Branching Out

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New Phone = Less Blogging

I’ve wanted a smartphone for a really long time. I pretty much need internet like I need air, and I definitely wasn’t getting enough of it at home. I wanted internet on-the-go. I didn’t want to have to wait for my ancient computer to restart a million times before allowing me to partake in the internet experience. It was inevitable. I had to get a smartphone.

Unfortunately, smartphones (and their data plans) are very expensive. I wasn’t sure if such a device would be worth the cost, so I spent many months talking myself into getting one and then talking myself back out of such a “silly” expenditure. Up until the Wednesday before last, I had been using a Razor – the same Razor I'd been using for the past five years. It was definitely time for an upgrade, so I went with my mom to the T-Mobile store to have a looksie at the recently advertised free phones. It wasn’t long before I wandered from the free phone section to the Blackberry section. T-Mobile had two versions of the Blackberry in stock – the 8520 Curve and something else that was newer and more expensive. I consulted with myself and decided that I had to have a Blackberry. There was no turning back. I chose the 8520 Curve purely based on price. The customer service rep told me that the 8520 ran on the slower “Edge” network (as opposed to 3G), but that there wasn’t much difference between the two. I left the store in a great mood and ready to play with my new toy. That lasted about 30 minutes, at which point the internet inexplicably left my phone. I’ll save you the details, but apparently customer service added my data plan to another phone in our family plan. It was one of the free phones, no less, and that didn’t explain how I was able to access the internet for half an hour, but okay. Customer service turned the internet back on, but I soon realized that it didn’t work so well when separated by many miles from the T-Mobile store. How disappointing!!! Web pages took 5 to 7 minutes to load, and they only fully loaded when the phone was feeling generous. Pictures pretty much never came up, and Ravelry (my favorite site) was nearly impossible to access. On top of that, the keyboard was incredibly small, and the keys were poorly positioned. I spent more time deleting than actually typing! By the second day of owning the 8520, I had become so frustrated and upset that I asked my mom to return it. I wanted one of the free phones instead. I couldn’t justify spending $30 a month on a data plan for a phone that worked (to my liking) approximately 5% of the time, and I figured that everyone else with mobile web must be more patient and forgiving than me. (And I also wondered why the heck they were paying so much money to watch a progress bar load.) I didn’t expect the phone to work at the speed of light, but I expected a decent web browsing experience.

My mom took my Crapberry back to the store last Saturday with instructions to procure a (free) green Gravity slide phone. I received a phone call from her that afternoon. She wanted me to know that the customer service rep (a different one) had shown her one of those new android phones, and that it worked really well. She said she’d get it for me for Christmas if I wanted it. I was skeptical, of course. I asked about all of its workings and made the customer service rep log into my Ravelry account and name to me all the projects she saw. I also made her navigate to multiple sections and quizzed her on the page layout, how many pictures were shown, etc. My mom told me that the customer service rep said this particular phone ran on the 3G network, and that I shouldn’t experience any of the issues I had with the Crapberry. After confirming that I could indeed return the phone if it did not operate to my satisfaction, I gave her the go-ahead to buy it.

I am now the proud owner of a black MyTouch 3G Slide. (It comes in black, white, and red.) My mom called me boring (in regard to my color selection), but I wanted my phone to match everything! It’s a touch screen phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. I think it’s T-Mobile’s version of the iPhone. The good news is it works much better than the Crapberry. Internet surfing is comparable to using a computer. The phone is pretty much a teeny laptop, and it came with lots of free apps and awesome features.

My MyTouch seems a little glitchy, but that’s to be expected with just about every newly released gadget. I hear T-Mobile will be releasing some sort of update in a little while that should iron everything out. The worst thing about it is the battery life. Mine only lasts a few hours before needing to be charged, and I will be returning to the store tomorrow to see if I can’t get myself a new battery. Other than that, though, it’s great!

Double Knitting

I think it’s safe to say that I stay within my comfort zone when selecting knitting projects. I avoid patterns that utilize techniques other than plain stockinette, cabling, and lace. I am terrified of colorwork, and I will never steek. (I can’t imagine cutting something that I’ve spent months knitting.) So it may come as a surprise that I’ve decided to try something new.

I really want to double knit. In fact, I want to double knit so much that I’ve written quite a few double knitting patterns for scarves and blankets. I know that it’s kind of strange to write double knitting patterns without having double knit before, but I’m very good at creating mirror images! (Technically anyone who can color in boxes can create a double knitting chart.) I’ve done a bit of research on double knitting, and I believe I have a fair understanding of how the process works. However, understanding it and doing it are two different things. I’m sure my first swatch will look horrendous.

I will definitely release my patterns if I (or someone else) make some sample objects from them. I hate when people release patterns without a sample photo. I will offer my designs for free, of course, since I’ve taken advantage of so many free patterns over my knitting career. My copyright blurb will go something like, “You may use this pattern however you please. Usage includes but is not limited to knitting the pattern, folding the pattern into an airplane, using the pattern as a coaster, showing the pattern the Siberian landscape, eating the pattern with a glass of milk, and substituting the pattern for toilet paper. You are free to do whatever you want with objects made from this pattern, as I do not own your projects and cannot police whatever action you choose to take in regard to your finished objects. Please do not attempt to sell this pattern. I will hunt you down and destroy your operation. Thank you.” Yes, I do have a bit of an issue with some of the copyright blurbs I’ve seen. Some people may disagree with me, but I find designers who specify what knitters can do with objects knit from their patterns to be pompous. If you’re so uptight about people selling objects made from your pattern, don’t sell them the instructions! Sometimes I find patterns similar to the following:

Knit Scarf

1.) Cast on 25 stitches
2.) Knit row 1
3.) Knit row 2
4.) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until desired length is reached.
5.) Bind off.

…with copyright blurbs like this:

“This is my pattern. Do not sell any objects made from this pattern. Do not sell any objects that look like my design. Do not sell objects made from an altered version of my pattern. I work hard to provide you with free patterns, and I would like my intellectual property to be respected. If I find that my patterns are being abused, I will have to start charging people to use them. Thank you.”

El – Oh – El. That’s all I have to say. I completely understand why designers wouldn’t want unscrupulous people to sell or claim authorship of their patterns, but this crap about copyrighting the knit stitch? Puleeeeze.

Anyway, I’ve already told myself that this weekend will be dedicated to knitting my Thermal, but I might be able to throw a little swatching into the mix. You know, just to make sure the charts work. ;)

12-Point Baby Blanket

Well folks, I’ve started yet another project. This one should go fast, though. I anticipate that I’ll have it done by the end of this month. I am using this pattern, but I’ve modified it slightly. Instead of doing two rounds of big shells and two rounds of small shells per repeat, I’m doing two rounds of big shells and one round of small shells. Many of the Ravelry users who have already completed this project say that the blanket lays better if a 2-to-1 ratio is used. I am not terribly experienced at crocheting, so we’ll see how this goes. I’m already confused about where the increases take place on the small shell rounds, if they do at all.

Originally I wanted to make the blanket in black, white, and varying shades of pink. Unfortunately, I could not find varying shades of pink at Michaels, and I had only $12 to spend. I ended up with one skein of Red Heart Soft in “Black,” two skeins of Vanna’s Choice Baby in “Pink Poodle,” and one skein each of Vanna’s Choice Baby in “Angel White” and “Sweet Pea.” The Red Heart Soft feels very nice, but the Vanna’s Choice Baby leaves much to be desired. I’m surprised that it feels so rough – being a baby yarn and all. I hope a run through the washer and dryer will soften it.

Here’s a picture of my progress as of a few days ago:

I didn’t realize until after crocheting this far that I chose watermelon colors.
I have a particular stripe sequence in mind, but I’m not sure how far I’ll get with the small amount of yarn I purchased. I will be switching back and forth between this and my Thermal. I have less than three inches to go on the body before splitting for the neck placket. That’s when things will get hairy. Yikes!

And now for a bit of sad news – I’m considering throwing away my Palindrome. Yes, you read that right. I would very much like to take what I’ve done, snip it from the skein, and throw it in the trash. I hate the way it looks, and I would be embarrassed to give it to anyone. Some of the cables are messed up, it’s fuzzy and worn looking, and I doubt it’ll be useful in actual winter weather. The yarn isn’t worth frogging. It’s already nasty looking, and it’s just Caron Simply Soft. I think I need to be honest with myself and frog all of the projects that I know I’ll never finish. I have some projects that have been hibernating for so long that I didn’t mention them in my list. Most of those need to go. And I should photograph the ones I can’t part with, so that I can put them on Ravelry and hold myself accountable.

Ruffled Top

...had been resurrected. Hooray!

Works in Progress – Updated 7/30/2010

-Short Sleeved Cardigan (Now going to Rae.)
-Palindrome Scarf (Currently my at-work project.)
-Houndstooth Scarf
-Owl Sweater (On hold until yarn is bought.)
-Lace Panelled Baby Blanket (On hold for next shower – whenever that is.)
-Dalmatian Cross Stitch
-Ruffled Top
-Thermal

My list is getting longer! How did that happen?

A Teeny Rant

I am hardly a perfect writer (or speaker for that matter). I make mistakes. I’m sure my posts are littered with grammatical errors, spelling errors, punctuation errors, etc. I can’t diagram a sentence. I don’t know when to use “who” and when to use “whom.” I don’t even know what an adverb is. (Although I’ll be looking that up after finishing this post.) I doubt there is a person on this planet who knows anything and everything there is to know about the written English language. However, I’ve seen (and heard) some pretty atrocious things written (and spoken) by otherwise intelligent people. Here are three of my biggest peeves:

The I-Me Complex

I don’t know who deserves the blame for this I-Me problem. Maybe the schools? Parents? TV? In any case, it is blatantly apparent to me that a large portion of the American people see the use of “I” instead of “me” in any context as an easy way to sound “smart” and proper. Oh no, no, no. There are many situations for which the use of “me” is necessary, and people who omit “me” in attempt to sound smart ending up sounding, well, stooopid. I know that someone who majored in English (or perhaps paid more attention in English class) could explain the following in much more detail with fancy terms and diagrams, but you’re stuck with me. Deal with it!

Mom took Tracey and I to the store.
Greg asked Michael and I to help him move.
This is a picture of Jackie and I on the beach.

All three of these sentences are incorrect. Think about it. Once the person partaking in the activity with you is removed (And I’m sure there’s a special term for that person, but I don’t know it.), you’re left sounding like this:

Mom took I to the store.
Greg asked I to help him move.
This is a picture of I on the beach.

Perform this test next time you’re thinking about using “I” instead of “me.” If the “I” can’t stand alone, then the “I” should not be used.

Here’s the same situation from the opposite direction:

Tracey and me went to the store.
Greg and me asked Michael to help Bob move.

WRONG!

Here are the sentences post-test:

Me went to the store.
Me asked Michael to help Bob move.

Obviously the “me” cannot stand alone, so “I” should be used.

Apostrophes

I hate it when I see something like, “I brought my cat’s inside.” I always want to ask, “Your cat’s what?” or “Oh my God you gutted your cat!” An apostrophe never makes something plural! Apostrophes are used to show possession or to signify a contraction. (i.e. Meghan’s book, it’s = it is) (There are other uses – like for quotes in research papers – but I’m not going to get into that.) Interestingly enough, I discovered fairly recently that “hers” and “yours” should not include apostrophes. Go figure!

You’re, Your, Their, They’re, There

These are pretty self-explanatory. Obviously these words have different meanings and are not interchangeable.

You’re = contraction – you are
Your = possessive

Their = possessive
They’re = contraction – they are
There = a position in space

Thermal Progress

I didn’t get much crafting done over the weekend. I battled a case of strep throat instead. I managed to sneak in some Thermal knitting, and I’ve completed about 7 inches on the body. I believe my risk taking has paid off, as I can now see that the waffle stitch is very stretchy, and the 32” size should fit me just fine. I’m going to try to knit 13 inches worth of body (instead of 12) to account for the negative ease ride-up phenomenon. I may vote against that as time passes by, though. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to make the sleeves longer. I have freakishly long arms. And I see that there’s some short row action further along in the pattern. ::shudder:: If I do finish this project, I think I will feel invincible.

I have been tasked with the unfortunate (haha!) job of finding a new “at-work” project. My latest at-work project (a cross-stitch Christmas ornament) is pretty much done (…except for the french knots, which are driving me bonkers.). Let’s see…I could do something from my Ravelry queue…or I could try to get a head start on my cousin’s baby stuff…or I could resurrect one of my hibernating works in progress. Which will I choose? It’s a mystery!