Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Tax the Rich

Movie Monday

This is going to be short review since my neck is killing me. You know the pain you get which makes you hope that driving in the near future will not demand much turning of the head. I've heard that the autobahn is a straight run.

My 6 and 1/2 pound handbag + my zillion pound knitting bag probably haven't helped the situation. How do I know the handbag weighs so much? I weighed it; all by itself and it registered. An event which only happens over 5 pounds. So I got a Kipling bag. Very light, nylon, looks like a dollar store buy but I googled it and found out the brand is expensive and can look bag lady chic. (A denotation I think is condescending and crude but, boy, that bag is a dream to carry; and filled, it doesn't register on the scale.)

My review is for a "little" foreign film: Valentin (2002). Set in Argentina, it tells of an 8 year old boy in the 1960s who dreams of being an astronaut, has a runaway mom, distant dad and lives with a devoted grandmother. Nothing much happens to the boy for a long time, except very ordinary things but as you watch he starts to understand the world and move away from primal bigotry which can plague so many families. Rodrigo Nova plays the boy with such charm and honesty that you're hooked early on in this simple story.

I'm a sucker for foreign films usually because they know that not saying something is many times more powerful than dialogue. For example, in the charming scene where Valentin meets his father's wife-to-be, he says something in all innocence which becomes the deal breaker for the marriage. He nor the audience is ever told what it is. The young woman with him says nothing except becomes sadder and sadder. With simple gestures, you learn something has just occurred to change all their futures. Any observant viewer understands what just happened but the script has the actors never verbalize any of this. It's so much more powerful this way; and so "un-American."

Alejandro Agresti is both writer and director so he must take a double bow. He just shows us Valentin's world; he doesn't judge or pontificate. So when Valentin finally realizes that what he has been taught to hate may not be deserving of it, it happens quietly and silently. Again, so un-American.

A charming movie. Well worth a viewing. In fact, I could watch it again.

Final note: And this is always disturbing. I got on the IMDb forum where someone posted his/her dislike for this movie. Within a few replies, the postings became hateful, calling the OP an idiot, pure evil and worse (some posts had been removed.) JHC! It's only a movie! Ironically, all the hate-filled posters were defending a movie which had as one of its themes, the foolishness/hurtfulness of bigotry.

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Knitting Friday

Samurai Knitter and Ravelry had discussions of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) this week. It was Samurai Knitter who mentioned that if SOPA is passed in the US, a violation of copyright by a member on Ravelry could shut down that entire site. Jon Stewart explained (and it shows what shit we're in when a satirical comedian becomes the explainer) that SOPA doesn't remove the "offending" site; it just prevents anyone from accessing it. What was even more disturbing (and once again from Jon Stewart), I saw clips of the SOPA US House hearings and watched the pathetic understanding of the Internet displayed by both Democrats and Republicans. In 2011, with the ubiquitousnessof the Internet, I shudder to think that this country (and we know it is the greatest country ever!) should be run by such clowns. I try to put in only calming posts on Friday, but SOPA is really too onerous to ignore.

On to knitting. Finally, a picture of the Advent Scarf. This is not a great picture but it's 100" long so you miss a lot. Having said that, I am soooo happy with the results. It 's 16" x 100" so I can fold it in half to make a loop and once the loop is around my neck, the ends are long enough to see the beauty of the design. As I've mentioned before, I reduced the stitches for each pattern from the 90+ range to the 50+ range. That lesson alone made this project so worth it.

Here are some notes on the scarf which I sent to interested friends and I'll probably post with the picture on Ravelry:

What the pattern calls for:
1. Lace weight Yarn
2. First stitch of every row is Slip 1 as purl. Last stitch of every row is knit.
3. Every row begins: Sl1P, K3 and ends K4.
4. The scarf starts with a spacer section which 8 K rows.
5. Row 5 of the spacer section is a beaded row.
6. If you don't want to use beads you can just K the stitches which are labeled "P" for "put a bead with the stitch" in the spacer sections.
7. After the first spacer section , you work Day 1 of the pattern, then another spacer section, than Day 2, etc.
8. The 1st row of the spacer section may tell you to increase or decrease a few stitches since the spacer section should always be 91 stitches.
9. Usually, the 8th row of the spacer section will tell you to increase or decrease a few stitches across. That's because patterns differ in number of stitches they need to work.
10. You begin and end the scarf with a spacer section.

What I did differently:
1. I worked in fingering, not lace yarn. Since this would make a shawl width as written I decreased my stitches from the 90s to the 50s for each pattern.
2, In order to keep all the patterns around 54 to 57 stitches, I used the Twisted Stitch (K in back loop of 2nd stitch on LN, then K 1st stitch in front loop - uses 2 sts) and/or the R stitch (K stitch in back loop - uses 1 stitch.) Example: Say the pattern and extra stitches add up to 49 stitches. After the edge stitches, I would work 1 TS and 1 R stitch and do the same (1 R stitch then 1 TS) at the end of the row to give me 49 sts + 6 sts = 55.
2. I used a US 6 needle.
3. I only worked 4 K rows for the spacer section (not 8.)
4. I didn't use beads so Row 5 was just K and I didn't have to increase or decrease stitches on Row 1 of the spacer section. (I did have to on Row 8 sometimes for the next pattern.)
5. I didn't follow the order of the days and I didn't use all the days.
6. I changed Row 5 in the last spacer section, the pattern row, to the pattern row in the Feather and Fan stitch (just google for it.) The first spacer section has a Row 5 pattern row to give in a scallop but I found that last spacer section pattern row just gave me a straight edge. I'm sure, with research, I could have found a better solution but F & F gave me enough of a scallop that blocking made even better.
7. My scarf is 100" x 16".

And finally, if you are just a beginning knitter you may want to check out this pattern on Ravelry. It's also an Advent Scarf but so much simpler with the most difficult stitch being a double decrease:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lace-holly

There are six short patterns to work and a cute gimmick of rolling a die every day to see which pattern to make that day.

Happy Knitting.

Next week: This winter, I'm making hats....... and spirals. Get the pattern here.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

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Website Wednesday

The black, large masthead above is my feeble attempt to protest SOPA - Stop Online Piracy Act - which would allow corporations or government to shut down websites immediately; no hearing, no trial. It has tremendous corporate support and Congressional support, including big-time Democrats. Obama has made a swipe at opposing it but in the end, true to form, he'll support it. No guts.

This is a day of protest of SOPA and, as you cruise the web today, you'll see much more effective "blackouts" by Google, Wikipedia, etc. Apparently SOPA started because movie/music types just do not like copyright piracy and have the clout and inclination to use draconian methods to stop it.

To me, SOPA is manna to governments throughout the world since the ubiquitous Internet is the fastest Pony Express in history. But what an annoyance! At one time, the lapse time between governments' enactments and citizens' awareness was huge. Today, pass a bill and seconds later, the world knows. What a bother! A point so well illustrated by use of the Internet and the success of the Arab Spring. (Something Obama profusely praised and aided when it occurred "there" but profusely ignored when the US equivalent took place in the form of the Occupy Wall Street movement.)

And what a political bonus SOPA is! Congress can vote for it to help their biggest donors and also put the lid on future protests at the same time. They don't come much neater.

So, also in protest, I ditched my original website pick for today for these:

First: https://www.popvox.com/

Pop Vox (short for the Latin "voice of the people") allows you to choose the bill you care about and send your message to Congress. It says of itself: POPVOX bridges the gap between the input the public wants to provide and the information Members of Congress want and need to receive. You should bookmark this site; it's simple to use and important to do.

Then there is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/explorerflash?timeregion=7#/object_gJpTVBtSSh-rRq2QFraNMA

I'm sure I've posted BBC sites before but this link takes you right to the simplest map of history through the ages. There's a time line scroll bar on the right. Click on a time period you want and the screen will fill with links to that time. It's not your dry look at history by rather it uses social and cultural images to give you the flavor of the time.

Your first click on an image will bring up the image and a short caption. Then clicking "More about the Object" will bring you to a new page with more info and sometimes even comments from other viewers.

Do try both websites. The first in order to keep your representative governance active; the second to keep in touch with the history we are all a part of.

Enjoy.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Tax the Rich

Movie Monday

Well, not quite. This is a national holiday in the USA which means we have a day off to honor Martin Luther King. Unfortunately, being the USA, this holiday is unofficially called the Martin Luther King Shopping Holiday for while state and federal offices are closed and politicians attend ceremonies to pontificate about how they honor this man (some do, some don't), the rest of the country will be gobbling up store sales.

So I thought this would be a good time to bring a book to you; in fact three books: Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan's Edge. All about Martin Luther King and his times, written brilliantly by the whitest-looking white man, Taylor Branch.

I hate the term "must read" but it definitely applies to these books. Here for the first time, I learned that Rosa Parks was a active member of the civil rights movement which planned the now-famous confrontation on the bus when Parks refused to move to the back. This was not a spontaneous incident of a tired black woman just refusing to move but a well-thought out plan. (It's interesting that the "myth" of this incident makes it just a serendipitous occasion while the truth of it portrays blacks as smart and savvy about their plight.) In keeping with this incident and its true genesis, I learned that Parks was not the first choice but that was the young girl who became unmarried pregnant and the movement didn't want any such distraction/controversy - smart move.

This incident is just one illustration why these books are must-reads. I know that when truth and myth clash, myth wins. But we must keep trying to get it right. Branch, in his Pulitzer Prize works, plays an important role in trying to do just that.

Below is a link to the first book on Amazon and you can get to the other two from this page. However, I'm sure they are available in most libraries across the country.

http://www.amazon.com/Parting-Waters-America-Years-1954-63/dp/0671687425/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326716838&sr=8-2

And finally, on a day the USA remembers a man who played such an important role in the civil rights movement (but, of course, not the only role), I'm wondering if racial hatred has finally succumbed in this country. Hell, no! Haters seem to have discovered new "hatees" to join their old favorites. Visceral hatred is tough to eradicate. Maybe we can never do it; it may be bred in the bone for many. But this is a good day to remember it's a goal worth trying to reach.

See you next Monday with that review of Valentin.

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Website Wednesday

But first, Miss L. The picture on the right is deceiving because it took a week for her to go into that crate willingly. Now, she just walks in and starts to play with her toys. Though she is still miffed that she gets locked in. She's 6 weeks old in this picture and the next.

On the right, she's asleep in my arms. She's a good sleeper and seems to catch on very quickly. Like her realization that when we approach the deck stairs, we're going in and her multiple attempts to eat leaves is coming to an end. At which point she digs in her heels (not an easy feat on patio blocks) and tries to extricate herself from her collar. .

More pictures will be coming but I like to start the record when they are so young and just forming their personalities. Next week, she's down to three meals a day. Ah, they grow so fast.

A quick pick today because today I am finally going to block my Advent Scarf. Lately, I have discovered Sudoku (long after the rest of the world did) and I love playing it on the i Pad since I don't have all those pesky erasures.

A new game for me in Ken-ken. Which is Sudoku like except with the added feature of arithmetic operations which must also be performed before solving. For example: in a 4 x 4 Ken-ken, you must use numbers 1 to 4 only one time in each row and column but unlike Sudoku there are no interior squares which must also use that rule - only one number 1 - 4 in each interior square.

However, within the total Ken ken square are areas marked off with dark lines. The areas within these dark lines can consist of any number of small squares, some L shaped, etc. In each of these "dark" areas, there is a number and a mathematical operation. For example, if it shows 2 -, it means that you must have numbers (2 numbers for subtraction in the easy puzzles) in this area which when subtracted will equal 2. If the operation is 10 +, you must have the numbers in this area add up to 10. Of course, you still must obey the rule of only 1 unique number per row and column.

Now, after I've confused you completely, try it out on this site, it comes with instructions:

http://www.kenken.com/

I think you have to type in the numbers here but I'm going to look for a site where you only click on a list of numbers. I am so lazy. (Edit: My mistake, all the numbers magically appear when you click a square - no typing involved.)

Enjoy. Time to play with the dog.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

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Movie Monday

When I see blogs not updated for years, I feel less guilty but only slightly. Sorry to be absent for a week plus but it started with absolutely no movie worth reviewing on a Monday and then Miss L arrived. (Pictures have been taken but still reside in the camera.) It turns out she's only 6 weeks old which I think is too young for separation from siblings and mom. (Are dog papas absent dads?)

She is a lab/golden mix; so tiny and fluffy; all black with streaks of gold and tiny white dots over her eyes. (You can tell I really don't like this dog!) Smart as a whip. I know, every dog mom says that. But she is. She doesn't just back off when reprimanded sternly (remember these dogs are all in training); she backs off and tries to get out of her collar to run away. Right now, she's housebroken, unless angered (that is, you leave the room with the royal bowing) when she gets pissed and pisses. She sleeps a good portion of the night and takes about 3 separate naps in the daytime. And she is so hungry.

More on Miss L in a later blog. On to the movies. In keeping with the mood of the royal bow I just mentioned, I saw The King's Speech last night. A quick summary: we watch the stutterer and future George VI of England get help for his speech problem, culminating in his important speech to the English public on the eve of WWII.

Among the principals, Colin Firth did an admirable job as a stutterer-duke/king (of course, this appraisal comes from a non-stutterer), Geoffrey Rush did his usual theatrical turn in a quirky role of speech therapist, Helena Bonham-Carter played a "normal" person well but probably not the queen mum, and Guy Pearce exuded nastiness in a historically comprised portrayal of Edward VIII.

That said: why all the fuss about this movie when it was released? It was a competent drama about a "fluff" in history. As someone said after the hoopla: Did you think England was not going to go to war if George VI hadn't made that speech?

There was a human interest story to be told here, but it wasn't. They only touched briefly on the family life of the Windsors. Both Edward and George were raised by cold parents (to be honest, coldness between parent and child was the norm for the time) and one reacted with a stutter, the other with behavior which changed the line of succession. However, Edward was not the rake as portrayed here. There are photos of him visiting the poor and accounts of his caring about their plight. For a sake a a neat Hollywood (I use the word generically) package, only George is shown here stammering through speeches to the working man and Edward is shown as besotted by Wallis Simpson.

In many ways, The King's Speech finds its roots in the god-awful historical dramas (the dreadful The Robe is now playing on my movie package) Hollywood churned out in the 1950s and early 1960s. They too played fast and loose with history, honing in on only one POV and ignoring accuracy for pomp and splendor. Even the music of TKS harkens us back to them, when important scenes were heralded by important music.

Reading reviews in IMDb, I discovered that other viewers had disliked this movie also, although official movie critics (Rotten Tomatoes) approved it by 95%. I had to search hard on that site for a negative review. Hollywood Bitchin' probably says it best with: the film never shakes the impression that it was made only to win awards.

(Note: Having nothing to back this up, I think perhaps Michael Gambon (who plays George V) may have auditioned for the speech therapist role which Rush plays. If not, he should have. I think he may have been a better choice since Rush, like Johnny Depp, unfortunately carries his Pirates of the Caribbean persona into every role he plays.)

Next week: also a small, family movie but done as it should be.

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Mutt Monday

OK, it's not meant to disparage mutts (some of my best friends are cross-breeds) but it is alliterative and true. Because on January 3, the next service dog to be raised/trained is arriving and she's a mutt!. That is, she's a black lab and golden mix (apparently this is the only mix they breed to train.) All we know name-wise is that she comes from an "L" litter (all the litter names will begin with L) and, of course, as a she, she's female. So she'll be Miss L here. I can't wait to take and post pictures. And so, to paraphrase Theoden in that movie series I LOVE: On January 3, it begins.

No movie this Monday so we can all enjoy the official Christmas holiday (or should I say shopping day?) in the US. Except to say that I noticed the rating on You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger this early morning and it's R. Which means no one under 17 is admitted without an adult. Now, we all know that movie ratings in this country are so messed up and the only fast rule seems to be: most violence = PG-13 but even the talk of sex = R. Not that an R rating in any way hurts a Woody Allan movie, but what kid would even want to see YWMATDS? Wacky, wacky country.

Enjoy your day. I hope if you have to work you're getting generous holiday pay.

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Knitting Friday

I am bereft of ideas. I finished my sweater late last night, too late for pictures. My Advent scarf is about 1/3 finished. I'm working on the most luscious feeling wool shawl which is a remake from another shawl of which I said before frogging: I will never wear this. It never had this luscious feeling first time round so I'm worried about blocking. I still have a black, metallic sweater I was going to finish Xmas. Ain't goin' happen. And my green lace shawl is yummy but still has ways to go. But outside of those, I'm clueless for a blog today.

You can try this so simple pattern if you wish:
In the round: Row 1: *K1, P1* Row 2: K (this row is P if you're knitting flat)

You get the stretchiest rib which is reversible but different on each side. I worked with two skeins of Paton Classic Wool and I finished a sleeveless pullover with enough yarn left for a winter headband but my husband suggested: Why don't you keep knitting? So I did, and wound up with a below the hip sweater. So stretchy; so cool.

I'll leave you with a pattern I'm eying:

http://lovincomfortknits.blogspot.com/2007/04/suprise-from-sk-and-i-snow-white-friend.html

I know I don't want to make a triangular shawl but I spilled a mother-load of mini-skeins of leftover yarn yesterday and I got to thinking: I really should do something with this. I'm wondering about using her stitch pattern/technique and making Joseph's shawl of many colors.

OK, I must return to knitting. So little time. I wonder; could I pull an all-nighter and finish that black sweater for tomorrow? Hmmmmmm.

Happy knitting.

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Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday

I am bereft of ideas. I finished my sweater late last night, too late for pictures. My Advent scarf is about 1/3 finished. I'm working on the most luscious feeling wool shawl which is a remake from another shawl of which I said before frogging: I will never wear this. It never had this luscious feeling first time round so I'm worried about blocking. I still have a black, metallic sweater I was going to finish Xmas. Ain't goin' happen. And my green lace shawl is yummy but still has ways to go. But outside of those, I'm clueless for a blog today.

You can try this so simple pattern if you wish:
In the round: Row 1: *K1, P1* Row 2: K (this row is P if you're knitting flat)

You get the stretchiest rib which is reversible but different on each side. I worked with two skeins of Paton Classic Wool and I finished a sleeveless pullover with enough yarn left for a winter headband but my husband suggested: Why don't you keep knitting? So I did, and wound up with a below the hip sweater. So stretchy; so cool.

I'll leave you with a pattern I'm eying:

http://lovincomfortknits.blogspot.com/2007/04/suprise-from-sk-and-i-snow-white-friend.html

I know I don't want to make a triangular shawl but I spilled a mother-load of mini-skeins of leftover yarn yesterday and I got to thinking: I really should do something with this. I'm wondering about using her stitch pattern/technique and making Joseph's shawl of many colors.

OK, I must return to knitting. So little time. I wonder; could I pull an all-nighter and finish that black sweater for tomorrow? Hmmmmmm.

Happy knitting.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Tax the Rich

Website Wednesday

For this holiday season:

http://www.flixxy.com/wonderful-world-david-attenborough.htm

Start with this video and then just click around the icons at the bottom and beyond. You will definitely find something to make you smile.

Enjoy.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Tax the Rich

Movie Monday - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Christopher Hitchens

Chistopher Hitchens, who died last week, was a witty, acerbic Brit turned American who possessed the sharp, facile brain and tongue with which the English can so often stun an argument.

As an atheist, I agreed with much he said, but there was never agreement on his support of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. And, truth be told, I'm not really into witty, facile atheists since I don't think they produce any thing but bon mots, never conversion arguments. Because no matter how strongly I know the supernatural does not exist, I also know the human species (emphasis on species here) cannot extricate itself of the hold of the mumbo-jumbo.

I used to think that man created god after watching a violent storm or after the first death but now I don't think the species was capable of deep thought back at the beginning. So shit must have just happened for millenniums until.....

Read Julian Jayne’s The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind where he postulates that early man had a bicameral mind and one section of it spoke to the other. (Hearing the voice of god, anyone?) But then, 2000 years ago, the brain fused and god disappeared. (My God, My God, why have you forsaken me - takes on a whole new meaning.) And for the rest of time, mankind has embarked on the quest to find his lost god. It's a fascinating theory.

Which brings me to Woody Allen and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Watch Sleeper or Bananas and I don't think you'd see the Woody Allen of today. Jabs at god and religion existed from the early films but age has fleshed out his thoughts on these concepts and what he is finally saying in quiet, slow tones now is startlingly comforting and disturbingly correct.

The ubiquitous narrator tells us from the start in YWMATDS that we're looking at a dysfunctional family. Helena, who has been dumped by her husband of many years, is visiting a "psychic", Cristal (love the name!), for guidance. Ex-hubby, Alfie, is searching for his lost youth in gym clubs and prostitutes. Daughter Sally supports her ex-MD, one-successful-novel husband, Roy, by working for art dealer, Greg, to whom she is attracted.

Get the picture? Helena is involved in mumbo-jumbo to assuage the pain (she tried suicide when Alfie left) and the rest of her family, while making some bad choices, is much more grounded in reality. Not giving away the plot, I'll say that members of the rest of the family are involved in some very, very bad choices. The curtain falls before disaster but you know that's what awaits them.

Helena is the key to this movie. Wacky Helena, who is persuaded by Cristal (who originally is a boon to her daughter because it gets Helena off her back) to believe she has lived before, guided by Cristal into a budding romance with a fellow thinker and finally advised financially by Cristal to a disastrous decision for her daughter. Wacky Helena, living in this crazy world of past lives and false fortune telling, comes out at the end of the movie as the only truly happy person. All the rational people live to learn sad truths: youth cannot be revisited, love is not always what it seems and crime does not pay. But Helena walks away with her balding, paunchy book seller and you have no doubt they will enjoy a bizarre but happy future.

I won't guess the message Allan is sending, I'll just tell you the message I got: In the end, the peace that comes with the mumbo-jumbo has its merits.

So Hitchens may have fought eloquently against the supernatural and Dawkins, et al, are still here to carry this torch ably. But in the end, we are just a species; no more special than the beaver who must build that dam nor the lemming who must race to that cliff. Like Lear, do we as non-believers, have to decide the wisdom of fighting the wind?

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

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Knitting Friday

No knitting pictures so I thought I would replay Miss M. Do dogs pray? Sure looks like she's channeling some higher power in this pic on the left. This was taken early in the game and she didn't know what a great time she would have with us.

The one on the right is from the same day. Oh, she was so cute. Still is, I'm sure. Did I tell you that she wrote us a long postcard? She made the cut as a service dog. And, someone has really helped her with her penmanship!

As I mentioned earlier this week, my Advent scarf visited the frog pond since a 91 st cast on (CO) was producing a shawl size again. And I really don't need another museum quality shawl.

Knitters have been reducing their number of CO stitches (43 sts, 55 sts) but not giving much guidance (and they don't have to) except to say something like: I had to adjust the end of the row. So I took this project as a challenge and I sat down with 15 days of patterns, decided on a CO amount ranging from 54 to 57 sts and then worked out my solution.

I won't go into all the figuring and mistakes and re-figuring and final plans; some of which had to be re-figured again as I started knitting the day's pattern. I'm only on Day 2 in my CO 56 sts rendition (which is 1/3 smaller than before) and so far, so good.

Once I get a respectable amount done, I'll post pictures and directions. This project has taught me so much. I always knew I was a timid knitter, competent, but very, very timid. I usually look at complicated patterns and eliminate them immediately or follow the chart exactly. Not this time though. I must have worked a whole day over a week with this. First, making the most outlandish changes (planning to work only half the pattern repeat or all of the pattern repeat but none of the extra stitches in the row.) Finally, I saw the light (and my math light is very, very slow at coming on) and I realized that with most of the patterns you could work them as written with fewer repeats. But more on that later.

I'll leave you with, what I call, the twisted stitch pattern: Over the first two stitches on the left needle, knit the second stitch through the back loop then knit the first stitch through the front loop. Drop both left needle stitches from your needle.

Next week, I'll explain why this simple twist is so important when you're modifying patterns. Happy knitting.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

Website Wednesday

Helen Thomas said it simply and correctly re: Obama: He lacks courage. But perhaps not ego. For me, it's coming down to ego which explains his run for presidency. He ran on Change We Need. Nice and simple, but it didn't happen. The rich are still rich, the poor are still poor and the rhetoric is still hollow. I'm waiting for his justification for signing the bill to allow for the indefinite detention of US citizens. I will be surprised if he follows through on his veto threat. But I've become so jaded because even a veto means nothing; a hollow gesture if Congress has enough votes to override. And don't get me started on Plan B birth control.

Simple can be good in politics (good for getting elected, not so good for a constituency always) and it can be good with pictures. Working on the premise that none of us have much free time during this season, my website pick is:

http://500px.com/

All pictures, but many are thinking pictures and worth a long look even with the possibility of photo shopping today. Click below the picture for your language choice and then click along for all types of pictures, popular or editor's choice. Only captions to read so it's easy work.

500 px (it's really 5 followed by the infinity sign on the web page) is a site for photographers and it says about itself: 500px is a group of individuals that live and breathe photography. We like to share art with others and have the means to do so. Our small company is based in Toronto and from there we broadcast the awesomeness. We truly enjoy what we do.

You register to show your pictures; viewing is free. Just a look at In dreams I can fly by Manuela Kulpa makes the trip worthwhile. Enjoy.

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Thoughts on Tuesday
(and some Movie Monday, sort of)

Well, a big weight has been lifted because I frogged my Advent Scarf. Life is good. Life is free. What was I thinking to tackle this now? More on Knitting Friday.

On Saturday, we walked to the only Barnes and Noble store with a sales annex in NJ. It's an easy walk in nice weather. Why didn't someone tell me winter is upon us? (OK, "upon us" is straight out of LOTR and yes, I have been watching it much too much lately.) I like to look at the books in the annex, sometimes I buy some and Saturday I had a "no strings attached" coupon from BN to all ex-Borders customers. Nice deal. Almost every book was a sale in the annex so I got a 1500 page literature anthology which was 1/2 of $6 + my 20% off coupon. (Of course, the cashier just scanned the bar code and said: $41.50, but we straightened that out.)

I think I've mentioned that lit anthologies are very good for upper middle school and high school. But I doubt they even exist anymore since the trend is to individual novels and usually teen lit novels. I have some anthologies from my dad and I've bought some at book sales. There are still "great works" anthologies out there; that is, 1000+ pages of classical literature with usually an introductory page for each section. But I'm talking about the anthology which presents a selection (no more than 5 - 1- pages or even a few stanzas of poetry) and after the selection presents questions for detail, discussion and essays. That type of anthology you don't see any more.

So, I was surprised to pick up this one at BN. It was a complimentary copy to the instructor (I wonder if it made the cut.) and was chocked full of works and questions.

And also, it was severely dumbed down. OK, the first selection was Frost but it was the old chestnut, The Road Not Taken. The first short play was by Wendy Wasserstein who is more culturally popular than classically grounded. There were some excellent probing questions after each selection but then there were pages and pages of student responses to the works. By page 100, I realized the author was using a lot of space walking the reader slowly through the stages of writing a good, analytical essay.

By then, I was trying to figure out just what group is being written to here. A lot of this is very basic: figures of speech, grammar, etc. Introductory college course? If so, just what did these kids learn in high school. Introductory community college course? Possibly. I'm not saying high school only because the damn book weighs so much those kids would revolt.

Now, you may have the impression that I'm trashing this book; I'm not. I am skipping a lot of the training she is giving to her intended audience and I'm concentrating on the selections and their questions. In fact, I spent the weekend polishing an analysis of Millay's poem, Pity Me Not. (A lot of the questions are: choose a work you really like and......) I did a close reading of PMN and for the first time, I saw things that previous readings (and there were many) failed to notice. It was a fun exercise. (Said by someone beyond the tediousness of school.)

Seeing this anthology, I realized that they still can be used as teaching tools and the argument of: Oh, we'd lose the kids if we do, is false. Obviously this text was including the students in the process. We may have to dumb down our lit but we don't have to abandon the classics. I'm not arguing to give them War and Peace instead of The Giver. I'm arguing, slip in a mix of the current and the classic. Bring back the anthology. It's a perfect way to present a panoply of literature in one place. But please, use lighter paper.

Which, if we're still talking about the dumbing of America, brings me to The Adjustment Bureau. We have a star (Matt Damon), and actress (Emily Blunt) and the keystone kops. What were they thinking? Watch it for a laugh. Or don't.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday

I'm still in the throes of the Advent Calendar Scarf (started last Thursday so no Knitting Friday last Friday or Movie Monday this Monday but there was a Website Wednesday.) Right now, I'm on Day 6 and the pattern is on Day 9 so, again this year, I'm a little behind in my work. But it coming along very well. No nupps as yet but there is a glaring, but not that important, error in the first spacer section - identical small sections between each pattern day. (The errata didn't appear till after I was finished with the next day's pattern so it was Day 1 pattern - Day 1 spacer section with the mistake - Day 2 pattern - Day 2 spacer section w/o a mistake.) No way was I going to tink back. I'll just repeat the extra rows on the last pattern's spacer. Once again, this scarf will be a shawl since my needles are US 6 (I do love Chia Goo Lace. But I also think Knit Picks interchangeable nickel and Harmony wood are almost as pointy for lace.) and my yarn is fingering, not lace. No way will I get to Day 24. Perhaps, for a deep winter project I will take the days I don't get to use and work a scarf in lace.

I have no idea why my masochist streak comes out during this holiday season but this is the second time I'm working on a time-sensitive, intricate knitting project, plus, this year, I made two scarfs for hubby. (He does like them.) And, I still have about 10 projects OTN. And, I'm looking at this hat:

http://knitaway-one.blogspot.com/2011/12/goodie-bag-hat.html

because I think my headbands are not going to cut it this year and this hat looks funky. I'm thinking nightcap funky. Just how will my hair look coming through the top?

A knitting tip and then I must get back to my Advent scarf since the next clue (Day 10) comes out in an hour. The tip: When it calls for markers between pattern sections (very important in this scarf) wend a long piece (48") of yarn from the back to the front and then front to the back throughout the rows. For example: If the pattern starts 5 stitches in, start the yarn thread there. Then work a pattern repeat and at its end, place the yarn thread between the end stitch and the beginning stitch of the next repeat. Work this way along the row. You still have to count the stitches in the repeats as you go along but you'll find that beginning or ending yarn overs are much easier to count this way. Since my pattern repeats are the same RS and WS for each pattern, I usually weave the yarn along on the RS row, keep it in for the WS row, then remove it and lay it again for the next RS row. Try it; it really does make your work move along faster.

Oh, I forgot. I bought Knit Pick Harmony needles and then arrived yesterday. I'll tell you about them next Friday and also the sad, short life of my beautiful KP shawl pin.

Happy knitting.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

Website Wednesday

OK, I must make this fast and happy today because I am in the middle of my Advent Calendar Scarf which is being made by an atheist and is definitely going to be shawl, not scarf sized and will get much too big so I can't include all the 24 days of Advent patterns; but outside of that it's coming along swimmingly. (Quick background: A very generous German woman posts 24 different knitting pattern samplers [24 rows] for each day of Advent. She charts them and writes out the directions [sometimes the English translation has German phrases so we get a bonus language lesson] and we follow along knitting one pattern a day [Ha! I'm 2 days behind already.] and chatting on Ravelry re: our progress.) My every spare minute is spent knitting. If you check the calendar you'll see that the first day of Advent was Thursday, December 1 and my blog just fell off the edge of the earth after that.

But in the midst of Obama finally finding his voice (and his sincere voice this time, I'm sure) and addressing the 99%ers in America to tell them that they have been royally screwed during the first 3 years of his administration (but not by him of course, or any Democrat running in 2012) and the fact that this is the holiday season (and our species does need holiday cheer), I thought I would present two happy choices.

OK, maybe the first won't make you happy because it's a two foods comparison chart:

http://www.twofoods.com/

You plug in any two foods and the site spews out the nutrition guide for each food based on similar weight. I didn't believe it when they listed a small McDonald's FF and a plain baked potato as close in calories but a Google search proved them right. So keep this site handy as you imbibe and indulge this holiday season. You'll be the life of the party pulling out your i Phone and telling everyone their calorie consumption.

And then there's this:

http://www.peachygreen.com/wildlife/incredible-wildlife-photography

These are amazing wildlife photos from Peachy Green which appears to be a site dedicated to making the earth greener but making people feel good, not guilty, about doing this. So after you take a look at this pics, cruise the site; there's a lot to read and see here.

Now, it's back to my knitting marathon. Enjoy.