The campaign to save newborns with hand-knitted or hand-crocheted caps is on again. Information is available from Save the Children.
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The computer production file for the book continues to produce strange results, even though I have removed all character styles from the file that I am working with.
One of the bizarre things is that the character styles sometimes show back up in what was supposed to be (and not long ago was) a clean file, having been lifted from somewhere else for no apparent reason.
Yet when I go back to an earlier version of the file that should have the character styles . . . from before I removed them . . . the styles are listed in the style palette (correct) but the type they’re supposed to be applied to has all been changed in color and font to something else (incorrect).
So in addition to everything else I’m dealing with (i.e., strange behavior within any single book file), there appears to be cross-file activity that should not be happening. Even in the crazy world of computers. Under these circumstances, it is (almost?) impossible to locate and remove the source(s) of the problems.
I’m babying the files for this complex book along, with the plan of shifting to different software for the next title.
Computers are completely logical. They perform actions in given sequences, according to orders they’re given. But sometimes those orders get scrambled and the computer appears to go insane.
Producing the risk of similar results in the operator.
Elizabeth D
Hi, Deborah — much sympathy on the computer stuff! I’m an editor too, but freelance for others so don’t have to deal with the kinds of things you’ve been going through. About Save the Children — I love that program. But this year they’re requiring name, address, e-mail address, and phone number just to get into the site for the details. This makes me crazy! I’ve written to them to try to find out why. . . meanwhile, I’ll use your hat pattern from 2006 and hope they relent.
Deborah Robson
I agree in objecting to all the info they’re asking for to download the details. I provided it, reluctantly. They won’t even let you get away without giving a phone number. I don’t like sharing the phone info. We don’t answer unidentified calls and are on the no-call list; otherwise we wouldn’t get any work done!
The pattern from 2006 will be perfectly fine. I plan to use it myself . . . they have some new patterns, but the designs even simpler, which isn’t necessarily what I want.
Postmark date is 12/31/2008. Caps are to be sent to:
Save the Children, Knit One, Save One
c/o The Doe Fund
173 Cook Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
LynnH
Oh, Deb! It will be a wonder if you have any hair left when this book is done.
I do simple things in InDesign and don’t need bridge or version cue, whatever they are. I even viewed the tutorial videos and I still remain in the dark about what they do.
I use PhotoShop for images, and when I need to change one of those images, I just change it in Photoshop then re-link in InDesign. That’s as fancy as I get.
I hope you are taking moments for sanity breaks, lots of breathing and hopefully a lovely cup of tea or a bubble bath.
I spent far too long on the Save the Children site, trying to figure out how to knit a cap. Ridiculous that we can’t do this anonymously, after all the mom who gets our cap won’t know who we are anyway.
I love this idea but I guess I will go back to Afghans for Afghans. My guild sends packages to them and they do not require personal information from me.
And a knitting friend lost a child two years ago, so has started a drive in his honor to benefit the neonatal unit at the eastside hospital 5 blocks from where I teach knitting.
These clothes will go home with local families who were not prepared to have a preemie. If you can find preemie clothes in stores, they are horribly expensive.
So I may start knitting tiny hats for them when I find a half-day to knit without a deadline. Too bad about the caps project, though, I wonder how much this will impact their numbers.
Lynndy
Deborah Robson
Lynn, you should be just fine with InDesign. If this book were not so complex, it would be a relatively simple task to rebuild it in a new file. However, this book *is* extremely complex, and rebuilding is not an option at this point (I did it once for this project at the beginning of this year).
Knitting to spread the warmth is good. Through whatever channel.
Doug Berch
Computers can have a mind of their own and an insane mind at that. I’ve made recordings that suddenly had mysterious sounds appear that the computer put in for some unknown reason. The sounds weren’t in the room; the computer just made them up and added them. Big fun!
Hang in there!