Senate Republicans to CALL NOW to OPPOSE health care bill

Here are the 14 Republican senators who MUST hear from constituents. Tell them to OPPOSE current Senate health care bill.

Senators are from the following states:

Arkansas - BOTH senators
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Louisiana
Maine - to THANK Senator Collins for announcing she will NOT vote to have the bill go forward
Montana
Nevada - to THANK Senator Heller for already announcing his opposition to the bill
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee - BOTH senators
West Virginia

On smartphones, phone numbers should be clickable - so the phone will do all the work for you!

Lamar Alexander – TN

(202) 224-4944

John Boozman – AR

(202) 224-4843

Shelley Moore,Capito - WV

(202) 224-6472

Bill Cassidy - LA

(202) 224-5824

Susan Collins - ME

(202) 224-2523

Bob Corker - TN

(202) 224-3344

Tom Cotton - AR

(202) 224-2353

Steve Daines - MT

(202) 224-2651

Jeff Flake - AZ

(202) 224-4521

Cory Gardner - CO

(202) 224-5941

Dean Heller,Dean – NV – THANK him for OPPOSING bill

(202) 224-6244

Lisa Murkowski - AK

(202) 224-6665

Rob Portman - OH

(202) 224-3353

Pat Toomey - PA

(202) 224-4254

TALKING POINTS 

Feel free to talk about whatever causes YOU to be against this terrible bill. Here are just a few ideas. Be brief, be factual, be polite. And CALL EVERY DAY.

* Congressional Budget Office - NON-partisan estimated (on Mon., June 26) :
      > Increase the number of people without health insurance by 22 million by 2026

* What's the rush? Take your time and GET IT RIGHT

* MEDICAL groups opposed to bill  include: AMA, pediatricians, OB-GYN, American Heart, American Lung, Nurses - MANY others

* Medicaid defunding of Planned Parenthood - if Senator is pro-life - PP is absolutely NECESSARY to REDUCE the # of abortions

* Bill is actually a HUGE tax cut for the VERY WEALTHY

* Goal SHOULD be - to make ACA BETTER - this is NOT the way to do it

* IF a senator is has expressed concern about the opioid crisis, tell them that this bill would be a DISASTER for opioid treatment. My senator, Rob Portman of Ohio, has made this a signature issue. I've called to say that if he REALLY cares about dealing with opioids, then he MUST opposed the current bill.


Don't want to call?? I understand - I HATE the telephone! I must say, though, that calling is not as scary as you might think. There's a good chance you'll talk to voice mail and not a person. (Don't worry, voice mails absolutely ARE counted by members of congress.)

But...if you really can't abide the idea of calling, please go to this file, where you'll see clickable links that will lead you to each senator's email/contact page.
tinyurl.com/rscontact


NOW IS THE TIME

Knit afghan - perhaps the most beautiful I've ever made

Closeup - giving just a small flavor of detail and texture

Made for niece Jackie McLemore and hubby Jamie.  This is perhaps my favorite of all the afghans I've ever made - and that's really saying something!

Made with two strands of Homespun yarn (Deco), this is super warm and heavy - but they do live in New Hampshire.  The texture doesn't show in the photos at all, but it is amazing - soft and fuzzy.

Pattern can be found in two different books.  A little booklet called "Beginner's Guide: Knit Stitches & Easy Projects" and also in a very good pattern book, "Big Book of Quick Knit Afghans",  Both are available from Amazon and quite possibly your local everyday yarn shop.

The pattern is written quite stupidly in these books, I think.  It's just a horseshoe print and what's called a Trinity stitch, plus seed stitch and and easy bordering pattern.  I did use stitch markers and also a row counter, but the pattern was not hard.  No cables or other things that slow you down.  Intermediate level, I'd say.

Perhaps you'd like more info - including needles, skeins and help with translating the pattern in these books.  If so, leave a comment or contact me with questions.

Knit Afghan - Lacy Garter Stitch Diamonds

Afghan made for nephew Andrew and his wife Kelly.  I've made this pattern several times - and my sister has made it a dozen or more.  Unusual but easy.

Pattern adapted from "Lullaby" pattern in the Leisure Arts book, "Our Best Knit Baby Afghans," although this afghan is adult size.  The book - which has a number of good patterns - is available at Amazon and probably also at your local not-so-fancy yarn place.  Afghan was made with two strands of Caron Simply Soft.

I'm not going to post the pattern because you really should buy the book.  But if you need help adapting the pattern, leave a comment or contact me.

Pattern is advanced beginner.  Stitches used: knit, purl, yarn over, purl 2 together.  Always easy to know where you are (as is true of just about every pattern I do).

"Toe poke" crochet pattern

You'll have to read the pattern to see how "toe poke" got its name.  This is a lovely pattern for a lacy scarf or shawl, and perhaps for an afghan.

Here's the exemplar I made to show my crochet students.  I've created exemplars of a number of different patterns that use only single crochet, double crochet and chain.  So after I teach someone the basics, she can pick out a pattern that appeals to her.

Here's a shawl I made with this pattern, along with a closeup of the shawl.  

This is an absolute beginner's crochet pattern.  It uses nothing but single crochet, double crochet and chain - and it is always easy to know what row you're on and what you need to do.

Click here for the pattern (PDF format).

5 new red crocheted scarves

No time to write up patterns.  But here are photos of the 5 scarves I'm sending today to the organization Foster Care to Success - formerly the Orphans Foundation.

Foster Care to Success acts as the college fund for young people who are coming out of foster care.  Scarves are accepted from September 1 through December 15 each year and then sent as part of a Valentine’s Day “care package” to college students who were in foster care.  So I'm going to just barely make the 2011 deadline. 


The only requirement is that scarves be made in some shade of red (contrasting colors are allowed) and be made in a “collegiate unisex” style.  For more information - so you can get going for 2012 - go to: www.tinyurl.com/redscarfproj

If you would like one of these patterns - PLEASE WRITE A COMMENT SAYING SO.  I will be checking the comments.  Sometimes it's easier for me to write up a pattern knowing that someone has already expressed interest.  No commitment to actually make the pattern is required.  :-)  Like all crafters, I have a zillion patterns I'm going to make "some day."

The first three scarves pictured - the "tweedy" ones - are made with Lion Brand Tweed Stripes (Mixed Berry).  It was wonderful to take simple patterns and have the yarn do all the work.  The last two are made with Simply Soft (Autumn Red, with a little bit of white).

It's been SO LONG....but here are 3 dishcloth patterns

Okay...so I been a far-from-dedicated blogger - even though I retired in early 2010.  Where has the time gone?  I often quote the father of a friend, who said of his happy retirement years, "I wake up with nothing to do, and by the time I go to bed, I've got it half done."  Well...at least I've been somewhat active on Facebook since I last blogged.

Anyway...I'm going to try to post more often, but no promises.  I do have three new dishcloth patterns to share.  A few of the many dishclothes I make for family and friends, for the holidays and throughout the year.

If you've never tried hand-knit or crocheted dishcloths made with 100% cotton yarn, I heartily recommend them.  They are both absorbent and great scrubbers - and cheap and fast to make. When I first started making them, some recipients would say, "Oh, it's too pretty; I don't want to get it dirty."  Then they used them and they quickly got over that objection.  They are meant to be used. After all, it's only in our modern, affluent world where we divide beauty and utility.  Our ancestors didn't distinguish between the two - they couldn't afford to.  Think of all those gorgeous old quilts - true works of art. But the women who created them would have scoffed at the sugggestion that they be hung up for decoration only.



Here are the patterns:


Knit ripple - no holes
Pattern (PDF format) - here.

Crochet - single crochet mesh made in rounds

Pattern (PDF format) here.  I call this a single crochet mesh because you make each single crochet in a chain 1 space from the previous round, thus creating a fabric that's a kind of mesh.  (Original, huh?)  As mentioned in the pattern, this is a terrific way to use up small bits of leftover yarn.

Crochet - circle becomes square

Pattern (PDF format) here.   You can make the initial circle in a variety of sizes - the pattern explains how.  You can then make a square as big as you like.  (I.e., you can have a little circle inside a big square.)

Knit garter stitch checkerboard - VERY EASY

I hadn't realized how long it'd been since I'd posted to the blog.  Oh well.  I have been busy knitting and crocheting, as well as moving to Akron, Ohio, to join my partner.  And retiring from law teaching (and perhaps from the paid labor force).

Anyway...I was putting this pattern together for some knitting friends and decided to go ahead and add it to the blog.  Hopefully, I'll be a most regular blog poster, but who knows?

This blanket is easy and uses just knits and purls.  Yet the texture creates a lot of interest.  I used Red Heart yarn, but you could use fancier yarn for even more impressive results.  Like nearly all my baby blankets, this one was sent to the obstetrical unit of the Indian Health Services serving the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.  I do this as part of a wonderful charity crafting group - Crafting for a Cause.  Use this link to check them out on Yahoo! Groups. 

 

Closeup

Click here for the pattern (PDF format). Do not be intimidated by the length of the pattern. As always, I’m just trying to be thorough.

Knit afghan with BIG cables - Homespun

Click here for the pattern (PDF format). 

This afghan was custom-made for a bidder who won it in a silent auction to benefit Public Advocates, an incredible public-interest law firm headquartered in San Francisco.

It's hard to make an afghan for someone you don't know, even though Kevin was very gracious and kept saying that he would be happy with whatever I made. I hope that's true.


The color did not reproduce well in the larger photo. It's Homespun Baroque - a medium purple. You can see the color better in this closeup:










The afghan was very easy and went very quickly, because you only cable every 11 rows - and then you only cable every other column of stitches. Because Kevin wanted a medium weight afghan, I worked in a single strand of Homespun with #15 (10.0 mm) needles.

I'd rate this pattern as Advanced Beginner to Intermediate.
Stitches used: knit, purl, cable.

If you're a beginner and are thinking cables are beyond you - please, please give them a try. Beginners often assume that cables must be hard. And yet they are so very, very easy. Cabling is a little awkward at first, but you’ll catch on quickly. I use cables a lot for silent auctions and gifts – they give a tremendous “bang for the buck.”

Click here for the pattern (PDF format). Do not be intimidated by the length of the pattern. As always, I’m just trying to be thorough.

Originally, you can find the original pattern here.  If you end up having to do a Google search to find the original pattern, look for "Bernat Softee Chunky Aran Cable Blanket."   The original pattern had a few more cables, to create a corkscrew effect.  Either pattern would be stunning.

Technology Problem Solved: I Belong to a Yahoo Groups listserve, yet I can't access group messages and other features online

I manage several listserves on Yahoo! Groups. The listserves work fine once they're set up, but the Yahoo system is complex and non-intuitive. If I were starting a new listserve group, I'd use Google Groups.

In a future post, I hope to provide information on how to set up a group. Today, though, I want to address another issue.

The "Subject" of this blog post describes the problem. Someone - let's call her Sondra - is a member of a Yahoo! Group, and decides to try to access group information online. Maybe Sondra wants to read group messages online, or perhaps there are photos or files to access. Sondra tries to click on the link that's included on the listserve emails, but is stymied.

What's wrong? And how can Sondra's problem be solved?

Before answering, I must acknowledge that the solution is an [expletive deleted] nightmare. No wonder Yahoo! is losing money. But, it CAN be done. And, it only has to be done once. That is, once this solution is implemented, Sondra will be able to view messages and other Yahoo! Group content on the web.

The process doesn't take very long, but, as you'll see below, it involves a large number of non-intuitive steps. I've tried to set the steps out in great detail below. I suggest you print out these instructions and follow along.

Overview: The problem is that Sondra doesn't have a Yahoo identity and access to Yahoo! Groups requires a Yahoo ID. Therefore, Sondra needs to create a Yahoo! ID in order to read the posts online, even though she doesn't receive Group posts at a Yahoo email address.

Let's assume that Sondra receives emails from GroupA@yahoogroups.com at sondra@anyemail.com.


Sondra should follow these steps:

1) Sondra should go to groups.yahoo.com

2) She should scroll down and until she sees (under the login boxes) - "Don't have a Yahoo! ID? Signing up is easy." Click on the "Sign Up." link.

3) Next, Sondra selects a Yahoo ID and answers the other questions asked. She should INCLUDE THE email sondra@anyemail.com address under "Alternate email."

4) After Sondra creates her Yahoo ID, the next screen will have a link "Edit Marketing Preferences." It's not necessary, but I'd suggest Sondra click on this link and opt out of all the marketing stuff - to cut down on spam. I'd also advice Sondra to KEEP the Yahoo email address (for the Yahoo identity she just created) as the place for Yahoo to contact her. She'll never check that email address, so the spam can just pile up there - what does she care?

Sondra should not give Yahoo! her phone or snail mail address. She should then click on "save changes." It will appear that nothing has happened, but actually Sondra's changed preferences HAVE been saved.

5) Now Sondra should go to the top of this screen. She should see a (fairly small) link that says "My Yahoo." Click on "My Yahoo."

6) On the next screen, Sondra must scroll down the left side of the screen and click on link to "Groups."

7) On the next screen, on the left near the top, Sondra should see a link inside box that says "Click here if you receive Yahoo! Groups email but don't see your groups listed here."

8) After Sondra clicks, she'll be asked for an additional email. She should enter her sondra@anyemail.com address.

9) Sondra will then be asked to click a link to "verify" her sondra@anyemail.com email. What this means is that Yahoo needs to verify that she really does receive mail at the @anyemail.com address. After Sondra clicks on the "verify" link, Yahoo will immediately send an email to her @anyemail.com address. Sondra must then check her @anyemail.com address for an email from Yahoo. She'll click on the link in that email and her @anyemail.com address is now verified.

10) Now all Sondra has to do is use her newly created Yahoo! ID to log in at groups.yahoo.com. Voila! - she should see all the Yahoo Groups where she's subscribed at the sondra@anyemail.com address. And, henceforth, she'll be able to access her groups this way with her now-created Yahoo! ID.

NOTES:
A) Further complications will ensue if Sondra has multiple emails where she receives messages from different Yahoo Groups. Suppose, for instance, that her subscription to GroupA@yahoogroups.com comes to the (now familiar) sondra@anyemail.com, but that she receives posts from GroupB@yahoogroups.com at sondralady@someotheremail.com. Sondra is going to have to add the second email to her Yahoo identity. She will not have to create a different Yahoo identity. I can't give detailed instructions on how to do this, but at some point after she's linked her first email to the Yahoo! ID, Sondra will be asked if there are any other (non-Yahoo) email addresses she wants to link to this same ID. And she'll probably have to verify the second email address too.

B) I make no representations about how long these instructions will remain accurate. I think the basic idea of having to create a Yahoo! ID will probably persist, but the details may change in terms of links to click, etc. (Another charming aspect of doing battle with Yahoo - and yes, that's meant sarcastically.)

C) I know I have not been consistent and have sometimes called it Yahoo! (Exclamation point! I'm so excited!) and sometimes just plain ol' Yahoo. Deal with it.

Knit afghan - Feather & Fan - Homespun

An adult afghan I just finished for the silent auction that benefitted the Women's Law Caucus and the Public Interest Law Society at the U. of Tulsa College of Law.

Closeup



It's a standard knit "feather and fan" pattern, with a garter stitch contrast section. The yarn is Lion Brand Homespun Tudor (main color, variegated) and Baroque (the pale purple). If I do say so myself, the pictures don't capture the texture or softness of the afghan.

I'd rate this pattern as Advanced Beginner to Intermediate.
Stitches used: knit, purl, yarn-over, k2tog, SSK.

Click here for the pattern (PDF format). Do not be intimidated by the length of the pattern. I’m just trying to be thorough. I want my patterns to be accessible to beginners. I also want to eliminate any guesswork for even experienced knitters. (And, okay, so maybe I'm just verbose in general - see "favorite quote" about me at left.)

I love the Writer's Almanac daily email newsletter

Because it's taught me that I love poetry (or at least "accessible" poetry, as some call it). Check out the poem from this past Monday (Oct. 6, 2008), "The Scientist," by Jonathan Holden. Never heard of the poet; never heard of the poem. Loved it.

The Oct. 6 entry also had great info about a couple of Faulkner novels, As I Lay Dying and Light in August.

And then the clincher: a fascinating paragraph about someone named David Dietz, a mid-20th century journalist who was one of the first people to popularize science in America. Who knew?

Here's a great quote about poetry, also courtesy of the Writer's Almanac (for Oct. 13, 2008). Poet and translator Richard Howard wrote, "I do think that many people who say they don't like poetry like the things that poetry can do; they just don't know that it's poetry that's doing them." That used to be me.

Click here for the Writer's Almanac homepage. As you'll see, it's done by Garrison Keillor and is broadcast on various Public Radio stations.

At the homepage, you can read or listen to today's entry, and browse/search for previous entries. You can sign up to get the Almanac by podcast, RSS feed, or get the daily Newsletter, as I do. Here's a direct link to the Newsletter sign-up, which includes lots of other keen ways to clog up your Inbox.

I'm happiest subscribing to the email because I find Garrison Keillor pretentious as a reader. I have a nearly Pavlovian aversion to the sound of his voice. I like some of his writing okay and did enjoy the "Prairie Home Companion" movie.

My FIRST blog entry

Hello. This blog will cover ALL the topics that interest me. That's a very long and diverse list, but includes:

• knit and crochet
• politics (liberal)
• feminism (radical-thinking; reform-acting)
• reproductive choice (I'm for it)
• domestic violence (I'm against it - and it's the focus of my professional and volunteer life)
• sports (love all kinds; football is my favorite and I've been a rabid Washington Redskins fan since 1955, when I was 5 years old )
• my kids (son Allen, born 1985; daughter Marcia, born 1989)
  
• my life partner (Marty, born ____ (he'd probably prefer I didn't say); we met in 1982; married since 1985)
• human beings (everything about them interests me, including how they relate to each other and how they feel about themselves internally)
  
• movies
• law
• technology, especially for my beloved Mac computer (I despise mere gadgets, but love technology when it's a tool)
  
• music, art, literature
• good writing - including grammar and usage

And much, much more. Presumably no one else is interested in all these same things. I even considered starting multiple blogs so the knitters wouldn't have to slog through the politics and the movie lovers wouldn't have to slog through the knitting. But instead I'll just do my best to tag posts accurately.

As for my background, I guess I'll start with my job. (That's how all American respond to, "What do you do?" Did you know that a European might answer this same question, "I like to ski"??)

I'm a law professor at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Math from above will tell you I was born in 1950 - total Baby Boomer. I was raised in Washington, D.C. (thus...the Redskins). My father moved to Washington when he was 13, and my mother's family has lived in Washington since before the Civil War, so we're real natives. I have one older sister; we're very close. I went to the Quaker school in D.C., Sidwell Friends, all the way from 1st through 12th grade. (Chelsea Clinton went there - as well as Richard Nixon's daughters when he was Veep.) I then went to Cornell University (American history major, '72) and Harvard Law School ('75). After three years as a practicing lawyer at the U.S. Dept. of Labor in D.C., I became a law professor, so this year marks 30 years in teaching. I've taught at the law schools of American University in D.C., U. of Florda (met my husband there; son born in Gainesville), Albany Law School in Albany, NY (daughter born there) and, for the past 13 years, at U. Tulsa.

My husband, also a law professor, has been the Dean of the University of Akron Law School in Akron, Ohio, since Jan. of this year. I will be leaving Tulsa and joining him pretty soon, probably at the end of the current academic year.

And...while I'm at it...I might as well mention my biggest claim to fame. I'm one of the all-time champions on the TV game show "Jeopardy!" In 1987, I won nearly $50,000 - and that was before they doubled the money amounts, so in today's game my winnings would have been almost $100,000. I was a semi-finalist in the 1988 Tournament of Champions, where I was out of my league. Then I appeared as a contestant in the 2002 Million Dollar Masters tournament, where I was way, way, WAY out of my league. But, hey, they gave me $10,000, plus an all-expenses paid trip to New York, including putting me up at the Waldorf-Astoria. Thus, I was perfectly content to be fodder for the other, much more knowledgeable Million Dollar contestants.

As you might expect from a Jeopardy! champion, my brain is chockful of trivia. If I'm not there and my friends are arguing about anything (Was it Barbara Stanwyck or Katharine Hepburn in that movie? Who was President in 1900? How old was Dickens when he died?) - someone will say, "If Kate were here, she'd know." More than one person has told me, "If I'm ever on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire," you'll be one of my phone-a-friends."


In a future post, I'll say why I named the blog "Kate Can Help." At the moment, the title is misleading. For now, I'll be focusing on sharing my thoughts and activities. I'm going to allow comments, but I probably will NOT respond to comments or offer help very much.

Thanks for reading.