Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Politics

That was a disappointment. My feeling this morning is not, I could murder a glass of cider; but, I’d reely reely like to spend ten minutes at Jigzone.com. (Both sources of restoration currently embargo-d by Lent.) Aristotle, in the “Politics”, never claimed that democracy was ideal, just that “the principle that the multitude ought to be supreme rather than the few best,…though not free from difficulty, yet seems to contain an element of truth.”

Back to the real world...

...of knitting. Theo’s second sleeve has progressed, and the whole garment, lying casually about between sessions, has assumed a rather satisfactory aspect. Of course when it’s finished I’ll block it meticulously with tape measure in hand, but for now it looks like a sweater that might fit Theo, neither, “oh, dear, far too big”; nor “are you sure that’s going to be big enough?”


Yesterday, restored to full vigour, I went back to K1 Yarns. When dear old HK Handknits was going down, I bought a bagful of a dusty pink Araucania in the closing sale, all they had. My current thought for the Next K*rkmichael Sweater is something like this one on the left, which I knit for Rachel two years ago.

That’s Koigu, but I think the Araucania gauge will be close enough. (Famous last words.) I like K*rkmichael knitting to be easy, to sooth the weary spirit and make few demands on the intelligence, after a day toiling in the fields. My reference books agreed that the amount of yarn I had bought was not quite enough.

K1 has the yarn. The shade looks identical – Araucania doesn’t go in for dye lots. It’s said to be a “solid” colour -- the skeins of the earlier purchase are deliciously blotched, this new one less so. (Old on left, new on right, in the picture.) But if I use the new one for the ribbing, all should be well. I had thought to use for that purpose left-over browny Araucania from the child’s sweater now drawing to a close, but feared that it would look too much like the expedient it was.

I’ve hauled out the old VK’s and contemplated possible patterns for this year’s Games – “pair of slippers” and “sweater with motif”. The Turkish slippers are simply too fiddly – back-and-forth colour knitting over too few stitches. I’ve searched Ravelry for “Turkish slippers” with the same result. I’ve searched Ravelry for “slippers” and found a possibility.

The dinosaur sweater knit for Thomas-the-Elder decades ago, on the other hand, still looks sensational, if I have the patience to tackle it again.

This topic will recur.

8 comments:

  1. I'm glad you are feeling better.
    I gave up salt for Lent, which may seem a little silly, but I crave salt far more than chocolate. I wonder if I will go back to it?
    n

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  2. It is a big disappointment, those results. I fear that all that can happen now is going to hurt the Dems chance of winning in Nov. I have not ever been to jigzone, but if it will help me feel better I may wander over.

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  3. Anonymous2:02 PM

    I'm sure you have heard about the conservative talk radio slugs urging Republicans to cross party lines and vote for Hillary in Texas, since it has an open primary. They are scared still of having to run against Obama.

    We just wondered if line crossers affected the outcome.

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  4. Anonymous5:00 PM

    I'm very sad this morning, but it's not over yet, though like Mary Lou, I'm worried about the toll this is taking ..

    The gansey is looking lovely .. knit on!

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  5. We were crying in our beer last night. Interesting comment I head on the Ed Schultz Show on airamerica radio while in the car over the noon hour: his guest was a senator from North Dakota who said that if you look compare yesterday's results to poll results from a couple of days ago, it looks like a huge victory for Hillary's campaign. Yet, if you compare yesterday's primary results with polls in Texas and Ohio from 2-3 weeks ago, it's a victory for Obama because he was REALLY trailing Hillary and yet yesterday he nearly ties with her in Texas and is within 10 points of her in Ohio when he had been down around 20 points.

    Even with the results from yesterday, I'm still believing in the magic of the gansey.

    I think you're right to purchase the extra skein of pink - the brown cuffs would say "ran out of yarn" to me. I love the sock weight Araucania yarn - I'm debating whether it would look good knitted up as a wrap/shawl.

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  6. re democracy, as a friend quoted, "A bad idea voted in by the majority is still a bad idea!". I was dismayed also. Still, the race isn't over yet although I am now starting to be concerned that all this dosh and energy is being squandered before the main event - the presidential election - occurs.

    Yes, ribbing does odd things to yarn colour - all those ridges I presume. If you were to decide upon a raglan sleeve jumper, different colour sleeves could work well in a pink and brown combo. Just a thought...

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  7. Well, gosh sorry, but really some of us are THRILLED with last night's results.

    Viva La Democracy!

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  8. Anonymous3:23 AM

    I find myself most curious about the glorious dinosaur sweater you reference. Is there an image you could share, somewhere about?

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