Cyber Shopping Sucks!

I like shopping the old fashioned way. I like to physically see my options, compare them, maybe even touch them. I like to pick up my selections and put them into the cart. A real cart. A cart that has wheels and the only problem it might have is a wobbly or noisy wheel, or it might be a bit hard to steer. Despite a wobbly wheel, a squeek or difficult steering, it will go where I want it to, when I want it to, and it will only hold what I put into it. Then, when I decide I've found everything I want, I can place the items onto the sales counter or checkout stand, watch it being rung up, be sure prices ring up correctly, see the total and make my purchase, knowing that I have everything I want, nothing more, nothing less, and leave with it in my hands.

These days, even though we have big stores with lots of stuff and even lots of little shops, the things I want aren't always available. So, to get these things, I have to resort to cyber shopping. Ugh! It's something I don't enjoy. It's hard to compare items...all the back and forth and waiting for screens to change is annoying. I can't touch the items and I have to hope that the colors I'm seeing on my screen are somewhere close to the actual color the item(s) will be when I recieve them. Then...there are computer glitches!

Right now, I need some yarn to make Christmas gifts and have not been able to find what I want...despite numerous trips to yarn shops and craft stores. I kept going back and hoping that, miraculously, the yarns I wanted would appear. No such luck. I knew I could get what I wanted from Knit Picks but kept putting it off because I hate cyber shopping. But, Christmas is getting closer and closer and I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. So, to the Knit Picks site I went. What a mistake to do it yesterday though...on "Cyber Monday". Duh!

I kept trying all day to get their site to work and it just kept locking up. I think lots of other people may have been procrastinating on placing their orders too. The site finally started working late last night and I carefully placed things in my cyber cart. When I finished making my selections, I checked and re-checked my cart multiple times. It all looked good. I had bought just enough yarn to get free shipping. I then proceded to check out. Across the top it said something like, "items previously put into your cart have been added". Huh?! What was that supposed to mean? I checked and re-checked my cart again and it all looked good. So, I entered my credit card number and made my purchase. After that, the site didn't give me a screen with a confirmation number, order number, what I purchased...nothing! It just went to a screen that said my order has been placed. I hit the "back" button to see if I could find find an order number or something and a screen flashed for a couple of seconds and then went back to the one that said my order had been placed. But...the total on the screen that flashed was a lot more than what was on the screen of what I had purchased. Hmmmmm?! Could it have been those "previous" items that I couldn't figure out?

I called the 800 number but they were closed. I waited and kept checking for the order confirmation that the site said would be emailed to me within an hour. Hours later...nothing! My only option was to call them at 5am this morning when they open. I set my alarm, got up at 5, stumbled downstairs, checked my email and finally had that confirmation. There were multiples of yarn I had chosen. Ugh! I called up and was able change my order. Whew! I got through in time before it was packed and shipped. But, wait! The new total she gave me didn't seem right. I called again and she said it was the shipping charge. Oh...hmmmm?!...ok. I said "thank you" and I hung up. But...I had worked hard to make sure I ordered enough yarn to get free shipping! I started tapping away at my calculator (still sleepy....it was very early!) and realized that the amount was wrong on another yarn...there were only two balls instead of three. I called again to fix it but this time it was too late and it would cost more than that extra ball of yarn to ship it and I might not even get the same dye lot. Argh!

And...I thought I remembered Knit Picks operators being friendly and warm from previous orders...or was that was another store?! Regardless, they weren't very warm this morning...either it was because it was early or lots of other people were calling to get their "Cyber Monday" glitches fixed too.

Lesson learned...never shop on cyber Monday or any other day that the website I'm shopping on keeps locking up. And, if it says something weird like, "previous items have been added"....call them up before making the purchase...even if they aren't showing up in the cart. I've never had a problem before but I'm sticking to shopping the old fashioned way as much as I possibly can! It's so much better, I know what I'm really getting, what it's really costing before I pay, and I can walk out with it in my hands, ready to use and enjoy right away! And, besides...real carts are a lot more fun!

Now...I'm wondering...with all the shopping going on yesterday at Knit Picks...will I get my yarn in time to make all these gifts before Christmas?! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Something Special for Wesley

One of my knit friends is about to have a baby boy...Wesley! I'm so excited for her and her husband! As the special day approaches, we decided to have a little shower for her. I wanted to make something and I wanted it to be unique...something she wouldn't get a dozen of. I searched on Ravelry for just the right pattern and fell in love with the Owlie Sleep Sack. It's so cute and seems like a genious idea! I love the owls!...I've been wanting to make the sweater that has these owls around the neckline.

I made this with a washable, dryable yarn (a must for babies!), Bernat Satin. I think this green is pretty and it might go with the colors they like and chose for the nursery. It took a little less than one skein for the sack. I thought about making an owlie hat but thought that the owls on the sack would be enough. So, I knit up a basic little hat with a rolled edge to match the top of the sack. It was a fun project and oh-so-cute! Here it is with a book inside to make the owls easier to see...


It seems like a baby would feel so safe, snuggly and warm in this little sack and it can't fall open like a blanket could. Here it is without the book...


I also gave them this adorable pair of booties that I bought at a yarn shop. A local lady knits and sells them. It looks like they're made with sock yarn. I love the colors and the shape...


Here's a side view...

Shower Flowers

One of my knit friends is about to have a baby boy and we decided to turn this week's knit gathering into a baby shower. We've been busily making gifts (more about mine in the next post). A couple of us decided we needed some extras for the shower. So, she brought a balloon and she asked me to bring flowers. I wasn't sure I wanted to bring real flowers and an idea popped in my head...I wondered if I could use baby socks or washcloths to make flowers?! The idea was so exciting that I had to go for it!

I didn't find any socks that I would work but I did find a set of little washcloths that I liked. I also bought some paint to match the green on the washcloths as well as ribbon, a fancy piece of textured card stock paper for the leaves, a vase, and some shredded blue paper. I painted bamboo skewers for the stems. I folded the washcloths into thirds, turned down the top edge toward the bottom corner (on each end), placed a skewer inside near the end, and rolled it into a bud...


As I neared the other end, I folded it over to hide the edge. I then tied ribbon tightly around the bottom of each bud to hold it together and tied a pretty little bow.


For the leaves, I made a pattern, cut out one for each stem, punched two holes in the bottom of each, made a slight lengthwise bend in each leaf (to give it more dimension and a leaf-like shape) and slid a leaf onto each skewer...


I put shredded paper into a glass vase and arranged the buds. I cut the ends of some of the skewers to make some shorter so I could create a more pleasing arrangement. I then packed a little more shredded paper around the edges to hold the stems in place. Here's the result...


I'm really happy with how it turned out. The buds are so cute...


This project was fun, inexpensive and, unlike real flowers that will wither, these flowers can be put to good use.