iPhone 4 - is it worth all this?

My iPhone 4 Experience:
Went to upgrade at local Radio Shack. Mgr says I'm eligible for $200 upgrade. Decide to upgrade two phones. My son's is approved, mine isn't even though we're on a family plan. Pay double for my phone. We both leave happy. Get 1 block and my home button won't work. Go back, get another new phone. Go several blocks and some demo video comes onscreen. Go back to RadioShack. Mgr apologizes for putting demo software on phone in error, has to restore phone. I wait 30 minutes while he makes calls to find out how to remove the demo software. He tries again, restore takes 25 mins. He exclaims "uh oh" and informs me that there was an error and restore won't go thru. Asks me to leave the phone there till tomorrow. He's out of iPhone 4s and will get me one tmrw. I tell him I need a phone - reactivate my old 3GS. He tries but can't reactivate the sim. He gives me a new sim. I leave with my same old phone, $600 lighter. Tired, frustrated, angry and jealous that my son ha a new working iPhone 4. Maybe I'll have mine tomorrow.


- Posted using BlogPress from my (old) iPhone

Moving

Hiya folks. I've been away from my blog again but that doesn't mean it hasn't been on my mind. So, what's new? Glad you asked.

I've just moved into a new apartment. My kids are almost out of the nest (2 down, 1 to go) so I looked for something I could live and love on my own.

Here's a little diddy I picked up from my local secondhand shop. It's a vintage Kenmore fan. Totally awesome with it's wood frame and steel vents (positionable). I think it has a lot of character...







I've also had an addition to the family, my Main Coon cat named Sushi. She's a doll! Rescued from an auto repair shop. Don't ask.




I've also turned onto an Ikea-aholic.


My bathroom.


My lovely slotted Ikea bench on my bathroom.


My kitchen.


My livingroom.


And my bedroom (excuse the messy bed, I'm getting in it now).


Nearly everything has come from Ikea in some way whether directly or indirectly. And, I'm actually very happy with it all.

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Feeling good

My new way of eating has certainly been going well. I've lost about 7 lbs. in 2 weeks by eating healthy and reading labels. Juicing has become my main source of nutrition. My skin has been glowy and smooth and the dark circles which had moved in beneath my eyes have been evicted. I feel really good too! Like, good inside and clear headed. Dairy and I have parted ways and I've discovered almond milk which is just yummy!

I did decide to test what would happen if I ate cooked food. I ordered stuff tilapia with stuffed shrimp, rice and veggies. It was delicious but bells were going off in my body the minute it hit my lips. After eating just half my meal I felt a heaviness in my gut that I hadn't felt since I started juicing. The next morning, I couldn't get out of bed. My back was in spasms and I felt like bubbles of gas were trapped throughout my body, mainly in my upper back. The slightest movement caused excruciating pain. I spent the day doubled over trying to move around and work those bubbles out of my body. Two days later I'm feeling much better but I'm leaving cooked food alone!

Breakfast this morning consisted of bananas, granola, cucumber and coconut milk all blended together with a handful of ice into a really delicious smoothie. Seriously, even my daughter enjoyed it. The high fat content from the coconut milk should keep me full most of the day. Coconut milk contains "good" fat and no trans fats. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be so concerned about what I put into my body. Blessed with a high metabolism I've always eaten what I wanted when I wanted yet paid the price for it with a bloated gut or upset stomach. Learning to feed my body good fuels and to "eat to live" instead of "live to eat" is an invaluable lesson.

Do yourself a favor, eat something living and green today...


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Going Green - Day Five

So its nearing the end of my first week of eating healthy. Juicing has been a part of my daily life and its a part that I can definitely live with. I feel good, no heavy-gut-gotta-undo-my-pants-can't-sleep-on my-stomach-after-eating-feeling. ZERO! In addition to juice I decided to just keep it green and uncooked for the most part. I've been enjoying salads, fruits and veggies, juicing, sushi, trailmix, nuts and lightly steamed vegetables with brown rice. It hasn't been THAT difficult but with this BBQ weekend coming up I know my committment will be tested. A&P Prepares Green Way Debut Refresh

While shopping the produce section of my local A&P supermarket I came across some organic carrots on sale. 5lbs for $5 - even cheaper than the non-organic varieties. I'd never noticed the label before "Green Way Organic". Hmmmm... I grabbed my carrots and headed over to the cereal isle for some granola. Again, I noticed the Green Way Organic brands of cereal. After reading the labels and checking prices, this organic cereal was even cheaper than the commercially processed crap. Again, I'm thinking this might be the label to look for... I found organic peanut butter, instant oatmeal and more. The ingredients and simple organically grown, natural products. For example, my organic peanut butter had one line of ingredients: "Peanuts, Sea Salt". The peanut butter currently in my cupboard had about 4 lines of ingredients and warnings on the types of partially hydrogenated oils and nuts that may actually be in my "peanut" butter. Interesting.

Needless to say, I stocked up on a few things and went back for another bag of carrots - they were actually on sale for $4 :)

Just Juice - Day 2, Breakfast is served!

Slept like a baby last night! Most likely because my body didn't have to work so hard digesting solid and cooked foods. I juiced all day until my sushi dinner. Late night snack was a small cup of juice at nearly 2AM. I felt so comfortable - no fullness, no uneasy feeling in the stomach. I was even able to sit in my chair with my legs up against my chest, something I've never been able to after eating.

Breakfast of champions! Raw fruits and veggies juiced in my Breville Juice Fountain Elite.

This morning I woke up, thanked the Creator for a new day and downed two glasses of breakfast: spinach, parsley, cucumber, apple, carrot and ginger. Yum!

Just Juice, day one: Success!

I'm attempting a "juice only until dinner" fast. First day of juicing is over and done... not bad! Green/beet juice for breakfast and fruit juice for lunch. Graduation dinner out with the fam and I wasn't even tempted to have any of my son's filet mignon! I ate my fill of sushi (keeping it raw!). I'm getting ready for bed and I feel great. I'm not weighed down from over eating or tired from all the work my body normally does to digest my huge junk intake. Day one: success!
(Decided to make a quick "goodnight" juice - carrots, apples celery and ginger. Mmmmm mmmmm! :))

First Juicing

Last night was taco night at T's. And yes, I fell off the no-dairy wagon and had cheese on my taco! I'll start back on my no dairy fast on Monday. Promise!

We finally used his new juicer, a powerful Breville Elite (mine arrives on Monday). It was a lot of fun! We made a spinach, carrot, apple, cucumber, celery, ginger juice that was delicious! Man, vegetables never tasted so good! I woke up this morning feeling clearheaded and refreshed. Good stuff!

The Breville Elite has a huge 3" opening so you really don't need to cut up average size fruits and vegetables. We stuffed a whole head of celery right into the machine. Even juiced 3 carrots with the greens and all - at once. I highly recommend this 1000 watt juicer. It has two speeds 13,000 & 6000 RPMs so it's super fast!




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CSM Traveller Workcase - have CSM will travel!

I've had been looking for an easy way to travel to and from events with at least one of my very heavy, antique Circular Sock Knitting Machines. After purchasing my favorite CSM, a 1914 Gearhart from a seller on eBay, I decided to check out the link to her business site - The Appalachian Sock Company. This is where I first caught site of the CSM Traveller Workcase.
Each case is handcrafted from solid wood and built to your brand specific machine (i.e. the wood machine base for a Gearhart CSM will be slightly different from that of a Legare CSM).

Not only can my fully assembled Gearhart fit inside its CSM Traveller, but it comes out easily, still attached to the wood machine base, then securely fastens to the workstation with no screws to turn - just slide the base onto the workstation and slide the bolt into place. Done! Now, not only do I have a great way to securely travel with my CSM, but I no longer need to bring a table or stool to clamp my CSM onto. The CSM Traveller does it all, and in a nice neat little workcase that is very portable and extremely light for an all wood item.

Thanks Kim and Greg!

IF I HAD CANCER, or any DISEASE... (part 1 of 2)

I'm passionate about juicing and changing my life and my health. Are you?

California Dreaming - My dream plying wheel

Not sure why or how but I know when something is for you, it's for you!
This beautiful California bulky handcrafted spinning wheel fell into my hands for free. Well, not exactly free - I'm trading one of my sewing machines for it. The seller isn't a spinner but thought the wheel was a beautiful piece of furniture. I on the other hand, plan to do all my plying and spinning of bulky art yarns on this wheel.




It's absolutely stunning! Comes with three hand carved bobbins, a folder of information and yarn samples and a beautiful basket filled with roving.







I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! Actually, I'm not lucky, I'm blessed :)


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Crankin 2010 Is Coming!

Oh I so wish I could attend this year's CSM conference in New Hampshire! Its going to be filled with fun, learning and of course lots of crankin! I placed my order for one of the early bird USB drives available separately for a limited time, or included with conference registration. It arrived today and its totally awesome! Lots of goodies inside :)

CSM Eye Candy

I put together a small slideshow of some of my CSMs for someone on Ravelry who's conducting a CSM survey. I figured I'd share it with you all :)

A New CSM! This time its twisted!

I'm VERY psyched about my new CSM. Its a 1929 Swedish CSM called, "Favorit". Not only is it my very first non-North American CSM (I've had Canadian and American so far), but its also my first non-traditional functioning CSM. This CSM is twisted, in that it knits inside out! Knitting happens at the top and spills down over the center tube. No weights needed when knitting, only during the cast on stage. Oh yeah, and there's no ribber. It shortrows for heels and toes just like a cylinder CSM. I've enlisted Caprifool's help in translating the manual and patterns. Time to brush up on my Swedish perhaps?

Check out the slideshow:

iPad Phone Calls Made Easy

Got an iPad? Got Internet access (via wifi or 3G)? Great! You've got a phone :) It's easy to make phone calls on your iPad with a little app from Toktumi called Line2. The app adds a 2nd line/number functionality to your iPhone using VoIP. It works equally well in adding a phone line to your iPad. When you sign up for Line2 you choose your state and preferred area code and you're assigned a number. That's it. Now you can make and receive calls using your Internet connection and chat away using the built in speaker and mic on your iPad or through your headset.



So, what happens when your iPad is not online and someone tries to call you? Easy, there's a setting in Line2 for forwarding offline calls. Mine are sent to my cell phone. Nice!

After your free 30 day trial Line2 is $14.99 a month. You'll get lots of useful settings, voicemail, automated attendant, etc. Check it out for 30 days, you've got nothing to lose.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

iPad Wifi version. I love you.

So, after weeks of kicking around the idea of buying an iPad I finally pulled the trigger and purchased one. I got a 64gig wifi version and I love it! At first, I obsessed over the 3G model and thought I needed it for its Internet connectivity, that is until I discovered a great little program called MyWi. It allows you to use the signal from your iphone's data plan like a mobile wifi router. Your iphone must be jail broken in order to use the app. Jail breaking literally takes 3 - 5 mins and is done in just a click of the mouse. It's also FREE, so ignore anyone who tries to sell you some expensive jail breaking service. Just google blackra1n or Spirit jail breaks.






Running MyWi on my phone, I can pick up my iphone's wifi signal on my iPad and voilà! I'm surfing the web at no additional cost to me. AT&T charges $30 a month for ipad data service. Apple charges an extra $130 for 3G iPad version... Not a bad savings. We'll see how long the ride lasts.








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Peruvian Summer Knit Dress

Hanging clothes at the store today I came across this beautiful handwoven and embroidered Peruvian (?) knit dress. It's absolutely gorgeous!




My dream is to visit Peru one day and learn their style of spinning and weaving from the Andean people.










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Sock blanks the easy way

What could be easier than knitting up some sock blanks on an antique sock knitting machine (CSM)? After skeining 230 yards of undyed sock yarn off a cone (two yarns held together) I wound the yarn onto a wooden bobbin and knit a blank tube ready for dyeing. I made two blanks today, a colorful one on my 72 cylinder Master Machine and the other on my 60 cylinder Canadian Auto Knitter. The 60 cylinder blank is narrowing but a little too long for my dyeing pan. The 72 is the perfect length, but a little too wide for the plastic wrap to fully cover it when "sushi-rolling" it for steaming. Steaming the painted blanks sets the dye.






I decided to go back to my tried and true rainbow method for one blank and attempt something new with the second.





I love how the circle designs turned out and I can't wait until they dry so I can knit them up!


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Location:My kitchen

Has it really been that long?

Wow. I'm ashamed of the way I've been treating my readers these past few months. I've totally abandoned you for Facebook (where I've been spending all my time and sharing all my posts). Hopefully you've seen my Facebook updates through the Facebook page widget to the right. I know it's not enough and a poor excuse... Buy hey, we've got lots to catch up on so let's get started ok? Friends?

I've gotten back into CSMs after selling my first machine, the beautiful LeGare 400. I learned so much from that machine that I took a chance on eBay and purchased an AutoKnitter 60/30, 80/40 machine.





It has lots of missing paint but otherwise it's beautiful and works very well. So far my 1st eBay risk worked in my favor.

My next eBay risk was my dream machine, A Home Profit Master Machine! It's just so handsome with its iron stand and brass cylinder and ribber. Oh, and it cranks so smoothly you could fall asleep while making a sock!





It needed a thorough cleaning and polishing but it was in otherwise very good condition. It was however, missing it's yarn stand, long rod and topper. I searched online for a replacement but could not find one.

I posted my request for the missing parts on one of the CSM groups and a well known restorer and CSM enthusiast replied to me privately stating that I could simply buy a metal rod from the hardware store and purchase a topper. She had a nice 6 topper available. In fact, she had a LeGare 47 with an 84/42 setup with the 6 yarn topper, slotted yarn carrier and other goodies at a reasonable price. The rest is history. The LeGare came to live with me. And a good thing too as the seller had a horrible fire at her studio after shipping out my machine. I'm wishing her all the best in getting back to normal.






Well, the 6 yarn topper was just too heavy for the HPMM in my opinion and I just didn't think it fair this gorgeous machine not be fully complete with original parts. So, when a listing came up on eBay for a complete HPMM with the original wood shipping crate, invoice still in it's original state attached to the crate, all the tools and accessories, vintage yarn on wooden bobbins and of course, the yarn mast, rod and topper - I had to have it. And then there were 4 CSMs.





I was finally happy with my CSMs until I discovered Gearharts. There is so much information on this Family Knitter that I began to research it and fell in love with family history as well as the little tiny crankwheels and wonderful clicking of the springloaded cams. This video really did me in though. Listen for the clicks when working the heels and toes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u40IM5V1Zg8&feature=youtube_gdata

Well, that video lead to the purchase of this 1914 Gearhart 60/30 setup. I even got a beautiful custom stool for the machine. I LOVE doing heels and toes now. CSM #5





Lastly, while searching eBay on my iphone, I came across a listing for "vintage machine pieces". Sounds interesting enough so I checked it out. Heck, the auction was ending soon and it was still only at $50. What I saw first was the picture of an old Gearhart manual.





I'd no intention of paying $50 for it and started to move on but I decided to take a peek at the other items in the auction. That's when I saw this...





It's a 1908 Gearhart! I sent the seller a message asking about the cylinder sizes (there were two included along with weights and a ribber and some parts to something else). The machine has 54, 72 cylinders and a 24 ribber. I won the auction on Friday and my package arrived on Monday. Nice! Sadly, the 54 cylinder was in bad condition, rusted and out of round.


The 72 cylinder and the ribber were fine. The machine had years of dirt and debris and rust requiring a long bath in Marvel Mystery oil and Ballistoil along with some light sanding and filing but she turned out beautifully!



And then there were 6! Although I've listed one of my Master Machines for sale - the one missing the yarn stand and rod. So soon there will be 5. I think I can live with that :)

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Location:North St,Bayonne,United States