PASSING OF THE TORCH

Today I relinquished my Yahoo group Boardknitters, although I have not been very active within the group for a while I feel as if I release it in to the wild, sort of mixed feelings there. I gave it to Graciela, who is more than capable and has been a great moderator for me. Congrats Graciela, on your new position!!!! I feel kinda free also, as if there is no responsibility any more to supervise, e-spank, correct, update etc... the group, it's wonderfully freeing. I stayed on as a member and will be visiting often.


On to other news I will be having surgery next Thursday Dec 6, 2007 for Endometrial Balloon Ablation you can get the particulars if you like on the link, so I will be out of commission so to speak for a few days.


And since this is a creative blog these are the dish towels I've been working on. This is were you can get the stitch. Since it was easy enough for me to learn I started knitting these when I went on vacation. and am about to finish the second one, I would have finished them on the trip but I ran out of yarn and refused to buy more since I have a cone at home. Yeah, it sounds kinda cheap but I really don't need anymore white cotton Peaches and Cream Yarn, since I need to get rid of what I currently own so I can buy other yarn, I know, I know--- it's a vicious cycle, but thank God you guy get me, everyone else thinks I'm nuts. Back to the dish towelsfor the white towel I cast on 50 stitches Row 1 (rs) knit, Row 2 (ws) knit one row then I started the pattern stitch for the next 8 rows, then I switch to the color yarn I used, Earthtone Color 172 and continued the stitch pattern for 18 rows, switch to the white and pattern stitch for 50 rows, switch color pattern stitch for 18 rows, switch color pattern stitch for the next 8 rows, then knit (rs) knit (ws) and bind off. The finished towel is 12" x 25" pre- wash, I'll let you know how much it shrinks. I don't know if I wrote the pattern correctly, since this is the first ever needle knit pattern I've written so if there are any mistakes please let me know. ;o)

SURE FIT SLIP COVERS

I AM SOOOOOOOOOO PISSED OFF!!!

Lord, give me patience, cause if I ask for strength I might kill someone!!!

I ordered two slipcovers for my aging couches from Sure Fit, well they came in and they were fine until I WASHED them. THEY SHRUNK AND NOT JUST A TAD!! The damn seat cushion portion of the cover is 10" too short, so I have a 93" couch with a cushion that has 5" gaps on either side... ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I washed them in cold water and LINE dried them, why???? CAUSE THEY'RE 100% COTTON!!! I followed the instructions to a tee and after using a washing machine for 25 years I think I know how to read labels and washing instructions.

Okay, I was mad at that moment, but what sent me over the edge was the following conversation with the customer rep at Sure Fit:

Me: "Hi, my name is B---- A------ and I ordered some slip covers from you three months ago, well I needed to wash the cushion portion of the cover and it severely shrunk. I would like to have the defective seat cushion replaced and I will return the one I have to you".

Them: " Well let me check on your account, yes I see you ordered them over 45 days ago, hummm, let me see what I can do for you let me talk to my supervisor". (I was on hold thinking wow this is going to be easy they'll send me a new cushion cover and I can return the defective one, problem solved no big deal).

Them: "Maam, we can offer you a 20% discount on you next purchase".

Me: "ARE YOU KIDDING", WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH WOULD I BUY ANOTHER SLIP COVER WHEN I JUST BOUGHT THESE 3 MONTHS AGO".

Them: "Well you see, your passed the 45 day return policy".

Me: "I didn't need to return the slipcovers within 45 days, because they didn't need to be washed until now, and that's when I discovered the defective cushion, I wash the other set with no problem".

Them: " Well, yes I understand, but that's our policy, I'm sorry, I understand".

Me: " WHAT EXCATLY IS IT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT I FOLLOW YOUR WASHING INSTRUCTIONS AND YOU CAN'T REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE SEAT CUSHION"?? PLEASE LET ME SPEAK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR."

Them: "I did speak to my supervisor this is why I put you on hold". Maam, all I can do is offer you a 20% discount towards your next purchase".

Me: "I DON'T WANT TO BUY ANYTHING FROM YOU I WANT YOU TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE CUSHION, WHAT PART OF THIS CONVERSATION DON'T YOU GET"? "I'LL BUY SOMETHING ONCE YOU MAKE GOOD ON THE CRAP YOU SOLD ME IN THE FIRST PLACE. DOES THE PHRASE WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER COME TO MIND, THIS IS RIDICULOUS, YOU PEOPLE ARE JOKING RIGHT".

Them: DEAD SILENCE.

At this point I knew the next few words that were going to come out of my mouth were going to sound like drunken sailor who can effectively curse in two languages simultaneously, at which point I just hung up.

The nerve, how can you not provide any customer service to someone who is complaining about your product, BTW, was not cheap, I paid $ 97.00 for the one and $87.00 for the love seat with shipping and handling it came to well over $ 200.00 for "excuse me" slipcovers that you can wash over and over again, hence the point of ordering the bastards in the first place.

So, I did the next best thing, I wrote a scathing email. Now I have to wait two days for an answer; will I get one? I hope so, cause I will call back, and I'll tell everyone I know not to buy their products cause of their crappy customer service.

South Carolina

Chimney Rock National Park which is in Lake Lure, NC.

The trip was wonderful, we spent the week with friends and had tons of fun and 100+ pics I'd love to share, but I'll pick only a few and post them for you all to enjoy. I for one love the change of leaves and since I don't get that here I took some really great shots of that. We also rode in a helicopter, our friend (J) is a pilot for an emergency response team in Greenville and he took us up. It was amazing, especially since hubby is terrified of flying. I bullied him into the copter and he had his first flight since he was five years old. He was so nervous, but he loved it, of course it helped that the pilot has been his friend for 20yrs + so he trusted (J) with his life as he put it, I know he's dramatic.. but I think the fear of flying is conquered, maybe now we can plan plane trips and not just car trips, which in of itself would be wonderful, I want to see the Grand Canyon so maybe I should strike while warm and fuzzy feelings are still fresh (hehe).

We went to Kings Mountain in South Carolina, had to cross North Carolina and then back to get there, yes I was confused also and I have two pics of the state line signs to prove it. We went to the living history farm and what do you think I found there, raw cotton from a turn of the century cotton gin. (Last century that is).

This bale was over 5 ft tall and 3 ft wide, just think of all the fun stuff that could be done with that!!

This pic is of the machine that was used to process the cotton.

A bird's eye view of Greenville, SC from our Helicopter ride.

Helicopter Crew.

Oh, I forgot to mention I knitted on the car trip to and from, I have finished one kitchen towel and started the second, I didn't take any pics, I will as soon as I get the second one done, with the pattern and stitch of course.

This n' That and Thanksgiving

What to post , what to post, Hummmmm...

Well I figure I should post about the sweater since it's the only thing I've been working on I had to frog the back and start over, I'm half way there and hope to finish it before my trip on Saturday, let's see if that really happens. I decided not to dye it till I get back and think about it some more. I'm also debating on a knitting project for the car trip, I have 12 hours to knit and can't seem to decide, baby blanket, or dish towels to match the table runners I've made. As for the rug on the loom, I removed a portion re-lashed the warp that remained and am making a companion rug. I need to buy the product that makes the back non slip since:

1. It really doesn't have any weight to it.
2. They're going in my bathroom.
3. Don't want to slip and kill myself or the hubby for that matter, LOL.

I have to go to Michael's cause I looked in Walmart and they didn't seem to understand what I was talking about, we so could use a good craft store, I'm not partiularly fond of Michael's well not really the store itself although the one close to me is a mess, but the employees are really not at all helpful, if you can find one and sometime even rude, I limit my visits there, maybe on my trip I'll find and AC Moore or something else.


I think that's about it, I'll be in South Carolina through Thanksgiving week and hopefully I can squeeze in some yarn shops (hehe) maybe even find a weaving studio and drool.

HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!!!!

May the Lord grace you and your family with good health, may your kitchen always have plenty to share, your family always be joyful and your hearts be full of laughter, love and praise.

Yarn Dilema!!! HELP!!

I've been knitting my kimono sweater, actually I'm almost done, but I have a problem. Although I bought the yarn in the same dye lot, guess what?? it's all not the same color ARRRRRGHHHHHHHH!!! How annoying **stomping feet**!! Well since I've ranted on my own for two days and now online, I had the bright idea to ask the more experience dyers, knitters and weavers what can I do, how do I do it?? I thought I could stain the yarn with tea (which is the only way I've ever dyed anything other than RIT in the washer with really bad results), but don't know if it will work the yarn is 75% acrylic 25% wool. I'd like to keep it in the beigey realm it's in right now I have the biscuit color, but some is pinker than the other and it's through out the sweater. Any suggestions would be so appreciated.

STUDIO & RUG WEAVING

I finally got my frame for my loom, I put it together last night and was so excited I couldn't wait to weave. I also received a new heddle 12.5 DPI and wow those eyes are tiny and the spacing even smaller, but I tried my hook last night and it went through just fine, so the crochet yarn in my stash is starting to itch. A funny thing happened when I got my boxes at work, I of course opened them immediately (like a kid at Christmas) as I pulled out the heddle one of my co-workers was in my office and she looked at it, scratched her head and said "What the heck?", I laughed and said to her "I see a potential wrap, a beautiful baby blanket, a soft and wonderful table cloth, maybe even a blanket." her response "All I see is a replacement for the blinds in the front office, and that's why your the creative one." So I had to explain what and how to use it, now since she's pregnant, guess what I'm going to make for her? hehe such fun stuff.

On the home front, I took our vacant room and now I have a small studio it's only 10' x 12' but it's great, my own little piece of valuable real estate within my house. LOL I kept the furniture that was in the room and have total use of the drawers for my knitting boards, knitting looms, my knitting needles and most of all, my yarn. I still have two bins in the garage that I need to sift through and relocate into the room.

Now for what's actually on my loom, that is a rug that I'm trying to weave, although I don't know if it will be heavy enough to lay on the floor, but I figure I'll finish, wash it and see, I could use it under my loom if it doesn't work for the original intention which is a bath mat.

For the warp I'm using Red Hart in Royal Blue, Caron Simply Soft in Lime and Electric blue (these were left over from the bright scarf I wove) and for weft Red Hart Super Bulky in Ocean. I love the colors and the super bulky is huge yarn, I love it I loved it from the first time I set eyes on it, but could never get it to work with my knitting loom so here we are at the weaving loom. I warped my loom on every other heddle eye which gave me a good space between the yarns so I'd have room to beat the weft in, I was advised on the yahoo groups that the weft needed to be really tight, I may need to start using my tri-loom comb for this one. Since I spaced the warp the way I did, this will be a weft facing fabric, I am learning my terms and following instructions with my Hands on Rigid Heddle Weaving book (this is so much fun).

I also found out that there is another Betty Davenport Book; Textures and Patterns for Rigid Heddle, which I can't find anywhere because, of course it's out of print. I need to find someone who has moved on to more elaborate weaving and would part with this book, sounds like a mission, but I'm patient and quite entertained with what I'm doing now. By the way if anyone out there has this book and wants to sell it, drop me an email.

KIMONO SWEATER UPDATE!

I've been knitting a kimono style sweater inspired by a pattern I found on Kitty.com and a magazine sweater I saw. Well the top went as planned the bottom took a life of it's own first because the yarn did cooperate the way I wanted the lacey - cabley stitch to go and second cause I was away on a 4 hour driving trip when I started the bottom and didn't have my reference material with me ARRRGHHH!! So I made an executive decision and I started the bottom with a garter stitch for 10 rows and then the basic stockinette stitch. . Am I bored with the knitting a bit, do I need a challenge for the next project yes. So I have the front panel to finish and the back and I'll stitch it up and model it for you. I'm hoping have it completed before my trip and since that trip is an 11 hour car drive you better believe I will have my pattern, yarn and REFERENCE book with me. hehe. One thing with needle knitting that I never had with board knitting is the curl on the sides top and bottom, it makes your work look tiny and warped