Friday, April 5, 2024

Misfits market, back on wheels, and looming up, adventures

***********Breaking:

Yes we did have an earthquake this morning, more news tomorrow,  meanwhile all's well chez Boud. Continue your normal activity.**********


Yesterday was a day of waiting followed by catchup. Gary and I took my car in when he was free of his many obligations. Now, in addition to all his renovations, his furnace thermostat has gone.

He's in endless calling with insurance people, replacement people and the supplier, all of whom say the other person is responsible, and nobody knows what might void the warranty.

I've learned that when he says he'll be ready in a little while, his little while can be hours, he's busy, just to get on with my life. 

Here it was finish a weaving, catch up online, receive and wash the Misfits  produce, commiserating with Jeff about his week of getting wet delivering Misfits, and eat lunch. 

Then we took in the car and Gary dropped me home,  went off on many errands while I unpacked my newly arrived pinloom, complete with original needle, diagrams and pattern book! 




I have plans about the produce, including another Spain on a Fork recipe for the chickpeas. And there will be tuna melts, plenty of cheese in the house from the Easter cheese and crackers. And leftover ham for omelettes. The sweet potatoes will be baked for several easy lunches. And today I'm making a new batch of yogurt.


And here's my newly-arrived vintage WeaveIt, with instructions and diagram, plus 12 weaving pattern directions. This may be where I learn to read (simple) weaving patterns. I can follow knitting and crochet patterns, so this adds to the repertoire of mysterious markings translated into tangible form. It's like an initiation.


So, no pattern other than plain weaving, I started an experiment in 24 gauge copper wire, which I quickly found is too big. So when I continue today, I'll switch to a finer gauge.


Then late afternoon, my car was ready, we picked it up. Then I flew out to catch up on the errands I'd originally planned before the Tire Goddess spoke.  I returned the hearing amp, hoping the fine print won't  affect my refund, after a bit of a time getting a label printed.

Then I picked up the  current library books ready for me to practice my self checkout skills, hoping this doesn't put a circ desk worker out of a job. I disapprove of self checkout for this reason, while grudgingly learning to use the system.

Here's the current haul, 

the Austen is a general interest item, I'm always interested in social history as seen in fashion. The other you'll recognize as the work of Margaret Stump, the pinloom lady we all liked on Textiles and Tea.  You know how recipe books usually have a lot of items you aren't so interested in, then maybe one idea that's worth the whole thing? 

This craft book does just that, aside from general useful instructions.  She shows an approach to shaping woven yarn squares that's exactly what I need for my wire sculpture, so I need to make a few squares in order to test it out. I'm also thinking of incorporating yarns with the wire, too. These ideas are forming themselves, and I seem to be just trotting behind, ready to try them out

Then I needed this, to get calm and start breathing again.


And always thinking of Ukraine  and the discharge petition which may now be the way to get help to them.


41 comments:

  1. quite the busy day. had one myself yesterday but then my Thursdays always are.

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    1. By evening I was realizing it had been busy. suddenly noticed I was tired.

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  2. How exciting that the pin loom has arrived and your weaving with wire adventure has begun!

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  3. Love all the produce. Yes, those calls can take awhile. I had an issue at work not long ago and had to make many calls to solve the issue.Life takes time, glad you don't sit around and wait. You got your own things to do like play with fun produce. Most excellent.

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    1. I usually need to be doing. Waiting isn't fun.

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    2. Yeah, waiting sounds dull. Although you've got good stuff to work on.

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  4. Good stuff, as usual, from Misfits. Is Gary ever still? I expect that now you have your pin loom we will be seeing some interesting art.

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    1. Gary personifies perpetual motion! I'm excited about the upcoming art caper.

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  5. Wow - you cover so much each day. Today I noticed most your comment about not putting a service desk worker out of a job. I hate self service for just that reason and am pleased to be able to report that here in UK, after years of trying to force us to use self-service in supermarkets, some supermarkets have returned to check-out service and have removed all (yes ALL) self-service lanes. Yay! Cheering!

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    1. I think they've found the problems outweigh the savings on payroll. Good.

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  6. As I was falling asleep last night I was imagining the weaving of yarn on a pin loom. Over, around, over, around...
    Perhaps this is something I want to do.
    You DID have a busy day! And a very productive one. I love your constant yearning for new knowledge and skills.

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    1. You could try. Mr Moon can tap a square of nails into a piece of scrap wood for starters!

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    2. I could. Also- did you feel the earthquake?

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    3. I'll say! The whole region was shaking, including my house. More tomorrow.

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  7. I hadn’t heard of the earthquake until I read it here. So glad all is well with you and it doesn’t appear to have caused much damage along the east coast. Thankfully!

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    1. Yes. It can fracture pipes, so there's a concern about gas usage in houses. I don't think any damage happened.

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  8. Thanks for advocating on behalf of my job, but sadly, self-checkout is the wave of the future. All the public libraries here in the UK (or at least the ones I've seen in London) have it. Fortunately, our school won't get it for a while yet!

    I'm glad you updated us on the earthquake! I stopped by specifically to see how you fared. Can't wait to hear what it felt like! I used to work in Somerville/Bridgewater, pretty close to the epicenter.

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    1. Here self checkout in libraries isn't common, at least mine.
      More tomorrow on our equake.

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  9. quite the busy day! You really have Misfits ordering down to a fine art! I am gradually eating down all the food we had stockpiled for various reasons and rarely need much by way of groceries. Dog food is my biggest monthly grocery expense! It costs double here what it does in the US.

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    1. I usually think about what I'll cook when I'm ordering, so I have variety every week. Since a lot of my meals are plant based, freshness is a big deal, so I buy weekly. I remember pet food has always been quite expensive, though that's not an issue now at my house.

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  10. We all just keep plodding along. Today it was time to buy a new toaster. And more moth traps. Yay!

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  11. I am so interested in your pin loom. Looking forward to seeing your progress.
    The earthquake was felt here in NH we didn't feel it but people in the next town said they did
    Cathy

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    1. I'm excited about the pinloom possibilities, too. There's a fault line running fairly near here, very deep and fractured, so quakes are fairly rare, and not huge.

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  12. Glad you tire is all fixed.
    Sounds like a busy day doing lots of different things.
    I think that's good for the brain to multitask.

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  13. I’m excited about your new weaving opportunities.

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  14. I have used one of these. Many many moons ago. While in primary school. We made them in yarn though. No fancy wire. I think we turned the weaving into a small purse Might of been something else. But I definitely remember the square loom. Wow. A blast from the past. Thank you

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    1. Glad to give you a trip down memory lane!

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  15. I'm pleased your pin loom arrived. It will be fun to follow along as you learn. I have mixed feelings about self check out. When I have a few items and I'm in a hurry, I like it. We've had self checkout at the library for over a decade - maybe 15 years by now. At the grocery, sometimes I just want someone else to ring it up and bag it all up. What I am disgusted at is all the checkout lines that stand there empty. I don't get it. You'd think the real estate they're taking up would make the store owners crazy.

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    1. I'm uneasy about technology taking jobs, bit of a luddite there. But at the grocery I always end up needing help anyway, something won't scan, or I lose track of the order of business.

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  16. I too instantly thought of you when we heard the earthquake news. Was relived to read further in the article that damage was slight, and relieved to read here that you seem to be intact.

    Your wet Misfit driver must have appreciated a sympathetic ear. I like to at least acknowledge delivery people, but at our house they seem to be here and gone in an instant.

    Our library uses self-checkout, and it gives the librarians more time to spend on the other parts of their jobs. They still staff the front desk, answer all kinds of questions and solve all our bookish problems, and are as wonderful as ever. No layoffs. I was concerned at first, but they're happy with the self-checkout arrangement.

    It's been raining for days here (yay!), setting records. We've received over 2 inches in 48 hours - that's a sixth of our annual rainfall - and it's still raining. I've been out in my wellies clearing the storm drains. Great fun! (Chickens are not thrilled...)

    Chris from Boise

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  17. We have two levels of library staff, the circ desk whose jobs are at risk, and the qualified staff who run the place. Their jobs are unchanged by self checkout since they don't staff the counter. Maybe your staff were expected to do everything before self checkout.

    I'm glad to have a word with the delivery drivers, when I can, so they know they're appreciated. I think they like my deliveries, not as heavy as some. And I don't have a dog barking at them!

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  18. Emma Mitchell's mini posies are so lovely!

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  19. Self checkout in libraries now???!!! Honestly, what will they come up with next. And I'm sure people will lose their jobs because of it. I flatly refuse to use self checkouts at grocery stores here because it's obvious they've put staff out of work. When I'm taken to task for not using them and instead choosing to line up for a real life person I remind them that I'm trying to save their jobs.

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    1. As you see from earlier comments, it depends on the library. Ours has a staff just for circ, so they're at risk. Libraries with fewer staff may be glad of the relief.

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    2. Our library has circulation staff in three areas - the main library, the children's library, and the reference department. There's a lot of people that would lose their jobs if they go to self checkout.

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    3. That's a lot of circ staffing. Yes, unless they're qualified librarians, which circ staff often aren't, they're at risk.

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