My husband is being driven to
distraction by his computer – he is using Open Office, you will
remember, which was recommended as being slightly simpler and more
bell-and-whistle-free than Word (as well as being free). But I think
we have been driven into a corner from which only Word – and, at
that, only maybe – can retrieve us. So today I must spend this
pleasant hour, which I look forward to spending with you, on getting
Word established on his computer. If that fails, there will be
nothing for it but to go back to the old DOS-based machine. I can
(laboriously) translate its output into a modern format, and I
assume, perhaps wrongly, that the process will work in reverse. It
will be laborious.
One occasionally sees ads for simple
computers for old folks – but they always turn out to be simple
email and web-surfing, not simple word processing complete with
footnotes.
But I wanted to bring you up to date on Life, even so.
I got Archie successfully to the
airport yesterday. His flight wasn't checking-in yet. We hung around for a bit
but nothing happened so I left and he went off to get himself some
lunch. No news yet this morning.
Knitting went less well. I found a calm
half hour and started the edging as adumbrated here recently. It
didn't work. Edgings are harder than they look. I ripped it out and
started again with the original edging – the one I have already
knit. It includes faggoting. I spent all January doing it, and my fingers should remember,
but they don't. That went a bit better, although I haven't finished
the first time through.
I hope to have better news tomorrow.
And I can always abandon the attempt – the point was meant to be
that I enjoy this, knitting an edging onto a shawl and setting it free, inch by inch. I can go back to the edging I have already knit,
and the question of how to attach it. (=pick up stitches from the
flat edge, knit around once, Kitchener forever)
I don't envy your computer woes. It sounds as though you have a solid plan. I hope Word works well and that's as far as you have to go with your problem solving strategies.
ReplyDeleteI must agree with you: edgings are harder than they look! I have just pulled out my third try of the edging of my first lace shawl attempt. I will need to set up a lace knitting station at home, I think, and not expect that I can take lace edging with me to knit on while out and about. Good luck with your edging. I look forward to seeing what you decide.
Joan Schroeder has a technique that I think is shown in the book Shawls and Scarves edited by Nancy Thomas.
ReplyDeleteIt involves knitting the edging separately and then droping the edge stitch where you wish to join edging to shawl body, This gives you a set of live loops on the edging, Then you can use a crochet hook to chain them together. I haven't done it but it seems like it might be an easy solution.
It occurs to me that several of your daily problems might be solved if your husband had "an assistant", a student perhaps, who could help him with his computer woes, and perhaps some other mundane but distressfulissues related to his work or whatever, and perhaps be able to assist you with some of the travel to the clinic appointments. Almost anyone younger than 50 will be able to unsnarl the computer issues, and relieve you of that stress, and perhaps give you a bit of time all to yourself, and a moments respite. If it were an art history student, they might not even mind so much the temper issues, because of the opportunity to work with him...all though that might be over reaching.
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