Kelly

I'm using Excel and another program to look up data and then type it into the excel spreadsheet. I have two monitors so I can look back and forth. However, whenever I make the other program the active window, any rows I have highlighted in the Excel document un-highlight until I switch back to make Excel active. I keep loosing my place in the long list of figures. Is there any way to keep my highlighting visible?

I send SMS messages all the time to other people's cell phones from my computer using Yahoo messenger. For some reason starting today, I've got a sort of signature line that says "Send HELP IM to %d for info." Where did that come from and how do I get rid of it?

I'm setting up a wireless connection on a new computer. It can detect my wireless signal, but it can't connect. I suspect I put in the wrong password but I can't figure out where to try a new password. Help?

I just made a scarf from a yarn that is 85% acrylic and 15% polyamide. Can I successfully block it to make the edges a little more even?

I'm pretty sure those little bumps are infected taste buds (or swollen, or inflamed, or whatever). But I have one right now on the edge of my tongue that rubs against my teeth when I eat, talk, swallow, etc and it's very annoying and kinda painful. Is there anything I can do to help it heal fast?

I've been almost randomly weaving the ends in and out of some of the nearby stitches, but sometimes you can still see the tails, or I worry they will come out. Also, I made a hat for a friend, who showed it to her friend who crochets, and that person said I wasn't doing the ends right. I know it's hard to explain in print, but if anyone has any hints I'd love to hear them. Or if you know of a good picture/video tutorial?

Thanks!

I've been told that the reason my crocheting isn't stretchy is likely because I'm using acrylic yarn. I live in a small town so there's nowhere but Walmart to get yarn here. I can drive about an hour and make it to a Hobby Lobby or Michael's.

Can you please recommend a wool or wool blend yarn that is nice, but not super expensive that I can get at one of those stores or online?

Also, can you wash wool or does it turn into felt?

I feel like I'm missing something when choosing yarns. I know if you're not going to get the exact yarn used in the pattern, you have to get something the same weight. And so I know, for example, for worsted I look for the little 4 inside a ball of yarn, like this. http://www.yarnandfiber.com/catalog/images/informa...

But there surely is more to it than that. Yesterday at the yarn store I had two balls of yarn that were both a 4 but were nowhere near the same thickness. Obviously they can't all be exact, but this was a noticeable difference. So what am I missing??

I'm guessing it has something to do with the X ounces = X yards info, but omg that's maths! I can't do that! ;)

My pattern says 15 stitches and 10 rows of hdc = 4 inches. Using the recommended hook, I got about 14.5 stitches sideways, close enough for me. But up and down it's only about 2.5 inches. If I go up a hook, won't my stitches get bigger side to side too? Is there a way to make my stitches taller without getting wider?

This is a problem I've had every time I've made a swatch, not just this yarn or this hook. Always too short. When I tried filet crochet I had to use a triple crochet instead of a double to make a square.

Any suggestions???

Every time I try to make a plain ole stocking hat kind of crochet hat, if I follow the patterns, it just doesn't work out. This pattern says that the first several rounds are supposed to make a flat circle, but all of mine end up this weird wavy shape. If I fold up the excess I can change it to a flat round shape, so I'm assuming I'm making something too big.

And I'm not talking this specific pattern only, I'm talking every hat pattern I've ever tried that is this same basic idea - make a circle, make it bigger.

So how do I fix it? Switch hooks maybe? I've been kinda trying on the hat after every round and randomly adding increases and/or decreases, but it sure would be nice to know what I do wrong so I can just follow the directions!

Any advice??

http://mkcarroll.com/2007/12/basic-crochet-beanie-...

With color A, chain 4 and join into a ring with a slip stitch.

Round 1) 8 hdc into ring (8 sts)

Round 2) 2 hdc in ea st (16 sts)

Round 3) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next st, 2 hdc in following st* (24 sts)

Round 4) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in following st (32 sts)

Round 5) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in following st (40 sts)

change to color B

Round 6) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 4 sts, 2 hdc in following st (48 sts)

change to color A

Round 7) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 5 sts, 2 hdc in following st (56 sts)

Round 8) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 6 sts, 2 hdc in following st (64 sts)

Round 9-11) hdc in ea st (64 sts)

change to color B

Round 12) hdc in ea st (64 sts)

change to color A

Rounds 13 - 17) hdc in ea st (64 sts)

change to color B

Round 18) hdc in ea st (64 sts)

It seems at least twice a week I come home to a blob of cat puke on my carpet (because we all know if a pet pukes on the tile floor, they must have been really sick if they couldn't even make it to the good rug!)

I feed my car hairball control science diet, and I brush him every few days. He's either half persian or a doll faced persian (he's a pound kitty so not sure). He is definitely a long haired cat, but kinda short haired as persians go.

What else can I do to stop these nasty things??

So I just made a lacy crocheted shawl, the shill shell shawl on ravelry if you're a member. Here's a couple cell phone pics. It's made with cotton.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k104/chutzpaw/cr...

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k104/chutzpaw/cr...

I've read a couple different ways to block. One is basically dunk the whole thing in water, then lay it out flat on a towel to dry. I worry about this one, because you know how if you leave your clothes in the washing machine too long they smell funny? What if my shawl and towel do that?

The other way is to flatten your shawl onto an ironing board, get a towel wet, and then iron the towel, making the steam from the towel block the shawl. This way sounds better to me, but it seems maybe this isn't always the best method?

So basically I need some advice from someone who's done this before!

I bought some cotton yarn recently, my first time working with anything other than medium-cheap acrylic. I'm liking working with it, but I noticed the label says it is mercerized. What's that? Is it a good or bad thing? Or good for certain types of projects? I'm crocheting if that makes a difference. I'm starting a shawl, and the yarn is Omega Sinfonia.

Here's the pattern I want to make.

http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=1465

I'm not using the exact same yarn, but the one in the pattern and the one I've chosen are both a worsted weight 4.

So it says GAUGE: 17 sts and 6 rows = 4 ins [10 cm] in pat. So I assume I start making the pattern, and after 6 rows I should roughly have 4 inches. Well, after going up two hook sizes, I got about 17 stitches to 4 inches sideways. But five rows of the pattern was only about one inch!! (When it was that far off I didn't bother to go on to row 6.) What am I doing wrong???

Is it just that we see the written word more?

I am constantly amazed at the terrible grammar I see. I'm not talking about stuff like "L8r ppl" because that's just an annoying abbreviation. I mean like when people can't tell the difference between they're, their and there.

I want to think kids these days aren't being taught proper grammar, or they are being passed regardless of whether they have learned. But that makes me sound so old! I'm 31.

Maybe the real issue is the written word is more dominant now than in the past? If people are constantly writing emails, blogs, text messages, etc. maybe the ones who have bad written grammar are just more obvious now?

What do you guys think?

I work in an open office, bullpen style. I don't mind chit-chat sometimes, but some days I just don't want to talk, and need to concentrate on my work. Yesterday I tried wearing headphones (which is technically not allowed in my office so it is a rarity to see someone with them) but it didn't work at all. Three times in two hours someone interrupted me, made me take off the headphones, just to tell me some inane non work-related thing. Both times I didn't respond at all and just put the headphones back on. But two of those times was the same person, so not responding at all didn't even work.

How else can I signal to my coworkers I want to be left alone to concentrate on work for an afternoon?

To make it harder, sometimes I don't actually have a big project I need to concentrate on, I just want to be left alone. So it's hard to say "leave me alone I have a deadline" when I'm just shuffling papers.

I have just learned to crochet in the last few months. I'm starting to think about what I can make people for Christmas. I was thinking little purses and scarves mostly. But I have one friend who I've never seen carry a purse (just her wallet) and I've never seen her wear a scarf or a hat.

What are some other beginner level things I could crochet for her? I'd like to keep it under $10-$15. And nothing huge like an afghan, something similar in size to purses and hats and scarves that I will be giving my other friends.

I have a couple of scarves that were made for me, both are crocheted. They are very flexible, and appear to be made of double crochet stitches. You can take the scarf and stretch it from it's original width of say 6 inches to probably close to 10 inches.

When I make them, they tend to be very stiff and not stretchy. I thought this came from using a small hook, so recently I tried making a scarf with a K hook. I used one strand of worsted, and one strand of a thin novelty yarn. I was doing half-double crochets and they were pretty loose.

This thing turned out almost like a potholder. Perfect square, no stretching, no bending. But not very comfy to wear around the neck. I wish I would have gotten a pic, but I unraveled it when I realized there was no one anyone would wear that.

So what am I doing wrong? Different hook size? Looser stitches/tighter stitches? Different type of stitch? Anything???

I live in small town USA. I am single. I want to travel to basically everywhere. lol I've never left the country as of yet, and am not sure where to start. I only speak the tiniest bit of French, and a tiny bit of Spanish. I don't have a lot of debt, but I don't have a lot saved up either. About $1000.

So here are some of the things I wonder:

If I don't speak the language, I should probably visit countries that speak English right?

Is it generally safe to travel alone? If not, are there ways to find others who want to travel? (None of my friends really want/can travel with me.)

I'm sure there are companies that offer guided tours of the major attractions in most countries. Do I find these directly or thru an American travel agent? Are they worth it?

And anything else I don't even know I should be asking!!

I have clinical depression and have for years. I've never been hospitalized for it though, and most people wouldn't know I have it if I didn't tell them.

So I just got home from a mediocre date with a guy who turned out to be bipolar and maybe schitzo, and has been hospitalized. If he hadn't told me I would have just assumed he was a little weird with a lack of social graces.

I didn't feel an attraction to him, but it made me wonder.....should I look for a date that has mental illness or a "normal" person. Anyone had experiences either way?