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Alison Hawke

Alison Hawke

Things not meant to be

Ever have one of those projects that refuses to co-operate? I tried to start the Matthew hempathy scarf in work on Friday and messed it up. Tried again twice today, and it still wouldn't work. Gave up and started the Trailing Fuschia lace scarf instead, and made two

Tapestries

Went to a training session last night on the Tapestries program, writing life stories for elderly people in a nursing home. The writing doesn't worry me too much, but the interviews are daunting. As practice, we have to interview one of the other volunteers, preferably one we don&

Chorlton's First Spin

Evelyn: "Look, I... I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am." Rick: "And what is that?" Evelyn: "I... am a librarian." (Quote from The Mummy)

Chorlton arrives

It's been a long wait, but my new spinning wheel finally arrived on Wednesday and I was able to grab it after work. Introducing Chorlton: Those trailing strings are my bobbin leaders. The box had a handle, which made carrying it a breeze. This is important when you&

Domesday online

BBC News: Internet upgrade for Domesday Book. The Domesday Book has embarked on many varied journeys in its 920-year lifetime. Its latest stop is now the web. The iconic 11th Century document, which has been rebound, copied, facsimiled and even hidden in prisons, has been made available online. This latest

Finished socks

Finished the cotton lace socks: I'm happy with these, it's my first try with a toe-up heel flap pattern that worked, first attempt at lace on a sock, first cotton socks I own, and made from formerly unloved sock yarn. Specifics are: size 1 needles, gauge

Archimedes and the synchrotron

BBC News: X-rays reveal Archimedes secrets. A series of hidden texts written by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes are being revealed by US scientists. Until now, the pages have remained obscured by paintings and texts laid down on top of the original writings. Using a non-destructive technique known as X-ray

TV History

Found the TV Ark a while back, and have been exploring the old children's TV programs I used to watch. The "Umpty Flump" post title came from an episode of The Flumps (intro here on Realplayer) called The Cloud, where a grey cloud follows the Flump

High heels and hospitals

BBC News: Experts warn of high-heel danger. Women are paying the price for fashion in the form of broken bones and sprained ankles, a doctor has warned. The warm weather has led to a spate of injuries caused by women falling from their high-heeled sandals. Rupert Evans, an accident and

Umpty Flump

The spinning wheel I ordered isn't here yet, and may not be here for a while, perhaps another month. So I'm trying to get better with the drop spindle until I get back on the wheel. Surprising how fast I've lost the drafting knack,

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