We're moving!

This old blog, emeraldmist01, had problems with updating. All I could do was post new entries. The Layout tab had disappeared, and I couldn't change the little description box. So here I am, blogging away on a new blog...
The blog had gotten past its prime anyways. It was 5 years old, if I remember correctly. It wouldn't - couldn't - be updated like the other, newfangled blogs.

So we've moved to http://ASheepySortOfPlace.blogspot.com, called 'In The Loop.' Do swing by and visit us, at our new cyberspace address.

Let's have a moment of silence for the old blog, and some cheers for the new!

The blog is dead. Long live the blog!

Judgement Day

I always knew the world would end in fire. Ice would be too slow, too kind, to simply let us freeze, lay down to sleep one day, never wake up. No, the world - my world - ended in fire.

No-one knew how it started, that wondrous, gloriously blustery day. The day that turned to horror. All it took was one ember, one ember carried by the winds to burn here, smolder there, and soon entire counties were burning up. People drove in their cars far, far away to flee, only to be stopped and sent back again, trapped by the flames.

The sun turned red that day, from the great billowing clouds of smoke, and the little light that made it through was brown, dark orange, burnt sienna. At night, the moon looked yellow through her veil of smoke. People who did not flee were driven inside by the smoke, filling their lungs with ash.

It seemed as though entire mountain ranges are burning up, tongues of flame leaping and dancing, twisting into insane hieroglyphs written by demons. Symbols written to strike fear into their hearts, discord and injury among their ranks.

Who could start this? Who could send such horrors upon them? God? What god would do this? Perhaps Loki of old Norse lore had broken free of his shackles to wreak havoc and mischief upon the earth before being recaptured.

But why? Were they such sinners, all? What crime could justify this horror to threaten suburbia?

We perished that day, not with dignity, but as cowards, flight no longer an option, huddling together. We died, mothers smothering their babes in arms before they could be burned, roasted alive. Lovers committed suicide, together.

But I know now who did it. And I will have my revenge.

I will have my revenge.













Please, no matter your faith, send out prayers for, good vibes, good thoughts to Southern California. States of emergency have been declared and people are evacuating due to smoke and flames. They need hope, they need help, they need to know somebody cares.

I'm just terrified for them - all their hopes, dreams, their lives, gone in smoke. Could you survive that?

An Experiment

I have an idea - why don't we get everybody nationwide to, at 2:30 PM local time on Wednesday, November 25 (because I like square numbers), sit on their desks instead of in their chairs. It doesn't matter how long you do it, so long as it is at least a minute. I sat on my desk for one hour, but went about business in the usual manner in all other ways, for one hour today. It's amazing what you'll solve when you tell yourself you cannot get off this desk to sit in the chair. You solve problems better, daydream differently - all because of a change in perspective. Does anybody remember the Dead Poets Society with Robin Williams? O Captain, my captain, anyone?

What say you? Will you dare to be different? To look at the world in a whole new way? Can you?

On the Audacity of Knitting Socks

I recently bought, due to the book being on sale and a current fascination with socks, a sock book. I forget the exact title, but it was something along the lines of Easy Knitted Socks for the Novice Knitter. The majority of the socks in said book are knit on straights and sewn up, or knit on circulars.

The book in its native habitat. Note the variety pictured on the cover. Scientists can only speculate on the variety held within.

Being me, I immediately fixated on 'Spiral Heelless Socks.' Though I enjoy turning a heel, perhaps because each row is a little bit less, a little bit less, then a little bit more, a little bit more, and then bam! you have a full needle of stitches to knit and a beautifully turned heel. Also, it's a little challenging, it's a marker in the sock, being the 1/3 ish point, and it's just so cool. A person, with nothing but two sticks and string, can make flat fabric with interlocking loops that stay together when taken off the sticks, unlike cat's cradle, yea, create fabric that wants to be and holds a roughly 90 degree angle. You have to admit that is awesome. However, equally intriguing is the idea that because a fabric spirals one does not need a heel. Just thinking about this gets me excited - a smile on my face and a pressure building up behind my sternum that I put my fists to like I could cup it, breathe life into it, and set it into the world like a resurrected butterfly, or maybe to cradle this feeling of pride that anyone could come up with an idea that changes anything and everything, if only slightly or in the distant future. I gesture with my hands rolling at the wrists from my chest to the world, my hands mirroring the cogs in my brain turning, only so much slower! I half laugh as I talk, overcome by the sheer wonder of it all. And to think people think that knitting is boring.

Before I got onto the tangent of excitement, I meant to show some pictures.

Here the socks relax by a candle. Note the stockinette stitch toe and diagonal 2x2 rib.

Unknown internet source.

Here you can see that there truly is no heel. Why did you doubt me? Again, note the diagonal rib characteristic of the Spiral heelless sock. Also an unknown internet source.


Here's a closeup. Ignore the stripes and you will see, young Padawan, that this is different - it has a possibly 1x1 or 2x1 ribbed cuff, and is being knit toe down. In addition, see the subtle difference in rib thickness and placement? This is a smooth, solid swath of ribbing, whereas the others had a staggered rectangle 'staircase' of ribbing. The possibility remains that it is a hybrid, not an entirely different species. Scientists are still researching this possibility. Again, an unknown internet source.

So I looked over the pattern and saw that it was knitted on US4 circulars until the cuff, where it was switched to US3 circulars and used an alpaca yarn at DK weight. No problem, I thought to myself. I currently own one pair of circulars, a US9/28 inch cable set that I love, made of bamboo. I'll just have socks with more drape and honestly, I get cold in the winter, but not cold enough that I need to keep every last calorie's worth of heat in - I don't live in Northern Alaska! These socks will just...breathe. Going with this new zen, go with the flow quality (perhaps meditation should come after knitting, you know, when my hands are cramping, my shoulders are cramping, I'm going insane having picked up and dropped stitches 40 times over, I haven't eaten in hours, my bladder is threatening to explode, and I've just finished a season's worth of Monk, but hey, it's all right - I only ripped back twice and I've gotten four inches done on my little 30 stitch swatch!), I figured that since I was using bigger needles, I could also use thicker yarn. Yarn with a recommendation of US8 needles to get 17 sts/4" and 23 rows/4" square...yes, that ought to work...

I pull out some Moda Dea 100% wool yarn that goes thick to thin specifically purchased to make socks with, also purchased on sale, with coupons. Is anyone else noticing a pattern here? It's called 'Sea Blue,' and has slight variegation in shade and tint.

I have dye lot 105, if anyone out there is wondering. Now, the label says 50g/77 yd/71m, and even though the pattern says they used 100% alpaca DK weight with about 131 yd/120m/50g, I'm not worried. For one, alpaca and sheep wools have to be similar, and it'll just knit up loose due to the needle sizes. If you look at the picture to the right, you see the variegation, expressed in this unusually shaped swatch as stripes. On the left, a skein of my precious.....my precious - I mean, the beautiful yarn.

So I cast on, I follow the pattern exactly until I've completed 30 rows/about 6.5 inches, trying it on as I go, showing it off to people, and dreading the second sock, I realize - it's much too wide. It's an inch or so too loose without it being stretched. Something is wrong here. So I have a friend take it off the needles for me, being physically incapable, and frog it all. A L L All of my beautiful sock - ripped back and a ball of yarn once more. So I go back and figure okay, when stretched it's about twice as big as it should be, I'll go back and halve the pattern.

So I restart - and almost immediately need to rip back. Taking a deep breath, I tell myself 'better now than later, at .5 inches instead of 6.5 inches,' and start over. Certainly it'll be fine now - third time's a charm, right?

Impossible. I cast on half the stitches the pattern says to (10, instead of 20) and keep going. And keep going. Eventually I end up with 40 stitches, there being several make 1 knit' s in there. This is great except for

a) The pattern calls for there to be 52 stitches at this point, and last I checked, 40 is in no way half of or even close to half of 52.

b) I need to fit P1, m1k, (k2, p2) 5 times, k2, m1k, p1, k1, m1k, p2, (k2, p2) 5 times, m1k, k1 into my sock of 40 stitches. (this ends up being 52 stitches). Having decided to go easy on myself, I leave all the non-parenthesized bits alone, and just try to change those to four times. Too much. I change them to three - too little. I count up four and three repeats - 7 total, instead of 10 total, and it's just right. But where do I put them? I finally put the four first, since it will be my right socks, and on the second, left, sock I shall put three first.

Problem(s) solved, correct? No. I have now finished the first 30 rows, rows 15 - 30 of which need to be repeated four times, according to the pattern. Now, had my halving plan just worked, I could look forward to only 15 more rows. However, having reconciled myself to the fact that it will not fit properly if I do only two repeats (two 15 - 30 's total, giving a grand total of 45 rows), I will now have to do three repeats - if I'm lucky. In addition, I realized just now that I have knit the equivalent of one sock or so, yet still have only half of a sock. To top it all off, the yarn is beginning to run out, and I only purchased two balls of the stuff. I mean, seriously. 154yds of $3/skein yarn? That better be enough! I enjoy knitting, but not that much. There are more important things in life. Things like chocolate, and books, and stuff. Can't think of anything else. Not even utility bills. Maybe soft toilet paper. But that's about it.

However, the paragraph above did not even include the crowning problem, not in the least. You see, after the four repeats of rows 15 - 30, I have to work a tighter rib that will keep my sock on my ankle and not allow the sock top slouch down. It doesn't seem like much of a problem, in fact, it isn't a problem. Except for the fact that the pattern calls for a switch in needle size to US3 from US4. I figure that a switch from US9 to US8 or US7 would be about equivalent...except, I own neither...

Maybe I can just find some nice ribbons and make eyelets in the sock. Yes, that sounds good. Very classy, old-fashioned, almost garter like, only around my ankles. You know, I'm liking this idea more and more now that I think about the national economy, cost of knitting notions, needles in particular, and how it all relates to me. Yes, let me go check the ribbon stash...I think I know exactly what to get out....

Proposition 8

I know that many have been following the California election, most notably of all Proposition 8, concerning gay marriage. I know you will all have your own beliefs concerning this, but please, hear me out.

In the United States of America, Church and State are two separate things. Therefore, religious groups cannot constitutionally use the 'religious' argument against gay marriage; it is irrelevant. The religious groups cannot dictate what all of the people within the state are able to do. Not everyone follows the same faith, and there is not a State faith, nor will there ever be one. In addition, voting yes on Prop 8 would remove religious freedom. Those churches who do allow gay marriage would no longer be able to marry homosexuals legally, nor would the marriage be recognized by the state, due to a lack of a marriage license.

Secondly, it is discrimination in no uncertain terms. The 14th Federal Constitutional Amendment, which was used to remove racial segregation, gives equal protection under the law to everyone within a state's jurisdiction. Why should America, having stopped and nearly forgotten racial segregation, continue on with sexual orientation segregation? It is discrimination, and no rational argument can deny that.

Thirdly, gay marriage will not be taught in schools. As far as I know, the teaching of marriage, heterosexual or homosexual, is not a California education standard. Yes, children would hear about it in school, but where else do children regularly meet and exchange ideas with minimal adult supervision? That is to say, where else do the adults do not listen to what the children are saying, just watch them to ensure no harm comes to them, allowing children to easily and quickly spread ideas? In addition, parents can pull their children out of public school and either place them in a private school or home school them for any reason they so choose. Also, parents can take their child out of any school activity that violates their religious or moral beliefs.

On the Yes on Prop 8 website, www.protectmarriage.com, they state "Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else." (link Why Vote Yes?) One could just as easily substitute the word 'Everybody' 'Religion' or 'Heterosexuals' for the word 'Gay.' Just because one person believes that another person shouldn't kill doesn't stop the U.S. from having a military. Just because an atheist believes we shouldn't have churches doesn't stop other people who believe we should have churches from having them.

Another word about gay marriage being taught in schools.
No marriage whatsoever is taught in schools. The Yes on 8 website cited Education Code 51890, so I looked it up on google. The first result I got was from www.leginfo.ca.gov, obviously a California government website. Here's the full link if you want to check it for yourself.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=51001-52000&file=51890-51891
Here is the section of Education Code 51890, copied directly from the page.
(a) For the purposes of this chapter, "comprehensive health education programs" are defined as all educational programs offered in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in the public school system, including in-class and out-of-class activities designed to ensure that:
(1) Pupils will receive instruction to aid them in making decisions in matters of personal, family, and community health, to include the following subjects:
(A) The use of health care services and products.
(B) Mental and emotional health and development.
(C) Drug use and misuse, including the misuse of tobacco and alcohol.
(D) Family health and child development, including the legal and financial aspects and responsibilities of marriage and parenthood.
(E) Oral health, vision, and hearing.
(F) Nutrition, which may include related topics such as obesity and diabetes.
(G) Exercise, rest, and posture.
(H) Diseases and disorders, including sickle cell anemia and related genetic diseases and disorders.
(I) Environmental health and safety.
(J) Community health.

What I find interesting is the phrase 'legal and financial aspects and responsibilities of marriage.' Nowhere does it say marriage is taught in school, it says responsibilities, or the fact that one must do ones duty or, in the words of Princeton's online dictionary, ' form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct,' so therefore the duties or marriage; financial aspects, or the fact that money is involved, in the form of taxes, joint mortgages, loans, etc., childrens' college...the list goes on with such examples, and, lastly; legal aspects. The legal aspects simply mean how the state recognizes one is married and that you are responsible for the other, basically, one must have a marriage license to marry, and one must pay taxes, etc., with one's spouse. Nowhere does it state that marriage, or the definition thereof, is taught in schools. In fact, it is just a side note to family and personal health in Education Code 51890. Only the ignorant could have pulled that definition out. In fact, on the Yes on 8 site itself it states 'If the gay marriage ruling is not overturned, TEACHERS COULD BE REQUIRED to teach young children ... gay marriage...' Even they say it, if only subtly and in a veiled manner. Gay marriage, and marriage itself, is not taught in schools. Also, what's wrong with teaching young children about it? Is it alright if older children and teenagers are taught about it?

On the No on Prop 8 site, www.noonprop8.com, the home page says it all. Prop 8 is unfair and wrong.

I urge you all to go research this all yourself, and form your own opinions. Simply remember to take everything with a grain of salt: mudslinging is and will be used effectively, much to my chagrin. I just don't understand why people would stoop to such dishonorable lows.

I am anxious for tomorrow; I can't wait to see how this election year will turn out. I urge you all to vote, or if unable to, tell everyone you know who can vote to go do so! Every voice counts in what will govern your life, be you Californian, American, or simply a citizen of the world.

Cheers, everyone. Now go out and vote!

Belief

Just remember:

You believe what you believe, I believe what I believe, they believe what they believe, we believe what we believe.


We all have to live in this world together. Wouldn't it be easier if we all just agreed that everyone is different, and will have their own beliefs?

Take a Look at what I learned!