Bleary-eyed but BlackBerry’d

Trish — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:08:35 +0000

I dedicated an entire day yesterday to getting to know my new BlackBerry. After a couple of weeks of waiting for Verizon and Verizon Wireless to decide how to handle what I thought was a simple request,(c’mon people, you’re a technology company. I made two sweaters in the time it took you to switch a phone number!) I finally could upgrade to a smartphone and we can have a little bit of Internet at the shop. It should help to find stats on yarn, to look at colors available, etc. More and more, yarn companies are finding it too pricey to make and send color cards, and some very useful cross references are no longer being printed, so we had to do something. I’m kind of enchanted by the little thing and, if I can do so successfully, I’ll be able to send (unedited- yikes!)) photos right from the store to the blog. We’ll see how that works out.

Last week was so busy (thank you!) that I only got to take a few pictures. Two of them are below, and the others I promised not to use because one thing wasn’t finished and the other thing was a gift for someone who keeps up with the blog.

We finally got our Addi Clicks in! My, my, they’re very nice. For the price ($150) they should be even nicer, but I must say they’re a joy to use. We’re keeping the set at the store so you can inspect it in person. The cords (24″, 32″, 40″) are super-flexible. The tips look and feel like aerospace-quality. Joining cord to tip is easy to do, secure and smooth. The shipping is still taking forever because all of these pieces are made individually by hand in Germany – they haven’t set up a full production line yet. I hope that will come soon, and with it, some enhancements or available accessories, such as US size 5 tips (this size is not widely used in Europe), additional cords and connectors, and a more convenient storage system.

Lynne Nagle was in this weekend with some show and tell, but we were so busy I only got to take one picture and I missed half of the pretty neckpiece she made. After that I lost track except for a few seconds to talk about crochet classes. I hope we’ll find time to get together soon to talk about it. Lynne is an excellent crocheter and I’d love to have crochet classes at the shop again, so I hope we can work that out. If you are a knitter who turns up his/her nose at crochet, you’re not alone; Elizabeth Zimmerman felt the same way. I feel very disrespectful to say this, but I heartily disagree. Crochet is an art unto itself, and done with skill, good quality materials, and an adventurous spirit can produce amazingly beautiful pieces. And, if you have no interest in crocheting an entire sweater, adding a pretty border or a central motif to a knitted piece can really enhance your garment. I’m not a good crocheter (like every other skill, it takes practice and I spend all my time knitting, of course) but I often find it useful, and occasionally find it fun as a change from knitting. I just received a bag of Araucania “Ruca” which is a yarn made completely from sugar cane fiber (I can’t wait to see what they’ll think of next). It’s very pretty, very slippery, very splitty. Knitting with it would be a pain, but I’m making a scarf using a simple 2-row crochet stitch and the yarn is very pleasant to work with. The scarf will be lovely and drape-y – and will take me a long time because I’m quite slow, but not in a hurry anyway!

I promised photots of spring projects and just didn’t get to take them. Janet and I cleaned one morning last week, and we’re slowly spring-i-fying the shop. Blast this cold weather! I’m ready for warmth, sunshine, and bare toes.

See you soon…

Trish

Yarn Gallery Blog » Addi Clicks

Bleary-eyed but BlackBerry’d