Webigail

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out where this child developed a love for, of all things, GOLF!

He’s not even 3-years-old, but he has been obsessed with golf since last year.

We had been looking for Shanghai Surprise for over a week. The weather started getting nice, we thought she may have been off frolicking with the neighbors or perhaps her son, Quiver, just annoyed her and she needed space.

I thought for sure she’d be back, as she’s never run off before. She’s independent, but she depends on the love of the family, I thought to myself. Surely, she’ll be back.

The first warm, glorious day in March my boys, hubby and son, went out to toss a ball. I had a great day, went to meet the girls for some knitting-time. What could go wrong?

Well, as I prepared dinner, got the table set, the phone rings. It’s the hubby,

“I know where Shang is.”

He didn’t need to say another word. I knew…my Shang was gone. As hubby and junior were playing, the ball rolled under the truck and there she laid, black, small and lifeless. My beloved Japanese bobtail was gone and my poor son was asking daddy why Mommy was crying.

It’s only been a couple of days since we found her, but I’m still in pain and shock. She was a special cat and I’ll not be able to replace her, ever.

Thanks to everyone, who said prayers for her safe return. She came home, after all.

I have to start of by mentioning that I was not even sure why I ordered The Knitting Answer Book, by Margaret Radcliffe, other than the rave reviews it received at amazon. However, now that I have had the book for a couple of weeks, I can whole-heartedly say that it was a good buy.First, let me just mention that is definitely a take-along book. It’s small enough to fit into just about every bag. It measures 6 ^1/2 x 4 ^3/4 x 1, and yes…I did measure. It has a great sturdy, cloth spine and hard covers; it’s designed for long usage and wear-n-tear.

As for the contents of The Knitting Answer Book, the questions-n-answers format initially threw me off. Naturally, I opened the book, right in the middle, jumped right in. I never stopped to think that it would be a FAQ for knitting, but that’s what it is and I love it.

The contents lists the organization of the book. For instance, if you are having trouble reading patterns, you will want to refer to chapter 6. It’s really that simple. There are tons of black and white illustrations throughout the book, so you get a great visual. The book is just like having your own personal instructor, right in your pocket.

This book ROCKS!

It’s as simple as that.

Who is this book for? It’s for anyone who knows the essential techniques of knitting: casting on, binding off, knit, purl. I am a beginning knitter and find that the patterns are well written. Each pattern is detailed row-by-row.

What’s in the book? You get 500 hundred…yep, I said five-hundred patterns. There are 400 pages and not enough time to tell how marvelous each pattern is, even the simple knit-purl combos. It’s hard to imagine anyone would ever bore of this book as it includes: ribbings, color-changing patterns, twist stitch, lace and much more.

Comments: The fact that this book was first published in the 1960’s and has been re-published, says something about it’s contributions to knitting and the author, Barbara G. Walker. I personally, own some older knitting books, and although there is still much to be gained, the patterns actually look outdated, out of season. A Treasury of Knitting Patterns can be used for years to come. The only thing that shows as proof that it’s an older publication is the use of the original black and white photos.

Had I known about A Treasury of Knitting Patterns series, I would never have purchased some of the other books that I  have, as this book contains just about every thing I’d every need, as far as stitch references go.

Although, I don’t tune in much, just wait for the results, on any given week, I’m still curious. I find that some of the contestants really make me stop and take a listen. There’s an abundant of untapped talent in the world and I’m happy when someone, who may not have gotten an chance, gets some exposure.

What I don’t like is the fact that some producer, some strategist is pushing the chess pieces and blatantly insulting the intelligence of anyone with ears. There is no way I believe that Sanjaya Malakar received enough votes to keep him in a singing competition. He may be eligible to win the hair show, but not American Idol. I believe that America voted for Sanjaya Malakar, like I believe Anna Nicole Smith loved her husband and not his money *cough-cough…I have a $100 bill stuck in my throat*

But, I digress. Getting back to the point. If it isn’t enough that someone is playing a cruel joke on my tympanic-membranes by allowing little Sanjaya to continue singing in the competition, getting his hopes up, and causing my inner ears to bleed, but now they’re charging money for downloading the video clips?! What, are they NUTS?!

Really now. Give us some credit.

American Idol started off by sucking the life, the very souls out of contestants by offering them a Sopranos-esque contract, one in which, “they can’t refuse.” Now, they are packaging and selling videos and mp3’s before the stage is mopped. Next week they’ll be selling sweat beads from the armpit of the lady in the audience, who smiled at this year’s winning contestant, just before they won and flashed a cheesy smile.

Rant over.

Staring is rude. Ask any New Yorker, who will give you a detailed map of where you can go, should they catch your eyes giving them the once-over, longer than the alloted 5 seconds.

However, I find myself doing just that, staring. I do not stare because I’m sizing someone up, but because I am enthralled by the distinct bone-structure of people from various places. Given the opportunity, I would jump at the chance to take a few archeology classes, just to pursue my need to know…”where did she get those glorious cheek bones?”

I am pretty good at narrowing a region, merely by looking at the person’s facial features. The placement of their eyes; the pigment of their skin; the shape of their nose and lips. They are not just of Asian decent, but I can usually determine if they are from the Philippines, or if they are perhaps, from Tibet. I am most recently intrigued by those of Mongolian decent, as they remind me so much of their Native American offspring. The distance between the two groups, often seems such a small gap.

I also marvel at the difference in the bone structure of those from Ethiopia, and let’s say, someone from the Ivory Coast. Of course, many people travel, marry those from other villages, towns, and countries, creating a new wonderful look.

So, next time you feel someone starting at you, please take heart. It could simply be a look of adoration…better yet, it could be me, trying to determine what exotic land you came from.

I bought this book about a month ago and had been perusing the wonderful patterns. When I finally found one that would be perfect for my first lace attempt, I was in for a shock. One of the chart keys was missing. Not only did the missing chart key impact the pattern I selected, but it also affected some of the other lace patterns.

So, being the sleuth that I am, I turned to google. Of course, the errata for ENCYCLOPEDIA OF KNITTING: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide, With an Inspirational Gallery of FinisFinished Works, by Leslie Stansfield and Melody Griffiths, had to be online, right? Wrong!

I searched, searched and searched, found nothing. I finally picked up the phone and started calling every number related to Running Press. Although, very nice, there was nothing that could be done, as Running Press’ customer service is handled by Perseus, which deals only with the distribution of the books.

Finally, I sent off an email explaining the situation, but didn’t get my hopes up to high. Much to my surprise, there was an email with a PDF attachment awaiting my viewing first thing this morning! There seems to be only one mistake in this book and it will be corrected with the next batch, but in the meantime, I’ll share the correction for those, who may already have the book.

The moral of the story is, perseverance prevails when it comes to patterns

I ventured into a new local yarn store, which I shall leave nameless. It’s not a new store, but new to me. Before I could kanoodle the malabrigo, I was feeling a burning sensation on my back. I knew that I should not have turned around, but I did…to be met by three sets of eyes. They were fixed on me, like a cat fixed on its prey.

Finally, a sales rep, who lost the stare-down, asked if she could help me. I told her I was just looking, but the tasty malabrigo caught my eye. She seemed shocked that I even knew what malabrigo was (hmmmph!).

Ok, so the ice was broken. We four all “ooohed” and “ahhhed” over all of the possibilities with the store’s inventory, until I did the unthinkable…I mentioned the enemy’s name…I dared utter the name in the LYS. Damn me! Damn me to hell!! Why didn’t anyone tell me that the mere utterance of KnitPicks would get me banished, sent to yarn purgatory.

Um…so, silence fell and I was in the midst of the she-devils waiting to rip my malabrigo from my clutches. As if that foot weren’t lodged far enough down my throat, I went there, I had to ask,

“Did I say something wrong?!”

I am still deaf in one ear from the hsssing that came from the pretty lady’s mouth as she geered at me and exclaimed, “No one likes KnitPicks! They’re putting everyone out of business. Retailers don’t like them and wholesalers don’t like them!”

Wow. Ok. So, now I HAVE to buy the malabrigo, because I fear for my life.

Sigh. I’m just an enthusiastic newbie.

After my brush with near death, I vowed to stand up for the underdog! I will not allow the yarn snobs to make us knitter-newbies feel guilty for using the (whispering) cheap stuff, because some of those using the good stuff need to buy less yarn and invest in knitting lessons. Oops, did I say that out loud?

This is my first purse. I think I’m running out of “firsts” but I’m having a blast!

I also completed a stranded hat, which will go along with the raglan sweater that I recently completed.

I lined the purse, as to give it some support.

If you’ve found this review, it’s because you’re considering an interchangeable set. And, if you’re anything like me, you want specifics. You want to know the pros and cons of each set, before jumping into the sea of knitting needle sets.

I have been knitting since mid November 2006, which is not that long, but it’s long enough to know what feels right in my hands. About 2 weeks after I learned to knit, I called my LYS, that same place that I had taken my initial knitting class, to inquire about some needles. At the time, I was specifically looking for bamboo, as that’s what I used for the class. I had purchased an inexpensive pair of aluminum needles; I didn’t care for them at all, as I dropped so many stitches. I spent more time recovering from disaster than actually knitting.

So, when I called the LYS, the woman who assisted me said, “Come into the store. I have something you’re going to absolutely love!” I confess, I figured that she was just trying to sell, the already-obvious-knitting-junky, something that might be functional, but I probably wouldn’t get much use of. Boy, was I WRONG!

She introduced me to the Denise Interchangeable set.

My initial thought was that the set looked cheap. Call me crazy, but I don’t care much for plastic. As it turns out, the set is actually constructed from resin. She showed me how to attach the tips to the cable, let me knit a few rows; I was instantly in l-o-v-e. I love the set so much that I recommended it to other students when I took subsequent classes (Yeah, I’m still waiting for my kick-back LOL).

The Denise kit contains

• 10 needle tips ranging from US #5 - #15 (mm 3.75 - mm 10)
• Several cables in various lengths: 9″, 13″, 16″, 20″, 30″, 34″
• 2 connectors, so you can further adjust the length of your cables,
• 2 end caps, so you can use the cables as stitch holders or as straight needles,
• and a well organized case.
• There are also much longer cables and extra large needle tips available separately.

The Knit Picks set comes with:

• Tips sizes #4 - 11
• 4 cables: 2 of 24″ and 2 at 32″
• 1 Knitting Needle Case with 6 Knitting Needle Pockets (2 single, 2 double, 2 triple), 8 End Caps and 2 Cable Keys

I decided that I wanted to try KnitPicks to use when I was working on my first pair of socks. I purchased 2 sets in sizes 0,1 and 2. It was not until about week after I’d purchased Denise that I discovered KnitPicks. The prices are fantastic. A single set of circulars starts as a mere $3.99, can’t beat that.

I confess that I was nervous, because my experience with metal needles left me dizzy. The last thing I wanted to do was drop some stitches using a size #0 needle. There was no way I was going to subject myself to picking up those teeny-weeny stitches. What I didn’t expect was a smooth, bump free ride.Not only did I complete the sock without a single problem, but there was something more. After completing the socks, I returned to my Denise Interchangeable kit. It was not the same. My knitting seemed slower. I felt this dragging, slagging feeling tugging on every stitch. The cable felt a little clunky and awkward and seemed to hold me back. I felt, dare I say it, like I had cheated on my beloved Denise kit.

Rather than give in to impulse and buy the KnitPicks set, I bought one tip and cable to put to the test. I instantly noticed that the Knit Pick’s tip was about a half an inch longer and it’s SHARP! But enough small talk, how does it compare?

Well, I decided the best way to compare was to use both, Denise and KnitPicks in the same project. I used the 2-circ method. I instantly noticed that the Denise needle was slower. The stitches seemed to jump right off of the Knit Pick’s needle on their own. My knitting was super fast with Knit Picks. The Knit Picks cable is thin, slick and the connection is seamless. Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a loyal consumer. I cringe as I even type this, but I think that Knit Picks ROCKS! The Denise kit is like having a Honda with every bell and whistle. This kit should truly be called “Options” as there are so many different options with regards to the cables and the new larger tips and longer cables. What more could a picky knitter, or knit-picker ask for, right? Well, if Denise is a Honda, then Knit Picks is like driving a Mercedes Benz minus the features and amenities. The packaging is flimsy. If you want to make a hat, you have to use 2 circulars or use the “magic loop” method.

Knit Picks is currently working on satisfying the constant request for a 16″ cable, but says that they are experiencing problems due to the length of the tips. I was told that if they are unable to create a cable, then they will offer classic circulars for purchase, which kind of negates the whole purpose in having an interchangeable set.

By the way, I feel that I should mention that the smallest circular needle you can achieve with Denise is 17″, not 16″, but the one inch difference is not that huge of a deal.

I think that I will be purchasing a Knit Pick’s Options kit in the next couple of weeks, but I’m going to make a case to contain my “luxury” car.

UPDATED: One thing that I noticed, and it may simply be user-error, I have to constantly tighten the screw of the cable into the needle tip. I don’t have this problem with Denise needles. I even use the key to ensure that I tighten the connection, but for some reason I have to keep checking. Now, this could be due to the exceptionally long cable that I am testing with, but I thought that it was worth mentioning.