Friday, December 26, 2008

This blog is moving

Unfortunately, reducing expenses means I don't want to pay $49.50 per year to maintain this Typepad blog.

I am moving to:  http://dianeinchicoca.blogspot.com/

I love Typepad.  It's been great - up virtually all the time and great support people.  It's just a money thing.

With a tear in my eye, I invite you to visit on the new blog.



Thursday, December 25, 2008

Twitter

So, I'm trying out Twitter this week.  The reason I signed up is I heard an interview on NPR with Tim O'Reilly.  O'Reilly is a VIP in the technical publishing world.  When Tim O'Reilly, who is a busy man, says he has time for Twitter because it creates a sense of connection with his friends and family, well then I think I should check it out.  He says he actually feels closer to his sister (or was it brother?) because he sees some of the smaller details of her daily life that he wouldn't otherwise know about.

I can see where you might develop a sense of kinship with fellow tweeters.  You hear what they are making for dinner, what they find amusing, ... what they are doing with their time.  Virtual friendships might develop like friendships I had at work - not too close, but fun and informative.

I'll stick with it for a bit to see how it goes.  My goal is to have something interesting to say, which is difficult when I live the most boring life on the planet!



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

JLG Stocking

Jan's stocking is fini.  Whew - only 5 more sleeps until Christmas morning.  I was a working on it almost every day during the last two weeks!

The pattern was easy to follow and Meg Swansen's charts were easy to adapt and make larger and easy to read in MS Excel.  My Ravelry project here; Meg's pattern here.

If I were going to do another Christmas stocking, I might do a regular, turned heel instead of an afterthought heel.  I screwed up the opening for the heel and used a few rows instead of just one for the opening - because I cut one of the floats.  She says in the pattern to be careful not to cut the floats, but did I follow instructions?

The foot is large, but not as large as it looks in the photo.  I was closer to the foot and the top was angled away when I took the picture, so the foot looks bigger than it is in real life.

Next up:  something for me :-)



Thursday, December 4, 2008

-10.5%

20081204 To Date This is what -10.5% looks like over a 19 months.  The Big step down toward the right is October, 2008.

 

There is all that red, and just a little float of green at the top.

 

Here's hoping a blue election can turn my investments green.



Foggy

 

Having your head in the clouds takes on new meaning here in the Sacramento Valley of California.  The ground fog is dense and I can see wisps of it float by from the 2nd story window of my house.  It is actually a ground-level cloud.  I used to think fog was mystical when I lived on the coast of CA, but this valley fog is just plain cold and damp.  Still, any moisture is good for the plants in this draught year.  (Picture links to others taken this morning.)



Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Copyright on House Socks

I hate Copyrightphobia, the fear of infringing upon somebody's copyright.  I am upset by the Copyright Police.  It makes me nervous when I enter a pattern in Ravelry that is a pattern derived from somebody else's pattern.  For example, the Philosopher's House Socks, from Cat Bordhi's "New Pathways for Socks Knitters, Book One", inspired me to knit these:


The color is most accurate in the second close up photo.

I didn't use the yarn weight specified, so none of the stitch counts in the pattern were used.  I didn't use the specified arch expansion stitch pattern, but made up one similar.  I did use the Upstream Sock Architecture and Master Numbers from the back of the book.  I would say this is a derivative work.

So, please tell me.  Whose pattern is this?  When I create the project in Ravelry, what should I use for a pattern name?  Could I donate these socks to a fund raiser without having to ask permission?  According to Jennifer Tocker's Copyright FAQ, this is a derivative work and I would hold the copyright on the derivative pattern, but Cat Bordhi would hold the copyright on the original design.  But if I wanted to sell the pattern (I don't), would I give Cat Bordhi a portion of the proceeds?

I just want to have fun.  Heck, I don't even want to go so far as reading Jennifer Tocker's Copyright FAQs, although I have browsed this very useful and informative web page.