first world problems

One of my biggest problems with getting entries done is pictures. I want to show you all pictures of my work! But I seem to be in this technology limbo, similar to what I felt ages ago when the internet was a new frontier.

I have a camera, a pro flickr account, an ipad, and a desktop computer, so everything should be easy? yes?

Well actually no.

You see if I take pictures with my camera, I have to download them onto the desktop, and then move them over to Flickr. The quality is good even if the photographer is bad. I just need to remember to take the pictures, and then download them. And then if I just dumped everything to flickr right then, well half the work would be done.
Problem is, I often forget to take pictures. Then when I do remember, it takes me a long time to get the camera downloaded. Then usually someone needs me before I can do anything with my downloads. Or getting the downloading to the computer and then edits (usually rotating or cropping) and uploading again take up all my allotted blog time (and I must get back to my life outside the computer).

I could and do take pictures with the ipad, which I use more than the desktop computer on some days (my husband is currently working at home, so the ipad has become my "laptop."). I didn't buy the camera connector kit because I figured I didn't really need it, as I can connect to the desktop. But the ipad does have a camera. I just don't always appreciate the quality. Plus it took me longer than it should have to figure out how to get pictures from the camera roll onto flickr. (an iphone app for flickr exists, but not an ipad app--and the uploader from flickr uses flash I think--anyway won't work. But iphone app works!)

An example of the quality is this picture of the poodle skirt in progress:

A little grainy for my taste.

So, what this means is that most of the days that I have time to write something, I'm relegated to the ipad and usually I don't have a photo that I want to share already on flickr--or even on my camera half the time. So then I have to decide, grainy photos taken on the ipad as I'm updating (and WHY are they so grainy?!) or entry first, pictures second (really it takes me two days to get one entry?) or no entry?

I don't have answers. I wish I did.

Oh I do have a sort of answer--I'm thinking of going over to the dark side for Christmas/holiday gifts. Yes, novelty yarn. Specifically Redheart sashay scarves. If they had a lime green colorway, I'd probably already be casting on for a gift, and I may still do some discreet "what color appeals to you" poking around. These just seem like the kind of hip thing that wouldn't take much in the way of technique and yet would still impress.

September

So September escaped from me. For some reason I always always think: "once school starts I will have SO much time!"

I'm not sure if that means that then I put off stuff until school starts and I spend September playing crazy lady catch-up or if it really is that busy. Maybe both. I know I certainly worked my job like that, I did only what needed to get done (without working ahead). Meaning of course that when school started I was behind.

Also indicative of life right now is the fact that my nine year olds have somehow morphed back to preschoolers. The two paragraphs above took 20 minutes to type because suddenly they need me for everything from mediating arguments, to keeping them from getting into everything. I swear I need to babyproof more now than I did when they were 3.

At any rate, here is a project update:

-Halloween costumes! Yes, they have begun. Every year I think maybe the girls get too old for this, but I hope I have a few more years. Anyway they chose to be a 50's girl (complete with poodle skirt) and medusa.
I was initially worried because medusa started as bride of frankenstein and as we talked, the only sense I could get of what the bride of frankenstein looked like had to do with hair. As I was trying to figure out how to do the hair, she casually mentions: either that or medusa.
Well my brain started ticking and let's just say, this will be one cute medusa.

Progress on these is slow, but I do have medusa's hair underway and have mostly finished the blouse that goes with the poodle skirt (saving the buttonholes for that mythical time when I can concentrate).

-Knee socks. I started the second knee sock and have gotten the foot done, and started up the leg, not quite to the point of the increases yet, but I'll get there. I am a little sad that she won't be able to wear these with shorts, as the weather has turned cold, but eh, she'll figure something out.

-Misc. I have started thinking about Christmas, especially my gift knitting. My daughters are in different classes this year and so that doubles the teacher gifts. Also, the aide in one daughter's class has been the aide for her class every year except first grade. She manages to balance helping her assigned student and helping the class as a whole, and so I have in the past knit her a gift too. Since I've known her a few years, I was thinking socks (plus she always admires mine), but I'm debating how to figure out her size.
Also complicating things, on the farm field trip I learned that one teacher is allergic to wool and alpaca (or at least sensitive to it). So no wool scarf for her. But I'm debating about what replaces that.

It hasn't been all busy busy busy, I had time to enter a contest run by the lovely Annie Modesitt on her blog (which you should be reading if you are not already, because she not only has fabulous insights into knitting, but she's funny to boot). And I WON! A skein of buffalo gold earth lite. (I think I got the name right--I'm too lazy to get up and go look at the label, despite it being draped over the arm of my knitting chair, where it has been since it got here). In the contest you had to say what you'd use it for and I thought a scarf. It is too small for a scarf but would work for a cowl. Although after draping the yarn around my neck (yes, I am weird but BUFFALO people), I'm not sure I could wear a cowl for very long. So maybe fingerless gloves it will be.

I'm open to suggestions, on knitted teacher gifts, sneakily finding a person's shoe size, or what to do with 200 yards of red buffalo yarn.

sorry

In almost a month you'd think I'd have SOMETHING to show you. Something finished and marvelous or at least edible.

But no. I have finished a Christmas present I can't show you, canned some tomatoes (and forgot to take pictures), and finished this sock:

Halloween costumes are on the agenda, as well as the second knee sock. My goodness that was a long long sock to knit. I'll try to be better about blogging now that the girls are in school.