Yarn Mama Has One Life to Live

Kindle Cozy

2010-11-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

So, of course, my new kindle needs a knitted cozy. I could order one of the leather protective covers, and I may in the end, depending on how this turns out.
The yarn I chose for this project is Madil Yarns Crystal. It's a combo of wool, nylon and something else, a light blue color. There are little strands of silver thread through it, which makes it a little prickly to knit with. I started with a knitted cast on, but only got as far as the second row.
I would love to work on it this weekend, as I took Kindle to work to today. I kept it secure in my date book, but I'd like to protect it while it's in transit.
I will also need to get a little clipped light for it. I like this Verso clip-on light from Amazon. In low light it's a little difficult to read. For now, I'm using my craft Ott Light.
I sent some more patterns to it from my gmail account, and it's free of charge to do so. I sent the cozy pattern to it and it's awesome! If you type "convert" in the subject field, the pattern will be converted to display in a way that's best to view all the content on the page, without it being too small. It's handling the images well. If you have the 3G version of the Kindle, you can get around the document charge by typing the word "free" before kindle.com. For example: jenferkel@free.kindle.com.

Here is the pattern for the cozy: Kindle Cozy

If you're not on Ravelry, you might not be able to view the pattern. I'll post a picture when I get further along. Wish me luck!

Early Birthday Presents

2010-11-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

are awesome!
Especially when it's something you really want. I've been contemplating this purchase for awhile. I've done a lot of research on the net, as far as, which e-reader unit is best for my needs. I wanted to make sure it was a justifiable purchase. These days, money is hard to come by, so I really take a long time deciding as to whether the purchase is worth it or not.
I got this for 4 bucks by using a gift card I received by taking a work health survey and some of my debit card reward points.
It's the latest Amazon Kindle (3rd Generation) and I LOVE it. It's such a cool device. It's really light and already I can see how worth it, it really is. It's as long as my hand and thinner than a pencil. It's really light and easy to hold and navigate. I decided to go with just the wi-fi version and not the 3G. I weighed the options and, while it would be nice to be able to go online anywhere, anytime (for free), in reality, I probably wouldn't. It was also more expensive. So, I can go online whenever I'm home or in a wi-fi hotspot. However, the web browser it uses is still in the Experimental state, so it's hard to navigate.
I went to Ravelry first and it displayed everything as I expected. I had to zoom in on things in order to click on them. I was curious to see if I could download a Ravelry .pdf file from my library right to the device. It wouldn't do it, however, I can do it to my computer and then either connect the Kindle to it and transfer the file or attach it to an email and send it to my Kindle email address.
I've already loaded it with about 16 classic books and some knitting patterns. The most wonderful thing of all is that both Amazon and Barnes and Noble have my most favorite book ever for free to download: Outlander by Diana Galbadon.
The picture that's displayed on the Kindle below is one of the screensavers that automatically displays while in power save mode.

I am so glad I got this!
You can also download audio books to it and listen to it through it's speakers or through the headphone jack. There are a few games you can play on it (after downloading them), too.
My birthday isn't until the end of the month, but I just couldn't wait. Now if I could only get some Amazon gift cards to make some book purchases, that would be awesome. Everything that I loaded on it is free. My purchase process will be to only purchase books that I would read more than once. I usually borrow from the library or family and friends, and I would hate to waste money on a book I wouldn't read again. I also plan to scan and email knitting patterns out of magazines that I really want to get rid of to make some space in the bookcase. Looks like I just added another project to my Christmas Vacation honey do list, and I'm the honey doing it, since the other honey is out of vacation time.
Until next time...

I'm Back

2010-11-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

I've been considering this for awhile...and went for it before I changed my mind. I haven't blogged for quite awhile. I'm hoping this motivates me to get some projects done. I seem to knit in phases, and usually get sidetracked, either by reading or watching a TV series on DVD. I always feel like I need to be doing something, even if I'm tired. So I guess that if I don't feel like knitting, then I can do one of my other hobbies and get my fix in.
I have some socks on the sticks and a "one big granny square" blanket going. I picked out my yarn for a Mythos KAL. I'm also in the the middle of a February Lady sweater.
Right now I'm having a bit of an issue with my newest kitty, Jango. He's about two years old, so he's still quite a kitten. He LOVES my yarn, any yarn. I have to keep it all locked away. Here's a pic of his latest escapade. Don't you love his bright eyes?

I'll be back soon!