Disqus - Friends of kpwerker

Re: Twilight Saga: It Won’t Ruin Girls’ Lives, But I Sure Take Issue With It

knitgrrl — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:13:24 -0000

You know what books-meant-for-younger-readers I really like? The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett and its sequels Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith. The central character, Tiffany Aching (who is 9, 11 and 13 as each novel comes out) is smart, strong and capable. She's brave. She's human. It's got good and bad and funny all in one, some scary bits, some comic relief...and sheep! (Sorry, had to throw that bit in, being pro-knitting and all).

A funny quote, from the Wee Free Men Wikipedia page:

Miss Tick sniffed. "You could say this advice is priceless," she said. "Are you listening?"
"Yes," said Tiffany.
"Good. Now...if you trust in yourself..."
"Yes?"
"...and believe in your dreams..."
"Yes?"
"...and follow your star..." Miss Tick went on.
"Yes?"
"...you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy. Good-bye."

Re: Twilight Saga: It Won’t Ruin Girls’ Lives, But I Sure Take Issue With It

knitgrrl — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:37:21 -0000

Oh, that was just an easy bit to cut and paste -- there's better. MUCH better. You start to realize how Pratchett could inspire something like the Pratchgan after you've read a few of his books:

http://woolly-knit-bits.blo...

Re: Talk to Me (Us All) About Palin: Open Thread

knitgrrl — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:47:52 -0000

Metafilter, my home-away-from-home online, had an EPIC thread on this. Longest one in site history, which is saying something... 5400+ comments at last count:

http://www.metafilter.com/7...

There's a lot of single issue voters in there, for sure, and since Mefi slants very liberal most of the time, I think a lot of people were having the same reaction I did, which was "Wait, WHAT? You're picking an untested one-term governor with pretty much no real experience"? coupled with the anger of what I call the "interchangeable va***a" -- HEY HILLARY SUPPORTERS, LOOKEE! WE GOT A GIRL, TOO!

Had he picked a woman with a heck of a lot more experience (Maine senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe come to mind), I would've had a realllllly hard time sticking to my Democratic guns. And I say this as someone who got into a fistfight with my best friend's brother over the Reagan/Carter election.........when I was FIVE.

I have to say I'm pretty frightened McCain might win. After watching his debate performance the other night, even more so. He just cannot control his temper, can he? And as much as it amused me to see Obama doing the "can you believe this guy?" looks in his direction, that turns off a lot of independent voters -- remember Al Gore's sigh during his debate with W?

Re: Talk to Me (Us All) About Palin: Open Thread

knitgrrl — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:08:08 -0000

My question to you, Debbie -- and it's with all respect for your beliefs, even though I don't share them -- is this: what about the large (too large!) number of men, women and children who have been killed as a direct result of a war that was entered under false pretenses? You've got quite a few commandments bashed over the head there.

* Shall not lie (weapons of mass destruction? where?)
* Shall not kill (goes without saying, and especially civilian casualties)
* Shall not covet/steal (I'm thinking oil, as in "we'll make them pay for the war once their oil production is up and running again, and we'll give the contracts to our political friends")...it's shameful.

I count 4 commandments flouted 110% by the Bush administration. One can only imagine what Jesus would say about waterboarding. Oh wait. Sure you can: ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

Isn't voting for McCain/Palin just asking for a continuation of policies that are in direct contradiction to your beliefs, too? Weighing your single issue of choice against all of the above, which comes out on top? Also, contrary to popular belief, overturning Roe v. Wade is not going to end abortion. It will turn its regulation back over to the states.

Wouldn't it make more sense to vote for someone who is going to make an effort to help the people in our country who are here now, and suffering now, than to vote for something which cannot actually happen unless Roe v. Wade is overturned *and* all 50 states also decide to ban abortion, too?

I really do respect your right to believe as you do. That's the liberal way. Your views disagree with mine, but you have a right to them. Certain large segments of the McCain/Palin base will not extend me that same courtesy if given the opportunity. This is why I am outright scared of a McCain/Palin administration. Not only will they continue to favor the upper class and the corporations, but they will continue the appalling foreign policy of the current administration. Thank you for sharing your views with us. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we really want to understand where you're coming from.

Re: Talk to Me (Us All) About Palin: Open Thread

knitgrrl — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:55:05 -0000

I know, Debbie, I know! But again -- not to belabor the point -- I am really happy to see we can agree to disagree.

Factcheck.org has something to say about the failed abortion ads (and they also say Obama's comeback was off-base) -- this is a nonpartisan site funded by the Annenberg foundation:

http://www.factcheck.org/el...

(yes, if you're a nonpartisan group you might want to title your posts in a little less inflammatory way...)

As for a war's "justness" (wait, is that even a word or did I just totally Buffy it?), I think it's not only our right but our *responsibility* to question our government on something as major as a war. Our country was founded on the principle of government by and FOR the people.

What benefit have we as a country derived from this war? We've spent billions, lost thousands of lives on both sides and for what? I'm not advocating the extreme position here -- such as refusing to pay taxes while the government uses our money to wage war -- I just want them to be held accountable for their actions. Just as you would like to see politicians held accountable for the actions you find objectionable!

Thanks again for responding.

Re: Talk to Me (Us All) About Palin: Open Thread

knitgrrl — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:25:42 -0000

You might be surprised to know, Debbie, that not only have I read the Bible, but my specialization in both undergrad and graduate school was the conversion of the northeastern Germanic tribes to Christianity. So maybe you and I have a little more in common than you think! ;)

I also believe in homeschooling, if only because our (my boyfriend and I) experience with both the public and private schooling options were not what we'd like to see for our future children. And we both went to some of the best schools in our area! I've read, on homeschooling websites and elsewhere, references to Obama's book that seem to indicate he's ok with homeschooling, too.

I'm about to leave for a 4-day work trip and really should be packing, but thanks again for talking with me (us)! I'll check in again if I have internet where I'm going.

Re: Talk to Me (Us All) About Palin: Open Thread

knitgrrl — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:33:27 -0000

That's been the reason I've kept my knitting blog separate from my other online work since the publication of my first book. It's not just theoretical -- my publisher told me a certain conservative catalog refused to stock my book because of my then-online-store's products, products I didn't even create! (And we're not talking anything that would get you arrested in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas or Virginia, either).

I was a triple-major (poli sci/history/German) in school -- politics has always fascinated me. Yes, I'm on the liberal side of the spectrum, but it doesn't mean I don't respect the other side's right to have their opinions, too.

If you take the publisher example above to its logical conclusion, the catalog people had nothing to say about the actual content of my book, they had a problem with who I chose to associate with online. That's sort of scary, if you ask me. I don't boycott Ravelry because it has pro-McCain/Palin groups, you know?

(Thanks for hosting this thread, Kim. Super-interesting!)

Re: Talk to Me (Us All) About Palin: Open Thread

knitgrrl — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:46:00 -0000

Wow, blondechicken. That's an interesting perspective. Thanks for it. I live in a neighborhood inside Cleveland (Ohio) proper that is super-mega-Irish-Catholic. All the policemen, all the firemen, all the city workers who have to live in the city -- they're here. So, as you might expect, there are a LOT of Catholic churches and schools, not to mention several monastic communities (mostly female) within walking distance.

What I always find fascinating each election is their different perspectives re: how to make a political statement. The church down the street puts up a cemetery of fake stones commemorating abortion deaths. The nuns a few blocks away stand outside all day with anti-war signs, signs that read "Vote for justice" and similar (what you might view as liberal) sentiments. So even within their single, Roman Catholic community (which is a bit more monolithic than the many, many Christian denominations out there), there are a wide range of views. I respect that.

It seems to me, having met many of the sisters who are not cloistered, whether at the coffee shop or the post office or wherever, that they do a LOT of work for what you term your one issue...they're super active in caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, helping those in need. I REALLY respect that.

Heck, nuns are even blogging about social issues:

http://anunslife.org/2008/0...

Re: Talk to Me (Us All) About Palin: Open Thread

knitgrrl — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:44:58 -0000

It's funny, because I've always taken the position that women should make their own decisions about their healthcare, their bodies, etc.......and then I read about something like this and I have to almost rethink my position!

For someone who has all the access to information in the world (compared to, say, a teenage girl in denial about her pregnancy, or someone without any real healthcare options, like a migrant farmworker), Palin sure as heck made a reckless decision there. And WHY? Was it really so important to attend that conference in Texas? Even if you've already had several children and think you know all there is to know -- things happen. Prudent, reasonable people prepare for the worst case scenario. If she's willing to take those kinds of risks in her personal life, what kind of risks will she find acceptable in making decisions that affect the country?

I agree with Melissa. You can't have it "all." I think anyone who grew up when (most of) us did figured that out at some point and made our choices accordingly. I don't think anyone should be able to dictate WHAT you have to do -- i.e. you HAVE to stay home and have children, you HAVE to go to work at a big fancy corporate job -- but I'd like to see someone in the running for such a high office display a little more common sense than most.

I want someone who considers all the options and chooses the one least likely to end badly if there isn't one "best" option. Is that asking so much?

Re: CRASH! An Open Thread

knitgrrl — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:14:31 -0000

The problem here, anyway, is that they continue to hike public transportation rates while cutting routes and making the service even worse -- as if that's possible, sheesh. I'm with you on healthcare and education, particularly healthcare.

(Admittedly, I'm not as impressed with most public education as I probably "should" be as a good liberal...too many horror stories from the front lines, since my mom works in a number of schools throughout the year all over the state... Also, as a brat who used to correct her teachers' spelling and grammar in 3rd grade, I have pretty ridiculously high standards. Seriously. My mom used to get calls... "could you please make her stop correcting my spelling on the blackboard?" Mom: "Was she right?" "Yes, but..." Yeah. Wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting my kids to most public school teachers...if a 3rd grader spells better than you do, that's just sad. And while I'm on my soapbox, I think it's just sick we don't teach foreign languages earlier in most schools here...)

Re: CRASH! An Open Thread

knitgrrl — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:50:26 -0000

I don't want to abandon it, per se, but I think that -- were I a parent right this moment -- it would be irresponsible and verging on child abuse to commit my kid to the public school system where we live. And I'm not attempting hyperbole or humor here. The education you get when you're young determines what you can do with your life. It is abusive to not provide your child with the education you COULD just to prove a point re: your belief in the system.

Here is an interesting blogpost by a local teacher who writes about education issues:

http://mbmatthews.blogspot....

I admire her to death, but I wouldn't trust my (pretend) kids to that system anytime soon.

So the question becomes "how can we improve it?" -- and I think a major part of that has to be bringing in second-career people (through some of the get-your-teaching-license programs that are out there) who aren't currently entrenched in the failed system, people who will bring new ideas and new standards to the table. Internships and apprenticeship programs for students in businesses. Schools like Cristo Rey in Chicago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

and schools designed to give kids real world knowledge sooner. (As so many schools in Germany and Austria do -- if you're not going to go to college, you should have access to a practical, job-focused education and training, as they do there). But as it stands now, no way.

Re: A Recipe for Seething Resentment

knitgrrl — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:50:06 -0000

And she's so nonchalant about calling us nerds -- that's the best part!

Re: A Recipe for Seething Resentment

knitgrrl — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:08:18 -0000

Here you go:

http://jossisahottie.com/wh...

Re: A Recipe for Seething Resentment

knitgrrl — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:08:59 -0000

Oh, there's more...

http://www.youtube.com/prof...

Re: Making Happy Happen: An Update & Zappos

knitgrrl — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:52:16 -0000

That's awesome. You can be the Zappo's of yarn! :)

Re: Peaked

knitgrrl — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:59:28 -0000

You'll like this, then: http://www.intwinpeaks.com

For the record: coffee and cherry pie at the diner = not so great. I have a photo of myself with the giant log from the intro, though...

Re: Peaked

knitgrrl — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:46:41 -0000

SORRY. The town is incredibly beautiful, though...well worth a drive if you're out near Seattle any time soon.

Re: love. LOVE.

knitgrrl — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:06:40 -0000

Brilliant.

Re: Giving Away Free Content As Publishing Industry Shakes Down

knitgrrl — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:20:43 -0000

Thanks for adding that update, Kim. I'm ALL for having things available for sale -- Kindle, e-book, PDF, whatever -- for me, it's all about the convenience. I will slap down $9.99 ('click down'?) for something on Kindle now now NOW even though I'm pretty sure I could get it from the library, you know? (Or order it used on Amazon and then try to find somewhere to store it).

I'm not *against* this whole Google thing, but what's squicked me out a little bit about the samples I've seen online in Google of my own books is that they'll give a multipage sample -- which is one or more full patterns! -- and that's very much different than most novels or historical fiction or whatever. 5 pages of "1776"? Who cares? 2 or more patterns from a 20 pattern book? Well, come on...

See, for example: http://tinyurl.com/6gwgjq

More to think about, for sure.

Re: Olbermann: Gay marriage is a question of love

knitgrrl — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:31:36 -0000

You totally score on the tearjerker scale, Kim. Last night, I about sobbed watching it live. Now it's making me sobby again. It's just not FAIR and it's not RIGHT and that's all there is to it.

Re: Giving Away Free Content As Publishing Industry Shakes Down

knitgrrl — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:34:33 -0000

I think part of the problem with the Kindle stuff right now (because if you do it RIGHT, tables, etc all look just fine) is the publishers being lazy with their formatting. Like anything, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it...you can even make photos look fairly decent. Many publishers, I think, are just uploading a PDF and hoping for the best.

Re: Giving Books for the Holidays

knitgrrl — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:56:01 -0000

Done! Blogged here!

Re: A Very Crafty T-Day

knitgrrl — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:29:05 -0000

I *love* Quorn -- their Quorn/Gruyère cheese cutlets are fantastic! You have to be careful, though -- some people with mushroom allergies can't eat it.

Re: Beginnings, Ends—Pshaw! It’s All A Big Spiral (AKA: Big Announcements)

knitgrrl — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:35:36 -0000

Congrats on your big announcement, Kim! xoxoxoxoxo x infinity!

Re: First Up: Podcasting

knitgrrl — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:06:15 -0000

As do I! And hey, I LIKE your voice.