Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday

There are pictures today. Not very good ones, but pictures. Early this a.m., I was cruising to find a winter scarf to knit or crochet. Surprisingly, a Ravelry pattern search of "winter scarf" produced a lot of lacy ones. I did bookmark a lace sampler scarf for future use and I'll probably modify an all-cable, reversible scarf since the cables look "tight" and I want loose and cuddly.

#1 Bowtie  Pi

Most of my projects, except for my always unfinished crochet thread lace shawls, are winding down and I think I'm getting "itchy" for more work.

This finished shawl, left, has quite a history. It's made with 2 regular skeins of No. 10 crochet thread but the picture shows its second life. Originally, it was a variation of my "work to length, then just work without increases" shawl but, with that, I didn't have enough thread left to work an edging along the top and sides. Without edging in that shape, the shawl looked wonky. I was very, very lucky that the whole thing was willing to be frogged easily (just frogged a wool lace shawl where I had a lot of splicing areas since the lace snapped.) With its second life as a Bowtie Pi shawl, above, it really doesn't need an edging, though one always adds some splash. With the BP, I had enough thread to work an edging around the sides and top of the shawl: In every chain space around, using an F hook: *Ch 5, sc in next sp.* I did the edging after the picture above was taken but it's a defined edging; that is, you can see it, it doesn't bunch into the shawl stitch. That's one project done.

#2 Shawl w/rat

#3 After blocking

Pic #2 shows a shawl with a rat though I have no idea why DH thought a rat should pose with it. I adore this shawl and I'm thinking it may become that mythical shawl which is a shawl, a scarf, a blanket, a pillow. You're looking at the pre-blocked picture (#2) and you can see from the next picture #(3) that blocking grew the shawl. It went from fitting easily on the dining room table to extending way over both ends (100" x 23"). Here's a picture of the stitch definition before blocking (#4): 

# 4 Shawl stitch

It's a simple pattern of  *DC, Ch1, DC* which get worked in the previous row's Ch1-spaces. This is the pattern, Sherbert Wrap, again:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sherbet-wrap

I think it's probably the only pattern in the history of the world where I made no modifications. That's high praise!

#5 Tranquil Shawl

In picture #5, you see a swatch I'm fooling with now. It's Lion Brand's crocheted Tranquil Wrap:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80877AD.html?noImages=

It's an easy crochet and this one I am modifying. I end and begin each row with a ch 4 (not at ch 3) or a TRC (not at DC.) I think this helps give stretchiness to the edges. Plus you can see in #5, in the row just up from the bottom, there's a row of TRC. The pattern calls for DC but I like the TRC and I'm thinking about doing repeats of that row in HDC, perhaps extended DC. Who knows.

And finally, in the variegated shawl in pic #1, I finished my first ball of thread in the middle of a row and with thread, there is no good way to hide joining in the middle of an open work row. Then I remembered a discussion on Ravelry of the magic knot. Here's the video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nq_7EXTWHE 

This is an amazing method for joining yarn. I have yet to read a negative comment on it. She has to tugging the knot hard before you restart your work so you'll know right away if there's a mistake. It's a boon for crochet since those stitches hide a lot of "mistakes" normally and joining in the middle of a row always saves on yardage. With knitting, I would think long and hard before I used this in the middle of a row in plain stockinette since that stitch loves to show all imperfections. But do learn the magic knot. I think you'll be as happy as I was.

That's it for today. See you next week. Happy knitting.

 

   

Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich 

Website Wednesday 

As the drums beat for more destruction in the Middle East, I'm beyond wondering if this insane desire which is bred in our human bones to kill, and then to justify these killings, can ever be changed. Wars achieve nothing. Seriously saying that wars will never occur again and then doing the back-breaking work needed (and probably the money also) to reach this goal would be a worthy accomplishment for humans. Much more worthy than dragging out our aged veterans and high school bands at every national holiday so we can honor the death and carnage which keep us "free."

And in this same frame of thought, I'm also re-evaluating my take on the Luddites. Perhaps, there is a brick wall which can be reached as humans allow the technology, the machines, to control their lives. The technology can easily jump this wall; humans can't.

In keeping with these nascent thoughts:

http://www.mrpilgrim.co.uk/inventive-urban-art-cool-street-art/#.Uh21N38YOXt  

There's a lot in urban graffiti that I love. I love the talent it displays. I love its "in your face" approach to authority. I love the "you build it, but I still own it" chutzpah. Take a look at this cool street art. It's amazing and only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to brilliant graffiti.

And in pursuing my lifelong goal of recycling the world, there's: 

http://scraphacker.com/ 

Scraphacker tells us she began her projects because she lived in an apartment in the city, without a car, far from the lumber yards. I love people who think out of the box. If you liked the IKEA hacks, this is the place for you. Not current (2012) but chocked full of ideas.

And now for some reading, and pictures also: 

http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

This is one colossal project. Brandon Stanton says of his project: I thought it would be really cool to create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants, so I set out to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers and plot their photos on a map....But somewhere along the way, HONY began to take on a much different character. I started collecting quotes and short stories from the people I met, and began including these snippets alongside the photographs. 

You must take time on this web site and I came away thinking of the works of Studs Turkel and Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, the Great Depression opus by Agee and Walker. Stroll around, look at the pictures, read the stories. And don't forget to click on a big surprise, Iran, for a long photo-journal piece on that country. 

OK, let's come back to my world: 

http://www.weightlossforall.com/ 

because weight loss is seriously on my mind as I rationalize the big jar of Utz pretzel bits (oh, so good) I'm rummaging through. As you know, I've decided to heed my reptilian brain and eat the entire world, rationalizing that my stress needs food to soothe it. No frigging way! I even know that I'm lying! So, I read weight loss blogs. I even downloaded an iPad app which has you doing 7 minutes of strenuous exercise for 7 months. (I did this only once since I realized that if I dropped to the stone floor during my wall squats, I might be kissing my ass goodbye.) 

Weight Loss For All seems like a good pick for a eating right/losing weight site. The advice in their fall fitness tips: get a checkup, dress for the weather, stay safe, shows me that it's a sensible site. So if you're thinking about losing some weight, this may be a good place to start. Take a look.

And now, let me end in complete wackiness:

http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml

Remember Cliff Notes, etc., which, of course, you would never use to cheat with on an English assignment? Well, Book A Minute Classics is the antithesis of those. While CN would bring tears to your eyes with minutiae (and something incorrect minutiae), BAMC just gives you a passing nod at plot, theme, characters..... as you can see from their summary of The Sun Also Rises:  

Stock Hemingway Narrating Character: It was in Europe after the war. We were depressed. We drank a lot. We were still depressed.

Haven't read TSAR? Then you don't have a clue as to the above but it pretty much sums up the plot and theme. There are zillions of entries on BAMC and the entries are witty, wry, and right-on. Take a look. Get a laugh.

That's it for this week. See you next Wednesday.

 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich

 

Knitting Friday

 

And today, I have no pictures so if you want to just move along, I'll understand. A lot of bits of knitting got done this week but nothing got finished except the gorgeous hand-painted crocheted Sherbet Wrap:

 

 http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sherbet-wrap

 

This is absolutely gorgeous and I think I have made that mythical wrap which is a scarf, shawl, blanket and pillow while being light as a feather. I'm going to block it and next week (if things remain stable here and don't take a downward spiral) I'll post the before and after pictures. I crocheted this just like the pattern; unusual for me.

 

Can't say the same for the Bowtie Pi:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bowtie-pi

 

This was first posted on 7/26/13 with modifications but I can't believe, in my modifications, I didn't mention you must make the  foundation chain, set-up row and Row 1 of the pattern with a hook 2 sized larger than the hook  you use for the body. If you don't, this part of the shawl which sits right under the neck is convex and must be folded over or it will look bunchy. I guess using a larger hook to start is the crochet equivalent of the garter tab in knitting. (Note: if you have enough yarn to make a ruffle around the top and sides, this problem disappears because then you want the ruffled fold-over look.) Pictures and a better explanation next week.

 

I'm still working on my simple generic top (8/9/13) in the variegated yarn. It's taking forever and this cotton is so heavy it could double as a knight's chain mail. Using only a two row pattern of R1: K and R 2: *YO, K2tog* takes so much longer than using a 4 row pattern of R 1 & 2: K and R 3 & 4: *YO, K2tog.* I think this is because the first pattern is springier so the lace springs back and gives you less length for the same number of rows. I was only going to use the lace for the yoke and stockinette in the body but, time-consuming or not, it looks so good in variegated yarn that I'm working the whole top in lace.

 

Speaking of my 8/9/13 posting: I refer to a Mystery Shawl there but I give the directions for a Mystery Shrug. Sorry. (Not going to edit because that is such a bear.)

While we're on the topic of shrugs, I really want to make Iris Schreier's New Year's Shrug again (in the first one I made a glaring error.)

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/new-years-shrug

 

This shrug was free at the time I posted it; I hope you got it then.

 

Finally, a great tip from a Raveler: Don't knit in black wool. Knit in undyed wool and then dye it black. Normally I would say: Oh no! Dyeing is the pits. But black wool is so tedious to knit and you never see the mistakes until you are all done, sometimes even after blocking. (Also from this Ravelry thread: Knit Picks has some good and inexpensive black dye.)

 

That's it for today. Pretty meager, sorry. See you next week. Happy knitting.

 

 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich

 

Website Wednesday

 

There are 25,000 alcohol related deaths, 189,000 lung cancer deaths and zero marijuana only deaths* in the US** each year and yet a recent Huffington Post headline shouts: White House Won't Say If Obama's Medical Marijuana Stance May Be Swayed By Sanjay Gupta.

 

May be swayed? And we're talking about medical, not recreational, marijuana here. Jesus H. Christ! Where do we get these Yahoos? And don't get me started on Gupta. He crocodile tears his past anti-marijuana stance by saying: Well, I trusted the DEA to be using scientific data. Shit, man. You're an MD. Not the local witch doctor. You read the data. That's what competent scientific people do. What a bunch of bozos! I can't wait till he mea culpas his way to Charlie Rose's confessional. I know I won't be watching.

 

 *With drug induced deaths from heroin, etc., the coroner may report marijuana was also in the body.

**Yes, I know, why should you believe me? Well, just look it up. I'm just too lazy to cite today.

 

On to websites. I came to this website because of the baby blanket:

http://www.angryasiancreations.com/2010/01/crochet-heathers-throw-baby-o-blanket.html

 

but stayed because of the recipes:

 

http://www.angryasiancreations.com/ 

 

Scroll through the older posts (link bottom) for more recipes and links to even more websites with a lot of stuff, plus recipes. I don't know if this is only a "girly" site but I do know that I love to look at food right now. I'm allowing my reptilian brain to tempt me to eat every thing in sight and then to cook even more stuff. Not good; I know it but I'm justifying this by saying that I'm insulating all the nerves in my body against present stress and future stress. Oh, I so have to start dieting! But just not right now.

 

OK kids, here are two for you:

 

http://universe-review.ca/I13-01-periodictable2.jpg

The first is a mnemonic way to learn the periodic table. Like for Al, Aluminum, you get symbols showing its a solid and part of the earth's crust and its number, 13. Then you see the picture of an airplane with the word "airplane" under it. Looks like it should work.

 

Then there's:

 

http://www.gifts.com/ideas/dorm-essentials-checklist 

 

The site is gifts.com which is purely commercial but this page is one great checklist for first-time dorm students. I think, with modifications, it would work well for any extended time away from home.

 

And now for something completely different:

http://www.stingfeed.com/

 

Sting Feed bills itself as your "daily dose of viral entertainment." Hey, what's not to like about viral? Just click the links for smiles and chuckles. No deep thinking here, just fun. And don't miss the comics.

 

Still a few weeks of summer left so maybe you could read another book:

 

http://journalpulp.com/2012/03/04/top-ten-best-novels-youve-never-heard-of/ 

 

You get the top ten best novels you've never heard of here. Don't know about them being the best but if you click on each title, you'll get sent to Amazon (when do you NOT get sent to Amazon these days?) for reviews and, with some, sample readings.

Demons intrigues me because I have it under its original title, The Possessed, and it's touted as: Perhaps it’s the first 100 pages, which Dostoevsky later admitted were “a mistake” and not the proper way to start his mind-spinning story, which is an absolute masterpiece of plot-and-theme integration. Leave it to the Russians to nail plot and theme integration. (No barb here; I mean it.)

 

And finally, I'll leave you with this:

 

http://www2.thriftyfun.com/newsletters/index.lasso 

 

I haven't gotten beyond this first page but apparently you can sign up for a free daily or weekly tips newsletter. Tips on cleaning, crafts, recycling, frugal living...... You decide what kind of tips you want and whether you want them daily or weekly. Looks interesting. Maybe you'll want to "take the plunge." I think I will.

 

That's it for this Wednesday. See you next week.

 

 

 

 

 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday

When I read history, my belief that the human species "ain't that hot" is unfortunately reinforced, so much so that I've decided that the best short reason for my being alive (that is, if I'm ever asked) is: I want to be a good ancestor. Because maybe some day our species will evolve into something worth saving. (DH's scientist response to this is: Good luck on that one.) 

But two weeks ago, the girl took up knitting and crocheting again, with a vengeance. Like music and horseback riding (which she has also avidly returned to), she had been taught these craft skills as a young child and, of course, watched me engage in them every day for years. However, recently, she started knitting without anymore instructions from me and yesterday, we spent a good part of the day re-learning crochet, this time by reading a crochet symbols chart.

Here's her recent knitting project:

#1 The scarf

It's a scarf done on US 13 needles and Knit Picks fingering weight yarn. It's very stretchy so that you won't notice any unevenness in the gauge.

Then on Wednesday, she watched me making another corner to corner afghan and asked to work at row. Here's the pattern again:

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-corner-corner-throw

So I gave her a quick lesson in the stitch I was using and then, that night, I worked up the pattern in symbols since I'm thinking that knitting and crocheting in the future may come with charted directions.

#2 My 1st crochet chart

#3 Swatch afghan

Here's my rude chart for the corner to corner afghan (#2). As you can see, it's pretty primitive but she's good in math and music so I think these were just more symbols for her to learn.

#3 is the swatch afghan she made from these instructions. (Note: the original corner to corner afghan is a square. I figured out how to work an even section [an increase & a decrease each row] so that you produce a rectangle.) I'm impressed with her swatch and right now, she has a chunk of white yarn, a J hook, and is making a winter scarf in this pattern.

My heart soars! No, not because I taught her these skills but because we have another knitter and crocheter in the family. All my needles, all my yarn have found a home. That's what I call being a good ancestor!

Not much crafting on my part this week. Fatigue has hit me, as I mentioned Wednesday, and my spare time activities seem to be dragging and cat napping. It really is a "going though the paces" existence at this time for everyone. You do what you have to do.

I did get to work up this sample (#4) in the early hours of one morning:

#4 What pattern is this?

I think it worked up into a nice looking shawl which may work in crochet thread for summer wear. Unfortunately, I have no idea what pattern I was using so I'm hoping I e-mailed the link to myself. I find that e-mailing is a good quick way to save a pattern when I don't have the time to read the directions. I have scores of e-mails with snippets of patterns or links. I really should find some time to scour them and arrange them in one file.

That's it for today. Next week I hope to discover the identity of picture #4 and I'll show you a black lace summer shawlette I'm making in heavy cotton cord-weight thread. The jury is still out on this one. I hope it doesn't wind up in the frog pond of What Was I Thinking projects.

Happy knitting. See you next week.

 

 

 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich 

Website Wednesday 

TBogg has left the blogging world. Many a dark and stormy night he was a light in the window and so often I thought: I don't have to add my redundancy to this issue, TBogg has our back on this one. He will be missed.

Conditions are spirally downward here, as they must. Hospice nurses, the social worker, all say that death comes more easily when you are at peace with yourself. (I’m thinking that’s because in times of stress the body produces hormones to keep you alive.) Unfortunately, DM started to question last night how there could be a god since none of those who loved us in life, if they are now in a hereafter, ever returned to ease our suffering. In normal times, this would be a good philosophical discussion but right now, she needs the “peace which surpasses understanding.” I sleep whenever I can and am tired throughout the day. I think it’s depression, which I was expecting.

Before my picks today, I'm going to tell you about something wacky which happened last week. Do you remember my Wednesday Website pick of Messy Nessy Chic (8/7/13)? I had two citations: Hilda, the heavy-set pin up girl from the middle of the last century and also the pictures of the Brown sisters spanning 45 years.

About Hilda I wrote: 

A lot of picks this week, starting with:

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/08/02/americas-forgotten-pin-up-girl/
 

Take a look at a pin-up girl who is fat. She's cute but she's really round and, from the looks of it, quite happy. It's tough to realize in today's USA world with its theme of "you're fat and getting fatter" that there was a time when women wore curves with pride and a bag of bones was not the de rigueur look for beauty. (Look back at some of those all singing-all dancing Hollywood movies from the 1930s to see what I mean.) 

Fast forward to the next day, Thursday, 8/8/13 and The Huffington Post Women and there's a column and a slide show about Hilda. OK, I get it, the world is full of coincidences but the HP poster linked to Hilda by sending his/her readers to the same site as I did the day before. The Huffington Post article reads: 

Hilda, 1950s Pinup Girl, Makes Us Very Happy

....According to the blog Messy Nessy Chic, Hilda is a vintage icon who was "one of history’s longest running calendar queens" alongside Marilyn Monroe and others. 

Click on the HP Messy Nessy Chic link and you'll be reading the same article I posted just the day before. So this is how I'm looking at it: I always joke that all the hits on my site are from the FBI and the NSA. Maybe now I can include a blogger for the Huffington Post?

I'm going to start with something which has bothered me ever since I listened on C-SPAN to a black minister (religious) speak about how religion (Christian) helped/helps blacks. Although as an atheist you may think that acceptance of religion would grate me across the board but black slaves embracing Christianity has always bothered me because while it may have "gotten them through the night" it was the same religion of their slave masters and it allowed them to sleep in peace also.

And then I came across this 2013 page from The Mystery World (2010 pick):

http://www.themysteryworld.com/2013/05/historical-atheist-quotes.html 

Scroll down little to Frederick Douglass. Black social reformer, abolitionist and author from two centuries ago, the quote is from his famous 1852 speech which begins with: (But) the church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors. I was happy to see that he "got it" and was not afraid to speak abut it.

There are a lot of interesting quotes here from famous people with their take on religion. The one which surprised me was Chesterton's since I thought he was an avid Roman Catholic.

And now to a site where you could lose yourself for 100 years:

http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2010/10/20/100-incredibly-useful-youtube-channels-for-teachers/ 

This is all YouTube and perhaps you've seen many of these sites before but there's a great convenience in having them in one place. Just one bookmark and you can entertain/educate yourself for a very long time.

Let's look at pictures of amazing place:

http://beautifulplacestovisit.com/

These really are beautiful places to visit. This page will give you one view but click for some other breathtaking shots. Be sure to click Older Posts and scroll down to Easter Island. I never knew that those stone guys were all in a row. Those statues get more and more amazing with age (theirs and mine.)

Still need some summer reading? Here's a neat list for you:

http://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100-novels/slide/all/

I don't know if these are the All Time 100 Novels but if you click on each book you will get an excellent review. Whoever wrote them captures the essence of the book; you'll know what to expect when you pick up that book.

And finally:

http://homedesignlover.com/ 

I don't know why I'm so drawn to home design sites. All the rooms look so clean that you know no human live there. Definitely an upscale site but you'll get some good tips here like in bathroom remodeling: don't move the plumbing. You'll also get to ask yourself some philosophical questions like: Is the quaint solitude of the bedroom loft really worth having to climb 8 steps each night to sleep in a bed which looks almost as precarious as Frodo's sleeping perch in the mountains of Modor?

That's it for today. See you next week.

 

 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich

 

Knitting Friday

 

Let's begin with something which should make us all happy:

Miss A

 

 Miss A at 10 weeks and she has filled in her face completely. I'm thinking this may be the last couple of weeks when we can pick up her easily. (Right now, we lift her over the gate; I think we're going to be removing the gate so she can walk through soon.) Probably the easiest to train of the three Seeing Eye pups and so curious. If she sees anything outside - the guy checking the sprinklers, a person waiting for a ride - she'll just sit down and stares. 

 

#1 Mystery Shrug

Moving on to knitting, I discovered a big mistake in my posting from last Friday. Not that the shrug pattern notes were wrong but the shrug I linked to was not the one I was making. It was long after that posting when I looked the pattern's picture link and thought: This shrug has a good sized border on its top and bottom, mine doesn't. Here's a picture of the black shrug I made. The tape was supposed to show the width but I can't read it. I'm thinking this one was about 17 inches wide. I made this will that black cotton I kept frogging and, I was right, I'm finally happy with a pattern.

Here's the quick shrug pattern with suggestions in red:

Mystery Shawl

DK weight cotton yarn (sorry I don't know the yardage but it was from 1 pound mill ends. I was less than 2 of the 4 skeins however.)

US 10 needles - DPN and circs (24" or more)

US 8 needles - DPN and 16" circs

Size:  S/M

Skill Level: intermediate

 

Using US 8 DPNs, CO 45 stitches and join. (Next time, I would cut back at least to 41 stitches.)

1.  Work an armband in seed for at 10 or more rows.

2. Switching to US 8 circs (easier to control the stitches on circs now ), working 1 row in K, increasing 10 evenly spaced stitches across -55 stitches. (For a wider shrug, increase more stitches.) You are keeping the stitch count odd because you will be making the three stitches at the join in seed and the rest of the stitches in your pattern.

3. After your increase row and still working in the round, switch to US 10 needles (DPN  or 16" circs) and work in the pattern you've chosen for 8 rows. (Some explanation here: I chose a 4 stitch pattern so at the beginning of the round: I worked 2 stitches in seed - 52 stitches in my pattern - then 1 stitch in seed making sure that the seed worked out as k, p, k on one row, then p, k, p on the next. Whatever your pattern is, just be sure you've increased to a multiple needed for it plus the three extra stitches for the small seed band at the join. I only used 3 stitches for the seed pattern at the join because I didn't want a wide band there.)

4. After 8 rows in pattern in the round, start working flat and increase one stitch before the end of the first row so you can keep two stitches at the beginning and end of each row in seed. (Next time, I would have a larger seed border, probably 4 stitches each side since only 2 stitches curled in. To do that I would have to increase on each end on the first flat row.)

5. Work flat in your pattern, changing to larger circs (16" circs tire my hands) as the shrug opens up.

6. Continue to where you want the second armband. (More rows for near the elbow; fewer rows for near the shoulder.)

6. For your last 8 rows of pattern, join and work in the round, making sure the edge stitches by the join at the same number as what you worked with the beginning arm hole.

7. After your 8th pattern row, switch to US 8 needles and decrease to 45 stitches.

8. Work the second arm band as the first. Bind off. Weave in your two yarn ends and the shrug is ready to wear.

 

I like this pattern because there is no sewing up the arm band area. This is great for two reasons: their no seam line (a common complaint) and there in no trying to get the arm bands even. Simplicity all around.

 

Picture #2 shows the shrug's armband area. It's hard to see in black but it's sewn up about 2". Of course, you could work more pattern rows in the round at each arm band for a longer seam.

#2 Shrug's arm band

On the right, is the same shrug in a different pattern:

#3 Shrug in different pattern

It's been a long time since I made this one but you can see there are visibly many fewer stitches on the arm band (it puckers inward) than in the body. I think I like that look better.

Also this week, I tried to make another top-down generic top using a foundation single crochet neckband (that part worked great) with a chevron lace body (that part didn't.) There are a lot of chevron lace patterns available but here's the one I used:

 

 http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L0073.html

#4 Isn't the foundation sc great?

 

It makes for a very nice pattern but it stretches out unbelievably. If I planned to use this in a top, I would have to work out the gauge! So, I decided on my trusty: one row: *K*; one row: *YO, K2tog* and started on picture #4. I love the foundation single crochet (FSC) as a neckband. So simple and, if you have to pull out as I did, when you get the FSC it doesn't unravel. Love, love, love it!

That's it for this week. The girl wants to start knitting and/or crocheting again and we've planned today for a craft session. I'm looking through simple (but not too simple) scarf patterns. More on this next week. See you then. Happy knitting.

  

 

 

  

Capitalism - Feudalism without the King
Tax the Rich

 

Website Wednesday

I did say last Friday that I would eat crow if our regular hospice nurse returned this week. Well, I'm eating it. I was wrong. She was ill. They were giving her a long weekend off. However, her illness was one of those life is what happens when you're doing something else moments since it was totally unexpected and the company had every reason to be in a flummox when I spoke with them last Thursday (see last Friday's post.) But she sounds and feels fine now and all is well if you can discount the fact that we're waiting for someone to die. Though, truth be told, DM is so ready to die, so wanting to die and is extremely frustrated that she's lingering. (Google "blue light worms" for a current preliminary study concerning microscopic worms and the blue light they emit before death and how this may help in understanding the death process in humans.)

 

A lot of picks this week, starting with:

 

 http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/08/02/americas-forgotten-pin-up-girl/

Take a look at a pin-up girl who is fat. She's cute but she's really round and, from the looks of it, quite happy. It's tough to realize in today's USA world with its theme of "you're fat and getting fatter" that there was a time when women wore curves with pride and a bag of bones was not the de rigueur look for beauty. (Look back at some of those all singing-all dancing Hollywood movies from the 1930s to see what I mean.) 

 

And keeping with this this life is real, not Hollywood theme, go to Messy Nessy Chic's page at:

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/05/06/the-brown-sisters-four-women-over-four-decades/

 

and watch the Brown sisters age over 40 years as they appear in the same posed picture first in 1975 and last in 2010. It's a lovely group of siblings which age can't wither.

 

We can look at a gray hair or a wrinkle, as a horror in our sophisticated, phony world but sometimes real horrors like shootings in movie houses or schools jar our complacency and a few times we get to see the aftermath of these horrors, as at:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/07/30/andrea_gjestvang_one_day_in_history_looks_at_the_survivors_of_the_july_22.html

On July 22, 2011 in Norway, a gunman targeted young people at a Labor Party camp, killing 69 of them. So often. such killings register in our brains until the next one replaces it. Photographer, Andrea Gjestvang, decided to follow the victims in this story because:  “For a while it seemed like people in Norway suffered from a kind of ‘22nd of July fatigue,’ but then it is even more important to remind [people] of the fact that the survivors are real people who actually live with this experience every day,”

 

Take a look at her photos. Be warned, they are disturbing.

I'm beginning to think this Website Wednesday has an unintended theme for my next pick is:

http://fstoppers.com/pics-reflections-portraits-of-the-elderly-as-they-once-were

You don't need an introduction to this page. What an interesting concept! Be sure to navigate around Fstoppers (FS) for more interesting topics. It's got pictures with articles to go with them. Again, be warned, at least one of the pages (pictures of the dead) does not look like it's for the faint of heart.

 

Let me end on something interesting and light:

http://www.ikeahackers.net/

 

IKea Hackers says of itself: IkeaHackers.net is a site about modifications on and repurposing of Ikea products. Hacks, as we call it here, may be as simple as adding an embellishment, some others may require power tools and lots of ingenuity. 

 

As you probably know, I'm a sucker for this type of hacking like taking the frame of an old window and sticking a mirror behind it. You get all types of suggestions here with very good explanations so you know just how the hacker achieved the results. 

 

That's it for today. See you next week.