Everything but the Kitchen Sync!

Today is the 1-week anniversary of my relationship with my cute and handy iPad.

It's receiving a nice anniversary present from me--a protective carry bag, which you can see in the photo above. I had some WotA Bulky left in "Hazelnut," and also some of the same yarn in "Oregano" in my stash, already caked up and ready to go. I used the Montana Felted Eco Tote pattern as a jumping-off place, did the math based on my felted swatch for the diaper bag I made for Daphne (basically the Tote with a lining), and CO 70 sts. (I figured out how big it had to be before felting to be the right size afterwards, and that's how I got the 70 sts.It needed to be 20.5" around--or 10.25" across--and 8" high) I knit it until it was 13" high, changing the colors to use up the last of my "Chestnut." After binding off the top, I sewed the bottom shut, using the tail I had left at the CO. Then I made the handles according to the directions in the Tote pattern. only doing the I-cord 24" instead of 12", so I could carry it over my shoulder. (I almost made it too short--I-cord, not my favorite! This is when I'm glad I'm not very tall!) Here it is before felting:

I washed it in my washing machine with the lowest load size, hot with cold rinse. I have an old pair of jeans I throw in for felting to provide some abrasion. I checked it a couple of times during the washing, but as with the swatch and the diaper bag, the complete cycle was needed. I looked around for a book to wrap in plastic and put
inside for drying. The book that was just the right size was Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus. (BTW, Knit Fix is good for a lot more than blocking!)

It was dry enough this morning to try it out, and it fits. When it's completely dry, I can use it!

So, how did I end up with the iPad? I'm in a mixed marriage. DH is a PC person, and he was the one who bought the laptop and then told me I couldn't touch his precious desktop. I'm really a Mac kinda girl, but he's been patient and has helped me when I ran into difficulty. I've been groaning for months about all the memory problems related to dealing with photos and all the virus and spyware protection programs needed with a PC. It also needs to be cleaned annually, and when it heats up, it slows down more. I had been wanting an e-book reader (like a Kindle) for about a year, but a new laptop was a priority. The only way I could get one would have been used, and then I would still have to wait for the e-book reader. [Sigh!] When I heard about the iPad, I looked into it, and discovered that I could do it for everything I'm using the laptop for except syncing my iPod and iPad and burning CDs. I may have to use it for shrinking the size of my photos so they don't take so long to load, but I think I can actually do that in my camera, so we'll see. I can use the gimpy laptop for those things, now that I've been able to remove some things from it and it doesn't stay on for long. I've had some issues with the KP website, which I've been able to get around, but I'm sure Ning will fix those things, because there are a lot of iPads out there already, and more selling all the time. I've been doing my computer work in the kitchen, so that's where I do my syncing. The little iPad, however, goes with me to a comfortable seat in the living room, which is nice. When the bag is dry, I can carry it around safely.
Also this week, I finished the lining for the diaper bag:

And the baby leg warmers:

The quilt top for baby Daphne is finished, but I need to piece the back and get it to the quilter.

What's on my needles: Swatch for baby christening gown (waiting for order from KP with actual yarn, but swatch will be the same yarn, different color)
What's on my wheel: Nothing. I'm looking through my fiber stash to see what to spin next.
What's on my iPod: I'm listening to my second Audible book, Monica Ferris' Knitting Bones
What's on my spindle: Ashford merino and silk

Happy knitting and spinning! --P