Knit Blue

Musical Resources: The Truth About Piano Lessons

2011-07-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

Musical Resources: The Truth About Piano Lessons: "Dear Piano Parents: You're probably getting mailings right now about fall activities from your kids. The soccer coach wants to know if you..."

the end of life as we knew it?

2010-01-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

in all the howling this week about how the election of a Republican to the Senate in Massachusetts was going to kill the hope of a real health care reform bill, we almost missed the even more ominous event yesterday

the Supreme Court -- the one that Bush loaded up with conservative idealogs -- decided that we no longer need to be governed by a democracy

nope, the corporations can now spend as much money as they like to elect the candidates they like

if you've ever worked for a bad boss, you've had a small taste of what this will be like

forget about affordable health care -- and if you think the scare tactics of the summer's discussions of "death panels" were bad, just wait -- the health insurance companies will decide who gets health care -- because they will own the representatives in congress

forget about being able to get a loan if you have a small business -- the bank will decide who gets their money -- because they will own the representatives in congress

get used to $4 a gallon gas -- or $5, or $10 -- the oil companies will decide what the price will be -- because they will own the representatives in congress

you want to put solar panels on your roof to cut your power bill and help clean the air -- forget about it -- that's going to cost you big time to the power company -- because they will own the representatives in congress

you think taxation on the middle class is bad now -- just wait -- the middle class will soon cease to exist under the new taxation while the rich will get the tax breaks -- because they will own the representatives in congress

perhaps we'll just avoid the whole voting thing --- we won't need to have Senators from Arkansas and Washington and Texas and Minnesota -- instead we'll have Senators from Walmart and MicroSoft and Halliburton and United Health Care

if you want to read (or listen to) Keith Olbermann's Special Comment about this issue, use this LINK

if you want to read about Alan Grayson's petition, use this LINK

The New Millennium

2008-11-05T17:09:00.001-08:00

The elections are finally over. Like many of you, I'm a news junkie and have been parked in front of the TV late every night for months and I've got dark circles under my eyes to show it! I'll be tracking the new Obama administration's transition, of course, but now I can get a life.

I'm so pleased that we may re-engage the rest of the world now and I know many people around the world feel the same. If you have time and if you're inclined, read this Washington Post article about reactions around the world. It astounds me that the world still looks up to us as the embodiment of possibility and craves - needs - a better relationship with us. We need them too.

Washington should be an interesting place for a while. I've been here through a few administrations, but this one feels different already. Washington usually feels like the city described in The Jungle (I think?), in which the characters live largely in anonymity, unseen by others. I found this disturbing at first, but I've gotten used to it. I can be plenty self-absorbed too, especially on my way to work in the morning or speeding home at night. But something odd has happened over the last 24 hours - people see me. In my encounters at the grocery store last night with the clerk and another customer, and with a bookstore cashier and at Starbucks this morning, people have found an excuse to talk to me and look me in eye longer than they usually do. It's nice to be seen.

I've thought about moving at least once a month since I moved here 20 years ago, but I'm glad I'm here now. I've watched all those other inaugurations on TV, but I'll attend this one. I want to be bathed in this positive energy for as long as it lasts.

Though I expect that Washington will return to being Washington again as we settle into addressing our devastating problems, right now it finally feels like the 21st century has really begun.

Yes We Can!!!

2008-11-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

here in blue Colorado (at long last!!), at 9:15 p.m. nearly speachless with the amazing news

I never in my wildest dreams thought I would see this in my life time

I have no illusions that everything will be instantly better -- that every soldier will be home tomorrow, that the economy will be fixed, that our health care system will actually be about health and not profit

but I have hope --

hope that after the last 8 years of mistakes and the deliberate misleading of the country that we can look forward to listening to a man that will tell us the truth -- even when the truth is hard

that we can make the change we need happen

yes, we can

It's Time

2008-11-04T14:17:00.001-08:00

I saw Obama at the rally in Manassas, VA via simulcast at Market Square in Old Town last night. It was inspiring, to say the least. There were 100,000 people at the Prince William Fairgrounds last night. Many waited all day - and his plane was late coming in to Dulles by over an hour. I have great hope that Virginia will go blue this election. Hope with me.

I voted. I hope you did too.

It's time!

2008-10-21T07:17:00.001-07:00

Go thou and do likewise!

Yesterday was the first day of early voting here in Colorado and we went and cast our ballots.

We have the dubious distinction of having one of the longest ballots in the country this year (largely because it is WAY too easy to get initiatives on the ballot that just end up being fought in court and tossed out), and there was a line, but I'm sure it was a shorter line than there will be on election day.

Now I can just hope that the rest of the nation sees the wisdom of my thinking and votes with me!

It's so laughable and painful at the same time...

2008-10-04T22:43:00.001-07:00

Katie Couric: Why isn't it better, Gov. Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

Gov. Sarah Palin: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the -- it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

2008-10-04T11:48:00.001-07:00

I've been a little surprised at the lack of posting here, too, but I suspect it also has to do with all the political discussions going on on Ravelry. I have to admit, I love lurking on the McCain/Palin discussions, but only with a glass of wine in hand. Otherwise my blood pressure would rise and my head might explode.

It's always good to keep an eye on the opposition, and from what I've seen in the last few days, the opposition is starting to sweat. And that makes me happy.

Is this thing on?

2008-10-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

No traffic and we've got a Veep who can't answer questions in complete sentences trying to talk her way into the White House? Let's be "maverick" like everyone! : )

Biden is the other half of the parenthesis

2008-08-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

as I watched The Ticket stand together on Saturday, I was struck by the almost perfect symmetry that I was seeing

they stand shoulder to shoulder, almost the same height

black/white
younger/older
cool and measured/fiery and passionate

its almost yin/yang

and Biden has long been "different", and he's perfect for the one true job of the Vice President -- he's the president of the Senate -- where Biden knows people and knows how it is supposed to work -- not just the forever "us vs them" version the neocons have given us the past 8 years

let us now pray that we were all looking at the future on Saturday in Illinois

tap, tap, tap -- any body there?

2008-07-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Have we all just lost interest now that we know who the nominee will be?

I'm curious if anyone actually had the right answer about who the two nominees would be in the contest -- can't remember if we were supposed to guess the VP name too

just asking------

A sign of our times.....

2008-06-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

See this?

This is a sign of our times.

It is the sign of thousands of people who have lost everything.

It is the sign of ever increasing food prices.

It is the sign of corporate greed.

It is the sign of decades of government that was busy giving tax breaks to the rich while ignoring the need to maintain and improve our infrastructure.

Are we going to be strong enough to do something about it?

Is today the day?

2008-06-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

I know its officially the last day of primaries.

Are we finally going to start focusing on the General and making sure we don't have 4 years of "McSame"?!

I for one am ready for that!!

Who ARE these people?

2008-04-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Anyone else watch Obama's speech last night and become overly distracted by the three guys wearing Abercrombi & Fitch T-shirts right behind him? It was so odd, and today there are theories all over the Internet ranging from a marketing ploy perpetrated by the clothing company to the Obama campaign's bid to win the gay vote.

So bizarre.

actual blue knitting!

2008-04-23T08:33:00.001-07:00

I know my usual posting here is of the political type, but just now I'm having "election fatigue"!

I have been knitting in blue however.

Thanks to a very generous sister, I have wool yarn to make up into things that are going to a couple of charities.

this cute little sweater vest will be going to Warm Woolies, a charity group that sends wool vests and hats and socks to kids in cold places, especially orphanages and Indian reservations

this was my first sweater vest (I've made several hats, just none of them blue!)

and these (from the same yarn) are for a challenge that Ann over at Sheep Shots is running. If you go to her post for March 23, 2008, she explains the "Mittnz Roolz", and this has been a lot of fun too

Happy knittin' y'all

What Obama and I have in common

2008-03-24T08:22:00.001-07:00

I know, you’re all thinking – “what, are you nuts?” and I understand that train of thought. After all, I’m a white woman over 50 with no college degree. He’s a younger bi-racial man with a law degree. So just what could we possibly have in common?

Well, let’s consider some of the things he said in his speech the other day. He said “I have…nieces, nephews…cousins, of every race and every hue”, and we share that heritage. In my extended family between my husband and I there are cousins, nieces and nephews who are Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Mexican (as in born in Mexico, not just of Hispanic background), Black, Eskimo, and American Indian. My husband is a first generation American; his parents were from England and the Netherlands. My family (or at least part of it) has been here since the days of the founding fathers. We are as a family perhaps as “melting pot” as it gets. My daughter says she needs a T-shirt that says she’s “Western European Mutt!”

He said “…we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.” And here I say a rousing “Amen, brother!”

Obama speaks of the blacks of the generation before him that grew up in a Jim Crow environment. As a white woman I can not possibly know the ultimate humiliation that that generation of blacks endured because they simply looked different. Surely that kind of humiliation is an explanation for some of the frustration and suspicion that they look at whites with. I have had the rare opportunity of hearing the bigots on both sides, from whites that had never actually known a black person and from blacks that had never actually known a white person. As Obama says “this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.”

He speaks of the idea that a lot of “working class…white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. …They’ve worked hard all their lives…they are anxious about their futures…your dreams come at my expense.”

We continue to deal with others as if they are either “one of us” or “one of them” without understanding that those of us who are simply the everyday folks, ordinary Americans with concerns about our families, we are all “US”. The big “THEM” are the presidents and CEOs of the big corporations that are using us all like so much expendable machinery that can be easily replaced. “THEY” live in their $16 million mansions and sit in the board rooms and decided that your little family is costing them too much to pay you a living wage or keep your pension or your health insurance or to even work for them when they can get it cheaper elsewhere.

Do I think that Obama will be the magician that will make all of this instantly better the day he takes office? No. Nobody can do that. But he has a vision of a better America for his children and my grandchildren that at least tries to heal some of the wounds. He speaks of hope.

We need hope to recover from all that has been done to us everyday folks by “THEM”, and we need to learn that no matter what color our skin is or where we worship on Friday or Saturday or Sunday or where we were born, we are all the same. “THEY” have successfully used divide and conquer to make us fight each other and not see the real cause of our misery.

I hope he succeeds in redirecting our vision as a country and turning us again to hope.

Thoughts about ugly political email

2008-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I received an email from someone I've known for a number of years that shocked me. It came from an educated person, someone that before retiring taught school.

It was ugly.

I'm sure that many of you have seen the anti-Obama stuff that is floating about on the net.

I will not give the whole thing a repeat display, but there are a couple of parts that I want to address (just so I'll quit "stewing" about this)

Here then are the parts that bothered me the most:

Item #1: "we are AT WAR with the Muslim Nation"

There is no such thing as "the Muslim Nation”. The individuals that were responsible for the terrorism committed on our soil in 2001 just happened to be part of a radical Muslim group.

We are in a war of aggression in a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11 even though that is constantly referred to as the reason we are there. As a result of this we have totally forgotten what it was we were supposed to be doing in that part of the world and along the way we have sacrificed the lives of thousands of young soldiers and their families and totally wrecked our own economy.

Item #2: ”when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran”

This is a flat out lie. There has been only one person that has ever done this. His name is Keith Ellison (D, Minn).

It strikes me that part of the reason that all of this raw hate is circulating is that we are standing on the threshold of new and unknown territory. Remember how much uproar there was about JFK being Catholic? Now we have a black man with a dream and there seems to be a lot of fear about the idea that he might actually become president.

Are we going to just keep going in the same wrong headed direction we have gone the past few years, watching our jobs dwindle away because of NAFTA, watching another generation of young people have their lives destroyed by an unjust, unwarranted war?

Remember – without hope the people perish – if ever we needed hope it is now

Anne Coulter would support Hillary over McCain?!

2008-02-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I heard this, but yes, its true!

Kay Dennison over at Kay's Thinking Cap, put up a clip of a Hannity & Colmes segment where Coulter is talking about it. Use this link and scroll down to the bottom of the post to check it out.

YIKES!!!

Getting Ready for Super Tuesday!

2008-02-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

Kitteh sez "Vote Blue!"

Cat Sweater (or a small dog)
Yarn: Encore Plymoth
Needle: Size 8 Addi
Pattern: my own

Almost Here

2008-02-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

So are we excited about Super Tuesday yet?

Today in Tulsa there was a whole mess of Huckabee supporters out waving signs at the biggest intersection in town. Well, a whole mess of Huckabee supporters and two Obama supporters. We gave the thumbs-down to the Hucks and honked and waved to the Obamas. That was kind of fun.

I can't figure out how to link to my post about the Contest, so search the archives for "contest" or look through the posts from June, 2007, to find the rules. I've had only a couple of guesses, and there's still time to get in there and make a guess. Sock yarn is on the line here, people!

Also, let's see some blue projects!

Oh please....

2008-02-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963954/posts

Just when you thought things couldn't get any crazier.

Funny (but Scary) Video

2008-01-29T13:14:00.000-08:00

http://blip.tv/file/520347

something blue

2008-01-08T15:33:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!!

I picked up a little something blue while in Canada over the holidays.
Thought I would share. It is destined to be a lacy scarf, even if you can't tell that from this picture:

some new, blue knits...

2008-01-07T14:38:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Ganomy Hat! Made to perfection(?) with Peace Fleece in BLUEBERRY BORSCHT.

-Deborah

I can't believe that

2008-01-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

we're 4 days out of the Iowa caucus and there has been no comment here.....

Maybe none of us were surprised by the outcome, tho' I was a bit -- after all of the media hype that Hillary was inevitable (fed by her saying so by running against Bush right out of the gate), her 3rd place was a bit of an eye opener

And now, I must say that I have changed my mind too, and when we attend our caucus on Feb 5 I'm going to stand for John Edwards. After reading the web sites with all their position papers, his views on health care, education, gay marriage and corporate greed are the closest to mine. Also his whole "we're mad as hell and we aren't going to take it any more" attitude matches mine too. I don't think the Republicans are going to just lay down to a reasoned, intellectual approach, we're going to be scrapping it out to the finish, and Edwards seems to be willing to do that.

On the other side, who could have thought that Huckabee could be the winner in Iowa? (In fact, who thought he would even be in the top 3?) Quite interesting on that front as well. Could it be that the Republicans are having a change of heart too -- one can hope, but I doubt it

The most encouraging thing of all tho' is the huge number of folks that turned out. Lets hope that trend continues and the voice of the people is actually heard

Blue Christmas ... er, Birthday!

2007-12-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I forgot to post about this! This is a felted bag I recently completed, and just wrapped up today to send to one of my nieces for her birthday, which also happens to be on Christmas day.

The pattern and yarn are part of a kit from Dancing Leaf Farm, which is one of the best places for colorful yarns. This yarn is primarily Peace Fleece, with the accent yarns being one called Oh-La-La, and the other Aloha, from Dancing Leaf. I made a few modifications a la the Sophie bag from MagKnits. It was a relatively easy, and a very enjoyable, knit.

This morning my husband and I were listening to NPR, since we enjoy the Sunday puzzle word game, and after it came on, there was a piece about a website run by The St. Petersburg Times (Florida), and the Congressional Quarterly, called PolitiFact. The site applies a Truth-o-Meter to the various statements by the presidential candidates, both those about what they would/could do, and those about their opponents. It's worth a look, if you haven't heard of it.

At this point, I am not sure who I want to be the nominee, but it is interesting to see how things seem to be changing daily!

Blue Knitting for Christmas

2007-12-15T16:04:00.001-08:00

I just finished a pretty blue hat for my future sister in law as a Christmas present. It's Hannah from the latest Magknits.com.

It's knit up in Knitpicks.com Wool of the Andes in Cerulean; I held the yarn doubled to get correct gauge and used US10s. The yarn is actually a little darker of a blue than shows up in the picture. I'm super happy with the way it came out and I really think the recipient will like it.

No Politics-- just blue knitting

2007-11-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm gearing up for the height of the political season when I return home (I'm still out of the country for research-- 6 mos on the road will be more than enough for me for some time!). I'm currently knitting some blue socks to keep my tootsies warm during the winter battles:

Pattern: Lady Eleanor from Socktopia

Yarn: Koigu PPPM (yummy) bought from Purl SoHo when I was in NYC a couple of months ago. It took me forever to find a sock pattern I liked with this color-- I even got most of the way through the leg of the Lombard St. sock and frogged it (Boston street names and NY yarn don't go together-- I should have known better!).

When I get home in 3 weeks (hooray) I also have a box full of blue Rowan Denim yarn for an EZ Seamless Hyrbid for my dear husband. So there will be plenty of blue knitting in my house for the next couple of months!

Are we sick of politics yet?

2007-11-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

Seems its been rather quiet on the political front here on Knit Blue for a while which puts me to wondering if we have all gotten numb because the campaigning seems to have been going on forever (already!) and we're still a year away (almost to the day!) and because they're all starting to look alike.....

I have to say that may be true in my case -- although I was delighted to see the first ever over ride of a Bush veto -- maybe there is some hope for this congress after all -- or not --- the verdict is still out

Meantime, if you want to "feel the burn" again, use this link to read -- or better yet, listen, to Olbermann's special comment on waterboarding, the attorney general candidate and the coverup of the Bush administration's criminality.

Hang in there folks, 2008 is only 2 months away...........

Mission Accomplished!

2007-10-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

And when I say that, its true!!

The cuffs (and about 2 inches above them) have been successfully picked out and the new, tighter cuffs put in.

Aside from that awful "Oh no, I'm CUTTING my knitting" moment, it all went well, the DH is delighted and now I can get back to the 7 other projects I have on the needles!

Oh yeah, and I learned something new -- on the whole a very satisfying experience.

Putting our money where our mouths are

2007-10-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

I came across this wonderful information source when doing some "catch-up" reading of a newly discovered (for me) knitting blog, kmkat and her needles. This knitter and CPA has taken a wealth of information from the former (and soon to be current!) buyblue.org, creating these wonderful spreadsheets of corporations and the political parties to which they donate. I know that some of my spending habits will be changing!

Re-knitting blues

2007-10-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

A while back I made my husband this lovely blue sweater.

Yesterday as I was folding the laundry and getting ready to put it back into the drawer he said "can you make those cuffs shorter and a little tighter?"

Ok....let me think.....do I have ANY idea where this pattern might be -- nope
do I have ANY of this yarn left over -- nope

And here's the tricky part -- the sleeves were knit from the shoulder down -- making them longer would be a snap -- shorter? not so much

Ah well, we need a knitting challenge every now and then, don't we?

So, here in the picture I have run one of my shorter circular needles through a row (hopefully evenly) in preparation for cutting (CUTTING!!!!) into my knitting

I can report (but not show, the batteries in my camera died at an inopportune moment) that the cutting, while tramatic, was successful, and I have begun the reknitting.....

I'll keep y'all posted

Gore's Reward

2007-10-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

I woke this morning hearing the news announce that Al Gore had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Awesome.

The book is absolutely amazing, the message is something we should all be trying to do something about.

But consider this -- its the PEACE prize.

How much more peace would there be if he had not had the presidency stolen from him? How much better might all our lives be?

Of course we can not really know the answer to that, but I believe he would have had better sense than to take us into Iraq.

just sayin'......

another sign of an administration gone amuck

2007-09-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Even though we have no small children at home, and no grandchildren that aren't teenagers, I am appalled by the Mattel situation.

Our administration has been so controlled by the whining of big business and the whole "fair trade" with China thing, that now a big company like Mattel, after sending all of the manufacturing jobs off shore feels it must apologize to CHINA!?

What the....?

We are declaring that there will be no Mattel products purchased by use for anyone for any reason by our household.

Lets resurrect the hand made by crafters SAFE toy.....no more lead paint, no more toxic chemicals...

Afterall, we are a group of KNITTERS aren't we?

(please feel free to use my "no Mattel" graphic where ever you would like!)

More Blue!

2007-09-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to finish up a lot of projects before taking off for dissertation research next week. I'll be gone all semester, so I had to rush through my husband's project so that he could stay warm while I'm gone in the fall and early winter.

His favorite color is blue, so this is an appropriate place to post. The scarf is a 3x3 rib in Cascade 220 with randomly-placed stripes but symmetrical (i.e., the stripes weren't so random for the second half of the scarf). I knit up the hat this afternoon with what was left of the blue and yellow yarn. The hat pattern is from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I LOVE that book.

My next blue projects will be a pair of blue socks and a sweater for my husband in Rowan's denim yarn. (I'm thinking the EZ seamless hybrid).

Red White and BLUE

2007-09-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've knit something with some blue to it for the first time in a while! It's the My So-Called Scarf
in Berrocco's Hip Hop in the Karaoke color-way. I had enough to put together a very basic hat that I made up as I went along... I like to call it my Quick-and-Dirty hat. It took about an hour to figure out how I wanted to make this-- it's basically a triangle.

I love the grunge-y look-- which I've grown out of but am always reminded of when I think of the "My So-Called Life" drama-- which happens every time I think to knit the My So-Called Scarf.

On the politics front, I just wanted to add that this Petreus stuff, and all of the congressional discussions and pundit-speak since has been a total farce! It's definitely time for a change in the administration.

a blue band

2007-09-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

It is finished. My Calorimetry is all done and it is quite nice. I liked the way the yarn holds the shape. It doesn't feel like it will get really loose like wool probably would. Wick was a bit sticky on my bamboo needles, but not too bad where I wouldn't use it again. All in all, a lovely blue project. It will be coming with me to Big Sur in November. Perfect for a hike.

what part of 411 against 3 doesn't Bush get?

2007-09-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

as I sat in a hugh traffic jam this morning I was listening to the local talk radio discuss the idea that Mexican trucks will soon be allowed on our highways.....

now I thought back when the vote was taken and 411 representatives said NO and only 3 said yes (who were those morons?) that this was a dead issue, but NOOOOOOO....its still alive and well

and while I watched big trucks in the traffic around me weave in and out of lanes and cut people off, I marveled at what a "joy" it will be to have all those new trucks on our highways without the safety inspections for drivers or trucks that we have, not to mention that they are not require to keep log books like US drivers, and who knows how many hours they'll be driving.

its like alot of things now days, its all about getting the labor cheaper -- why pay a U.S. driver 40 cents a mile when they can hire someone that will do it for 12 cents?

and what is the origin of all this coming chaos? NAFTA---yes, be sure and write to former PResident CLINTON and tell him thanks a lot for getting us into this mess by signing that travisty and selling us all down the river....(in case you wondered why I'm not a big Hillary fan, this is one reason)

For those of you that remember the old song Convoy you may enjoy listening to an updated version here (under Convoy Mexico Parody at the bottom of the page).

Jeesch

I actually finished a knitting project!

2007-09-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

And it's blue (ok, there's also some green)! I am a slow knitter, so I'm quite pleased with myself ...

Anyhow, without further ado, I give you - just in time for the end of summer - the Fishnet Beach Bag:

This pattern was simple, addictive, and fun to knit. Here are the specifics:

Pattern: Fishnet Beach Bag, a house pattern from my LYS, Rosie's Yarn Cellar
Yarn: Adrienne Vittadini Nicole (65% acrylic, 35% nylon); 3 balls
Needles: Size US8 24-inch circular
Crochet Hook: Size H
Beads: 2 glass beads, 3/4 inch size (the size is the only thing you need to duplicate - I just liked these beads an decided to use them).

This had very cool construction (at least I thought so). You knit the bottom with two strands, using seed stitch, just as straight knitting for 8 inches. Then you pick up stitches all around the square you've knit, using a single strand, and suddenly you are knitting circular! You then knit the pattern until you have 12 inches from the bottom. The cords are made by crocheting a chain using two strands, then woven through the lace, and secured by beads at the ends.

And, unlike Alberto Gonzales' testimony, this was supposed to have holes in it!

The Ick Factor

2007-09-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

So yesterday morning, I was watching one of the news shows, and they played the tape where the arresting officer and Senator Daniel Craig go back and forth about what really happened in the men's restroom of the Minneapolis airport.

At one point, the officer says something like, "You put your hand down towards the floor," and Craig responds, "I was reaching down to pick up a piece of toilet paper from the floor."

Now I ask you - regardless of anything else - who in their right (hah, right!) mind would pick up ANYTHING off the floor in a public restroom??????

I think that even if he was only doing that, he should be arrested ... ick!

Saying hello

2007-09-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello.

I joined KnitBlue a couple months ago but haven't had the opportunity until now to post and introduce myself. I am a CA transplant living in TX. Big change, I know! I am lucky, however, to be in probably the only blue spot on the very red state.

Anyway, I thought I would come on, say hello, and share my knewly purchased blue yarn with you all. It is really great. Soft and springy. It is my first time buying yarn made of soy and I really like it.

This yarn is destined to be a Calorimetry, I think.

Gonzo is Gone!

2007-08-27T07:12:00.001-07:00

Can't believe it!! As I was waking up this morning the news was reporting his resignation.

First Rove, now Gonzo.......is the Imperial Presidency unraveling?....one can only hope

then again, maybe they're just all moving to Florida to plot out the Imperial Presidency of Jeb..................groan......

Rove's Worst Nightmare?

2007-08-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

I got this article in my inbox this morning from the Edwards campaign, and I thought you might find it interesting.

Melanie

(also, this is my first post here, so HI!!)

******

To: Interested Parties
From: Joe Trippi
Re: Karl Rove's Worst Nightmare

You may have seen Karl Rove's recent attacks on Hillary Clinton in the news.

This is a page straight out of his tired old playbook—Rove is attacking Hillary Clinton because he doesn't want John Edwards to win the Democratic nomination.

Rove knows that Democrats will rally around whomever he attacks—so he attacks the candidate he thinks Republicans can most easily defeat.

It may seem backwards, but Rove and his cronies did the same thing last time around. In 2004, they were scared of John Edwards, so they attacked John Kerry.

Don't take it from me—take it from Rove's own lieutenant on the Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection campaign, Matthew Dowd:

"Whomever we attacked was going to be emboldened in Democratic primary voters' minds. So we started attacking John Kerry a lot in the end of January because we were very worried about John Edwards." [Los Angeles Times, 8/19/07]

Rove and the Republicans want our opponents to win—because they know John will be the strongest candidate in the general election.

We may not be the richest campaign—but John is the strongest candidate. This time around, the candidate with the boldest ideas for changing America—the candidate who can take on the special interests in Washington, D.C. and win—is also the most electable. We know it—and the Republicans know it, too. But they won't be able to stop us if we have the support of people like you.

Can you make a contribution today—and send Karl Rove the message that his efforts to influence the Democratic primary won't work this time?

www.johnedwards.com/roves-nightmare

It is no secret that John is the only Democratic candidate who can beat any of the Republican candidates hands down. Just look at the polls conducted by Rasmussen Reports—a major national polling firm—over the past few months. They show that John is the Democratic candidate who consistently beats all of the Republicans candidates in head-to-head match-ups in battleground states—and by the widest margins.

Rove and the Republicans are seeing the same numbers we are—and drawing the same conclusions. So Rove is using his sneaky, underhanded tactics to try and trick Democrats into rallying around a candidate who won't be as strong as John in the general election.

But with your support, we can make sure that Rove's plan doesn't work this time. We are building a strong grassroots organization in the key early states and across the country. John has the best and boldest ideas for bringing big change to America, he can take on the special interests and win, and of all the Democratic candidates he will be the strongest in the general election—in other words, John Edwards is Karl Rove's worst nightmare.

All we need is your support to drive right past Karl Rove's see-through tactics—and keep our campaign on the road to victory.

www.johnedwards.com/roves-nightmare

Thank you for all you do to support this campaign.

Sincerely,

-Joe Trippi
Senior Advisor, John Edwards for President
August 22, 2007

I've Been Remiss

2007-07-22T12:19:00.001-07:00

I've been terrible about posting lately because I've been traveling quite a lot over the summer, but continue to read the blog frequently. And! finally I have something blue to post. I've been knitting a scarf for my husband and plan on making a hat to match (though a bit less stripey) once I've finished it.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to getting back to the US in a month and catching up on Sicko and all the other news I'm hearing vicariously through you all!

Potentially unrelated post...

2007-07-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

... so mods, I won't be offended if you delete it. I just heard about the "Jena Six" case in Louisiana and I: 1) can't believe it hasn't been in the mainstream media, 2) can't believe this is happening, and 3) want to share this info and also get any ideas on what I/we can do to help.

Essentially a series of racist actions by white students against black students at a local high school culminated in a fist fight. One white student went to the hospital and was released the same day. Six black students were charged with attempted 2nd degree murder. Although this charge was later reduced, the first defendant was recently found guilty by an all-white jury and faces up to 22 years in prison. His (presumably white) court-appointed defender called NO witnesses in defense.

More details here:
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/57253/
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/003244.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070307B.shtml

I am outraged beyond belief. There should be rioting, or congressional action, or something. A man wants to let his poor comatose wife go after 14 years and they're all over it, but 6 black teenagers are about to have their lives destroyed and we hear nary a peep. Where the hell is Atticus Finch when you need him?

A Blue Scarf Askew

2007-07-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I'm new to the blog and thought I'd make my first post. I'm knitting "A Scarf Askew" from Magknits in blue for my 83 year old grandfather. I'm knitting this up in Pashima, a cashmere, merino blend. I'm almost to the my 3rd ball of yarn and will cast off once I'm out of yarn. It is hard to get a good picture of the dark navy without getting an overexposed picture so I apoligize if this picture hurts your eyes ;)

Obama '08!

Worth Watching

2007-07-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen Bill Moyer's Journal recently, the most recent installment focusing on Impeachment was a particularly good watch. When I saw Bruce Fein was the guest, I wasn't sure I was going to be too happy with it, but even this resident scholar for the Heritage Foundation had strong words regarding the current administration.

HI

2007-07-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I just wanted to introduce myself. I joined a few days ago but this is the first chance I have had to post. Me and my husband are both very very liberal dems who have the extreme misfortune to live in Utah. But, he just got offered a job in Huntsville Al, so I am really looking forward to that. Granted, it is not Seattle, but it is a welcome change. I am glad to have found this blog because it combines my two favorite things to talk about, politics and knitting. I am a big Edwards supporter. Right now, I am in the middle of some serious sock knitting. It is much too hot for anything else.
I look forward to hearing from everyone and seeing your great knitting.
Thanks
Bethany

Contest Reminder

2007-07-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

We've had quite a few new people join lately (jump right in and start posting!), so I wanted to re-post the contest I made up a couple of weeks ago. I've had a few entries, and remember, the earlier you enter, the more points you get if you're right!

But 2008 is revving up fastly and furiously everywhere you look (XM Radio--a POTUS '08 channel, really?), so I want to announce a contest.

Submit to me via email your guess for who will be the Republican and Democrat nominees. This contest will obviosuly be open for quite some time, so think carefully about when you want to submit your answers. As we get closer to the primaries, I will announce a cut-off date. However, bouns points will be awarded to those who guess early and end up being right. If more than one person correctly guesses both nominees, the one who guessed correctly the earliest will win.

You an submit guesses for one or both parties. Prizes will be a skein of reddish sock yarn for the Republican side and a skein of blue-ish sock yarn for the Democrat winner.

I just made this contest up off the top of my head and have had a glass of white wine, so if something doesn't make sense, let me know, and I will clarify the guidelines accordingly.

This is ridiculous!

2007-07-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Most of us already read Yarn Harlot's blog. If you don't then you must read her latest entry. What she is talking about is ridiculous and a disgusting corruption of justice. This would never happen if it were some other crime.

So...

2007-07-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Harriet Miers decides that it's okay to not show up in response to a Congressional subpoena. Fortunately, Mr. Conyers and Ms. Sanchez - go Linda!! - know about inherent contempt and have started the process. Subpoenaes cannot be ignored. She could have shown up, with an attorney in tow, and not said anything, which would have been frustrating but would have been responding to the subpoena. But no!! She listens to her dream lover Dubya and stays home. Well, I hope she doesn't mind wearing a jumpsuit, 'cause she can be arrested and hauled away behind bars pretty quickly, and they can keep her there indefinitely as long as she elects not to talk, just like what happened to Judith Miller when she refused to talk about who told her about Valerie Plame. And if it can be argued that she's being held in regard to a civil complaint it may not even be pardonable.

This could get good :)

How long must we endure it?

2007-07-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

A lady here in our state is being told by her home owner's association that she cannot continue to protest the war by flying her flag upside down.

PLLLLLEEEAAASSSEE!!!

For quite a while now I have been quietly pasting all of my stamps on the envelopes upside down, my own sort of flying the flag that way as a sign of distress. For several years I had a flag sticker upside down in the back window of my car (the car is gone now, and I haven't yet gotten a new sticker for the new vehicle)

It is totally amazing to me that we have so totally forgotten what our founding fathers had in mind when they wrote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,
it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government

surely we need to consider these words even when dealing with our local HOA (or perhaps even more so, lest we piddle away our rights little by little until they are all gone!)

New Blue

2007-07-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

I just joined the group last week, and was quite happy to find some like-minded knitters out there (OK, I feel happy when I find like-minded anyone these days, but you get the idea)!

Anyway, I wanted to introduce myself, and show you my recent blue knitting:

This is from a class I took this past Sunday at my LYS, to learn how to knit toe-up socks. It's not perfect, but I did finally understand the wrapping/turning/picking up the wraps of the short row heel, after I brought it home to work on a little more. I think I will want to try a me-sized toe-up sock, but perhaps use a different heel ...

As to recent events, I have to say that as infuriated as I am with Bush for pardoning Libby, I'm really not surprised. Keith Olbermann (sp?) has a really good piece on msnbc.com about it, if you haven't already seen or heard it.

The rule of law goes down in flames

2007-07-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

once again we have more that adaquate evidence that Bush thinks this is the Imperial Presidency!

Poor Scooter shouldn't be punished after all, he only covered up the outing of a CIA agent, only could have contributed to far worse consequences for her that screwing up her career....like getting her killed.

Martha Stewart's crime was WAY worse, don't you know, it had to do with MONEY.....

Its become all to clear to me that the "Faith Based" groups are about faith in the almighty dollar and to hell with anything that might help someone even a little bit unless (of course) it is one of your super rich cronies

No Justice

2007-07-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Libby's sentence was just commuted. It seems as if this administration can get away with murder these days. Can't wait until '08. And did you read about Cheney saying he's not a part of the executive office? WTF?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.sentence/index.html

FYI

2007-06-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Just to spread the word (because I was wondering and looked it up) here's all the scheduled Democratic debates:

June 28th at Howard University hosted and broadcast on PBS at 9pm

And these are from wikipedia:
July 23, 2007 - Charleston, South Carolina

CNN will hold this debate, which will have a simulcast on CNN en Español. Internet services You Tube and Google will also participate, allowing them to stream the event live and have clips for future use.[12] Individual voters will be able to send their videos via You Tube and their questions through Google and CNN.com; the debate will be moderated by Anderson Cooper of Anderson Cooper 360. The debate is to be located on the campus of The Citadel.

[edit] August 19, 2007 - Des Moines, Iowa

ABC News in conjunction with the Iowa Democratic Party announced a debate streamed on This Week moderated by George Stephanopoulos.[13]

[edit] September 26, 2007 - Hanover, New Hampshire

NBC News announced a debate to be streamed live on MSNBC. The debate is also in conjunction with New England Cable News and New Hampshire Public Radio. The debates will be at Dartmouth College.[14]

[edit] October 30, 2007 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

NBC News announced a debate to be streamed live on MSNBC.[15]

[edit] November 15, 2007 - Las Vegas, Nevada

The Nevada Democratic Party will host a Democratic debate to be aired on CNN. Potential moderators are Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper.[16]

[edit] December 10, 2007 - Los Angeles, California

CBS announced a debate in conjunction with the California Democratic Party; potential moderators are Bob Schieffer and Katie Couric.[17]

[edit] January 6, 2008 - Johnson County, Iowa

The Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television will host a Democratic debate in Johnson County, Iowa.[18]

[edit] January 15, 2008 - Las Vegas, Nevada

The Caucus of African-American Nevadans and Impacto will host a Democratic debate in Las Vegas.[18]

[edit] January 31, 2008 - California

The Los Angeles Times and CNN will host a Democratic debate in California.[18]

court decisions

2007-06-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I am not alone on this blog in feeling disappointed in today's Supreme Court rulings. The one bright spot: hearing Very Serious Newscasters say "bong hits for Jesus" all day long. Gotta look on the bright side.

Contest!

2007-06-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been terribly remiss in posting my blue projects, and will get to that in the next few days.

But 2008 is revving up fastly and furiously everywhere you look (XM Radio--a POTUS '08 channel, really?), so I want to announce a contest.

Submit to me via email your guess for who will be the Republican and Democrat nominees. This contest will obviosuly be open for quite some time, so think carefully about when you want to submit your answers.

As we get closer to the primaries, I will announce a cut-off date. However, bouns points will be awarded to those who guess early and end up being right.

If more than one person correctly guesses both nominees, the one who guessed correctly the earliest will win.

You an submit guesses for one or both parties. Prizes will be a skein of reddish sock yarn for the Republican side and a skein of blue-ish sock yarn for the Democrat winner.

I just made this contest up off the top of my head and have had a glass of white wine, so if something doesn't make sense, let me know, and I will clarify the guidelines accordingly.

Wound and Ready...

2007-06-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

A new blue knit is officially in the works :)

The yarn is discontinued, Noro Lotus in mostly blue hues. As you can glimpse, there is also some green and purple - I find the colorway very soothing to work - watching the colors unwind out of the balls and convert into knitting has kept me calm while watching various shows like Frontline or the McLaughlin group on PBS...

knitting "blue"

2007-06-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

i've been knitting bookmarks lately. they're fun, easy and good for almost instant gratification, which is definitely my cuppa tea. check it out:

i have another blue bookmark on the needles and will post pics as soon as it's finished. which might happen yet today. i'll be knitting in between baking batches of chocolate chip cookies for my dad.

happy saturday, everyone.

~mz

debate

2007-06-04T03:37:00.001-07:00

Did anyone see the debate last night? I don't have cable and I really wanted to check it out.

Sorry I'm not knitting anything blue right now! I have a pink blanket and some socks on the needles. I do have a blue shrug in the queue!

go figure!

2007-06-03T21:16:00.001-07:00

i finished a blue bookmark today. cast on 20 (fingering weight yarn on US2 needles), knit for like 6 inches or so then decrease as you would if you were making one of those diagonal dishcloths (http://www.knitlist.com/98gift/ttdishcloth.htm). bind off, add a tassel and ta-da! a quick, easy bookmark.

only problem: i forgot to take a pic before i gave it away. and i got a new (to me) digital camera today. DUH!!

the good thing is that i have another blue one on the needles, in a lovely lacy pattern. so as soon as i 1) get some more knitted so you can actually see the pattern and 2) learn how to download pics from the camera to my 'puter, i'll be posting a picture of the lacy blue loveliness.

happy sunday, er, monday, or whatever day it is.

maybe that's my clue to go to bed.

g'night.

Blue Baudelaires!

2007-05-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

I finally finished another pair :D

see? More info via my regular blog or skip right on thru to the Finished Objects blog.

Anyone else here hoping for a Gore-Obama ticket? That would be my dream team!

something blue!

2007-05-30T07:53:00.001-07:00

While I'm working away on a definately GRAY sweater for my daughter, I did knit this afghan square (and several others in various colors) to contribute to a group called
Close Knit Hugs which all of you probably already know about (if not, go check them out!).

Anyway, I'm especially touched that some of the afghans from this group will be going to some of those little towns in Kansas that have been nearly wiped off the map. We drove through that area of Kansas a few years ago on our way from Springfield, MO, to Denver, with a little side trip to Kinsley, KS, where my dad's aunt (nearly 100 years old) lived. I wonder how much of this area will just die away now that it has been so destroyed.

On another track of thought, I'm totally disgusted with the Democrats and the way that some of them voted on the war funding. Biden has now totally ruled himself out of my consideration, and Hillary was a complete coward .... funny how she wasn't in the room when the "C's" of the roll were called ... so essentially her vote had no impact whatever except to look good politically....at least Obama voted at the right time and the right way (IMHO), its not his fault his name starts with an "O"!

I'm already good and sick of the whole process, 2009 can't come soon enough!

something blue-ish

2007-05-29T07:45:00.001-07:00

These may be more gray than blue, but I haven't posted here in forever and I just don't often knit in blue. My stash is mainly green and pink.

These are toeless socks, based on the idea of the pedicure socks from knitty, but not really using the pattern. There's a bit more done on the second sock than in the picture, but I have unfortunately run out of yarn. Right now I'm debating frogging vs buying more, although the whole point of making these in the first place was to use up this one skein of yarn I had. So we shall see. . .

I've gotta say I am pretty disappointed in the Democrats right now. I just don't get it - do they think that if they didn't approve funding, Bush will leave the troops where they are, funding or not? Actually, now that I write that . . . . sigh. How long until 2009?

Hello from O-HI-O!

2007-05-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

thanks for allowing me to join. i'm so excited. i think i'll cast on for something blue right freakin' NOW!

~mz

Finished blue items!

2007-05-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Fortunately, I'm being more productive than is Congress. Politics are so depressing, more so these past six years than ever before in my life! And to top it off, the result of the French presidential election was more of the same.

Anyhoo, here are my blue socks, a sock-of-the-month club selection from Red Bird Knits (should be Blue Bird Knits, but it's a Canadian shop, so I suppose it's OK). Knit from the toe up in Colinette Cadenza.

And here's my finished Swallowtail:

What ARE they thinking?

2007-05-24T07:59:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'm officially convinced that our Democratic "leaders" have lost their minds.

What part of "Get us the H*** out of this war!" don't they get?

I will be very interested to see how each of the candidates for president vote on this latest "give the Shrub whatever he wants" measure.....it will definately color how I will vote in the primary

What say you?

On non-blue knitting and the "Christian" right

2007-05-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd take a break from the other work I'm doing this morning and make a comment or two here.

Unfortunately, I'm not knitting anything blue right now. I am working on a sweater for my daugher, but its definately gray....perhaps some new blue hotpads will be in the works soon, but they probably won't be knit....{sigh!}...oh well, on the knitting front I'm here in spirit!!

As for Falwell, I think he "passed the torch" to Ted Haggart -- and we know how that turned out!

Even so, Dobson has definately taken control of this whole movement. Whenever any Republican of note comes to our neck of the woods, the stop at Focus on the Family appears to be manditory. (When Bush was here a couple of years ago they tied up traffic on our highway and local streets for HOURS so Bush could go get his marching orders).

What is happening with this group is anything but Christian in spirit. Unfortunately its not too far off of the taliban style --- you'd better be doing what they want you to do if you want to survive.

This kind of "religion" should definately NOT be part of our politics!

It's Oh-So-Quiet...

2007-05-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, not much blue knitting going on around here! I finshed a pair of socks that have blue stripes, so I need to get them photographed and displayed.

In the meantime, who is everyone going to vote for in the primary election?

Also, what do you think about the death of Jerry Falwell (I personally think Satan has a new right-hand man, but your opinion may vary)? Will his death have any impact on the Republican party, or was he already a has-been in the fundamentalist movement?

Discuss.

Blue Fisherman

2007-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l118/aastrikke/BlueBlueBlue.jpg" border="0" / />

I've finally started a major blue project. It's a Dutch Fisherman's sweater from this book, in KnitPicks' Wool of the Andes in Sapphire Heather.

CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l118/aastrikke/BlueFisherman.jpg" border="0" / />

I can't get enough of this color! But so far the all-over knits and purls pattern is making the sweater crimp up and look like a very sillly lump. I'm assuming blocking (and wearing - it's meant to be fairly close-fitting-ish on my husband) will solve this. Plowing ahead.

CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l118/aastrikke/BlueFishermanStretched.jpg" border="0" / />

Here's a tiny part stretched out so you can almost see that there's a zig-zag pattern developing there.

You know, I'm so happy that more and more scandals are coming to light everyday, and that more people are paying attention to them than they used to, and that Bush's approval ratings are so low....but, well, part of me thinks it's just a bandwagon thing because he's safe to hate now that he's a lame-duck, and more than anything else, I'm wondering why they haven't been impeached and jailed yet??!!!!!!

Blue Baby Pullover

2007-04-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

I knit this for a friend who is having a baby boy. The yarn is a cotton I got from Italy, I used about 70 gr of it. The pattern is Knitting Pure and Simple Baby Pullover # 214.

Lu

Article the other side will deny for years

2007-04-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

Fascist America, in 10 easy steps

From Hitler to Pinochet and beyond, history shows there are certain steps that any would-be dictator must take to destroy constitutional freedoms. And, argues Naomi Wolf, George Bush and his administration seem to be taking them all

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2064157,00.html

By Naomi Wolf.

Scary stuff. Sinclair Lewis once said that when fascism came to America it would be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross. Well, guess what?

And elsewhere I've got some rabid right-wingers telling me that "terrorists" don't have rights, to which I respond that if they don't neither do we. Unfortunately, these people just don't get it. I'd post this article at these places, but...see how I titled this.

Best "Letter to the Editor" response to the Supreme Court's meddling with women's health

2007-04-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

From the NY Times Letters to the Editor:

To the Editor:

Re “A Sharp Turn for the Supreme Court on Abortion” (letters, April 20):

I am a rheumatologist caring for a patient whose lupus nephritis is flaring. Her creatinine is rising as her platelet count falls, and she has failed to improve with pulse methylprednisolone and intravenous cyclophosphamide. I am contemplating using rituximab. I would like to refer this case to the United States Supreme Court for its guidance.

Richard Zweig, M.D.
Santa Rosa, Calif., April 20, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/opinion/l24abortion.html

----

I don't know this guy, but I think I love him...

2007-04-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

If you think that global warming is a scary prospect, check out this movie, "The End of the Suburbia." I just watched it today and while it does have a bit of that propaganda-film doomsday thing going on, it really does address some serious issues that are on the horizon for the world and especially countries like the US.

Specifically, it's about the idea of "peak oil", which is a theory that eventually oil production in the world will reach a peak output before beginning a slow, permanent decline. As with any theory, there are differing arguments about when or even if this would really happen. But many experts seem to think that we may already be at peak oil or that we will be very soon.

This film shows how our society and economy is totally dependent upon not just fossil fuels but on relatively inexpensive fossil fuels. And of course, we are not just dependent on it to fuel our cars, which is the image that most people get in their minds about oil dependency. Our entire food growing and distribution system hinges on cheap oil (to drive farm machinery, to pump water for irrigation, to create pesticides, to send the produce to factories for processing, to get the final product to the grocery store). Heating, cooking, even a good deal of household electricity comes from oil or natural gas. Heck, just look around wherever you're sitting right now and look at all the items made of plastic. Those are all created from petroleum too. And these items are delivered by trucks fueled by diesel driven on roads made of asphalt (which contains oil).

So, if we do actually reach a peak in oil capacity we will begin to see a growing gap, year after year, between the ever-increasing energy demands of society versus the amount able to be produced. Obviously, this would put a severe crimp on economic growth and most likely would throw the country and the world into a pretty serious depression. The scariest part is that there is no known alternative energy source that could easily take the place of the fossil fuels. The film explains how the hype about hydrogen is completely ridiculous (hydrogen cells being only an energy-storage method that still needs a traditional fuel source to create), as is ethanol/biofuel (probably every square foot of farm land in this country would have to be dedicated to fuel production to make enough energy, and it still takes traditional fuels to refine plants into biofuel).

The movie concludes with some ideas for the future, mainly that we will likely have to return to a more pedestrian-based, urban lifestyle. It also appears that the producers of the film are making a sequel with more ideas on how to prepare for the possibility of peak oil. But, it is pointed out in the film that the political will simply does not exist for the huge steps that would need to be taken to prepare.

Many of the issues in the movie were ones I was already familiar with, as someone who works in the environmental field. But this movie laid out the peak oil theories in a clear and concise way that really captured my interest, and without being excessively dramatic (in my opinion). If you're interested in environmental and economic issues, I would recommend checking out this film and let me know what you think of it!

Made it back

2007-04-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Whew! I finally made it back. I got dropped from the list when Blogger switched, and I just now got everything set up to get back and post.

So far this year I've made 3 blue items; a sweater for my daughter, a jacket for me, and a pair of socks for me (I've also done the Hourglass sweater in - gasp!! - a nice shade of red, but I need colors in my wardrobe other than black and blue; I look like a walking bruise most days :) ). Alas, I'm still woefully inept with the digital camera and don't have pics to share with everyone yet. I'll figure this out eventually.

I just started a summery top using Nashua's Natural Focus Ecologie Cotton, and that yarn is a dream! I had been drooling over it for a couple months, since my favorite not-so-local yarn shop got it in, and I broke down and bought the yarn on Monday and started the top the same day. I normally don't like working with cotton, but the colors were so neat I made an exception. I also plan to finish the lacy cardigan I was making last summer when I was in the hospital for a week; amazing just how much knitting one can get done when one can't go out and do anything else. I just need to do the sleeves...oh, and decide whether it's worth ripping out half of one of the fronts 'cause I didn't do the decreases properly, and the shoulder patterns on front and back don't line up properly. Oh heck, who am I trying to kid? I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to knitting that of course I'll rip it out. I may rip that entire front piece and do it over to make sure I do it right.

I'll likely be making a political post in the near future, too. Got a lot of righteous indignation built up here, but I want to make sure I can handle being put on a terrorist watch list for merely expressing my opinion first (and with that I'd like to extend a hearty "heya!" to any NSA, CIA, FBI, etc., people who may be reading this right now) Ah, it's good to be back :)

our "culture" misses the point.....

2007-04-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

I found this link (click here) on another blog yesterday.

It’s a long article from the Washington Post about an episode where Joshua Bell stood in a Metro Station in Washington DC and played. Long, but well worth the read.

It’s sad our entire "culture" is so busy that we never stop to see or hear anything beautiful. And we're systematically desensitizing our children to it by taking away the arts and music programs.

We say we are in Iraq to give them the kind of free society that we have, but in truth we are becoming more and more savage each year.

Our economy is so broken at the bottom end that many cannot see beyond “how will I make the next dollar to feed/house/clothe my family” (not to even mention the horrors of medical care).

We harp on more science and math while we ship all the jobs that use those skills out of the country.

And along the way we squash out of our children the joy of art and of music.

Sad, sad, that a line from Mr. Holland’s Opus is even more true…..”pretty soon there isn’t anything to read and write about”

I think I notice this even more now that I am no longer part of corporate America (thank God!), and I spend a lot of my time making art and seeing how hard it is for an artist to be noticed.

Let us hope that we will be wise enough to elect someone that will begin to turn this around.

Something Borrowed, Something BLUE!

2007-04-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yes people, I finally finished something blue, yay!

All but one arm was knit in a week. I had to wait for my income tax money to be deposited so I could order a 4th ball to finish the 2nd sleeve and that came last week. This is going to the daughter of my downstairs neighbor since she, my neighbor, has watched Peanut on a few hours notice when he was suspended and such. I hope to take a picture of her in it soon, but the jacket will be big on her considering she is going on 10months of age and this was sized for a 1-2 year old. (I knew I wouldn't finish it until now when the weather has gotten warmer so I sized it to last through next winter at least; kids grow like weeds you know.)

So thus, my first finished blue project of the year!

Specifics
Brand: Sirdar
Type: "Snuggly Bubbly" Yarn
Color: Bluebell
Yardage: 4 balls = 140yards each
Needles: 5 for body, 3 for edging

Also posted on my blog.

Frustration Continues to Mount

2007-04-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

I would like to echo Farrah's outrage of 3/21.

This administration has been caught in so many lies, had so many of their evil deeds revealed, had connections that they thought well buried brought out into the antiseptic light of day and....nothing. No consequences. No repercussions.

Gee, why don't we open the door to more corruption like theirs by showing that the American people and our democratically elected leaders have no backbone whatsoever?

Ugh. So.Outraged.

My First Blue!

2007-04-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

I know I am a woefully bad Democrat knitter. This is the first blue project I have started since this KAL began! Oh well, better late than never.

I am making a pair of plain old stockinette socks from this:

Piece of Beauty, Boathouse.

I also just received this from The Loopy Ewe. Can't wait to get started on it. Maybe a pair of Jaywalkers...

Yarn Pirate, Clementine.

The race is about WHAT?

2007-04-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or did anyone else find it disturbing that how much money each candidate has raised is bigger news that what any of them stand for?

I realize that it takes money to run a campaign, but is anyone listening to what any of them are saying about ISSUES? (and if ever there was an issue that needed to be addressed, it seems to be campaign funding)

More and more I like what I hear Biden saying....

Baby Sweater

2007-04-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I'm a new member here & first off want to just say *hi* (waves from the back). I'm Rae & I have a knitting store & blog. If this entry seems odd at some points it's probably because I cross posted it on my blog...
Politically I've been wanting to hide under a rock for the last 6 years. When the Democrats regained control of both houses last fall I began to see a new hope... Plus several of the Democratic Presidential Hopefuls actually look like viable candidates & seem to be people ( I love that I now get to say people rather than Christian white males) I would trust our Country to. So, when I found a Kal for democratic knitters & then found Franklin's super cute baby democratic sweater I knew I just had to join in.

I'm trying out a nice new yarn from Debbie Bliss, Rialto. It's a machine washable 100% superfine merino DK weight. Very scrumptious. For the blue I'm using Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big. I have several shades of blue in the Rialto, but none of them quite matched right with the fabulous red.

I decided to use Franklin's chart, but use a slightly different base sweater. I'm basically using the Striped Sweater from Debbie Bliss Simply Baby (sans stripes... at least on the front).

I really like this style of baby sweater with buttons on either the shoulder or on a raglan seam. I totally get how this is much easier to force a wiggling baby into. I may add in a little US flag on either the back or on a sleeve cuff. Or maybe play with the stripes in the original pattern. Or maybe just leave the rest of the sweater white with blue trim. Luckily the front is first so I have some time to decide...

Hello and I Have Blue Yarn!

2007-03-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe this will be my election year scarf. I can pin my little donkeys on it.

I live in the Washington metro area and thus am inundated with national news as local news. That always amuses me when I am away from here - how much of Capitol Hill is my back yard, so to speak. Anyway, I am happy to have found you all and look forward to a rowdy and raucus 2008!

Catching up

2007-03-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

On my reading that is. There has been a sad lack of knitting or spinning or general fiber arts of late due to long days at work - and while fiber arts are usually something I turn to for stress relief, the long work days have resulted in tendinitis, so I've been instructed to cease and desist on any activities that may further worsen the condition!

But enough of the pity party - here's some editorial reading for you on Why the Bush daughters aren't in Iraq. How sad. Yet how true the comparisons are. A recent trip to europe further reminded me of how swiftly this country is getting out of control - it was rather disheartening.

The iRack from Apple

2007-03-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this video on youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KM_MkWgbt3k

Blue Socks

2007-03-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to have found this knit-along, thank you so much for having me!

Here is my first blue FO of the year:

Pattern by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Icehouse - 1 hank

Lu

ignorance

2007-03-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

I was flipping channels I just saw a little commentary by an obviously Republican "Good Ol' Boy" who was saying that Global Warming is caused by the sun getting hotter so decreasing car emissions isn't going to change anything. Um, I'm sorry but Global Warming is not about the sun "getting hotter." He even said that "Mainstream Scientists" were disagreeing. Well, no wonder!

They're rubber, we're glue?

2007-03-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one that's completely flabbergasted by how little heat the administration has been getting for... well, everything? I guess I'm currently most ticked off about the whole situation with the attorney general's office, but Dick Cheney not having to answer on the Libby issue? And Walter Reed? Like they didn't know it was like that? And then there's that pesky little Iraq war situation. And I know there have been protests and my beloved John Stewart takes them to task every night but shouldn't there be more? Shouldn't we have reached breaking point by now? Shouldn't someone (or everyone) be saying we won't stand for this any more (and mean it)? They just offer excuse after excuse and take responsibility for... well, nothing.

Well, now that I've gotten myself good and depressed, I'll go back to finishing my sweater (I'm down to the final pattern repeat on the second sleeve) to cheer myself up.

New to this Blog!

2007-03-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that I am so happy that I found this blog! I don't have much blue yarn in my stash right now but I do have a blue hat that I knit for my son that I would like to share with you. Here is a picture of him wearing it and holding it up:

I do have some blue hidden somewhere in a box as I have yet to unpack my crafting supplies from a somewhat recent move.

Thanks for having me here!

Kim

The Misplaced Midwesterner

Stop the Presses: Blue Finished Object!

2007-03-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it only took four months from when Knit Blue started, but I actually finished something BLUE!These are the "Double Rolled Mittens" from the book Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen. Made with local yarn (Bartlett), so it's even got that "Think globally, act locally" vibe ;) More details on my blog for anyone interested.

guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty

2007-03-07T07:24:00.000-08:00

well, at least some folks in Washington, DC are not afraid to say so, and they found "scooter" guilty as charged.

Makes one wonder what more will be divulged of the judge decides not to let him stay out of jail while he appeals.

Or it may now fall to Valerie Wilson's civil suit to bring out a lot of other things that many of us suspect about this administration.

There were lots of lies, lies, lies, lies......

Help! I'm trying to find a mushroom tam knit pattern....

2007-03-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

much like this one:

My son's counselor has really long dreads and has been known to wear these. Since he's been a blessing in our lives, I thought it would be awesome to make one (or 2) for him but I can't find a pattern to knit it by and I'm just not that handy at creating one myself. Yes, I've scoured the net and even emailed these folks to see if they would be willing to part with their pattern or convert it to one I could knit but haven't heard back.

The one in the picture is crocheted (which I'm sure you could tell already but I wanted to point it out just in case) and I was wondering if anyone had the special skills to create a pattern for me or knows someone who has one?

I've got the yarn, I just need the pattern! thanks!

Is it a cop out to Knit Blue if its been sitting on sticks for a year?

2007-03-04T23:53:00.000-08:00

Heehee, I have this blue k1, p1 ribbed scarf that has sat on sticks for about a year. I always meant to finish it, and use it as sort of my everyday scarf since it would go with jeans and stuff BUT I just never seemed to get back to it. Until a couple days ago, I picked it up and brought to work to knit on my breaks. I finished it this weekend but I do plan on knitting something "Vote Hillary"-esque later as well but I had to get started on SOMETHING for the blog. Here it is, a simple thing but at least its blue.

A pic with some mystery.

My little Revan hiding behind the project.

Blue Washcloths

2007-02-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. I'm new and just wanted to post and say hi. I really don't have anything planned to knit in blue right now. But am secretly relishing the fact that the last two blue things I knit (washcloths) are for the only person I know who still supports Bush, my MIL. Maybe some of the blue will rub off on her (figuratively, of course).

knitting blue, thinking green

2007-02-26T06:49:00.000-08:00

I worked on a little something blue (the child's geek spiral pullover from Loop-d-Loop in Crystal Palace chenille) while watching the Oscars last night. Hooray, Al Gore!

--Alison

Buttons!

2007-02-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love buttons? I've added some new ones to the sidebar. Feel free to use them on your own blogs, and give us a linkback. Thanks to Pam for whipping these up for us.

And a big welcome to all the new mebers I've been adding lately. We're glad you're here!

New to Blue

2007-02-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

I just signed up today so I wanted to say "hi" and show you my blue stash and my recent blue project. I'm a big time - Atheist-Democrat-Knitter and I like this twist of knitting blue for democrats pride. I'm happy to knitta's for a cause out on the web. Well here is my blue stash.

I know that it is on the whimpy side, but in my defense I just got finished knitting an Irish Hiking Scarf, Hat, and Fingerless Gloves combo over the holidays. I even designed my own pattern (using two circs) for the gloves. But I plan on making something nice and democratic for this KAL. Here a picture of part of the set. Unfortunately, right in the middle of me grabbing the code for the picture of the hat & scarf Flickr.com decided to go down for maintenance so I'll have to post that later.

(I have this original pattern on my blog)

Thanks for adding me and I'll be posted some more blue thangs soon. Keep up the go democratic work knitters.

The Modern World

2007-02-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

You guys will appreciate this cartoon posted today on Salon.com.

Also, I had a thought. Since we're all hoping to keep this KAL going at least through the 2008 elections, and since we're getting new members all the time (wahoo!), and since this is not your usual knitting-only KAL, I thought maybe we could suggest to new members (maybe by a link in the sidebar?) to not only post to introduce themselves in a general way and flash their blue stash or blue WIPs, but also maybe tell us something else, along the lines of the get-to-know-each-other threads we had a while ago when most of us first joined. Such as:

What brought you to the blue side? How long have you been blue?

What are the most important political/social issues for you in 2008?

That way we'll all know each other better, and people's posts are very likely to continually re-generate discussion.

Whaddya think?

Like blatent racism in your comedy?

2007-02-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well...Fox News has the show for you! The 1/2 Hour News Hour (who ripped it's name off from a sketch comedy show) is Fox's pathetic answer to the high-brow comedy of The Daily Show. This clip is a rip-off of SNL's sketch on Barack Obama. They took a funny sketch and reduced it to fart jokes, basically proving further that Republicans are not funny. I warn you...this "comedy" will make you throw up in your mouth a little.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjIfaMwIFxU

New here!

2007-02-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!