Saturday, August 09, 2003

[Written yesterday afternoon:] I feel like it's been so long since I've been able to get to a computer, but it's been two days. Sad? Pathetic? Acceptable reaction for the twenty-first century? Just when we were finally close to getting ADSL set up at home again (haven't had it since we moved), our laptop bit the dust. Dead. We're going to take it in to "the guy" later today, and hopefully he'll tell us that we still have a computer. Why doesn't the technology universe want us to Rock On? I guess I shouldn't make promises until I find out whether our laptop is truly alive or dead, but the Knitting Rock-Along Gallery is going to happen. Because it will make a bunch of us so happy to go there! And thanks to a particular knitter-rocker who is soon moving to Germany, polls show a recent surge in popular support! Thanks for voting, everyone. And thanks too for commenting! Hilarious comments and awesome suggestions: what could be better? Just a few ideas:

  • "An international-rock-on-sign-intarsia-sweater, or tank, or felted tote, or...think of the endless possibilities!!" (Shannon)
  • "wristbands with bobble spikes." (Maureen)
  • "[F]ingerless gloves. So you could, you know, do the devil sign with the devil sign on your hands. A double devil." (Rene)
  • "...I am totally devil-horning up some sweatbands." (Stefanie)

  • I'll keep you posted about the gallery -- the URL, where to send photos, etc. In the meantime, Martina asked whether one must use the IRO. What do you guys think? Sarah and Stef have both come up with skull intarsia charts that rock. Should we limit the Rock-Along to the IRO? I think anyone who feels happy about the combination of knitting and rocking rolled up into one should take part, even if they'd rather stitch a skull or stars or whatever.

    I had a day off yesterday, but it was too hot to spend any time outside (I did, and I regretted it), so I blasted the air-conditioning at home and knit. I'm about 7 inches into my RocKami, but I just couldn't drum up any enthusiasm for black stockinette stitch, so I made a rainbow head kerchief! Thanks to a ball of rainbow-coloured thrift-store acrylic and a free pattern from Jejune.net, I whipped up a pretty triangle and learned to attach an i-cord to an edge. The i-cord bit was slow but easy, since I left the long edge of the triangle on a needle, so I could skip the step of picking up stitches to attach the i-cord. However, I guess I was impatient, because the kerchief is actually too small for my head. Since there's no way I'm ripping out all that i-cord, and since I'm going to be visiting a four-year-old next month who has crazy hair, I'm happy to say that I've made another gift! As always, photos soon to come. (Is there anything worse than a blogger who doesn't have a digital camera?) (Don't answer that.)

    I love reading the Guardian, and there have been a few particularly good stories this past week. To save you the trouble of digging through the whole lot yourself, here are a few to read if you've got a few minutes:

  • "Now which way back to the car?" There are more than a few people out there who go hiking with nothing on but sturdy boots and a Tilley hat!
    Sitting on a log to eat a baguette is painful, but -- apart from the occasional nettle, an insect bite on the arm and the nagging fear that a fully-clothed rambler might appear at any moment -- it is a pleasurable, yes even liberating, experience.
  • "Vile Britannia" The author argues that in Hollywood movies, Americans are the good guys and Brits are the baddies, even to the point where a "good" Brit will be played by an American (e.g., Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft), but a Brit will be called in to play a "bad" American (e.g., Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon).
    Our cut-price actors come over and do their dirty work, as villains and baddies and psychopaths, even American ones, while the cream of their prohibitively expensive acting talent Concordes it over the pond to steal the lion's share of our heroic roles. ... It leaves one wondering who's left who looms large in the American demonology, and must therefore be played by an Englishman. Ho Chi Minh? Mao? Saddam? Osama? Imelda Marcos? Call Ben Kingsley!
  • "Tracing Adam" A boy's torso was found in the Thames, and the huge and creative forensic investigation into the boy's identity is fascinating. If crime scenes, forensic geology, mitochondrial DNA, or isotope analysis interests you, this is a good read indeed.
    After several months of chasing false leads, O'Reilly called a brain-storming meeting of murder detectives -- including some involved in the Soham case -- and forensic scientists from around the country. "We ended up posing a question to the scientists. What can be done to try to identify this child?" Forget CSI (Crime Scene Investigation), the popular television programme. Life is not that glamorous.
    I hope everyone has a good weekend! Please send good vibes my way for the quick and painless repair of my computer!

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