Haneef Released

Sometimes this world makes no sense at all. Take the recent case of Dr Mohamed Haneef. The dear ole Doc was working at a hospital on the Gold Coast in Queensland. He had a pretty good life; a good job, a nice place to live and his wife was pregnant with their first child. As they are both from India, they decided that it would be best for his wife to return to her family for the birth of their child. Dr Haneef was to join her once he could get the time off work. You can imagine his joy as he lined up at the airport to join his wife in their homeland. You can imagine his shock when he was taken into custody by the Australian Federal Police as a suspect in a terrorist plot.

While Dr Haneef was held, without any charges laid (!), his unit was ransacked by the police. The Australian Federal Police caused so much damage that Dr Haneef would not be able to move back in, even if that option were available. They completely ruined the place. The outcome of their search and interrogation? Nothing. The AFP made a mistake, the two pieces of evidence that linked Dr Haneef to the terrorist bombings were false leads. He has been released without charge.

Another thing happened while Dr Haneef was being held by the police, his wife gave birth to their child. This detail is made bitter by the fact that Dr Haneef cannot join his wife in India. His passport has not been returned to him and his visa status, as yet, is unclear. When Dr Haneef was first taken into custody, Australia's minister for immigration, Kevin Andrews, announced that Dr Haneef's visa would be cancelled, no matter what the outcome! Even though he has been cleared of any wrong doing, he may lose his right to work and live in Australia. As an Australian I find this almost impossible to believe. If no charges have been laid, why take his visa away from him? Mr Andrews had already made a decision about Dr Haneef's visa prior to any police findings. How can this be? This is Australia. This land is supposed to be based on equality, fairness and justice. These principles are being ignored in the name of the war on terror. In the end, the shame will be on us but in the meantime many will needlessly have their lives destroyed.

Mon premier chandail

The knitting continues.... I am now about halfway through my first jumper. So far it hasn't been too difficult but I am a little worried about the sleeves. I have what my darling husband refers to as gorilla arms. Whenever I buy a coat or a nice shirt it is often too short at the wrists. In making this jumper I'd like to avoid this problem. I have planned to alter the pattern to allow for my gorilla limbs. Hopefully I wont be stuffing up the pattern too much in the process.



So far my work seems a little big for the average size jumper. When I knitted up my swatch I "got gauge" so I don't expect any size problems, perhaps this pattern allows for a generous amount of ease. Of course I have tried it on, so to speak. I have held it up against my back to see if the arm holes are in the right place and the ribbing isn't at my knees. I guess it remains to be seen if the sizing really is right.

Bonne chance à moi!

K1, P1

One thing I like to do is knit. I don't do it with much regularity. In the time since I first learned how to knit I have completed a grand total of about..um..6 or 7 projects. There have been a smattering of booties, the occasional hat, and a couple of scarves. This over a period of many years. At the moment I have 3 projects on the go. One which I began about 2 1/2 years ago. It's all about the journey, no?

Recently I began embarking upon my most ambitious project ever, a jumper. This is not ambitious by most knitter's standards but I am not most knitters. It is a very standard (read: easy pattern) sweater with a crew neck. I am using a lovely blue worsted weight yarn. In Australia I believe that is 8 ply, having been taught to knit in Canada I am having a few translation issues. The picture above is of a dishcloth I completed just tonight. I am still learning to knit with cotton and dishclothes are a good way to practice. Cotton has a lovely finish that quite different from wool or arcylic. The problem with cotton, however, is that it can be quite difficult to work with. It is an unforgiving yarn due to it's lack of elasticity. As a result, much practice is needed before indulging in the more expensive, colourful and beautifully textured cottons.

I know that I am going to knit for many years to come. I hope to improve over time. Maybe one day I will even venture into sock territory... five needles, yikes!