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Alison Hawke

Alison Hawke

Yarn and other animals

Cast on with the Socks That Rock yarn on Monday night. It's like knitting with cocoa butter. Soft, smooth, yarn with gorgeous colours. Had to rip out the toe twice (too many stitches, then a crappy increase) but it's OK. I am calling these socks Harvest

Newsround

Interesting BBC News stories today. Plasma engine passes initial test. The engine uses ionised xenon gas for thrust. It's slower than a chemical drive, but it can operate for longer. Good diagram of how an ion engine works. Mayan treasure found in Guatemala. A mural has been found,

A Good Cup of Tea

BBC News: Tea 'reduces ovarian cancer risk'. The risk of developing ovarian cancer can be reduced by drinking tea, a team of Swedish researchers says. Karolinska Institute researchers found drinking at least two cups a day cut the risk by nearly 50%. Antioxidants in tea are thought to

Scissors to ride

BBC News: US to relax airline scissor ban. If scissors are allowed, then knitting needles should be fine, in theory. But I think the second quote is an over-reaction by the flight attendants. The US is to relax its post-9/11 ban on airline passengers carrying sharp objects, in a

Annual gobbledegook

BBC News: 9 things that make no sense. Each year the Plain English Campaign nominates examples of gobbledegook. And each year the Magazine shares the joy. So here are nine statements, chosen by the campaign, which could perhaps do with some re-working. 1. Rhodri Morgan, Welsh First Minister, for: "

Block party

I have witnessed the miracle of blocking. I left Faina an extra day to make sure it wasn't faking flatness before taking the pins out, and lo, it stayed flat! So I'm blocking everything: This is the Prairie Shawl from Folk Shawls, made in Blue Sky

Fresh new critters

'New mammal' seen in Borneo woods. In the dense central forests of Borneo, a conservation group has found what appears to be a new species of mammal. WWF caught two images of the animal, which is bigger than a domestic cat, dark red, and has a long muscular

End of an era

Finished knitting Faina's scarf on Saturday, blocked and fringed it on Sunday. My Christmas knitting is over. For my first lace project, I think I did good. It's a great pattern, and I could see making it again, but not anytime soon! It was an easy

Knitting news

Winter Knitty is up! I would like to make the pocket creatures (minus the vile lavender) and the Thuja ribbed socks. The other sock pattern, Pomatomus looks worth a try, but I'd have to go up a couple of needle sizes to get gauge. The Mrs Beeton gauntlets

Priorities

Priority #1: Finish the Tiger socks for Rox so I can cast on with the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock in Harvest Moon and make wonderful socks: Priority #1: Finish Faina's Scarf so I can cast on with this Koigu PPPM and make a gorgeous neck

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