Sunday, August 31, 2008

Well, Palin has certainly shaken up the race.

I think the papers I read yesterday erred on the side of kindness – I read that she is inexperienced, anti-abortion, and pro-rifle, but saw nothing about creationism or her views on global warming. I look forward to today’s.

Barbara’s suggestion (comment yesterday) that the baby with Down’s Syndrome is actually Palin’s grandson, would cheer me up a lot. (And make sense of Cazzab’s comment, that she flew home from Texas to Alaska while in labour.) (And of the fact that she was back at work two days after the birth.) A DS baby needs the kind of loving attention and mental stimulation that a state governor, let alone a vice-presidential candidate, simply cannot give him. But as a grandmother, she can help and support her daughter. I hope it’s true.

We know of such an arrangement in Kirkmichael, and I suspect it used to be not at all uncommon – two women whom we were initially told were sisters, turned out to be mother and daughter after we had been there 20 years or so and could be trusted with the news.

It was Mao Zedong, I believe, who said that women hold up half the sky, but that doesn’t mean they are interchangeable. It is appalling to think that any of Hillary’s loyal supporters would vote Republican just because Palin is a woman.

Knitting

I finished the first cuff – and it is too big, I think. I am also very puzzled by the fact that the ends of the cuff, the place where you’d fasten it with cufflinks if that’s what you were doing, comes in the centre back of the sleeve instead of under the wrist. Why would that be?

(I am EZ’s prime specimen of a Blind Follower. When the pattern said to start the cuff at the centre back, there I started.)

I am going to leave it for now and knit the second sleeve and cuff. Now that I understand the construction, I can make it smaller and also re-orientate it, and then see what I’ve got. A cuff is an easy evening’s work, and very pleasant knitting after the rigours of linen stitch.

8 comments:

  1. Re: the cuff of the jacket.
    Visualise the sleeve of a shirt - the placket and cuff opening are approximately halfway across the back of the sleeve end and not lined up with the underarm seam. I would presume your pattern is intending to duplicate this placement.

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  2. Anonymous12:31 PM

    Palin's grandchild? This would explain my confusion at the various reports: 13 weeks in December, 7 months in March, full term in April (and now flying while in labor, no less), and back to work in three days. This would require a massive coverup. And hopefully a Harriet Miers type bow-out? I thought she couldn't possible be thinking she could be VP or Pres while she is still fertile (and eschews birth control) but if she isn't, it would explain her cavalier attitude. She told a magazine that she had "lots of people, grandmothers and aunts" to care for the baby.

    Tailored jackets sometimes have an extra seam, an inch or two to the back from the underarm, for the cuff opening. I had a devil of a time making a coat once in highschool due to this thin strip of fabric. Hope your second sleeve goes smoothly.

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  3. Quote from the Anchorage Daily News
    "Gov. Sarah Palin was back at work Monday in Anchorage, holding a meeting on the proposed natural gas pipeline three days after giving birth to her fifth child.

    She and her husband, Todd, showed their new baby, Trig Paxson Van Palin, to a few reporters and photographers and answered questions about his condition and the sooner-than-expected delivery.

    Trig has Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that affects a child's intellectual and physical development, the governor confirmed."

    And yes, I am offended by the implication, stated or unstated, that since I supported Hillary, here is another female - vote for her instead. And like you, Jean, my FIRST thought at the announcement was that she could be a heartbeat away from being President. Scary.

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  4. I feel pretty insulted that the GOP thinks they will get HRC votes just because of this Palin women. Do they really think we are that dumb? I also hate the fact that they she uses her baby to show off her Pro Life view. If McCain wins I may have to move out of the country.

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  5. I am a bit apalled that so many people are focused on the child ... whomevers it is. With the current level of medical care it is possible to know months ahead of time if a child is DS so the family may have had plenty of time to prepare for that fact. I am just pleased that she has run a business, balanced a budget, and been able to stand up to the corruption of the GOP in her state. Man or woman I am just happy that she has lived in the "real" world and does not appear to be the product of a traditionally political family whom she feels the need to prove herself to ... which is what I think we are stuck with now.
    On knitting ... I am still remembering Sam the Ram ... Jean where did you find that pattern? Can hardly wait to see this coat on the bear ... good luck.

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  6. Regarding Palin - even more troubling is that the Republicans are claiming she has foreign policy experience because Alaska is so close to Russia, and that she has more experience than Obama (because they are counting her time as president of a local PTA). Gads.

    Also she didn't tell the truth about the bridge to nowhere. I've heard she "opposed" it only when the federal funding for it disappeared and the state would have to pay for it - but when federal money was given for it again - she accepted the money.
    See here http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014466.php.

    What's even more troubling to me is that while they may be able to claim she's stood up to the GOP in her state, she has a major ethical problem after only a year and a half in office. Go to http://beltwayblips.com/video/ktva_local_cbs_affiliate_reports_on_palin_trooper_gate/ to view what her local news said about her abuse of power allegations.

    Apparently she doesn't know what a vice president does - and also doesn't realize that as VP, you are sworn to defend and uphold the Constitution of the US, not continue serving the people of Alaska. Go here - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/palin-vice-pres.html for more info.

    She is the Republicans "Hail Mary Pass" against Barack, and I think they have dropped the ball on this choice.

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  7. Realized the websites got cut off in my comment. Let's try again. Also, I found another link to the New Republic about Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere. (Last link).

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/palin-vice-pres.html

    http://beltwayblips.com/video/ktva_local_cbs_affiliate_reports_on_palin_trooper_gate/

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014466.php

    http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/08/29/did-palin-really-fight-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx

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  8. Anonymous3:22 PM

    Cuff links go at the little finger side of the wrist, which is at the center back of the sleeve, when the arm hangs down.It may not work the same for the bear. Use your own judgement.

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