Wednesday, December 05, 2018


Howzat!? As they say on the cricket field:



Perfect fit. Gregor Townsend’s triumph (Scotland’s newish coach), and mine as well.

Kate Davies’ “Heids” is here, full of good things. And I’ve read her blog post about the new club. I agree, Southern Gal, that the price of the fancy subscription is daunting. Also, I still have all the colours of Milarrochy Tweed from last year’s club, in their special bag, so it would be extravagant to sign up for them again. “Heids” is of course ideal for their employment. But I’m tempted…

Mary Lou, I do like your knit bud’s hat

We’ve all got a couple of days to think about it. I like the notion of the Guide to Creativity which is called “Do Nothing” – but we get that with either subscription.

Non-knit

Greek Helen came around this afternoon, full of gloom about global warming. I don’t think I am capable of worrying about it as much as she does, having survived those years of worrying about nuclear annihilation. That could happen at any moment (still could). I was heavily pregnant with her, the week of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Global warming advances slowly, and ours is a most ingenious species.

I told her to find Tom Lehrer on Youtube, and listen to “We’ll All Go Together When We Go”, to understand that fear. I also recommended “Werner von Braun” and “National Brotherhood Week”. He was (is) a funny man.

32 comments:

  1. Looks absolutely perfect, Jean. As it should, given all the care you have taken. I hope it gets lots of wear.

    You certainly have to admire KD's productivity. "Do Nothing" must be ironic, surely.

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  2. The vest is a work of art (maybe I should capitalize Art) It is so nice to see it worn by the lucky recipient. Congratulations!

    And I remember the lyrics to most Tom Lehrer songs. We recently have had a recurrence of drug dealing on our upper west side neighborhood in Manhattan. I suggested our block association listen to "The Old Dope Peddler". None of the younger members knew Tom Lehrer...now they do!
    Thanks for the photo!

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    1. It's remarkable how many of his songs have stood the test of time -- "The Old Dope Peddler", certainly. And as for Werner von Braun, when the Russians put a man into earth orbit before we did, Bob Hope explained that that only meant that their German scientists were better than our German scientists.

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  3. Howzat, indeed! Perfect fit, and a real heirloom. I worry that nuclear annihilation seems to be growing possiblilty. Have you seen the program about the Russian commander who prevented all out war during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Fascinating, and frightening how close we came.

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    1. No, and I would very much like to.

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  4. Anonymous8:51 PM

    Perfect and gorgeous. Thanks to Alexander for allowing us to share in its glory.

    Beverly in NJ

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  5. Anonymous9:53 PM

    Magnificent!!!

    Both beautiful and useful.

    Helen (anon)

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  6. Anonymous9:57 PM

    Great Vest. The colorwork is superb and well matched. Alexander looks very dapper in it. As to Tom Lehrer - A high school English teacher introduced his music to us in 1973 and I've been a big fan ever since. I love the fact that newer audiences are being introduced to his insightful satire. Joe-inWyoming

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  7. Oh, well done! That "vest portrait" should become your favorite shot of him!

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  8. Perfect!
    I also was pregnant with my first at that time. The terror was real that you, I (and many others) felt. How to protect a newborn against such things.

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  9. Jean, the vest is gorgeous, I love it! And it fits perfectly....what does Alexander think? I think he looks rather pleased....

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  10. Perfect fit indeed. What a triumph in all ways.
    I was a Grammar School girl at the time of the Cuban missile crisis. The teachers abandoned a lot of the curriculum to let us debate the situation. Talking helped.
    As for global warming, when I was expecting my firstborn, we were being seriously warned that the world was about to head into a new ice age - we might begin to see it within the decade. At east it was an easier prospect to keep an infant warm than protect it from nuclear fallout.

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  11. Oh, and, at about the same time, we were told that there was only twenty years worth of oil left, at the rate it was used then. She turns 40 next year.

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  12. Wow! Magnificent!

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  13. Lovely fit!! What a joy!

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  14. Anonymous2:17 AM

    Great fit, gorgeous piece of work. I hope Alexander really loves it. The colour palette suits him.

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  15. Truly gorgeous! Congratulations. The fit looks perfect and almost tempts me to try one.

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  16. I agree that the sweater is a masterpiece and such a great fit. Lovely work.

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  17. Great vest! Glad it fits so well! It is just beautiful!

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  18. Anonymous4:31 AM

    Absolutely fabulous! I have no better words--it's a true work of art!

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  19. Robin6:44 AM

    The vest is beautiful! Congratulations. I, too, am a Tom Lehrer lover/evangelist. Thank you for reminding me to listen again.

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  20. Wow, how beautiful that vest turned out. Don't you just love when you knit something for somebody (or yourself) and it just fits! I might have to queue up a fair isle vest for my oldest son. He would look smashing in something like it!

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  21. That vest is simply stunning! The model ‘ain’t too shabby’ either. That wry grin tells me that he is a lovely man!

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  22. Anonymous1:35 PM

    I join the admirers above in saying Wow, that vest is stunning. Great colours, great patterns and great fit. Amazing job of putting it all together (and so quickly).
    Thanks so much for the photos.

    (Just read another article listing knitting as one possible antidote to loneliness.)

    Please keep up your fantastic knitting projects - and sharing them with your readers.

    Lisa RR

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  23. Magnificent vest! The colors, the knitting, the steeking, the fit! And the working away the ends. What an accomplishment! I'm with Greek Helen (in more ways than one: My mother too was heavily pregnant with me during the Cuban missile crisis). Global warming is advancing more quickly now. We are an ingenious species; the problem isn't so much the way as the will.

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  24. Anonymous2:59 PM

    When it starts to hurt people develop the will. And as it is a slow process there will probably be plenty of time as Mother Nature has been self-renewing and adapting for a long, long time.

    In other news, a fabulous vest, Jean. You must love the look on Alexander's face. Chloe

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  25. =Tamar3:12 PM

    Glorious! Both color and fit.

    I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was 14, and we had only recently stopped having bomb-drop drills in school.
    In the year 1,000 AD, most of Europe was expecting the Last Judgement any day.

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  26. Your judgement and creativity really paid off, Jean! The vest is a masterpiece! I'll bet Andrea and Andrew would be interested to hear the story behind it....

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  27. Yea! I agree with all the fabulous vest comments.
    Oooo, Tom Lehrer. I think I’ll get some of his recordings for my 15 1/2 yr old granddaughter. That’s the age I first heard him.
    May your Christmas season be peaceful, calm, and refreshing.

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  28. It's just perfect! What a great reward for all for all the work and time it took. You amaze me !! Take care!

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  29. Chiming in with all the others, the vest is magnificent. Well done!
    Anna in Toronto

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  30. The vest is even more amazing on it's recipient, and great to know that it won't need aggressive blocking every time it is washed.

    re Tom Lehrer: "be prepared" is one of my mum's favourites, as it reminds her of her honeymoon in Paris, when friends repacked their luggage to make sure that they were well and truly prepared...

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