"Nice Knits"!

Internet Gangs Running Rampant

I am sure you all know Dooce.

Heather B. Armstrong is synonymous with blogging. She is pretty much the Queen of Blogging, and I have enjoyed reading her blog for the past few years. She is very open with her life, and the topics covered in her daily posts run the gamut from raising her daughter, her thoughts on religion, and her struggles with constipation. Topics that a lot of people can identify with...me included (all though not the constipation problem).

The other day her post was about recent comments she had gotten from people regarding her blog (she mentions that all of them were from just one week). I wasn't surprised by the lack of intelligence of those who left comments. What did astound me is how the commenters found what Heather wrote (or didn't write in some cases) so compelling they felt the need to comment in such a nasty way. Some of these jackasses actually had the nerve to comment about how they didn't find her child cute. Seriously, you have some HUGE issues to go around bashing someones innocent little kid. Some of them even let loose about how much they used to enjoy her blog, but now she is just too boring for them to bother reading anymore. How disappointed they were in her posts.

Who on earth is making those people read her blog? Is there some sort of "Internet gang" out there making people read blogs they don't like? Damn, I had no idea this sort of thing was going on! Those poor people are being FORCED to read her blog! This type of bullying needs to be reported to the higher-ups who own the Internet. This has to be stopped!

If you are one of those Internet gang members out there forcing innocent people to read blogs they don't like, please stop. These people have other SERIOUS issues they need to spend their time working on, and reading blogs they hate cuts into that time. And please don't make them read Nice Knits. I don't think I could handle being responsible for any more lives than I already am. The pressure would be IMMENSE!

Ranting About the "Runway"

I swear, if Santino doesn't get the ole "Auf Wiedersehen" tonight, I am going to be one pissed off chick. I honestly can't stand another Runway critique with him pouting about how nobody "gets" his designs. I understand them perfectly..they SUCK! He needs to go back to LA and invest in some serious haircare and a new set of ears. Ones he can actually listen with.

Here's hoping either Chloe or Nick make it all the way. I must say, this season really didn't have anyone I really felt like rooting for.....not like I did for Jay. (Speaking of Jay, Bravo will be airing a special about him on Feb 22.)

If you are a fan, be sure to check out Tim Gunn's Podcasts. I just love hearing him talk, and he is a very honest commentator.

Elevators

Isn't there some sort of rule that if you get into an elevator and you need to go to the top floor, you push your button and move to the back? I swear, everytime I get in the elevator from the lobby (I am on the 4th fl) I end up having to push my way through a bunch of 9th floor people, and then push BACK through when I get to my floor. Does that make sense? And then the 9th floor people get irritated you need to get out! Next time I get in I am going to stay in the front and turn to face everyone. And then proceed to pick my nose. Maybe that'll get them to the back.

Piss Me Off

I cannot tell you how pissed I am to see stuff like this going on...not that it wasn't expected:

Looters take advantage of hurricane chaos, destruction

Officials throw up hands as looters ransack New Orleans

Seeing this makes me loose what little faith I have left in the human race. You know it is one thing to take food and water when there is a national emergency, but to STEAL jewelry, football jerseys and guns. We all know these are not life essentials (well, at least for most people). It's just so sad.

Here's how you can help.

Yoga or Yoda?

I recently decided that no exercise was a bad thing. I have a gym membership, but no desire to go to the gym. With one look in the mirror, I figured I could not afford to keep throwing $50/month down the toilet. I used to take yoga classes all the time after the bean was born...you know, to get my "figure" back. But over time, sleeping in on Saturdays became much more attractive. I am proud to report that in the past three weeks I have attended yoga at least twice a week. Now imagine my surprise when last night Darth Vader showed up to class! Yes, I swear, Darth Vader was doing his sun salutations right behind me. OK, MAYBE he wasn't wearing the helmet, and MAYBE he disguised himself as a woman, but I tell you it was him. You know that horrible breathing sound he makes? Tipped me right off! I bet Yoda will be there next week showing off his levitation tricks and everything.

Pissed Off at Fall

The first thing I did when I got back from vacation was buy the new Interweave Knits that came out when I was away. I was so excited to see all of the ads for the fall patterns...Rowan Mag #38, RY Classic, new Rebecca, etc. Now, imagine my surprise when I beat feet to the mentioned Web sites for a gander at these spectacular fall designs only to find that apparently someone at these very large companies FORGOT TO UPDATE THE WEB SITE! I mean come on, if you are going to advertise in a very well known knitting magazine, wouldn't you at least update your site to acknowledge that the ad was actually running? The patterns are obviously finished...Rebecca even ran a full page ad for God's sake. Even if they aren't ready to distribute the finished product, they at least could give us a peek. Sorry, but I absolutely hate that.

Moving on, I thought the Shibori article in this issue was pretty interesting. I also liked the Union Square Market Pullover (the sleeves more than anything else), the Cabled Shrug (but probably too big for me), and of course I would DIE to have the Satchel. That thing is WAY beyond my capabilities, but I love the "Mary Poppins" look of it. I really liked the sweater in the Skacel ad on page 77, but of course, no info about it on their Web site. I also went to take a look at the new Hand Maiden yarns from Fleece Artist, but alas, also could not find a Web site that sold just the yarn...only kits. By this time the Interweave Mag hit the wall and there it sits. Punished for being the messenger of bad Web sites.

Knitting and vacation pictures tomorrow. I just haven't gotten around to sorting them. The Internet is the LAST place you are going to see a picture of me in a bikini!

Ponchos

Now, I have nothing against ponchos. But, it really pisses me off that the poncho Martha got from her inmate friend has now become THE poncho to make. Lion Brand has already made a version of the pattern available. The kicker is that the woman who made the poncho really won't get any credit for this design. You know if she had been out of prison and had tried to sell these ponchos, no one would have bought them and she would probably still be trying to find a job. Do you honestly think Lion Brand would have BOUGHT that pattern from her? I'm not sure what she did to be incarcerated in the first place, but it makes me feel bad to think she will probably never get the credit she deserves for her creativity.

Maybe Lion Brand will do something beside try and make money and actually donate yarn to the prison. I can think of a lot of homeless people who could benefit from having a knit hat or scarf...and women in prison sure have plenty of free time to spend knitting.

Rant #1: The Good Book

When I started this blog, I decided that I would try and keep the content knitting-related. There are plenty of other sites out there that talk about politics, current events, reality TV, etc. But then I realized that sometimes the knitting stuff can get monotonous, unless of course you are a super speedy knitter and can finish a lot of cool projects in a month (ummm...not me). So, I decided to start a new section of my site called "Rants". "Rants" will be where I let go about something that bugs me...be it people, tv shows, the weather, ect. I thought it might be interesting to see if anyone else feels the same way I do. I will always warn you of an upcoming rant in the post title, in case you would rather come back another day when I have knitting stuff to talk about. Please leave comments even if you disagree with the Rant. All opinions are welcome.

Rant #1: Bible Readers Who Don't Practice What They Read

Have you ever noticed that the person on the Metro reading the Bible is usually the rudest person on the train? Now, I am not a religious person in any sense, but I respect the fact that religion is very important to many, many people. I was raised Presbyterian, so I have a little, albet rusty, knowledge of the Bible. The Bible is supposed to teach you to be a "good" person...right? How to treat others the way you want to be treated? Just yesterday, (yes, just a few days after the holiday), I sat next to a woman who was reading the Bible and taking notes. Taking notes in her "Bible Notebook". When we were close to her stop, she turned to me and said with a snear "I get off here". No "excuse me" and no "thank you" as I hurried out of her way. She then proceeded to stomp on a poor guy sitting by the door. She actually turned back to give him a dirty look...as if he was purposely trying to slow her down. No "I'm sorry" in sight.

Am I missing something? Has the Bible been rewritten in the past few years, and because it isn't on my wish list Amazon didn't tell me? Did someone invent a new "Rude Religion?" I guess I just expected more from someone with a "Bible Notebook."