1978

I just read Rick Mercer's latest blog post. In it he tells that "a billion seconds ago it was 1978." Wow. That's a crazy amount of seconds and a crazy mountain of time. He refers to how much our current government is planning to squander, er...I mean spend. And he uses the billion seconds to show us the enormity of what a billion is. We love Rick...he tells it like it is.

Hmmm...I wonder if I've knit a billion stitches yet?

New and Different Mac

Today I bought a MacBook Air. Now this is largely different from our other Mac. This one's pretty in a different way. And so much more schleppable; it only weighs 3 lbs, and it's not measured in 4 inch increments. I think I'll call her MiniMac. Now that I've gotten through the wireless Internet snarlies, things are good.

One day soon...very soon, I'll have knitterly pictures and news. I've been working on Mrs. Beetons', a hotwater bottle cover, EZ Mitered Mittens, a Doodlebug sweater for toddler Chase, and I bought a skein of Lucy Neatby's Cat's Pajamas in the Fiesta colourway (80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Nylon). The colours remind me of the vibrant colours seen on Macaw parrots: intense blues, reds, yellows, and greens. This yarn is meant for socks but I'm going to knit up her Sea Lettuce scarf with it.

The Snowdrop shawl is still kind of in a time out. It hasn't really misbehaved; I just need some distance from it for a bit...what with the mohair and all.

I bought Elizabeth Lovick's Fair Isle Workbook. It came highly recommended from Barb of Wild Geese Fibres. Check out some of the hand painted yarn Barb sells, and her patterns are lovely.

To quote Elizabeth's site, "It [the workbook] is arranged in separate ‘lessons’ on the theory and practice of Fair Isle knitting, including detailed instructions with lots of clear photos of topics such as ways to hold the yarns, steeking and dealing with mistakes." I told Barb I was preparing to make the Snowbird mittens, and she sent me the book link. I'll update as I progress with the mittens.

Now, back to my downloading...

Winds

Winds of change are blowing. Barack Obama was inaugurated today in the cool sunshine of Washington, DC. It was an auspicious and moving event. I cried when Aretha Franklin sang "Let Freedom Ring," and I cried again when Obama said: 'This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

There is a song by the legendary Canadian rock band Rush, titled "Closer to the Heart," (Words by Neil Peart and Peter Talbot, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson) that with Obama's inauguration, may be moving from the abstract to something tangible and concrete. The song starts with the line: "And the men who hold high places must be the ones to start, to forge a new reality closer to the heart." Obama is the one who I believe could do this, and lead the world in a new approach to people, and governments, and how the world works. I watch with new hope for all of us.

Happy New Year

Well, our new year was swept in on a cold front. It was -34 when I got up this morning. Now it's a balmy -28. Great weather for staying in and knitting. I've been knitting and spinning up a storm. I finished the first pair of Mrs. Beeton's, am almost finished the shawl, finished the hat, and I spun up 100 gms of hunter green corriedale, which is lovely and soft.



I hope to finish the shawl today. Pictures of that soon...I hope.