Thunderbolts and lightning
Very very frightening! (It's not raining here yet though, but it's gonna.)
Somehow my entire apartment just reached its toxic clutter threshold. Most of the stuff is exactly the same as when I left, but I didn't notice it I guess. Now suddenly everywhere I look is just covered in junk. I am going to attempt to clean it today, but it may not be cleanable in one day (or I may get distracted by knitting). I've divided things into three zones in my bedroom - desk, floor and bookcase. I'm going to change the sheets and make my bed. Next step will be desk - remove everything from it and add things back only as needed, and deal with the rest. Second is the floor - sort through suitcase and dirty clothes and get the laundry going. And while that's washing the third step is to attack my horrid bookshelf, which I would show you in pictures if I had a camera cable that worked.
I called the Ziocorp company, maker of little card reader that won't read my card. Four times, in fact - I called them often enough for the tech representative to recognize my voice. She was going to send me a firmware update for my Mac that would allow the reader to read a 512mb card. Finally at about 4:00 it was sent - an email with a 1.7mb attachment - exactly twenty-one times to my email account.
After I sorted through them to make sure they were repeats and not needed files, I opened one up...only to discover they'd sent me PC updater files.
I'm telling you - these people have the worst customer service on the planet. No easy download on the website. No information on the package saying "this card reader does not read photo cards over x mb." (I'm a designer, I could fit that on the package along with instructions in three languages, eight international phone numbers and some very large client logos...believe me.) Technical support that doesn't technically seem to know what they are doing.
And her explanation? Well, it seems this reader was a new one 3 years ago. The company that originally sold it was purchased by Ziocorp. Is that an excuse? I mean really.
So no pictures.
I gave Shedir to my colleague yesterday for his mum. What a fast knit! Aside from a bit of puzzling over line 54 (you have to read it literally and not assume the stitches are in the right order when you put them on the cable needle) this pattern was super challenging physically and mentally, but definitely do-able in a super-fun kind of way. Everything about it seemed new to me. I don't love the Calmer, and when I handwashed it it seemed to get a little stiff, but it will make a lovely hat for his mum and be very stretchy. So that was fun.
The yarn that I keep looking at longingly (for after I finish my other Embossed Leaf sock, I'm decreasing the gusset which is making my eye wander) is my Sundara sock yarn in Popsicle. I am trying to understand what sock pattern it wants me to use.
The other thing I'm doing (Lord help me) is working on being able to knit a flower basket shawl for my stepmom for Christmas. I got a trade for the magazine at the Knittyboard since it's out of print, and I've been investigating yarn. The yarn I'm completely and utterly in love with was one I saw last weekend at The Yarn Market in Beulah, MI - It's called Alpaca With A Twist "Fino"...mmm...875 yards of laceweight silk/alpaca blend (30/70) for about $20. Nobody in my state sells it so I'm going to have to order it online, and after a lot of searching and asking around I found a color she'll like called Plum Wine. I can't begin to explain to you how soft this yarn is, or how luminous and beautiful. I almost bought a skein without even a pattern in mind and I never do that (some of you are laughing at me).
So I'll have about six months to make the thing. I don't know if I'll be able to do it, honestly. But I've read the IK tutorial on lace and Eunny's blog entries on lace and I've knitted a bunch of lace socks, so why not try some actual lace knitting? I'm not a shawl person...but Donna picked up a fbs sample at that yarn store this weekend and just went nuts. I mean she really loved it. So we'll see if I can get 'er done.
Last but not least, I had a yummy box of treats waiting for me when I got back last week from my SP7 - Sockotta yarn, a super cute black-cat tape measure (you pull his tail!), bath crayons, a book about kitties, jasmine green tea, goat's milk soap, paper flowers, two lovely stitch markers...it's lovely! I will put up a picture as soon as I can.
Can you tell I'm dying without my camera???
Somehow my entire apartment just reached its toxic clutter threshold. Most of the stuff is exactly the same as when I left, but I didn't notice it I guess. Now suddenly everywhere I look is just covered in junk. I am going to attempt to clean it today, but it may not be cleanable in one day (or I may get distracted by knitting). I've divided things into three zones in my bedroom - desk, floor and bookcase. I'm going to change the sheets and make my bed. Next step will be desk - remove everything from it and add things back only as needed, and deal with the rest. Second is the floor - sort through suitcase and dirty clothes and get the laundry going. And while that's washing the third step is to attack my horrid bookshelf, which I would show you in pictures if I had a camera cable that worked.
I called the Ziocorp company, maker of little card reader that won't read my card. Four times, in fact - I called them often enough for the tech representative to recognize my voice. She was going to send me a firmware update for my Mac that would allow the reader to read a 512mb card. Finally at about 4:00 it was sent - an email with a 1.7mb attachment - exactly twenty-one times to my email account.
After I sorted through them to make sure they were repeats and not needed files, I opened one up...only to discover they'd sent me PC updater files.
I'm telling you - these people have the worst customer service on the planet. No easy download on the website. No information on the package saying "this card reader does not read photo cards over x mb." (I'm a designer, I could fit that on the package along with instructions in three languages, eight international phone numbers and some very large client logos...believe me.) Technical support that doesn't technically seem to know what they are doing.
And her explanation? Well, it seems this reader was a new one 3 years ago. The company that originally sold it was purchased by Ziocorp. Is that an excuse? I mean really.
So no pictures.
I gave Shedir to my colleague yesterday for his mum. What a fast knit! Aside from a bit of puzzling over line 54 (you have to read it literally and not assume the stitches are in the right order when you put them on the cable needle) this pattern was super challenging physically and mentally, but definitely do-able in a super-fun kind of way. Everything about it seemed new to me. I don't love the Calmer, and when I handwashed it it seemed to get a little stiff, but it will make a lovely hat for his mum and be very stretchy. So that was fun.
The yarn that I keep looking at longingly (for after I finish my other Embossed Leaf sock, I'm decreasing the gusset which is making my eye wander) is my Sundara sock yarn in Popsicle. I am trying to understand what sock pattern it wants me to use.
The other thing I'm doing (Lord help me) is working on being able to knit a flower basket shawl for my stepmom for Christmas. I got a trade for the magazine at the Knittyboard since it's out of print, and I've been investigating yarn. The yarn I'm completely and utterly in love with was one I saw last weekend at The Yarn Market in Beulah, MI - It's called Alpaca With A Twist "Fino"...mmm...875 yards of laceweight silk/alpaca blend (30/70) for about $20. Nobody in my state sells it so I'm going to have to order it online, and after a lot of searching and asking around I found a color she'll like called Plum Wine. I can't begin to explain to you how soft this yarn is, or how luminous and beautiful. I almost bought a skein without even a pattern in mind and I never do that (some of you are laughing at me).
So I'll have about six months to make the thing. I don't know if I'll be able to do it, honestly. But I've read the IK tutorial on lace and Eunny's blog entries on lace and I've knitted a bunch of lace socks, so why not try some actual lace knitting? I'm not a shawl person...but Donna picked up a fbs sample at that yarn store this weekend and just went nuts. I mean she really loved it. So we'll see if I can get 'er done.
Last but not least, I had a yummy box of treats waiting for me when I got back last week from my SP7 - Sockotta yarn, a super cute black-cat tape measure (you pull his tail!), bath crayons, a book about kitties, jasmine green tea, goat's milk soap, paper flowers, two lovely stitch markers...it's lovely! I will put up a picture as soon as I can.
Can you tell I'm dying without my camera???
posted by Jen at 9:39 AM
4 Comments:
Seems to me while I read of your knits and yarns thet you are not suffering from any "slow motion in the knitting front".
(Hope you get your camera issues fixed soon.)
I here you with the Mess thing!!! My house is looking rather like a rubbish heap. My exuse??? It's June!! Hope you get your camera working soon!
Argh about the camera! How frustrating.
We had big storms Friday night - it was crazy. Hail, too.
You sound more than ready and more than qualified to knit lace!!
Silly camera thing. I think we have all your hot weather here in the UK this weekend. I could trade you for a thunderstorm?
Post a Comment
<< Home