Dragging my feet into the 21st century

I've never been accused of being an early adopter. I don't own a food processor, since my knife works perfectly well. I drive a 20 year old Toyota with a manual transmission. When I had a shop, I had a cash register, not a point of sales system.

So it should come as no surprise that I am accustomed to using an overhead projector when I teach. I like the immediacy of being able to write on my transparencies to illustrate a point. Besides, I don't own a laptop.
I'm headed to Kansas City this weekend to teach at The Studio Knitting & Needlepoint Annual Retreat. When the retreat organizer asked the facility representative about an overhead projector, she was met with peals of laughter. It seems I'm being forced into an upgrade.

Fortunately, I was given an iPad for Christmas. (Thank you, Susie). And contrary to popular belief, it seems the iPad can actually be used for more than Twitter and Words With Friends. A Google search for "best presentation apps for iPad" pointed me at SlideShark.
I've spent the past two days re-creating my visuals in PowerPoint (who knew I had this already on my computer? not me) and uploading them to SlideShark, from which I've downloaded them to my iPad. It has been a steep learning curve, but I'm ridiculously proud of myself. I should be able to project from the iPad using the LCD projector which seems to have replaced the overhead projector while I wasn't paying attention. Wish me luck.

What have I been knitting?
Entrelac samples. I've been asked to teach Basic Entrelac Techniques at FashionKnit in Walnut Creek in March. I haven't taught entrelac since I had the shop, so I've been making samples and developing an outline. Call FashionKnit to sign up - I'd love to see you in class.


And I started a new pair of socks last night, since I'll need travel knitting this weekend. Sitting in my chair watching PBS, I realized I was looking at David Attenborough while knitting with yarn in a color called.....David Attenborough. I know. It's Skinny Bugga from the late lamented Sanguine Gryphon. Merino, cashmere and nylon.

If you want some Skinny Bugga of your own, you can get it from Cephalopod Yarns

Have a great weekend.

Go Niners!

I'll miss the game because I'll be in transit, but my thoughts will be with them.

Socks for Mom

I spent Memorial Day weekend at my mother's house celebrating her 80th birthday.  We were joined by my sister, my younger brother and his mate. The only ones missing were my older brother and his wife, who were not able to make the trip from Arizona.  And Daddy, whom we've been missing every day for more than 10 years.
My mother is the only person other than myself for whom I make socks.  She loves her collection of handknit socks.  She likes to show them off and carefully darns them when they begin to show signs of wear. For this birthday, these socks were added to her collection...

Doesn't she have great ankles? Sadly, that delicate bone structure was not part of the genetic legacy passed on to me.

The yarn is Bertha from Dirty Water Dyeworks, a Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend I got in the teacher gift bag at Sock Summit last summer. There is no pattern for this design yet, but Mom has asked that I call it Ramona - her middle name. I'll let you know if I decide to write it up for publication.
At 80, Mom is going strong.  She lives by herself in the house she and Daddy shared, drives herself wherever she wants to go, and is in remarkably good health.  I keep waiting for the day when I can beat her at Scrabble (a game at which my family is insanely competitive), but that day has yet to come.
Happy Birthday, Mom! You are a daily inspiration.  I love you.