Thursday, January 31, 2008

Home again; very tired. It’s funny how cumulative tiredness works. We did fine in London; I can scarcely breathe this morning.

Knitting-wise, when we left I was just starting the heel flap on the first of the gent’s-size KF sock pair. Now I am four or five inches down the leg of the second – not too bad. Picture soon. I don’t suffer from second-sock-syndrome, but I don’t like doing sock ribbing, and I do like plenty of rib for a gent’s sock, and those 50 rounds are harder to get through on the second than on the first. I gritted my teeth and got them done on Monday and Tuesday so that I could sail forward with the leg on the train journey home yesterday.

The sad thing, knitting-wise, was that I FORGOT to bid for the Alice-in-Wonderland Vogue Knit on Sunday morning. I have corresponded in Ravelry with the designer of the Poet’s Coat (see last post) – it’s not a tail coat, let alone a swallowtail. I’m sort of afraid that if I started messing around with it, I’d wind up with something that wouldn’t even be useful as a little-boy’s dressing gown. Which would be shame since the original is so wonderful.

I think I need to search images in Google and get a firm grip of what a swallowtail coat actually is. More on this subject to follow.

Kate, did I answer your question? Memory suggests that 16” is a really-small baby size; 18” more practical; and 20” more practical yet. They grow fast, as Franklin recently discovered on re-visiting his niece. I think your 21.5” is fine – press on.

Politics

South Carolina was a big boost, and so was the Kennedy endorsement, and Edwards’ resignation, even without an endorsement, will be of more use to us than to Hillary, I think. So, a whole 10 days between South Carolina and next Tuesday, of feeling cheerful and hopeful. I still think in my bones that she’ll get the nomination.

Here is my thought. (Woollywoman, you’ve already said it more succinctly, in a comment on my last.)

History has produced a number of strong, intelligent, capable women who have proved to be highly successful leaders of their nations. They come in two categories:

…the ones who got to the top at least partly because of whose daughters or wives they were: Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Indira Ghandi, Benezir Bhutto.

…and the post-World-War-II ones who did it on their own: Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Mary Robinson, Angela Merkel (not to mention Madeleine Albright and Condi Rice).

If Hillary wins, she goes into Category I. And I feel that America, of all nations, deserves a first-woman-president in Category II.

9 comments:

  1. Good to see you back. Knitting and political news appreciated but.... how was London?

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  2. Good to see you back safe, all be it tired. Bet you're not impressed with the weather here in Edinburgh today. Definitely a "stay in and knit " day.

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  3. I hate the ribbing, too. It's a necessary evil.

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  4. Anonymous3:03 PM

    Very well put about Hillary. I also fear the knee jerk votes of those who would go to McCain or Romney (or Dog Forbid, Huckabee) in an "Anyone but Hillary" frame of mind.

    I still pray that there are strategists in the backrooms on our side as capable as those on the GOP side who have some sort of plan for the real campaign.

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  5. Glad you're back. Get some rest. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the two categories of women leaders. Many who knew Hillary in college/law school said of her that whoever she married would be president. If she is elected, perhaps she will be in the better category after all.

    Donna Wingfield

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  6. It's good to have you back. I hope you get plenty of rest. It's too bad about missing the Alice but at least you get to play with some designs for now.

    After hearing about Bill's involvement in Hillary's campaign, I've had second thoughts about her. If she can't rein him in, she'll continue to be seen as his wife, not her own self. I could see Maddie Albright as President. For now I'm torn between Obama and McCain.

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  7. I've never commented, but I think you might have nailed why I just can't seem to like Hillary as a candidate!

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  8. well hillary had time against her. in another time and age maybe she would have been a president before bill. not that i love her but it is a bigger ordeal for a woman to become anything than for a man. even in the lousiest jobs, that are terribly underpaid and traditionally women's like teachers and nurses, men get the better jobs all the time even here in denmark. and the worst part of it is that women even seem to support those men. well sorry it is just something i have been thinking of.
    and maybe even in the knitting world male knitters are more appreciated than female.

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  9. Welcome home, Jean! We've all missed your daily bulletins. How was London?

    I wish Edwards hadn't pulled out until after Feb 19th. It would have kept the race more interesting. I think you're right about Hillary. I'm more hopeful than you that Obama will be the party's candidate.

    One of the problems with Hillary is the christian fundamentalists. They don't like any of the republican candidates. If Obama is the candidate, they may just stay home and not vote. If Hillary is the candidate, they will come in droves to vote against her - even for a republican candidate they don't like.

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