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.

Quandary

Yes, I'm still chugging along on the shrug--I'm finding some problems that are making me about scream, but I'm still hanging in there. Still working on the second toe up sock too. But today dear readers, I have a quandary I need your help with.

It is about double point needles (dpn). I know some people hate hate hate them. Me, I like them. And in socks, I like them to be fairly short. I have some six inch long ones I tolerate, but really I like the ones I have that are 5-5.5 inches long. I have the following:
clover size 0, 5 inches long
clover size 1, 5 inches long
Brittany Birch size 1.5, 5 inches long (I HATE these not pointy enough)
Unicorn Books size 1.5, 6 inches long
Clover size 2, 7 inches long. (way too long for me)

Now, I knit socks fairly regularly. I wouldn't say that's ALL I knit, but in the plans right now I have a pair for each daughter, and probably one for me too. So three pairs I'll most likely make before the end of 2008.

I confess that I avoid using the size 2s because of length and find myself either with the 1 or the 1.5s. I might use the size 2 more if I had a smaller set.

Now here's the big deal: every time I go to a yarn store, I look for 5 inch dpns. Last Monday, I asked the wonderful Sally at Apple Valley if they had any. Well they had some 6 inch ones on the wall. And then I noticed they also had sox stix. When I teased Sally for not pointing those out she said--I know you--you won't spend $20+ on needles--especially needles you already own. And she's partially right. Ok she's totally right. But seriously, I almost have in the past. Plus, they didn't have any size 2 but Sally said if I was serious she'd see if they could order or get them from the other store (in Clare).
Well I came home and babbled on to Husband about how neat it would be to have some and wouldn't rosewood feel just great to knit with and then his eyes glazed over. I ended it with, "before you zone out they are called Sox Stix and they'd make a good gift".

Tuesday was a normal day, except that I decided to list on Amazon all the textbooks* I had cluttering up my knitting book shelf (I've done this before and usually August and Jan are good times to do it). By Wednesday am, I had sold 6 of 9 and have since sold the seventh. I e-mailed the man with a hey hey I sold $150 worth of books! He e-mailed me back saying--Monday buy yourself some of those stix thingies.

Here's my quandary should I:
1) buy myself size 1.5
a) rosewood
b) ebony
2) buy myself size 2
a) rosewood
b) ebony
3)buy myself $20 in yarn instead at the lys

4)go a little over and buy myself enough knitpicks Cotlin for the dollar and a half cardigan

5) buy myself some frosting food coloring and a few hanks of bare and dye my own yarn.
or 6) other (please explain)

Tell me in the comments what YOU think I should do. And hey if you want the Brittany Birch needles--tell me that too, because if I get enough comments I might be able to put together a "prize" for some random person--I'll have to take a closer look at my stash first (oh and it might include fabric too).

I just read this over and thought that it makes me sound really um dependent upon my husband for money and such, which is not really true. It is just that both of us have in the past two years tried really hard to cut back on the non-necessary. We're trying to be more thrifty. Plus I'm just really indecisive.

*textbooks that the man is done with, after he's done he puts them on my shelf.