Waxing UnPolitical

Boy I hate to get on a soapbox, but this is the only forum I have to do so, and I know no one will read it anyway. ;)

I recently heard that you can no longer send gifts or get well cards addressed to "any recovering soldier" at Walter Reed Hospital. Instead, people are encouraged to donate money to nonprofit organizations who support our troops.

Is it just me, or do you find this upsetting too? I know this war is about making money but for pity's sake, we should at least have some way to personally let our soldiers know we appreciate them -- and not by adding to the bottom line of some nonprofit organization.

Anyone who thinks that nonprofit organizations do not make money is foolish. People at nonprofit organizations do make money, and their CEOs get million dollar salaries just like the rest of corporate america. And when an influx of money comes in, if you think the CEO doesn't find a way to get some of that in his pocket, you are also foolish.

Politicians who wonder why america doesn't support the war? In World War I and World War II, people were asked to knit sweaters and socks for soldiers. Like me. Actual american families pitched in. Children and grown ups collected kapac for the war effort -- metal to be recycled. Even in the Koren and Viet Nam conflicts women across the nation donated toiletries and donated hand-made quilts for hospitals.

The war against terrorism, however, continually insults americans by presenting the "just send money" message. Even worse, those young people who are dying and away from their families every day do not even have the comfort of receiving something personal -- knowing someone cared about me enough to send me a get-well card, or to make a lap quilt for me while I sit in a wheelchair.

Shame on all of us for allowing this!

Finished the first baby sweater

Hi, Melissa! Here it is -- now I'm working on the little pants to go with it.

Fir Cone Lace Shell

Last but not least, I am actually making something for myself! This was inspired by my friend Melissa's idea of knitting a nice shell to wear under a suit or with a skirt for work. I came upon this beautiful Vermont Fiber Arts pattern (one of my favorite designers, all patterns cover PLUS SIZES!). Then I got some wonderful pale sage green Debbie Bliss pure silk yarn, and I think it will be beautiful when finished. Of course I may be retired by then and not need work clothes....

New Baby Sweater set

I have a new nephew on the way, and he has a sister who is 2 but will be 3 soon. I wanted to make them matching outfits. So I found this nice, simple pattern for a chenille sweater set. I adjusted the 6 month size to be 3 months. I found some great hand-dyed chenille yarn, and I chose blue for the boy and pink for the girl -- corny, I know, but there ya go. Here is the pattern:

Here is the yarn:

Sophia's Baptism Gown

This is my new niece Sophia in the gown I made for her Baptism. It is a Leisure Arts leaflet, now out of print, I think. I like long baptism gowns that cascade over the arm of the person holding the baby, so I added two extra flounces to the bottom of the original pattern. I also changed the sleeves to be flared angel sleeves instead of short puffed sleeves, because we didn't know if Sophia would be a boy or a girl! The details aren't terribly clear in this photo, I'll post a new one as the baby pictures are distributed.

Bobbin Lace Book Plate Frame

I have a beautiful, leather-bound, metallic cover stamped, boxed edition of Lord of The Rings by JRR Tolkien. I put my nice book plate inside the front cover, but it needed something to make it special. So I took a torchon bobbin lace pattern and resized it so the central rectangle precisely frames the book plate and the outer edge is 0.25" from the book cover edges. It came out well, and once I have it mounted, I'll post the complete photo.

For My Friend Melissa

Starting my lace and needlework blog for my friend Melissa. It will have my knitting, crocheting, tatting and bobbin lace work. So, here we go!

I think all the time about projects. I like to make something unusal or special about every project I plan. I keep a design book with a record of all my schtuff: thread/yarn samples, drawings, pattern copy, etc. Sometimes I change a pre-published pattern, sometimes I follow the pattern exactly but use an usual thread or yarn choice, sometimes I make up the whole thing. Even when I'm working, I'm thinking about color combinations, stitch combinations, and my next conquest.