Simpler Times

Don't you ever feel that it would be great to get back to a more simple time, when we weren't so removed from self reliance?

How Many Levels Removed
Having described my job the other day, I always think that my skillset would be completely useless in a post-nuclear attack world. Here's how I see the hierarchy and how I fit in:

4. I support companies/project teams that implement HR software.
3. The software helps Human Resources departments to hire and track employees.
2. Most of the companies I work for are service companies (e.g. banking or insurance), so the employees tracked by the system support people in administering the logistics of their lives.
1. Some of those people actually create products that help sustain us (e.g. farming, building houses, etc.)

So minimally, I am four levels away from any form of useful productivity on this planet.

Knitting
I've worked up about halfway on the ribbing for the first sock (maybe a little higher...but not much). It's certainly not worth a picture.

Vogue Knitting
Last week at JoAnn's I picked up the most recent Vogue Knitting.



Overall, there are about 35 designs for a cost of US$5.99. I didn't find any of the articles worth reading, and here are my thoughts on the designs:

Hooded Crop Top - Tahki Design Team - Hideous abomination
Sweet Little Tank - Mary Corcoran - Kinda cute
Short Form Fitting Poncho - Irina Poludnenko - Looks like you're wearing a dust rage
Courtney Thorne-Smith's Cancer Scarf - Great colors if you don't mind garter stitch
Beaded Shell - Cathy Maguire - Just kinda boring
Surplice Tank - Jordan Paige - Not very practicaly use of novelty yarn
Simple Pullover - Barbara Khouri - Interesting and well executed
Cool Coverup - Marcia Cleary - Knitted beachwear? No thank you.
Twisted Traditional Top - Gabrielle Hamill - Simple and nice
Lacy Striped Vest - Marcia Cleary - Not bad
Itsy-Bitsy Bikini - Vladimir Teriokhin - Bad shaping, bad idea
Oversized Cardigan - Kaffe Fassett - Classic Kaffe in both color and design - Nice
Flame Stitched Cropped Cardigan - Shirley Paden - Not bad
Boat-Neck Ribbed Pullover - Norah Gaughan - Heavy and bulky looking
Wrap-Front Hoodie - Norah Gaughan - Not great
Figure Loving Tunic - Mari Lynn Patrick - PLEASE banish this woman from knitwear design!!
Sexy Wrap - Unknown - Not sexy at all
Slim-Fitting Shell - Kathy Zimmerman - Nice use of cotton
Juicy Twinset - Mari Lynn Patrick - This is her best yet and it's just plain boring
Leopard Print Bordered Vest - Teva Durham - Wrong in so many way
Seed Stitch Shell - Charlotte Quiggle - Vogue paid for this "design"?
Tiny Cable Tennis Sweater - Debbie Bliss - Better than Wendy's but still bad
Shawl-Collared Cropped Cardigan - Jaeger Design Team - Interesting but doesn't work
Twinkle - Unknown - Bulky cropped cotton cardigan - Doomed from the start
Elongated Tank - Cynthia Rowley - Nice design and excellent choice of color
Lacy Tube - Pierrot - Not sure what I think
Citron Camisole - Shirley Paden - Very cute and well designed
Berry Nice Cropped Jacket - Gayle Bunn - Ill-conceived bad design
Creamy Dreamy Fringed Shawl - Mari Lynn Patrick - Every time I think she can't get worse...
Shapley Short Jacket - Elena Malo - Interesting fabrics, don't like the shaping
Romantic Eyelet Top - Vladimir Teriokhin - I can't imagine anyone ever wearing this
Flower-Strewn Capelet - Alison Dupernex - What a waste of intarsia
Color-Rich Cropped Top - Sasha Kagan - I've never been so ashamed of Ms. Kagan
Lacy Diamonds and Eyelets - Deborah Newton - Very bad...very bad...very bad
Six Sheer Summer Scarfs - Various Designers - Mostly good

Other JoAnn's Purchase
Also while at JoAnn's I purchased a Leisure Arts booklet on baby blankets:



The booklet was kind of expensive (US$14.95), but it has 33 blanket/afghan patterns, many of which I will be making over the years for my breeder friends/family/coworkers.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Carol notes that I must have tried to hornswaggle my readers by showing pictures of commercially spun yarn in place of my own alleged handspun merino.

I will say that I probably have an incredibly bad spinning technique from a classic spinning perspective. However, I am able to spin very fine, relatively even singles with an amazing amount of speed. I'd consider teaching my technique to others, but I'm afraid people that I respect, like Nelda Davis would be aghast at my methods.

Ann asks: "So, Joe - ya'll gonna skein those up and enter them in S&W? Although they might not buy the Novice spinner thing any more than the rest of us do....."

I plan on spinning 8 different colors of singles and then double-plying them and changing colors at even intervals during the plying process to make my own version of self-striping sock yarn. I'm not sure if it will work in reality, but I won't have to cross that bridge for a while.