Author Archives: Karie

Blocking Shawls – Experiment no. 1

A cautionary tale ahead. Sometime ago I had a run-in with some Danish knitters. They were asking questions on how to block a shawl and I replied with my usual answer (I include a longer version with all my lace … Continue reading

Posted in Purls, Science | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

In Her Soft Wind I Will Whisper

Lady on the left? My great-grandmother. She would have been ninety-six today. The photo was taken in the early 1950s outside her cottage and she is with two of her sons, K and T. I have several photos of her; … Continue reading

Posted in Denmark, Personal | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

This Bit of Glasgow

It has been a very long month. While January is seldom a cheerful month, this month has been a never-ending stream of tight deadlines, late night working, and battling post-flu malaise. Today I sent off one pattern submission that may … Continue reading

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Desolation Row

Years ago I briefly dated a guy we shall call Jay. Jay was a catch, I guess. He had an incredibly successful career and a beautiful Copenhagen apartment, he was handsome in his expensive suits, and his date nights were … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Personal | Tagged , | 1 Comment

On The Silver Screen

I have seen this link in various places today: Movies From An Alternate Universe. Asking the audience to re-imagine well-known films, the site wonders just who would have starred in a 1950s version of “Drive” or an early 1960s version … Continue reading

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Lightbulb Moment

The past few days have been quite a blur. My quasi-flu turned into proper flu and I have been cooped up in bed too tired to do anything except doze, occasionally read, and knit a tiny bit. I have been … Continue reading

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A Month Away

Count yourself lucky that I have not posted the blog post I spent the other day writing. It turned out to be a 2,000 word essay on defamiliarisation as narrative device in Emma Donoghue’s Room and Lionel Shriver’s We Need … Continue reading

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You Little Wonder You

I am currently re-reading Dorian Gray. Happy 65th Birthday to a man with a portrait of his own hidden away in the attic. Honourable mentions: + The iconic performance of Rock’n’Roll Suicide at Hammersmith Apollo, 1973 + Five Years performed … Continue reading

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Yes She Said

I bought myself two Christmas presents. First of all, I finally became a member of MetaFilter – still the best community weblog the internet has to offer. I have been lurking on MetaFilter for almost ten years, so it was … Continue reading

Posted in Knitting, Literature, Personal, Sewing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Well Still Pretty Good Year

First task of the year: sort out the wardrobe. I should probably not use the word ‘wardrobe’ as that word implies system, thoughtfulness, and coherence. Most of my clothes stem from the frantic days of arriving in the UK with … Continue reading

Posted in Personal, Scotland, Sewing, sewing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments