Anything I can say has presumably been said better by hundreds of pundits in the last 24 hours. I am profoundly depressed. I still think Barack Obama may well win the nomination; it’s not that. I’m with Kate and Kathy and Mary Lou (comments yesterday) – it’s the prospect of weeks of increasingly savage campaigning, an acrimonious convention in Denver in August, and a party going forward into the big election bitter and divided. I don’t see how this scenario can be avoided. Southern Gal, you should worry too.
Senator McKean and the POTUS – I gather he likes to use that excruciating acronym of himself – will have had much to smile about over lunch in the White House yesterday.
Just to complete the gloom, Justin Webb floats the idea of Obama for VP, after he loses Pennsylvania. It would be to betray everything he has been campaigning for so far.
I even bought myself some chocolate yesterday. I never buy chocolate.
Thank God for Knitting...
Oddballs
Country Mouse, I’ll try to scan the picture of the dinosaur sweater today and post it for you tomorrow. I have a vague feeling that it’s one of VK’s famous ones.Our daughter Helen in Thessaloniki has taken up mosaics. She recognizes that it’s a form of sublimated knitting. She’s got a show on at the moment, if anyone happens to be in northern Greece.
I’ve been thinking about the new Noro sock yarn. So have most of us, I suspect. When I went back to K1 Yarns on Tuesday, I asked the lovely proprietress about it, since she’s got lots of Noro. She doesn’t know whether she’s going to stock it – her supplier doesn’t have it yet. She said she’s heard bad things about its durability.
This morning, I got this from the Knitter’s Review, which would seem to confirm Katherine’s caution. But oh! beautiful.
I knit on yesterday, on Theo’s second sleeve. After whizzing round and round the cuff of the first one, it is hard to revert to the circumnavigation of a sleeve top, vaster than empires and more slow. However, I’ve got rid of the gusset. Future decreases will eat into the actual sleeve, and soon it will seem to go faster. One thing to be cheerful about, anyway.
For a different perspective on the Democratic race, you might read this article. I don't know that it is a bad thing if it gives voters an extended chance to see the mettle of the eventual candidate, particularly if it leaves McCain needing to divide his efforts to campaign against both. He can certainly ill afford to sit back and wait, since that would give the Dems much more exposure overall, which would be bad for him.
ReplyDeleteHi Jean,
ReplyDeleteI just want to thank you for enthusing about "knitting new scarves". Almost all the patterns have been earmarked by at least one of the family. And like "Knitting nature" it's great to see how ideas are developed and give rise to new interpretations. Your OMA yarn looks lovely - we'll have to stop in Edinburgh next time on our way up to visit nieces (and their parents) in Inverness.
Hi Jean,
ReplyDeleteDo you know where exactly Helen's show is taking place? I may go to Thessaloniki for Easter and would love to see the mosaics, esp. with some of my friends who live in Kalamaria and also do mosaics.
Cheers
Laure in Belgium
Hi Jean -- I was cringing before I opened your post knowing how disappointed you'd be in the election results. I spent the TV watching time ... weaving in ends of granny squares. Amazing how many you can get done waiting for the numbers to add (up).
ReplyDeletefor Karen (here in your comments): there is a Knitting new scarves KAL at
ReplyDeletehttp://knittingnewscarves.blogspot.com/
Jean, recite the knitting mantra daily .. "Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises. EZ . Let it sustain you thru these political woes ! Jayne
ReplyDeleteI WILL have Noro socks, even if I have to keep them in a glass case and never wear them.....
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember a dinosaur afghan and sweaters in Knitters years ago. I know that I knit 2 of the sweaters for grandsons.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am may be bowed but not scared (misquote i know).
ReplyDeleteYou may be interested in a very good website that gathers articles from all the major sources with illuminating views - Karl Rove for example today in the WSJ.
REAL CLEAR POLITICS (.com)
I HIGHLY recommend it.
What to say about the current state? Except that ITS NOT OVER and for good reason - if BHO could close the deal it would be done by now. It's very close for good reasons - you see exactly the divide of the nation - the young and idealistic for an untried newcomer (really) against the older and more experienced and hardened by life (unfortunately) for the older more experienced.
One of the reasons many older woman are supporting HRC is that we are tired of having been passed over for YEARS for younger less experienced men... yes, truly.)
Surprise? no! I agree with Dee Dee Myers and Tony Snow last night on Larry King and James Carville and Mary Matalin on MEET THE PRESS Sunday - this is the MOST INTERESTING race in modern times.
And the people are duking it out which is as it should be.
HOWEVER do you realize that despite all this press hype etc, less then 1/4 of the states' population is ACTUALLY VOTING in these primaries.
THAT should tell you something too - and its what angers me the most!
I have family members who didn't vote in the state primary and I will say to them in the fall - YOU CAN NOT COMPLAIN because the candidtate of the party is the one that those of us voted and sweated for... and you should have been there!
ok. i'll stop for now. ;o
As for politics, well, I think you're right on the money, Jean. Mainstream media doesn't really talk about actual differences in policy and style that Obama and Clinton may have. Instead, they report this selection process like it's a football game, with the number of pledged delegates being made to sound like rushing yards gained. I fear this will split party support, and alienate 'casual' voters who don't have the time or the inclination to delve beneath the surface.
ReplyDeleteNoro sock yarn: I've actually knit a pair using this! It does better with a tight gauge than a more relaxed one. It's pretty rough to knit with, but the colour more than makes up for it. I didn't mind the variations in thickness because I felt it added to the 'rustic charm'. After a soak in wool wash, the socks were much softer, and my feet are not bothered by less-than silky yarn anyway. As for it's durability, well, I've only had the socks for a couple of months, but no problems yet while washing and wearing them approx once per week. It's probably not for everyday socks, but I like the sense of quiet satisfaction I get from wearing cheerful bright things that nobody else can see!
Hillary may have won the battle, but in reality she is now further from winning the war. It's all about the numbers. Since she won by such small margins and now there are fewer delegates left to grab in the remaining primaries, she now has to win by even larger margins in order to catch up to Obama's lead. Check out this Newsweek article by Jonathan Alter. It offers a good explanation.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newsweek.com/id/119010
Having said all of the above, I'm still waiting to see what surprises Bill and Hillary have up their collective sleeves.
Sheila Z
This race is indeed interesting. And quite depressing from this side of the pond, too. But I'm not giving up hope. I've been trying to avoid listening to/reading pundits. Will Michigan and Florida get a second chance to hold a "real" primary?
ReplyDeleteAs for Noro sock yarn - I can't bring myself to buy it. Everytime I see if, I'm dazzled by the colors. But then I pick up the skein and put it right back down - it feels like twine. Even linen or flax yarn feels softer to me. Sorry to say I'm not impressed.