What’s Next?

Ausable Chasm, NY.

We’re Home.  We had a fantastic time on the Motorcycle Trip.  It really was, despite being rained on three days in a row, one of the best trips so far.  My DH has a knack for planning some of the most scenic ways to a destination, and he didn’t let us down this time.  Our first day, we drove backroads all the way to the Catskills, where we stayed at the very nice Kaatskill Mountain Club.  Perfect destination – hot tub, pool, beautiful rooms, dining on the premises – everything you could ask for after a long day on the motorcycle.  I would definitely go back there again.  Our second day was traveling to Lake Placid to meet the CT Chapter of the Red Knights – we really had just beautiful roads, beautiful weather on the way up.  Tupper Lake was the only bleech – the whole town was ripped up and the roads were basically dirt – no fun, but manageable.  We arrived at Art Devlins Olympic Motor Lodge ahead of everyone else, for the first time.  We quickly checked in and went swimming.  I hadn’t been in Lake Placid for over 10 years and I forgot how much there is to do there.  We will definitely be going back.  We had a great Ferry ride over Lake Champlain, took part in a Ride for the NY Chapter of The Red Knights on Saturday, more beautiful roads, the St. Lawrence Seaway and a bit o’ rain on the way back to the hotel.  The lightning hitting the river we were riding along kinda freaked me out a bit, but the golfer’s we passed holding metal umbrella’s and standing under some tall pine trees?  Um, I felt like less of a lightning attraction once I saw them. 

I did manange to knit – or should I say rip and re-knit a bit on the sock I brought with me – almost to the heel, and it’s just a plain jane sock now. 

So, we’re back.  The patio is almost complete.  The house is a mess.  There is cleaning, and party planning (DH’s belated party) and the rest of the summer to speed away.  And hopefully some cool knitting weather in the forecast….

And Tomorrow?

My Birthday.

Anybody Seen my Normal?

 First thing Friday morning – as soon as the email arrived – I hurried up and printed out MS3 clue 4 – and haven’t knit on it.  I can only blame it on the confirmed and spreading case of Poison Ivy that I have in a bad, bad place.  I did take myself off to the doctor – and I’m now on the prednisone.  We have a 5 day motorcycle trip coming up in two days – and the thought of being on a bike, in jeans, in the heat, with poison ivy – well, that’s enough to make anyone throw the drugs at you.  I just hope we don’t get the blistering, and hopefully we caught it early enough to head that off.

First thing Saturday morning – 8 am, at Walmart.  No lines.  No commotion – lots and lots of Harry Potter Books.  Home by 9, handing book over to DS2.  I won’t get to read it till after Lake Placid (room on a motorcycle is at a premium and it’s a BIG book) but that’s ok – I have a spot reserved on the new patio for reading it….

My new best friend, Mernon, has emailed me the “change in my order” email that means my DO is cancelled.  Whew.  And the order he took is being built.  I think we are all ok with the computer.  And this is a good thing, since I’m running a minimally loaded laptop right now because we still like to crash, oh, 3, 4 times a day.  Just to keep the suspense up. 

The patio is coming along – the hard, gravel is down and I’m thinking next is sand, then the stone work.  Hopefully that will be commencing Monday and Tuesday.  I think by the time we ge back from Lake Placid, we may have the stairs in.  I really can’t wait until this is a functioning part of our backyard – it’s going to be lovely. 

We went to at neighborhood farm party yesterday – it was just a gorgeous day……

And that Brown Sheep – that’s my Ariel!  She lives up the road on our friends farm – she is just so much happier there – and FAT!!  And she doesn’t remember me at all, but that’s ok – she’s with her sheepy friends and that’s what’s important.  What a beautiful farm – Julie has gardens that are just unbelieveable – and those flowers at the top of my post are one of many vases she had scattered around – just breathtaking – this is what I want to have the back of our hill look like someday – I just don’t know how she does it – I asked her and she says she doesn’t “do” anything.  She must have the touch, I’ll tell you. 

We had a great day – lot’s of friends, good food, beautiful weather and fireworks and stars to wrap it up.  I did knit a bit on my sock at the doctors office yesterday, but the knitting really got neglected.  We did talk knitting at the party – a new neighbor wants me to teach her to knit – that should be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it – we may just have another knitter at our meetings someday!  Today may not be much better, as there is a trip planning, Dove Chocolate party, and BBQ on the slate today – yeesh! 

Have a great day!

Craptacularity

My new Best Friend, Mernon, (name changed to protect the new best friend)  who also was responsible for getting the order into their system, has assured me that the duplicate order is cancelled.  And that I should see a cancellation confirmation email two days ago.  I can tell you, that when I follow the links on the Mernon Order (MO) it does indeed show the computer in production with all the nifty info on delivery and shipping with my name and address correct and what not.  I can also tell you when I follow the same links on the Duplicate Order (DO) it does not show any nifty information, just an “order cannot be found” page.  Which makes me feel good.  Because I haven’t gotten any cancellation emails or confirmations of cancellations.  And, my balance has not been restored for the duplicate computer.  Which worries me.  So, I’m guessing by tomorrow morning, I’ll be having another Chat with my new best friend.  You know, I’m just giving it the time it took for the DO to be found and hit their system.  And my head can’t take anymore phone calls.  Too on the brink of migrainetown.  Thank you all for letting me whine, and stamp my feet – you are very kind to me. 

Oh Yeah.  And I have a rash.  Which is suspiciously feeling very much like poison ivy.  I’m very, very allergic to poison ivy.  So much so that when I get it, I usually have to go see the doctor, where he gets to say, wow, that’s a nasty case of poison ivy, and I get to say yeah, isn’t it?  And then we get to argue a little while about why he doesn’t want to put me on prednisone and then I get to tell him he always ends up putting me on prednisone AND antibiotics so why not just, you know, cut my suffering in half and gimme the damn prednisone!!!  The way I figure it – that’s one less drug to put in my system -right?  Well, I do have this creme from the last time I had this happen – and it’s in a most – and I”m shakin my head right now – it’s in a bad place.  Just a bad, bad place.  But still a place I can apply creme to.  So I’m using that creme.  And I have a spot on my waist.  And I can feel a spot on my right thigh itching.  If I catch the sonofagun who had poison ivy on them, and did not warsh their clothes directly – in which case I probably touched them or worse yet – they touched my clothes in the WASH!!!!  – I will make them suffer.   

So the patio was supposed to be started yesterday – but as anyone in NJ and NY knows – we all woke up to torrential rains, thunderstorms and if you live on LI – tornadoes.  So, patio diggage started today – wimps stopped when we got a little shower – pshaw.  It’s nice and sunny now, and heating up to what can only be severe thunderstorm weather.  That should really help that new sink hole in Midtown Manhattan.  Oh, and my yellow lab – Bailee – well, she stole a bag of rawhide chewies.  And ate them.  All. But. Half. Of. One.  Guess what I woke up to this morning.  And she’s fat.  So it’s not that we don’t feed her.  Oh no.  She steals food.  She’s always grabbing stuff out of the garbage.  This is the first time she actually reached the MIDDLE of my kitchen island.  And then.  When I had to put my tuna sandwich down – and stupidly put it in the MIDDLE of my kitchen island.  Guess what she did again?  I swear.  I hate this week.

But let me just say, that however much I hate this week – your caring and comments have really kept my spirits up – and really, I know it could be worse.  I’m just having a week.  I just really love the fact that you read this here blog, even through the complaining.  And the comments? – I especially love them.  So keep em coming!

I did get all of Josephine’s Back done and cast on for the front.  And it’s now going incredibly slow.  S. L. O. W.  But it’s getting done and hopefully it and the patio will be in use before the end of summer.  And I just love looking up projects on Ravelry - what a great resource when you are making something to be able to just type it in and see what everyone else is doing on the same project! 

My yarn for Kauni arrived yesterday – July 17th from The Netherlands, Astrids is just wonderful! I ordered it July 13th.  From The Netherlands.  For the love of all that is postal, why can’t we get that kind of service when we mail stuff within the US.  I’m just saying.  It’s lovely, muted yarn, and I’m being a good knitter, not winding it into balls.  I will not cast on.  I will not.  I won’t.  I can’t. 

Can I?

Am I too Old to Stamp My Feet?

What is Customer Service and has anybody every had it?  Isn’t it supposed to “serve” the customer?  You know, help them out?  Fix their issues?  Better yet, fix the issue that you, the service provider, assed up to begin with? 

New Computer.  Ha!  After not receiving anything since my “acknowledgement” email, aka we’re thinking you want a new computer, but we’re thinking we might just fuck around with you for a little while, then loose the order – I called – Customer CARE.  You know.  The people who are supposed to CARE about what your problem is.  The first person didn’t really CARE at all, told me she couldn’t find the order – and how could she – I’m pretty sure she wasn’t in my hemisphere – but would i please reference her name and ID badge when I spoke about this issue in the future?  Why – so everyone can know you don’t CARE?  The second CARING person I spoke too, found it necessary to tell me that I could have gotten a way better deal just by going through them and not their educator program.  Um, aren’t you also selling your computers to educators, government workers and anyone else that is in your preferred programs?  Isn’t it still YOU.  WTF are you talking about.  She cared enough to give me another number to call to find someone else who might have cared a bit more.  And I did.  And I found Marcus – he did care.  He was a sweetie – and we almost had it all worked out, but then because of the preferred thing – get this – they couldn’t meet the price (totally blows caring girls #2’s theory, doesn’t it?) so he got me to the preferred department – and he actually told them the whole sad story – the order was made, we charged her preferred card for it, we credited her balance back, we spec’ed out the new computer, please, please help this woman.  And I did get another CARING bloke – don’t know his name, hand cramped up at this point, but let’s just call him CB (for caring bloke).  He worked all that preferred stuff out and voila!  We’re ready for one of those order-taker people.  Hang on a sec.  tip, tap, tip, tap.  “CB here again – I’ve got some bad news?  This calls hasn’t been all for nothing, I just want you to know that. ” (heart just stopped beating, I’m tired, both arms are numb because it is 7:10 and I’ve been on and off the phone with them since 4:20)  “The sales department is CLOSED.”

The fucking sales department closed.  10 minutes earlier. 

But I can call this number – bladdy blah blah – at 6am EASTERN TIME, and finish the order up. 

It’s 7:24.  They’re not open.  I know this because I have been calling them since 6:24. 

Now, you may be asking yourself why I am putting myself through this instead of just taking my ass off to the store and buying a computer.  I really want this computer.  And I figure if I’m going through this much bullshit now – the rest is going to be a breeze.  And if you think anything different – I’m just going to put my hands over my ears, stamp my feet and yell at the top of my lungs “BLAH BLAH BLAH, I CAN’T HEAR YOU”!!!

 I did finish up MS Clue 3 and pulled Josephine out of the bag to work on.  So there was some knitting.  But mostly, there was angst, fustration, deflation and dejection. 

ETA: After calling again this morning the computer is all ordered – the confirmation email has arrived and all is right with the world.

NOT.

After going to meet Laurie for a little R&R and knitting, I came home to find another confirmation email.  You guessed it.  For the frickin original order that seven, count’em, SEVEN people could not find yesterday and assured me that a double order would not hit their system. Well it did.    I think my frickin head is going to explode off my shoulders into a firey mess on my living room floor, thereby negating the need for any laptop computer what-so-frickin-ever.   Please, please, please tell me this is going to be over soon.  I have put in a call to one out of two of the helpful, caring people at customer care – with all the numbers, whistles and duplications mentioned and one can only hope they will call me back before said head-explosion takes place so that I may live yet another day to be pissed off and trampled by some more of the wonderful people that make up these huge, unorganized, mega computer makers.   Either that, or they will cancel both orders, thereby reducing me to a blabbering mess who can’t remember what a flippin computer is or what it’s used for. (because apparently?  They don’t use them in the course of their jobs)

*&^%%^&^&@!!!

Sigh

Well, after two computer crashes yesterday, I went ahead and ordered a new puter.  I’m pretty sure someone’s told the current computer what I did – it’s crashed two more times this morning  – the last being at 10:49.  I discovered that little fun tidbit when I got home after 1.  We just don’t understand it – the computer should be good as new after all my DS did on Friday.  But I can’t work like that – and therefore – as soon as Dell gets to acknowledging my order – I hope to be in reciept of the new one fairly soon – I kinda think that the crashes are going to be more frequent, probably followed by gasping, seizing and totally dying.  Shouldn’t a laptop last more than 3 years?  Honestly.  I mean – you can tell I use it alot – I’ve completely worn off the markings on my M,N,and the K, L and O are  just partially there.  Sigh.  

I’m glad I was able to back everything up, print out the MS3 clues, the TKGA course instructions and whatnot – that may be what’s going to keep me busy till the new one arrives.    Thankfully there are 3 other computers in the house, so I won’t be without checking the email and etsy orders, but yeesh – what a pain in the arse!

Well, there’s a mudslide and a pool lounger with my name on it – before the storms roll in!

Rules, Theories and Justification

Let me just say – pictures of the socks?  No.  I cannot for the life of me take decent photo’s of these socks.  I don’t know why.  Mercury is supposed to be out of Retrograde – my ass.  Every photo I’ve taken of them is blurry.  I can take photo’s of the yarn I bought.  Fine.  I can take photo’s of everything else.  Fine again.  But the socks.  They look like ass.  So, I’m sorry.  I know you were all gripping the edges of your seats waiting on them, but you’ll have to wait till my hands stops shaking or whatever the hell has taken over the camera to be gone.

Above you’ll notice my “haul” from vacation.  I think it’s modest for me.  I want to say, I was very conservative.  And especially after the yarn crawl and MDS&W – really, what else did I need?  Well, apparently I need some things, but not as much as one would think.  I did actually walk out of one shop without buying anything – gasp! 

Probably because of the fact that my luggage was admonishing me for not stuffing it full on the way home and adding in that I was up at 3:30 am on tuesday tooling around the internets, stumbling willy nilly in my sleep deprived state, I may have just ordered this….

That would be two balls of Zephyr Wool Silk in Vanilla.  From Sarah’s Yarns - Awesome! Which, ordered on Tuesday, arrived promptly on Wednesday.  Which forced me into doing this…….

Printing out those wonderful charts for MS 3.  What choice did I have then?  Honestly, was I supposed to leave the yarn and the charts just sitting around, getting dog-eared and dusty?  Ho ho ho, I don’t think so.  Which promptly lead to this……

Yes.  That is Clue 1.  All knit up and resting on the spider plant.  It’s really quite lovely.  And my only excuse is that I apparently get extremely impulsive with lack of sleep.  Then everything is so pretty and I want to do this!  NO, I want to do that!  Wait!  I’ll do this and then that and then pretty soon, that Rule of One?  Well, that just becomes a Theory.  Maybe mostly just a guideline.  You know, just like a Pirate knitter.  And then comes the justification part………I’m not really breaking the Rule of One……just because I have ONE shawl on the needles already.  This isn’t a shawl.  It’s a stole.  A stole is different from a shawl.  Really.  Go look it up. 

Ok.  Don’t look it up.  I know it’s pretty much the same, but so what?  I’m almost done with clue 2 and then I can pick up the Shoalwater.  See?  No one gets hurt.  Honest. 

And because I was thinking of doing This before I left on vacation.  And then I came back and Jeanne did it?  Well, dammit – I did it too.  Which is exactly what she wanted me to do.  I’m soooooo easily led.  But it’s a good thing – Master Knitter.  It’s a learning thing.  That can’t be bad for you.  Right?

So, that brings me screeching up to yesterday when my laptop was summarily backed up, wiped clean and reloaded in an effort to try to gain more time before buying the Dell I’m lusting after.  I didn’t have a computer all day yesterday.  Which could only explain why I was skipping through the order form at Astrids, happy clicking away to buy This to make the Kauni Cardigan.  Because all the sudden?  I need to learn how to do steeks!  Yes!  It came to me just now.  The Steeks?  They have to be done.  What kind of Master Knitter would I be if I didn’t learn the Steeks?  Honestly people.  Work with me here. 

Well this is a long-ass post, so lets make it a tad longer.  You didn’t think that all I found was stoles, and courses and cardy’s did ya?  Nope – in my quest I stumbled across this amazing lace knitter – Izzy’s knitting.  Jeez, louise.  Just amazing.  And that led to finding Lace Maven - which left me totally verclemped.  I’m just saying – you need to go check these talents out.  And just to break up the technical aspects of my search, I found, probably after everyone else did, the Diary of a Mad, Mad Housewife.  Snork out your nose funny. 

I really have no right to be lusting, ordering, more ordering – but I did.  And I feel pretty darn good about it. 

Which leaves no time at all to appease the guilt I’m feeling about posting only one vacation photo, Rox.

Quite The Shop Update

Nugold Amethyst Shawl Pin 71107

Originally uploaded by Drop Stitch Knitter

And what kind of Etsian would I be if I didn’t update the shop after vacation? Amethyst, Pearls, Carnielian, Swarovski’s – Oh My!!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation or…

Who the hell turned up the heat??? Monday morning I woke up in 52 degree’s of coolness……..by Monday afternoon we were swatting gnats in over 90 degrees of sweltering, sweating, hell like temperatures. And to think, cool weather is only an 8 hour drive away….

We had a great, much needed time away. We left NJ in the heat and I had been watching the weather in New England all week – threw in the sleeping bags at the last minute and I’m glad I did – we had temps that dipped way down at night – the only real heat we had was that first day we arrived and let me tell you, it broke very fast. That is my kind of weather – the bugs weren’t bad either, considering we camped around that very pretty Basin Lake.

Some of you mentioned my ambition with knitting projects and I have to say – you were right. I’m not disappointed though – I did manage to complete two pair of socks in 12 days – and that ain’t too shabby. I knit quite abit on the Chevron Scarf, both in the car on the way up and around the campfire in the evenings. Josephine and the shawl – well, they just didn’t ever make it out of the knitting bag – and they seemed a bit out of place at the campsite, so I feel like I protected them. All my uploading of podcasts on my ipod was for naught……I much rather enjoyed listening to the resident Loon’s calls than to popping earbuds in, while I sat and knit on those socks.   It’s too dreary to take photo’s of the socks right now – yucky NJ humidity at it’s worst, but I’ll post them as soon as I get some decent light.

I did make a few yarn purchases – not nearly of the magnitude of my last “yarncation” experience – I didn’t make the trip to Patternworks this year, so temptation was taken away from me. I did get to stop in Putney, VT at the Green Mountain Spinnery - procuring two skeins of their lovely sock yarn for a possible Chevron……my usual yarn haunt turned out to be a bit disappointing – I won’t name the shop to avoid any negativity – but I will say that walking into a deserted, dark shop…….well, it was a bit of a let down. I did buy some sockotta there and a couple of books, but didn’t make my usuall two to three stops in. I did find a lovely new to me shop in Norway, The Irish Ewe, and I’m now a Knitty Purl Girl! What a lovely shop and one I’ll be sure to visit on future trips, but – I don’t have to wait to get a fix – they do have a web site…..photo’s of the yarn purchases to follow shortly after the sock photo’s…

It was great to get away, and aside from this ghastly heat – it’s nice to be back home.