online. Things may have changed with MIT.)

These courses may be mind-blowing or soporific, you can find out. However, for logic fun and logic learning, check out my Website Wednesday:

http://www.puzzlersparadise.com/page1034.html

Here you will find the classic logic puzzlers like: John, Bill, Harry, and Dave had four cars - white, green, red, blue and were married to Mabel, Kiki....... You know the drill. Through logical deduction you have to figure out who owns what, who goes with whom.

Penny Press puts out logic puzzlers in magazine form but this online site is state-of-the art interactive.

There is a page scroll bar and there’s a clues scroll bar. You can clear the grid and the answer table anytime. There are links to How to Play and Solving Tips. Your first click in the answer grid gives you an “X” to eliminate that choice, your second click gives you a red dot to show a correct connection and a third click brings you back to the blank square so you can start again. Who could ask for an easier puzzle?

Truth be told, as the answer grid gets filled it becomes obvious that what's left is the correct choice so it can become more rote than logic. However, there are always some simple logical conclusions you must draw with every puzzle like the clue “A woman owns the cat.” which allows you to eliminate all the male names (and no, they don’t trip you up with androgynous names.) It also helps your logical thinking if you review the written clues make sure they match your choices.

I haven’t come across any of the mind boggling clues online as I have in the magazines. There, I have never been able to decipher the clues which read “If Bob is not going, he can’t see the movie.......” Double negatives in multiple clues for the same logic puzzle have never been my strong suit. Online, my biggest hurdle is when multiple people do something at the same hour or live on the same floor, or are all in the same grade. That can get tricky.

As I’m writing this, I’m also at the site and doing the latest puzzle: Miniature Golf. The first clue illustrates the whole concept: Steven, whose last name wasn’t Rich, was under par for the course. Mr. West got his hole-in-one at hole 9. From that we can eliminate Steven as being Mr. Rich. We know he is under par (par is 42.) We know something about Mr. West (West = Hole 9) but we don't know that Steven isn’t Mr. West. All we know is that Steven isn’t Mr. Rich. Other clues will have to give us his last name. Also, both Steven and Mr. Rich could be under par since there are two golfers under par.

You can do a lot of thinking for many of these puzzles; I guess you could call them verbal sudoko.

If these logical puzzles put you into a brain freeze, go to the main page:

http://www.puzzles.com/

for a great assortment of different puzzles. Some, unfortunately are not interactive.

Gotta go. I’m working on Miniature Golf and I’ve filled in all the right answers just based on the written clues. Now, I have to start thinking logically full time.

Movie Monday

I didn’t watch many movies this week, but I did learn something. I now understand why directors love CGI.

There is an independent movie which has been part of my TV movie package for a while called Black Widow. First I thought it was the Debra Winger, Theresa Russell movie but it was one about an Italian woman whose lover leaves her an upstate NY home when he dies.

First, let me tell you what I liked. I loved the house. It’s this sleek modernistic house set in the middle of winter woods. It was so clean. I kept hoping that the director would pan around so I could see more. But, and maybe this should have clued me in, she jumped from downstairs to upstairs. No stairs shot. She missed the soul of the house.

I loved the Italian songs but then I’m a sucker for lyrics I can’t understand. I don’t think I remember the soundtrack which ran through the movie (did a soundtrack run through the movie? Can’t remember.) But I was "awakened" whenever the heroine put on a record. (And I think it was the old-fashioned technology of records though that also I can’t remember.)

But what you ask was there to increase my understanding of directors “hearting” CGI in this movie?

It was because there was absolutely no chemistry between the two main (and practically only) actors. They had graphic love scenes, for crying out loud, and I felt I was watching fish at the market.

And the mystery goes much deeper because the main actors: Giada Colagrande and
Willem Dafoe are husband and wife. And Colagrande directed and Colagrande and Dafoe were the screenwriters. (Aside: I love the name “Colagrande.” It trips from the tongue.)

OK, I understand that maybe they were self-conscious with the love scenes - too close to real life? Then don’t write them as such. It wasn’t like:

Dafoe: I’m not comfortable with these sex scenes.
Colagrande: Neither am I.
Dafoe: Do you think the writers will change it?
Colagrande: I doubt it.

And, the bloody tampon scene which IMDb discusses? Mercifully, I was channel surfing or my copy was edited because I missed that scenic masterpiece.

So we have the principals joined at the hip and a movie which is dreadful. I’m sure there was a lot of symbolism I missed. You have to care about something in a movie to even look at anything beyond the boredom.

Yet, the restaurant scene with the waiter showed promise. That was a witty line (and the only one unfortunately) where the waiter is pouring the wine and Colagrande asks Dafoe: Are you from around here? and the waiter answers: No.

Outside of this, this movie is ready for film school critiquing not commercial distribution.

Which brings me back to my original observation: I understand why directors love CGI.

Chemistry between actors is so ephemeral and lack of it so quickly can sink a picture. But add CGI. Add the heart racing, palm sweating tension CGI can bring and you’ve locked in an audience no matter how hackneyed the acting.

Case in point: Cameron’s Titanic. Elaine in Seinfield may have said of The English Patient: So, die already. Obviously, she had missed seeing Titanic.

DiCaprio and Winslet were the perfect forgettable juveniles. You know the kid sister and her boyfriend who had minor, cutesy roles in 1940's - 1950's Hollywood movies.

Gloria Stuart as the old Rose had me looking for a youthful passionate love affair. The flashback (which most of the movie really is) was such a disappointment in regard to character development. Old Rose loved this guy as young Rose? Give me a break. It was the typical unhappy rich girl and poor immigrant; that old Hollywood chestnut.

But it was the ship, the Titanic, the CGI, which carried the movie. Cameron probably could have put in talking monkeys as the leads; it wouldn’t have mattered. It was the ship which rode the waves to the top of the box office. (Oh, that was corny.)

Perhaps Black Widow could have used some CGIs. Perhaps whenever the movie slacked a giant black widow spider could appear trying to get into the house. And scary music could be added at these points. It would have added nothing to the theme but it would have enlarged the audience greatly; bringing in the massive horror fans (oh, I forgot, the spider would have to eat some people) and the “I have got to figure out this symbolism” fans. It would be a win-win addition.

BTW: The other name of Black Widow is Before It Had a Name. May I say, respectfully: What the f#&k?

Knitting Friday

Last night I attended a 4 and ½ hour Board of Adjustment meeting in my town. The room was freezing, not cold, but freezing. I was cold in a jacket; others wearing only short sleeves, never even got up to the level of cold. I crocheted a lace shawl in wool yarn all evening. People around me were asking me to rush it so they could wear it. As the shawl widened, and after 4.5 hours it did, it began to feel great on my lap.

Our side did not prevail at the meeting. I didn’t think we would; the applicant was asking for only minor variances and they had money behind them to fight any Board denial. In today’s economy I can’t imagine an borough risking the cost of a lawsuit unless they knew they could win.

I could go on about how, last night, I realized the importance of the Republican discipline as fostered by Gingrich if you want to accomplish your agenda. (Our side was so loosey-goosey.) I could talk about how I felt there were two areas for appeal for our side: the historical significance of the building being demolished and the appearance of prejudice by the Board in allowing emotional yet irrelevant testimony by the applicant’s witnesses. (Testimony perfectly applicable for the end of the meeting when all interested parties could testify but I think [based on my Perry Mason] not admissible during the applicant’s formal presentation It had nothing to do with the points of the application.)

But let’s move on to Knitting Friday since that’s more fun and I can sleep knowing karma is a bitch.

Once again, I have no pictures. Sorry, but one project is still too small and the other is just about ready to come from the needles so I’ll wait on that.

All the Drops Design Fall patterns are linkable by now. I’m still working on this one:

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=117&d_id=43&lang=en

I haven’t done short rows in a while and I had forgotten how much fun they are. Three suggestions for this pattern:

1. For the markers, use yarn and put one knot in marker 1 and two knots in marker 2. It makes life so much easier than having to remember: green is marker 1; red is marker 2.
2. Mark either the bottom or the top (neck) edge of the pattern. And remember which end you marked.
3. These instructions really messed me up. (I even had to draw a diagram.):
"Insert 2 markers in piece from RS as follows:"
When you are told to do this, you have knitted 4 rows and are at the bottom edge. Do not knit across the row as you insert the markers. This was my mistake. I assumed I was supposed to place the markers as I knitted the row. Not! Just count up the right number of stitches and place your markers; don't knit the row. You will then be ready to start your first short row from the bottom edge.

The rest seems very easy, at least as far as I am. It’s just a garter stitch short row sweater which seems to be knitted side to side. At this point, I have no idea if this pattern is going to look like the picture when finished. To be continued.

Drops Designs seems to have a lot of knitted skirts and shawls the size of blankets. Take a look:

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift_nye.php

I haven’t gotten as many patterns as usual from Knitting Pattern Central’s free updated patterns lately:

http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/new_patterns.php

I think a lot of babies are being born in June and July since there are so many kid’s patterns. Kid’s patterns have always confused me. Blankets I get, even hats but kids’ clothes have such a short shelf life. I remember when the kids were very little trying to find enough times to wear those complicated sweaters I made. Then, when size became problematic, the next question was: do I save, frog or donate?

I do like their Spring Lace Shawl (this is a link to Lionbrand for which you must be registered (very easy to do):

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/81058AD.html

This is a real novelty pattern in that’s US 17 needles with 4 strands of yarn but they do give you the stitch count so you can swatch for any size needles or yarn. It’s an 8 row lace pattern, 4 rows being purl. It looks more winter wear than spring, which is never a bad thing for me.

OK, I’m going to finish my white cotton Alix shawl now. I have less than 20 rows. So I’ll have a picture for next week. Happy knitting.

Website Wednesday

Two things written about in the news this week perked up my ears, and no, one was not the death of Michael Jackson. (Note: I just edited this sentence; it was a mess. I guess that's what happens when you post in the wee hours of the morning.)

One was China saying that the U.S. dollar was still the world currency. When I heard this I thought: Wow. The Chinese are telling the world economic community what the world currency should be. On a provincial level it’s like a tough guy who eats at this neat diner where the owner is always getting harassed by some obnoxious customers. The tough guy doesn’t want the owner to get discouraged and stop making his great food so he waltzes up to the bullies and tells them: Back off. The owner is quite grateful and keeps on cooking, the bullies are smart enough to listen to the tough guy and the tough guy gets to enjoy his food. OK, I know that story is stupidly simplistic but there was a time the U.S. used to be able to blow its own horn: We’re the greatest. Our currency is the best. Now only the lunatic fringe toots that horn. Thank goodness China is heavily into U.S. currency.

But the second item is even more bizzaro: Russia and the U.S. are friends again. And, we’re going to be “allies” regarding our stepped-up invasion of Afghanistan. Now I know that in the U.S. if history occurred before you were old enough to understand it; it really didn’t exist. Using that fact, for a lot of Americans, history stopped in the late 1970s. Only a handful living in caves are old enough to remember back any further. OK, I’m being sarcastic but Americans are horrible with their own history and abominable with world history. So how can we expect them to remember our century-plus old troubled relationship with the Soviet Union? You can say: This is Russia now, not those communist pig dogs. However, those “communist pig dogs” were our BBFs during WWII. Josef Stalin the biggest mass-murderer of the last century (sorry, kiddies, Hitler is a neophyte compared to Papa Joe) sat with Churchill and Roosevelt beaming to the world in photo ops.

Were we that naive to believe Papa Joe was the saintly bouncer of babies? Of course not, but we needed him to attack Hitler from the East. Pragmatism always trumps morality.

I understand that. But then what is the pragmatic reason for U.S. policy makers to reach back into the archives of past alliances and drag Russia to the center stage? Isn’t the East - China, India, etc. - the future? And why are we revisiting Afghanistan with the Russians? Didn’t we learn from their past mistakes in that region? I’m just asking.

But moving on to Website Wednesday I’m also going to pull something from the past. Remember I talked about the greatest of past movie reviewers on Monday? Well, I’m going to stick with movies today because I think I found a movie reviewer who has a real flair for words and movie criticism.

Take a look at: http://cinema-pedia.com/

First, the really bad news: this is a dated site. It’s no longer maintained and posting stopped in 2008. So don’t go looking for the trailers to play or any current movie news. But do read the reviews.

Take a look at the beginning of Vantage Point’s review: Wow. What can I say? After all the hype and lovely marketing it's clear that what lies beneath here is an empty shell. The "eight points of view" angle is essentially a lie. The depth and complexity hinted at in the trailer is forsaken. This isn't anything close to a time shifting mindbender like Memento or even a solid whodunit in the manner of Usual Suspects.

This guy/gal takes you right into the review; hits you with his “thumbs up or down” immediately and goes right into the cognizant reasons for them. You can’t ask for more.

Or, The Other Boleyn Girl: The Other Boleyn Girl pretends to be a serious historical romance, but it's really just a bodice-ripper, a cheap Harlequin paperback dressed up in frilly clothes. Imagine skit night at the Renaissance Faire and you'll have a pretty good idea of what's going on here.

I like The Other Boleyn Girl, it’s a good movie to watch while knitting lace, but that review is right on.

It’s pretty sad to think that whoever started this site decided to quit. He/she has a real flair for critical writing with popular appeal. He’s left us to wade through a lot of dreck out there for movie criticism but also a lot of hope that we still have great movie critics waiting in the wings.

Movie Monday

In the futuristic movie Soylent Green, Charlton Heston rushes to see Edward G. Robinson as he is being “killed” in the euthanasia chamber. Those choosing such an end apparently get to watch panoramic scenes of their choice. In contrast to the barren wasteland where Robinson is living in the movie, he chooses scenes of nature: lush forests, towering mountains. As Heston watches with him, he says: I never knew there were times like this.

Fast forward to the real world and I’ve been told there was a time when newspapers had consumer advocates columns where readers would send in their complaints against businesses and the columnist would try and resolve the problem. In the beginning, the letters would be edited to only say “When I went into Business X to return a defective TV...... But soon these columns named names of both good and bad businesses.

Like the nature scenes in Soylent Green, these consumer columns are long gone. A governmental consumer advocate (yes, they did once exist) is just a dusty memory.

Which brings me to Movie Monday and movie reviewers of the past. I read that Pauline Kael was considered one of the best after I had donated my library reject copies of her reviews. Now, I only have 5001 Nights at the Movies by her. So in these short, witty, concisely full of knowledge reviews I have only a small sample of her greatness.

I did keep my battered copy of Agee on Film (where do I get these books?) and just last night I read his review of Double Idemnity. Wow! These people could write. But also, they might possibly not be able to even get jobs as reviewers in today’s absurd movie reviews market.

I like Roger Ebert. But he’s no James Agee. It’s like comparing Dickens turn of phrases to Michael Ondaatje’s. Agee writes like a well-wore pair of slippers; with a comfortable cadence. He writes for the beauty of the words not for the effect of them.

Maybe only lit majors can understand what I’m trying to say. Maybe that brand of writing is over. But if only for the historical importance, try to take a look at Kael and Agee at least. Like Heston you may say: I never knew it was like this.

And now on to my feeble movie review. Hanging my head in the presence of giants (but obviously not hanging it far enough since I still have the chutzpah to post it) here is my offering for Movie Monday.

Burn After Reading is written by the Coen Brothers as a macabre, existential rendition of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. And I can see Shakespeare scratching his head as he watched Clooney’s “love” machine and said: Man, they say I was bawdry. Now, that’s bawdry.

From the beginning, they’re a deus ex machina so I guess you could say that in the parallel universe where the Coens think and make movies, this one has a happy ending.

It’s over the top acting which is appropriate for the plot; acting easy even for the hammiest actors, which these aren’t. Playing against type you have Clooney and Pitt mugging wildly but good editing pulls them from the screen before their histrionics upset the plot. (Though McDormand starts to become annoying –unusual for her – before she pulls back into a believable display of grief.)

The plot in summary: A CIA agent after being disciplined for drinking, quits and decides to write his memoirs. Due to a mix-up, his memoir CD disk winds up in the hands of dim-witted gym instructor played by Brad Pitt who, with the help of the another gym instructor, decides to blackmail the agent. When the agent just punches Pitt in the nose, they decide on option number two: selling the disk to the Russians. (Any one who knows a Coen movie knows there is a lot more involved. But it was nice of the Coens to explain how the McGuffin CD disk winds up at the gym.)

Spoiler: People die in this movie; people you care about; nice people. I told you it was existential. That is, existential except for the part where your deus is always there to clean up the messy stuff. Existentialists definitely do not have deuses.

You need good writing for this type of comedy to fly and you get it. You need a trim, fast, convoluted plot and you get this also, with extra emphasis on the convoluted.

Will you remember the theme? This thing has a theme? As the CIA official ruminates: What did we learn from all this? Beats me.

Will you remember the plot? Of course: The Big Lebowski; Fargo; O, Brother, Where Art Thou? Raising Arizona. If you’ve seen any of these Coen movies there is at least one plot point that stays with you. (Raising Arizonza: the baby in the middle of the highway.)

So enjoy the movie as it is presented; but remember Shakespeare meant it when he wrote: (It’s) much ado about nothing.

Knitting Friday

This week has been a knitting disaster. I had made good progress on my sleeve to sleeve shrug ( from my made-up-in-my head pattern) when I realized that the edging had changed about 3 inches above the cuff. So I frogged back to there......and, can you guess the rest? Right now, I’m looking at a ball of white cotton yarn and wondering: if I cast on 84 stitches for the back hem and just work a lace pattern into a rectangle can I just seam along the length for sleeves and call it a shrug? More on this later, I hope.

Then there is my lace weight brown-hued K hook crocheted lace shawl. At about head scarf size, I decided to frog (do crocheters frog?) the whole thing and go searching for a knit pattern. Yes, I had turned into a masochist and decided my first form of self-punishment would be knitting lace on US 4 needles. So, for 24 hours I searched patterns and knitted, frogged, searched more patterns and knitted. Guess what? Yesterday I was back crocheting with my trusty K hook the same lace shawl I had frogged. However...... Then I discovered two missed stitches way back in the work. Rip it! Rip it! At this moment, the shawl is McDonald’s napkin size.

Now you can understand why this week has been a knitting/crocheting disaster. So, I have no pictures, except me in tears.

However, Drops Designs:

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/kategori_oversikt.php

is starting to post their fall collection. Scroll down and click “DROPS AUTUMN/WINTER.” Only a few of the patterns have been posted so far. I’m waiting for Z-425 since I would like to make this as a summer bolero/cardigan.

Did you notice the knitted skirts in the fall patterns? I guess they’re coming back. I have made two; one matches an Aran cabled cardigan (no, the skirt is not cabled.) I’m thinking of frogging that skirt. It looks nice matching the cardigan (short skirt under long sweater) but they’re worn together so infrequently. I think the cardigan with jeans and a skirt turned into a smallish shawl might be more utilitarian. Like I don’t have enough good wool so I have to recycle this skirt? Talk about having S.A.B.L.E. (If you don’t know what that stands for, google it; it’s there. But remember to add “knitting term.” You may not like the hits without it.)

Gotta go. It’s another traveling day and I really don’t have much for Knitting Friday this week. Hope to have better luck next week. It you haven’t been there before, you can spend the holiday weekend on the Drops site. There’s so much there you could probably spend the year.

Happy knitting.

Website Wednesday

Some random thoughts:

• I went back to an earlier WW recommendation, the one with annotated lists, and found it's still very interesting. Maybe one day I’ll revisit and reevaluate all my WW recommendations. That’s a task for a snowed-in day.
  
• Reading the e-mails from Gov. Sanford to Maria (if they really written by Sanford, remember Cyrano de Bergerac?); that man is besotted with this woman. Talk about adolescent puppy love. And just like an adolescent, where ego reins supreme before adulthood cuts it down, Sanford probably sees absolutely no hypocrisy between his out-of-marriage tryst and all the others which he has condemned, The rest of us may see the hypocrisy, but not he. Right now, he’s emotionally about 13 years old.
  
• I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the U.S. will institute a government run health care system like Western Europe. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that influential U.S. voices will begin to speak against our unbridled capitalistic greed. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we will use capitalistic profits (that is, tax them) for social good. Of course, in many ways, such thinking is reminiscent of the dreams of a 13 year old also.

On to Website Wednesday:

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/

What a name for a website: Dark Roasted Blend. No mistaking to what it’s referring. In fact it even says: Looking for the weird and wonderful things to complement your daily coffee ritual?

It further states on its “About” page: Started in November 2006 by Avi Abrams (based in Canada, formerly thrillingwonder.blogspot.com), it is now among the top 500 sites on Technorati, has PageRank 6 and welcomes approx. 50,000 daily unique visitors.

The "Dark Roasted Blend" is also a part of "Thrilling Wonder" family of sites, dedicated to the on-going quest for wisdom and beauty, for all things cool and wonderful in our world, and beyond - in the spiritual realm.

It really is one of those sites to turn to early in the a.m. when you fire up the computer, grab a cup of coffee and go to look for new e-mail.

It’s basically a visual site with cullings from other websites. Many of the pictures are annotated. It seems to be updated daily (except this month when Abrams says he’s traveling.)

It’s eye-candy; weird eye-candy but not in the gross sense. This week some selections are: turn of the last century medical ads; the evolution of space cruisers; and pictures from the 1945 atomic bomb survivors. I like the short comment by each hyperlink so before you click you know if it’s: weird, nature art, promotion, heartbreaking (A-bomb pictures.), etc. The archives go back to 2006.

So grab your coffee (FYI, I find Stop and Shop’s brand of Colombian Roast quite good and cheap) and take a look at the “weird and wonderful things” on Dark Roasted Blend.