3157 steps – more than
I expected when I flipped the phone open just now. The best day, indeed, since I embarked on this caper. C. came, and we got around the
garden twice. It was very cold – the setts on the less-used street rather
slippy – but sunny. The snowdrops and the daffodils stand up splendidly to the
cold, the daffys not yet blooming but with buds. They just stand there
patiently while the cold lasts, and then resume springtime. The hellebores, on
the other hand, are looking rather the worse for wear.
And I’ve done 6 ½ scallops
on the second side of Gudrun’s hap. I am beginning to toy with the idea of
blocking it myself. I’ll be fine crawling around on the floor – the difficulty
comes when I try to stand up again. But if I pick a morning when Daniela is
here…
Mary Lou, ah! yes –
you misunderstood me. That is precisely what I was thinking – the body and
sleeves of the Polliwog in a self stripe, and the yoke solid. The trouble is, I
don’t have a sock-weight solid, and when one starts looking for one, the
temptation arises to buy both.
And, yes, you did
indeed send me the overlap pullover which I’m sure I knit for some great-grandchild or great-nephew,
but I can’t remember which. I had forgotten that it is written for sock yarn. (That
one is in Mary Lou’s Ravelry store, and is well worth having a look at if you
want a baby sweater that can be put on easily; no small matter.) (The same is
true of the Polliwog.)
My sister sent me
a link to what may have been an interesting article in the Times about Bernie
Sanders’ mittens. I already knew that they had attracted some attention at the
Inauguration. But the Times says I’ve had enough freebies this month. Where can
I see them on social media?
Reading
I am lurching on
with “What To Look for in Winter”. Shandy and Jenny, many thanks indeed for the
pointers to Tomalin and to Worsley, on Jane Austen. I think I thought that
biography wasn’t of much use, since her sister Cassandra destroyed those
letters. (What a loss!) But you have inspired me to have a look.
Jean, if you google Bernie mittens you should get lots of pictures. They were made from upcycled sweaters, cut and sewn. Can you block on a bed?
ReplyDeleteThe two best Bernie memes were this song on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVfGItTM7ss
ReplyDeleteand an article on the iPad that I fear is gone forever. However, I searched "Bernie meme" on the iPad news and found some interesting looking articles about the knitter.
And two people have reverse-engineered his mittens and offer their free patterns on Ravelry, one knit and one crocheted version. The knit version was up the day after the inauguration.
ReplyDeleteI usually block on the bed. Soak the finished item overnight and then set up my interlocking blocking tiles on the bed and pin or spread out the item. I can then close the door so our four cats can't get at it. I also turn on the ceiling fan above the bed. If I do this is in the a.m., the shawl or whatever is dry before bedtime.
ReplyDeleteThe Bernie mittens are also lined with fleece made from recycled plastic bottles.
ReplyDeleteMansfield Park seems to be mainly comparing three sub-groups of society: nobility, clergy, and military. To do so, Austen uses sets of three sisters.
It's true that there are three sisters with different experiences in their married lives, but Mrs Norris does not represent the clergy. In so far as we see anyone being a clergyman it is the idle and gluttonous Doctor Grant. We hear Edmund discussing the subject at some length before he is ordained and Fanny has serious views on it as you might expect. She certainly shows us a range of characters from the Navy - the Crawford's Admiral uncle among them. Two of Austen's brothers made their way in the navy so she would have been well-acquainted with that world.
DeleteMrs. Norris's late husband was clergy, possibly more generous than she was. The three sisters married a nobleman, a clergyman, and a lieutenant of marines.
DeleteOne of the nieces also burned a big cache of Austen letters written to one of the sailor brothers. You enjoy the notion of six degrees of separation, don't you? The young person who was the House Manager of the NT property where I volunteer moved to Chawton cottage, Jane's home in her later years, as Custodian. There are really interesting virtual tours available on their site and you can pay to sponsor a roof tile for their renovation project.
ReplyDeleteIf you look on Ravelry you'll see several patterns inspired by Bernie's mittens. They're quite the thing now. When I last looked late last week, 8 of the 18 most popular patterns were Bernie mittens.
ReplyDeleteIf you google “Bernie Sanders meme” you get many wonderful hints. The one I really like is https://store.berniesanders.com/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=website-homepage-shop
ReplyDeleteThey are selling sweatshirts with the picture on it and all the profits are going to Vermont Meals on Wheels. The man is a mensch!
Hits, not hints. I missed that.
Delete