Knitting Friday
A messed up day. I had a routine blood test early this morning. Early for the lab, that is, (at their opening, 7:30 a.m.) but late for my early rising of 4 a.m. Not to get hungry (no food since dinner last night) I didn't awaken till after 6 a.m. Therefore, my blog, which is is usually written in the wee hours of the morning, wasn't.
It's amazing how humans get into routines and then get so messed up when they change. But I'm back in the normal world now (well, I was back by 7:45) and here's my Knitting Friday.
I got an e-mail for a 40% off coupon for one regular priced item at Border's last Friday. That one I printed out. Usually, I leave the 20% or 25% off ones since we have a 7% sales tax in NJ and Amazon is usually cheaper until you get to 30% off or more.
Borders by me (central NJ) was pretty dreary looking last Friday. Open areas, ballroom size; scads of products not book related; empty shelves. I didn't know then that they were in bankruptcy but I knew something wasn't right.
My first swing around the knitting books section was not very successful. They were missing a lot of the staples like Oberle's shawl book but full of the basic stuff like one million basic knitting stitches.
There was one shawl book which I had seen and left at A.C. Moore months ago. There were two scarf books: one had very avant-garde scarves and the one was Ocean Breezes: Knitted Scarves inspired by the Sea. It had a couple of strikes against it. First, it was scarves and I wear shawls (the scarf/shawl length may be the same for me but the width is at least 18") and second, it sold retail at $24.95 and that was too pricey for a scarf book for me. I walked away.
I got about half way through the store and maybe the desolation of the place hit me because I decided: What the heck. I went back and told the other woman looking at knitting books: Well, I guess I'll save the economy. I bought the book and it turned out to be a great decision.
A review of Ocean Breezes:
Some particulars: The author is Sheryl Thies; it's a softcover book and not spiral bound (the only minus); it's 80 pages; it has 23 scarf and 2 shawl patterns; and there is an error in the Mermaid MESH pattern with a correction to be found at the publisher's (Martingale Company) website.
Why did I buy this book? Because every pattern except Snails comes with the stitch multiple for the pattern and this means, every pattern, except Snails (and I'm going to work on that one) can be modified into a shawl. So, I got 25 scarf and shawl patterns. You can't beat that.
The patterns all come with an explanation on how they were inspired by the sea; Green Seas Turtles does look like their bony outer shell; Fish Scales (which I am making from a variegated Homespun-type yarn) does look like scales; and you can see a wave pattern in Ocean Currents.
Patterns have both airy and tightly knit qualities so you can easily find but summer and winter wear here.
There are no charts (which I know is a big negative for some) but the pattern row instructions are short or medium-short and none come even close to the length of lace pattern rows.
While this is not a beginner's book, it's also not a distant dream wish book. Nothing looks experienced plus.
Amazon.com sells the book for about 33% off retail price at this time.
If you're into scarves and shawls, give this book a look. It's worth a place in your library.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Website Wednesday
I got to watch On The Beach the other day. It’s one of those movies in my TV movie package. I was surprised how powerful this 50-year old movie still is. Powerful in spite of the fact that it’s chocked full of the Hollywood A-list of the day (or the just off the A-list or soon to be on the A-list of the day): Astaire; Gardner; Peck; Perkins. This can easily be a casting “kiss of death.” Here however Kramer got some subdued, potent, and poignant performances from them. I was ever more surprised at the favorable reviews on IMDB.com. People are still connecting with this movie.
Shute was a good middle-of-the-road novelist and Kramer had artistic misses (It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.) However, to use the sports’ cliche, they hit this one out of the park. Go take a look at it. But, as they say, spoiler ahead: it’s not a happy ending.
Then I got to see/hear snippets of Obama’s speech last night. Only snippets because I sleep during the hours politicians appear on TV (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.) and then I’m wide awake. Talk about a wacky sleep pattern.
As you know, I’m not wild about heroes but I understand the need for them in the human drama. After the fiasco of Bush, we do have the hero in Obama. His speech had the right tone and the determined optimism which people on the brink of economic disaster need. (Though Krugman says we’ve left the brink and are over the cliff.)
Whether he can turn our huge American capitalistic armada around and change our ways will be determined soon. Whether he will only give us a breathing space to return to our rampant capitalism will also be determined soon.
But for now, you need some laughs. Get to this site fast:
http://thewhitehouseplumber.blogspot.com/ because it may have a short duration.
Its blogger, Dan Rosa, is a college student who is in between classes and sleep. I’m afraid if he starts taking classes or getting some sleep this witty treat might be ended.
This is satire as good as The Onion and as funny as Saturday Night Live. One headline: A Modern Art Critic Mistakes An Empty Warehouse for A Profound Contemporary Work is followed by an 8-paragraph short story by Rosa which is mockingly right on point. A picture of Czar Nicholas II of Russia has a caption saying how disappointed he was that Obama has dropped the idea of a “Car Czar.” To keep you informed, while laughing, Rosa has link to the Crooks and Liars web site where you can read an article about the car czar and download the video of David Axelrod discussing it on Fox News.
Rosa also links you to other great sites like The Onion, Wonkette, Jesus’s General, and 538.
Much to his amazement,“Sully” Sullivan learned in that great 1941 movie, Sullivan’s Travels, that laughter can lighten the heart in the midst of despair. And my take on this is: laughing satire is even better.
So go take a look at The White House Plumber. Laugh a little; it's good for you.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Movie Monday - Or Is It?
Huffington Post, The New York Times online, The Record online; I bet every news website has the Oscar night coverage on the front page.
The Huffington Post lets you scroll through their choices of the best and worst trends in Oscar gowns. Wow! Louis XIV’s court at Versailles would have loved it. The yards and yards of delicate and dry cleanable fabric arranged into gowns of utter uselessness. What a fitting marker for the fin de siècle of the United States and perhaps the world. After all, it was supposedly Louis' great-grandson, Louis XV, who coined that pithy phrase: Après moi, le déluge (After me, the flood).
There’s a lot of jumping for joy with the win of Slumdog Millionaire but it’s such a typically American picture that no one should have been surprised with its win. You have the poor boy, separated from his true love, overcoming adversity, achieving great wealth and his true love.
Isn’t that how we all live in the United States? And what a great economic time to remind us of the joys of living poor because we know, we really know in our hearts as we tackle this march into poverty, that one day our dreams will all come true. That’s what makes capitalism the best economic system ever. Hollywood told us all this during the 1930's depression with its plethora of movies showing rich people “seeing the light” by the final credits - but still remaining rich. Why not tell us again during this depression? You know how Hollywood loves sequels.
Which brings me to my movie to review: Sicko by Michael Moore.
Sicko, which is not a new movie (2007), compares the health care system in the United States with the enlightened national health care systems in the rest of the industrial world.
Michael Moore is a visual Studs Turkel and hated because his visual medium is so effective in driving the wingnuts crazy.
I have a lot of trouble watching this movie straight through since the anger level it achieves in me is not healthy. I marvel at the stupidity of the American people in accepting their profit-driven health care system and also accepting the scare-tactics drivel offered by opponents of a free, national health care system paid by taxes. It’s not comforting to watch that B-actor, Ronald Reagan, who became a D-level U.S. president, intone about the danger of the U.S. becoming like the Soviet Union if we accept free universal health care. Nor is it comforting to watch Hillary and Bill Clinton make an attempt at reforming our health care (and a pretty feeble one at that) and then pragmatically walking away from this issue when a multi-million dollar insurance/pharmaceutical/medical advertising campaign was mounted against this reform.
Then Moore shows us free, national health care in Canada, England and France. Oh, the horror! They get sick; they go to the hospital; they don’t have to pay. America can’t allow that. These countries are filled with people lacking the doubled angst an illness brings when coupled with the fear of being unable to pay the medical bills. That’s what makes America great. We have the freedom to worry. And, what makes it even greater in this country is the fact that we don’t have to pay the taxes other countries do for their free, national health care. Screw basic human rights. We ain’t paying no stinking taxes. (Except to bail out banks, Wall Street.......)
And so, Americans will be marching into this great depression, free to lose not only their jobs but any health care insurance these jobs provided. If the statistics are correct and 14,000 Americans will lose health care coverage every day (NYT) we are going to face an ugly and sicko sight very soon.
I guess you can understand why I only watch Moore in small doses.
See this movie: rent it, catch it on TV; but see it. Then go to:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/health-care-proposal/
and read Moore’s simple proposal for health care:
1. Every resident of the United States must have free, universal health care for life.
2. All health insurance companies must be abolished.
3. Pharmaceutical companies must be strictly regulated like a public utility.
If you want take action, here’s a way to contact your representatives:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Just click on your state and you’ll get electronic correspondence hyperlinks for your representatives.
I’m sure they’ll all be sympathetic. Who can quarrel with the angst of an illness? But don’t expect any action. Have you taken a look at the contributions the insurance, pharmaceutical, and medical industries make to Congress?
You don't stand a chance.
Huffington Post, The New York Times online, The Record online; I bet every news website has the Oscar night coverage on the front page.
The Huffington Post lets you scroll through their choices of the best and worst trends in Oscar gowns. Wow! Louis XIV’s court at Versailles would have loved it. The yards and yards of delicate and dry cleanable fabric arranged into gowns of utter uselessness. What a fitting marker for the fin de siècle of the United States and perhaps the world. After all, it was supposedly Louis' great-grandson, Louis XV, who coined that pithy phrase: Après moi, le déluge (After me, the flood).
There’s a lot of jumping for joy with the win of Slumdog Millionaire but it’s such a typically American picture that no one should have been surprised with its win. You have the poor boy, separated from his true love, overcoming adversity, achieving great wealth and his true love.
Isn’t that how we all live in the United States? And what a great economic time to remind us of the joys of living poor because we know, we really know in our hearts as we tackle this march into poverty, that one day our dreams will all come true. That’s what makes capitalism the best economic system ever. Hollywood told us all this during the 1930's depression with its plethora of movies showing rich people “seeing the light” by the final credits - but still remaining rich. Why not tell us again during this depression? You know how Hollywood loves sequels.
Which brings me to my movie to review: Sicko by Michael Moore.
Sicko, which is not a new movie (2007), compares the health care system in the United States with the enlightened national health care systems in the rest of the industrial world.
Michael Moore is a visual Studs Turkel and hated because his visual medium is so effective in driving the wingnuts crazy.
I have a lot of trouble watching this movie straight through since the anger level it achieves in me is not healthy. I marvel at the stupidity of the American people in accepting their profit-driven health care system and also accepting the scare-tactics drivel offered by opponents of a free, national health care system paid by taxes. It’s not comforting to watch that B-actor, Ronald Reagan, who became a D-level U.S. president, intone about the danger of the U.S. becoming like the Soviet Union if we accept free universal health care. Nor is it comforting to watch Hillary and Bill Clinton make an attempt at reforming our health care (and a pretty feeble one at that) and then pragmatically walking away from this issue when a multi-million dollar insurance/pharmaceutical/medical advertising campaign was mounted against this reform.
Then Moore shows us free, national health care in Canada, England and France. Oh, the horror! They get sick; they go to the hospital; they don’t have to pay. America can’t allow that. These countries are filled with people lacking the doubled angst an illness brings when coupled with the fear of being unable to pay the medical bills. That’s what makes America great. We have the freedom to worry. And, what makes it even greater in this country is the fact that we don’t have to pay the taxes other countries do for their free, national health care. Screw basic human rights. We ain’t paying no stinking taxes. (Except to bail out banks, Wall Street.......)
And so, Americans will be marching into this great depression, free to lose not only their jobs but any health care insurance these jobs provided. If the statistics are correct and 14,000 Americans will lose health care coverage every day (NYT) we are going to face an ugly and sicko sight very soon.
I guess you can understand why I only watch Moore in small doses.
See this movie: rent it, catch it on TV; but see it. Then go to:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/health-care-proposal/
and read Moore’s simple proposal for health care:
1. Every resident of the United States must have free, universal health care for life.
2. All health insurance companies must be abolished.
3. Pharmaceutical companies must be strictly regulated like a public utility.
If you want take action, here’s a way to contact your representatives:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Just click on your state and you’ll get electronic correspondence hyperlinks for your representatives.
I’m sure they’ll all be sympathetic. Who can quarrel with the angst of an illness? But don’t expect any action. Have you taken a look at the contributions the insurance, pharmaceutical, and medical industries make to Congress?
You don't stand a chance.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Knitting on Friday
I’m busy working on my green trinity stitch shawl, my pink mohair shawl (what was I thinking?) and my yellow summer shawl. I’ll get the most wear from the green one. It’s wool and warm but it takes forever. Plus, it's from an afghan I’m unraveling. It’s all crinkly like the old-fashioned phone cord and it’s full of frayed sections. I’ve gotten to the point where I carry a spray bottle around when I’m knitting this so I can splice the pieces together. Did a moth(s) “feast on its flesh” at one time (many times?) Or was this sun damage? Whatever; wool is very durable, and, the main reason I’m fooling with this project, very warm.
But the big news is that the brown yarn (25% wool) is now a brown vest and I’ve worn it twice and....... First the news about the yarn: I think I had so many false starts with this yarn because I really don’t like it. It’s Berella Special Canadian Worsted and I got it long ago when a store was closing. I remember eying it at regular price and not being interested so they must have made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I should have. While it was easy to knit up (finally), I’ve noticed pilling already on the inside.
The second problem is the pattern. While I don’t say it makes you look like a bear (no pun intended; brown - bear) a waffle stitch and *P3, K2* ribbing gives you the “big” look when knitted in double weight yarn.
Having said that, I think it’s a good pattern so here it is:
(First, the disclaimer: I “invented” this pattern in that I combined some pattern stitches. Use and enjoy it. Sell the finished garment. Please don't copyright it. That wouldn't be nice. Oh, and I’m only giving you what I did so you’ll have to adjust for your size.)
Waffle Stitch Vest (I’m calling it waffle stitch, I don’t know if there is such a stitch.)
Equipment: double knit weight yarn, about 4 50g balls; US 10 and US 11 needles;
darning needle, row counter, marker, yarn holder - the usual stuff you need
Size: Small - less than 36" bust. The vest body is stretchy.
Special Stitch: crochet crab stitch (backward single crochet)
Gauge: I got about 3 1/2 stitches to 1 inch in pattern which should have given me a 40+inch width. But it didn't. I got about a stretchy 36 inches, which is why I hate gauging.
Skills Level: Advanced beginner
To Know: knitting even means no increases or decreases in that row; live stitches means stitches ready to be worked, not bound off; Kitchener Stitch and the three-needle bind-off - google these for very good explanations.
Waffle Stitch in the round:
Row 1: P 2 stitches together (P2tog) around
Row 2: Knit in front and back of each stitch (Kfb)
Row 3 and 4: Knit (K)
Waffle Stitch in rows:
Row 1 RS: Purl 2 together (P2tog) around
Row 2: Purl in the front and back of each stitch (Pfb)
Row 3: K
Row 4: P (all your increases and decreases are done on Rows 3 & 4 when you get to the armholes.)
Ribbing: With US 10 needles, cast on 130 stitches (sts). Join, mark beginning of round, and *K3,P2* for 4 to 5 inches. The ribbing should be this long or longer.
Change to US 11 needles.
Next round: Knitting around, increase one stitch (Kfb) in every 8th st then every 10th st to about 146 sts. Next round: Begin your waffle-stitch pattern in the round and continue to the armholes.
At armhole: Divide the vest in half (73 stitches each half) and put one-half on a spare needle.
Front Section: Working with 73 sts, switch to the waffle-stitch pattern in rows, starting on Row 3. Decrease 3 stitches at beginning of Rows 3 and 4. Knit Row 1 and 2 even and then decrease 1 stitch (do this decrease 1 stitch in from edge) both sides of Row 3 (K) and Row 4 (P). You have decreased 5 stitches each side. Continue knitting even to the neck, ending after Row 2. This was about 8" for me.
Divide your stitches in thirds (1/3 shoulder – 1/3 neck – 1/3 shoulder.) My stitches worked out 20 – 21 – 20 – obviously I lost stitches somewhere.
1st shoulder: Starting on right side (RS) at armhole edge on Row 3, work across the 1/3 shoulder stitches (20 for me.) On Row 3: K across to 3 sts before neck edge, K2tog, K1. Turn and work back in Row 4: P to 3 sts before neck edge, P2tog, P1. Turn and work even on these stitches in the waffle-stitch pattern to top of the shoulder ending after Row 3. Put the live sts on a holder. (About another inch for me.)
2nd shoulder: Attached yarn to RS neck edge at and bind off the 1/3 of the stitches for the neck. Don’t do this too loosely since it’ll sag. Then continue knitting across the 2nd shoulder with Row 3 as K1, K2tog, then K across. Turn and working Row 4, P to three stitches before the edge where you P2tog, P1. Turn and work even in pattern to the shoulder, ending after Row 3. Put the live sts on a holder.
Joining shoulders: Join the live stitches from the front and back shoulders using the Kitchener Stitch or the three-needle bind-off in purl.
Finishing. Work the crab stitch around the armholes and the neck. (I worked two crab stitches for every Row 3 and 4 and this brought in the natural sagging of the pattern edges nicely – you’ll see what I mean.)
That’s it. You get a very nice looking vest. A vest was about all I could do with this yarn. It just seemed too bulky for a full sweater. However, if you have finer yarn, sleeves in the ribbing might look attractive. I wouldn’t recommend sleeves in the waffle-stitch pattern since you get a horizontal strip which should be matched to the body .
Another variation of this vest is the jerkin. After the longer ribbing section, separate the front and back and knit the waffle-stitch pattern in rows to the neck/shoulders. Continue with directions starting with the 1st shoulder. This gives a very open look on the sides. The crab stitch up the sides will tidy up the look or you may like the pattern edge look. If you try it that way, let me know.
Note: Writing this pattern was an interesting experience since I made the vest without a pattern – just on the fly. No, I’m not bragging about how accomplished a knitter I am – it is a very easy pattern. But what surprised me is how much I had to write in the directions since I wanted to be sure even a beginning knitter could follow it. It really can become a tedious job because you’re constantly tweaking it to make it easy to follow; and I probably still made mistakes. Just one more reason why I admire people who put up lace patterns – and for free!
Final note: I wore the vest yesterday in order to get a picture to put in today. However, I spent the day hunting down a discrepancy on a bank statement (about which I may blog later) and it took the entire day. OK, I may be very slow when it comes to math but this one was a killer. Even the vest was frowning by the end of the day.
I’m busy working on my green trinity stitch shawl, my pink mohair shawl (what was I thinking?) and my yellow summer shawl. I’ll get the most wear from the green one. It’s wool and warm but it takes forever. Plus, it's from an afghan I’m unraveling. It’s all crinkly like the old-fashioned phone cord and it’s full of frayed sections. I’ve gotten to the point where I carry a spray bottle around when I’m knitting this so I can splice the pieces together. Did a moth(s) “feast on its flesh” at one time (many times?) Or was this sun damage? Whatever; wool is very durable, and, the main reason I’m fooling with this project, very warm.
But the big news is that the brown yarn (25% wool) is now a brown vest and I’ve worn it twice and....... First the news about the yarn: I think I had so many false starts with this yarn because I really don’t like it. It’s Berella Special Canadian Worsted and I got it long ago when a store was closing. I remember eying it at regular price and not being interested so they must have made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I should have. While it was easy to knit up (finally), I’ve noticed pilling already on the inside.
The second problem is the pattern. While I don’t say it makes you look like a bear (no pun intended; brown - bear) a waffle stitch and *P3, K2* ribbing gives you the “big” look when knitted in double weight yarn.
Having said that, I think it’s a good pattern so here it is:
(First, the disclaimer: I “invented” this pattern in that I combined some pattern stitches. Use and enjoy it. Sell the finished garment. Please don't copyright it. That wouldn't be nice. Oh, and I’m only giving you what I did so you’ll have to adjust for your size.)
Waffle Stitch Vest (I’m calling it waffle stitch, I don’t know if there is such a stitch.)
Equipment: double knit weight yarn, about 4 50g balls; US 10 and US 11 needles;
darning needle, row counter, marker, yarn holder - the usual stuff you need
Size: Small - less than 36" bust. The vest body is stretchy.
Special Stitch: crochet crab stitch (backward single crochet)
Gauge: I got about 3 1/2 stitches to 1 inch in pattern which should have given me a 40+inch width. But it didn't. I got about a stretchy 36 inches, which is why I hate gauging.
Skills Level: Advanced beginner
To Know: knitting even means no increases or decreases in that row; live stitches means stitches ready to be worked, not bound off; Kitchener Stitch and the three-needle bind-off - google these for very good explanations.
Waffle Stitch in the round:
Row 1: P 2 stitches together (P2tog) around
Row 2: Knit in front and back of each stitch (Kfb)
Row 3 and 4: Knit (K)
Waffle Stitch in rows:
Row 1 RS: Purl 2 together (P2tog) around
Row 2: Purl in the front and back of each stitch (Pfb)
Row 3: K
Row 4: P (all your increases and decreases are done on Rows 3 & 4 when you get to the armholes.)
Ribbing: With US 10 needles, cast on 130 stitches (sts). Join, mark beginning of round, and *K3,P2* for 4 to 5 inches. The ribbing should be this long or longer.
Change to US 11 needles.
Next round: Knitting around, increase one stitch (Kfb) in every 8th st then every 10th st to about 146 sts. Next round: Begin your waffle-stitch pattern in the round and continue to the armholes.
At armhole: Divide the vest in half (73 stitches each half) and put one-half on a spare needle.
Front Section: Working with 73 sts, switch to the waffle-stitch pattern in rows, starting on Row 3. Decrease 3 stitches at beginning of Rows 3 and 4. Knit Row 1 and 2 even and then decrease 1 stitch (do this decrease 1 stitch in from edge) both sides of Row 3 (K) and Row 4 (P). You have decreased 5 stitches each side. Continue knitting even to the neck, ending after Row 2. This was about 8" for me.
Divide your stitches in thirds (1/3 shoulder – 1/3 neck – 1/3 shoulder.) My stitches worked out 20 – 21 – 20 – obviously I lost stitches somewhere.
1st shoulder: Starting on right side (RS) at armhole edge on Row 3, work across the 1/3 shoulder stitches (20 for me.) On Row 3: K across to 3 sts before neck edge, K2tog, K1. Turn and work back in Row 4: P to 3 sts before neck edge, P2tog, P1. Turn and work even on these stitches in the waffle-stitch pattern to top of the shoulder ending after Row 3. Put the live sts on a holder. (About another inch for me.)
2nd shoulder: Attached yarn to RS neck edge at and bind off the 1/3 of the stitches for the neck. Don’t do this too loosely since it’ll sag. Then continue knitting across the 2nd shoulder with Row 3 as K1, K2tog, then K across. Turn and working Row 4, P to three stitches before the edge where you P2tog, P1. Turn and work even in pattern to the shoulder, ending after Row 3. Put the live sts on a holder.
Joining shoulders: Join the live stitches from the front and back shoulders using the Kitchener Stitch or the three-needle bind-off in purl.
Finishing. Work the crab stitch around the armholes and the neck. (I worked two crab stitches for every Row 3 and 4 and this brought in the natural sagging of the pattern edges nicely – you’ll see what I mean.)
That’s it. You get a very nice looking vest. A vest was about all I could do with this yarn. It just seemed too bulky for a full sweater. However, if you have finer yarn, sleeves in the ribbing might look attractive. I wouldn’t recommend sleeves in the waffle-stitch pattern since you get a horizontal strip which should be matched to the body .
Another variation of this vest is the jerkin. After the longer ribbing section, separate the front and back and knit the waffle-stitch pattern in rows to the neck/shoulders. Continue with directions starting with the 1st shoulder. This gives a very open look on the sides. The crab stitch up the sides will tidy up the look or you may like the pattern edge look. If you try it that way, let me know.
Note: Writing this pattern was an interesting experience since I made the vest without a pattern – just on the fly. No, I’m not bragging about how accomplished a knitter I am – it is a very easy pattern. But what surprised me is how much I had to write in the directions since I wanted to be sure even a beginning knitter could follow it. It really can become a tedious job because you’re constantly tweaking it to make it easy to follow; and I probably still made mistakes. Just one more reason why I admire people who put up lace patterns – and for free!
Final note: I wore the vest yesterday in order to get a picture to put in today. However, I spent the day hunting down a discrepancy on a bank statement (about which I may blog later) and it took the entire day. OK, I may be very slow when it comes to math but this one was a killer. Even the vest was frowning by the end of the day.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Website Wednesday
I'm having a lot of trouble getting my font size right in these blogs. While I seem to have options regarding the type of font I want to use: Arial, Courier, etc., like Goldilocks, I have only a few choices with size: small, large, largest. But sometimes Largest is really Papa Bear size and sometimes it's more like Mama Bear. There are some hyperlinks which will take me to Settings and Layouts but I get that dreaded box "Are you sure you want to navigate away from this site?" when I click them and I'm too chicken to say "Yes."
Oh, boy. I just lost my option to change the fonts; that is, that function just disappeared from the top tool bar. What did I do?
OK, I'm going to cut and paste this into Word Perfect and finish it there.
I’m in Word Perfect now, not that you probably care, but if I forget to save this, I’m going to be caring - and screaming.
Talking about formatting brings me to my website pick for this Wednesday:
http://chir.ag/projects/tip-of-my-tongue/
since it’s really about the nitty-gritty of talking and writing.
It’s not a slickly professional web site but it serves a very useful purpose.
It says: Find that word that you've been thinking about all day but just can't seem to remember. You plug in parts of the word you are looking for and the dictionaries do the searching for you. I see this an a boon for crossword addicts or lousy spellers, like me.
I used the Word Meaning function to look up spangled since I was using that on a 6th grade worksheet yesterday. I got the definition of the word but I also got definitions of: aventurine; banner; bespangle; goldstone; Key (Francis Scott) and sunstone; all of which contain “spangle” in their definition.
If you’re adventurous, click Projects along the top and then “Name that Color” where you learn the names of all those color shades the paint store wants to sell you and you get to see the actual color. Ever heard of the color Sinbad?
Or under Projects go to “Prez Tag Cloud” which shows: ....the popularity, frequency, and trends in the usages of words within speeches, official documents, declarations, and letters written by the Presidents of the US between 1776 - 2007 AD.
It’s interesting just reading how this site was prepared. Did you know that the most frequently used word in the 1927 State of the Union address of Calvin Coolidge was “agriculture”? Or that the most frequent word in Harrison’s 1891 State of the Union address was “Indian” but in the next year address it was “import”?
Some people may consider sites like this wonky (and no, I did not find the colloquial meaning for this word as I am using it in Tip of My Tongue) but I think it's sites like this one that make the Internet so fantastic. Someone has an interest and dedication to do the research and then prepare a website to share it with the world.
Go visit. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and don’t forget to look at his writings.
I'm having a lot of trouble getting my font size right in these blogs. While I seem to have options regarding the type of font I want to use: Arial, Courier, etc., like Goldilocks, I have only a few choices with size: small, large, largest. But sometimes Largest is really Papa Bear size and sometimes it's more like Mama Bear. There are some hyperlinks which will take me to Settings and Layouts but I get that dreaded box "Are you sure you want to navigate away from this site?" when I click them and I'm too chicken to say "Yes."
Oh, boy. I just lost my option to change the fonts; that is, that function just disappeared from the top tool bar. What did I do?
OK, I'm going to cut and paste this into Word Perfect and finish it there.
I’m in Word Perfect now, not that you probably care, but if I forget to save this, I’m going to be caring - and screaming.
Talking about formatting brings me to my website pick for this Wednesday:
http://chir.ag/projects/tip-of-my-tongue/
since it’s really about the nitty-gritty of talking and writing.
It’s not a slickly professional web site but it serves a very useful purpose.
It says: Find that word that you've been thinking about all day but just can't seem to remember. You plug in parts of the word you are looking for and the dictionaries do the searching for you. I see this an a boon for crossword addicts or lousy spellers, like me.
I used the Word Meaning function to look up spangled since I was using that on a 6th grade worksheet yesterday. I got the definition of the word but I also got definitions of: aventurine; banner; bespangle; goldstone; Key (Francis Scott) and sunstone; all of which contain “spangle” in their definition.
If you’re adventurous, click Projects along the top and then “Name that Color” where you learn the names of all those color shades the paint store wants to sell you and you get to see the actual color. Ever heard of the color Sinbad?
Or under Projects go to “Prez Tag Cloud” which shows: ....the popularity, frequency, and trends in the usages of words within speeches, official documents, declarations, and letters written by the Presidents of the US between 1776 - 2007 AD.
It’s interesting just reading how this site was prepared. Did you know that the most frequently used word in the 1927 State of the Union address of Calvin Coolidge was “agriculture”? Or that the most frequent word in Harrison’s 1891 State of the Union address was “Indian” but in the next year address it was “import”?
Some people may consider sites like this wonky (and no, I did not find the colloquial meaning for this word as I am using it in Tip of My Tongue) but I think it's sites like this one that make the Internet so fantastic. Someone has an interest and dedication to do the research and then prepare a website to share it with the world.
Go visit. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and don’t forget to look at his writings.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Moorings on Monday
Autism and MMR Vaccine
In the movie, I, Robot, the detective played by Will Smith gets to question the hologram of the slain James Cromwell. Smith asks questions but the hologram tells him that he is only programmed to answer the right questions and Smith is not asking them. By the end of the movie, Smith does realize the right questions and gets answers. However, I don’t think we’re anywhere close to asking the right questions about autism and the MMR vaccine.
I know there is a lot of buzz in the news regarding autism and the MMR vaccine due to a recent federal court ruling against the plaintiffs which did not find a relationship between autism and the mercury in the vaccine.
Additionally, the current research seems to suggest a genetic component in autism. And why not? It’s so much easier to put more guilt and pain on parents than to admit, or even do research into, a link between multi-billion pharmaceutical companies’ vaccines and autism.
My experience with autism is teaching special education; my experience with the MMR vaccine is what happened after it was given to a child I day-care.
This leads me to my anecdotal story about two children and the MMR vaccine:
I was day-caring a bright, lively, talkative 18-month old when she got her MMR vaccine. By the end of the week, I noticed that her talking was almost down to zero. Within a few months she was tested by a Special Services team from the state and it was discovered that her verbal skills were slightly less than 6 months below normal. (Six months is the cut-off for getting Special Services therapy.) In all other areas, she was fine. We went to art museums; read 20 library books together each week; did science experiments; baked cookies; but the road back to her verbal communications was slow.
(Ironically, if this child had developed autism after the MMR vaccine all my suspicions of a link to the vaccine would have been discounted by professionals. I would have joined the chorus of parents who believe there is a link to the vaccine but are refuted by health and insurance professionals at every turn. But she didn’t develop autism. All I knew was that right after receiving the MMR vaccine, something bad happened to her verbal skills.)
From 18 months to 4 years, she was periodically tested by Special Services and at 4 years she was given extensive testing; no problems were found with verbal skills; the case file was closed; and she entered kindergarten a bright, happy, talkative 5-year old. End of story. But.....
Her antibody titer level was tested before she was given the mandatory MMR booster at 4 years and it was discovered she was at the immune level for measles; meaning that even without the booster vaccine, she still had an immunity to the disease.
Fast forward to her brother who is 3 years younger. When he was ready for his first MMR vaccine at 18 months his mom demanded to have his antibody titer level tested. He also had a titer level which showed immunity to measles. His mom was able to find another pediatrician who gave the vaccine unbundled (3 shots over 3 visits) and he never received the measles part of the vaccine. When he was four years old and ready for his MMR booster, his titer level was tested again. It was still at the immune level for measles.
Unfortunately, this is not a Hollywood movie where we can tie the ends together but here are some things I wonder about:
1. Their mom’s OB/GYN tested her before she became pregnant and discovered that she did not have an immunity to rubella. He gave her the MMR vaccine. Did she pass immunity on to both children in utero?
2. Is it possible that a lot of children have the high antibody titer level of immunity at birth, passed on from their mothers, many of whom get the MMR vaccine again at college during a measles/German measles outbreak? These children at 18 months get a double whammy of protection with their own MMR vaccine. Could that affect their systems and cause damage? (Remember the 1st Bush’s invasion into Iraq when the soldiers were complaining about health problems - Gulf War Syndrome - due to all the vaccines they received?)
3. Do we know the effect of double/triple doses of immunity from vaccines in the body - especially tiny bodies? We don’t tell people: Take as much of this medicine as you want; more is always better. We have limits on dosage for over-the-counter and prescription medication. Why would vaccines be different?
4. New Jersey has an Antibody Titer Law. A little girl named Holly Stavola died 7 days after receiving the MMR booster from encephalopathy. No one can alleviate the sadness of losing a child but her parents took action and got this law passed. The law allows parents to seek testing to determine a child’s immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella, before receiving the second dose of the vaccine. And most importantly, the state brochure informs parents that: If a person has developed a sufficient level of antibodies, they may not need the second dose of vaccine. (Here’s the law: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2002/Bills/PL03/257_.PDF)
5. While the NJ Antibody Titer Law is a good first step. The next step must be to allow antibody titer testing before the first MMR vaccine.
6. As I understand it, it's getting more difficult to get the MMR vaccine unbundled. Why not have the unbundled vaccine as an option? That’s how it used to be done. It won’t harm the children. It may harm the profits.
Autism is not like getting a bad cold; it can be a lifetime of hell.
I don’t know the answers but I know we must start asking the right questions.
Autism and MMR Vaccine
In the movie, I, Robot, the detective played by Will Smith gets to question the hologram of the slain James Cromwell. Smith asks questions but the hologram tells him that he is only programmed to answer the right questions and Smith is not asking them. By the end of the movie, Smith does realize the right questions and gets answers. However, I don’t think we’re anywhere close to asking the right questions about autism and the MMR vaccine.
I know there is a lot of buzz in the news regarding autism and the MMR vaccine due to a recent federal court ruling against the plaintiffs which did not find a relationship between autism and the mercury in the vaccine.
Additionally, the current research seems to suggest a genetic component in autism. And why not? It’s so much easier to put more guilt and pain on parents than to admit, or even do research into, a link between multi-billion pharmaceutical companies’ vaccines and autism.
My experience with autism is teaching special education; my experience with the MMR vaccine is what happened after it was given to a child I day-care.
This leads me to my anecdotal story about two children and the MMR vaccine:
I was day-caring a bright, lively, talkative 18-month old when she got her MMR vaccine. By the end of the week, I noticed that her talking was almost down to zero. Within a few months she was tested by a Special Services team from the state and it was discovered that her verbal skills were slightly less than 6 months below normal. (Six months is the cut-off for getting Special Services therapy.) In all other areas, she was fine. We went to art museums; read 20 library books together each week; did science experiments; baked cookies; but the road back to her verbal communications was slow.
(Ironically, if this child had developed autism after the MMR vaccine all my suspicions of a link to the vaccine would have been discounted by professionals. I would have joined the chorus of parents who believe there is a link to the vaccine but are refuted by health and insurance professionals at every turn. But she didn’t develop autism. All I knew was that right after receiving the MMR vaccine, something bad happened to her verbal skills.)
From 18 months to 4 years, she was periodically tested by Special Services and at 4 years she was given extensive testing; no problems were found with verbal skills; the case file was closed; and she entered kindergarten a bright, happy, talkative 5-year old. End of story. But.....
Her antibody titer level was tested before she was given the mandatory MMR booster at 4 years and it was discovered she was at the immune level for measles; meaning that even without the booster vaccine, she still had an immunity to the disease.
Fast forward to her brother who is 3 years younger. When he was ready for his first MMR vaccine at 18 months his mom demanded to have his antibody titer level tested. He also had a titer level which showed immunity to measles. His mom was able to find another pediatrician who gave the vaccine unbundled (3 shots over 3 visits) and he never received the measles part of the vaccine. When he was four years old and ready for his MMR booster, his titer level was tested again. It was still at the immune level for measles.
Unfortunately, this is not a Hollywood movie where we can tie the ends together but here are some things I wonder about:
1. Their mom’s OB/GYN tested her before she became pregnant and discovered that she did not have an immunity to rubella. He gave her the MMR vaccine. Did she pass immunity on to both children in utero?
2. Is it possible that a lot of children have the high antibody titer level of immunity at birth, passed on from their mothers, many of whom get the MMR vaccine again at college during a measles/German measles outbreak? These children at 18 months get a double whammy of protection with their own MMR vaccine. Could that affect their systems and cause damage? (Remember the 1st Bush’s invasion into Iraq when the soldiers were complaining about health problems - Gulf War Syndrome - due to all the vaccines they received?)
3. Do we know the effect of double/triple doses of immunity from vaccines in the body - especially tiny bodies? We don’t tell people: Take as much of this medicine as you want; more is always better. We have limits on dosage for over-the-counter and prescription medication. Why would vaccines be different?
4. New Jersey has an Antibody Titer Law. A little girl named Holly Stavola died 7 days after receiving the MMR booster from encephalopathy. No one can alleviate the sadness of losing a child but her parents took action and got this law passed. The law allows parents to seek testing to determine a child’s immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella, before receiving the second dose of the vaccine. And most importantly, the state brochure informs parents that: If a person has developed a sufficient level of antibodies, they may not need the second dose of vaccine. (Here’s the law: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2002/Bills/PL03/257_.PDF)
5. While the NJ Antibody Titer Law is a good first step. The next step must be to allow antibody titer testing before the first MMR vaccine.
6. As I understand it, it's getting more difficult to get the MMR vaccine unbundled. Why not have the unbundled vaccine as an option? That’s how it used to be done. It won’t harm the children. It may harm the profits.
Autism is not like getting a bad cold; it can be a lifetime of hell.
I don’t know the answers but I know we must start asking the right questions.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Knitting Friday
And now for something completely different. A “true” fairy tale, as I remember it:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess with 12 brothers. Now, as usual in these stories, there was a wicked sorcerer in the kingdom and he put an evil spell on the princes and turned them all into swans. The swans promptly flew away and weren’t seen again.
Their human sister was distraught and searched for a wise man (or woman) to find out how to turn her brothers back into humans. She was told that she must knit 12 sweaters for them.
That’s easy, she thought. But the wise person added: During the time she knitted, she must never speak.
So the princess began her silent task and all went along well until a king from another kingdom saw her and wanted her for his wife.
The princess married the king but she remained silent and kept on knitting.
She may have been able to finish the sweaters if not for the wicked sorcerer. Yes, he was still around. He convinced the king that this wife was a witch and unfortunately, since the princess had to remain silent, she could not refute this charge.
So the silent princess was put on trial, convicted of being a witch, and sentenced to burn at the stake.
As the tumbrel led the princess to her doom, she was just finishing the sleeve on the last sweater. Suddenly, 12 beautiful swans appeared in the sky and flew down in front of the princess.
Quickly, she threw the 12 sweaters at the swans and instantly all of them turned back into handsome princes; except that the youngest prince got the half finished sleeve and had to live with a swan’s arm.
With the sweaters finished, the princess told her story; the sorcerer was punished and the king and his queen lived happily ever after.
Ok, I know this sounds like a lame entry for Knitting Friday but it is about knitting and the dilemma of the half finished sleeves hit home for me this week.
The honeycomb reversible shawl, which was the pattern last Friday, got finished this week. Well, it really didn’t get finished since I ended up with 40 stitches on the needles and the tiniest ball of wool left for finishing. There was no way I was going to have enough yarn left.
I was as frustrated as the knitting princess when she came to the last sleeve. I worked out all sorts of work-arounds and finally one almost worked. I made a drastic decrease in every other stitch for one row and then two K2togs at the beginning and end of each decrease row until I was comfortable that I would have enough yarn. (Remember, I told you that you could decrease more rapidly than instructed towards the end? Well, apparently not as rapidly as I did.)
I finished with one corner as an acute angle; the other three were correctly right angles. It didn’t look that good, but the yarn was dark and the pattern on US15 needles was very airy.
I always felt bad for the youngest prince and could imagine him beating his sister with his swan arm, saying: Why didn’t you knit faster?
Speed wouldn’t have helped me but a trip to Michael’s did. It had been months since I bought that dye lot but they had one skein left which was only off by the last number in a multi-numbered code. I even had a 40% off coupon. Happy days.
Last night, I ripped the shawl back to where I started my rapid decrease, proceeded to knit it correctly and even made a crab stitch edging.
Lessons I have learned:
Happy knitting.
And now for something completely different. A “true” fairy tale, as I remember it:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess with 12 brothers. Now, as usual in these stories, there was a wicked sorcerer in the kingdom and he put an evil spell on the princes and turned them all into swans. The swans promptly flew away and weren’t seen again.
Their human sister was distraught and searched for a wise man (or woman) to find out how to turn her brothers back into humans. She was told that she must knit 12 sweaters for them.
That’s easy, she thought. But the wise person added: During the time she knitted, she must never speak.
So the princess began her silent task and all went along well until a king from another kingdom saw her and wanted her for his wife.
The princess married the king but she remained silent and kept on knitting.
She may have been able to finish the sweaters if not for the wicked sorcerer. Yes, he was still around. He convinced the king that this wife was a witch and unfortunately, since the princess had to remain silent, she could not refute this charge.
So the silent princess was put on trial, convicted of being a witch, and sentenced to burn at the stake.
As the tumbrel led the princess to her doom, she was just finishing the sleeve on the last sweater. Suddenly, 12 beautiful swans appeared in the sky and flew down in front of the princess.
Quickly, she threw the 12 sweaters at the swans and instantly all of them turned back into handsome princes; except that the youngest prince got the half finished sleeve and had to live with a swan’s arm.
With the sweaters finished, the princess told her story; the sorcerer was punished and the king and his queen lived happily ever after.
Ok, I know this sounds like a lame entry for Knitting Friday but it is about knitting and the dilemma of the half finished sleeves hit home for me this week.
The honeycomb reversible shawl, which was the pattern last Friday, got finished this week. Well, it really didn’t get finished since I ended up with 40 stitches on the needles and the tiniest ball of wool left for finishing. There was no way I was going to have enough yarn left.
I was as frustrated as the knitting princess when she came to the last sleeve. I worked out all sorts of work-arounds and finally one almost worked. I made a drastic decrease in every other stitch for one row and then two K2togs at the beginning and end of each decrease row until I was comfortable that I would have enough yarn. (Remember, I told you that you could decrease more rapidly than instructed towards the end? Well, apparently not as rapidly as I did.)
I finished with one corner as an acute angle; the other three were correctly right angles. It didn’t look that good, but the yarn was dark and the pattern on US15 needles was very airy.
I always felt bad for the youngest prince and could imagine him beating his sister with his swan arm, saying: Why didn’t you knit faster?
Speed wouldn’t have helped me but a trip to Michael’s did. It had been months since I bought that dye lot but they had one skein left which was only off by the last number in a multi-numbered code. I even had a 40% off coupon. Happy days.
Last night, I ripped the shawl back to where I started my rapid decrease, proceeded to knit it correctly and even made a crab stitch edging.
Lessons I have learned:
- If you are knitting an diagonal rectangular shawl you have to weigh (or mark) your yarn. When you come to the half way point you must be at least halfway through the shawl. No exceptions. If you don’t or can’t weigh or mark; don’t make a diagonal shawl. (Except if you follow #3.)
- 440 yards, even on US15, will not make a 25” x 65” shawl in double knitting weight. You need at least 500 yards.
- Buy that extra skein.
- The honeycomb reversible shawl pattern worked up very nicely. After I bought enough yarn, I didn't have the fudge the decreases to prevent wonkiness. It's is very light and airy and I'm going to make another with smaller needles.
- And finally, I really don’t see how the components of that fairy tale mesh. OK, it makes it alliterate: silence, swans, sweaters. But why would you knit sweaters to stop a curse? And why swans? And finally, did that youngest brother spend a lifetime in therapy and did his brother-in-law, the king, pay for it?
Happy knitting.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Website Wednesday
My first choice for today’s website was the archives of the New York Times which go back to 1851. Many of the articles are free.
For fun, I typed in “Titanic” and brought up a contemporary account. Then I copied the first paragraph and plunked it into the online Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level found here:
http://www.editcentral.com/gwt/com.editcentral.EC/EC.html
and discovered the grade level was first year college.
Curiosity reared its head and I then took two paragraphs from yesterday’s NYT and got grade levels of high school freshman and sophomore (9 and 10.) I was now on a quest.
It was my search for the reading level of Civil War period articles that got me deeper into the site and made me realize either I or it needed some work before I posted it on Website Wednesday. If I finally get the hang of navigating this site smoothly, I’ll post it. At this point however, it seems to have some user-unfriendly features.
So my website recommendation is:
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/soc/anthro.html
This site come from Louisiana State University and it links you to other sites of anthropological, cultural, geographical, historical, archaeological interest - the list seems endless.
My first visit was to the bog people in Juteland, Denmark:
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/bog/index.html
It was fascinatingly spooky to look at two skulls: one, a part of the skull from 3500 B.C.E. where you could see the trepanation and the other, the full head skull of a 25-year old woman from 8000 B.C.E. It was here that I learned that most of the bog people had met violent deaths.
Back on the main site, I clicked on Bandelier, New Mexico and got taken to website of the Bandelier National Monument Park which contains hundreds of ruins of Anasazi cliff houses. It’s a semi-commercial site with rules and regulations, fees and accommodations. But scroll down to the Desert Directory and start clicking, say on “People of the Desert” - you’ll be reading for hours on that topic alone.
Also, be sure to check out the hyperlinks at the top of the main web page. For example, under Geography Pages you can work your way to old maps of colonial America or come to the climate map for major U.S. cities and plot their climatology since 1961. Under Archaeological Sites you get to see a aerial view of the Temple of Isis in Egypt.
This is an excellent, user-friendly site worth many, many casual or research-driven visits.
My first choice for today’s website was the archives of the New York Times which go back to 1851. Many of the articles are free.
For fun, I typed in “Titanic” and brought up a contemporary account. Then I copied the first paragraph and plunked it into the online Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level found here:
http://www.editcentral.com/gwt/com.editcentral.EC/EC.html
and discovered the grade level was first year college.
Curiosity reared its head and I then took two paragraphs from yesterday’s NYT and got grade levels of high school freshman and sophomore (9 and 10.) I was now on a quest.
It was my search for the reading level of Civil War period articles that got me deeper into the site and made me realize either I or it needed some work before I posted it on Website Wednesday. If I finally get the hang of navigating this site smoothly, I’ll post it. At this point however, it seems to have some user-unfriendly features.
So my website recommendation is:
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/soc/anthro.html
This site come from Louisiana State University and it links you to other sites of anthropological, cultural, geographical, historical, archaeological interest - the list seems endless.
My first visit was to the bog people in Juteland, Denmark:
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/bog/index.html
It was fascinatingly spooky to look at two skulls: one, a part of the skull from 3500 B.C.E. where you could see the trepanation and the other, the full head skull of a 25-year old woman from 8000 B.C.E. It was here that I learned that most of the bog people had met violent deaths.
Back on the main site, I clicked on Bandelier, New Mexico and got taken to website of the Bandelier National Monument Park which contains hundreds of ruins of Anasazi cliff houses. It’s a semi-commercial site with rules and regulations, fees and accommodations. But scroll down to the Desert Directory and start clicking, say on “People of the Desert” - you’ll be reading for hours on that topic alone.
Also, be sure to check out the hyperlinks at the top of the main web page. For example, under Geography Pages you can work your way to old maps of colonial America or come to the climate map for major U.S. cities and plot their climatology since 1961. Under Archaeological Sites you get to see a aerial view of the Temple of Isis in Egypt.
This is an excellent, user-friendly site worth many, many casual or research-driven visits.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Moorings on Monday
I was so excited at the end of last week. Someone linked to my Website Wednesday blog of Finding Dulcinea. I thought I won the Pulitzer. No exaggeration; I was psyched. It’s like I went from teaching a course in cursive writing in elementary school to a chair at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton (where, since they are all scientists, they may need a course in cursive writing.)
Then the unemployment figures came out and over one-half million Americans had lost their jobs. Thinking about the dearth of social services in this country and the angst these people must be feeling with no job, no health care and diminished unemployment benefits, my heart cringed.
And it’s not going to get better. Some yahoo Senator from Alabama is on TV decrying the stimulus bill as a descent into socialism; what we need are tax cuts. I can’t believe a variation of “Better Dead than Red” theme is playing its way into the opposition to the stimulus bill. (Not that I think this bill is even close to the answer we need; but I know tax cuts, which always benefit the rich, are just the way to modern day feudalism.)
Then I thought about the children in the families where parents have lost their jobs. Kids worry. Kids worry nightmare style and many times they don’t communicate these fears. (The most horrible literary example of this is the actions the son takes in Jude The Obscure.)
I don’t think you can always allay kid’s fears but there is a great book which may be helpful. It’s called Zen Shorts, a Caldecott Honor Book, by Jon J. Muth.
It’s about three young children who meet Stillwater, a panda who carries a large, red umbrella. Each one visits and befriends Stillwater and is told a short zen parable: A Heavy Load; The Farmer’s Luck; and Uncle Ry and the Moon. (In these tough economic times, it’s good to know that these parables are free on the web, though the book is so much more delightful.)
Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive with parents saying that children as young as 4 enjoyed the book. One review: I read this to my children last evening. It resulted in a lengthy discussion about anger, giving, forgiving, wealth, and life. The only negative review was that it’s a great book for adults but not a page-turner for kids. I agree with that. This book should be read with the child for maximum benefit.
Stillwater teaches the children about letting go of anger; letting go of possessions; and accepting the good and bad of life.
It has all been said before: Matthew 19:16-22 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Or in All Things Shall Pass Away by Theodore Tilton:
...’Mid the revels of his court,
In the zenith of his sport,
When the palms of all his guests,
Burned with clapping at his jests,
He, amid his figs and wine,
Cried: “Oh, precious friends of mine,
Pleasure comes, but not to stay —
Even this shall pass away.”...
But all platitudes, wherever you find them, can use charm and a large panda.
I was so excited at the end of last week. Someone linked to my Website Wednesday blog of Finding Dulcinea. I thought I won the Pulitzer. No exaggeration; I was psyched. It’s like I went from teaching a course in cursive writing in elementary school to a chair at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton (where, since they are all scientists, they may need a course in cursive writing.)
Then the unemployment figures came out and over one-half million Americans had lost their jobs. Thinking about the dearth of social services in this country and the angst these people must be feeling with no job, no health care and diminished unemployment benefits, my heart cringed.
And it’s not going to get better. Some yahoo Senator from Alabama is on TV decrying the stimulus bill as a descent into socialism; what we need are tax cuts. I can’t believe a variation of “Better Dead than Red” theme is playing its way into the opposition to the stimulus bill. (Not that I think this bill is even close to the answer we need; but I know tax cuts, which always benefit the rich, are just the way to modern day feudalism.)
Then I thought about the children in the families where parents have lost their jobs. Kids worry. Kids worry nightmare style and many times they don’t communicate these fears. (The most horrible literary example of this is the actions the son takes in Jude The Obscure.)
I don’t think you can always allay kid’s fears but there is a great book which may be helpful. It’s called Zen Shorts, a Caldecott Honor Book, by Jon J. Muth.
It’s about three young children who meet Stillwater, a panda who carries a large, red umbrella. Each one visits and befriends Stillwater and is told a short zen parable: A Heavy Load; The Farmer’s Luck; and Uncle Ry and the Moon. (In these tough economic times, it’s good to know that these parables are free on the web, though the book is so much more delightful.)
Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive with parents saying that children as young as 4 enjoyed the book. One review: I read this to my children last evening. It resulted in a lengthy discussion about anger, giving, forgiving, wealth, and life. The only negative review was that it’s a great book for adults but not a page-turner for kids. I agree with that. This book should be read with the child for maximum benefit.
Stillwater teaches the children about letting go of anger; letting go of possessions; and accepting the good and bad of life.
It has all been said before: Matthew 19:16-22 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Or in All Things Shall Pass Away by Theodore Tilton:
...’Mid the revels of his court,
In the zenith of his sport,
When the palms of all his guests,
Burned with clapping at his jests,
He, amid his figs and wine,
Cried: “Oh, precious friends of mine,
Pleasure comes, but not to stay —
Even this shall pass away.”...
But all platitudes, wherever you find them, can use charm and a large panda.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Knitting Friday
In case you remembered my projects from last week, well, they are no more. The Berroco pullover:
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/rectangela/rectangela.html
which I was going to knit from the bottom of the yoke up was a disaster. I think it can be done but I’ll have to swatch first and the question is: When did I ever swatch? (Knitters, around the world, are booing.)
The brown shrug was frogged at the Superbowl party. The body of double moss was fine but the K2, P2 ribbing looked homemade (as opposed to handmade) so back to the frog pond with it.However, I am using the brown yarn. I cast on 110 stitches, joined them and started in double moss for a bottom up pullover, knitted in the round. This should work.
Here’s a very simple pattern for a multidirectional rectangular shawl.
Honeycomb reversible shawl
Equipment: US15 needles; double knitting weight yarn (Paton variegated wool, 2 skeins 400+ yards.); row counter
Size: I’m shooting for 25" x 65+”.
Skills level: Easy; except for very end (see final note)
Finished look: honeycombed, light and open; reversible
Some preliminary notes:
1. This pattern has not been fully-tested. However, I am now working on the second section and I’ve found that if you have no problems with the increasing and decreasing in this section (and you see them fast) you’ll be ok for the rest of the pattern.
2. Notice that the increases and decreases equal EOR but are done in two consecutive rows out of a four-row pattern. It works.
3. In the second section, the decrease is done at the end of Row 3 and the beginning of Row 4.
4. Although this pattern is reversible, mark Row 1 side as RS for reference.
5. I'm always afraid when I only have 2 skeins that I won't have enough yarn to finish. With more yarn, I would have used smaller needles - perhaps US10.5
6. For the first section, I did 60 rows to get to 25" in width.
Pattern: composed of three sections
First section: CO 2 sts. Set-up row: Kfb, Kfb (4 sts)
Row 1and 2: K1 *K2tog, YO*, end K1Kfb *K1
Row 3 & 4: Kfb *K* end Kfb
Continue Rows 1- 4 to your desired width. (Measure the bottom of the right angle from the right side of your knitting.) End after Row 4.
Second Section:
Row 1 and Row 2: K1 *K2tog, YO*, end K1
Row 3: Kfb *K* end K2tog
Row 4: K2tog *K* end Kfb
Continue Rows 1- 4 to your desired length, (rule of thumb is the length should be at least your height). End after Row 4.
Third Section:
Row 1 and Row 2: K1 *K2tog, YO*, end K1
Row 3 & 4: K2tog, *K* K2tog.
Decrease to 2 or 3 stitches. Just knit them together and pull through yarn.
Final Note: Multidirectional shawls have a reputation for looking wonky at the second edge (third section.) That is, you get a slanted not straight edge here. When you get to around 20 stitches on your needle, look at how the edge is going. If it’s slanting you can make more than two decreases on Rows 3 and 4. Ex: (K2tog 2xs) *K* (K2tog 2xs). Or add some K2togs across the row. It works and will eliminate or lessen any slanting.
Some thoughts on variegated yarn:
I love it. It’s like a box of your favorite chocolates or a large bag of crispy, slightly salted potato chips - you love them, you buy them, you eat them all (sometimes in one sitting) and then.....
It’s the same with variegated yarn. I buy it whenever I see it on sale. I check out all sorts of patterns. I find one that will show off its shadings and then I start. What disappointment! It’s like after eating those forbidden treats; you feel so fat and unhappy. At least, I don't eat the yarn but I do feel unhappy since I never get the results with variegated that I want.
However, this is the first shawl made in variegated yarn in a modified garter stitch that I really like. Give it a try.
Enjoy your knitting.
In case you remembered my projects from last week, well, they are no more. The Berroco pullover:
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/rectangela/rectangela.html
which I was going to knit from the bottom of the yoke up was a disaster. I think it can be done but I’ll have to swatch first and the question is: When did I ever swatch? (Knitters, around the world, are booing.)
The brown shrug was frogged at the Superbowl party. The body of double moss was fine but the K2, P2 ribbing looked homemade (as opposed to handmade) so back to the frog pond with it.However, I am using the brown yarn. I cast on 110 stitches, joined them and started in double moss for a bottom up pullover, knitted in the round. This should work.
Here’s a very simple pattern for a multidirectional rectangular shawl.
Honeycomb reversible shawl
Equipment: US15 needles; double knitting weight yarn (Paton variegated wool, 2 skeins 400+ yards.); row counter
Size: I’m shooting for 25" x 65+”.
Skills level: Easy; except for very end (see final note)
Finished look: honeycombed, light and open; reversible
Some preliminary notes:
1. This pattern has not been fully-tested. However, I am now working on the second section and I’ve found that if you have no problems with the increasing and decreasing in this section (and you see them fast) you’ll be ok for the rest of the pattern.
2. Notice that the increases and decreases equal EOR but are done in two consecutive rows out of a four-row pattern. It works.
3. In the second section, the decrease is done at the end of Row 3 and the beginning of Row 4.
4. Although this pattern is reversible, mark Row 1 side as RS for reference.
5. I'm always afraid when I only have 2 skeins that I won't have enough yarn to finish. With more yarn, I would have used smaller needles - perhaps US10.5
6. For the first section, I did 60 rows to get to 25" in width.
Pattern: composed of three sections
First section: CO 2 sts. Set-up row: Kfb, Kfb (4 sts)
Row 1and 2: K1 *K2tog, YO*, end K1Kfb *K1
Row 3 & 4: Kfb *K* end Kfb
Continue Rows 1- 4 to your desired width. (Measure the bottom of the right angle from the right side of your knitting.) End after Row 4.
Second Section:
Row 1 and Row 2: K1 *K2tog, YO*, end K1
Row 3: Kfb *K* end K2tog
Row 4: K2tog *K* end Kfb
Continue Rows 1- 4 to your desired length, (rule of thumb is the length should be at least your height). End after Row 4.
Third Section:
Row 1 and Row 2: K1 *K2tog, YO*, end K1
Row 3 & 4: K2tog, *K* K2tog.
Decrease to 2 or 3 stitches. Just knit them together and pull through yarn.
Final Note: Multidirectional shawls have a reputation for looking wonky at the second edge (third section.) That is, you get a slanted not straight edge here. When you get to around 20 stitches on your needle, look at how the edge is going. If it’s slanting you can make more than two decreases on Rows 3 and 4. Ex: (K2tog 2xs) *K* (K2tog 2xs). Or add some K2togs across the row. It works and will eliminate or lessen any slanting.
Some thoughts on variegated yarn:
I love it. It’s like a box of your favorite chocolates or a large bag of crispy, slightly salted potato chips - you love them, you buy them, you eat them all (sometimes in one sitting) and then.....
It’s the same with variegated yarn. I buy it whenever I see it on sale. I check out all sorts of patterns. I find one that will show off its shadings and then I start. What disappointment! It’s like after eating those forbidden treats; you feel so fat and unhappy. At least, I don't eat the yarn but I do feel unhappy since I never get the results with variegated that I want.
However, this is the first shawl made in variegated yarn in a modified garter stitch that I really like. Give it a try.
Enjoy your knitting.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Website Wednesday
Sometimes, I just like to get lost in a website and roam there until the next daily task rears its less attractive head. (Now, there’s a fractured idiom for you.) Other times, I’m out of a website in a flash. Nothing there; thank you; let’s move on.
However, the one I’ve chosen for today is one for which you make the popcorn, get the comfy slippers, and plan to stay a while.
http://www.archive.org/index.php
Their welcome says: The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
That sounds so dry, but it is so good.
I first came across this site by goggling “free public domain movies online.” Under their feature films (a collection of more than 150,000 films which is updated daily) , they have a large collection of public domain movies.
It’s fascinating to see the silent films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, or the recently added Iron Mask with Douglas Fairbanks and narrated by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Many of the feature films are just interesting “dogs” but even they are worth the historic look. In The Death Kiss, a 1930's movie with Lugosi in a non-Lugosi type role, I saw an iceman (ok, an actor playing an iceman) take the block of ice up to a little door in the outside back wall of a house. He opened the door and put in the ice because the kitchen icebox was connected to that little door. I didn’t know they could do that. Or in another 30's movie where an actor said, in a throw away line, that everyone in his neighborhood was sick and he got the shot. What shot? Did they have flu shots back then?
However, this site is so much more than cheesy old movies. They also have live music, audio, and text sections with 60,000+ live concerts, 300,000+ audios and more than a million texts. The entire site is searchable for keywords.
The texts section has Flip Book feature where you see a clear, large picture of each page. (I found this very useful in reading books from the past to young children.) I enjoyed flipping through a 1843 knitting book and discovering this pattern: Cast on any even number of stitches. Bring the wool forward, knit two together alternately, to the end of the row. Every row is the same.
That’s *YO, K2tog* across row for every row. It’s still used today and makes a lovely pattern.
The site is also home to the Wayback Machine. This archives websites from 1996 to the present which are no longer on the internet. So if you come upon a site with that dreaded: Oops! The site you are looking for no longer exists, try the Wayback Machine.
Well, gotta go. On their movie site, under “This Just in” they’ve added all the episodes of Holt of the Secret Service. I’ve never heard of Holt but I’m sure he must be an early day Indiana Jones.
Enjoy the site.
Sometimes, I just like to get lost in a website and roam there until the next daily task rears its less attractive head. (Now, there’s a fractured idiom for you.) Other times, I’m out of a website in a flash. Nothing there; thank you; let’s move on.
However, the one I’ve chosen for today is one for which you make the popcorn, get the comfy slippers, and plan to stay a while.
http://www.archive.org/index.php
Their welcome says: The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
That sounds so dry, but it is so good.
I first came across this site by goggling “free public domain movies online.” Under their feature films (a collection of more than 150,000 films which is updated daily) , they have a large collection of public domain movies.
It’s fascinating to see the silent films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, or the recently added Iron Mask with Douglas Fairbanks and narrated by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Many of the feature films are just interesting “dogs” but even they are worth the historic look. In The Death Kiss, a 1930's movie with Lugosi in a non-Lugosi type role, I saw an iceman (ok, an actor playing an iceman) take the block of ice up to a little door in the outside back wall of a house. He opened the door and put in the ice because the kitchen icebox was connected to that little door. I didn’t know they could do that. Or in another 30's movie where an actor said, in a throw away line, that everyone in his neighborhood was sick and he got the shot. What shot? Did they have flu shots back then?
However, this site is so much more than cheesy old movies. They also have live music, audio, and text sections with 60,000+ live concerts, 300,000+ audios and more than a million texts. The entire site is searchable for keywords.
The texts section has Flip Book feature where you see a clear, large picture of each page. (I found this very useful in reading books from the past to young children.) I enjoyed flipping through a 1843 knitting book and discovering this pattern: Cast on any even number of stitches. Bring the wool forward, knit two together alternately, to the end of the row. Every row is the same.
That’s *YO, K2tog* across row for every row. It’s still used today and makes a lovely pattern.
The site is also home to the Wayback Machine. This archives websites from 1996 to the present which are no longer on the internet. So if you come upon a site with that dreaded: Oops! The site you are looking for no longer exists, try the Wayback Machine.
Well, gotta go. On their movie site, under “This Just in” they’ve added all the episodes of Holt of the Secret Service. I’ve never heard of Holt but I’m sure he must be an early day Indiana Jones.
Enjoy the site.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Memes on Monday
Standing up during the national anthem.
Or rather Standing up during the national anthem which is being played on a TV in a clubhouse during a SuperBowl Party.
Or rather Standing up during the national anthem which is being played on a TV in a clubhouse during a SuperBowl Party where there is illegal gaming taking place (football pool - needs a 1-day state license) and alcohol is being served (without the A.B.C. special social events permit which is required.)
But everyone stood. They came out of the kitchen, the card room, wherever and stood fixed to the screen, listening at attention to yet another horrible rendition of that anthem which should have been replaced so long ago.
Everyone that is except my husband and I. We sat.
Now don’t get me wrong, while I think such displays of patriotism and respect are largely hypocritical I fully agree with Henry IV of France that sometimes “Paris is worth a mass.” (Google this; it makes for interesting reading.)
I have been at enough military events to know that you stand when the flag goes by and since that anthem seems to get played at the same time, you stand for that also.
There is a federal flag and national anthem code; you know the old standing and hand over the heart, except for the military, when the flag goes by and the anthem is being played.
This part is a hoot: Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.
Children are being slaughtered all over the world; people die because they can’t afford health care and we have a flag and anthem code which tells you how to remove and hold your hat. The mind boggles!
But leaving aside this minutiae to details: when did the meme devolve into standing for the national anthem when it’s part of a TV show? And, this time, a TV show where the only really important thing was the network’s ability to sell all their airspace. Two headlines today in online news are: [Superbowl] Ads That Pushed Our Usual (Well-Worn) Buttons and The Best Super Bowl Ads. After all, the bottom line is always the bottom line for business. Even better when you package it with patriotism and sports for Americans.
It was a socially, gutsy thing for the two of us to remain seated. This is a small community; we are both active participants in it; and people talk, especially in small communities.
But, how could we not remain seated? We never got caught up in the Iraqi debacle; we never stopped protesting the “Patriot Act”’; we didn’t join the hysteria of flying the flag after the destruction of the World Trade Center; so how could we say now “Oh, let’s fit in. This is such a small point.” We have never accepted conformity without examining its background.
Gore Vidal once said: You become what you seem to be.
I guess, last night, in that room, in a small way, we all proved that true.
Standing up during the national anthem.
Or rather Standing up during the national anthem which is being played on a TV in a clubhouse during a SuperBowl Party.
Or rather Standing up during the national anthem which is being played on a TV in a clubhouse during a SuperBowl Party where there is illegal gaming taking place (football pool - needs a 1-day state license) and alcohol is being served (without the A.B.C. special social events permit which is required.)
But everyone stood. They came out of the kitchen, the card room, wherever and stood fixed to the screen, listening at attention to yet another horrible rendition of that anthem which should have been replaced so long ago.
Everyone that is except my husband and I. We sat.
Now don’t get me wrong, while I think such displays of patriotism and respect are largely hypocritical I fully agree with Henry IV of France that sometimes “Paris is worth a mass.” (Google this; it makes for interesting reading.)
I have been at enough military events to know that you stand when the flag goes by and since that anthem seems to get played at the same time, you stand for that also.
There is a federal flag and national anthem code; you know the old standing and hand over the heart, except for the military, when the flag goes by and the anthem is being played.
This part is a hoot: Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.
Children are being slaughtered all over the world; people die because they can’t afford health care and we have a flag and anthem code which tells you how to remove and hold your hat. The mind boggles!
But leaving aside this minutiae to details: when did the meme devolve into standing for the national anthem when it’s part of a TV show? And, this time, a TV show where the only really important thing was the network’s ability to sell all their airspace. Two headlines today in online news are: [Superbowl] Ads That Pushed Our Usual (Well-Worn) Buttons and The Best Super Bowl Ads. After all, the bottom line is always the bottom line for business. Even better when you package it with patriotism and sports for Americans.
It was a socially, gutsy thing for the two of us to remain seated. This is a small community; we are both active participants in it; and people talk, especially in small communities.
But, how could we not remain seated? We never got caught up in the Iraqi debacle; we never stopped protesting the “Patriot Act”’; we didn’t join the hysteria of flying the flag after the destruction of the World Trade Center; so how could we say now “Oh, let’s fit in. This is such a small point.” We have never accepted conformity without examining its background.
Gore Vidal once said: You become what you seem to be.
I guess, last night, in that room, in a small way, we all proved that true.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Knitting Friday
This has been such a successful knitting week. I finished two shawls. One in the simple lace pattern of *Yo, K2tog* and *K2tog, YO*. This one is done in blue double knit weight of 25% wool. I don’t really like the 25% wool yarns except for Woolease. For some reason, Lion Brand got the acrylic/wool combination right and their yarn has a very nice feel and drape. Though they have progressively been lowering their percentage of wool so this may change. But this shawl is done; it’s large and it’s warm.
The second is a re-cycled trinity stitch shawl in 100% wool. It’s green: both in terms of color and the environment. As I’ve said, I find that when you have recycled, crinkly yarn, which no amount of washing is going to straighten, use the trinity stitch; it hides a lot of “sins.” I probably would have used smaller needles on this project (I used US 15) but I started it before I weighed it so I didn’t want to run out of yarn. As it was, I didn’t have enough yarn left to make a border except for the 2 narrow ends.
With these two projects completed, I only have 5 more projects on the needles. Four of them are shawls, one of which will probably be frogged since I have no idea why I even started it. I’m trying to will myself not to start anything new until I finish at least one more project.
Unfortunately, this Rectangela pullover is on Knit Pattern Central list of pattern for Wednesday:
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/rectangela/rectangela.html
It’s a unstructured pullover with cuff-less sleeves. I usually don’t knit Berroco patterns since a lot of them are just stockinette stitch; though Star is one of the attractive exceptions.
This one is stockinette and moss. Already, I’ve modified this pattern to start at the back bottom yoke with a provisional cast on. I’m going to knit the yoke with the sleeves up to the neck and then down the front yoke. That way I’ll have live stitches ready to knit the body in the round.
In the same Knit Pattern Central list, there is a moss stitch shrug which is going to be my project for the Super Bowl Party. Yes, I’m going to a Super Bowl Party. Or rather, a party where I will knit and there will be a lot of background noise and food. Both of which my knitting will help me to ignore.
The shrug pattern is:
http://www.sheeptoshawl.com/charity/archives/2007/04/entry_246.html
I’ve seen this pattern before but now I have a light brown yarn (25% wool again) which just isn’t saying “shawl” to me. In fact, it just stopped talking. I do think the shrug might work with it though.
I have been pretty unsuccessful with shrugs except for one black cotton summer one which works. I just saw a very attractive shrug with a wide ribbed front border and collar. But then I saw the ribbon around the waist. It really wasn’t there to be attractive but to make sure the ribbing didn’t flop all over the place. I really don’t want to have to wear a ribbon or a belt.
If I can figure this out (and half the fun of knitting is modifying things), I would like to knit the shrug without the cuffs. Then I could sew up the inch of sleeve and turn it on. If it’s a disaster, it’s only a few inches (57") from shawl length. If it looks good as a shrug; I’ll just cast on for the cuffs. We, knitter, do so hate to frog.
(Update: I broke my rule and started the brown shrug. I’ve changed things already by casting on 28 sts on US 8 and knitting the ribbing in the round. Then I changed to US 10 ½ and knitted up the 1 inch of the sleeve also in the round. This way, I shouldn’t have any sewing in the end. Right now, I knitting up the sleeves in rows. I’m not using bulky but I seem to be getting the width (which I read as neck to waist.) I can always fudge some type of border if I have to.)
But right now it’s back to my pink mohair shawl. What ever possessed me, beside the price, to buy this yarn? When it’s done I think it might be appropriate to donate it to the Miss Marple Museum. I can definitely see her knitting with this yarn.
Happy knitting.
This has been such a successful knitting week. I finished two shawls. One in the simple lace pattern of *Yo, K2tog* and *K2tog, YO*. This one is done in blue double knit weight of 25% wool. I don’t really like the 25% wool yarns except for Woolease. For some reason, Lion Brand got the acrylic/wool combination right and their yarn has a very nice feel and drape. Though they have progressively been lowering their percentage of wool so this may change. But this shawl is done; it’s large and it’s warm.
The second is a re-cycled trinity stitch shawl in 100% wool. It’s green: both in terms of color and the environment. As I’ve said, I find that when you have recycled, crinkly yarn, which no amount of washing is going to straighten, use the trinity stitch; it hides a lot of “sins.” I probably would have used smaller needles on this project (I used US 15) but I started it before I weighed it so I didn’t want to run out of yarn. As it was, I didn’t have enough yarn left to make a border except for the 2 narrow ends.
With these two projects completed, I only have 5 more projects on the needles. Four of them are shawls, one of which will probably be frogged since I have no idea why I even started it. I’m trying to will myself not to start anything new until I finish at least one more project.
Unfortunately, this Rectangela pullover is on Knit Pattern Central list of pattern for Wednesday:
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/rectangela/rectangela.html
It’s a unstructured pullover with cuff-less sleeves. I usually don’t knit Berroco patterns since a lot of them are just stockinette stitch; though Star is one of the attractive exceptions.
This one is stockinette and moss. Already, I’ve modified this pattern to start at the back bottom yoke with a provisional cast on. I’m going to knit the yoke with the sleeves up to the neck and then down the front yoke. That way I’ll have live stitches ready to knit the body in the round.
In the same Knit Pattern Central list, there is a moss stitch shrug which is going to be my project for the Super Bowl Party. Yes, I’m going to a Super Bowl Party. Or rather, a party where I will knit and there will be a lot of background noise and food. Both of which my knitting will help me to ignore.
The shrug pattern is:
http://www.sheeptoshawl.com/charity/archives/2007/04/entry_246.html
I’ve seen this pattern before but now I have a light brown yarn (25% wool again) which just isn’t saying “shawl” to me. In fact, it just stopped talking. I do think the shrug might work with it though.
I have been pretty unsuccessful with shrugs except for one black cotton summer one which works. I just saw a very attractive shrug with a wide ribbed front border and collar. But then I saw the ribbon around the waist. It really wasn’t there to be attractive but to make sure the ribbing didn’t flop all over the place. I really don’t want to have to wear a ribbon or a belt.
If I can figure this out (and half the fun of knitting is modifying things), I would like to knit the shrug without the cuffs. Then I could sew up the inch of sleeve and turn it on. If it’s a disaster, it’s only a few inches (57") from shawl length. If it looks good as a shrug; I’ll just cast on for the cuffs. We, knitter, do so hate to frog.
(Update: I broke my rule and started the brown shrug. I’ve changed things already by casting on 28 sts on US 8 and knitting the ribbing in the round. Then I changed to US 10 ½ and knitted up the 1 inch of the sleeve also in the round. This way, I shouldn’t have any sewing in the end. Right now, I knitting up the sleeves in rows. I’m not using bulky but I seem to be getting the width (which I read as neck to waist.) I can always fudge some type of border if I have to.)
But right now it’s back to my pink mohair shawl. What ever possessed me, beside the price, to buy this yarn? When it’s done I think it might be appropriate to donate it to the Miss Marple Museum. I can definitely see her knitting with this yarn.
Happy knitting.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Website Wednesday
You probably know that I'm a sucker for small spaces.
When I visit the so-called trophy homes, either friends or open houses, I'm really not impressed by large, open rooms. But when I visit the IKEA models of 350, 500, 700 square feet of living space where they include a kitchen, a living room, at least one bedroom and a bathroom; I say "Wow!."
Maybe it's because I live in a large loft-sized area which I've divided into a kitchen, living room, dining room, sun room, office, bedroom, den and a big play area for the kids. (Before you wonder; there is a bathroom, but that, of course, is a separate room.) It's amazing what you can do with screens and large artificial flower arrangements in way of creating privacy It's also gratifying for the restless souls, of which I am one, how portable screens and flowers can be when you get bored with the layout and need a change.
That's why this website sang my name:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
Their mission is "Helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online."
And: "Creating this home doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it."
Good thoughts, and how great to have this website for inspiration.
Currently, you'll get to see pictures of a 600 square foot apartment in Brooklyn, NY; international bedrooms (click on the U.S. bedrooms also; I think there is an obvious difference); and an East Village, NY apartment with a bathtub in the kitchen,
Click on archives for more, including storage solutions with pictures from the UK. Or, read the article, The lives — and remnants — of others, which tells about a warehouse in North Portland, OR that collects unneeded furnishings, etc. and distributes them to the needy. This article also has two found letters, from 1944 and 1950, which make interesting reading. (This is a good reminder to pull out the drawers before you donate furniture.) The archives even have a link to 101 Cookbooks for recipes. Coco Choco Clusters look good even at 5 a.m.
So bookmark this site. It's definitely worthy of a lot of return visits.
You probably know that I'm a sucker for small spaces.
When I visit the so-called trophy homes, either friends or open houses, I'm really not impressed by large, open rooms. But when I visit the IKEA models of 350, 500, 700 square feet of living space where they include a kitchen, a living room, at least one bedroom and a bathroom; I say "Wow!."
Maybe it's because I live in a large loft-sized area which I've divided into a kitchen, living room, dining room, sun room, office, bedroom, den and a big play area for the kids. (Before you wonder; there is a bathroom, but that, of course, is a separate room.) It's amazing what you can do with screens and large artificial flower arrangements in way of creating privacy It's also gratifying for the restless souls, of which I am one, how portable screens and flowers can be when you get bored with the layout and need a change.
That's why this website sang my name:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
Their mission is "Helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online."
And: "Creating this home doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it."
Good thoughts, and how great to have this website for inspiration.
Currently, you'll get to see pictures of a 600 square foot apartment in Brooklyn, NY; international bedrooms (click on the U.S. bedrooms also; I think there is an obvious difference); and an East Village, NY apartment with a bathtub in the kitchen,
Click on archives for more, including storage solutions with pictures from the UK. Or, read the article, The lives — and remnants — of others, which tells about a warehouse in North Portland, OR that collects unneeded furnishings, etc. and distributes them to the needy. This article also has two found letters, from 1944 and 1950, which make interesting reading. (This is a good reminder to pull out the drawers before you donate furniture.) The archives even have a link to 101 Cookbooks for recipes. Coco Choco Clusters look good even at 5 a.m.
So bookmark this site. It's definitely worthy of a lot of return visits.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thoughts on Tuesday
(First of all, Movie Monday moved to Tuesday in that my review is: just go and see Slumdog Millionaire. It seems to be winning all sorts of awards. Its music is very uplifting and it bills itself as: a soaring, crowd-pleasing fantasy; a buoyant hymn to life. Our world is probably moving into a new paradigm, world-wide depression and this could become a scary place in the near future. Just go see Slumdog Millionaire. Enjoy the moment and dream.)
And now to the thoughts:
The subject of religion in the United States always wraps around my head. We seem to have more believers than any western industrialized country and we also seem to have the worst social safety net of any western industrialized country. Now, I’ve made the leap to connect the two.
Hear me out because I don’t think the connection is shaky. First of all, to make the connection more plausible, let’s only talk about “good” people. I do this because an argument against a social net (national health care; pension guarantees; free higher education, etc.) is: Oh, those people always take advantage. So, I’ll eliminate “those people” and only talk about the good.
That is, those good people who walk the conventional road in faith; attending their houses of worship and not breaking any laws that cause violence to others. These are the people who tell you that the poor are best helped when the rich get tax breaks.
These are the ones with which I stood on line once waiting to get blood drawn. It was a convivial group and their conversation turned to how other people (the “bad”, I guess) took advantage of the health care system. It was early in the morning and I hadn’t eaten and just wanted to get out of there, so cowardly I only thought: You’re standing in line for services from a multi-billion dollar bureaucracy which has convinced you that the poor and not the rich are screwing you. In a small way, in that one moment, by my silence, I had become an enabler of evil. It was not my proudest moment.
However, let’s look at the meme expressed there: the poor exploit society and we, good citizens, must help the ruling bureaucracy to keep them in line. It’s a powerful meme, skillfully propagandized throughout this country and finds a willing ally in most traditional religions.
All religions seem to teach people to worship their God and do good works for the least fortunate. But when the pedal hits the metal: almost all bail.
They teach “Thou shall not kill.” yet bless the troops leaving for war. They march on D.C. to protest abortion rights but fail to send their millions to rallies protesting: poverty, our statistic of 1 in 100 Americans in jail, our obscene health care/insurance system, the disparity in wages between workers and CEOs; the list is probably endless.
Religious leaders might write protest letters but they have an unholy alliance with government because this relationship is extremely symbiotic. You could say the benefit to both is worth trillions.
My theory is that we lag behind other countries in a social network because religion is so out-of-whack with its influence in this country. The rest of the world has a mixture of believers and non-believers. Here, it’s in the 90% range for religious affiliation. Even without the statistics, just chart the role religion played in the recent inaugural ceremonies. Jon Stewart parodied the number of times “God” was mentioned and Obama’s first stop on his first day in office was to a religious service.
This does not bode well for rational people. We complain rightly about the influence of lobbyists: NRA, AIPAC, insurance companies, etc. But what about the religion lobby? That lobby, our leaders embrace. Religions worship sky gods with magical powers with stories which, if not protected by the umbrella of religious belief, would put the believer in a psychiatric ward.
A Democratic congressman would walk away from a citizen wearing a “Stop Abortion Now” button but would at least give a handshake to the citizen spouting: Praise the Lord. God will provide. It seems that God trumps every hand.
So as government and religion waltz the danse macabre, citizens, as a whole, sleep nights untroubled by the vast numbers of adults and children who are struggling and suffering in what is jingoistically described as the greatest country in the world.
Religion is better than soma.
(First of all, Movie Monday moved to Tuesday in that my review is: just go and see Slumdog Millionaire. It seems to be winning all sorts of awards. Its music is very uplifting and it bills itself as: a soaring, crowd-pleasing fantasy; a buoyant hymn to life. Our world is probably moving into a new paradigm, world-wide depression and this could become a scary place in the near future. Just go see Slumdog Millionaire. Enjoy the moment and dream.)
And now to the thoughts:
The subject of religion in the United States always wraps around my head. We seem to have more believers than any western industrialized country and we also seem to have the worst social safety net of any western industrialized country. Now, I’ve made the leap to connect the two.
Hear me out because I don’t think the connection is shaky. First of all, to make the connection more plausible, let’s only talk about “good” people. I do this because an argument against a social net (national health care; pension guarantees; free higher education, etc.) is: Oh, those people always take advantage. So, I’ll eliminate “those people” and only talk about the good.
That is, those good people who walk the conventional road in faith; attending their houses of worship and not breaking any laws that cause violence to others. These are the people who tell you that the poor are best helped when the rich get tax breaks.
These are the ones with which I stood on line once waiting to get blood drawn. It was a convivial group and their conversation turned to how other people (the “bad”, I guess) took advantage of the health care system. It was early in the morning and I hadn’t eaten and just wanted to get out of there, so cowardly I only thought: You’re standing in line for services from a multi-billion dollar bureaucracy which has convinced you that the poor and not the rich are screwing you. In a small way, in that one moment, by my silence, I had become an enabler of evil. It was not my proudest moment.
However, let’s look at the meme expressed there: the poor exploit society and we, good citizens, must help the ruling bureaucracy to keep them in line. It’s a powerful meme, skillfully propagandized throughout this country and finds a willing ally in most traditional religions.
All religions seem to teach people to worship their God and do good works for the least fortunate. But when the pedal hits the metal: almost all bail.
They teach “Thou shall not kill.” yet bless the troops leaving for war. They march on D.C. to protest abortion rights but fail to send their millions to rallies protesting: poverty, our statistic of 1 in 100 Americans in jail, our obscene health care/insurance system, the disparity in wages between workers and CEOs; the list is probably endless.
Religious leaders might write protest letters but they have an unholy alliance with government because this relationship is extremely symbiotic. You could say the benefit to both is worth trillions.
My theory is that we lag behind other countries in a social network because religion is so out-of-whack with its influence in this country. The rest of the world has a mixture of believers and non-believers. Here, it’s in the 90% range for religious affiliation. Even without the statistics, just chart the role religion played in the recent inaugural ceremonies. Jon Stewart parodied the number of times “God” was mentioned and Obama’s first stop on his first day in office was to a religious service.
This does not bode well for rational people. We complain rightly about the influence of lobbyists: NRA, AIPAC, insurance companies, etc. But what about the religion lobby? That lobby, our leaders embrace. Religions worship sky gods with magical powers with stories which, if not protected by the umbrella of religious belief, would put the believer in a psychiatric ward.
A Democratic congressman would walk away from a citizen wearing a “Stop Abortion Now” button but would at least give a handshake to the citizen spouting: Praise the Lord. God will provide. It seems that God trumps every hand.
So as government and religion waltz the danse macabre, citizens, as a whole, sleep nights untroubled by the vast numbers of adults and children who are struggling and suffering in what is jingoistically described as the greatest country in the world.
Religion is better than soma.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Knitting Friday
I am so impressed with knitting blogs. These are people with lives and jobs and problems and yet they are able to regularly write blogs showing pictures of their beautiful knitted works.
Also, many of them write out and/or chart these patterns so their readers can duplicate them - for free.
This is impressive. Have you ever written a knitting pattern? I have. Your first try is usually written just for you. That is, with all the shortcuts you alone understand. Then you have to work backwards and examine each row to be sure the instructions are correct and the repeats are in the right place. Finally, unless you state the pattern is for Intermediate Knitters and beyond, you have to explain the simple things, like Kfb, which I know means knit in the front and back of one stitch but a new knitter may not. The list of this type of proofing goes on and on. Any one who has read patterns online knows it doesn’t stop there because the colored (usually red or yellow) part of the online instructions means that the pattern was corrected after it was published. Usually this error was caught by the sharp eye of a reader.
Unfortunately, this has been a hectic week and I, as a blogger, fall far short of those I praised above.
However, I do have a pattern for you with an original edging. And, yes, it’s another shawl.
Simple Shawl with Open Top Edging
CO 5 sts and knit one row.
Row 1: K1, YO, K 1 st (front & back) put marker, K1, put marker, K1 st (front & back), YO, K1. - 9 sts
Row 2: K across, slipping markers
These are your two pattern rows: one row with 4 increases (2 YO, 2 Kfb) and one row straight K. The YO makes an attractive side borders. Mark the increase row with yarn and the pattern's a breeze.
Continue until the shawl is wide enough. (I did about 250 sts in alpaca on US 15.)
Bind off loosely along the top of shawl. Do not break yarn. With a large size crochet hook, work a row of triple crochets (US term) along the top edge. Turn. Then work one double crochet cluster (3 dcs in one st) followed by one single crochet across the previous triple crochet row. Break yarn and weave in ends. The triple crochet edging makes an attractive collar when folded over.
Optional: Do not break yarn. Ch 5 and attach with a slip stitch to the shawl to make a ring at the end of the row. Then ch-7 and attach with a 1 sc into the ring. Continue to work enough ch-7 loops into the ring to make it look like a flower. Bind off and weave in ends. (I do this to mark the spot where I would look for the end of the yarn if I have to pull out the shawl for any reason. This may seem overly cautious but you’ll be happy to have this marker if you need it. The flower looks attractive and can be as large or small as you wish.)
Enjoy your knitting.
I am so impressed with knitting blogs. These are people with lives and jobs and problems and yet they are able to regularly write blogs showing pictures of their beautiful knitted works.
Also, many of them write out and/or chart these patterns so their readers can duplicate them - for free.
This is impressive. Have you ever written a knitting pattern? I have. Your first try is usually written just for you. That is, with all the shortcuts you alone understand. Then you have to work backwards and examine each row to be sure the instructions are correct and the repeats are in the right place. Finally, unless you state the pattern is for Intermediate Knitters and beyond, you have to explain the simple things, like Kfb, which I know means knit in the front and back of one stitch but a new knitter may not. The list of this type of proofing goes on and on. Any one who has read patterns online knows it doesn’t stop there because the colored (usually red or yellow) part of the online instructions means that the pattern was corrected after it was published. Usually this error was caught by the sharp eye of a reader.
Unfortunately, this has been a hectic week and I, as a blogger, fall far short of those I praised above.
However, I do have a pattern for you with an original edging. And, yes, it’s another shawl.
Simple Shawl with Open Top Edging
CO 5 sts and knit one row.
Row 1: K1, YO, K 1 st (front & back) put marker, K1, put marker, K1 st (front & back), YO, K1. - 9 sts
Row 2: K across, slipping markers
These are your two pattern rows: one row with 4 increases (2 YO, 2 Kfb) and one row straight K. The YO makes an attractive side borders. Mark the increase row with yarn and the pattern's a breeze.
Continue until the shawl is wide enough. (I did about 250 sts in alpaca on US 15.)
Bind off loosely along the top of shawl. Do not break yarn. With a large size crochet hook, work a row of triple crochets (US term) along the top edge. Turn. Then work one double crochet cluster (3 dcs in one st) followed by one single crochet across the previous triple crochet row. Break yarn and weave in ends. The triple crochet edging makes an attractive collar when folded over.
Optional: Do not break yarn. Ch 5 and attach with a slip stitch to the shawl to make a ring at the end of the row. Then ch-7 and attach with a 1 sc into the ring. Continue to work enough ch-7 loops into the ring to make it look like a flower. Bind off and weave in ends. (I do this to mark the spot where I would look for the end of the yarn if I have to pull out the shawl for any reason. This may seem overly cautious but you’ll be happy to have this marker if you need it. The flower looks attractive and can be as large or small as you wish.)
Enjoy your knitting.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Website Wednesday
It really was an historic day yesterday in the U.S. I can’t recall in recent history, or far past history, a mixed race (and I hate that term) man becoming the leader of a western industrialized country. If Hillary Clinton had been elected, that wouldn’t have been so great since women have played leadership roles in Europe for a long, long time.
I’d like to think that we were trying to shed our racist past, but I doubt it. Everything was in place for a Democratic victory in ‘08. In fact, I think the Republicans also wanted this. They had plundered the country economically; destroyed civil liberties; and taken money from needed social services. They had dug such a hole for all of us why should they stay around to help with the clean-up. And, in four years, with the electorate’s memory being so short, they will repackage themselves and sell their candidate by decrying what evils the Democrats have done to the country.
But it is the dawn of a new administration and let’s have hope for better days, if only for a little while.
http://teafinelybrewed.com/
is the website for today. It’s a very specialized website: all about tea.
I thought something soothing after all the angst of the last eight years would be appropriate. And what is more soothing than a cup of tea?
Take a look at the website and learn about the history of Lipton Tea and the caffeine amount in green tea; or look at weird and wacky teapots.
Click the blogs listed at the right and learn about tea mascots, find tea reviews, or read about Taiwan and tea competitions. Dig more deeply and you’ll discover a tea forum which is up-to-date. Teas have been with us through the ages and a lot has been written about it and history.
So take a look. I bet in no time at all, you’ll be putting the kettle on for a cuppa.
It really was an historic day yesterday in the U.S. I can’t recall in recent history, or far past history, a mixed race (and I hate that term) man becoming the leader of a western industrialized country. If Hillary Clinton had been elected, that wouldn’t have been so great since women have played leadership roles in Europe for a long, long time.
I’d like to think that we were trying to shed our racist past, but I doubt it. Everything was in place for a Democratic victory in ‘08. In fact, I think the Republicans also wanted this. They had plundered the country economically; destroyed civil liberties; and taken money from needed social services. They had dug such a hole for all of us why should they stay around to help with the clean-up. And, in four years, with the electorate’s memory being so short, they will repackage themselves and sell their candidate by decrying what evils the Democrats have done to the country.
But it is the dawn of a new administration and let’s have hope for better days, if only for a little while.
http://teafinelybrewed.com/
is the website for today. It’s a very specialized website: all about tea.
I thought something soothing after all the angst of the last eight years would be appropriate. And what is more soothing than a cup of tea?
Take a look at the website and learn about the history of Lipton Tea and the caffeine amount in green tea; or look at weird and wacky teapots.
Click the blogs listed at the right and learn about tea mascots, find tea reviews, or read about Taiwan and tea competitions. Dig more deeply and you’ll discover a tea forum which is up-to-date. Teas have been with us through the ages and a lot has been written about it and history.
So take a look. I bet in no time at all, you’ll be putting the kettle on for a cuppa.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Movie Monday
I really think I should be writing something more monumental today. It is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day before the inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama.
However, I’m sure that these two celebrations will be reported famously, and infamously, so I am going to give you the movie trailer review of: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
You really can’t find a more polar opposite when it comes to movies; though it is Number One at the box office. I can only hope this rating comes from foreign sales, where foreigners, who can’t get enough of the zany American doofus, will watch anything.
Some background: I saw two movie this weekend: The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring (was this a Scarlett Johansson festival?) and I was struck again by the movies’ fast and loose playing with facts. I had forgotten that Elizabeth Blount is credited with giving birth to Henry VIII's son, not Mary Boleyn. Movies have always been a source of historical inaccuracy and while I can find sources on the Blount/Boleyn story; Vermeer’s wife, based on the movie, will live on as a neurotic shrew. Better to review a farce.
Movie Trailer Review of Paul Blart: Mall Cop
We learn immediately that Paul Blart is in training to become a New Jersey state cop. He fails the physical test and we next see him eating with his obese teen daughter and saying he will try again next year. A shot of big glasses of soda on the table followed by a shot of Paul’s obese wife handing him a piece of pie. He realizes the implications to his health as he lathers it with peanut butter before eating.
(Soda, pie, three obese people. We have a good public health message in the making here but I doubt anything will come of this.)
Fade into shot of Paul as a mall cop at a West Orange, NJ mall, riding a sequeway, giving a ticket to an old man in a motorized cart. As the man attempts an escape, we see Paul grabbing the steering bar and being dragged along the mall floor.
Of course, within seconds of Paul saying he hopes nothing goes down; something goes down. It looks like a mall bank robbery gone bad. The mall is held hostage, real cops arrive, Paul is ordered to exit the building immediately, but hero that he is (Hey, the title is Paul Bart: Mall Cop), he tells them that he took an oath to protect the mall and its patrons.
Shot of one bad guy riding a motor bike over the second floor mall railing down to the first floor, another riding the escalator railing down, and Paul confronting two bad guys and wiping his eyes. A real cop outside says: Is he crying?
Things gets worse as Paul realizes he’s been trained to do nothing. However, through dumb luck, he knocks out one bad guy; then gets a tiny scratch which he covers with a kid’s bandage; and sneaks into the mall bank wending his way in a crouched position through the waiting lines ropes. (Remember Petet Falk and "serpentine"?)
Then Paul is picking up a balloon helium canister; fiddling with the mall Fog Machine, appearing out of that million colored ball activity for kids that a lot of mall have; and throwing himself unsuccessfully through the glass door. Finally, a fiery explosion rocks the mall. This is supposed to be funny?
We’re told that Paul Blart was the last thing that the crooks expected. We hear one say: Who is this guy.
Final shot (and completely out of sequence): Paul on the sequeway, probably on his way to work the first day, being chased by a small, white dog and saying: Dear God!
What I Expect From the Movie:
Absolutely nothing. It is a retread of a retread. This theme is so old, so lame, so stupid. Unless the actor playing Paul Bart has a huge following, I can’t believe anyone going to see this movie.
And, folks, it’s Number 1 at the box office.
But I think I have the explanation. I read this review to my husband and he was laughing so hard he was crying. It was definitely not my writing but his imagining the scenes I was describing.
He said: This is a role John Candy could play. The trouble is, Candy, and so many other comedic actors, did.
I really think I should be writing something more monumental today. It is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day before the inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama.
However, I’m sure that these two celebrations will be reported famously, and infamously, so I am going to give you the movie trailer review of: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
You really can’t find a more polar opposite when it comes to movies; though it is Number One at the box office. I can only hope this rating comes from foreign sales, where foreigners, who can’t get enough of the zany American doofus, will watch anything.
Some background: I saw two movie this weekend: The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring (was this a Scarlett Johansson festival?) and I was struck again by the movies’ fast and loose playing with facts. I had forgotten that Elizabeth Blount is credited with giving birth to Henry VIII's son, not Mary Boleyn. Movies have always been a source of historical inaccuracy and while I can find sources on the Blount/Boleyn story; Vermeer’s wife, based on the movie, will live on as a neurotic shrew. Better to review a farce.
Movie Trailer Review of Paul Blart: Mall Cop
We learn immediately that Paul Blart is in training to become a New Jersey state cop. He fails the physical test and we next see him eating with his obese teen daughter and saying he will try again next year. A shot of big glasses of soda on the table followed by a shot of Paul’s obese wife handing him a piece of pie. He realizes the implications to his health as he lathers it with peanut butter before eating.
(Soda, pie, three obese people. We have a good public health message in the making here but I doubt anything will come of this.)
Fade into shot of Paul as a mall cop at a West Orange, NJ mall, riding a sequeway, giving a ticket to an old man in a motorized cart. As the man attempts an escape, we see Paul grabbing the steering bar and being dragged along the mall floor.
Of course, within seconds of Paul saying he hopes nothing goes down; something goes down. It looks like a mall bank robbery gone bad. The mall is held hostage, real cops arrive, Paul is ordered to exit the building immediately, but hero that he is (Hey, the title is Paul Bart: Mall Cop), he tells them that he took an oath to protect the mall and its patrons.
Shot of one bad guy riding a motor bike over the second floor mall railing down to the first floor, another riding the escalator railing down, and Paul confronting two bad guys and wiping his eyes. A real cop outside says: Is he crying?
Things gets worse as Paul realizes he’s been trained to do nothing. However, through dumb luck, he knocks out one bad guy; then gets a tiny scratch which he covers with a kid’s bandage; and sneaks into the mall bank wending his way in a crouched position through the waiting lines ropes. (Remember Petet Falk and "serpentine"?)
Then Paul is picking up a balloon helium canister; fiddling with the mall Fog Machine, appearing out of that million colored ball activity for kids that a lot of mall have; and throwing himself unsuccessfully through the glass door. Finally, a fiery explosion rocks the mall. This is supposed to be funny?
We’re told that Paul Blart was the last thing that the crooks expected. We hear one say: Who is this guy.
Final shot (and completely out of sequence): Paul on the sequeway, probably on his way to work the first day, being chased by a small, white dog and saying: Dear God!
What I Expect From the Movie:
Absolutely nothing. It is a retread of a retread. This theme is so old, so lame, so stupid. Unless the actor playing Paul Bart has a huge following, I can’t believe anyone going to see this movie.
And, folks, it’s Number 1 at the box office.
But I think I have the explanation. I read this review to my husband and he was laughing so hard he was crying. It was definitely not my writing but his imagining the scenes I was describing.
He said: This is a role John Candy could play. The trouble is, Candy, and so many other comedic actors, did.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Random Thoughts before some Knitting on Friday
Who would have thought that one day after my blog on the nature of the hero, Chesley B “Sully” Sullenberger III would be plucked from national obscurity into the limelight of the hero.
For he is most definitely a hero, albeit in modern terms. His quest has been through education, B. S., Psychology and Basic Sciences, M. S., Psychology (Human Factors), experience, 6+ years as a Fighter Pilot/Captain in the USAF, and interests, CEO of a company which “provid(es) technical expertise and strategic vision and direction to improve safety and reliability in a variety of high risk industries.”
This guy was ready. Like the Girl Scout motto of “Be Prepared”; he was.
As to the hero’s goal: For him and his crew, it was to land that plane safely with no loss of life. And he did.
It may not be as glamorous as Aeneas founding Rome or Ulysses arriving back at Ithaca or Frodo destroying the Ring; but Sullenberger is a hero, none the less.
Then, there is Chris Matthews. I plod along with my little blog sending thoughts in the spheres, never knowing if any one (even my family) reads them. He, however, has a national stage every night and he spews forth bigotry to millions.
I caught him commenting on Bush’s farewell address and, talking about the Muslims in the Middle East. He said, to paraphrase: We think that elections will change things but they want to fight; they hate Israel.
In his typical, overwhelming stupidity, he brays the average American’s bigotry when it comes to any group of people they find offensive.
Finally, am I the only one who gets a chill down their spine when they read the Guardian UK headline in the Google news of: Israel: Gaza offensive may be near 'final act'?
“Final act”? Doesn’t anyone remember the phrase “final solution”?
On to knitting:
Ravelry was buzzing this week with a thread I started. (Ok, so it’s self-aggrandizement.) I had watched Tess of the D’Urbervilles on PBS and admired the shawl Tess wore; mostly for the fact that it stayed on her shoulders.
I posed a question about the shawl and waited almost a week with no reply posts. Then, about two days ago, the thread got hot. Over 100 people responded and the posts went from discussing how the shawl was constructed to the glumness and despair in Hardy novels.
That’s why I love the Internet: the free flow of ideas is democracy; is education; is ordinary people reaching out to others around the globe.
But I also fear that draconian governments, as we were becoming, as dictatorships are, will curtail this free-flow of ideas. I sometimes think of Edward G. Robinson dying in Solvent Green and getting his last wish: viewing a panoramic slide show of the beauty of the earth as it once was. Charlton Heston comes in, sees the pictures and says: I never knew. I don’t want future generations to ever say that.
I don’t have a knitting pattern to share this Friday but I should be finished with my “I’ll stay on your shoulders - promise” shawl by next week. That’s always the trouble with shawls; they need constant management or shawl pins to stay put. I’m hoping this design will work.
So, it’s back to knitting in a 61 degree house with a 12 degree outdoor temperature. But it will be back up to freezing by next week. Balmy!
Who would have thought that one day after my blog on the nature of the hero, Chesley B “Sully” Sullenberger III would be plucked from national obscurity into the limelight of the hero.
For he is most definitely a hero, albeit in modern terms. His quest has been through education, B. S., Psychology and Basic Sciences, M. S., Psychology (Human Factors), experience, 6+ years as a Fighter Pilot/Captain in the USAF, and interests, CEO of a company which “provid(es) technical expertise and strategic vision and direction to improve safety and reliability in a variety of high risk industries.”
This guy was ready. Like the Girl Scout motto of “Be Prepared”; he was.
As to the hero’s goal: For him and his crew, it was to land that plane safely with no loss of life. And he did.
It may not be as glamorous as Aeneas founding Rome or Ulysses arriving back at Ithaca or Frodo destroying the Ring; but Sullenberger is a hero, none the less.
Then, there is Chris Matthews. I plod along with my little blog sending thoughts in the spheres, never knowing if any one (even my family) reads them. He, however, has a national stage every night and he spews forth bigotry to millions.
I caught him commenting on Bush’s farewell address and, talking about the Muslims in the Middle East. He said, to paraphrase: We think that elections will change things but they want to fight; they hate Israel.
In his typical, overwhelming stupidity, he brays the average American’s bigotry when it comes to any group of people they find offensive.
Finally, am I the only one who gets a chill down their spine when they read the Guardian UK headline in the Google news of: Israel: Gaza offensive may be near 'final act'?
“Final act”? Doesn’t anyone remember the phrase “final solution”?
On to knitting:
Ravelry was buzzing this week with a thread I started. (Ok, so it’s self-aggrandizement.) I had watched Tess of the D’Urbervilles on PBS and admired the shawl Tess wore; mostly for the fact that it stayed on her shoulders.
I posed a question about the shawl and waited almost a week with no reply posts. Then, about two days ago, the thread got hot. Over 100 people responded and the posts went from discussing how the shawl was constructed to the glumness and despair in Hardy novels.
That’s why I love the Internet: the free flow of ideas is democracy; is education; is ordinary people reaching out to others around the globe.
But I also fear that draconian governments, as we were becoming, as dictatorships are, will curtail this free-flow of ideas. I sometimes think of Edward G. Robinson dying in Solvent Green and getting his last wish: viewing a panoramic slide show of the beauty of the earth as it once was. Charlton Heston comes in, sees the pictures and says: I never knew. I don’t want future generations to ever say that.
I don’t have a knitting pattern to share this Friday but I should be finished with my “I’ll stay on your shoulders - promise” shawl by next week. That’s always the trouble with shawls; they need constant management or shawl pins to stay put. I’m hoping this design will work.
So, it’s back to knitting in a 61 degree house with a 12 degree outdoor temperature. But it will be back up to freezing by next week. Balmy!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Wonderings on Wednesday with a Website thrown in
In less than a week, Barack Obama will be sworn in as President of the United States. He is a very popular figure, at present. More popular in the rest of the world which can’t believe the margin of victory was only 6%. But that’s food for another blog.
I’m thinking about him today in relation to the concept of hero because to many people that’s the role they see for him. After eight years of chaos in this country which was greeted with unconcern by so many as their profits rolled in, angst-filled hand wringing by some who were appalled by the state of the country but impotent to find a solution, and also brave condemnation by a few prominent personalities who live their lives in an heroic mode; the country is ready for its hero.
There is always room for the great man concept in regard to history. And, by great man, I mean both the good and the ugly; greatness refers to size and scope; not goodness.
Heroes, however, should be different. For me, the hero has the goal and the quest. It’s his development as he makes this quest which makes for epics.
Taking a simple example: the movie version of The Lord of the Rings. (Not the book version because Tolkien approached his heroes more as the author of The Song of Roland - oh, what a pompous ass that guy was.)
We have both Frodo and Aragon making the quest to achieve the goals: destruction of the ring and achievement of the crown.
There were a lot of complaints that Jackson changed the nature of Tolkien’s characters, but he was true to the epic hero’s journey. Both Frodo and Aragon undertake their missions, are changed in the journey, and only achieve their goal after personal and psychic damage. In the end, Frodo must take another journey to be healed and that long sigh from Aragon before he first turns to greet him people as king tells us his concerns about his road ahead.
And so with Barack Obama. He ran a masterful campaign against two of the most incompetent campaigners who lost the media and thus sealed their fate.
He will be the President and so many people see this as the end to: government spying, state-approved torture, curtailment of women’s reproductive rights, a physician/pharmaceutical enriching health care system; tax breaks for the rich - the list is long.
So much hope is stored in the hero. The populace placing their dreams within him/her. Heroes don’t exist for themselves; they exist for us. Perhaps this is why, like God, we forgive them much since we don’t wish to see the mote in our own eye.
With Obama, the hero mantle is so much more difficult since he is a politician. His first failing may come very soon; especially concerning worldwide admiration.
The quagmire of the Middle East has never been looked at in terms of “this must end” in the eyes of the United States. Today, as the world protests the genocide of the Palestinians, we parse everything: Oh, isn’t the killing terrible that Israel is forced to do seems to be the strongest we can come to as a hand slap to the Israeli Goliath.
Unless Obama can forge a new Middle East path which embraces the rights of the Palestinians and their 1948 UN mandated separate state, the world will very soon be shaking its head and muttering: Same old. Same old.
I do feel slightly sorry for Obama; our insanely expensive political campaigns gives corrupting influence to the deepest pockets. It is hard to break out of those shackles. Perhaps, he can add campaign finance reform to his agenda.
And so, we wait and see. I think the ship of state will move slightly but the ocean is filled with icebergs and we’re heading right towards them. Like Rita Hayworth lamenting her ill luck with men: They go to bed with Gilda (her sexiest role) and wake up with Rita. Disappointments are ahead for all.
The hero can be a life-affirming myth. God is a powerful myth. Unfortunately, it’s the metaphor behind the myth that’s tough to wrap your mind around.
And now, the website:
This is probably a time-sensitive site and may not be up forever:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/22/50-things-we-know-now-we-didnt-know-time-last-year/life/
As the url says, you get 50 things you didn't know before 2008.
Each item has a hyperlink to a secondary source (USA Today; Science Now, etc.) about the finding. Enjoy.
In less than a week, Barack Obama will be sworn in as President of the United States. He is a very popular figure, at present. More popular in the rest of the world which can’t believe the margin of victory was only 6%. But that’s food for another blog.
I’m thinking about him today in relation to the concept of hero because to many people that’s the role they see for him. After eight years of chaos in this country which was greeted with unconcern by so many as their profits rolled in, angst-filled hand wringing by some who were appalled by the state of the country but impotent to find a solution, and also brave condemnation by a few prominent personalities who live their lives in an heroic mode; the country is ready for its hero.
There is always room for the great man concept in regard to history. And, by great man, I mean both the good and the ugly; greatness refers to size and scope; not goodness.
Heroes, however, should be different. For me, the hero has the goal and the quest. It’s his development as he makes this quest which makes for epics.
Taking a simple example: the movie version of The Lord of the Rings. (Not the book version because Tolkien approached his heroes more as the author of The Song of Roland - oh, what a pompous ass that guy was.)
We have both Frodo and Aragon making the quest to achieve the goals: destruction of the ring and achievement of the crown.
There were a lot of complaints that Jackson changed the nature of Tolkien’s characters, but he was true to the epic hero’s journey. Both Frodo and Aragon undertake their missions, are changed in the journey, and only achieve their goal after personal and psychic damage. In the end, Frodo must take another journey to be healed and that long sigh from Aragon before he first turns to greet him people as king tells us his concerns about his road ahead.
And so with Barack Obama. He ran a masterful campaign against two of the most incompetent campaigners who lost the media and thus sealed their fate.
He will be the President and so many people see this as the end to: government spying, state-approved torture, curtailment of women’s reproductive rights, a physician/pharmaceutical enriching health care system; tax breaks for the rich - the list is long.
So much hope is stored in the hero. The populace placing their dreams within him/her. Heroes don’t exist for themselves; they exist for us. Perhaps this is why, like God, we forgive them much since we don’t wish to see the mote in our own eye.
With Obama, the hero mantle is so much more difficult since he is a politician. His first failing may come very soon; especially concerning worldwide admiration.
The quagmire of the Middle East has never been looked at in terms of “this must end” in the eyes of the United States. Today, as the world protests the genocide of the Palestinians, we parse everything: Oh, isn’t the killing terrible that Israel is forced to do seems to be the strongest we can come to as a hand slap to the Israeli Goliath.
Unless Obama can forge a new Middle East path which embraces the rights of the Palestinians and their 1948 UN mandated separate state, the world will very soon be shaking its head and muttering: Same old. Same old.
I do feel slightly sorry for Obama; our insanely expensive political campaigns gives corrupting influence to the deepest pockets. It is hard to break out of those shackles. Perhaps, he can add campaign finance reform to his agenda.
And so, we wait and see. I think the ship of state will move slightly but the ocean is filled with icebergs and we’re heading right towards them. Like Rita Hayworth lamenting her ill luck with men: They go to bed with Gilda (her sexiest role) and wake up with Rita. Disappointments are ahead for all.
The hero can be a life-affirming myth. God is a powerful myth. Unfortunately, it’s the metaphor behind the myth that’s tough to wrap your mind around.
And now, the website:
This is probably a time-sensitive site and may not be up forever:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/22/50-things-we-know-now-we-didnt-know-time-last-year/life/
As the url says, you get 50 things you didn't know before 2008.
Each item has a hyperlink to a secondary source (USA Today; Science Now, etc.) about the finding. Enjoy.
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