26 January 2007

How the Wind Doth Ram!

Folks, it's cold out. According to the indoor/outdoor thermometer on our bathroom windowsill, it is currently 2.1ºF out (-16.6ºC sounds even worse). And it hasn't bottomed out yet. And it's getting rather blustery out. David left this afternoon for a week-long trade show in Salt Lake City, so the beasts and I are semi-holed up in the TV room, which is the warmest room in the house. I will likely camp out in here tonight.




No knitting today, as my hands are still being temperamental. Instead I channeled my energy into sitting down and translating a pattern for Alpaca with a Twist yarn company. The logo above is some of David's handiwork - darling, no? Anyway, they had a knitter in Peru knit up some samples that didn't turn out quite right, so Jennifer asked David if I could do a little translating work. Or maybe David volunteered me. Either way, payment in yarn was mentioned, so how could I say no?

Translating knitting patterns poses some challenges. Aside from basic questions of word choice and word order, knitting terminology is not terribly standardized in Spanish, such that very different terms are used in different regions. Couple that with the fact that there are very few good resources out there, and it's difficult to come up with a terminology that can be understood both universally and easily. I think I managed it, but I suppose the proof will be in the pudding cardigan.

RedMaple Hits the Big Time


In other news, I managed to get the rabbit ears hooked up to the telly and fiddle around enough so that we could watch some of David's products make a guest appearance on The View. One of their stage managers owns alpacas, so they trotted a pair of them out on stage and the four hosts were all wearing alpaca accessories. Of course, David's hat and scarf ended up on the blonde Republican, Elisabeth Whatsherface, instead of Rosie or Joy Behar, but I suppose Republicans get to wear alpaca, too.


Soapbox Time


Still, when she said that raising the minimum wage was bad for small businesses, I wanted to reach through the TV and slap her. Taxing small businesses at a higher rate than megacorporations because they don't have huge lobbies and can't move overseas hurts small businesses. When workers are paid a living wage, then they can actually spend more of their money (and people on the minimum will generally spend ALL their money. They don't make enough to save any of it), which helps small businesses and the economy in general. And because the current minimum wage is too little for people to live on, there are very few small businesses that aren't already paying above the minimum, anyway. Girlfriend needs to get a damn clue.

Okay, I'm climbing down now.

8 comments:

Carol said...

Love the logo!

And my deepest sympathies that you had to watch The View. ;)

Anonymous said...

You're right on! Where did they find here anyway??? She's clueless about a lot of things.

Christine said...

LOVE the logo, and how cool is it you guys are making the big time??? I have, on many occasions, wanted to slap the blond skinny republican one myself as well. *sigh* I guess if that section of the market begins wearing alpaca products it couldn't hurt, right? right? After all, they are usually the higher paid part of society!

WOO HOO for you guys! Stay warm

Anonymous said...

You are right on your soap box there! Pretty obvious she's never worked a minimal wage or menial job. Nice to be advantaged, eh? But congratulations for the exposure.

Sheepish Annie said...

I am beyond cold here!!! I'm grateful for the seasonal turn, but not loving the below zero readings!!

The Alpaca logo is so sweet. Good luck with the pattern translations and congrats to David on having his products on the small screen. How cool! Even if it was modeled by the Republican...perhaps some of the sweet, sweet liberalness oozed through the alpaca and into her blue blood.

Anonymous said...

Too bad that GOP idiot got to wear David's cool stuff, but it's neat to hear that his work got shown on TV.

Don't freeze out there!

Scoutj said...

Oh I saw that one! And yeah.....Elizabeth is very hard to take.

Anonymous said...

Reading Sean's comment up there, I'm surpised that the minimum wage is *so* low. Here in Canada, each province sets its own. Ontario's just went up to $8/hour, and there's a lobby group that would like to see it raised to $10, which would -- it believes -- give people a living wage.