My Sock Stash

More yarn! Just so I won't run out. All of this is sock yarn. Regia, Jaeger, Rowan, Jawoll. The Jawoll comes with its own little spool of reinforcing thread tucked inside. I've never had any of that before, so all of my socks so far are without reinforcement! I didn't know!

More Socks

My current project. A couple of months ago, I started knitting both socks at the same time. I work on one and then on the other, back and forth -- but havent learned the new way of doing it all on one circular needle! Still, I like having them both going at once and getting them finished at about the same time.
These may look plain. Well, they are plain. I wasn't using a pattern but had to find one when it was time to do the heel flap. Now I'm putting in some ribbing on the foot (like the trail socks) but may have to change my mind. Maybe another red stripe?

Socks from January

Remember those socks from my very first entry back in January? I wasn't sure I had enough yarn but it turned out to be just enough. they are "Diana's Trail socks." they look a bit odd because of the ribbing on the foot, a 3" section of k1 p1. They hug the foot. They can be worn cuffs up or cuffs down.

The Woman's Bible

The Woman’s Bible
Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton published The Woman’s Bible in 1895 when she was 80 years old. She had hoped to have scholars work on more accurate (and favorable to women) translations, but the Bible, as published, consisted of passages with commentary by Stanton and other feminists.

The two forceful, central figures of the women’s movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, were in fierce disagreement over (at least) the timing of the publication. Stanton’s insistence that it was necessary to get rid of religious bigotry before trying to get voting rights, caused a serious rift. While I admire and agree with many of Stanton’s beliefs, I think Susan B. Anthony’s priorities were correct. Stanton’s raging against the churches could only loosen the focus of the women’s movement and slow down the progress toward suffrage. The post civil war rally for suffrage for the freedmen also became a distracting element.

I am in awe of how very progressive these women were in the 1800’s. If the two of them walked into just about any church next Sunday, here in this city, they would still probably be seen as radicals, especially Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She would be verbally tarred and feathered by women who today enjoy the results of her efforts. The Church would find Stanton far too outspoken and I can imagine Stanton’s horror at the women’s Sunday School classes where no one questions anything and a questioning spirit is seen as troublesome. If women had to erase religious bigotry before getting the vote, we wouldn’t be voting yet.

I wish that Stanton’s Bible had been able to attract the scholars she had hoped for. The commentaries are thought provoking and to the point. She is courageous in tackling the texts that have been used to denigrate women.

I am disappointed that Stanton refuses to deal with Lot’s daughters and Tamar. Stanton says they are “unworthy of a place in The Woman’s Bible.” On this, I strongly disagree, especially about Tamar. (It was not in churches but in literature that I first heard of David’s great love for Absalom.) And in churches, I have never heard anything about why he himself failed to defend his daughter, Tamar. I believe this is a powerful description of the treatment of women, and of their pain disregarded. I can understand that the subject of rape might be too indelicate for Stanton to handle at the time, but I wish she had not said that the story of Tamar was “unworthy.”

Can it be Spring?

Recently Mary Jacque told me about this book, a historical novel about the battle of Franklin. Franklin is about 10 or 15 miles south of Nashville and is now a charming town with brick streets, antique stores, art galleries and good restaurants. There are signs referring to historical sites but I had never bothered to seek them out when I was there. But I WILL do so the next time I go there. '

Mary Jacques book recommendations are always good, so I got the book right away, and then, in spite of the subject matter, could barelly put it down. Much of it is true. The widow (Carrie McGavock) actually did do the things described in the book.

More lives were lost that day, November 30, 1864, in five hours, "than in the 19 hours of D-Day -- and more than twice as many casualties as at Pearl Harbor." 9,200 men died that day on a field by the McGavock house in Franklin Tennessee. Six generals were killed that day, and four of them were laid out on Carrie McGavock's porch, right after she had been told her home would be used as a field hospital.