Who hurt you?

Americans, 

 

How could any of you give your vote to a person who is so clearly deranged?

What is wrong with you people?!

Jon Trickett, MP - Respect!

Jon Trickett, MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, West Yorkshire. 👏👏👏

The one, one, Labour MP (not already suspended* for defying Starmer) who was courageous enough to vote against removing pensioners' Winter Fuel Payment.

*Five of the seven MPs who were suspended in July for voting against Labour's decision to keep the 2-child benefit cap also voted against this decision.

They all lie to suit

This is why I don't read newspapers, and I take anything I hear on the news with a heaped tablespoon of salt.

This was all over the news yesterday as well. The whole country now believes Germany is planning to send refugees to Rwanda. And no mainstream news agency is going to showcase the German ambassador's "correction".

French Left treat far-right deputy with appropriate contempt

During voting for the new President of the National Assembly, several deputies from Left-wing parties refused to shake hands with Flavien Termet of the far-right National Rally party. By tradition, as the youngest deputy, Flavien was tasked with staffing the ballot box.

The rock-paper-scissors was comic genius, and I would not want to mess with that last guy. The original poster* commented, in French, "These are representatives who represent."

Amen! Not like the nauseating buddy-buddy images we've seen of Starmer and Sunak. 

*@glupatate on TikTok

Close but no cigar

Nice try, kid, but maybe it's time to get in a professional.

Thomas Matthew Crooks

RIP

13 July 2024

So called "Labour" won but they actually lost votes!

They should have done worse, but lazy voting habits die hard. 

The Skwawkbox -Starmer’s ‘triumph’ saw him receive 600k fewer votes than Corbyn’s ‘disaster’ of 2019 

We want Proportional Representation

#DoorstepDemand  @MakeVotesMatter

Why I Don't Condemn Hamas For October 7 - Caitlin Johnstone

Imagine.

Reading by Tim Foley

Jeremy Corbyn: Why I'm Standing Against Labour After 40 years

Says it all

Update: No sooner did I post this than Corbyn (finally) announced that he is running as an Independent. Good on him! 

The Labour Party under Starmer is willing to welcome hard-right Natalie Elphicke with open arms while virtually banishing Jeremy Corbyn, their leading socialist. 

Labour is dead.

Resurrecting this blog?

I haven't posted here, at least not in any general, bloggy sense, in quite some time. I've removed myself from Meta (Facebook, Instagram, et al), but I still sometimes feel the need to scream into the void. This void is as good as any.

DanDan Square Pattern

Many moons ago I put The Sunroom’s "Grandad Square" pattern in my Ravelry basket to purchase... at some point. That point came a few weeks ago, but, to my dismay, the pattern is no longer available for purchase.

I decided to try to recreate it as I really liked the effect and was hoping to use it for blankets for our local cat rescue (little 2’x2’ pads to go in the residents' beds, so they have something familiar to take with them to their forever homes).

I didn’t want to appropriate the “Grandad" name but wanted to honour the original intent. Our granddaughter couldn’t say “grandad" when she was little, and even now, at the age of 15, she still calls him DanDan.

As the pattern is no longer available, I’ve had to recreate it from photos. I think the only change I’ve made is to work the first round in hdc rather than dc so it doesn’t “pooch” in the middle.

US crochet terms used 

Special stitches:

fpdc = front post double crochet   How To

fptr = front post treble   Just like the fpdc (see How To above) but work a treble.

Note - The fpdc is only used in the last round

Use whatever yarn+hook combo works for you. For this sample, I used DK and a G hook, and it came out 4¼” (just under 11 cm).

Rnd 1 – Ch4, join with slst in 4th ch from hook to form a ring (if you work over your 'tail' you can use that to pull the loop tight, or start with a magic ring - my preference), ch2 (for 1st hdc), 11 hdc, join.  12 st

Rnd 2 – Ch3 (for 1st dc, here and throughout), fptr around same hdc, *dc in next hdc (NB. hdc lean right, so the top of the next hdc will be almost behind the fptr just made), fptr around same hdc, repeat from * around, join with slst to 3rd ch of beg ch3.  24 st

Rnd 3 – (Ch3, tr, dc) in same st, *fptr around fptr, 2dc in dc, fptr around fptr, 2dc in dc, fptr around fptr, (dc, tr, dc) in dc, repeat from * around, ending on last fptr, join with slst to 3rd ch of beg ch3.  40 st

Rnd 4 – Ch3, (tr, 2ch, tr) in tr, dc, *fptr around fptr, 2dc, dc, fpdc (not tr) around fptr, dc, 2dc, fptr around fptr, dc, (tr, 2ch, tr) in tr, dc, repeat from * around, ending on last fptr, join with slst to 3rd ch of beg ch3, finish off.  52 st

As always, please let me know if I've messed up the pattern anywhere 😊 or if you have any questions.

The End of an Era 😢

Goodbye Beastie - It won't be the same here without you.

May 1999 - June 2022

(Yes, 23 lovely years)

Show and Tell - Linda's Cut-Glass Snowflake Project

Look what Linda Reid, a retired teach from Manitoba who enjoys crocheting and knitting, made using the Cut-Glass Snowflake pattern.

This lovely hanging Christmas decoration!

Linda said, "[I] had an old round doily from my mom that I decorated with ribbon and Christmas bits." When she saw this pattern she thought it would be perfect to use in the same way. Now she wants to make two more, for her daughter and daughter-in-law.

I think it looks great, and I'm pleased she allowed me to share it here.

Peace Sign Granny Video Tutorial!!

HOORAY! 
The fabulous Nadia Fuad of YARNutopia has graciously and excellently produced a video tutorial for my Peace Sign Granny Square.

Scroll down to August 2016 on her "365 Days of Granny Squares" page and click on Number 222 to be taken to the video on YouTube.

I'm sure this will be a huge help for all of you who have struggled with the craziness that is Round 2 and/or found the Reverse V-Stitch totally confusing.

Please be sure to check out Nadia's amazing blog, and subscribe to her YouTube channel for many more wonderful tutorials.

Night night, my little fluffy man

Blue - Thank you for adopting us ♥♥♥

1998 - August 2016