I DID IT!

Wow!  I managed to blog every day in March, as promised.  I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself and have the greatest admiration for those who seem to do this all the time.

Thanks for all your support.  Loads of comments received, which now go into the draw.  You’ve got the rest of the day to add a comment to this post to be included.    Knitting goodies for prizes and I’ll announce the results on Friday 4th which is my first blogiversary. 

I’ve had great fun this month ranting about the things that have really bugged me  -  officious Cityrail employees, the bizarre knitting competition at the Easter Show, racism towards Aboriginal people, ageism, and the funding of ‘private’ education by the State.   I’ve had lovely comments, both on and off the blog.  I’ve had disagreements, yes, but no rudeness, for which I’m grateful.  I spoke about my ‘childfree’ state and received no abuse, which is a first for me!   And I made friends. 

All in all, a happy experience.  One of the highlights I suppose was finding that CNN had put a link to my blog for a few hours, but that’s just my vanity showing! 

Thank you all. 

Why Blog?

I started a blog because everyone else in my knitting group had one, I read them, enjoyed them and they kept asking when I was going to get one.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m the old lady of the group and I suppose I didn’t want to appear ‘fuddy-duddy’.   It’s bad enough having people presume that you can’t use a computer (whereas of course I was practically taught by Babbage).

Some of the blogs I read are knitting only – beautiful pictures of gorgeous garments, sometimes free patterns, tips and reviews of yarns/books.  Love them.  And they’re inspirational.

Others are really diaries and if they’re well written and occasionally humourous I love those too.   

But I think I’ve always wanted to own a newspaper – or at least write the editorials!  I’ve always been a bit self-opinionated and can’t understand why the rest of the world doesn’t see things the way I do.   

So mine appears to have evolved into an “If I Ruled The World” sort of blog.  

It’s the nearest I’ll get, I suppose.

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PS:  Because I get so many visitors to my site looking for instructions on pompom-making, I’ve added an extra page to point them in the right direction!

Clocks, Watches and Hours

In their wisdom, the Governments of some Australian States have decided NOT to change the clocks tonight but to wait until next weekend.  So we have the ridiculous situation that some parts of this country go into their Winter time tonight and some don’t.  And for a week we’re going to be out of synch with other parts of the world that are also re-adjusting their clocks tonight (the UK, the US?).

Isn’t it about time that this country, which may be extremely large but has only about 20 million residents, started to work in unison across its States?  I didn’t know until this week for instance that a doctor registered in one State has to re-register to work in another State.  And why people should have to be extradited, with the all the work and expense that involves, to face criminal charges in a different Australian State is rather beyond my belief.  And isn’t it about time we had a NATIONAL Driving Licence? 

So DON’T change your clocks tonight if you’re on the Eastern side of Australia!  But DO turn off your lights at 8pm for Earth Hour.  Sydney made international headlines last year by doing this and now it’s been picked up across the globe. Perhaps not the night to get stuck into that intricate piece of black lace you’re knitting!  I think I’ll be sticking to stocking stitch. 

Old Dog/More New Tricks

And this is the pink one:

Dreadful photo and the colour isn’t particularly “true” but you get the idea.

So much of my knitting at the moment is ‘experimental’.  I’m currently working on a stocking stitch Baby Surprise Jacket which is a bit of a practice-run as I’ve only made garter stitch ones in the past. 

And I’m knitting my first handbag, which again is a prototype and I’m not sure I’ll ever use it, but we’ll have to see when it’s finished.  I just used yarn I had in my stash to see if I could work out something that could actually be used as a bag.  I’ll line it and see whether it’s fit to go out in public and, if so, I could use it as a knitting bag.   If it works, I’ll knit it again with rather more beautiful yarn.

So this old bitch is learning new tricks all the time.   

Technorati Tags: Knitted lace scarf

Old Dogs/New Tricks

Yes, you can teach an old dog (or, in my case, bitch) new tricks:

l 6 months ago, after 50+ years of knitting, I’d never knitted a lace scarf/shawl/stole.  Now I can’t stop.

These aren’t perfect and certainly not award-winning, but I’m improving with each one and I’m loving knitting (and wearing) them.

There’ll be loads more of these as I seem to be stockpiling suitable yarns.  I just can’t help myself.

But maybe the next new trick I should learn is photography.  Never been very good at it; never enjoyed it.

   

Technorati Tags: Knitted lace scarf, Knitted lace stole

For The Love Of Ravelry? . . . Part 2

I mentioned the other day that there are a few things about Ravelry that really bug me.  The first was the assumption that we’re a) All Americans and b) Governed by American Law.

I also get pretty annoyed by the ageism that is sometimes rampant around the forums.  One woman was thoroughly abused when it transpired that she was over 60.  Others have complained about the way they’re treated in yarn shops if they’re under 30.  I don’t doubt that prejudice exists but my shopping experiences haven’t always been pleasant ones.  A haberdashery/yarn shop in Sydney treated me as a potential shoplifter when I went in there and after I’d looked at some buttons, with the assistant standing about 3″ away from me, she said “Are you going to buy those, or what?”.  Of course, I had to say “What” and leave.

I’m in my 50’s, no tattoos, no piercings (except for discreet earrings), no spiky or green hair. 

Some shopkeepers are just in the wrong profession and really don’t want customers cluttering up their premises.

At the knitting group I attend regularly, I am the oldest person.  I’ve been knitting pretty regularly since I was 5.  I DON’T tell other knitters how to knit or criticise their work.  I’m usually too busy appreciating the wonderful things they’re creating. I’m certainly not the best knitter there; I’m probably the most experienced.

The resurgence of knitting over the last few years has brought some wonderful new techniques (well, new to me, anyway) and creations that have been produced by “thinking outside the circle”.  I’m learning these all the time and I really don’t care if the person who introduces them to me is under 25 and has been knitting for 2 years.  And that’s why I got so annoyed with the Sydney Easter Show people – they just don’t recognise that changes have happened.  Or, if they do, they certainly don’t appreciate them.

 Please don’t write us all off because we learnt to knit before the advent of circular needles and bamboo yarn. 

Yes, You Do Want More Yarn!

Well, you may be going back to work today, as I am. 

If you were in Sydney this weekend and went along to the Easter Show, you were perhaps disappointed that there was not much on sale there for knitters.  So don’t forget that I’m currently running a small prize draw which may enhance your stash and cheer you up enormously at the end of a 4 day holiday.

All you have to do is leave a comment here, or just say “Hello”.  I have two prizes to be won – the first for readers in Australia and another for overseas readers.   One comment = one chance in the draw. 

Both prizes are knitting related but I’ll try to choose them to match the winners (by reading their blogs, emailing them or whatever it takes!).  I promise that they will be worth at least AU$25 each.

The competition runs until 31st March and I’ll announce the winners on 4th April - the first anniversary of my blog. 

Look forward to hearing from you!

Technorati Tags: Free Knitting Draw, Free Yarn Draw

A Day In The Life . . . . Or Is It A Weekend?

After 5 years in Australia, I’m getting used to the Seasons being the other way round and it’s really of little concern to me whether  the water goes down the plughole clockwise or anti-clockwise (which I THINK has nothing to do with the hemispheres anyway, but I’m not much of a scientist).

But I am a bit confused about the way time is described here.

There’s a renowned sporting event in the calendar of the Northern Territory, called Yuendumu Sports DAY, when Aboriginal people from all over the State gather for a WEEKEND of sporting competitions.  

Then we have Canberra Wool Week, which takes place on a Sunday in May. 

And why is the Australian Women’s Weekly magazine a monthly publication?

So to put that lot together, I find that Day means Weekend, Week means Day, and Weekly means Monthly?  Has it always been like this?

And why?

 

 

 

Russell’s Teapot

Thank you, David, for introducing me to this website.  I’ve always been a great fan of Bertrand Russell but didn’t know about this wonderful comic site based on his statement:

“If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.”

- Bertrand Russell 

Enjoy!

For The Love Of Ravelry?

I didn’t really see much point in Ravelry but joined after pressure from my knitting friends.  And it’s great! 

For those of you not familiar with it, it’s been called “Facebook for Knitters and Crocheters” but it’s much more than that.  Have a pattern and you’re not sure what yarn would look good?  Look in Ravelry at other knitters’ interpretations of that pattern.  Have some yarn and don’t know what to knit with it?  Ravelry will show you what others have used it for.  There are forums for discussing any topic, groups for every kind of interest and so much more.  And today Ravelry reached 100,000 members!!

But there are a few things that REALLY annoy me and I’ve decided to post here rather than on Ravelry as I don’t really want the abuse.  (I’m taking a leaf out of Petunia’s book!) 

I’ll just mention the one today and revert to the subject later in the week.

I’m sick to death of the “discussions” about copyright.  And I put the word in inverted commas deliberately.  I’ve read so much abuse and witnessed what I imagine to be major foot-stamping as soon as the issue is raised.

I realise that Ravelry originated in the USA and that the majority of Ravellers are probably American.  BUT it’s an INTERNATIONAL FORUM.

Every time the subject of copyright or any other legal matter arises, we’re inundated with barrack-room lawyers telling us what the law is.  The AMERICAN law.  It really doesn’t seem to occur to these people that Australians living in Australia, or Scots living in Scotland are NOT subject to American law.  It doesn’t even occur to them that maybe laws are different around the world.  At this moment in history, American Law is NOT World Law.

You can shout out your rules as loud as you want, and be as abusive as you want to anyone who disagrees with you.  But YOUR rules are YOUR rules. 

If we ever reach the stage where Australian law originates in Washington, you can be sure I’ll be blogging about it.

Technorati Tags: Copyright and knitting, Ravelry