Hit the Ground Running

I'm back from my last trip and ready to hit the ground running. Well, sort of. I did take most of yesterday as a day off. I finished flying fairly early yesterday and planned to head to the shop but I selfishly spent the rest of the day just enjoying the day with non-shop related activities. (Thanks "Not Steve".)

Lots happened while I was away, and there is plenty of activity planned for the shop this week.

My telephone updates and text messages keep me posted of most of the stuff I miss, but the inbox and the POS system are the true measures of the shop's activities while I'm away. I'm anxious to see the new Madelinetosh sock yarn and other goodies that arrived in my absence and I'm bracing myself to tackle the inbox, emails, phone messages, invoices, to-do pile and miscellaneous notes that will need to be deciphered and dealt with.

My plan is the go to the shop a little early, make coffee and clear off some desk space. From there, the day is unclear and the course of activity unknown. I see coffee (lots), a trip to the scary basement, and coddling of Tosh Sock somewhere in my day. I also see a whirlwind of activity in preparing for tomorrow's sock dyeing event. How can we misplace the squirt bottles every time we use them?

After a much needed day off, I'm ready for a few days of Knitwitting! I'm mentally prepared for what ever comes our way and I'm looking forward to catching up with Janet, the Gang, the Steves and Belinda and everyone else that ventures into the shop.

Come buy!

Mini Panick Attack!

This summer is one big blur. Where did it go? How did we get to September-my Daytimer (my personal organization system of choice) is still bookmarked on May.

My last lucid memories date back to the Spring. I remember this Spring pretty clearly with the setting up of the POS System, the double ringing at the cash register, adding Peaches & Cream to the yarn line up, Sheryl having a normal looking finger and adopting my Godcat, Grace and the birth of this Blog!

Mini Panick Attack! How did it get to be SEPTEMBER? What happened? I never even made it to the pool- it opened and closed before I even got bikini ready.

My Friends, the answer to the question of "Where did my summer go?" is this.... "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines." My summer has been ruined by "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines." It is almost like the powers that be at Comair got "The Look!" Everytime I reported to work, I would find out that someone had moved everything in our galley, changed all of the snack and drink options, turned us into vending machines and wanted us to do so much more with so much less.

Even with the "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines", I think the passengers still know that they are flying on Comair Regional Jets. The First Class meals and stemware aren't fooling them into thinking that Delta, Northwest and all of the Delta/Northwest Connection carriers are now operating as one seamless company.

The snack options now stocked on board include: peanuts, mini pretzels, Biscoff cookies, pretzel chips or Sunchips, apples, bananas, twix bars, Pringles Potato Chips, Peanut M&Ms, Planters Trail Mix, Snack Box with Healthy Snack and deck of cards, Snack Box with Un-Healthy Snack and on random flights on the CRJ900 Full Meals complete with china, silverware and stemware. With all of this extra stuff in our galley, I have no place to store my knitting bag! I have no time to knit and more importantly, my head is spinning and I don't have the mental energy to knit!

This week is bidding week, when you enter your next month's schedule requests. I think I'm going to go "Ole School" and bid for the 50-seat trips, with no JFK, ORD, EWR and PHL and NO "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines."

I need to spend as much time as possible in the 41017, and in the calm, relaxing, stress-free Eden called Knitwits!

Labor Day

I'm not sure I get the true meaning of Labor Day except that it gives us a good reason to close the shop for an extra day. The "extra day" for me really meant more work because I got "The Look" and felt the need to totally revamp Knitwits.

Today (Labor Day), I am going to work at home on Knitwits paperwork, bookkeeping, ordering and other tedious, time consuming activities. But, I don't view this as "labor"-I do this because I want to do this. This is the stuff that makes Knitwits maintain our well-oiled machine efficiency (don't laugh). Knitwits and knitting are Labours of Love. We don't HAVE to do it, we WANT to do it!

According to the Department of Labor, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

So today, raise your knitting needles, enjoy the company of family and friends, eat way too much, and rejoice in a Monday away from the office!

Change is in the Air!

Fall is my favorite time of the year-sweater weather, Cuddl Duds and layers of knitted goods from head to toe. With the thoughts of fall dressing just around the corner, I've made my must knit list of projects to add to my cue. Most of the inspiration comes from Rowan Magazine Number 46. The magazine and the Rowan yarns arrived yesterday and today we put them front and center in the store.

With each new arrival, we have to make room on the shelves--it's a lot like playing chess with someone who doesn't know how to play. The staff cringes when I get that look in my eyes that says, "Move or get moved." It begins with clearing off one shelf and quickly turns into a massive mission of destruction, disruption and rearranging. The goal in rearranging the shop is to leave nothing in its original place. I can't ask for assistance because I have no idea or plan for what is about to transpire. It just happens. Here's how it generally goes:

Step one. Get "The Look", the look that says big changes are about to happen. The staff and most customers know that this means stay clear of Junko. I tried to suppress "The Look" until Sunday when the shop is closed for 2 days for Labor Day, but I couldn't help myself.

Step Two. Remove anything and everything that can be removed. Place all clutter in office even though there is not space in office for one more thing.

Step Three. Move largest fixture to furthest point in room. Why is this always part of the plan? Where does a 5' 100 lb. female in high heels find the strength and dexterity to do this with little or no assistance?

Step Four. Go to garage to find a cutie pie fixture or display piece. Take phone in the event of something baaaaaaad down there and a buddy for support. Return empty handed and glad to be alive.

Step Five. Wash and sanitize all exposed skin.

Step Six. Create challenging obstacle course from entryway to office, back through front room and finish in classroom. Be sure to block access to bathroom and cash register.

Step Seven. Snack. All of this activity makes a girl hungry.

Step Eight. Stack as many books, magazines and balls of yarn on tables as possible. This is necessary to make insure that no one else can get anything done either.

Step Nine. Get too tired and too cranky to think. Pray that a "Steve" will show up.

Step Ten. Quitting time. Close up shop and hope that magic fairies (or a Steve) will appear and clean up mess!

Well, I have two days to get the shop back in working order or at least in some semblance of order. Miracles do happen and I've seen them happen at Knitwits!

Proper Fit

Okay, those of you who know me at all know that I'm far too impatient to knit a gauge swatch. I so admire Sue for her diligence, patience and disciplined knitting technique, but it just isn't me. I watched Sue knit swatch after swatch for her Silky Wool Summer Cardigan. She swatched gauge, color ways, more colorways, different needle sizes..on and on.. I could have had the sweater half-way knitted, started five other projects, and dreamed of ten more projects to add to the cue by the time she finished swatching.

But, Sue's labour of love created the most stunning, "To Die For" Silky Wool Cardigan with perfect fit! I have four knitting bags full of unfinished objects.

Jill has championed the Everyday Wrap Knit-a-Long with great gusto. The response is somewhat overwhelming. Her wrap is being knit in a jewel-tone blue Malabrigo on a size #8 needle and she has almost a foot of loveliness completed. Elizabeth is also knitting her wrap with Malabrigo but she is using a size 10-1/2 needle. Same yarn, same pattern but different hands.

The point of all of this is that patterns, planning (or lack of planning), gauge, swatching (or lack of swatching), and needle size do matter but it is the desire to knit something badly enough that you make it work and fit the way you want it to. The pattern is just a blue print to be used as a guide. You make it your own by choosing the yarn, the needles and altering the pattern along the way. (Sue is probably cringing.)

It may take a few attempts and a bit of patience to get it right but Knitwits is there to help and encourage you along the way!

Too Much On My Plate!

Okay Janice and "Not Steve", you guys may have won the last few rounds of Food Wars but I have a restaurant in Des Moines named after me! So there, top that!

Today, Janet and I were working in the office and we became overwhelmed by everything we had going on. I put my head down on the desk and Janet said "I Quit" and threw her hands up in the air in defeat.
Then we laughed,...regained our composure and we made lists of everything we had going on.

Here's my list:

1. Flight Attendant
2. Do Knitwits Stuff
3. Write Knitwits Book
4. Wine Rep. for Engine House #24
5. Launch Big $ Idea-So Super Secret I haven't even told Janet about this
6. Design New Web Site
7. Get a Life
8. Schedule Implant Surgery
9. Call Mom
10. Knit 3 Christmas Stockings for customer

How will I get all of this done? Have I bit off a little too much?

Good thing we have "Our People". Being such busy executives, we need our people and we have surrounded ourselves with a top notch staff and a great bunch of caring, capable, and giving Steves.

Maintenance Steve delivered lunch just in the nick of time. The Pee Wee Burgers and onion rings saved us from starvation and were a welcomed relief from a diet of pretzels and animal crackers. After the lunch drop, he then went over to my condo and shampooed my carpets. He is the Best! Eating and carpet cleaning weren't even on my action plan. Little Steve/Pandora Steve saved my day by fixing some computer glitches that had been tripping me up in my Knitwits duties and he's helping us design our much needed new web site. Check and check-things now moving forward. Towards the end of the work day, Comair Steve and his family showed up for a visit. He added a number of friends to my Facebook account and downloaded all of the critical updates on my computer. Again, not on the action plan but greatly appreciated! "Not Steve" had left some Newton Claret Red Wine for 5:00 refreshment. It paired well with our Hot Fudge Sundaes and we considered this research for our new career as wine reps for Engine House #24 Winery. We have Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as our territory. "Not Steve" is also assisting me with my Super Secret Million Dollar Money Making Project.

Items #7-10, I'll just have to deal with on my own! Would it be wrong to have a "Steve" call my mother?

Without the support of all of you loyal blog followers and our many Steve's, we couldn't and wouldn't do it all. You make us better Knitwits and you help me "Get a Life!"

Coffee, Tea or Malabrigo?

I'm back after flying around for four days in crazy weather, dealing with aircraft mechanical delays and ground hold delays, crazy passengers and pets (read on), and way too many airport meals. Why? Why do I do it?

The truth is that I love being a flight attendant as much as I love being a Knitwit! If I didn't love it, I would still be doing it. My usual job retention span is around 5 years....12 years is by far the record. I may hem and haw about being away so much but in reality I only work four days a week, I don't really work that hard when I am working and I usually get to pick where and when I go. It is not so much about the serving drinks and snacks, blabbing into a interphone speaker-thing or proudly wearing the wings that I enjoy, it is the people that I meet, the places that I explore, and the quality knitting time. I am truly blessed for having two jobs that I enjoy so much.

I usually blog about the weird and unbelievable stuff that happens while I'm flying. I like to share my Comair misfortunes and adventures because it seems to make the shop more sane ...plus it's far more fun to crab about the dark stuff.

A fellow flight attendant friend was telling me about his last trip (yes, my fellow flight attendant friend is a fellow and his name is "Not Steve"). He had the good fortune to have a nearly perfect trip. He had a great crew, great layovers and as a team they formed life-long friendships and memories throughout the course of their trip. The highlights included a pet fox escaping in the cabin and a 30-hour layover in Philadelphia complete with a city-wide search for the best Philadelphia Cheesesteak. Okay, "Not Steve" wins this week's food wars! So there, Janice!

The point of all of this is that like knitter's, flight attendants all have a story of their own. We all have different reasons for being a flight attendant and we all have different backgrounds. Next time you're on a plane, put your knitting needles down, look beyond the uniform and ask your flight attendant what they like to do on their time off. The answers will always be interesting and will give you a better insight into who they really are. If they're knitters, they'll tell you where to find the best yarn shops at your final destination!

Wheels Up and Yarn to the Needles!