Webigail

And the obsession continues…

I promised myself that I would NOT buy anymore books.

Luckily, I had my fingers crossed when I made the promise, because I also promised the dear, patient hubby that I would not let the book fetish get out of control…again.

As you can imagine…that promise didn’t last long. So, here we are drooling over Nicky Epstein’s delectable trilogy: Knitting On, Over and Beyond The Edge.

Knitting on the Edge, is the first of the series and everything about the book from the hardcover, to the clear, color photos made me want to buy it. I bought it last year and have not even really used it (yet), but was perusing the second and third book in the series and could not resist.

Nicky Epstein has joined been added to my list of knitting gurus, along side with Barbara G. Walker and Elizabeth Zimmerman. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I am somewhat bored of knitting from patterns and just duplicating someone else’s creative idea row-for-row, not that there’s anything wrong with that. However, I have been trying to break free from feeling stagnant, with regards to knitting.

Some of the designs may seem a little daunting to the beginner, but they are very well written and easy to follow. Ironically, some of the more intricate looking patterns, happen to be some of the simplest, as far as repeats go.

The Nicky Epstein trilogy is just what I needed to get away from the hum-drum ribbing I’ve been doing lately. I’ll be picking out a nice pattern to add to the sleeves and bottom of a sweater I’m currently working on. Stay tuned…if I ever finish this project, I’ll post pics!

Anxiously, I ran into the house. I ripped into the package, as if an invitation to the white house awaited me behind the flap on the envelope. It was my book. My new, book.

I’m sure all of you are wondering, “Just how many books can she own?”

This may very well be one of the last, as I cannot see a need for any other…ok, that’s until my EZ arrives. Then I’m officially done buying books (at least until Nicky Epstein comes out with a new one.)

At any rate, I was a little disappointed with the condition of the book initially. The covers are fine, but the pages are yellow and brown in spots. I then opened the book to just the information I needed to complete my current project. I experienced momentary brain freeze, could not figure out how to calculate how many rows I need to decrease on to taper my sleeves.

As I was reading a little index card fell out, onto the floor. I picked it up and glanced at the previous owners knitting notes and measurements. Instantly, this used book turned into a family treasure that had been passed on to me from a fellow knitter.

The book’s age spots make this book even more valuable.

As for a review of the content - I haven’t had or used the book long enough to give a valid assessment, but judging from the first few pages that I’ve scanned, I’d venture to say that it’s certainly a keeper!

Check back later for a thorough review.

I was trying to find the last attachment on my list for my Singer 15-91. Naturally, most of the search results turned up on ebay.

I placed a couple of bids and actually hit the jackpot with one bid. I have accessories and attachments and screws and parts for daaaaays. My parts-cup runeth over. However, there was no blind-stitch attachment. It was the very last thing that I needed. So, I searched again and found Jacqui and Jakes blog. They had not one, but TWO blind-stitch attachments and manuals for sale.

The price was reasonable, just needed to know how much shipping would cost. I’m so glad that I inquired. Not only was the price great, but there were no inflated shipping costs, no one to play bidding wars with, and the Singer Blind Stitch attachment #160616 was in perfect condition, just as described.

If you’re in the market for vintage and antique sewing machines and accessories, I definitely recommend Jacqui and Jake. They are great to do business with! My Blind Stitch attachment arrived safe, sound and ready to use.

A Step-by-Step Visual Guide

I’ve had this book for about 9 months and the lack of an online errata should have been the prime indicator that there would be other problems.

I’m in the midst of working on Christmas gifts, decided to use a pattern from this book to create a pretty scarf. I chose “Paired Leaves” from page 91. It’s simple, straight forward lace. Only a 10-row pattern; I figured it would knit up quickly and it does, especially with heavier yarn. It wasn’t until I got to the second repeat of the pattern that I noticed that the veins of the leaves on my scarf looked nothing like the veins in the image.

Now, although I am no knitting expert, definitely no diva with the sticks, I am no longer a fearful novice. I do not have time to rip and find a new pattern, so I’m going to complete this scarf, it is not what I intended.

This makes me ponder how many of the patterns have results that look different than what we’d expect. I wonder if anyone else has had similar issues.

*Sigh*
Where do I begin?

The store is officially open tomorrow, Friday, November 16th. However, I had the good fortune of being invited to a private screening. This is not going to be good. Not good at all.

From the moment you walk in, there’s a sense of “let me take a load off.” I do not take kindly to the yarn snobs, who rather than share the art of knitting, want to make it an exclusive, elite little club. Knitting is something that can be enjoyed alone and definitely is best alone, if working on a complicated pattern, but the bonding that takes place when knitters sit around, helping each other, admiring each other’s work…well, that is not limited to a select few. Any and everyone, who enjoys knitting, should feel welcomed, particularly when they enter a YARN SHOP! But, I’ve digressed.

So, back to the store…well, after you get over the inviting ambiance, you are engulfed in color. Hues seem to leap out at you from the four walls. Reds, greens and greens (soy, organic, etc.), blues, variegated, lace weights, worsted weights, sock weights, you name it.

The store is incredibly organized, down to the books - Which I could not resist. Since I stocked up on my “practice” stash from a local craft store, I decided to use up most of what I have, but I purchased three books: Knit One, Felt Too, One-Skein Wonders, and Felted Knits. I also purchased some delicious lace-weight Malabrigo, which is my current favorite yarn indulgence. I selected a hank in a red, spicy color - Vermillion, to make knitted flowers to decorate my first lace project.

Natural Stitches had every color of Cascade 220 you can ask for…and I mean that literally. They have, what is being called the “Rainbow Wall” lined with every, single, luscious color that Cascade makes. WARNING - Bring a non knitter with you when you visit that section, as it’s easy to succumb to the intrinsic magic that permeates from that area. In fact, had my rascal not been with me, screaming in the background, I fear that I may have been sucked up by that Rainbow Wall, never to be seen again.

Oh, did I mention that the prices are GREAT?!!! If I didn’t…the prices are GREAT!!!

Natural Stitches is a knitter’s heaven. You have needles, including the beloved Denise Interchangeables available for purchase, along with many other needles, such as Addi Turbo and I also saw some needles that I doubt I would ever be able to handle in size #32!! And, men are welcomed. There will be a knitting group for the fellas.

Natural Stitches is destined to become a hub for knitters in Pittsburgh.
If you stop in, tell them Webigail sent ya!

The Village of East Side
6401 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Phone: (412) 441-4410

Summer is winding down and I didn’t do many of the things I planned on doing, including visiting with my mum and family in Manhattan. So, while my new vehicle was being worked on, I decided to rent a car and drive to NYC for a week or so.

My husband reminded me that he had a 50% off coupon for Enterprise Rent-A-Car that would be perfect to use. The coupon was awarded to him as result of a class action law suit against Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Although my time with my family, despite the constant rain, was incredible, the rental portion turned into a NIGHTMARE!

I made my reservation online, so I had no clue that I was going to a Toyota dealership to pickup my rental. Not only is it a dealership, but it’s the repair center. Then when they finally get to me, my reservation is in the computer for the wrong day AND there’s not vehicle available at this time. But it was my lucky day (can you smell my sarcasm?). Not only did they find a vehicle for me, but it’s a brand new, 2007 Toyota Hybrid; I was going to get an upgrade for the same price, PLUS my 50% off. Oh Joy. However, I must mention that I declined the additional insurance, as it would have taken my total from $150 to over $350!! Are they NUTS?!

So, I made it to Manhattan, over the bridge, down the busy ave, to mum’s house without incident. Once parked, we hardly even touched the car, because the subway is so close by. Why fuss with trying to park again? Also, it rained so much, we just stayed in and enjoyed catching up.

Fast forward to yesterday, August 23, 2007. I am thrilled that not only am I on schedule for picking up my own vehicle, but I’m actually 3 hours early for dropping off the rental. I filled up the gas tank, despite being told that the tank was full when I got it. It was not. I then expected to walk out with the attendant to inspect the vehicle TOGETHER, but after disappearing for 10-15 minutes, he returned and told me about some damage he “wanted to show me.”

WHAT?! DAMAGE?!

I had to remind myself to breath, and not let the NY’er in me loose it. One more deep breath and I was able to follow this guy outside, with my toddler and one of my rat terriers in tow. The car was dirty, but all I see are hand prints in the dust enveloping this HUGE DENT (I think I almost passed out at this point) on the rear, passenger quarter-panel. The dent was in a strange place; up pretty high and there was no transfer of paint, nor were there any scratches.

Being a little dazed, confused and even second guessing myself, I didn’t say too much, because I really did not know what could have happened. However, I my mother mentioned that the same attendant had been out by the vehicle prior to coming to get me. She couldn’t see everything he was doing, but who is to say that he was not out putting a nice hand sized dent in the car? After all, this was a repair center and body shops know ALL of the tricks.

To add salt to the wound, Isaiah M. Embry, the Assistant Manager, the same person, who did a walk-around without my knowledge, had the audacity to tell me that they were going to charge $500 to my card. He said that they had to charge my entire deductible (I’m calm on the outside, but I’m seething on the inside). I then said, “Look, I’m here 3 hours earlier than I need to be. Let me take the vehicle to my brother’s shop to have the dent removed. You cannot tell me that it’s going to cost more than $500.”

He said that he couldn’t release the vehicle, yet no one could give me an estimate. I left Enterprise befuddled, stunned and questioning my own actions. I did not know that Enterprise was notorious for running so many scams. Getting back to the insurance…since I decided to opt out of using their ridiculous insurance, they pinned existing damage or the attendant manually put a dent in the quarter-panel.

I’m not taking this lightly. I’ve already filed a consumer complaint, contacted my insurance company, as well as my credit card company.

Tune in later to see how this plays out. If you have similar happen to you, please share it…others need to be made aware.

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.

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.

We have only one phone outlet in the house, didn’t want to have to run wiring in through out the house, as I’ve been known to change my mind about where I want things, but we needed more than one phone in the house. A friend kept urging us to try Uniden, so, we decided this would be a great time to try the Uniden TRU9480-4.

We decided to buy Uniden TRU9480-(4). Although, I did not know much about Uniden TRU9480-4, I was very impressed with the features that came with this set:

• 5.8Hz
• Expands up to 10 Handsets (this set comes with 4 phones)
• Integrated Digital Answering Machine
• Caller ID
• Call Waiting
• Advanced Phonebook
• DirectLink
• Room/Baby Monitoring
• Speaker phones on Base and Handset
• Intercom system between phones

First, let’s talk about the physical features of the phone. One common complaint about Uniden phones was the fact that the buttons were too small. The friend, who recommended Uniden TRU9480-4 has an older version and the buttons are difficult to press, even for a small hand, such as mine. The handset itself is closer to the size of a cellphone. The new model has larger buttons and the actual handset is larger, making use easier.

The sound of the Uniden TRU9480-4 is crystal clear. I can take my Uniden TRU9480-4 handset far out in the back yard and can still have a great, audible conversation. There is no interference, no crackling, no static, just clear voices. As for using the phone, it’s very intuitive, especially since the average person owns a cellphone, or computer. The Uniden is very easy to use.

Ok, on to the added features. The Uniden TRU9480-4 comes with bells and whistles everywhere, but some are worth more than others. While some may be tickled pink with the ability to assign a ring tone to a specific phone book entry, I’m more impressed with the fact that the phone books can be shared with other handsets. Prior to the Uniden TRU9480, we had a different set that didn’t have shared phone books. It was a nuisance to look for a phone number, only to realize that it was stored on the other handset.

DirectLink turns a pair of your handsets into two-way radios preventing you from receiving or making calls with the active handsets, while the Intercom feature allows you to communicate with another handset without tying up your phone line.

Ultimately, the Uniden TRU9480-4 far exceeds my expectations. I really did not want to spend $99 for house phones, but I have not been disappointed, not in the least.

The Uniden TRU9480-4 earned an easy 5 star rating: