A Yarny Mix

   

In two weeks Chicago has gotten three snowstorms. I'm not complaining as I adore a new snowfall, and hard snow is perfect for staying in. My "cabin days" have been a mix of the analog and the digital.

I've been doing a lot of knitting and dreaming of future knitting projects. I'm stuck on what kind of socks I'll do next, because more socks is definitely my next knitting project after this cowl. I also sat down to do some hand sewing this weekend, which is something I haven't done in a long time. It was just to sew on some L.W.A. patches on some sweaters, but it was nice to slow down like that with my clothing. It reminds me of my huge pile of  "to mend" items...sigh.

   

I've been catching up on pen pal matches for the L.W.A. as well as redesigning a few items with my fancy new Wacom tablet. I've been considering getting one for a while and when I saw that they came out with an entry level tablet for under $70 I decided to take the plunge.

There is a definite learning curve on the Wacom, but I'm getting the hang of it. I fell in love with it a lot more after I discovered how to do pressure sensitive lines in Illustrator (thanks to this video). I've always felt more comfortable in Illustrator than in Photoshop, so I'm glad I could figure out a way to use that program with my new toy. The only issue I have with it so far is that the wireless kit doesn't work with this entry level tablet. I wish I knew that *before* I ordered the kit. Oh well, thank goodness for return policies.

For those of you who have had snow days, what are you doing to pass the time in flurry of white fluff?

 

Comments

[Noel]

Last snow day I caught up on all the Grimm episodes I missed...but hot cocoa, letter writing, snowshoeing and crafting are up there on my to do on snowy days! That tablet sounds awesome, where did you find it?

[Kathy Zadrozny]

Noel, The tablet is the Wacom Bamboo Splash model and I got it off of Amazon. They have three different models within the Bamboo range, depending on what your design needs are.

[ana]

I just got a new Wacom for home too. Mine is the larger Bamboo that does take the wireless adapter ($30 extra). Its the first wireless Wacom I've ever had and I've used a lot of Wacoms in my time. My favorite is still a little early model of the Bamboo that I gave to Katie at Skylab.

As for learning to get comfortable with a Wacom, I recommend using it exclusively for a couple weeks instead of a mouse or trackpad. Force yourself. It will feel awkward and weird for awhile but then it will be second nature. At work, I use my Wacom for everything -- email, web, Photoshop, everything. You'll get the hang of it!