In some ways I have definite Luddite tendencies. Switching to new e-mail and calendar software at work this summer was a setback I am still recovering from, two months later. When I hear that I'm up for a computer upgrade at work, I inwardly groan. Luckily, at work, I have lots of support and know the tech support staff by first name.
But, I do recognize that there are technology products that absolutely make my life much better. Here's my top ten:
1. Electric mattress pad warmer. I have a distinct tendency for night chills and this has made all the difference. We like sleeping under a down comforter, so using an electric blanket wasn't an option. I especially like that our queen sized one has separate controls for each side of the bed so I can be toasty without overheating my DH.
2. Electric tea kettle. These had just gotten popular in Scotland when I was living there in the early 80's, but didn't really show up here until not too many years ago. I think we've had ours for about 5 years. This one was such a hit with my family that both sons had it near the top of their list of must-haves when they went off to college. Some people have talked about using them to make macaroni and cheese, but we wouldn't dream of doing that -- it would make our tea taste funny!
3. Cars that automatically turn off your headlights when you turn off the car. At this point, it could be a dealmaker for me when buying a car because our Toyotas and VW Golf have this feature so I'd be hopeless about remembering to do it myself.
4. EZ Pass. Although I liked the early version, Transpass, better because you could push a button on top and see how much money you had left on it, the EZ Pass is a must-have. Not only is it nice when going places in Maine, it makes travel in other states even easier -- very short waits, if any, at toll booths in NH, MA, and PA on recent trips.
5. iPods. I don't even have the new iPod Touch, but still love my mp3 player. I'm particularly enamored with podcasts and audiobooks.
6. Cell phones with QWERTY (that is so much fun to type) keyboards. A very bright young woman told a group of parents at UNH Orientation that we must, must, must have unlimited texting on our phone plans if we were sending a son or daughter off to college. She was absolutely right. But, it is the QWERTY keyboard that makes it possible for me to use it.
7. eCards. I've got a subscription to an eCard site offered by a lovely artist, Jacquie Lawson. It makes it much easier to send someone a card at the last minute (not that I always remember to do it even though it is easy to do).
8. On-line banking. I've not converted to on-line bill paying yet, but do appreciate being able to monitor our bank accounts in real time instead of waiting for the monthly statement. I was never good at using those statements to update my register (I remember a couple of years when I would take a whole day to do a whole year at a time) but am now able to do it at least weekly. It also makes it much more convenient to set up fund transfers for our sons at college -- weekly food allowances are key.
9. Social networks for knitters. Ravelry, for example. Although they can become a black hole of browsing and take way too much time, they also can be incredibly handy when contemplating a new pattern or deciding whether the yarn you already have can work in the pattern you are considering. The knitting world online is wonderfully accessible and generous. While I'm also a quilter and basket weaver, I haven't found a home in those online worlds the way I have in knitting. And I'm not even as engaged as some people I know!
10. Windows that fold in so you can wash the outside from inside the house. Yes, this last one returns me to the Luddite category because you're probably not really thinking it is "technology" as many would define it. But, it is something that makes my life much sunnier and my vision much clearer on a daily basis. It is well worth the extra money we've spent on replacing our old, rattling, weight-balanced (old window technology) double-hung windows.
ON MY NEEDLES
Speaking of needles, I could add #11: bamboo and wooden knitting needles. I grew up using aluminum and plastic needles -- either too inflexible or too flexible. Bamboo and wooden needles are the easiest on my hands and wrists, making it possible to knit more and longer when I get the chance.
TECHNOLOGY I'M CONSIDERING
I'm very intrigued by the eReaders -- especially since reading about a movement to create borrowing libraries for eBooks (check out WorldLibrary). I'm trained as a librarian and can't be parted from my extensive, and growing, collection of physical books, but still am interested in seeing whether an eReader might fit into my life. But, I'll probably stick to my non-early adopter status and wait a while to see where they go.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Summer winds down
The end-of-summer blues have hit. I'm enjoying a week off, with just one more half-time week to go before students return to the college where I work and life gets very busy very fast. The blues manifest themselves in my being cranky (just ask my husband) and in my clinging to every minute of at home time.
But, I can look back on this as a very productive summer (give the empty nest some credit). I'm about to sew the binding on one quilt and am close to finishing up the top on another. I even got the sewing room cleaned up enough that I've been able to spread the quilts out to work on them on the floor -- now, THAT is an accomplishment (having the sewing room cleaned up somewhat, that is). I've done a lot of sorting out of my knitting stuff. Gathered materials for other random projects all in one place -- needlepunching in one basket, applique in another bag.
The porch is emptied out (with stuff stacked in the living room, I admit) in preparation for our contractor to replace the windows and insulate the porch so we'll be able to use it very nearly all year around. It will be lovely to have the sunshine pouring in!
We did a fair amount of work on the flower beds in July and finally topped up the mulch so they look quite nice again. The mulch has also helped keep the moisture in the ground as the summer has gotten dryer and keeps the plants "perked up."
I peeled wallpaper off 3 of the 4 walls in one son's room, primed over the ugliness and hope to wallpaper later this fall. First I need to paint the ceiling and the window woodwork (which got primed to-- just several years after they were installed).
And, we've spent significant quality time with both sides of the family, including getting the not-to-be-missed beach day with my sister in this past week.
The only thing really left on our list is to camp in our new tent. Don is anxious to get to that item, so he set the tent up in the back yard today and plans to sleep in it tonight. Even better, we have reservations at a state park the weekend after Labor Day -- for a little R&R after the first week of school.
All in all, really quite a lovely summer with no regrets going back to the full-time world of work.
ON MY NEEDLES
I'm about half-way through the latest Maplewings Shawl. It has been a good travel companion and I love the way it gets smaller as you go along instead of going the other direction. I feel rewarded for my efforts by having the rows go faster and faster as I go along!
I just started a February Lady's Sweater from some blue heather dk yarn I've had in my stash for a couple of years. It is mostly acrylic, with some wool, but I just wanted to be working on something that took a little less attention and brainpower than my lace projects.
Other than the new sweater, I've actually been very monogamous in my knitting this summer.
OTHER PROJECTS
I'm putting the binding on a star quilt for my sister. I made her a quilt with big stars on it when I was in college and she loved it. Unfortunately, that was when it was very hard to get good cotton quilting fabric and was poly/cotton with polyester thread and over the years it just shredded away to nothing. A few years ago I spotted an interesting star quilt in a vendor booth at MaineQuilts and bought the pattern. Basically, you build a stack of large squares, cut the star out of the center, move the top star to the bottom of the pile and then have a set of contrasting blocks with stars in the centers. I love the color combinations I ended up with and finally got it machine quilted last winter. I squared it up today and sewed the binding on the front. All that is left to do is hand-sew the binding down on the back -- a task that is perfect for television time which will make my husband very happy.
More than a year ago now I offered to make my mother a sweater. She was a prolific knitter who was always making something for someone else and I thought she might like to have someone knit for her. But, she said she'd rather have a quilt. A pastel quilt. Queen bed size.
Now, I love to quilt. I love choosing and adapting a pattern, searching for color combinations in my stash and in quilt shops, and the chance for precision in my work. But, starting a quilt for my mother involved quite a bit of up-front work in cleaning out my sewing room so I could actually work in there. In the winter, it is one of the coldest rooms in the house and my hanging out up there means I basically abandon my family for the evening. Well, this spring I had an opportunity to do some cleaning/organizing in my sewing room. It was helped along by our installing a gate across the door so the cats can't get in but the air flows better and keeps the room from being so cold. And, there was the possibility we were going to replace the windows in there and I would have to really clear the way for that (that project is on hold for another year - we decided the porch project was more important).
So, I've made wonderful progress on the quilt for my mother. It has 72 pinwheel blocks -- each with a different pastel or bright pastel fabric. I'm in the process of putting the 6" border on the pinwheel block center and will then applique vines and leaves on those borders (which is fine -- I can can do that in front of the TV and after taking another applique class at the quilt show this summer I realize that I actually really love doing applique). With any luck, I'll have a quilt top to show Mom for her birthday in mid-September and could have it quilted by Christmas!
Then, I can get to my youngest son's quilt - yes, Nate, I'm getting ready to start your quilt!
But, I can look back on this as a very productive summer (give the empty nest some credit). I'm about to sew the binding on one quilt and am close to finishing up the top on another. I even got the sewing room cleaned up enough that I've been able to spread the quilts out to work on them on the floor -- now, THAT is an accomplishment (having the sewing room cleaned up somewhat, that is). I've done a lot of sorting out of my knitting stuff. Gathered materials for other random projects all in one place -- needlepunching in one basket, applique in another bag.
The porch is emptied out (with stuff stacked in the living room, I admit) in preparation for our contractor to replace the windows and insulate the porch so we'll be able to use it very nearly all year around. It will be lovely to have the sunshine pouring in!
We did a fair amount of work on the flower beds in July and finally topped up the mulch so they look quite nice again. The mulch has also helped keep the moisture in the ground as the summer has gotten dryer and keeps the plants "perked up."
I peeled wallpaper off 3 of the 4 walls in one son's room, primed over the ugliness and hope to wallpaper later this fall. First I need to paint the ceiling and the window woodwork (which got primed to-- just several years after they were installed).
And, we've spent significant quality time with both sides of the family, including getting the not-to-be-missed beach day with my sister in this past week.
The only thing really left on our list is to camp in our new tent. Don is anxious to get to that item, so he set the tent up in the back yard today and plans to sleep in it tonight. Even better, we have reservations at a state park the weekend after Labor Day -- for a little R&R after the first week of school.
All in all, really quite a lovely summer with no regrets going back to the full-time world of work.
ON MY NEEDLES
I'm about half-way through the latest Maplewings Shawl. It has been a good travel companion and I love the way it gets smaller as you go along instead of going the other direction. I feel rewarded for my efforts by having the rows go faster and faster as I go along!
I just started a February Lady's Sweater from some blue heather dk yarn I've had in my stash for a couple of years. It is mostly acrylic, with some wool, but I just wanted to be working on something that took a little less attention and brainpower than my lace projects.
Other than the new sweater, I've actually been very monogamous in my knitting this summer.
OTHER PROJECTS
I'm putting the binding on a star quilt for my sister. I made her a quilt with big stars on it when I was in college and she loved it. Unfortunately, that was when it was very hard to get good cotton quilting fabric and was poly/cotton with polyester thread and over the years it just shredded away to nothing. A few years ago I spotted an interesting star quilt in a vendor booth at MaineQuilts and bought the pattern. Basically, you build a stack of large squares, cut the star out of the center, move the top star to the bottom of the pile and then have a set of contrasting blocks with stars in the centers. I love the color combinations I ended up with and finally got it machine quilted last winter. I squared it up today and sewed the binding on the front. All that is left to do is hand-sew the binding down on the back -- a task that is perfect for television time which will make my husband very happy.
More than a year ago now I offered to make my mother a sweater. She was a prolific knitter who was always making something for someone else and I thought she might like to have someone knit for her. But, she said she'd rather have a quilt. A pastel quilt. Queen bed size.
Now, I love to quilt. I love choosing and adapting a pattern, searching for color combinations in my stash and in quilt shops, and the chance for precision in my work. But, starting a quilt for my mother involved quite a bit of up-front work in cleaning out my sewing room so I could actually work in there. In the winter, it is one of the coldest rooms in the house and my hanging out up there means I basically abandon my family for the evening. Well, this spring I had an opportunity to do some cleaning/organizing in my sewing room. It was helped along by our installing a gate across the door so the cats can't get in but the air flows better and keeps the room from being so cold. And, there was the possibility we were going to replace the windows in there and I would have to really clear the way for that (that project is on hold for another year - we decided the porch project was more important).
So, I've made wonderful progress on the quilt for my mother. It has 72 pinwheel blocks -- each with a different pastel or bright pastel fabric. I'm in the process of putting the 6" border on the pinwheel block center and will then applique vines and leaves on those borders (which is fine -- I can can do that in front of the TV and after taking another applique class at the quilt show this summer I realize that I actually really love doing applique). With any luck, I'll have a quilt top to show Mom for her birthday in mid-September and could have it quilted by Christmas!
Then, I can get to my youngest son's quilt - yes, Nate, I'm getting ready to start your quilt!
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