Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I hope you're having the best Memorial Day Weekend ever!

I've been watching the Firefly marathon on the Science Channel, and it's the usual good fun. Yesterday was the Doctor Who marathon on BBC in America. Otherwise, I'm spending a quiet weekend at home watching TV, knitting socks, and wishing I could see the Thunderbirds.

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I still haven't blogged about Tuesday. I had an appointment to have my hearing aids checked at the VA Hospital in DC, and Holly drove me there.

She got to play with my new Galaxy Tab while we were waiting, and seemed to have fun with it.

We stopped at WalMart because she wanted to get some things there, and I wanted to return the light bulbs that didn't work in the old fixtures in my apartment. There was nothing wrong with the bulbs, it's just that the fixtures are old and finicky.

I was afraid that WalMart wouldn't let me return them, but they did. Something new happened, though. Instead of returning my money, they gave me a WalMart gift card. So, I got to wander around the store with money in my pocket that I couldn't spend anywhere else.

I've been looking for a project bag for a while, and while I've found some nice ones, I still haven't found what I'm looking for. I found one there though that comes really close.

It's the perfect bag for this weekend, with all the stars, too. As you can see, there's a zipper pocket on the outside, but there's also one you can't see on the inside. So, there's a pocket for extra needles, a knit picker (tiny latchhook, and this one happens to be lighted), and the outside pocket is for stitch markers and other tiny stuff. It's mostly for sock projects, and there's room for a ball of yarn (even a 100 gram ball) and the sock itself inside.

I also found a key ring (shown above the bag and below).

 And they match! How perfect can you get?

I know. It doesn't take much to please me. But it's more fun that way!

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My TiVo and the cord to plug it in arrived on Thursday, and I got everything hooked up, including my DVD player. When I hooked up the DVR, I knew it was only temporary, and it would have made it a lot more complicated to hook up the DVD player, so I didn't bother.

Thursday evening I got to watch part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I think they did a great job on it! I won't say anything more here because I don't want any spoilers, although if you've already read the book, you know what's happening because it's pretty true to the book.

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I promise that there will be some more scintillating conversation about knitting soon. Well, hopefully soon. I really have to get back to writing the pattern for the plain mobius set (hat, scarf, neck warmer and mitts) and finish making and start writing the pattern for the cabled version. The cabled version is not something I can just knit, though. I have a general idea, but I'm figuring it out as I go. It's really nice so far, though.

It's going to look a lot like the lavender set I made for my granddaughter. I was going to add a photo of it, but Blogger seems to have jammed up the photo loading mechanism for the moment, and the technical difficulties don't seem to make it possible.

Have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

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Happy Thyroid Day!

Happy Thyroid Day!

I didn't realize it was Thyroid Day until I had already posted the previous post about Towel Day (make sure you scroll down and read the Towel Day post).

Thyroid problems are serious, and doctors don't seem to know much about them, so I want to get the word out there. The biggest problem with doctors not knowing anything about thyroid problems is that they think they know it all, which leads them to ignore most of the people who come to them looking for help for their very real problems.

I'm guessing that about 90% of hypothyroid people suspect, but don't know that they are hypothyroid because their doctors have told them that they don't have a problem with their thyroid. That's my own statistic with no validity other than my personal observation. I walk around and notice people in stores and otherwise out in public who are displaying obvious signs of hypothyroidism, and if I walk up and talk to them about it, they'll assure me that their doctor insists that there's nothing wrong with them.

Doctors are being mislead about hypothyroidism by the drug companies, who don't care at all about your health, only their bottom line. They'd rather see you take dangerous and expensive statin medicines for the high cholesterol that hypothyroidism brings on. And, by the way, if you have high cholesterol, you DO have low thyroid function! Testing cholesterol used to be a test for thyroid function. If cholesterol is high, thyroid function is low. That's an absolute fact!

The drug companies would also rather sell you antidepressants and other expensive medications than do anything to fix your thyroid function and actually make you well.

And if you are so low on thyroid function that you actually get diagnosed, they want the doctors to sell you T4 only drugs like Synthroid, which will not fix your cholesterol or keep you from having other problems and them from selling you other drugs for those problems.

It's almost impossible, but try to find a doctor who is willing to prescribe a natural desiccated thyroid drug like Armor Thyroid, West Throid, or Nature Throid. These "drugs" contain just what your own, natural thyroxin contains, and they'll actually make you well, as opposed to the synthetic drugs, which won't help you at all, but will make the tests come out right, but won't help you at all.

Do click the link above. It will direct you to lots of other information that's really important.

And even if you don't think you might have hypothyroidism, check the long and pathetic list of hypothroid symptoms! It's an eye opener! And it might help you direct a friend to get help.

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Happy Towel Day, You Hoopy Froods!

Happy Towel Day, you Hoopy Froods!

There's a photo of the towel I knitted specifically for Towel Day a couple of years ago. It's still hanging in my bathroom, and will be worn with pride later today.

If you haven't read The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I can't begin to explain it here, but I heartily recommend that you do read it. It's the most insane look at modern life on this planet that you'll find anywhere. There are also two different DVDs of the story available. The first Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is pretty close to the book. This is the version that Robin bought me for my birthday a few years ago, and it's been a favorite ever since I first saw it on TV. It was originally a TV series.

What you should understand about the newer version of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is that Douglas Adams didn't believe in letting a story lie. He revised and polished it with each telling, so each version is kind of like an alternate history version of the same story. This version has the advantage of having been done after all the Hitchhiker books were written, so it doesn't cut off after the first three books, although it doesn't include Mostly Harmless.

Here are some ideas for how to celebrate Towel Day. For the more scholastic among you, here's the Wikipedia description, and it includes an excerpt from the first book explaining the significance of the towel. There is more on the internet about Towel Day if you consult a search engine, too.
If you don't get the ultimate guide version, here are the books in order:

1. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
2. Restaurant at the end of the Universe
3. Life, the Universe and Everything
4. So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
5. Mostly Harmless

There is also a short story called Young Zaphod Plays it Safe, which is almost a prequel, but is not included in the individual books. You'll have to buy a copy of the complete set to get that. Or, of course, the leather bound version.

And then, there are all the books about the books. Don't Panic by Neil Gaiman, And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer. There may be more. And I haven't even mentioned the radio shows.

Anyway, have a happy Towel Day!


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Random Monday

I'm not going to be able to post tomorrow because my hearing aids will be getting a check-up at the VA Hospital in DC. This will (with traveling) take up most of the day.

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I hope you had a happy Armed Forces Day on Saturday! There's been a lot of things reminding me of the military just lately, and that was the first of them. The VA Hospital visit is the second of them because it is for veterans. And DC will be gearing up for Rolling Thunder over the Memorial Day weekend.

As if all that weren't enough, John has finally overcome most (maybe all) of the major problems he's had with getting the third and last Steve Canyon on DVD published. These have been many, and have included a hard disk crash that nearly took out the whole project, and illnesses involving people he planned to interview.

There's an article about it on the internet with more information. And another one here (scroll down for the info) which has a nice, big view of the covers for all three volumes at the bottom. Then there's John's Steve Canyon blog with a neat story about it with an update on what's actually happening.

He's been in contact with me about it, and I have some minor changes to do in the artwork, and I'm poised to finish it all off.

There is also a book coming out about Steve Canyon, which covers the comic strip, and I think there's stuff about the TV show, too. I gather it's pretty comprehensive, but I don't really know what I'm taking about because I haven't been directly involved with it.

If you're a Steve Canyon fan, or just like watching the Thunderbirds, or just flying, you'll probably be interested in this. Check it out!

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Well, my replacement TiVo HD just arrived, so I'm going to install it so I can watch The Event tonight!

I've gotten and will be getting some really neat things in the mail/via UPS lately. Stuff I've gotten includes: the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1) DVD, a copy of the book, Charted Knitting Designs, my Galaxy Tab, The TiVo (today), a micro SD card for the tablet, and I'll be getting a new knitting bag (the blue one) and two beautiful scarves! Oh, and I found out that I can't cancel my cell phone service without also canceling my at home phone service, so I'll be getting a cell phone, too.

This is the blue color one I wanted:

They didn't have any of those, so I'm getting the same model in gray, which is not as nice, but still pretty good. The outside of it is a non-slip rubber-type material that's easy to hold, and that clear part at the bottom of the photo has "light effects" when it rings. Hopefully, the ringer will be louder, too. so that I'll hear it. It should be fun, even if it's not blue.

I have to go install my TiVo now!

Have a wonderful week!

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Braindead Blankness

I wanted to blog yesterday because I haven't put up a post in a while. Well, I couldn't think of anything to say yesterday, and I still can't.

When I started blogging, I thought, why are all those other bloggers moaning about not having anything to say? I don't think I'll ever run out of things to talk about.

Well, I've realized that mostly, I talk about what I'm doing. I seem to always be doing something creative and interesting. But this past week and a half, I've been spending most of my time running around trying to avert a series of catastrophes that all seem to all be happening at once.

Here's a video that will cheer you up before all the rest of the blog:



Holly told me about this the other night, and most of these things are stupid, but this one is irresistibly funny. This won't play on my ancient computer, so I hope it plays on yours. It plays beautifully on my Galaxy Tab!

Back to the subject.

The Galaxy Tab that I got was wonderful for the first five hours, and then it seemed to crash and burn. I finally figured out that if I'm going to load up a bunch of apps and tons of files, it either has to have more memory or it's going to lose it's mind (or at least all it's computing capability). There's a memory card on it's way to me now, and, hopefully, it'll arrive today.

I just took a moment to check, and, according to the internet, it's waiting downstairs for me, and I have 13 minutes to pick it up (we can only get packages during certain hours at or apartment place). In actual practice, I might be able to get it later. The packaging might fit into my mailbox. Most paperback books will fit in there. It's only a micro SD card, which isn't really big. It's about the size of a fingernail, which leads me to believe that they may overcompensate and put it in some large packaging.

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Speaking of books, I got the copy of Charted Knitting Designs that I ordered to make me feel a bit better for not being able to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I bought the original book, which was later published as a Third Treasury of Knitting Designs. It's got a stitch pattern in it that I've been looking everywhere for without success. I plan to make a spectacular new pattern with it, and I'm not telling you about it because it's going to be a surprise. So that's good. I've had this design in the back of my mind for several years, and it looks like I'm finally going to bee able to make it.

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John called up the night before last. He wanted help finding a file I made for him. He's working on something, and it looks like some of my art is going to be in a book, and, at least theoretically, I should get a credit for it in the book! I've put together lots of books, but they've all been of someone else's work. Oh, I've done tech illustrating and drawings that got into manuals and other publications, and the design of those publications was mine, but none that showcases some of my work specifically. I'm excited!

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The TiVo has arrived back at the TiVo place, and they said I should get the replacement in seven to ten days. I can't wait! This Comcast DVR acts like it was made of stone knives and bearskins.

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You can tell that sweeps month is over. There's really nothing on TV tonight. The first night with some really good TV will be Saturday, in the person of Doctor Who. They'll be rerunning The Doctor's Wife, from last week, and it's a really good episode (it was written by Neil Gaiman, so it has to be good), so if you missed it, here's your chance to catch it again.

I'm still trying to find some way to replace my dying TV, and I'm rapidly running out of ideas. I'd really like to replace it with something that I can move myself if I have to, which means one of the newer, flat TVs that you can hang on the wall like a painting if you want to. My first thought was Craig's List, but you can only get older CRTs at any kind of good price there.

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Not only am I trying to handle all the stuff that's being attacked by entropy, but I'm still in a mental fog from all the tree pollen which drifted in my window while it was warm outside, but the A/C still hadn't been turned on. It's going to take me months to recover.

Maybe I can make a really neat knitting project in the meantime, though. And get it written up, formatted and into a PDF so it can be for sale. Along with the mobius projects I'm still working on.

I hope the rest of your week is much better than mine has been so far!

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Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

Well, this has been a bad week for electronics as far as I'm concerned.

My TV is still in the process of dying.

My TiVo bought the big one on Sunday. I finally got it to the UPS store and got it on it's way back to TiVo. Once they get it, they'll send me a new one (or maybe a newer one, or at least one that works). So, with any luck, they'll get it Tuesday, and if they get it out to me the same day, I might have one as soon as next Friday.

In the meantime, I spent most of the day on Monday on the bus to go to the Comcast office and get a DVR until the TiVo comes back. That's kind of like taking your top-of-the-line sports car to be serviced and have them loan you a tractor to get around on. But at least it's possible to watch TV in the meantime. I'm particularly looking forward to the Doctor Who episode tomorrow because it's written by Neil Gaiman! Here's a publicity photo:

Last Saturday, before all this started, I ordered a Samsung Galaxy Tab from T-Mobile. It arrived yesterday, and I did something stupid and didn't know how to operate it. I can't believe I did something so dumb! I thought it wasn't working, and returned it yesterday (while I was dropping off the TiVo at UPS). They overnighted a replacement, and it arrived completely charged up late this morning.

The new one was completely charged up when I got it late this morning, so I spent about 5 hours having fun with it! Then it said the battery was low, so I unpacked the charger and cord from the box and plugged the whole thing into the wall. A few minutes later, it wasn't working. I finally got it to light up and try to tell me what's wrong, and it did. It said to connect the charger.

I tried plugging it into a different outlet, I tried plugging the USB cable into my computer's USB port, and it didn't seem to be working. I finally decided to just plug it into the wall and just leave it for a while to see what would happen. It looks like it's charging now, but very slowly. I'll check it in a bit and see if there's any difference.

I have to say that it is absolutely excellent when it's working! It loads web pages very quickly (faster than my computer), and it plays videos beautifully. It came with some apps I'd never seen before, and there's at least one that I really like. I don't remember the name and I don't want to interrupt it while it's charging, but the app is called something like daily status. It's got five pages, and once you tell it where you live, when you open it, the first page tells you what your local weather is. You can also load other locations, and see what the weather is like there. I already loaded in a location for my sister in New Jersey, and one for John, in California, so I can see what the weather is like there. I still have to load some other locations. But I've got Friendship, MD loaded, so I can see what the weather is like at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

The fifth page shows you what you have scheduled on your Google calendar. The other pages show stock quotes if you enter your stocks in them, and some other stuff that I'm not interested in, but those two pages are worth their weight in gold (not that they actually weigh anything, you understand, being virtual).

It comes with the Kindle app already installed, and I installed the Nook app, and it seems to run even better than it did on my G1. All the books I've already bought showed up right away, and I had to make the text smaller because it was trying to display it at the same text to screen size ratio as my G1, and since this screen is much bigger, so was the type. But that's easily adjusted.


There's a Gallery app, and I opened it, thinking that I'd have to figure out how to load photos, and discovered that a lot of my photos had already loaded!

This is a really great device!

The people at the local T-Mobile store said that I could bring it in, and they'd use a cord that they have in the store to check and see if it was the cord. They have a car charger with a cord like the one I have, but it has a plug that attaches that will fit into a cigarette lighter that I can buy if that's the problem.

Or maybe it'll just charge?

I'm hoping.

It finally seems to be charging now.

Maybe it's OK.

As mentioned, my TV is still dying. Almost a year ago, it acquired a faint green cast to the color. You can't see it a lot of the time, but when there's a shot in low light, instead of being mostly shades of grey, it's more like shades of olive drab. It's been slowly getting worse. I've had it connected to two TiVos and now the DVR, and it's not from them.

Then there's the buzz that's developed whenever it's on. Oh, and don't forget the two thin, staticky lines that slowly travel up the screen all the time. I've been too distracted by the other things I've been dealing with to do something about that. I don't have any money saved, so if I want to do something about it now, it'll require going into debt, which I'm reluctant to do.

I feel like I'm just whining now, so I'll stop, although I will say that if there's a day that people should be entitled to whine, it would have to be Friday the 13th!

I hope yours was spectacular, and that your weekend is the best that it can be!

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What a Ride!

By the way, Happy Mother's Day!

This weekend, I seem to have been hit with that old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."

If it was all bad, I would think that I'd been hit with Friday the thirteenth almost a week early, but some of it has been wildly good. I can't even list all the bad things and then all the good things, because they're so intertwined.

Here's a synopsis:

Bad: I've gotten to go the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festivel every year for the last 21 years, but it's this weekend, and this year I'm missing it! I've been bummed out about that.

Bad: The liaison between the apartment building and the residents left early Friday, and I missed her, so I don't know how they want to settle things, and won't know before Tuesday. This might ultimately be either good or bad, but the problem is that I don't know, so I can't plan.

Very Good: My cell phone contract with T-Mobile ran out a while ago. I wanted to replace my phone with a Galaxy Tab (tablet computer, like an Android-based iPad). Friday, it cost $300 up front, with a $100 rebate. On Saturday, though, it was $150 (refurbished). I called them up, and the bottom line was that I paid $45 up front, and I'll be paying $15 more for the next three months (because it lowered my monthly bill: I'll actually be paying $35), after that, my bill will be $20 lower than it is now. I did this by eliminating cell phone service, although I'll still have a home phone through them. So, they'll be shipping out a Galaxy Tab tomorrow, and I should get it on Wednesday or Thursday! I've wanted something like this ever since the iPads came out. I wanted a book reader before that, but this can do that, too! I'm so happy about this!

Very Bad: Today, I woke up and turned on the TV. It happened to be tuned to Syfy, which is having a Eureka marathon, followed by a Warehouse 13 marathon, which would be good news except that my remote wouldn't operate the TiVo properly. It was acting crazy! I replaced the batteries on the remote, and it still didn't work. I unplugged the TiVo and restarted it, but it still wasn't working right. I called TiVo, and they're going to send me another one, right after I return this and they get it. Which means I won't be able to watch TV at all for more than a week! Obviously this is not the end of the world, but still not good news. Now I can't watch Eureka, Warehouse 13 or anything else.

Good and Bad: Immediately after hanging up the phone with the TiVo people, the TiVo died completely. When it died, the buzz got louder, and the lines that have been running across the screen for the past few weeks got much wider and more pronounced. Which may mean that the problem wasn't my TV, and I may not need to replace it! I still want a newer TV, but at least it may mean that I don't have to replace it immediately.

Bad: The TiVo people said they would send me a shipping label. I thought that would be great, because I could have the TiVo all packed up and when the UPS person arrived with it, I could just slap on the label and have them take it with them. But they're not sending me a label, they're sending me an image of a label, via email! Which leads me to the next piece of news.

Bad: I'm out of ink cartridges for my printer, so I can't print the label until I get new cartridges!

Bad: Holly and I planned to go out today and have a nice, fun Mother's Day, and incidentally stop by WalMart, where I intended to get new ink cartridges for my printer, along with some other more needed items. But, right after the TiVo died completely, which was right after I got off the phone with them, Holly called to tell me that her Hummer is infested with stink bugs! She doesn't even want to open the door, let alone try to drive it anywhere, so I won't get to see her today, and won't get to go to WalMart.

Back a while ago, I think it was on their first 4-wheeling trip, but certainly an early one, a few stink bugs got into the Hummer. They've been hiding in the doors, but haven't been a real problem. Once in a while you would see one. But since the warmer weather, they've thrived and multiplied, and now are busy building a whole new stink bug civilization in their new, Hummer universe.

Good: If they can get the infestation out of the vehicle, I'll get to see Holly next week, and we'll get to celebrate Mother's Day then.

Bad: Not only do I need the ink cartridges, there are some really important things that I'm almost out of, so I have to go to WalMart tomorrow! And, since I'll have to do it on the bus, it'll take all day, and I won't be able to send the TiVo off until Tuesday, which will delay getting a new one even more.

Maybe Good, Maybe Bad: I may be able to call UPS and get them to pick up the TiVo on Tuesday, but they might not do it, in which case, I'll have to spend another day on the bus to send it. I won't know until then.

Good: In a fit of minor depression, I ordered a used copy of Charted Knitting Designs from Amazon to make up for not being able to go to the MSWF, and also ordered a used copy of the first part of The Deathly Hallows on DVD. They won't arrive until later this week, though (at the earliest).

Good: Once the Galaxy Tab arrives, I'll order a Nook book copy of the newest Charlain Harris book, Dead Reckoning. I could order it now. My current smart phone, a G1 already has several Nook books on it, but I currently have some books from the library and other things I want to read in the meantime, so, it's no real sacrafice to wait until I have something to read it on that's a bit bigger than the tiny page on my phone. If I still have any money at that point.

Bad: I tried to contact Comcast to see if I could get a decoder box temporaraly, but they don't have business hours on Sunday, so I don't know if there's some way to get to watch TV sometime before next week. I almost don't know how to deal with contacting Comcast over a problem they didn't cause (although it's not impossible that they caused it). I'm so used to them messing up badly all the time.

I'll be back with more updates soon.

In the meantime, I hope you're having an absolutely perfect weekend, not like mine!

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The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!

For any of you who don't know (i.e., you just started reading this blog), The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is the largest yarn/wool/sheep show/market/school of it's kind in the United States. And it's happening this weekend, the 7th and 8th of May!

There are classes on everything having to do with raising and shearing sheep and other fiber animals, spinning, weaving, knitting, and information on lucet, and other kinds of braiding. Also, if you're in the market area, all you usually have to do is say "Boy, I would really like to learn to spin" and probably within 10 minutes, you'll be sitting in front of a wheel, spinning your first yarn.

There is every kind of yarn you can imagine for sale, fibers of all kinds in all preparations (or none), carders, combs, hackles and other fiber processing tools, drop and support spindles, spinning wheels, looms, knitting needles, and too much else to even begin to list!

For 21 years, I have attended the Sheep and Wool Festival every time. This year, however, I won't be going. Holly can't really afford even the gas to take us, and I don't think I could manage to walk around the whole thing.

It's so big that you can't ever see it all in one day, and probably not in two, but I could usually walk around most of it. This year, I really don't think I can make it and I certainly can't afford to be exposed to all the tree pollen I would breathe in if I went.

In the meantime, I've been compiling a list of all the wonderful things pertaining to knitting and spinning that I'd like that I won't be able to get at the MSWF. I intend to pick one (or maybe two, if it doesn't cost too much) and get it/them as a consolation for not being able to go, and I thought I'd include them here, because they'd be good Mothers Day presents if your mom spins or knits.

The other day, I was watching Knitting Daily and they had someone on from Signature who showed how to make swatches knitting on their beautiful needles that look like you're knitting with jewelry. I haven't tried them yet. I haven't been able to afford them. But I've read a lot of rave reviews that say they're worth every penny and more. The most popular point is the stiletto.

They have single points, double points, circular needles, kits, and lots more. Check it out!

I love the Barbara Walker knitting pattern books, and I've been sorely missing one (A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns) that I have (somewhere) but can't find. I've come to the conclusion that it went to New Jersey, and it will cost more than the book to go get it, and I've been thinking about replacing it. Although they, too, are worth every penny, they're fairly expensive (for me) books. I discovered yesterday that there is an older, used (out of print) version of it that's available through Amazon, and I'm seriously thinking about getting it. It's called Charted Knitting Designs, which I can't find a link for, but you can find it on Amazon. This is a fabulous book if you prefer charts.

If she's a spinner and wants to spin art yarns, there is no better wheel you could get her than the Aura wheel from Majacraft that came out last year just in time for the MSWF.

This wheel was designed specifically to spin art yarns, but will also spin heavy weight singles, and (they tell me) even fine yarns.

If you knit socks, the thing you won't know how you survived without is the snag lite. If you're knitting a sock all in rib and you discover a purl stitch down a few rows that should have been a knit stitch, this is the perfect tool to ladder down to the mistake and latch it up again, perfectly! If the mistake is a knit stitch that should have been a purl, flip it over to the other side to fix. It's much easier to fix the knit side.

If you feel you don't need the light, there's the Ergonomic Knit Picker by Dritz, which you can also usually find in JoAnn Fabric stores, or another Ergonomic Knit Picker. These are the perfect size for sock or lace yarn, even though they look so tiny.

If you knit a lot of patterns and occasionally make mistakes, the Seed Stitcher is for you! These are generally available in a size that work well with knitting worsted, chunky and bulky yarn weights. I haven't found any that are a good size for lighter weight yarns, although you can usually manage to use one that's really too large.

As for me, I'm going to go out with Holly on Mother's Day, and we're going to have a great time as consolation for missing the MSWF!

I hope your weekend will be the best it can be!

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Insanity!

I want to write a nice, happy post and tell you all about some wonderful knitting experience, and then about some wonderful science fiction/fantasy that's about to be on TV, but I have a personal problem that's been going on for a while, and has currently come to a boil.

The apartment place I live in is beautiful. The building is wonderful, the location is great, almost everything I need is within walking distance, but the woman who runs it is determined to follow the policies of the owners, even if it puts her residents' health, or even their lives at risk.

I've been trying to get in touch with a lawyer who isn't calling me back. I've been trying to find solutions on the internet. I alternate between wanting to: look up information on the internet and call someone for help, barricade the door, find a different place to live, run around in circles, scream, and curl up in bed and cry.

I just can't deal with this! I keep changing my mind about what to do. I want to move out and get rid of the problem, but I hate moving, I've found that problems like this tend to follow you until you learn how to deal with them, and I feel I have a responsibility to other people who live here who might be affected as badly as I am.

Part of the problem is that I've been sick for more than a year straight from living in this apartment. So, I'm not really in any shape to deal with it.

I don't know, at this point, what I will ultimately do, but it may require me to not be near the internet for a while, so if you don't hear from me for a while, don't panic!

I hope things are going much better for you than they are for me!

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Happy Beltane!

Happy Beltane!

Or maybe I should say, happy heathen rites of Spring!

Sorry! I meant to get this up earlier today, but didn't.

 I thought you deserved a photo of a flower, even though I took this photo last summer, when my new camera was brand new.

I found a link for Beltane spells and recipes, and I thought you might be interested.

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I've long been bemused by things that the people who do closed captioning on TV misunderstand and make mistakes in, but one of those I saw during the royal wedding takes the cake.

According to the closed captionist, in the middle of the wedding ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury said the phrase "Mary, mother of money." I almost fell off my chair laughing!

I'm thinking that I should start a diary of things that people who do closed captioning mix up. I could probably publish it and make a lot of money.

On Friday, I was watching Fringe, and Walter addressed Astrid as "ostrich" according to the person typing the closed captioning!

Not to mention The Tudors, where the king sits on a "thrown" rather than a throne!

Speaking of TV, the second part of the first story of the season of Doctor Who was on (Day of the Moon) yesterday, and it was a mind-bender. Warning: Spoilers ahead! Well, only if you haven't seen the first part of the story (The Impossible Astronaut).

It contained aliens that looked alarming, but that you would forget instantly when you looked away. Since the story followed what the characters were experiencing, the whole thing had lots of gaps and was very disorienting. I want to say more, but I won't at the moment.

There's one more episode, and then the one written by Neil Gaiman called The Doctor's Wife. I can't wait for that one!

Hope you've been having a wonderful weekend and will have an even better week!

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