Yes, the picture is there. Loooks like it is a bit cold in Toronto, just as it has been here in Ohio.

I love advanced mathematics!!

Good luck with your new laptop - and of course with having enough for the vest. My husband always laughs when I begin to have that panicy feeling. Am I first?

Is it wrong that I laughed at "my balls are bigger than those balls"?

Sorry. I will go back to fifth grade now. Enjoy getting to know your new computer! :)

I take it you are working with Lion. I know it's an upgrade but after 6 weeks it's still driving me crazy. Other than that I'm sure the new MacBook Pro is a little piece of heaven! Happy New Year!

Well of course your balls are bigger!

And next time we're together, I'll sing "Big Balls in Cowtown" to you--a country swing favorite of mine.

"Western swing", not "country swing."

Even I, in Switzerland, can see you have a nice picture - if very cold windows (is that why the cat is sitting on the cooker?!).

And I, too, am still struggling with my new Mac... my old one and I got along very comfortably once I got used to Mac after PC, despite a few bashed corners and such. The new one also announced that it would crunch my 8000 family photos into kingdom come but my own DH saved them (I hope!) and I have had to work out a new way of getting them into my blog... sigh. The new one also came with me just one day and out of nowhere got a dent in one edge??!!!

Happy New Year!

so you see Stephanie, there is a lesson in all of this....... when it comes to balls size DOES matter! :}

Julie @12:41, I'll meet you in study hall. I totally sniggered at "my balls are bigger than those balls." *snort* Austin Val @ 12:48, there's a song about balls?!? Do they sing it without smirking? Oh, balls, a customer just came in. See you all on the playground later. I picture 3 pre-teen girls shouting "balls" and then giggling uproariously.

I wish I had a new macbookpro, even if it was driving me nuts.

Gorgeous picture of yarn and a frosty window.

Balls!

Beautiful photo of a blue ball of yarn on a windowsill and frost on the glass. Lovely fractal geometry on the frost.

If I am reading that correctly, and you have been using a laptop for almost 3 years after it had been thrown on the floor, I would say you certainly deserve a new one no matter what.

You're right about the upgrade initially feeling like a down-grade. I went through that not long ago with my desktop @ the office. We're friends now, the computer & I, so it all worked out in the end.

Now I know why I'm so glad my 19-year-old is studying computer science at Queen's. When the time comes for a new computer (my desktop has been wounded for more than a year) I'm going to get a laptop and have her sit beside me for the first week.

Lovely photo. It's 85 degrees here in San Diego today. What's that white stuff on your window? And, doing the math, doesn't that still make you 16 yards short?

Stephanie, a fine mathematical clarification of the fact that number of yards per ball of yarn may differ from brand to brand. (And you said you don't get math!) I thought of addressing it in the comments yesterday, but figured I'd just make it worse. . . I'm guessing those who panicked have been sorely disappointed when basing yarn substitutions on number of balls only, with no consideration given to yardage, which would explain their concern for you. Also, I wonder if you knit on tiptoe, you can make the vest use slightly less weight, thereby ensuring you have enough? (And aren't you done yet?)

Oddly enough, the wee boy, aka the Mogrunt, is very much into fist-bumps and new technology these days. He totally would have helped you with the computer issues and given you the recognition you deserved when you posted that photo.

Also - balls. Heh heh.

I don't think we even want to discuss the size of your balls...... (snort)

good luck!
Cherie

I will admit, I first thought you were saying 850m/834m per ball and I did not see how that worked. I did eventually realize you were talking totals.
Congrats on the new computer! What type did you get? You can answer as my mom does with cars: white or black?

You said balls.

Snerk

I see it! I see your ball.

It took me a minute to *snerk* at the bigger balls things because of the counting thing... Because when I read " Everybody who thinks I'm trying to make three balls be five balls needs to chill out." my brain went "Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out."...

Yeah, I'll see y'all in study hall as soon as I finish writing lines in catechism...

Was not surprised to read that your balls were bigger than theirs. Thanks for today's big laugh.

The picture is totally there - for real! You'll totally be fine with 834 vs 850 - now the math makes sense!

I am giggling like a loon. I can just imagine--"Well, of course you don't have enough yarn! 5 is more than 3!" Hee hee hee...

Also, balls! Which I say all the time, and then I apologize, and then my 14-year-old son, bless his innocent little heart, says, "But, mom, balls isn't a bad word."

oooh shiny new macbook

Looking at that picture has me thinking that all this complaining I have been doing about 24 degree F weather (-4 C I think) is stupid.

Wither you meant it or not the PS section gave the 12 year old me a good laugh.

ROTFLMAO.
So the migration tool didn't work on the photos?
Pic came through just fine - ball of yarn, frosted window.
I know you will hang in there to make this one your new best friend.

Those folks who are scared of knitting math could take some remedial classes. Actually that's a neat idea for a knitting class. hmmnnn
Happy New Year to all of you.

A picture! And it looks cold where you are too! (I'm freezing! I'm actually wishing that we had some real snow here in Maine because it would help insulate the house!)

When reading your mathematical commentary, the only thing that came to mind was, "Huh. Size really does matter..."

Thanks for the giggles!

lol can you please say more about your bigger balls? it cracked me the f up!

Good job getting the picture in! I hear you about the hair thing. I sometimes wonder if body-doubles will do video conferencing.

That math thing? I just keep thinking "Rowan's got big balls, but Stephanie has the biggest balls of them all!" every time and giggling. Yep, I've gone to the bad knitting place.

I know you are a more religious swatcher-and-washer than I, which causes me to wonder...are you swatching with some of that yardage? And then (gasp!) cutting it off the ball, and washing it, and never having it become part of the finished project?

I personally have a nasty habit of swatching, then ripping back the yarn so as not to waste a single yard. Because I fear the yardage gods and I think they lie. I really do.

Oh Stephanie! I spent the last three months of 2011 with a laptop that restarted erratically, had battery power the size of a mouse bladder, and would not let me open it more than 30 degrees or the display would go blank. Until it warmed up, and over the course of several hours I could coax it fully open again for viewing ease. And then SOMEONE would close the lid and I would start over again. My new laptop isn't a business write-off, but she was a Christmas gift and she WORKS, like magic, even if my emails are still on the other hard drive and I can't find my downloads and...May you and your new computer have a long and successful relationship together.

I understood it better yesterday. And yes I see the picture clearly. Please work out your new computer problems, because I depend on this blog very much.
Thanks. ;>)

My MacBook is at least the same vintage and the CD drive has always been temperamental, but other than that it is still ticking. Of course, I haven't had a Tina throw it on the floor. It sounds like that insult led to your MacBook acting like a PC - EEEEE!

I understood the math all along. : )

I SEE A PICTURE!!!! Congrats on the new computer.

thanks for the laugh about the balls! i too couldn't understand why people couldn't relate to yardage over the number of balls.

good luck with the new computer. i am dreading the day when i have to replace mine.

how is the vest going, are you knitting v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y to make the yarn last? LOL

Congrats on the computer but I have a couple questions for you:

Are you getting gauge now that your knitting it?
Doesn't Megan want the sweater longer?

Now after asking these questions do you still think you have enough yarn?

One of the great things about working from home is that you don't have to get all gussied up to see someone. I'm fairly convinced that video conferences are a tool to get back at those that do get to stay home. I'm all for computers resisting this latest trend.

Yes, I see the photo. And I will meet you all in study hall to giggle about balls. Really, how many of us are twelve inside?

I'm just about at the point with my macbook now that you were with your old one. Almost 6 years old at this point, it runs, in my grandmother's words, "slower than molasses." :-)

Congratulations on the new computer! It does take time. I'm still at the learning stage on mine too and wish it all would hurry up.

I see your picture! Clearly, you need to book a trip to Tempe AZ to teach a knitting class. It is 70 degrees here today. That's 21 degrees in Canada... (I think. Math is not my strong suit either but even I understood what you meant yesterday).

Remember when we LOVED getting new technology. Now getting new stuff just makes me feel old. And I consider myself a computer geek! I feel your pain as well as your joy!

You said Balls! lol

Actually, a knitting math class is a brilliant idea--you have so much more control and flexibility if you aren't intimidated by the calculations it takes to change things up. And if your first forays into dramatically rewriting or (dare I say it) making up a pattern aren't doomed by doing the math wrong, you're much more likely to do it again.

Sometimes I just hate computers! Mine was working perfectly fine, albeit a little slow. Then I got a brand new DVD from one of my sons for Christmas (Freeform Knitting by Colleen Davis). I popped it in the computer to watch with great anticipation and...I had no sound. Another DVD was working just fine the day before, but now it won't work either. I've tried everything - finally got some sound back, but it's distorted. Still working on it!

Like any new relationship, you have to learn one another's quirks, but one day you'll look up and realize that you've totally gotten used to them, and you're now good friends.

My husband and I have been doing the same dance with the newest electronic addition to the household, a Nook tablet. There was some cursing about various of the software design choices from my programmer husband, but they've been spending a lot of quality time together and after a bit over a week seem to be rubbing along together nicely.

"Total wool mass" is math I can handle. And, yes, there's a beatifully woolly picture there. :)

I'm a writer, which means I do not, in any way, shape, or form, think logically. I chose my university based on whether it required math or science for a degree in journalism (I'm serious). I cannot calculate 20% tip in my head. I can add 2+2 very quickly, but everything else I have to think about. With that in mind, I completely understood what you meant in yesterday's blog, Stephanie. :)

If I wrote " I am trying to make three be five, but my balls are bigger than those balls" and my children (my three oldest are each about 6 mos younger than each of yours) would sadly shake their hands and tell me, "Mom. You. Must. Not. Write. That!"

I understand that your balls are larger than the originals. i think that is true for a lot of us ladies. :~D

Ah, thank you for explaining the yarn math, It does make more sense now, though I was kind of excited to see how you were going to stretch out what I had thought was an insanely small amount of yarn, kind of like the extreme sports version of knitting.

thank you for writing about the demise of your macbook. Mine is also 5 years old and is getting slow in his old age. I told hubby that the d*mned thing is dying but I just got a pricey camera and a new macbook anything doesn't fit in the budget. (Hubby also feels that having thousands of songs could be slowing things down. I disagree). I think that, once it is obviously dying, I'll bring the old one to the shop (or send it to my tech son) in order to have my billion photos and my music swapped to a new macbook.

What ever happened to Gwendolyn???

I've been making my own transition from a pc running windows (a homemade pc at that) to an iMac that my husband said was just what an artist needs. I get frustrated all the time. I think I've had it long enough that it knows it cannot be returned. It seems to be getting cocky.

How about posting the mitten pattern somewhere? I thought I had figured out how to do it--not! So now I am determined to wait to make mittens until I get that pattern!

Thank you for putting a silver knitting needle (stake) into the myth that size doesn't matter.

Yardage/meterage, yarn substitution/some fibers being heavier than others so less length in a ball is indeed a cruel lesson to learn.
I'm guessing most of us clever clogs who knew what you were saying all along are the ones who've learnt that lesson the hard way! Even harder is when you have more balls (snigger) than is specified in the pattern and so that running out of yarn when it sneaks up on you is totally unexpected and WHAM out of nowhere that lesson hits you in the face . Just cos you were using a heavier cotton than a much lighter cotton/acrylic blend with acres more yardage than the one specified in the pattern !!! Yup lesson here complete!

AmyJ@1:27, I am right with you! I am sure that my swatches will mean that I can never finish anything, because all the yarn I really need is in the swatch, which is probably lying to me anyhow! And MaggyD@1:50, I think we are al about 12. While reading, I snorted chewed up raw carrot all over the dog, who looked at me mornfully, and then started licking carrot off her pretty cream colored coat. I enjoyed my laugh for the day!

That is a very frosty looking window! Also, I fear the day my own laptop decides to give up the ghost, because it seems so much more complicated to get data off of than having a desktop that I can just take the hard-drive out and slap it into the new tower (no, I'm not really that blase about computer stuff, I just live with geeks).

All the ball jokes are flowing to my head! It shouldn't be funny, but it is.

Happy new computer!

Yes, I see a photo of blue yarn in front of what I think, I vaguely remember, just might be, possibly, if I'm not mistaken, something left on a window pane overnight by a guy named Jack Frost. It was 80 here in the Phoenix area yesterday so I had to think REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard to come up with that. And you know what? I really miss Jack Frost!!! I DO!!! And I'm jealous. You get to wear your sweaters and socks all the time!

In yarn and in -- well, other things -- when it comes to balls, size does matter. :)

Stephanie has big blue balls.

God I love gutter brain.

I love the simplicity with which you explained the balls versus yardage query - quite simple really.

Stephanie, the way you are babbling these last few days, I can't help but wonder if you are finishing off the Christmas wine.lol If you are please share, I don't know why I finally decided to get healthy by giving up cigs and then catch the first cold I have had in 5 years. Please keep babbling and pass the wine.

zombie tomato@1:09 PM, my brain went all Monty Python for a sec there, too. Then the "big balls" snickers kicked in, and I pretty much gave up on trying to laugh silently so as not to wake the toddler.

Hee! I giggled my way through yesterday's comments and all the math lectures that boiled down to "I read this post too quickly and jumped to the conclusion that Steph is a coo coo nut."

Yarn Panic in action!

So in the interest of continuing the juvenile humor....is it better to have bigger balls or more balls????? So if you do run out of yarn have you been kicked in the balls?????? Just asking:-)

I almost blushed reading about balls so much at work. :) My balls, your balls, so many balls to keep track of!

Anyways, I would totally fist bump my mom, but I am about or just a bit more than 10 years older than she is, so give it time. She will eventually return your first bumps with glee.

My inner 12-year-old just said "heh heh--she said balls".

I can't believe anyone was confused on the yarn...seriously?

Also, weren't they technically Tina's balls before they were yours? (Let's not think about that one too hard.)

I totally have "gutter brain" so move over and make room for all of us down here. LOL

people were really confused over your knitting math and yarn sub? Honest?

Your yarn math was fine but you didn't allow the 3 metres extra for the yarn god, for the project to work out with minimum hassle :)

So totally with the juveniles in the corner sniggering over the balls comments but nobody mentioned how you have blue frosty balls. :).

Stephanie, tomorrow you have to tell us how many people wrote to you, highly indignant that you used the word "balls". Wasn't it "nipples" that teed them off the last time?

Thank you. I needed that laugh!

Kathleen at 336... I'm glad I'm not the only one who went all Monty Python!

Steph, I haven't had this much fun with one of your posts since the Great Nipple Post a few years back... I have this urge to start chanting "nipples n balls, nipples n balls, Stephanie's got nipples n balls... " But then the Intermanetz might splode or something.

Okay, it might be time to put down the coffee and leftover candy canes.

Stephanie, yesterday I had one of the worst days in a while. I came home, and there was your blog post. Today you posted another wonderful post, and since I am in a better mood, I wanted to pass on to you just how wonderful you are.

And by the way, that is a gorgeous color of yarn. Best of luck with the computer troubles (I'm the same way - the one I'm using right now has a spacebar that sticks and a monitor that no longer holds itself up).

Suddenly I'm overcome with the urge to go to the iTunes store and buy Big Balls by AC/DC. It's good to be immature.

I admit I've not read every comment, but have we established yet "who has the biggest balls of them all" (tip of the hat to the band AC/DC) ;)

I got the yarn math yesterday yay me! I almost never get the math :)
and I can see the picture.
and I hear you on limping along and accommodating your old technology as it dies a lingering death because you know the new thing, whatever it is, will probably be better but the learning curve may be a little steep for a bit.
Congratulations on making the laptop a business expense and not a Christmas present. Good plan!

Thank you, Joe, for keeping Steph on the job. You (and Ken) make it possible for me to snark at my friend from a safe distance...and for that I am grateful.

Hehehehehe...you said "balls"

And I totally got the math as well

So if you had a currently functioning laptop operating Mac OS X, would you consider upgrading to Lion or not? I'd like to have access to the cloud... but fear the process. And losing my pics!

1. I might derive a paycheck from computers, but any change really, really is never (NEVER you hear me corporate gods that you think you are) "good". Ever. Don't listen to the propaganda. They lie.

2. You said balls.

Have you tried weighing the balls? Maybe you got a few extra grams/ball, and then more yardage?

If my 3yr. old knew about balls she'd be giggling right now, right along with me!! Thanks for the smiles!

This old saw just popped into my head:

"Balls!," said the Queen. "If I had them I'd be king!"

Someone else may have already commented on this, but to be sure that you have enough of the substitute yarn, you might want to knit a swatch of the required yarn (if you have it) and then knit the same swatch (same # of stitches and rows) in the substitute yarn. Then mark the yarn at the cast off end of each swatch, unravel them and compare the usage. If the usage is the same, then you're laughing. (because you can always save a few metres of yarn by sewing up the garment in a different yarn if need be.) If the usage is different, more calculation is required. And, as you said, you can do the ribbing in a different dye lot.
And, this will give you no comfort or ease at all, but a local yarn store owner knit a Debbie Bliss coat and it required about 5 more balls than called for in the pattern. Good that she had her own store of yarn, and that she was knitting it before the yarn was discontinued!!!!
Don't say that knitting doesn't come with scads of challenges! But we're up for it!
Marlyce in Windsor.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with an inner 12-year that giggles at stuff like that! There's safety in numbers...

I am organizing a Knowledge Bowl Tournament for 150 teenagers. It is giving me ulcers and keeping me awake at night. Putting on an event as big as Sock Summit must be absolutely terrifying. You and Tina and the rest of Team Sock Summit have my renewed respect and gratitude. Thank you.

I feel exactly the same about video chat! It's nice to know someone else does too. Best wishes on the new computer learning curve.

I was fine with the math yesterday until someone else started to worry, then I started to feel really dumb because I could not see the problem. Worry is so contagious.

Pic is totally frosty.

Try the iCloud service to backup / transfer the files from the old Mac. According to Apple...
" iCloud is seamlessly integrated into your apps, so you can access your content on all your devices. And it’s free with iOS 5.
iCloud stores your music, photos, documents, and more and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices. Automatic, effortless, and seamless — it just works."

What picture??

Ah! The joys of knitting math!

At our house we refer to the spinning-rainbow-beachball-of-doom as "the circle wheel of death"

So - speaking of complicated maths and finishing patterns, you have changed the way I see things and I must say thanks.

One of your gifts for knitters this year was a precise measuring scale. You mentioned it was nice for knowing if you had split a ball perfectly or checking if you might have enough yarn remaining to knit the rest of your pattern. I had NEVER, not in my entire knitting life, thought about weight in this fashion. Ever.

Then, lo & behold...I was ready to gift some remaining yarn to my sister to make the same pattern I had just finished (french press slippers, thank you) and was guessing she might have enough to make a whole other pair. Stroke of genius - we weighed it. And now she knows (only enough remaining for one foot - and she is not a pirate).

So, Harlot. Thank you.

I howled - really, all you ladies are wonderful! My sister used to say "balls, balls; banquets and balls!" which I think is a quote spoken by Kenneth Williams from one of the old "Carry On" movies.

This post and the responses were the perfect antidote to a horrendously busy and physically demanding day.

Of course, my day was also brightened by scoring a bag of royal purple silky beautiful handspun for THREE DOLLARS from the thrift shop! Naturally I have no idea of the weight or yardage - but I am about to find out...

So did anyone other than me suddenly morph into a ten year old boy after reading about all the balls? Plus, you know you've totally screwed up some porn junkie's web search with this entry, right?

I really like the vest pattern choice. Must inventory the balls in my stash to see if I have enough to knit it too. ;-).

Ha! That last paragraph totally had me cracking up at my phone while riding the subway. Balls!

My 4.5 year old MacBook (not pro) is nearing the end as well. I've almost stopped taking pictures with my DSLR, because it's too painful to get them off my camera and onto Flickr. Spinning rainbow of doom? I get that all the time, just because I want more than one tab open in Firefox. It might be time to stop buying yarn ( temporarily) and start a computer fund.

Is it still a Mac? I hope so. Happy New Year to you!

Technology is like car repair. You can sweet talk to you're blue in the face, but it's not until you let out a "^%^%&%(" that the thing you've just finished doing elevenity billion times will finally work.

PS: I totally get the math for the vest, and you should have more than enough to complete it. However, you have failed to take into account one very simple truth. If you don't get the extra ball you will be exactly 1/2 ball short, and if you do get the extra ball, you will have one and a half balls extra. This fact can not be explained away by mathematics and reason.

I love that you wanted to fist bump Natalie. The awkwardness was palpable.

Boy do I feel your pain. Just left the PC world for an iMac and fell quite down trodden just wondering if I will ever find my old files. I can't even think about posting pictures. Glad you explained your balls to us.

I really thought I was reading the story of MY MacBook Pro. The video card had long since died---then the screen started going black every so often---and that became more and more often. There were other issues too---which my nontech mind has mercifully forgotten. We paid for repairs, since we didn't have AppleCare. We got it back and the black screen thing was worse. Back it went to the Apple store and imagine my knock-me-over-with-a-feather shock when they called to say they were replacing it! When I got the replacement I found my five-year-old laptop had been replaced with a new 2011 model. Maybe the company sometimes does that, but it felt like something divinely

My husband had been unemployed for about 20 months and we had few resources for anything, much less a laptop. It gave me a huge sense that someone divine was looking out for us. And my husband got a job a few weeks later!

I just got a new MacBook Pro for Christmas. I'm still making friends with it and learning it too. I made the BIG transition from PC to Mac. So far, I'm loving it!

Is it wrong that I giggled a whole bunch at the number of times you said "balls" in the last bit? Also, I fully grok the downgrade/upgrade thing. It blows. Best of luck with the new comp!

Brrr, Toronto looks as cold as it is in London! So, how is the yardage working out, are you going to have enough yarn??

I really wish there was a "Like" button... I'd push it for all of your posts. They're just so likable! ;) (boy, that word looks weird... I don't really want to lick your posts, but you get the picture! )
Ha!

Yes I can see you.

Finished reading your new book last night. One of your best yet. Love the story of the water balloons. My favorite.

Steph.

I see you are in trouble again. You must use the english language in a more...careful manner. Words have meanings and...some meanings mean more than others.

I see your SKEIN of yarn...in the nicelly frosted window. Take care with language. It will get you into and...out of more trouble than you know.

bjr

Oh Stephanie! I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all night! ;) Congrats on the updownupgrade. I wish you speedy transfer of all vital skills to make life easy again.

Ha! You crack me up!

I think you'd better bust out some graph paper for the whole big balls vs. small balls thing. Like the time you had to with the stove and the door (for the delivery guys...10>9)...perhaps a pie chart? Is it also very stupid of me that after a while, all the times you typed the word "balls" had me dying of laughter?

Your explanation yesterday was crisp and clear. The explanation today was just a great laugh and reminded me of SNL's Schweaty Balls. Thanks for the needed laughter at the end of a long day!

You will be my inspiration. About to get a new home computer. Just got a new laptop from work and have had time to 'tweak' it but still learning... and our IT still insists on Windows XP till some unhappy day in future when all will 'change' and am expecting mass confusion on our networks.
Also, have netbooks on horizon for use with students.

So.... serious learning curve - not to mention finally learning Word (don't ask! my employer likes obsolescence...).

Best wishes on your own learning curve and estimations of yardage. (Should we say meterage now in Canada??)

Barbara @ 12:55 and Judy @ 1:09 - I went past Monty Python and took a left to ACDC. Go to YouTube and look for ACDC Big Balls. The Spongebob version is not for the under-18 crowd.

Probably won't see you in study hall since I'll be in detention. Snerk.

Ridiculously geeky question: what kind of laptop did you buy?

Warning - your hard drive will crash about a week after you have everything moved over and you are sailing along starting to love that new computer and trust it.

I have one word "BACKUP" NOW (well, that's two words, but one is more like an order than a word). And make a recovery disk, And if possible, have a very similar machine on hand so you can convince the computer people that it is the hard drive, not the software.

Then, gradually start trusting it again, and whammo, install some software that creates a blue screen of death, but install just enough software that you can't really figure out which one could have caused it. And, make sure that software just won't uninstall no matter what you do.

Rebuild AGAIN, and then tread carefully.

But, thank your lucky stars that all of the hardware and software people you asked for help were actually very helpful and did help you get to the bottom of the problems. All of them.

Because, after all, it is still is better than random reboots. And it is much faster than the old one. And the space bar was sticking, too.

I repeat. BACKUP. NOW. DAILY.

Yes, that total yardage/meter thing is what is important and a much needed lesson early in my "knitting life..." I learned, and I always bought extra because even though I'm decent at math I sure make some silly mistakes - hahahaha

So what you're trying to say is:

Your balls are metrically bigger than my balls?

Being male, it was too easy to revert to my inner 12-year old. Sign me up for detention now: Dear YH, are you saying you've got the big brass balls it takes to make your blue fuzzy balls stretch farther?

It's obvious from that picture that not only are your balls bigger, but they have turned blue from cold.
At least you got a photo up .Well done! I still haven't figured out how to use iPhoto on my year-old Mac. I keep sneaking off to my old Windows machine which may not be shiny, but does co-operate with me.

Brenda at 2:20 - was that DVD by any chance produced by Sony? Because they are known for putting stuff on their DVDs that wrecks any computer that is used to play them. Don't buy Sony!

Oh no.. Now i'm really scared of upgrading to lion. I have a still functioning macBook Pro with 10.5.8 and I have mobile me and I've heard other people say that it's a hard upgrade. But mobile me is going away in June. Normally, I'm not afraid of upgrades... Macs are usually seamless with upgrades. Any tips from you mac friendly knitters?

I can see the pretty frosted window....hope that doesn't mean you are without heat! Thanks for the laugh about "balls". And not to nag..........but when will the pattern for your Christmas mittens (the "Better with black or not") be forthcoming? They are beautiful, and I can't wait to knit up a pair . . . or two.

I gave my macbook away. I'd rather be knitting than trying to figure out a machine that obviously did not like me. I feel much more peaceful now.

James my mac guy said in six months you'll love it.

True story, the startup chime on a Mac has a name: SOSUMI (actually a play on words, "So Sue Me" because of some early legal issues with the Beatles copyright on Apple music or some such thing. I heard an interesting discussion about it on CBC radio a few months ago.

Surely your big balls are blue 'cuz they're cold.

I always knew you had big balls! ;)

Ok, promise us that the next time you do Sock Summit that yu budget for new laptops for you and Tina. With all the tech work you, I think a $1 surcharge so that you have functional technology is not out of line.please do it for the knitters

Hi Stephanie, the way you explained yesterday the woolyardage (and today, less funny)was exactly how I would have told/written it. In the world of my husband it would have been like this and he expects me (I am not an Alpha-student, just a language freak scholar, seems to be lower rated in the ratrace) "The pattern calls for 850 mtrs, I have 834 mtrs, I wonder if I will be 16 mtrs short in finishing". Period. I guess in his world your blogentrees would be 2 sentences of 10 words and your books about 8 pages. How boring.

With it currently being 54 degrees F in our house here, our family's been debating about whether or not we would have a fighting chance in your annual furnace wars. How cold does it get in your house before you bite the bullet and flip it on?
Love the color for the vest and I'm keeping my fingers crossed and offering gifts to the knitting fates that you have enough to finish.

Hi, Steph,
My condolences on the new computer thing. I agree about the upgrade/downgrade confusion. I'm still not 100% on my new computer.
I agree on Lipton Mandarin Orange Green Tea. Crazy about it. I get my hubby to take me to Denny's for it. Not that we don't have a ton of tea in the house.
The time after Christmas feels so great as it is a time of knitting just what I feel like knitting, nothing to do with finishing a list.
Nice photo, and yes, I see it just fine.

Julie in San Diego, where it is warm right now, like a misplaced spring we lost a couple of years ago, turning up now in winter.

All I could hear in my head as I read the Balls section of your post was AC/DC's "Big Balls" LOL! Snicker! I'll go sit with my other adolescent friends now at the back of the class. After perusing some of the previous comments, I'm in good company.

As for your computer, I understand your adjustment pain. I was very fortunate to get a new camera for Christmas and I don't have any freakin idea of what I'm doing with it. I had around 10 years to get used to my old one, and had finally figured it out. My new one is smaller, lighter, has better color quality, and has a lot more functions than my old one. It even takes 3D pictures for crying out loud. It's amazing, or at least it will be once I make it through the manual a couple of times and figure out how to use it LOL!!! Good luck on your computer mission! Your picture made it. Judging by the frost on your window, it looks like its pretty dang cold in your neck of the woods too.

The force is strong within you, Stephanie....use the force!

Sharing your pain. Had the same frustrating experience trying to load a photo album w/ captions onto a Facebook page. Upgrades are supposed to make your life easier...not more complicated.

Checked out the vest. Very nice. Also (Re: yardage) veerrry long. How many meters does an inch use?(hint, hint).

Balls! Are they Christmas balls? No,they are not. Are they party balls? No, they are not. They are Stephanie's bigger balls.
Anyway, I so totally feel you about the upgrade feeling like a downgrade--bought a PC with Windows 7, after using XP for years, and I am so freaking lost....

Having double your trouble. DH gave my laptop away and took my desktop to one of his projects. So ended up with a new laptop and a new desktop, which he thinks was doing something special for me. Lots of new ways to learn and hoping none of the files were lost in transition. Big problem - neither one of them will recognize my beloved printer. Between balls, old dogs and new tricks - Happy 2012!

Big Balls in Cowtown is an excellent song, as is Western Swing in general.
That was a convoluted explanation, but I too couldn't figure out why they weren't getting that it was "total" yardage.
5 balls Rowan @ 170M/ball=850M
3 Skeins"yer stuff" @278M/skein=834M
Still 16M short, good luck, at least you know enough knitters that if you run short surely one of them will have what you need.
May "your balls" always be bigger ;)

So where are we in the furnace wars? Loved the blue ball next to the frosted window. Just got a new wood fired fireplace insert...
yeah! No more indoor frost!

Your photos are always special enough to buy, and your postings are always a treat, but I've got to say, the responses can be (almost) as good. Zombietomato@1:09pm - that's the line that had me on the floor gasping for a paramedic the first time I saw the movie. Instinctively my hands grabbed the armrests while I waited for the spasms to begin. I settled for simply getting my grin stuck on my earrings.

Oh lordy, I'm in the exact same position as you were before the new computer. My MBP was purchased in May, 2007. Just before Thanksgiving, I had a kernel panic that proved my hard drive was dead. Thank God for Time Machine. I had just backed up a day or two previously, and I only lost a couple of small things I didn't need to replace. Glad you survived and advanced to the new computer with minimal collateral damage. We're budgeting for a "business expense" new computer now. Ugh.

So glad you cleared that up about your big balls.

I'm scared though, because when your previous Mac HD crashed hard, mine did so not long afterwards.
Nowadays there's that Time Capsule thingy, though - doesn't that make everything better?

Hmmm. I have recently run into the yardage calculation problem recently. I am knitting a sweater that calls for 8 balls of yarn that are each 109 yards long. I am using a yarn that has 220 yards in each ball, so I figured I would be fine with 4 balls. I checked my math several times and ordered the yarn. I got gauge on the first try and proceeded to knit. I became worried when I used up the first ball just after finishing the yoke. (top down sweater). I used 2.5 balls for the back and front of the sweater (and I knit it shorter than called for). I split the half a ball in half and knitted 5 inches of each 19.5 inch sleeves and concluded that I will need at least 2.5 more balls to finish the sweater as I still have to finish the sleeves and knit two wide collars. So, despites having balls that are twice as large and getting exact gauge, I still needed 7 balls of yarn. I still don't understand it. Maybe someone else can explain the math to me.

I'm just so glad that you feel comfortable sharing information about your balls in public!! And given all of the information that you've shared with us over the years, girl, you definitely have big balls!! And I love that about you! Happy New Year.

Melissa at 10:12 a.m., your math looks correct to me.

Are you knitting the sweater with the very same needles you used to get gauge?

I once had a very similar ran-out-of-yarn-experience. It was caused by my having checked gauge with straight needles before knitting the sweater with circulars.

Even though the straight needles were the same size as the circulars, I must not have the same tension when I knit with circulars.

Could this be what happened to you?

i was feeling embarrassed by my giggling at all the balls in the last part....until i realized i'm not the only one with that whole giggling, maturity problem. :)

Heheheh...I understood the yardage (meterage???) info yesterday, but I did have to read it twice before I stopped panicking for you. 16 meters short...you're gonna be just fine (I hope). :)

Hooray for in-house computer gurus and business deductions! I hope your breaking-in period is short and sweet.

Is your daughter on the shorter side, or taller side? If she's your height or thereabouts, I would think you'd be okay even a few yards short. Of course, you can always do what I do when I'm afraid I'm going to run out of yarn - knit faster. (Doesn't work. Just proved it, on a Baby Surprise Jacket. Fortunately, found a second ball in the stash.)

2011 must have been a rough year for laptops as well as economies throughout the world. Back in September I notices that laptop lovingly named Sony - I mean he came with that name why confuse him with a new one. Anyway, he started to slow way down, by October he was re-booting at will and wiping clean anything I had been writing. And it just got worse from there. Dave and I researched the fixes, etc and when we were told that a 5 year old laptop is beyond saving, I cried that 5 years was considered a long life for anything. So, for the holiday, Dave lovingly surprised me with a new modern cutting edge laptop. It can launch the space shuttle I'm sure and will take me at least 1-2 years of it's lifespan just to understand it's bells and whistles, but I am so very thankful for Dell - his name was stamped on his little case as well. Peace and joy...

before i retired, i used both a mac and a pc every workday for about a year. on the mac, i was doing complicated stuff -- graphics and layout. i had almost no trouble with it, and if i did, i rarely needed to call i.t. (known at work as either "mission control" or "cousin it") to resolve the issue. on the pc, i was doing straightforward text editing in a modified version of word. crashes were epidemic. my pc probably thought its name was "awshit notagain"!

there's a very good reason that i've never had anything but macs at home, and probably never will.

stephanie, if you haven't already done so, i suggest that you buy a small, portable hard drive and back everything up frequently. (i say this although i've had macs since '94 and have lost data only once!)

I call the rainbow-thingy "the wheel of misfortune"... :)

I used to rely on the weight/length shown on the ball band, until my LYS owner stunned me with the info that there is a 5% leeway allowed on those numbers. Since then, I have weighed many of my skeins and noticed several of them weigh less. (None have weighed more.) One 100g skein weighed 94g (but my scale, bought for weighing food, shows 2g increments, so it may have been 93-95g), which may not be much on one skein, but can add up. So 'buy extra' makes sense, if possible.

All that talk about balls in the PS made me smile and laugh. Thank you!

I think I get the confusion on the math yesterday. It sounded like you were giving meters per ball, not total meters. I read that and I thought I saw a very bad math error on your part, but I have a neurological issue and I know it affects my cognitive skills on occasion, so I didn't say anything.

I do agree that if there are two sizes that use the same number of balls of yarn, and you're making the smaller one, there is no need for worry if you're a little short. I would worry some if I were making the larger size. But then, I also like the adrenaline rush of the narrow escape.

Ha. Hahahahaha! (I like the computer's internal monologue and motivations almost as much as the balls).

Have you considered getting a tiny chip reader for your digital camera chip? You take the chip out of the camera, plug it into the reader, plug said reader into the computer- and voila, there all those pictures are, right on your desktop. No software required for the transfer. Not that you don't know about these already. You probably do. But just in case.

Yeah, I hate that about computer upgrades!

It looks like your next big expense could be triple-paned argon-filled windows. They don't frost up like that (though I love the look of the frost).

I see a picture, but how does your new computer make snowflakes/ice look so awesome? That's the second time I've noticed that your snowflakes actually look like the kind you cut out with paper!

Oooooooo baby it looks cold outside in that picture. :o)

I would go with 4 skeins...you know what happens when you run short....grrrrrrrr

Once in high school I was walking upstairs behind a couple of guys. One turned to the other and said, I don't have just two balls, I have a whole army of balls!

That was the beginning of my love of ball jokes.

I feel you Mac laptop pain. I bought my husband a new ipod nano for the holidays only to find that my 6 year old macbook pro was too out of date to load it. Having had problems with said computer for some time I took a great big gulp and bought a new/refurbished one. Still struggling with all the newness and an extremely frustrating trackpad with a will of its own. And even worse- I may need more memory already.

Ah! A new computer is a wondrous thing. Please knit it a little computer cover or carrier. It will love you forever!

Congratulations on the new macbook, I am in the process of getting one. Mine is well.... *I hate to say it* an old man, and even though I will still use him my hubby insists on a new one. He says I will be happier. We shall see.

I do fell your laptop pain. mine has been repaired 2 times and gone through 3 chargers. *Sigh* There are also software or hardware issues that I do not want to get into because 1) I am not a computer nerd and 2) my head hurts just thinking about it.

Please forgive the spelling and grammar errors. i have a cold and I blame the cold gnomes for my lack of typing ability. (Does that even make sense?)

"my balls are bigger than those balls"...That's nice, honey. Good for you. ;)

Laurie at 10:47. I did indeed use the same circular needles that I used to get gauge and knit both the swatch and my sweater in the same way (flat) and the sweater is coming out as at gauge. And I am knitting the smallest size in the pattern...All I can guess at is that the pattern was made for a larger size and that whatever calculator was used to estimate how many balls were needed for the XS size was off by a lot. I was really surprised to find that I achieved gauge with my first swatch with the needles called for in the pattern with a completely different yarn. I guess although you do the math correctly, there are no guarantees...

da plane. da plane.
da balls. da balls......
da picture is beautiful. I love my macBook. I hope
you and your's will enjoy a long relationship as
you explore what buttons to push so the beach ball
thingie never shows up. Ever. It hounded me for awhile.
I watched it go 'round 'n round a bit then packed up my Mac off to see my local, brilliant
Mac expert who magically made that annoying BALL go away.
See, no matter how I try to avoid it the conversation always returns to BALLS.

I don't think I have ever posted a comment but I read your blog all the time.
This was the funniest one yet. I have never laughed so hard over a post and the resulting comments in my life.
I'm so glad that you have the "balls" to write stuff like this.
Great post.

Aloha and congrats on the new Mac My only question with the yardage is that since the yarn of greater yardage is thinner, wouldn't you need more? Or does getting gauge take care of that question? I'm grappling with that same question myself converting to do Otello with pure wool (Lambs Pride) instead of the blingy yarn called for in the pattern.

I felt odd buying yarn for 3 projects (and preparing to cast on all of them plus the one i just did) until reading your post. What a great knitting year this is turning out to be, already!

"the spinning-rainbow-beachball-of-doom"
Known in our household as
The DAMN UNICORN BUTTHOLE!!!*
*Google for references to unicorns farting rainbows & you will understand.
Having a new computer is a total test of endurance. I often wonder if I will just get to a point where I can't be bothered learning anything new & totally give up on them alltogether. LOL

And just to join in the hillarity

BALLS!!!

Knit on!
Lush
London, UK

theres an ACDC song about that

a retired macbook pro should be a mac book emeritus. or possibly a mac book consultant. if all else fails, make it a book end. in six more years you will have a matched pair._] [_

When I fear I will run out of yarn, I knit very very fast and try to finish the knitting before the yarn runs out. ;) I once finished a cardi with 6" of yarn left. There was smoke coming off those needles.
Love your blog.

Hang in there with the computer. Every day gets better as we learn new stuff. It's amazing how much they really do. Amazing! and yet - craziness!

as for the yarn, three big balls are always better than five little balls. LOL

Uh.... getting there with my computer. Hope you are having as much luck.

You probably already know this, but row gauge will affect the yardage you need. For example, DK yarn row gauges are ofter 28, 30, or 32 rows to 4 inches. If the pattern calls for 800 yds and a row gauge of 28 rows to 4" and your row gauge is 32 rows to 4", you'll need more yardage.

Oh my, what big balls you have! Thank you ever so much. Around here we call that rainbow beach ball "Oh Sh*t ...We try to keep it simple, after five Mac desktops, it's an old err, acquaintance. Lovely frosty stuff!