Sunday, January 26, 2014

#026 - Long Distance Dedication

Part Two of Four …in which our fearless podcaster continues his countdown of his Top 40 Doctor Who stories. This week it's 30 to 21, and it gets a little creepy with companions wielding scissors, Davros serving Happy Meals, and a special appearance by Max Headroom.

Right Click/Option Click for download.

Friday, January 17, 2014

#025 - An American's Top 40

Part One of Four … in which our fearless podcaster begins a countdown of his top 40 Doctor Who episodes. Topics include suicide, racism, science vs. religious fanaticism, funny walks, and giant roll-on deodorants.

Right Click/Option Click for download.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Instructions on how to knit a Tom Baker scarf

While rummaging thru an old box of photos, cards and clippings, I found the instructions on how to knit a Tom Baker scarf.


Modeling the finished scarf, circa Halloween 2004

Sometime during the mid 1980's, I wrote to my local PBS station (KETC Channel 9 in St. Louis) which was offering the instructions for free during a pledge drive. My mom and I bought all the yarn, and my mom hired someone to knit the scarf. I still own the scarf today and still wear it, especially as we're about to be experiencing temperatures as low as -50 degrees next week.

So as a public service, below is a transcription of the knitting instructions...

Salutations,

So, you wanted to know the official BBC instructions for knitting a Doctor Who scarf, did you? Well, here it is (they are).

MATERIALS

Size 10 American knitting needles
8 skeins (3 or 3.5 oz each) worsted wool; or polyester, blended acrylic or orion/dacron yarn in the following colors:

1 Dark Rust (rust)
1 Deep Tap Gold or Gold (yellow)
1 Dark Oxford (grey)
1 Burgundy (purple)
1 Cinnamon (bronze)
1 Olive (green)
2 Camel (light beige)

DIRECTIONS

Using the purple yarn, cast on 60 stitches. In plain knitting (a/k/a garter stitch) knit rows in the following order
(1 row means from one side to the other, NOT to one side and back again):

8 purple
52 camel
16 bronze
10 yellow
22 rust
8 purple
20 green
8 yellow
28 camel
14 rust
8 bronze
10 purple
42 green
8 yellow
16 grey
8 rust

54 camel
10 purple
12 green
8 yellow
18 rust
8 purple
38 bronze
10 camel
8 grey
40 rust
14 yellow
20 green
8 purple
42 camel
12 bronze
20 grey

8 rust
12 purple
6 camel
16 yellow
54 green
16 rust
12 grey
8 yellow
20 bronze
10 purple
12 camel
32 grey
10 rust
16 yellow

The tassels are made of 1-foot lengths of all colors of yarn (producing 6-inch tassels). 8 tassels for each end.

The BBC, which licenses all Doctor Who merchandise, warns that the finished scarf is to be WORN, NOT SOLD.

Allow at least 4 weeks for a completed scarf (assuming that you or the person who makes it will sleep, eat and go to work/school).

Good Luck,
Laura

"Laura" being Laura Cairo, who usually hosted the PBS pledge drives during Doctor Who and who usually wore a Tom Baker or Colin Baker costume (including a variation of Colin's costume made from Hawaiian shirt material).

The instructions were courtesy of the St. Louis Celestial Intervention Agency.