Month: February 2009

  • Shared today on Twitter

    is knitting in front of a fan. Isn’t everybody?


    just finished a slow 5km around the neighborhood. Felt pretty good despite the heat. Total for the week: 10.5km http://tinyurl.com/cc9cpe


  • Shared today on Twitter

    is being surprisingly productive for such a hot day. Perhaps I am actually cold-blooded.


    @lotsofco EEEEVAAAAH! *sniff* I cry every. single. time.


  • Shared today on Twitter

    is trying to think of ways to stay cool this weekend when the temperature hits 42C/108F. Any good movies playing? http://tinyurl.com/agjh9d


    @crumpet Beautiful feeling, isn’t it? Congrats on the new job! I’ll be in touch once I’m ready to reveal my knitted Magic Pudding. 🙂


    is at the Lord Nelson getting pissed on cold, cold beer. Yowza.


  • Stuart’s Photos

    Whoa! I’ve just discovered that my co-worker Stu, who teases me whenever he walks past and wears wacky Hawaiian shirts, is actually a photographer of some reknown. I’ll have to check out his exhibition. (More info on his site here.)

  • Secret Guild Business

    Secret Guild Business
    It’s been a light blogging week because once again SCANDAL has erupted within the Knitters’ Guild of NSW. And before you get all “Teehee, isn’t it cute how the knitters argue over whether it’s ‘purl 1 knit 1’ or ‘knit 1 purl 1’!” this issue really has nothing to do with knitting and everything to do with politics and bureaucracy. For the past few years, many of us have heard the complaints about the Guild being out-of-touch, insular, and fuddy-duddy and tried to change the system from within. I’ve gone to several AGMS and Executive Committee meetings to try to educate them about the possibilities of doing more Guild business online. Others have sent letters and taken up Committee positions. Not much has changed. Last November, a discussion started on Ravelry about ways the Guild could change for the better. (Sample suggestion: They could accept credit card or online payment, instead of requiring people to post a cheque. It’s not exactly burning the Reichstag, is it?) The Guild’s response was to try to shut down the discussion. Some good came out of it though, because many new people were motivated to join and a few even dared to nominate for the Executive Committee itself. The nominations were due to close last Friday, and I was happy to hear that not only had three of the “revolutionaries” made it onto the shortlist, but that the lack of other nominations meant an election wasn’t necessary. One of the three mentioned on her blog that she was looking forward to the challenge, and a couple of us congratulated the three on Ravelry. Not long after, we were told that the nominations had not closed, that the date had been published wrong, that two more mystery nominations had been received (necessitating an election), and that the three had been “stupid” in mentioning it online. And that was pretty much the straw that broke the camel’s back.Here’s some text from an email that I sent to my group Convenor this morning:

    “…In
    the past four months, I have wasted probably an entire day of my life talking about the Guild. Every time I’ve been at a gathering of more than 2 knitters, it’s all we can talk about. And not in a positive way. I’ve heard non-members gripe about the hoops they have to jump
    through to register. I’ve heard from new members who were not welcomed when they attended their first meetings. I’ve heard from people who’ve sent emails and phone calls and never received responses… And though I have never had anything but politeness from those in charge, I’ve heard from many people of curt responses, of being made to feel unwelcome, of censorship and attempts to silence critics, and finally this week, of actual personal insults from a member of the Executive Committee. And who knows if this election will even be allowed to stand? Now I’m hearing that the whole bungle about the nomination
    closing date might invalidate it all together. At best it looks like incompetence; at worst I’ve seen a few people – non-members, even! – say it looks like a deliberate attempt to influence who gets on the Executive. That’s the image we’re projecting to everyone else.

    “And none of that has anything to do with knitting! It’s all about bureaucracy and politics and rules and secrecy and people needing to find ways to make themselves feel important.

    “So for all that, what do I actually get in return? A stitch and bitch every month… though I see the majority of those people at other non-Guild knitting events too. A newsletter that rarely has any content I’m interested in, and which would be better delivered via
    email. A library that I don’t use, certification that I’m not particularly interested in, and workshops scheduled where and when I can’t attend. Really, camp is the only highlight there, but that was more about a weekend away with my friends and focusing on our knitting. We could arrange something similar independent of the Guild…

    “The return just isn’t worth the emotional investment. I really only see three options. 1. I can quit altogether, and find alternatives to supply those few things I would miss from the Guild… 2. I could remain a member and disengage emotionally, attending the meetings but not caring about anything Guild-related beyond what directly affects me. 3) I could keep working
    to try to change things. #3 is what I’ve been trying to do for some months now, but I’m worn out. I no longer have faith that a change of Committee is going to fix things, especially as the election now seems compromised. To be honest the only reason I’m hanging around is
    because a few people who still have hope have asked me to. If the new Committee manages to make some changes, they’ll probably need some help on the website.”

    So that’s where it stands. I actually posted on Ravelry yesterday about possibly starting a new official organisation for knitters and crocheters in Australia, and the response was pretty overwhelming. We’re forming a Steering Committee to look at the legal issues surrounding incorporation. It’s exciting.

    Now I’m just waiting to hear whether I’m to be rapped on the knuckles for daring to complain about the Guild in public. After all, the first rule of Knitting Club…

  • Oo De Lally Translated

    Oh, neat! Robin Hood’s “Oo De Lally” Translated. I love that song; Rodd and I quote it to each other all the time. It’s funny to see the different versions from other countries. The Italian one didn’t even try to match the original feel of Roger Miller’s singing. Instead it sounds like a lounge singer trying to seduce someone!

  • Shared today on Twitter

    is rocking the Australian kniting landscape today, my friends. Paradigm shifting. World changing.


    2.44km jog w/ Runkeeper. Had to switch filter to None to get signal. Wonder if my case is affecting it? http://tinyurl.com/b7veps


    @runkeeper Was same route as last, but this one was about 300m shorter. Think it was more accurate tho. Wish it could find loaction faster!


  • Shared today on Twitter

    @mathowie They’re like the NSA.. When I last moved, ND tracked me down before I’d given my PARENTS the new address. And that’s overseas!


    just had my 3rd session w/ Spudds. Either I’m getting stronger or he’s taking it easier on me. Only felt like puking right @ the very end.


    @crumpet Dude, spill! I want to congratulate but I don’t know WHAT FOR?!


    w-g oscar contest 2009 has more than 100 entries! You could win Batman & Joker sock monkeys. (Srsly.) Enter here: http://tinyurl.com/2yzfsb


    is absolutely sick of Knitters Guild drama. Thinking of staging a mass walkout at the AGM. Tired of fighting with the blue hairs. SECESSION!


  • Steve Martin Plays the Banjo

    Huh. I think I had a vague idea that Steve Martin plays the banjo, but I didn’t know how much of an expert he is! I like that he has this secret hobby that most people don’t know about. I just sent that link to my Grandpa, who also plays (and even “gigs” in Indiana/Ohio). I’m tempted to send him Martin’s new album off Amazon too.