Life Post Yarn Shop
When all of the Chez Casuelle inventory left Leesburg for its new home in Gainesville two weeks ago, I had grand plans for a week of shameless self-indulgence: enjoying the luxuries of being a telecommuter, not to mention the luxury of having one fairly well-defined and relatively finite job (as opposed to the 24/7 job of the small business owner). I was going to work hard all day, and then relax and knit and watch DVDs every evening. I was going to whip up those Baby Boom socks in no time at all ...
Well, it didn't quite work out as planned. My internet and telephone connections went down on Tuesday and I didn't get them back until Saturday. Comcast was supposed to come out on Thursday, but despite the fact that I told them that the telephone was out (because it is an internet phone), they didn't come because I didn't respond to any of their telephone calls and messages. Since I don't get a cell signal on my street, I could only call them if I got in the car and drove about 1/4 mile away.
It is a little difficult to telecommute without functioning telecommunications. My salvation was a weak but reliable signal from a neighbor's wireless network that allowed me to get my work done.
It didn't turn out to be very rewarding knitting week, either, as I seemed to be unable to count or do simple calculations to get those socks right ... I also caught a cold that turned into bronchitis.
Enough of my litany of woes. Telecommunications have been restored, the antibiotics and supporting drugs are working wonders, and the naughty sock is learning it's lesson in the time-out cupboard. I also swallowed my pride and went crawling back to the local telephone company and got a regular land line telephone as a backup.
I've also decided to give Comcast the opportunity to redeem themselves by letting them provide a luxury that I have been longing for: a DVR. For nearly 15 years I didn't watch TV at all because I was either living in Europe, or in the US with a Polish husband who really didn't "get" American TV. I didn't knit then. I read several books a week.
But now that I spend every available spare moment knitting, I seem to have to watch TV. I am usually only half paying attention, but I have become addicted to it. Mostly I watch mysteries, Law and Order type shows, MSNBC, and the history channel. I can't miss The Daily Show, or Keith Olberman's Countdown (even though he makes fun of knitting -- as if football makes more sense than knitting socks...)
Since I often have insomnia and find myself looking for something to watch while I knit late at night, I find myself watching some rather odd things, like a documentary about String Theory on the Science Channel and ... Ice Road Truckers. For some reason, that show always seemed to be on at odd hours when nothing else was on. I've seen some of the episodes three times! I definitely need a DVR. Well, I really ought to listen to books on tape more than I do, but I keep getting serious nonfiction books on tape that I end up not being in the mood for and so I reach for the remote instead. So far, Linda is the only person I know who admits to watching Ice Road Truckers themselves. Everyone else just tells me that I need to knit less and get out of the house more ...
The DVR is being installed tomorrow, and so this weekend I am starting my delayed week of self-indulgence. I've got several fun knitting projects to work on, which I will take pictures of when I collect the camera adapter along with the other detritus that is still at the shop in Leesburg.
Like any fanatic knitter, I will also spend lots of time planning wonderful projects. For years I have been drooling over the modular designs in Patricia Werner's wonderful book, Dazzling Knits:
I love the "Dream Sweater" on the cover, although I will probably make it out of more subdued colors like this version:
I don't think that I am quite ready for that one yet, especially because it will take a lot of time to work out the colors, so I am going to start with an easier project, the Autumn in Taos Coat:
and I am going to make the yarn selection as easy as possible by letting Laura Bryant from Prism do all of the work. I'm going to use Prism Mink Wild Stuff together with a few coordinating Prism yarns (pictures will follow as soon as I can recharge my camera). I got the idea to do this from a customer who has made several of Patricia Werner's designs using Prism Stuff and coordinating Bon Bon. The results were absolutely gorgeous.
The Dazzling Knits book (available at Amazon.com) contains a quite a few inspiring variations of modular techniques. I also love the Adobe Brick Vest:
Most of these designs call for worsted weight yarn. I really want to try to adapt them to use Twisted Sisters Mirage in order a make a lighter weight, more Florida friendly sweater. However, there are several handpainted worsted weight yarns that should be good for these designs: Prism Bolero and Bon Bon, Colinette's new Iona yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. I prefer the hand-dyed yarns, in monochromatic or nearly solid colors, because the subtle variations in color add so much texture to the modular shapes.
If anyone has done anything like these and would like to share pictures, please post links, or send me the file (carla@chezcas.com) and I will post it here if you wouldn't mind.
Well, it didn't quite work out as planned. My internet and telephone connections went down on Tuesday and I didn't get them back until Saturday. Comcast was supposed to come out on Thursday, but despite the fact that I told them that the telephone was out (because it is an internet phone), they didn't come because I didn't respond to any of their telephone calls and messages. Since I don't get a cell signal on my street, I could only call them if I got in the car and drove about 1/4 mile away.
It is a little difficult to telecommute without functioning telecommunications. My salvation was a weak but reliable signal from a neighbor's wireless network that allowed me to get my work done.
It didn't turn out to be very rewarding knitting week, either, as I seemed to be unable to count or do simple calculations to get those socks right ... I also caught a cold that turned into bronchitis.
Enough of my litany of woes. Telecommunications have been restored, the antibiotics and supporting drugs are working wonders, and the naughty sock is learning it's lesson in the time-out cupboard. I also swallowed my pride and went crawling back to the local telephone company and got a regular land line telephone as a backup.
I've also decided to give Comcast the opportunity to redeem themselves by letting them provide a luxury that I have been longing for: a DVR. For nearly 15 years I didn't watch TV at all because I was either living in Europe, or in the US with a Polish husband who really didn't "get" American TV. I didn't knit then. I read several books a week.
But now that I spend every available spare moment knitting, I seem to have to watch TV. I am usually only half paying attention, but I have become addicted to it. Mostly I watch mysteries, Law and Order type shows, MSNBC, and the history channel. I can't miss The Daily Show, or Keith Olberman's Countdown (even though he makes fun of knitting -- as if football makes more sense than knitting socks...)
Since I often have insomnia and find myself looking for something to watch while I knit late at night, I find myself watching some rather odd things, like a documentary about String Theory on the Science Channel and ... Ice Road Truckers. For some reason, that show always seemed to be on at odd hours when nothing else was on. I've seen some of the episodes three times! I definitely need a DVR. Well, I really ought to listen to books on tape more than I do, but I keep getting serious nonfiction books on tape that I end up not being in the mood for and so I reach for the remote instead. So far, Linda is the only person I know who admits to watching Ice Road Truckers themselves. Everyone else just tells me that I need to knit less and get out of the house more ...
The DVR is being installed tomorrow, and so this weekend I am starting my delayed week of self-indulgence. I've got several fun knitting projects to work on, which I will take pictures of when I collect the camera adapter along with the other detritus that is still at the shop in Leesburg.
Like any fanatic knitter, I will also spend lots of time planning wonderful projects. For years I have been drooling over the modular designs in Patricia Werner's wonderful book, Dazzling Knits:
I love the "Dream Sweater" on the cover, although I will probably make it out of more subdued colors like this version:
I don't think that I am quite ready for that one yet, especially because it will take a lot of time to work out the colors, so I am going to start with an easier project, the Autumn in Taos Coat:
and I am going to make the yarn selection as easy as possible by letting Laura Bryant from Prism do all of the work. I'm going to use Prism Mink Wild Stuff together with a few coordinating Prism yarns (pictures will follow as soon as I can recharge my camera). I got the idea to do this from a customer who has made several of Patricia Werner's designs using Prism Stuff and coordinating Bon Bon. The results were absolutely gorgeous.
The Dazzling Knits book (available at Amazon.com) contains a quite a few inspiring variations of modular techniques. I also love the Adobe Brick Vest:
Most of these designs call for worsted weight yarn. I really want to try to adapt them to use Twisted Sisters Mirage in order a make a lighter weight, more Florida friendly sweater. However, there are several handpainted worsted weight yarns that should be good for these designs: Prism Bolero and Bon Bon, Colinette's new Iona yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. I prefer the hand-dyed yarns, in monochromatic or nearly solid colors, because the subtle variations in color add so much texture to the modular shapes.
If anyone has done anything like these and would like to share pictures, please post links, or send me the file (carla@chezcas.com) and I will post it here if you wouldn't mind.
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