Striped spirals and getting dressed

I've noticed that I feel slothful until I'm dressed for the day. Even today when I fixed breakfast, aired the bedroom, changed the bed, laundered and dried and put away the bed linen, and cast on a sock. It didn't seem to count because I was still in a bathrobe.

Anyway here's the sock in question.

It's a tube design by Noreen Crone -Findlay, usual better known for tiny weavings and fantasy mixed media figures in a range of materials than for knitting designs. She recently had a big art exhibit in Edmonton, Alberta. 

This design has a long Icord arrangement as a cuff, quite fancy and I made a double rib instead, more practical for the Sock 'n glove Ministry. 

There's an odd number of stitches, which creates a spiral as you knit 6, purl 2, forever. No heel turn, because it shapes itself on the foot. But there is a shaped toe.

I've made several pairs of these over the years, as gifts, and the wearers attested to the skidproof effect of the spiral shapes. It's also fun to knit.  Hard to stop, between watching stripes and spirals emerge at the same time.

I'm walking nowadays in those boots you watched me stretch a while back. They're taking on my foot shape with wear now, and I need them because soon I'll be back to walking to the pond. 

Right now it's impassable, storm debris, snowdrifts, but soon I'll be able to get there for signs of spring. Or late winter. With pictures. Meanwhile I'm keeping up, and trying to improve, my stamina. It goes away fast if you don't pay attention.

Happy day everyone, pay attention to what you like to! There's no attention police. Yet, anyway.

On the resistance front I've written to my senators insisting they vote against the confirmation of the proposed surgeon general, basically chief doctor of the US. 

Usually it's gifted, real medical doctors and researchers who are appointed to this job.  This one is Casey Means who never completed medical training and is an online "influencer".  Not even slightly qualified. 

Nearer home, ICE just bought a giant warehouse for a concentration camp, in Roxbury Township NJ. There's already resistance, and I think local zoning and infrastructure issues might stop it. I wrote to my senators anyway, to increase the pressure.

ICE is promising revenue and jobs to the township, without mentioning the huge expense involved in basic utilities, water, sewage, heating, road usage, and the sheer criminal act of imprisoning over a thousand innocent people in their town.

There's an interesting political twist, too, since Tom Kean Jr, an apple who fell far from his decent father's tree, is the House GOP  member for the district. 

He will not want to be smeared with the rep of supporting a hugely unpopular ICE initiative. NJ already has all kinds of anti ICE bills moving through the State Legislature. And he has quite a bit of competition this time around for the upcoming Federal election.

Late edit: a friend nearer the action says Roxbury town council voted against it and HS is now denying they knew it was for ICE.  Sure, Jan.

Our senators are already on it, and ACLU.  Stay tuned. Never a dull moment, sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony.

No matter what shenanigans they get up to in Kansas. ACLU is on that, too.

Mario Guevara, misfits and gentle request

If you want an urgent resistance task, please do this. You need to cut and paste the link, because this is a screenshot. Please sign.  Read the precis and sign. 

It's about the law and the first amendment among other things. And a journo doing real reporting, live streaming ICE activity.  Here legally, on a citizenship path, till ICE defied a judge and is moving to deport him after many years in the US.

In other news, it was raining a lovely gentle warm rain, saved my having to water plants, but dented my walking plans. It gets a bit slippery underfoot with leaves starting to fall. 

Kareem brought my misfits box mid- morning. Quite a small order this week, pretty well stocked already.

The van looks repainted, but same design 

Canned goods for the food pantry, bread for the lazy baker, cookies, unheard of, buying them, but I've been stressed lately. 

Toffeed crushed almonds likewise. This is a clever upcycling, turning almond casualties into a sweet snack by mixing them in toffee and making bite sizes. I rationalize that nuts are healthy.

Oatmeal because I'm running out and I want to try making oatmeal wraps soon. Next week my flaxseed for the wraps will arrive. I'm thinking tuna salad wraps, with spinach rolled in, also arriving next week.

Plenty of blueberries to go with yogurt when it's not making a mayo substitute for the tuna salad with Dijon mustard and vinegar.

Broccoli heads, rescued tops, to go with the cod now thawing in the fridge. Already steamed. Cheese sauce will happen. 

So many plans, so much knitting, so much reading,  and there's civic duty. Here's my mail in ballot for the November election.

And the latest reading in waiting

I have a request: going forward, please read the comments ahead of yours. 

Check yesterday's post to see how many times I re-explained that my fun birthday question was directed at singles, just a bit of fun for us solo folk. 

Anyway, just askin'. And thank you to the blogistas who caught on and humored me!

Happy day, everyone, yes, everyone (!) and give yourself a little reward for stress. Toffeed almonds, maybe.

PT, new dustpan, ACLU, Textiles and Tea, Kevin Aspaas

This morning you could really see how the sun is moving around with the season, the shadows  falling quite differently.

Today was a tapering-off session with Emil, nearly at the end of our six weeks, and I think he's enjoyed our work. He keeps exclaiming You listen! You do the work! Evidently not a given with PT patients.

We walked further than ever, not quite to the pond but a good twenty minutes. Great chat, too.  And more exercises, and I learned more about what's going on with the various body parts getting back in place. He's a great teacher to a receptive student. It's easy to listen when you feel well.

Then Ted and I listened to the blogistas who kindly explained there are long handled dustpans, what a concept. We found a broom handle, inserted it into the dustpan handle, et voila! Drumroll

And, in the mail today, my free handout cards in English and Spanish from ACLU 

They fold down to business card size, to fit in a wallet. I plan to share them at libraries etc.

And Textiles and Tea was a great young Navajo weaver, Kevin Aspaas. He spins, dyes and weaves the wool from his flock of traditional churro sheep. 

But he's innovative, too, working in wedge weave and combining it with twill. He also creates wool dresses for special commissions, designed to be family heirlooms.

Take a look 

This was a great episode, and now I really want to weave. And spin..

Happy day, everyone, this has been a great Tuesday around here. I'm hoping yours has been, too.

Today's cute winter boots, immigrant rights

Here's what's up today. I've sent away for my cards, which I will leave around in places like the library, and give to friends.

At home, the Sock 'n Glove Ministry continues, probably needed all the more now 

This yarn is interesting. It's braided rather than plied, and creates a lovely warm springy fabric, good for socks.   After this pair, I have enough yarn to double the threads and knit gloves. 

It's friendly to knit, a contrast to that brilliantly colored yarn I've been using, which fights every step.  It looks lovely when done but I don't look forward to knitting it. 

However it's what I was issued with, so I feel I need to use it. The socks have certainly been well received, so there's that. 

This yarn is much more restful. Right now there's enough fighting without having your yarn joining in.

Happy day everyone, looking forward to tomorrow's Misfits, because there's an interesting tofu idea I plan on after the halibut is gone, along with the Spanish Fork potato croquettes.

Meanwhile Hamish Macbeth is still going.

We can keep going too, and thank you everyone who is doing their bit of resisting the current evil administration, even though it's uncomfortable to do it. 

We need to be able to look back in future years, no matter how it goes,  proud of what we did to fight back.

ACLU knows their members, and other intriguing things

 Today there's a survey, everyone does surveys, this one actually includes my age group. 

I get so sick of age ranges ending with boomers as if they've written off the active involved people beyond the boomer age. I'm still kicking boomers off my lawn, dratted kids.

The chocolate cake and ANZAC biscuits were so successful that after enjoying them here, Handsome Son took a box more home.  I'm looking at a depleted supply. He tells me he feels the same now as ever, despite the birthday.  Which I understand. You don't feel a chronological age at all. You're pretty much the same person anyway.

Lovely encounter with Gary's nine year old granddaughter K, wheeling her baby sister A, about. Beautiful baby, looks like her sister at that age, about three months. They're so bonded, too. A held my finger briefly, then she was happy to switch to her sister, and she hung on to her firmly!  No pictures, protecting them both. 

In other exciting sightings, Handsome Son and I saw the first hummingbird clearwing moth of the year, hovering around the butterfly bush. And many brown butterflies. Late but welcome. The little browns seem to be having a banner year.

Likewise the Democratic convention which I watched online with friends, great fun with knowledgeable people commenting. I had the live stream going on my phone and chat on my tablet.  No mainstream media, much better this way. We got to see everything, not just what the networks picked.

It was flawless, a brilliant production, such happy energy. Best speeches Kamala, Hillary and Michelle, so wonderful to have women front and center. And daughters, and a goddaughter, and sisters! We're really blessed with the Walz family, too.

I'm a bit tired now, but a nice tired. And fired up. 

If you're in a red state, keep on checking your voter registration status. Many voter suppression efforts are happening. Friends in Texas have had to register twice more already because of being removed from the rolls, despite being regular voters. So please do that. Don't wait.

Meanwhile flowers for all of us 

and the platonic ideal of dessert 

The Friday knitting group was fun 

The sock knitter brought treats from her recent trip home to Taiwan, rice, seeds and her uncle's honey 

Chat ranged over library acquisition, humidity, Shetland, Edinburgh, furniture, weather, shorts, tie dye, accents, gaelic, Norse, mackerel fishing, lobstering in Maine, craft books and more.

Happy day everyone, have a great weekend.