Reader (e)mail

Yesterday's post hit a nerve with some people, and that's a shame, for I didn't intend to insult anyone or rub salt in what are fresh and raw wounds. For someone who expressed a similar sentiment but in perhaps more eloquent terms, see here. In any event, out of respect for the victims, I've shut down the comments for that post so we can move on and let the grieving and investigatory processes take their course.

In the meantime, I have two reader questions. Maybe you will have some ideas in addition to those that I thought of. Elizabeth asks

I’m a new spinner (got my wheel in November) and I just dyed up some Wensleydale roving (pics on my blog). It’s SOOO pretty and shiny and I want to knit a lace shawl out of it but almost everything I’ve read says that Wensleydale is best used for outer wear, weaving, even rugs! Is it possible, do you think, to spin Wensleydale smooth enough to where it isn’t prickly? I sampled a little on my spindle and yes, it has a halo much like mohair. I’m going to try spinning it from the fold on a low ratio and see if that produces a less hairy yarn. Would you have any other suggestions to offer?

I am stumped for other suggestions, and wonder if there's really anything one can do to fight against the essential nature of Wensleydale, which is to have relatively long fibers. Any of you more experienced spinners out there want to take a crack at it?

CCR wrote:

I found out that a good friend is pregnant, after years of hoping, and with twins! Having just seen a fellow knitter complete Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket, I am encouraged to think I can do that, twice, but I'm not sure what yarn to use. I want it to be soft (for the babies as well as for me as I knit) but sturdy (so they last a little while), and machine wash and dry (for the sake of the parents), and not too expensive for the sake of the budget. What would you recommend?

I tried to email you personally, CCR, but for some reason the email got bounced. I think that the hardest part is finding a yarn that can be machine dried. A lot of yarns are superwash but not a lot of yarn manufacturers recommend machine drying. The only two possibilities I can think of (and please, for the love of God, don't mention R** H***t -- I think it's way scratchy for babies and will make them sweat) are (1) Plymouth Encore, which is 75% acrylic/25% wool, comes in lots of colors, is reasonably priced (between five and six bucks for a 200-yd skein) and is sold a lot of place, including my beloved Rosie's. and (2) Gems Merino, which is the only other yarn I can think of that specifically says you can machine dry it. Gems is 100% merino wool, comes in fingering weight and a dk-weight, pretty colors, and is also around $6 for a skein, at least for the fingering weight. (Also available at Rosie's.) Both of these are soft enough for babies and relatively easy care.

Any other suggestions?

The rent-a-cops have got to go.

Yesterday's tragedy at Virginia Tech is almost too much to take in. The horror, the loss of life, the senselessness of it, the age of the victims -- it's unbearable.

We can't restore the dead to life. We can't say much to comfort grieving family and friends. We can't erase the memories of the survivors. But one thing we can do is provide at least a few answers.

Why did the shooter snap? Did anyone have any inkling that he might be planning a bloodbath? Where did he get the weapons? Was anyone else involved? Was the response of college authorities appropriate? What needs to be done to prevent incidents like this or provide better warnings to students if such massacres can't be stopped?

The survivors and loved ones of the victims deserve answers to these questions. And after watching the head of the campus police at a press conference last night, I couldn't believe that campus security was still in charge of this investigation.

I went to college and although my encounters with campus security were rare, these encounters were hardly confidence-inspiring. Twenty-year-olds whose voices were still cracking with youth, retired guys who could barely strap their walkie-talkies around their beer bellies, carrying a heavy resentment toward students along with their billy clubs. Maybe my view of campus police is skewed. But when we consider the enormity of this massacre, can we honestly say that campus police are the best people for the job?

There have already been serious questions raised about the university's response and the on-going investigation of the campus police. They still haven't said whether there were one or two gunmen (if there was one, say so to alleviate the fears of students; if there were two, why isn't there a massive manhunt underway?). They didn't identify the student to the public until sometime early this morning. They dismissed the first shooting as merely a "domestic"* and didn't implement wide-scale warnings to students until after most were on their way to morning classes.

Now is not the time for Cletus Farkel or Wendell Finchum or whoever the hell he is to play cops and robbers with a staff accustomed to dealing with drunk students and minor vandalism. Let's get the best law enforcement officers in the country on this case. Let's get some answers.



*And don't even get me started on what this may say about the campus police's attitude toward violence against women: "It was just his girlfriend - he's not gonna shoot anybody else"? "The bitch probably deserved it"?

Short Attention Span Wednesday

Truth in Advertising?

I'd like Ralph Nader to take a closer look at the deceptively-named tee-vee show "Dancing with the Stars." The next edition's cast includes these has-beens wanna-bes stars of stage and screen: actor Vincent Pastore ("The Biggest Loser" -- and oh, yeah, "The Sopranos"); Beverly Hills 90210's Ian Ziering (who apparently doesn't know how to pronounce his own name, calling himself "Eye-an"); former 'N Sync Member Joey something or other; future ex-Mrs. Paul McCartney, Heather Mills; Miss USA 2004 Shandy Finnessy (IMHO she'll never top her stellar work on "Lingo"); and several others too depressing to even think about.

Topic: "Dancin' with the Stars" is neither dancing nor with stars. Discuss.

No-Bull Book Reviews

I've got some more knitting book reviews coming up, but notwithstanding some reader requests, I'm not going to review any books put out by Interweave Press. They are the publishers of my upcoming book and since I pride myself on honesty and objectivity, it just wouldn't be right for me to opine about their newest releases. We're all about journalist integrity here at GKIYH. (Although, ahem, I do love Lace Style, Favorite Socks and No Sheep 4 U...)

Speaking of Journalistic Integrity

WTF is with the mainstream news media? There's gavel-to-gavel coverage on the Anna Nicole who-gets-to-bury-the-putrefying-corpse hearing, while serious issues, like the Scooter Libby trial (doesn't anyone care that high-level government officials are willing to blow the cover of CIA agents for political purposes?) and the current clusterfuck in Iraq (if we're doing so well over there, why is Britain pulling out its troops? and if Britain is doing it, why the hell aren't we?) get virtually no coverage.

Can We Knit-Bloggers Please

please come together in a display of unity and decency, and stop saying the following: "dudes" (particularly when used to address readers), "alert the media" and "just sayin'"?

Please?

Who says Philly is a second-rate city?

Where else would you find Nora, the piano-playing cat?

On a more serious note

I have to confess that I was not originally a fan of Keith Olbermann. I knew him as a sports commentator, and I didn't realize his journalistic expertise extended beyond home run averages and field goals.

Boy, was I wrong.

Lately, Olbermann has been one of the most passionate and articulate critics of George W. Bush, focusing in particular on the fiasco that is our involvement in Iraq. When many other media figures seem to shy away from asking the tough questions, or accept unquestioningly Karl Rove's latest spin, Olbermann sees through the bullshit. For the past months, I've been following his "special comments," delivered at the end of his Countdown TV show, and reproduced on MSNBC.com's website. Take Thursday night's commentary, for example, responding to the recent presidential address on Eye-wrack:

Mr. Bush, this is madness.

You have lost the military. You have lost the Congress to the Democrats. You have lost most of the Iraqis. You have lost many of the Republicans. You have lost our allies.

You are losing the credibility, not just of your presidency, but more importantly of the office itself.

And most imperatively, you are guaranteeing that more American troops will be losing their lives, and more families their loved ones. You are guaranteeing it!

This becomes your legacy, sir: How many of those you addressed last night as your “fellow citizens” you just sent to their deaths.

Olbermann is one of the few voices in the mainstream media who consistently reminds us that the emperor, Emperor George Dubya Bush, has no clothes. I just hope Olbermann keeps his taxes in pristine order, because I have a sneaking suspicion that the mother of all IRS audits is in his near future.