Bonus Picture

Promised Pictures Part 2

Promised Pictures Part 1

Post Stitches

My goodies:
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Pink alpaca/silk laceweight for Aunt gift
Blue alpaca/silk laceweight for mother-in-law gift
4 skeins of Karaoke for gift scarf - maybe one of my sisters or sister-in-law
4 skeins of socks that rock (one for a co-worker here that couldn't go)
2 cones of silk/stainless steel from Habu - I think I am going to make some necklaces for the shop with this
2 4oz hanks of fiber from Lisa Souza for the shop
6 oz of multi colored merino for the shop
1 goknit pouch

I think that is all. I was very good about not buying any more bags of yarn for sweaters - and not toooo much sock yarn. Actually If you look at what goes as gifts, and what was for the shop...I only bought some socks that rock...I was very good!!

Then of course I came home and ordered a couple of pairs of the new harmony needles from knit picks...as well as some more bobbins for my wheel...

I was somewhat disappointed in the amount of fiber available...it definately was more a yarn expedition, which is ok. I probably would have spent even more if there would have been lots of yummy fibers around! Too bad about not going next week for Rhinebeck...Ohhhhh I so want to go!!!

I think I am going to be really good now, and not buy anymore yarn until at least the first of the year. Think I can do it?

Pre Stitches

Tomorrow is our annual trip to Stitches East. I want to have a plan, a list. Something to follow so that I don't end up spending tons of money. I figure, if I can make a list, and commit to only buying those things...I will end up doing well.

So far I have only two things on my list: Lace weight for aunt, and Lace weight for Mother-in-law. I can't really think of anything else. Probably some fiber for the shop...but other than that...dunno yet...

Majacraft

So I got my new wheel all set up! She is a beauty. I will have pictures to post later.

When it first arrived, I was so excited. You would think it was Christmas and I was 8:

I open the box and start pulling out pieces. Wheel, check, pedals, check...miscellaneous handle part, check.
I start putting the pieces together, because damn, I want to use it right away! I had just sold my Joy, so I was absent a wheel to spin on. The directions are pretty good, and I am doing OK with the assembly. That handle part, must be connected sometime...but there aren't any holes in it for screws...oh well.

So I continue, everything fits together like a dream. I get her almost completed, look ahead in the directions...and notice, no handle attaching. I look at the handle again, wtf!! I think it is broken. In fact, looking closely, I can tell it is broken. It should be part of the main shaft, as one piece.

Sadness.

My first thought was, damn, I already put it all together and I want to use it! So I finish. Then I go and email Klaus from Crown Mountain Farms (where I purchased it from). Please please advise I write to him.

He checks into it and Majacraft sends out a new handle. It was a very bad thing for me to have put it together though...as soon as I saw the damage (ie. when I was removing it from the box) I should have stopped then and taken it to the post office for inspection. Majacraft could have claimed insurance on the wheel because it broke in transit. But stupid me, I went and put the thing together, so no insurance. They still send the piece though.

Last night I finally get the replacement part...and a dowel rod...
On the rod it says: "conduit removal tool" -- what?!?

So I start taking the wheel apart, and I see it. In the middle section where the base shaft connects with the handle a pvc pipe is inserted to keep the two pieces together and to allow for a bolt to go through there. I push the dowel rod into this hole...no luck. This thing is in there good -- hopefully not permanently.

I find my hammer and check out the hole. This is not going to be fun...I really don't want my replacing this part to result in me breaking the thing with overzealous hammering. So I start...
The dowel is not very sturdy...it starts chipping from my off center hammer strikes. It also starts to splinter around the end next to the pvc pipe. In fact, it starts to shape its self to go INTO the pvc pipe! And the pipe has moved, maybe 1 mm.

At this point Hubby is concerned...he thinks for sure I am going to do more damage than not. He is not very happy with Majacraft.

Eventually, the pvc pipe is out enough that I can grab it and yank it out. Success!!! Slowly I begin reassembling the wheel. Everything is going very well. I get the wheel attached, the pedals, the flyer head...

There is another bolt hole at the top of the handle shaft (the new piece). This is the last part I have to do. This sets the tension for the flyer head part, keeps it in place and allows it to be loosened and re-situated. I go to put the bolt through...and realize that it doesn't push all the way in. Looking, I note that the bolt has a square part next to the head...this keeps it from turning and allows tightening of the bolt. I look at the hole, I look at the bolt again...the hole is round, the bolt is square...

I am trying my hardest to get a square peg into a round hole...sigh...

The wood is hard, I cannot simply push this bolt into the hole. I get out my trusty hammer again. By this time Hubby is freaking out, he is positive that I will break it if I try hammering this thing in. He is also very disappointed as I point out that the original part had the square already cut out of the hole, and inserting the bolt was easy peasy. -- Why didn't they do this to the new piece they sent me?!?

Anyway, I managed to get the bolt in enough for me to tighten it on the other end. There is a small gap, but its not bad. I might at some point try again to get it in all the way. So at this point she's up, functioning and looking beautiful, handle and all.

Magic

Friday, I went to see Bruce Springsteen. And it was AWESOME!!

Hubby, my sister and her hubby all went together. We had gotten General Admission tickets. So apparently at all Springsteen concerts there is a system for the GA.

The System:
Between 2pm and 5pm GA ticket holders show up, and receive a bracelet with a number on it.
At 5pm, everyone with these tickets is supposed to line up in number order.
At 5:15pm, a number is drawn from a large bucket.
Starting with that number and going up, the first 400 people get to be in the pit.
After that, everyone goes to the regular floor area.

OK, back to the story.

We depart around 2ish for Philly. Should we get food before hand? Well, we decide that we will wait until we are closer. The drive is wonderful. Spend the time listening to Deirdre Flint and old Springsteen songs. I knit, the guys bond, and sis and I catch up with life stuff. Apparently not paying attention, we miss the exit! So, we get off at the next one, and continue on our way - way out of the way...

Finally we arrive at the venue, 4pm...having not stopped for food. We decide to get our bracelets and then look for food. So we stand in line for about 30 minutes...not bad, we get numbers 417, 418, 421, 422...no clue how we got separated but who cares, its not bad.

We go back to the car and try to look for food. Actually, sis and I send the boys off to go hunt for food...after all, women are gatherers! Sis and I try to find out more about the system, as it is very not clear to us at this point.

No food! By this time we are starved. Now that we have the low down on the bracelets though, we feel pretty confident that we probably won't get picked for the pit. Should we go eat and then come back forgoing the chance to be close? No-way!! So we wait...

5pm. 800 or so people attempt to line up in order...

Remember in grade school those exercises where the class is to line up alphabetically by last name? And remember how it always takes 30 minutes or more for 30 children to do this? Yeah, lining up 800 adults by number...about the same result...There is no line, there is only confusion and mayhem. The event staff try their very hardest to organize the mob, but without any voice amplifying devices, you simply cannot expect to get the attention of 800 excited fans.

Of course then there is a jerk that decided to make up a lotto number and call it out...saying that that was the number picked! Right-- the number had not been picked at all! So this just made the mass of people even more frantic and even more unmanageable.

Before even half of the people were semi-arranged, the number is drawn. Everyone that had been in line rushed to the front in order to hear...now there is no line at all...

The number was: 405!!!

Halle - freakin - lujah! We are only 10 or so people from the front!!!! Hot damn!

So we wait in yet another line...a line that is very very close to the door. We wait, and wait, and wait. During our wait we notice these two chicabiddies talking to every guard and staff member in the area. Apparently their number is not in the 400 chosen to enter the pit. The one, tall, skinny, and blond, is half naked...she is definitely trying to use her feminine wiles to weasel her way into the line.

She talked to EVERYONE, people in the line, people outside the line, guards, staff, lonely looking men...This sort of woman just drives me nuts. Why would you do that?!? Doesn't that undo years of feminine efforts to be looked upon seriously - treated as equals? Apparently she is not a feminist. Everyone around us is determined not to let her get to us, not to let her anywhere near that stage. She is so freakin' obvious, I am sure that every guard has seen her and hopefully will not let her get there either.

We wait some more. This waiting sucks because now that we are guaranteed a spot in the pit, we know we will be standing all night...my feet start to hurt...

6:30 pm - the doors open. We receive our other two bracelets and enter. It is a mad rush to the bottom of the stadium and to the front of the stage. Frankly, I think this is absurd. Shouldn't the people with the closest numbers be guaranteed a close spot? Regardless of physical prowess? No this is not the case.

Anyway, we score a spot about 1 person from the front of the stage.

The concert starts and OMG how awesome is it to be 10 feet away from Bruce for the entire concert?!?! The whole show is fabulous! The set is wonderfully varied, some new songs, some oldies but goodies, it is AMAZING. Sis wasn't a big fan before, she just wanted to tag along and hang out with us...but by the end of the night, she was a huge fan! Now she is determined to listen to all his old songs and learn them.

What happened to the biddies? They ended up in the pit...right behind us. Some retarded man decided that she was pretty enough that she should be given a spot that she didn't deserve. Everyone around us noticed, how could the guards not notice?!? We made a wall...determined not to let them get any closer. And we succeeded! Even at the end, those two chickies never made it any closer. If it hadn't been for them, it would have been a perfect night.

Magical indeed.

Polyclay Fun

What have I been up to?!?