Just a Wee Bit More to Go

I see there's a new follower who just joined my blog; thank you and hope you enjoy the read.  If you're a newbie and have questions I'll be very happy to help you, just write and ask.  For fun, after reading this post you could type in topics of interest in the blog's search engine.  That is located at the top left of my blog just above the Domestic Zoo photograph.  There is a red square with a white letter B and beside that is an empty search engine box.  Type your topic and hit enter.  If I've written about it, it will show up.  Moving on........ 

This little Black Kitten Mat (an antique adaptation) is a little closer to be completed and I'm looking forward to working on Hester again.  Particularly since this is the second hooking of the same design; thankfully it is a small mat.

For you new followers, below is the antique from which the design was drawn.  I'm not sure if the angle is representative of a chair pad of that shape or if the angle of the photo is in perspective from the angle of the photo taken.  But I wanted mine rectangular ~ mine measures 15 x 17.

Yesterday was a good day and a bad day.  I'll give you the GOOD DAY first.  I had a Polly Minick Moby pattern to ship to Western Australia and had never shipped there before.  So I packaged it up, weighed it on my grand father's antique scale to estimate shipping costs for the buyer. 

Continuing...just happened to have a Customs Document I'd acquired somehow and went to the post office.  Much to my surprise it is really easy to ship to Western Australia, particularly if it is a flat flexible envelope.  Were it a box then I'd have had to use a customs document and the buyer may have encountered extra fees.  But the pattern shipped first class, and yes the cost is still VERY costly but not the trouble I was encountering and thankfully the shipping was the buyers responsibility.

The BAD DAY part was my HP printer 6600.  Did you know it will NOT print in black and white if there is an empty color cartridge?  HUH? is what I'm sure you're thinking. 

'Tis true and I was totally ticked off.  Even tho there were cartridges ordered from HP last Thursday (cyan, yellow, magenta and black) they aren't to arrive until tomorrow. But I want to print a black and white shipping label.... so went thru the motions of usps and payed for postage thru my PayPal account.  Guess what, won't print because I'm out of magenta ink.  The cartridge is on it's way BUT the label only has until midnight of the day to ship to print out the label. 

I know what you're thinking and I did too.... I pulled out the cartridge, shook it, tapped it and slid it back in.  Nope.  Won't print as Magenta cartridge needs to be replaced.

Okay, the $15.99 Magenta XL is on it's way but I had to go to Walmart and buy a regular Magenta cartridge for $10.99 in order to print the label.

Would you explain why a printer wouldn't print in black and white if a color cartridge is empty?  And surely the printers can be programmed to let the person choose FIRST if in color or B&W before saying it won't print. So that is why my day was bad yesterday and why only a couple loops got pulled.

Okay, I'm calm now taking a deep breath and am ready to pour a glass of Pinot Noir.

Have a great evening everyone and hope my next post will be an update on Hester and the finished Black Kitten mat.

Saundra