good customer service | bad customer service

Over the last 2 weeks, I've seen both and I need to share.

Good customer service
Porter Airlines flew me to Newark and back so that I could go to Rhinebeck. On the trip home, I learned my flight was cancelled when I got to the airport [I gave them my home number as a contact number, otherwise they'd have called my cell and I would have known much earlier]. The problem was an equipment issue and they needed to get a part to rectify it. It was a substantial bump in their schedule, and here's how they handled it.

With very little fuss, they
a) put me up at the [surprisingly lovely] Marriott adjacent to the airport
b) provided dinner and breakfast vouchers
c) when the morning's flight was delayed the next day, provided lunch as well
d) as they gave updates on the delay, they would let us know when the next update would be so we wouldn't just be sitting there, wondering, like the poor folks waiting on the Delta flight at the next gate
e) gave me two credits equalling nearly the entire cost of my flight because of the problems, unasked.

I will fly Porter again, unquestionably. [I haven't even mentioned their deluxe lounge in Toronto where everyone waits for their flights with free wifi, delicious coffee and yummy cookies, plus the fact that they serve small meals, beer and wine, ALL FREE, on almost every flight.]

Bad customer service
Rogers Wireless

I'm just shaking my head at this. I placed the order for the iPhone on the 22nd of October [a week ago]. They didn't mention at the time that I could just go to a store and buy a phone and it would be faster. Sure wish they had. Here, let's use the same list system:

a) first sales rep was rude and cross when I asked why, as a loyal, long-time Rogers customer, that I had to pay more for an iPhone [$249] than a new customer [$199]. No explanation, just curt answers and lots of being bored with me. Transfers me to...
b) second sales rep who was much nicer and, though he didn't tell me about the in-person shopping option [only hardware upgrades can be arranged in store; new purchases must be done online or over the phone, go figger], he was at least nice and gave me a service discount well in excess of the overcharge for the phone. Fair enough.
c) on Monday [the 27th], was told the phones had come in on the 24th and would likely ship that day or the next.
d) on Tuesday [okay, I was eager. sue me], was told it hadn't shipped yet. Maybe tomorrow.
e) today, was told there are NO PHONES and none came in on the 24th. I could cancel my order and go to a store now [NOW they tell me], but must wait until the cancellation goes through. Another 24-72 hours. They can't cancel my order right away. Not even the supervisor I waited an hour to talk to. Dude.
f) finally get transferred to another customer service guy who seems to be intelligent and actually cares about my business. Gives me very complex options designed to make me happy while working around the unbelievably STUPID rules and systems at Rogers. He types a lot of notes into my file. By the way, have been on the phone for 1 hour 52 minutes, mostly on hold.
eta: g) spent an hour at the Rogers shop based on the instructions of guy in step F. Guy in step F has been smoking something and what he tells me will happen at the shop CANNOT happen. Leave without iPhone.
h) Call Rogers again on the way to the Purl and get someone who now says that the reason they can't cancel my original order is because IT'S ALREADY SHIPPED. See item e). I have no idea if she's right this time and likely won't until the damned thing actually shows up.

So what am I frustrated with? Not the people at Rogers so much as the red tape, stupidity and unnecessary complexity of their [not very good] systems. Why should their own employees have to figure out how to bend or break their rules to make their customers happy when they have valid requests?

By contrast, Porter just made it all better before I even asked. That's customer service. Take that, Rogers.

no, seriously. Devo!

Thank you to everyone for the good wishes! Special thanks to Rache in the comments who found the FTP app that is TOTALLY going to solve 1/2 of the remainder of my connectivity problems. Brilliant! Now if someone can just find an app that will let me run Keynote presentations from the iPhone -- because look at this projector! -- I'll be all set!

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Meanwhile, in Knitty parts [why does that sound dirty?], I'm wondering why I am hearing zero Devo web buzz after the surprise came out. Dudes. I know Nicky named her scarf Skullface, and I haven't even asked her about the Devo resemblance, but I feel this cannot be ignored.

We knitters now have a chart for Devo heads. Why are we not running to our stashes, casting on for Devo socks, Devo cowls, Devo tunics of extreme proportions? It's not even fair isle...it's MOSAIC! Even I can do mosaic knitting!

Nobody? It's just me?

I leave you to mock me in the comments. I can take it. Sort of.

improved portability and a BIRTHDAY

Remember this? the portable solution

I have been trying to figure out some sort of mobile connectivity solution for 2 years now. The Palm T|X is good, but often S.L.O.W. And there's no e-mail without wifi.

Fast forward to Scout and I driving to Rhinebeck. Hub txts me that we need to do a bank transfer and I'm nowhere near the internet and won't be all weekend. What do I do?

Scout hands me her iPhone. I am intimidated. It's so shiny.

I type in the URL for my Canadian bank and within 5 minutes [because of the spotty cel coverage where we were driving, otherwise it would have been faster], I've transferred $ from one account to another and am lost.

It's my birthday today, and guess what I'm getting? [It's ordered through Rogers, just not here yet.]

It's still not the all-in-one solution I was hoping for [I'll need to use the Palm for fixing HTML files and uploading them], but it's 80% of the solution, and that's good enough for me.

Besides, it's really cool and I'm an embarrasing sucker for the coolness.

what Julia saw

At Rhinebeck, I was a little light on the camera, but thankfully Julia picked up the slack in one crucial area. Amy + Jillian pictures.

My favorite is the last one.

Knitty's 2009 Calendar Contest winners announced!

It's here! The 2009 Knitty Calendar, fresh off the press and ready for you!

This year, we had a great assortment of photos to choose from and that always makes the final selection process hard. But it's a fun kind of hard and I had a blast putting this one together.

This year's cover photo is from Emily Smartt of Tennessee. Don't miss the fuzzy friends in the background on the right. Just a great picture, Emily, and congratulations! Your huge [and I mean HUGE] box of books, yarn and shwag will be in the mail shortly.

The other 11 winners featured in this year's calendar are also stellar!

January: Elizabeth Caron
February: Emily Smartt
March: Angela Moore
April: Renée Sparkes
May: Ann Makela Schneider
June: Lindsey LaPlant
July: Lorrella Cobb
August: Heather La Rivière
September: Alex Walper
October: Allison Reilly
November: Sarah Friesen
December: Michelle DesGroseilliers

To see each of the winning images, just visit the calendar in the Knittyshop and you can flip through each page at your leisure. Each of the runner-up winners gets a copy of the calendar. They'll be in the mail shortly as well!

What about all the other great photos that didn't make it in? You'll find them in the 2009 Honorable Mention Gallery.

I got to pick up the load of calendars for prizes at Rhinebeck, and they really look fabulous. I'm so pleased, and I hope the winners and our readers will be just as happy.

For now, just remember: when you're photographing your Knitty knits, think about making a calendar entry out of it! You could be the winner of the HUGE box of coolness next year!

the new kids, adopted at Rhinebeck

the new kids
Originally uploaded by amysinger

There are more pictures on Flickr [click the image at right to see them all] including closeups and descriptions of each new foundling. The secret mission spindle was the one in the middle, the Hatchtown. The spindlemaker only does a small assortment every year and they sell out before you know they're gone. We were there when the show officially opened and most spindles were gone by 10 am that day.

I was quite selective this year, but still managed to drop a bundle of $.

One thing not pictured? A gorgeous jacket [quite lagenlook, Brenda!] from Maiwa Handprints [did you visit the Ancient Textiles booth in the back corner of the barn? If not, you missed some serious gorgeousness. Photos of the jacket on me next time I feel photogenic.



Norm Hall niddy noddy in cherry.


All my spindles so far [except the Avi Wasserman who was hiding].


The only fiber I bought. Sliver Moon Farm. I love them.

Rhinebeck 2008 encapsulates the glory of fall.

I've been to Rhinebeck three times now, and this year was the first that really felt like fall. Brilliant fall colors and a significant chill in the air. In fact, I was so programmed by previous visits where knitwear = shvitz that I underpacked and missed two great silk sweater days. Yes, it was that cold.

For those who'd rather look than read, the full photostream is here. For the rest of you, a brief walking tour.


I met many new-to-me Knitty and Knittyspin readers this trip. This group of glowingly happy women were just the first 3 out of a whole group of them. Happy friends getting to hang together. That's what Rhinebeck means to me. [That sounded like the title of a grade 5 essay, didn't it? Sorry.]


My friend Jennie the Potter -- that's her on the right -- made her first professional appearance at Rhinebeck this year and her booth was continually full of jaw-dropped fiber freaks.


Watch for more on Jennie's newest offerings in the winter issue of Knitty.


I finally got to meet Lynne Vogel, who was as fun as this picture suggests.


Of course, I got to hang with Jillian [far right] and Carla [far left], as well as the bonus hanging with Kay and Ann [and Ann's friend Kelly] as we lined up and lunched on chicken pot pies.


Not all girls, though! Stephen, Franklin [sometimes] and Sean were Scout's unofficial posse as she made her way through her first Rhinebeck, which means I got to see a lot of them.

My pictures are pretty lame when it comes to capturing most of my friends, though. Like where are pictures of me and Scout? Me and anyone, for that matter? For some reason, I was living the fun, not thinking about blogging it. I guess that's not so bad, but it doesn't make for a very electrifying blog post. :-)

Speaking of Scout, she picked me up at the Newark airport and we got to drive to Rhinebeck and back together. It was so good to have a little time with her, since she lives so danged far away, and we laughed a lot. We also found the best pickle [sour new dill] on Route 17 in New Jersey. I will be dreaming of that pickle for a long time.

I didn't make it to any big meetups or the Rav party. I was feeling a little insular and wanted to be with a smaller group of friends this time. I still got to meet tons of people as I walked all through the grounds, and that was great!

Every single button and sticker was passed out to Knitty fans and a lot of you guys were much less shy than you've been in the past. Rock on! You know, you never have to apologize for coming up to say hi or that you like Knitty. That's the nicest thing I can ever hear. And I heard it a lot this weekend. So thank you to each and every person who took the time to poke me on the shoulder and grin at me. I send you all hugs.

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There are two more Rhinebeck posts coming. Stay tuned!

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Anyone notice anything different about the blog?

off to Rhinebeck!

To those not going, I totally understand what it feels like. I had to read about Rhinebeck twice as a bystander before I decided I couldn't stand not to go the next time it came around. If you can't come this year, maybe next year!

For those going, I just wanted you to know that I'll be packing the Knitty swag bag which is, this time, full of Knitty buttons and Euro stickers. We've also got brand new Knittyspin buttons to celebrate the official Knittyspin launch. So if you see Jillian or I walking around the fair, don't be shy. Ask for a button!

Travel spinning: my Houndesign laceweight spindle + some sort of tussah from my stash.
Travel knitting: restarted toe-up sock -- 2nd of a pair! -- just inches from the bind off and my top-down raglan in my Amy Friendly yarn.

Hope everyone travels safely! See you on the flip side!

if you don't know this guy, you need to

Keri and I got to see Jason Mraz last night in concert in Toronto at Massey Hall. It was, without question, the best concert experience I've ever had. I don't crush on Jason. It's just that his voice hits the exact frequency in my body that makes all things good and possible and right. You must have a singer who does that for you. Jason Mraz is mine.

The video above is from some brilliant person who was also there last night. The quality is EXTRAORDINARY. If I did this right, I've embedded the high-quality version.

I could gush all day about this guy, but I've got to get ready for Rhinebeck, and besides, his music speaks for itself.

nu-uh she di-n't!

Okay, I didn't realize. The non-wool yarn that Beth at Lorna's Laces is using for my colorway? She's been calling it "Amy Friendly Yarn" in messages to me.

But dudes. That's its official name in stores and everything. I'm sure it's the height of ego to be amused by this, but I can't help it.

Proof? Here's the stuff for sale and everything:
- at The Loopy Ewe

- at Jimmy Beans Wool

There is giggling on this side of the keyboard.

knitting! in progress! um, wow!

this would be Gretel-in-progress, being knit in Handmaiden Swiss Mountain Silk Cotton in [probably] Dandelion. have i made errors following the chart? yup. do i care? not enough to frog. soldiering on. i actually started this hat about 15 times with different yarns and needles, so now that i'm this far, i'm going on until absolute folly is apparent, or i end up with a hat.

[i find the best way for me to get accurate gauge swatches for hats is to start the hats, knit an inch or so and then pull from the needles and try on. nothing else works for me.]



this is the gorgeousness of Amy-Friendly Yarn [named by Beth] from Lorna's Laces [silk/bamboo] in Amy's Vintage Office. top-down raglan has begun. LOVING the fabric. yum.

pattern i'm using is based on Stef Japel's top-down raglan formula. i'm trying to understand garment shaping a little better, so i decided it was time to use the formula, not follow a pattern. will this actually result in a wearable sweater? we'll see, won't we? :-)

blog local

just found Sarah's blog through a post on Facebook -- Diggin’ the Dirt. and she's only got 2 subscribers including me? that's nuts. go read her!

there are great bloggers all over the world, but all of a sudden, i'm discovering really cool Toronto-based crafty bloggers. which means when they write about resources, i have access to them too! Sarah's one -- she writes about knitting, gardening and cooking [canning especially caught my attention]. Another is Karyn at Make Something who writes as cool a crafting blog as any i've ever seen, and she's local. she also runs a cool sewing studio in town which i've been meaning to check out.

so there. you can eat local and shop local. i say you should also blog local! :-)

quick cold-brew coffee primer for Jacquie

because i miss her. :-)

there are lots of posts all over the web about this. here's a short one, condensed with what i've learned so far and my [simple] methods.

ingredients:
- a French Press coffee pot, which i just happened to have around* the house. you can do the same with a big jar and a fine sieve. i just like having a use for something that was in the basement.

- medium-coarse ground coffee [mine so far is a blend of 1/3 ethopian beans, 2/3 sumatran. supposedly blends make better cold-brew, or so i've read]. if you can grind them just before brewing, that's best

- water

- time

here's what i do:
- grind some beans -- a small handful makes about 2/3c
- measure exactly 2/3c and put it in the bottom of the French Press
- measure exactly 1.5c of water from the Brita pitcher and pour it on top
- i have one of those Nigella scrambly whisks and i mix up the whole mess until all the coffee grounds are wet
- put the plunger lid on top, UNplunged, and leave on the kitchen counter for 12 hours, no more. [more = bitterness]
- push the plunger down and pour the coffee concentrate into another container [i use a glass jar] and put in the fridge

to make my favorite milky, sweet latte, so far the blend is:

1 part coffee concentrate
1 part 2% milk
.5 part sugar-free vanilla syrup

that makes it quite milky and sweet. that's today's mix, anyway -- i will likely fine tune it.

if you like regular coffee, the coffee concentrate should be diluted 1:1 with water. but i don't like regular coffee, so i have no opinion.

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i make this stuff because i think and work better with one single coffee in me in the morning, and my kitchen is closer than any coffee shop and much cheaper. also, this stuff is really delicious and, as advertised, feels less acidy on the tum [which is something i have to deal with].

*the final irony is that this bodum french press? it came as a gift from Starbucks. i'm not kidding. when the less-big coffee giant first came to Toronto in the late '90s, i was annoyed that there was no website of any sort for Starbucks [that's how long ago it was] where i could find the nearest location. so i started my own. [!]

amusingly, Starbucks head office found out about it and wrote to thank me [again, !!] and ask for my address. they sent me a box of coffee stuff, most of which we still have, and this coffee press was in that box. so my home-brew is courtesy of Starbucks, saving me at least $4 every time i make one myself. :-)

the best bunny story i've read all week

did you know Tina from Blue Moon has recently brought home a new bunny? he's absolutely beautiful. go read her post and i dare you not to melt.

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i've been messing about with cold-brewed coffee, trying to get the proportions of coffee to milk right. i'm getting closer. the beans are from the Merchants of Green Coffee, in lieu of my most-favorite Stumptown. it's all about proximity, and i can get it freshly roasted, which i'm told is the big dealy key thing. blend so far is 1/3 ethopian beans, 2/3 sumatran.

i like a latte kind of drink, so i am not adding water to the coffee concentrate. i'm closer today than ever, but it's still not right. when i get it right, i'll share the proportions.

oh, and my lattes include sugar-free vanilla syrup. you wanna tell me i'm a coffee wuss? go ahead. try. i like it sweet, and so there.

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my gretel is on hold. i am trying to knit from stash, not for financial reasons, but because it's just damned greedy to have a good bit of yarn and not look there first for supplies for a project.

sadly, all my stash options are not working out. the closest is a lovely skein of Silk Cotton from [sigh] Handmaiden, in the most beautiful colors of faded yellow to grey [i think it might be Dandelion, but my skein is much more muted than any i see on the web]. except it's probably 25 yards short of being enough to finish the hat. will i be brave enough to cast on, knowing i might not have enough to finish? we'll see!

meanwhile, i am knitting greedily on my new sweater -- Amy's Vintage Office in the Amy Friendly Yarn [bamboo/silk] and i cannot believe how fabulous this yarn is. it's not as slippery as pure silk and it's not as wussy as pure bamboo. it's kind of heaven.

pictures later. right now, work!

things!

Urchin, complete. what is that yarn? why, it's my first handspun! silk hankies, bought at Rhinebeck the first year i went, from Chasing Rainbows [colorway, Pansies].

looks relatively cute from the front. from the back and sides, not so much. maybe with a scarf around my neck? the expanse of neckness without hair hanging down over it is a bit startling to me.

- therefore, i've cast on a Gretel. i do believe, however, that darling Ms Ysolda is on crack about the stockinette gauge after multiple tests. we'll see if it actually fits with the finer-gauge yarn i'm using and her same stitch count. the band is absolutely big enough so far, hence the "on crack" thing.

- yesterday was hub's and my 18th [!!!] anniversary. before we fell asleep, we both said we'd marry the other again in a second. damn straight. i don't know how i was lucky enough to find this challenging man who's helped me fix my baggage, but i was and i'm very thankful of it.

- my head is aspin [ha! pun!] with thoughts of Rhinebeck. last year, we did SOAR and had a blast, and i am constantly thinking of Denny who's there right now and what she might be doing. and drinking. and suspending from balconies. but even more, i am so looking forward to seeing all my people at Rhinebeck.

- i might also be formulating a short must-have shopping list because there's no way i'm doing Rhinebeck without a plan. the #1 thing is a specific spindle, and i'm not telling which because if i get there and they're all gone, there will be such wailing you have never heard. after that, it's all gravy. or artichokes.

- my Rhinebeck hoodie is ordered and shipped to Jillian, my unofficial-official US-based postmistress. Cafepress impressed me -- they shipped almost immediately. so if you wanted one, there's probably still time to grab it! just sayin. there's always a coupon on the left sidebar of the shop, just in case you wanna go for it.

- oh, in case you didn't know, Jillian and I are signing at Carolina Homespun on Sunday at 1pm at Rhinebeck. we don't have time to do the author tent this time, so come see us at Morgaine's booth [she's the coolest, you know].

- there's more, but i have to get to work.

my Neil Gaiman needs have been met

Thanks to all the kind folks who offered to get me an autograph from one of my favorite authors. Turns out that my friend Dawn's got me covered, so you guys are off the hook. She lives in Mr G's home town even!

Thank you, Dawn! Now get in the back of Jennie's truck and come to Rhinebeck with her!!

much better.

I walked into the salon with my chopped-off mess, removed my baseball cap and, no kidding, everyone in the salon gasped audibly. There was head shaking. My guy came over and ran his fingers through the chopped-up mess and didn't seem worried.

I'd gotten, it seems, one of the technically worst haircuts ever seen. Proportions? Non-existant. I looked like I was losing my hair on the left side [not joking] it was chopped up so unevenly and so short, and I had a big DuranDuran bang that didn't belong anywhere. The before pictures I took [yes, Anonymous, I did take them, but you'll never see them] aren't even clear enough to see how bad it was.

But here are the after pictures. The pink is something I had done ages ago and there's still enough left to see it. [I do love it.]

The bang now makes sense in context with the hair, having been properly layered and angled into the rest of it. Everything else is pretty much Demi Moore in GI Jane, but on purpose this time. I don't look like a 6-year-old hacked at me with blunt scissors.

I can't explain why the same woman who gave my friend J a fabulous, perfectly suited to her, proportional and well-executed cut could mess up so badly on me. But I am grateful that my guy is good natured and likes a challenge. He actually said he was glad I had this done so that he could try super-short on me. That's my boy.

So now if you see me at Rhinebeck, you'll know it's actually me.

I'm off to cast on an Urchin in my handspun. I think my head will be colder this winter than usual. :-)

2 weeks to Rhinebeck, and I have the worst haircut ever.

I am an idiot.

who is stealing my stuff?!

This is driving me crazy.

First, this shawl, last photographed in its infancy [but actually two full skeins of knitting last time I saw it -- almost done!] is MISSING. I took it with me on the Alaksa cruise and I can't remember seeing it since. This doesn't bode well. I didn't knit much of anything on that cruise, so I was pretty sure the shawl stayed in my bag the whole freaking time. Except it's not there or anywhere.

Second, I just bought replacement size US6 tips for my needles and used them. And now they're missing. And for some ridiculous reason, I have no other size 6 needles in my house. I have ripped up couch cushions, looked under piles and in things that don't even vaguely relate to knitting and NO NEEDLES.

This is putting a serious cramp in my Vintage Office project starting. Grr.

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Today, I'm doing the unthinkable. I'm going to see a different hairdresser. My guy doesn't read my blog, so it's safe to report this here.

He's a friend and a lovely guy. We're friends with his wife and his kids. But I just need to see someone different after more than 10 years.

I feel like a sleazebag. But I do have a story prepared in case I decide I'm going back to him after the cut today.

And if I don't, how the hell do I handle that, because he still cuts hub's hair. Oh, dangit -- he's the one that moved another half hour further away from us. Am I to blame, really? He forced me into it!

in knitting news...

There are no words to describe how much I love Ann and Kay right now.

You girls are righteous. [Where did you get the wigs? If you tell me they were your mamas', I think I'll faint.]

keep *$ out of Kensington Market, please.

If you're interested in the backstory, here's a column in the National Post: Venti battle brews in Kensington. I don't like the Post, and I disagree with the conclusion of the columnist, but I link to it on purpose here.

Backstory: I drink Starbucks. I am very fond of their summer drinks and when it gets cold, one of their flavored lattes makes me happy. I know what good coffee is having had the real stuff in Italy, and I know that Starbucks isn't it. But it makes do, and it's consistent. I can count on it.

I've written each of my 4 books in the Starbucks at Hammersmith on Queen St in Toronto. I can concentrate better there.

Clearly, I'm not anti-Starbucks.

But I am anti-Starbucks-in-Kensington-Market.

Kensington Market is about individuality, small business and history. It's not about chain shops of any kind, imo. I don't think of Second Cup as a chain shop, even though it is. I'd rather it not be there, but it is. I suppose it's pretty telling that no one considers Second Cup a threat, but people are paying attention when Starbucks wants in.

If you want a Starbucks beverage while knitting at Lettuce Knit, you can get one by walking 5-10 minutes in any direction. But maybe you want to try I deal Coffee instead. Or Moonbean. Or that new juice bar that's a few doors south of Big Fat Burrito. Or have a fresh juice blend from Rice in a biodegradable cup that might start melting as you drink it [but the Digestive blend, despite the name, is worth the risk of drippage]. There are a lot of choices, and none of them bring worldwide baggage along.

I don't want a posh cafe in Kensington Market. A few chairs outside, a great espresso machine + someone who knows how to use it inside -- that makes good coffee that suits the neighborhood. But, see, we've already got that several times over. We don't need Starbucks there with piles of their corporate glossy signage, and I for one hope they go elsewhere. Or maybe be content with their shops on almost every block in the city center.