The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Let's start this off with the good. I found a wonderful blog that tells how to make your own yarn swift! You know, those spindly-spinny things that help you move yarn between hanks, cones and balls. So if you'd like to get more into hand dyeing wool, or just a better way to wind hank or cone yarn into balls, here it is! I made one in a few hours with a miter box and power drill, spending around $2 on parts - the long bolt and some washers. I had the rest sitting in the garage.

Here it is: http://www.craftydiversions.com/patterns/homemade_yarn_swift.htm - THANK YOU Anne Kuo Lukito! You can buy a .pdf of the directions from her for just $2 on her site.

The only thing I'd like to add is, be sure to drill straight down when you make the hole in the center for the main bolt that holds it all together. Mine's off so one part of the swift is higher than the other now. Live and learn!

The Bad and Ugly
Sigh. Someone had written to me when I posted about charity knitting that on a certain reservation in the USA where handknit items were donated, a lot were just thrown away. So it was no little surprise to see this blog entry about the outcomes of some handmade afghans being sent to Afghanistan. Yes, being a people of rich artistic traditions in textiles, they don't seem to appreciate our handmade blankets of cheap acrylic.

Adieu Warm Woolies

Their website states:

"Dear Warm Woolies Friends,

Warm Woolies has decided to cease operating at the end of 2009.

Warm Woolies has always relied on relationships with international adoption agencies and international relief efforts to distribute our pieces overseas. Over the past year, due to matters beyond our control, these agencies and efforts are no longer able to distribute our pieces. Without these distribution channels, we are no longer able to fulfill our mission of providing children around the world with warm clothing."

Afghans for Afghans is still in operation and does almost the same thing.

Sally's Slippers

This pattern, a reworking of the "Felted Slippers" found on Midnattsol's blog is dedicated to Sally Fallon, a tireless worker to reach the masses with her message of how to be healthy. She's taken on the work of Weston A. Price, built upon what he started, and helps run the Weston A. Price Foundation (with a great group of other people like Mary Enig and Chris Masterjohn, to name a few). She co-authored the bestselling book "Nourishing Traditions" and has written several other books as well.

Weston A. Price was the world's most interesting dentist. He traveled the world, living with Eskimos and headhunters to find out why tribal people had perfect teeth while those in the industrialized world had crooked teeth with lots of cavities - what he found surpassed his own expectations as the nutritional differences also seemed to produce overall health and even emotional stability. He then made it his mission to bring what he learned about nutrition and health to the attention of the public, publishing his book "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" and running studies on nutrition in the cities of America.

The Pattern

This is a fun way to make slippers. You knit a series of squares, in alternating directions, then sew a few seams and it magically becomes a slipper. Throw it in the wash to shrink it down and you get a wonderful warm soft cushiony slipper to warm your feet all winter. This is a great stashbusting project because each square can be a different color and you can use up all those odds and ends of wool leftover from other projects. If the yarn is too thin you can strand - use two or more strands together to make the thicknesses match. The only thing you need to be careful of is that all of the yarn you use needs to be "feltable" - that is, no superwash or acrylic here! Use wool.

To begin, knit up a square of the yarn you want to use in garter stitch and put it through your wash and dry cycle to see how much it's going to shrink (if you're knitting these for a charity and it doesn't matter what size the slippers wind up you can skip this part!). Get your gauge for the project from the shrunken swatch.

Then look up the size you want to make on my handy chart and see how big your squares need to be. In my chart I figured for 25% shrinkage but depending on the yarn it may be more or less so a swatch may be more reliable.

You'll begin by making square 1, using enough stitches to get the size square you'll need, and making twice as many rows as you have stitches going across (so if you cast on 12 stitches you'll do 24 rows in garter stitch). You can easily count rows by counting ridges and you'll know you're done when you have as many ridges on both sides as you do stitches on the needle. In my example I'm using 10 stitches and knitting 20 rows, or 10 rows of ridges.


After the first square, check that it is the right size (if you're using the chart) by tugging the sides out to make it square and measuring. Then bind off so you have just one stitch on the needles. From here on, you will always use the same number of stitches as in the first square to make the rest of the squares, and the same number of rows (sometimes one less on one side to make it come out at the right corner).


Cast on enough stitches to get the right number for the next square, counting the one stitch you still have on the needles. This will be square number 2. Knit until you have enough rows for a square (same number of ridges as you have stitches - don't stop when it "looks" like a square). Bind off so the last stitch will be diagonal from where the current square is attached to square one. Again, keep the last stitch on the needle.


Cast on enough stitches to make another square, like you did for square 2. Knit two rows. On the third row, knit all but the last stitch. Pick up the closest stitch you just bound off from square 2 by inserting the needle through one side of the loop. Then knit that together with the last stitch. Do this every time the row ends against square #2. Bind this square off so your last stitch will be down by square #2, keeping the last stitch on the needle.


Pick up stitches from the edge of square #2 on the other needle. If you have more than the number you need, continue binding off until you have the right number of stitches on your needles. Knit this square as you did the last one, picking up stitches from the bound off edge of square #1 and binding off so the last stitch is away from square #1. Pat yourself on the back, you're halfway done!

Pick up enough stitches along the top of the square you just completed to knit square number 5, picking up stitches from the bound off edge of square number 3 as you get to them at the end of the rows and knitting them together with the last stitch from the row.

When you finish square number 5, bind off so the last stitch is toward square number 3. Pick up enough stitches from square number 3 to knit another square (you may want to bind off another stitch to make sure the new square comes to the edge of square 3). Knit square number 6, making sure when you bind off that the last stitch is on the correct side to pick up stitches from the edge of the square you just completed to knit square number 7.

Knit square number 7, picking up stitches from the bound off edges of square number 5 as you come to it and knitting them together with the last stitch of the row. When you get enough rows on square 7, bind off so the last stitch is in the right position to start square number 8.

Pick up stitches from the edge of square 7 and knit square 8, binding off completely when you finish that square.

Now follow the diagram, matching up and stitching sides A and B, then C, D, and E. You've finished one slipper!

When you finish both slippers, put them through the full wash and dry cycle, high heat, to shrink them down. If they are still too big, you can do it again to shrink them more. If they are just a little tight, they will stretch to fit the foot comfortably in a day or two of use.

In case you want to use several colors and plan where they will be, here is the location of each square (unless you accidentally stitch it upside down!): 1 and 2 are the side flaps. 3 and 7 are the sides. 4 is the back, 5 is the bottom under the heel, 6 is the bottom under the toes, and 8 is the square on top of the toes.

Added 11/7/09: To make them non-skid, the cheapest and so far best way I've seen is to use 100% silicone caulk. You can do lines, dots, words (hand wash, or right and left), or cover the whole sole and spread with a craft stick or grooved spreader for extra traction.

Kingsolver Shawl Knitting Instructions

This is a triangular shawl, with a [yarnover, knit, yarnover] double increase down the center and an increase on both edges. I'm knitting it with a thin yarn on largish needles to enhance the laciness but I'm sure many readers will want to try different sizes of yarn and needles so that's how I'm writing the instructions. The shawl consists of 4 patterns, the Soaring Birds, the Ears of Wheat, the Climbing Leaves, and the Waves of Water. I've charted the patterns and will start you off with written out instructions but then refer you to the charts to continue for the specified amount.

I've decided that triangle shawls are the most flattering to most women, but they need to be big enough. I've seen many patterns that have the long side measure 7 feet. That uses a lot of yarn and you need pretty big needles to keep it all on! I highly recommend using circular needles.

Key:
K= knit
O = yarnover
SSK = slip, slip, knit - a right-leaning decrease
K2tog = knit two together - a left-leaning decrease
C** SL2,K1,P2SSO = slip 2 like for the K2tog, knit the next stitch, then pass the two slipped stitches over the one you just knit, for a centered double decrease. This is used on the Ears of Wheat and the Climbing Leaves.
SK2P - slip 1, knit 2 together as one, pass the slipped stitch over for a left-leaning decrease. This is used on the Soaring Birds and the Waves of Water.

To begin, cast on 3.

Row 1: K
Row 2 and all even rows, purl
Row 3: K, O, K, O, K
Row 5: (K, O)x4, K
Row 7: K, (O, K3, O, K)x2
Row 9: K, (O, K5, O, K)x2
Row 11: K, (O, K7, O, K)x2
Row 13: K, (O, K2, O, SSK, K, K2tog, O, K2, O, K)x2
Row 15: K, (O, K4, O, SK2P, O, K4, O, K)x2
Row 17: K, (O, K13, O, K)x2
Row 19: K, (O, K15, O, K)x2
Row 21: K, (O, K17, O, K)x2
Row 23: start second row of "birds" following the chart. Notice there will always be two knit stitches at the beginning and end of the rows, and 5 knit stitches between the "birds".



Continue until this section measures 12 inches measured in the direction indicated. You can click on the chart to see it bigger. The chart shows one of the two repeats so remember you need to do it twice.

Once it measures 12 inches, continue if necessary so you end after the purl row, the 7th row below the last "bird". Now you're ready to start the "Ears of Wheat" pattern. For these, each side of the center double increase should mirror the other side. If your stitch count is not off, the end of the row will also mirror the beginning. Where it says "repeat", you repeat until there aren't enough stitches to do another complete repitition. From there, stop at the nearest semicolon in the pattern to prevent your stitch count from being messed up, then knit the remainder to the center increase. Do the O, K, O for the center increase, then knit the same number of stitches as you did on the other side of the center increase. If it comes out exactly enough to repeat the pattern before the center, make sure you can still do an increase there - if necessary knit, yarnover, knit into the center stitch. I put semicolons in the second "repeat" to help you find where to start the pattern again. If you stopped at the first ; then resume the AFTER CENTER repeat at the second ; and if you stopped at the second ; then resume the AFTER CENTER pattern at the first ;

Transition Row 1: K, O, (K, K2tog, O, K; O, K2Tog; K2) repeat to center increase, knit any remaining stitches to center
CENTER: O, K, O,
AFTER CENTER: knit the mirror of the other side to resume (K2; K2tog, O, K; O, SSK, K) repeat to end, O, K (this should come out even at the end of the row).
Next Row: purl
Transition Row 3: K, O, (K, K2tog, O; K3, O, K2tog) repeat to center, breaking at semicolon if needed and adding knit stitches if needed, O, K, O at center, repeat mirror of other side to resume (K2tog, O, K3; O, SSK, K) repeat to end, O, K
Next Row: purl
Transition Row 5: K, O, K, K2tog, O, (K5, O, C**, O) repeat to center, adding knit stitches if needed, O, K, O at center, repeat mirror of other side to resume(O, C**, O, K5) repeat to end, O, SSK, K, O, K


Begin Ears of Wheat Pattern (for all continue as above, knitting extra stitches near center and using the O, K, O increase in the center, knitting the same number of extra stitches on the other side. On purl rows, purl across center. Count the number of stitches purled up to the center from the last knit stitch and purl that number on the other side of the center before knitting one and resuming the P7, K pattern):
Row 1: P3, (K, P7) to center...(P7, K), purl last 3 stitches.
Row 2: K, O, K2, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center...(O, K2, C**, K2, O, P)repeat to end, K2, O, K
Row 3: P4, (K, P7) to center... (P7, K), purl last 4 stitches.
Row 4: K, O, K3, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center...(O, K2, C**, K2, O, P)repeat to end, K3, O, K
Row 5: P5, (K, P7) to center... (P7, K), purl last 5 stitches.
Row 6: K, O, SSK, K2, O, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center...(O, K2, C**, K2, O, P)repeat to end, O, K2, K2tog, O, K
Row 7: P6, (K, P7) to center... (P7, K), purl last 6 stitches.
Row 8: K, O, K, SSK, K2, O, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center...(O, K2, C**, K2, O, P)repeat to end, O, K2, K2tog, K, O, K
Row 9: P7, (K, P7) to center... (P7, K), purl last 7 stitches.
Row 10: K, O, K2, SSK, K2, O, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center...(O, K2, C**, K2, O, P)repeat to end, O, K2, K2tog, K2, O, K
Row 11: P8, (K, P7) to center... (P7, K), purl last 8 stitches.
Row 12: K, O, K3, SSK, K2, O, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center...(O, K2, C**, K2, O, P)repeat to end, O, K2, K2tog, K3, O, K
Row 13: purl
Row 14: K, O, K2, (O, K, C**, K, O; K3) repeat to center...(K3; O, K, C**, K, O) repeat to end, K2, O, K
Row 15: purl
Row 16: K, O, K4, (O, C**, O; K5) repeat to center... (K5; O, C**, O) repeat to end, K4, O, K
Row 17: purl
Row 18: K, O, K2, SSK, K2, O, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center... (O, K2, C**, K2, O, P) repeat to end, O, K2, K2tog, K2, O, K
Row 19: P8, (K, P7) repeat to center... (P7, K), purl last 8 stitches
Row 20: K, O, K3, SSK, K2, O, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center... (O, K2, C**, K2, O, P) repeat to end, O, K2, SSK1, K3, O, K
Row 21: P9, (K, P7) repeat to center... (P7, K), purl last 9 stitches
Row 22: K, O, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center... (O, K2, C**, K2, O, P) repeat to end, O, K
Row 23: P2, (K, P7) repeat to center... (P7, K), purl last 2 stitches
Row 24: K, O, K, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center... (O, K2, C**, K2, O, P) repeat to end, K, O, K
Row 25: P3, (K, P7) repeat to center... (P7, K), purl last 3 stitches
Row 26: K, O, K2, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center... (O, K2, C**, K2, O, P) repeat to end, K2, O, K
Row 27: P4, (K, P7) repeat to center…(P7, K), purl last 4 stitches
Row 28: K, O, K3, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center... (O, K2, C**, K2, O, P) repeat to end, K3, O, K
Row 29: P5, (K, P7) repeat to center…(P7, K), purl last 5 stitches
Row 30: K, O, SSK, K2, (P, O, K2, C**, K2, O) repeat to center... (O, K2, C**, K2, O, P) repeat to end, K2, K2tog, O, K
Row 31: purl
Row 32: K, O, K, SSK, K, O, (K3; O, K, C**, K, O) repeat to center... (O, K, C**, K, O, K3) repeat to end, O, K, K2tog, K, O, K
Row 33: purl
Row 34: K, O, K, (O, C**, O; K5) repeat to center...(K5; O, C**, O) repeat to end, K, O, K

The Ears of Wheat section needs to be at least 6 inches. If you are using lace weight yarn and small needles it may not, so continue the pattern until it does. It's ok to make it more than 6 inches but you'll need more yarn then. If you are using larger yarn you may find it will become very large; in that case you can leave out a couple rows in the center of each "Ear of Wheat" - where the rows are identical except for the edge where you increase it.



Climbing Leaves Section

This pattern is really just two rows of knit pattern then the reverse of them. From here on out all rows on the wrong side are just purled. When you get to the center increase, you'll knit the reverse row on the other half, which is the second row above or below the one you just knit from the chart.

I'll write out the first four rows you'll knit, showing the edge stitches I used for the edge increases. If you shortened the Ears of Wheat or added rows it probably won't match mine. To begin this pattern, you pick the nearest O, K, O from the row you last knit and line it up with the column of O, K, O's from the charted pattern. You'll have to count backwards to see how many stitches of the pattern you can do, using the semicolons in the written instructions if needed to see where the increases and decreases balance out. An easier way, if you prefer, is you can just knit any extra stitches at the beginning, end, and center, not trying to break the pattern and figure out where to start. Regardless, as above, just knit any remaining stitches from the edges to the pattern and in the center before and after the center increase. And remember if the pattern comes out exactly at the center increase, use the knit, yarnover, knit in the center stitch to continue increasing there.

As you may notice, this pattern has a wonky stitch count - every other pair of rows has an extra stitch.

Continue the Climbing Leaves pattern for at least 6 inches, but longer for a larger shawl. The first row is the hardest but after that it's really easy to remember.

Row 1: K, O, K8, (O, K, O, SSK, K, K2tog; O, K2tog; K2tog, O; K5, O, K) repeat to center... (K, O, K5, O, K2tog; SSK, O; SSK, K, K2tog, O, K, O) repeat to end, K8, O, K

Row 2 and all even rows: purl

Row 3: K, O, K, O, K, K2tog, K3, SSK, O, K, (O, K3, O, C**; K, K2tog, O; K2tog, K3, SSK, O, K)repeat to center... (K, O, K2tog K3, K2tog; O SSK, K; C**, O, K3, O) repeat to end, K, O, K2tog, K3, SSK, O, K, O, K

Row 5: K, O, K2, SSK, O, SSK, K, K2tog, O, K, O, (K, O, K5, O, K2tog; SSK, O; SSK, K, K2tog, O, K, O) repeat to center...(O, K, O, SSK, K, K2tog; O, K2tog; K2tog, O; K5, O, K) repeat to end, O, K, O, SSK, K, K2tog, O, K2tog, K2, O, K

Row 7: K, O, K, O, SSK, K, C**, O, K3, O, (K, O, K2tog K3, K2tog; O SSK, K; C**, O, K3, O) repeat to center... (O, K3, O, C**; K, K2tog, O; K2tog, K3, SSK, O, K)repeat to end, O, K3, O, C**, K, SSK, O, K, O, K


You need to end this on one of the rows that has the C**/S2KP2 double decrease, so if that wasn't your last row, knit one more. There is no transition to the Waves of Water pattern, just center one of the yarnovers on the first row over the knit stitch in one of the O, K, O columns (not the stem). Make sure the edges and center of the shawl are still being increased. You don't need to reverse this pattern on the other side of the center increase, just be sure it has the same number of "extra" stitches on both sides. I put the last Ears of Wheat row in there for reference, but yours may be the other row that has the double decrease (which would be on the other side of the center).

When I bound off I used larger needles but it was still too tight. One way you may be able to prevent this is to knit one last row of just alternating knit, yarnover then purl then bind off. If you had extra edge you could block it to come to points for a more scalloped edge, which would be attractive.

New Shawl Coming

The muse has bitten me again. I'm inspired to create a new shawl, a triangle one for a change, dedicated to Barbara Kingsolver. I'm swatching busily.

Barbara Kingsolver is not a unique voice in the world of women in sustainable agriculture, she is a member in a long line of female voices in this field. But I chose her to represent the rest, women like Helen Nearing, Ruth Stout and Deborah Koons Garcia, because her essay "A Fist in the Eye of God" is what really got me thinking hard about what I eat.

First installment - almost the edge - I can't believe 4 lines can create such a complicated and graceful knit pattern!

Recycling t-shirts

After reading "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" by Walter Rodney, I'm feeling guilty again about the ways underdeveloped labor is exploited for our benefit. Nowhere does this happen as badly as clothing (well, and food... and toys). I have terrible pangs of conscience whenever I buy a new item of clothing now. Was the cotton genetically modified, requiring more irrigation water and chemicals to grow, and driving cotton farmers into debt-related suicide? Were the workers in the mills that turned the raw cotton into yarn exposed to terrible working conditions and underpaid? Who made the shirts - were they paid a fair wage?

I just feel better recycling old shirts. Salvation Army is becoming my best friend. I feel like it doesn't count if I get it used.

I found a great book on treating t-shirts (or any cotton clothing, really) to make it more decorative. One of the techniques is called "Discharge Dyeing". You use a bleach solution to remove color from a dark colored shirt instead of dyeing a white shirt. For the one in the picture I used a solution of 1 cup bleach to 3 cups water. If you worry about the bleach/dioxin thing you can try the RIT decoloring stuff instead. I laid the shirt out flat then spider walked my fingers to scrunch it into mountains and then used some rubber bands and cotton yarn to tie it into a tight bundle. I submerged it in the bleach solution until it got the shade I wanted then put it in a deactivating solution I had ready - 1/4 cup vinegar to 1 quart (4 cups) water.

The cool thing about discharge dyeing is that you can use shirts with stains, bleach spots, whatever, and they'll look great when you're done!

Knitting Activists Needed!

Help spread the word - Code Pink is seeking donation of pink or green 4" X 4" squares for a giant quilt as part of their demonstration for peace in the Middle East at the White House on Mother's Day. For more information see their website.

Anna Baltzer Wings of Peace Shawl

This shawl is dedicated to Anna Baltzer, a peace advocate for Palestine. Interestingly to me, she is Jewish and is advocating on behalf of the Palestinians and she is not alone. You can see the video she has made here. You can buy it here.

One of the startling things to me is the almost complete media blackout in America of what is really happening in Palestine, which she covers in her video. Anna's colleague Kara was traveling between the U.S. and Palestine when she came across two conflicting Newsweek issues. The international version had a sympathetic article about the "Plight of the Palestinians" at the top. The same article was not only absent from the corresponding U.S. Newsweek cover (see the top line)... it was omitted from the entire magazine! How can we exercise our democratic responsibilities and make informed choices when we are being blocked from getting important information?

Yes, and I just found out about the Campbell-Bennerman report, it is jaw-dropping, eye bugging important toward understanding the politics of this thing.

This was knit on #10 needles using Peace Fleece's worsted weight "Negotiation Grey" - it took three skeins and about 10 feet more - a total of around 603 yards. I love that the color is negotiation grey. It reminds me of the efforts of Beyond War - where they say that part of the roadblock to peace is a culture that sees things in black and white - either a good guy or a bad guy, rather than shades of grey - we all have good and bad in us really and anyone can change.

Wings of Peace Shawl


This pattern looks very long but it is repetitive, especially once you get to the long feathers, it's easy but looks complicated. Really. You may find you can knit long stretches without even looking at the pattern.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you download a .pdf of this pattern to print out, the formatting below is messy. download now.

Abbreviations:
K - Knit
YO - yarn over
SSK - slip, slip, knit slipped stitches tog.
SSSK - slip, slip, slip, knit three slipped stitches together.
K2 TOG - knit two stitches as if they were one.
K3 TOG - knit three stitches as if they were one.
KFB - knit front and back of loop - making two stitches from one.
K3 INTO 1 - knit, yo, knit in the same stitch - making three stitches from one.
S2KP2– centered double decrease. sl2, k1, p2sso is an abbreviation for slip two, knit one, pass two over. Slip two stitches together as if to knit, knit one stitch, then pass the two slipped stitches over the stitch you just knit. This results in a centered double decrease.
PPSO - pass previous stitch over.
BO - bind off. When it says how many to bind off, count by the number of finished stitch loops you’ve done. When binding off to the next feather - on the purl side the stitch left on the needle should be the first feather stitch you come to. On the knit side you bind off to the last stitch BEFORE the first feather stitch. You’ll see when you get there. In order to keep the edges from curling outward, bind off VERY LOOSELY!

CO 77
Row 1: knit
Row 2: purl
Row 3: knit
Row 4: purl
Row 5: K1, YO, K7, YO, K1,
(YO, K1, YO, K7)X3, (YO, K1)X2, YO, K7, YO, K1,
(YO, K1, YO, K7)X3, (YO, K1)X2, YO, K7, YO, K1
Row 6: purl
Row 7: K2, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K2,
(YO, K3, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG)X3, YO, K2,
YO, K3, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K2,
(YO, K3, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG)X3, YO, K2,
YO, K3, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K2
Row 8: purl
Row 9: K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K, YO K,
(K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK)X3, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
(K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK)X3, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1
Row 10: purl
Row 11: K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X3, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X3, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K
Row 12: purl
Row 13: KFB,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK,
(K, K3 INTO 1, K, K3 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSSK)X4,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K3 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSSK,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK,
(K, K3 INTO 1, K, K3 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSSK)X4,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, KFB
Row 14: purl
Row 15: K2, YO, K4, K2 TOG,
YO, K2, (YO, K3, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG)X5,
YO, K2, (YO, K3, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG)X2,
YO, K2, (YO, K3, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG)X5,
YO, K2, YO, K3, YO, SSK, K4, YO, K2
Row 16: purl
Row 17: KFB, K2TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
(K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK)X5, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
(K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK)X2, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
(K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK)X5, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, KFB
Row 18: purl
Row 19: KFB, K2, YO, K, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X5,
K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X2,
K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X5,
K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, K, YO, K2, KFB
Row 20: purl
Row 21: KFB, K, K2 TOG, YO, K2, YO, K3, YO, SSK,
(K, K3 INTO 1, K, K3 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSSK)X6,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK
(K, K3 INTO 1, K, K3 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSSK)X2,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK
(K, K3 INTO 1, K, K3 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSSK)X6,
K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, K2, YO, SSK, K, KFB
Row 22: purl
Row 23: K2, K3 TOG, YO, K3, YO, K2, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K3)X7, YO, K2,
(YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K3)X2,
YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K2, YO, K3
(YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K3)X6,
YO, SSK, K3, K3 TOG, YO, K3, YO, K3, YO, SSSK, K2
Row 24: purl
Row 25: K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K,
(YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG)X7,
YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K, K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG)X2,
YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K, YO, K,
(K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK)X7
K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, K, K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K
Row 26: purl
Row 27: K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X7, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X3, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
(K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K)X7, K3 INTO 1, K2, YO, K, YO, K2,
K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK
Row 28: purl
Row 29: (K, YO, SSSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K, K3 TOG, YO)X22, K
Row 30: purl
Row 31: K2, YO, (SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO)X21, SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K2
Row 32: purl
Row 33: K3 INTO 1, K2,
(YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, K3 INTO 1, K2, K2 TOG)X10,
YO, SSK, K, K2TOG, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K2, K3 INTO 1)X10,
YO, SSK, K, K2 TOG, YO, K2, K3 INTO 1
Row 34: purl
Row 35: K, K3 INTO 1, K2, (K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K3 INTO 1, K3)X10,
K2 TOG, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG,
(YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K3, K3 INTO 1, K2 TOG)X10, YO, S2KP2, YO, SSK, K2, K3 INTO 1, K
Row 36: purl
Row 37: K2, K3 INTO 1, K4, SSK, (YO, SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K4, K3 TOG)X10, YO, SSK, K2,
K3 INTO 1, K2, K2 TOG, (YO, SSSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG)X10, YO, K2 TOG, K4,
K3 INTO 1, K2
Row 38: purl
Row 39: SSK, K, K3 INTO 1, K4, K3 TOG, (YO, K3, K3 INTO 1, K4, K3 TOG)X10,
YO, K4, K3 INTO 1, K4, YO, (SSSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K3, YO)X10,
SSSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K, K2 TOG
Row 40: purl
Row 41: K3, (K3 INTO 1, K4, K3 TOG, YO, SSK, K2)X10,
K3 INTO 1, K4, K2 TOG, YO, SSSK, K3, K3 INTO 1, K3, K3 TOG, YO, SSK,
(K4, K3 INTO 1, K2, K2 TOG, YO, SSSK)X10, K4, K3 INTO 1, K3
Row 42: purl
Row 43: (SSK, K2, K3 INTO 1, K4, K3 TOG, YO)X11, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5,
(YO, SSSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K2, K2 TOG)X11
Row 44: purl
Row 45: (SSK, K2, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO)X11, SSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K4, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K2, K2 TOG)X11
Row 46: purl
Row 47: (SSK, K2, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X11, SSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K4, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K2, K2 TOG)X11
Row 48: purl
Row 49: SAME AS ROW 47
Row 50: purl
Row 51: (K4, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X11, SSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K4, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K4)X11
Row 52: purl
Row 53: (SSK, K3, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X11, SSK, K4, K3INTO 1, K4, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K3, K2 TOG)X11
Row 54: purl
Row 55: SAME AS ROW 53
Row 56: purl
Row 57: (K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X11, K6, K3 INTO 1, K6,
(YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5)X11
Row 58: purl
Row 59: (SSK, K4, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X11, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K4, K2 TOG)X11
Row 60: purl
Row 61: SAME AS ROW 59
Row 62: purl
Row 63: (K6, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X11, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG,
(YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K6)X11
Row 64: purl
Row 65: (SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X4,, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG,
(YO, K, YO, SSK, K11, K2 TOG)X4, YO, K, (YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG)X2, YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, (YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG)X2, (YO, K, YO, SSK, K11, K2 TOG)X4, YO, K, YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, (YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG)X4
Row 66: purl
Row 66: purl
Row 67: (SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO)X3, SSK, K, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSK, K11, K2 TOG, (YO, K3, YO, SSK, K9, K2 TOG)X4, YO, K2, YO, SSSK,
(K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO, SSK)X2, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO, SSSK,
K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K3 TOG, YO, K2, YO,
(SSK, K9, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO)X4, SSK, K11, K2 TOG, YO, K,
YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, (YO, SSSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG)X3
Row 68: purl
Row 69: (SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K6, K2 TOG, YO)X2, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K, YO
SSK, K11, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK, K9, K2 TOG, (YO, K5, YO, SSK, K7, K2 TOG)X4,
YO, K4, YO, SSK, K11, K2 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K6, K2 TOG, YO,
SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO, SSK, K6, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K, YO
SSK, K11, K2 TOG, YO, K4, YO, (SSK, K7, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO)X4, SSK, K9, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK, K11, K2 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, (YO, SSK, K6, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG)X2
Row 70: purl
Row 71: (SSK, K12, K2 TOG, YO, K, YO)X2, SSK, K11, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO
SSK, K9, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO, SSK, K7, K2 TOG, (YO, K7, YO, SSK, K5, K2 TOG)X4
YO, K6, YO, SSK, K9, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK, K12, K2 TOG,
YO, K, YO, SSK, K5, K3 INTO 1, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K, YO, SSK, K12, K2 TOG,
YO, K3, YO, SSK, K9, K2 TOG, YO, K6, YO, (SSK, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO)X4
SSK, K7, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO, SSK, K9, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO,
SSK, K11, K2 TOG, (YO, K, YO, SSK, K12, K2 TOG)X2
Row 72: purl
Row 73: (SSK, K10, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO)X2, SSK, K9, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO
SSK, K7, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO, SSK, K5, K2 TOG, BO 71, SSK, PPSO,
K7, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO, SSK, K10, K2 TOG, YO, K3, YO
K7, K3 INTO 1, K7, YO, K3, YO, SSK, K10, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO,
SSK, K7, K2 TOG, BO 71, SSK, PPSO, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO
SSK, K9, K2 TOG, (YO, K3, YO, SSK, K10, K2 TOG)X2
Row 74a: purl to first section of bound-off stitches
Row 75a: BO 15, SSK, PPSO, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO, SSK, K7, K2 TOG, (YO, K5, YO, SSK, K8, K2 TOG)X2
Row 76a: purl to first section of bound-off stitches
Row 77a: SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K9, YO, SSK, K5, K2 TOG, (YO, K7, YO, SSK, K6, K2 TOG)X2
Row 78a: purl to first section of bound-off stitches
Row 79a: BO 15, SSK, PPSO, K3, K2 TOG, (YO, K9, YO, SSK, K4, K2 TOG)X2
Row 80a: purl to first section of bound-off stitches
Row 81a: Bind off to end (I did last two K2 TOG to round it more).


Row 74b: attach yarn to middle section so first row will be purl and purl to next bound off section.
Row 75b: SSK, K5, K2 TOG,YO, K7, YO, SSK, K8, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO, SSK, K6, K3 INTO 1, K6, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO, SSK, K8, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO, SSK, K5, K2 TOG
Row 76b: purl
Row 77b: SSK, K3, K2 TOG, YO, K9, YO, SSK, K6, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO, SSK, K13, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO, SSK, K6, K2 TOG, YO, K9, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG
Row 78b: BO 16, purl the rest
Row 79b: BO 15, SSK, PPSO, K4, K2 TOG, YO, K9, YO, SSK, K11, K2 TOG, YO, K9, YO, SSK, K4, K2 TOG
Row 80b: BO 17, purl the rest
Row 81b: BO 16, SSK, PPSO, K9, K2 TOG
Row 82b: purl
Row 83b: SSK, K7, K2 TOG
Row 84b: purl
Row 85b: SSK, K5, K2 TOG
Row 86b: purl
Row 87b: SSSK, K, K3 TOG
Row 88b: purl 3 together, pass end through.

Row 74c: tie yarn on so next row is purl. BO 16, purl the rest.
Row 75c: (SSK, K8, K2 TOG, YO, K5, YO)X2, SSK, K7, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO, SSK, K5, K2 TOG
Row 76c: purl
Row 77c: (SSK, K6, K2 TOG, YO, K7, YO)X2, SSK, K5, K2 TOG, YO, K9, YO, SSK, K3, K2 TOG
Row 78c: BO 16, purl the rest.
Row 79c: (SSK, K4, K2 TOG, YO, K9, YO)X2, SSK, K3, K2 TOG
Row 80c: bind off the rest.

Anna Baltzer Wings of Peace

The next shawl, which I'm designing now, will be called the Anna Baltzer Wings of Peace Shawl. It's going to look like the outstretched wings of a... hmmm... dove? angel? condor? firebird? I guess you can decide.


The Eagle and Condor Prophecy

as told by John Perkins, author Confessions of an Economic Hitman

Nearly every culture I know prophesies that in the late 1990's we entered a period of remarkable transition. At monasteries in the Himalayas, ceremonial sites in Indonesia, and indigenous reservations in North America, from the depths of the Amazon to the peaks of the Andes, and into the ancient Mayan cities of Central America, I have heard that ours is a special moment in human history, and that each of us was born at this time because we have a mission to accomplish.

The titles and the words of the prophecies differ slightly. They tell variously of a New Age, the Third Millennium, the Age of Aquarius, the Beginning of the Fifth Sun, or the end of old calendars and the commencement of new ones. Despite the varying terminologies, however, they have a great deal in common, and “The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle” is typical. It states that back in the mists of history, human societies divided and took different paths: that of the condor (representing the heart, intuitive and mystical) and that of the eagle (representing the brain, rational and material). In the 1490's, the prophecy said, the two paths would converge and the eagle would drive the condor to the verge of extinction. Then, five hundred years later, in the 1990's a new epoch would begin, one in which the condor and the eagle will have the opportunity to reunite and fly together in the same sky, along the same path. If the condor and eagle accept this opportunity, they will create a most remarkable offspring, unlike any seen before.

“The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle” can be taken at many levels — the standard interpretation is that it foretells the sharing of indigenous knowledge with the technologies of science, the balancing of yin and yang, and the bridging of northern and southern cultures. However, most powerful is the message it offers about consciousness; it says the we have entered a time when we can benefit from the many diverse ways of seeing ourselves and the world, and that we can use these as a springboard to higher levels of awareness. As human beings we can truly wake up and evolve into a more conscious species.

Heartstones

Saying Peter was given that name to signify "The Rock" - that is, that he was steadfast and immovable reminds me of this little rustic craft - heartstones. Like God's immovable and steadfast love for us.

If you find yourself sitting outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather and see some roughly heart shaped stones lying at your feet, why not pick some up and rub them against other rocks to see if they can be filed down a bit to a heart shape? I like to make some and leave them for other people to find. Playing at God's game of whimsical surprises when you least expect it.

Not being a rock person since I was around 6, I can't tell you what kind of rocks I used, the kids and I just tested rocks near a stream to see which were happy to be filed into heart shapes against a nice piece of granite from the parking lot.

Porphyrios Slippers

The chest of prayer shawls at church is still full, a disincentive to knit another shawl just yet. But someone on one of the lists was brainstorming other projects for a prayer shawl ministry, and thought warm slippers might be nice, especially for men who are sick. The key to good knit slippers is to make them from wool and to full them, which means purposely wash them and make them shrink. It blends and lightens the colors, and makes them like a very good thick felt, but still with a tad of stitch definition.

One good thing about a smaller fulled project is you can use up the remains of other wool knitting projects. The slippers in these photos are all made from remnants of sweaters, shawls, and from yarn I got then didn't like for the purpose I'd bought it for. Most of them are stranded, 2 strands of different colors of worsted weight yarn knit on size 10's to get the gauge of 12 - 14 stitches/4 inches.

Wool shrinks about 25% when washed on my long cycle and then dried on high heat. That gives a good smooth sole to the slipper and a nice fuzziness too. It does shrink a little more on the length than the width, so before they're shrunk they may seem too long and narrow. Don't worry, it gets worked out in the wash. If you want to be really careful, knit a test swatch then run it through a wash cycle and see how much it shrinks.

These slippers are dedicated to a man, Elder Porphyrios, a saint in the Greek Orthodox tradition. A friend told me about his book, "Wounded by Love" which is about the best book I've ever read on spirituality. It changed my outlook and I imagine I'll remember this book for years to come. I belive reading this would be a great comfort to someone going through a rough time, as Elder Porphyrios really epitomized someone who "gets" God's love.

This pattern comes out in a women's size 8/9, but it could depend on how much you wash it. I've played around making them larger and smaller proportionately to make children's sizes and it works well. Once you wear the slipper, it kind of adjusts to the size/shape of your foot, and if it's too big just wash it again. Click on the image below to see it larger. NOTE: YOU MUST USE WOOL!! (or some other animal fiber)


To finish, the seam will come up the top of the slipper but first you have to sew across the toe. You also need to sew up the heel of the slipper. How much you wash/dry depends on your machine and what size you are trying to achieve. It will continue to shrink if you wash it again (so handwash once you get it to the perfect size!)

For a child's size 3/4 (woman's size 5/6), I started with 19 stitches, increased the center stitches until I had 9; knit 12 "ridges" of garter, bound off 2 stitches each side, then did stockinette for 24 rows after that, starting the toe decrease at row 18 (after the decrease) and following the same toe decrease style as in the chart - row 18 one decrease each side of the sole, then on rows 20 and 22, a double decrease on each side.

If it's not for a child who likes to slide on wood floors, and traction is an issue, you can make a design on the bottom (after you shrink them!) using fabric puff paint for traction. Let it dry completely before walking in the slippers to avoid unfortunate stains on the floor.

The White Man's Burden

Or "Why did World Vision Stop Returning My Calls?"

My mind is troubled today and this is why. I've got some questions for a charity I've been supporting for 8 years and they don't answer me. The answers are vitally important to my clear conscience in continuing to support the charity and I don't know what to do.

The questions are, when they give food assistance, do they give donated genetically modified plant seeds, like GM corn, rice, and wheat?

When they give food assistance, do they give powdered milk donated out of the US commodities system?

When they vaccinate the children, do they use donated vaccines that have been withdrawn from the US because of safety issues?

See, the US has a problem of over-production of certain foods, like corn, soy, and milk. Nobody wants the farms to go out of business due to failure to sell their product and inability to repay the loans they've taken out so the US government has a commodities program where they buy up the excess that won't sell in order to keep the farms going in case there is a bad year and their product is needed. So the government commodities program has a huge glut of corn, soy, and dairy products that they sell to the poor out of food distribution centers and give to charity in other countries.

Here's the problem: With the corn, it's all been mixed together. About 30% of the corn grown in the United States is genetically modified. So if clever poor get whole grain corn as a food donation (which lasts longer than milled corn without nutrient loss or spoilage) then they may plant it instead of eating it all. That has happened, and the corn they've planted has wind-pollinated other fields of corn. Monsanto has managed to get most countries to sign on to intellectual property laws that entitle them to take posession of any plant that has genetically altered genes for which they hold the patent. Anyone caught in posession of those plants must either let Monsanto destroy their entire crop, as happened to Percy Schmeiser when his family's strain of canola got wind-pollinated by Monsanto's GM canola (100% of canola is GM these days because of how far the wind carries the pollen) or they must pay a fee to Monsanto every time they plant the seed they've saved from the previous season to use their patented genes (which they don't want in the first place!).

Also as more suspicion about the safety of consuming GM foods grows in light of manipulation of studies on safety, as happened to Arpad Puztai, more countries are being pushed by educated consumers to not import foods containing GM ingredients, so now the farmers of countries where GM contamination has happened are less able to sell their crops on the world market.

The milk is a concern because, for one thing, powdered milk doesn't contain the nutrients of fresh milk, nor the digestive enyzmes and protective probiotics of raw milk that a baby would get from nursing from its mother. But once powdered milk becomes available all kinds of problems ensue - mothers aren't told to boil the water and use contaminated water, especially in disaster areas, and the babies die of diarrhea. Not just babies, diarrhea is one of the worst problems of disaster areas that are trying to get back on their feet, due to lack of clean drinking water. But because we have so much of it, it is often pushed on charities so the government can get "credit" for giving disaster aid.

The last concern arose after I read Robert F. Kennedy's statement before Congress on the use of mercury-containing preservatives in vaccines. Their decision was to let the manufacturers continue to use the vaccines for over a year while they looked for an alternative preservative, and then did not stop them from continuing to sell the vaccines overseas. It got me reading up on vaccine safety and I found some groups saying that different batches of vaccine had much higher rates of adverse effects than others. I started worrying that the contaminated vaccines and the ones containing mercury were being donated overseas instead of thrown out - for tax-credit, refunds, whatever benefit the companies might get from giving them to charity. I have no proof this is happening, but wanted to ask World Vision about the source of their vaccines and whether they tried to only use vaccines that met US safety requirements.

Nobody will answer me. I managed to get on the phone with an Executive Director, who said they were good questions, and he asked me to put them in writing and email them to him so he could forward them to the people within the organization who would know the answers. Then he stopped returning my phone calls and emails and I'm not even sure if he has his job anymore as I can't reach him. He was supposed to be a speaker at an event I organized and he didn't show up nor return my emails and phone call about that. I fear I've gotten him fired.

I don't mis-trust the motives of World Vision, but do worry that they've fallen into the trap of taking the "easy" way instead of continuing to act on conscience. I hate to think ill of them as they seem to want to do good for the poor, but sometimes when organizations get too big they get too bureaucratic to function well anymore. Assuming the worst, I would want to stop contributing to that sort of error and unintended spread of misery. I recently heard of a book, "White Man's Burden" that is supposed to talk about this issue, of us Westerners trying to help but from a top-down "let me tell you what's good for you" kind of way that makes the problems worse. I'm going to read it.

UPDATE: Gracie

Poor Grace passed away last fall from Vaccine-Associated Sarcoma, but just to share with you all that good things follow bad, I wanted to tell what happened next. My other cat, Jasper seemed lonely and more needy than usual. So when my sister mentioned that when we came down for Christmas we could see the kittens she was working to tame of a feral cat living under her steps, I had the idea in my head that maybe we'd take one home with us. As it turned out, by the time we got there there was only one left - the rest had perished from climbing under the hoods of people's cars to get warm in the cold and then jumping down when the car started. We named her "Itty Bitty Kitty" because at 3 months old she was closer to the size of a 6-week old kitten. It turned out that part of the problem was she had a tooth infection so she had trouble eating.

Jasper adores her as do all the rest of us. At 4 months now, she's about half the size of a normal cat, so it looks like the name will stick. You can see a video of her here on YouTube.