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Alison Hawke

Alison Hawke

Christmas comes early

Hubby loves me! We did Christmas on Saturday since we're flying this week, and he gave me wonderful presents including the Lego Star Wars XBox game! I love that game, it is the best thing on any console or computer, and I don't care that I&

Oxo cubes

BBC News: Gravy train to success for artist. A Tyneside artist has followed in the footsteps of Andy Warhol by using a well-known kitchen brand name to create a work of art. Paul Birdsall, from Newcastle, has crafted four sculptures using nothing more than Oxo cubes. The crumbly brown

End of the Line

This is my last Friday in America for 2005. We fly to England on Thursday 22nd, arriving Friday 23rd. These are the blog-worthy highlights of my year: * I taught myself stranded colour knitting in January. * Hubby gave me an iPod Mini in March for my birthday. * Got my ears

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,

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

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