Happy Independence Day

The Cost of War
I just heard on the news that this Iraq war has already cost the U.S. taxpayer $350 BILLION dollars (that's $350,000,000,000 for those that prefer numerics).

Wouldn't it have been easier and less deadly to a lot of people to just pay each Iraqi citizen $13,000 dollars (there are about 26 million Iraqis) and ask them to just look at democracy as a possible way of life? Or maybe to have paid 350,000 Iraqis a million dollars each to start an insurgency for Democracy? Or perhaps they could have just hired 350,000 Americans at million dollars each to run this war...well, I guess they kind of did that...except Haliburton didn't give America quite that many people.

I don't know, but it just seems that $350,000,000,000 is a helluva lot of money to "bring democracy" to a country we didn't seem to care that much about for centuries.

Couldn't we have just sent flowers?

Current Knitting
I've made some additional progress on the first sleeve of the Faux Rib, but it's nothing to write home about, nor post a picture of.

Other Fiber-Related Activity
I have been continuously spinning the white Romney-like roving that I got for my birthday from Thaddeus' sister.

Here's my lastest hank of yarn from that batch.



Only about 20 more of those to go.

Flea Market Finds
This past weekend at our local flea market allowed me to buy this packet of pattern booklets and magazines for US$5.



The black and white Lacy's pamphlet toward the left edge of the picture has a baby blanket with a beautiful looking stitch pattern. I have a baby blanket to make for a co-worker, and I think this stitch will be perfect.

More to be revealed.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Regarding the Corner to Corner test-afghan, Bess asks, "Love the afghan--what kind of stitch is that?"

This link will bring you to a PDF pattern for the stitch.

Anne Marie asks, "regarding the corner to corner afghan: since I do not crochet, what stitch design would you recommend for a knitted c2c? garter is just too damn boring...."

I don't know of any other corner to corner knit stitches, other than garter. Any readers know of any?