I've cleaned up the craft room!
Can I get an "Amen"?

And I've got more Chip for you today!

And I've got a lot of cooking to do! Good thing that deadline is past!

We weigh in on Mdm. DeF's knitting choices, Cast on for Kenya, and generally enjoy some more Dickens!

NOTE: There may be the same problem with this week's file. Try downloading again...sorry!

The Kenya Info:

HIV positive children in Kenya need
blankets to keep them warm at night and to keep fever at bay, and
also simply to have a soft, comforting object of their very own.
These children own almost nothing, and a blanket handmade with care
especially for them would show them that someone, even someone very
far away, cares.

This blanket drive is part of the Slum Doctor Program, a grassroots
organization whose mission is "to lift the burden of despair for
people impacted by AIDS in Africa by providing hope, medicine, food,
education, and dignity." For more information visit
slumdoctor.wordpress.com. We're asking that blankets be made of a natural fiber or high quality acrylic, so they will be easy to keep clean, and that they be sized for children ages 0-8. We're also
asking that if you do plan to cast on for Kenya, you email
slumdoctor@gmail.com. The blankets will be brought to Kenya by
volunteers, and they need to have an estimate of how many they will
be carrying with them. The deadline for donations is June 15th.
Finished blankets should be sent to the Slum Doctor Program, P.O. Box
2156, Bellingham, WA 98227-2156.

Gotta love the old OED. If only I could afford one...


In my quest for a Parisian/Dickensian map, I found this, and this, and this, but no map that would help us much.

But I did find the links to two video versions: the better reviewed of the two—GO CHRIS SARANDON (he's more than just a Humperdink!); and
this one which didn't get panned, but...well...BOO Bad hair miniseries!

Your challenge! WWMDK?
I feel a Cafe Press T-shirt coming on...don't you?
Wouldn't this be handsome?

With a big:
What Would Madame Defarge Knit?
blazing underneath?

And me?
I knit socks.




Even in line at a theme park.

And I think I may have to get a Weavette. Bad Heather.

WWMDfK?
O how I want a bumper sticker!

And hey--ANDY MINTER! What a mensch, eh?

I belive I promised you links to Antioch Univeristy, MicroRevolt and the KnitPro doohicky, and Heavenly Creatures.

And now? Off to La Disneylandia!

O how many different ways can I bring you joy? Really, only one way:
To bring Chip (Mister Sleepy Hollow to you) back as a reader.
Today BOTH chapters are his.

Love!

Happily my husband's not even jealous...maybe because I've not told him.

Hmmmm...

Little else to show for myself this week, unless you want me to upload some of the curriculum I'm on deadline for?
No?
I have no idea why!

Erqsome (who I think has the most kickin' email address I've seen) sent some great Dickensian links for us to enjoy.

A Finnish site.
A UCSC site.
An INCREDIBLE map page (must see!).
And the ToTC companion page to the map.

Things I had to cut:

Perhaps the coolest thing to come off of my SnB callendar EVER.

My son's gonna be on this! (but we have no idea when...)

And just 'cuz I'm feelin' it...I love these guys...

You'll need to know a few things, like...

What's a blunderbuss?

This, this is a blunderbuss.

This is Chuck.



Who was Mrs. Southcott?
She was an English spiritualist.

What was the Cock-Lane Ghost?
One of the first ever psychic scams. Read about it. You'll find MANY different versions on the web.

This is the issue of Spin-Off that I need two bloody pages from...here's the Sock thing from Stasia which I thought was very helpful. Check out Pandora and Last.fm

And in both the "any publicity is good publicity" and the "I've never heard of an idea so dangerous it couldn't be talked about" departments: the Librarians have lost their minds! Anyone remember Are You There God? It's Me Margaret? Anyone? Anyone?

And if you have the travel bug:
West Coast Folks. East Coast Folks.
Fun!

And don't forget: WWMDFK?
(What Would Madame DeFarge Knit?)

Think on't.

Thanks to our readers Michael Sirois and Kara Shalinberg.

And, finally:
Spinneret's cogent and I think important note on "Screw":

From various sources -
As in England, early lawmakers in this country adopted 10 as the age of consent.
The age of consent in England was raised from 12 (which is what it was when James was born in 1843) to 13 in 1875 and then to 16 in 1886.
The Factory Act from 1844 reduced the hours of work for children between 8 and 13 to six and a half a day, either in the morning or afternoon, no child being allowed to work in both on the same day, except on alternate days, and then only for ten hours
The Factory Act, 1891 raising the minimum age at which a child can be set to work from ten to eleven.
So the perspective on children was a little different at that point, T.O.T.S. (funny that) being published in 1898. Accepting that these children are not from the working class they still would not have fallen under the societal view as young innocents.
Thanks for the great read.