Stitch Witch Sundays

Hey - in the group I'm in we are doing Sunday Morning Stitch Witch.  We are trying out a new stitch that we can use elsewhere, but in the meanwhile making an afghan with it.  Kim is helping to devise the stitches each week and doing a bang up job. 

At first I was more interested in doing textured stitches as I love the look and feel of them.  However, it has progressed into multi-colored stitches, which is fine with me!  You can pick and choose your stitches, should you want, to get a textured look or a bright happy multi look.  All depends on your mood.

I have finished more of the Brick and Mortar rows, but for some reason the photos came up blank.  I will have to go back and try taking more photos and post them later.

So no one told me what the cabbage looking plant could be.  I haven't looked it up yet, as thought I'd get some good info here! Rats.

I found out the name of another plant that I thought was a Hydrangea.  Turns out it is a Black Lace Alderberry.  Stunning!  I love the lace cap pink flowers against the black-purple lacy leaves...just don't look at the hose in the background!  It does give you a perspective, though, of the large leaves and flower heads.

So - now I want to have a contest...have to generate some fun, don't I?  I have a book that is called "50 Knit & Crochet Accessories: Go from beginner to expert with easy bags, mittens, socks and hats"

If you would like this book, please note in your post to this thread, put in a guess as to the plant in the previous post, and then I will put all the names in a box, shake it up and pull out a winner!  I will also take the answers and figure out who is correct and that person will get a smaller, different prize.  Hopefully you are on Ravelry and can PM me your address should I need it!  

GOOD LUCK!!

It is coming along....

I am not much further than this shows.  It is the edge of the shawl...then a border goes on it, and then I turn it around and complete the body.  I love the cross stitch texture.  Not so sure I want to block it as it flattens it out a bit!

The reason I am slow on this is that I am also working on several other projects at the same time...don't want to get bored, ya know!

One of those is another JAL (join-a-long paid for pattern) for the Happy Hippo.  The pattern is really called Happypotamus The Happy Hippo and was designed by Heidi Bears. She may also sell it on her web page, I don't know.

Isn't this darling! It is her hippo above, but the beginning of mine in blues, a different edge, with the cream borders.  Only have three finished, but on Tuesday I will have many more!

Now....if anyone is reading this...I need to know what this plant is...it is in my raised garden bed and acts rather like cabbage, but not really.  I just don't know.  It's about two feet tall now and it bolted so has the tall skinny stalk with the small yellow flowers which is what makes me believe it is in the lettuce or cabbage family.

Anyone??????

New shawl pattern...with sock yarn!

The pattern is the Kornblomst Shawl. It is a paid for pattern and we are doing a JAL for it in the Cat's Crochet Corner group on Ravelry.

My main color is pink!  ;o)  Can't you tell???

This is how the bottom border of the lacy part will look...in the pattern there will be two areas with this variegated yarn.  Above the lacy border that you see below....which is below it when you crochet the pattern!   ;o)

Isn't this the prettiest little shawl!  I hope it turns out as pretty as the photo above!

.....

Now on to my favorite rant.  I have been in touch with the sheriff's office about the fraud.  Turns out a lot of my neighbors have suffered the same fate.  The woman responsible did a tour of the street after hours and stole mail...don't know if she stole my mail that was outgoing or stole mail that was incoming.  She took the info she found to open the Amazon account.  Looks like some of my neighbors are out thousands of dollars, so I feel a little selfish about my less that $300, and my Amazon problems.  At least I have my money back. They may never see their money ever.

I hope she rots in hell for a long, long, long time...and her name is Monica, it turns out, not Mona.  Guess that the feds are after her, too, for mail fraud.  Yay!

I feel better now...got that rant off my chest...so here is the shawl!

My artistic photo...

...and the shawl all flat and lovely!

Great shawl for a chilly night, but not a cold night...and in colors that are really popular these days.  I just love it!

I hope the recipient loves it, too!

TODAY I RECEIVED 25 AMAZON COLLECTIONS NOTICES.....

So, today the mailman left me 25 envelopes from TRS Recovery Services, Inc., trying to collect on the debts that some "lady" (using term loosely here!) named Mona in Payette, Idaho on N. River Road made on fraudulent withdrawals on MY bank account.  I even have her telephone number and her email address....if she hasn't changed it.

Back to Amazon I go....I am steaming to say the least.  I am NOT filling out 25 more affidavits, notarizing 25 more statements, and mailing them all in with copies of my drivers license, my birth certificate, or my passport and the head of my first born.   GRRRR!!!   I am NOT dealing with these people again.

I am NOT buying from Amazon again, and I AM going to file a complaint with A) the banking industry, and whomever is the person or company or department that runs Amazon, and B) any government agency that oversees Amazon.

These people knew right off it wasn't my debt, they had the information of dear Mona, her address, her phone number, and other information they shared with my bank.  

Today I spoke with dear sweet Tom.  He assures me that THIS time he will call the collection company directly and have them cease and desist collections, repair my sullied name, and be sure that they never again proceed against me lest I sue their pants off....then they might have to hire an attorney.

Boy, people are right...guard your identity.  Guard your bank account.  Change your passwords constantly.  Put up firewalls, and don't write checks willy nilly to just anyone.  I had an employee at a mortgage company in Florida take my information and use it, I had a dentist office take my information and use it, I had someone use my social security number to open a bank account in California, I had someone take a credit card receipt from a restaurant in Council, ID and try and run up charges in the middle of the night, and now Amazon allows someone to open up a debit account without making sure that they actually OWN the account.  

I wonder how many other people out there are having this very same problem.  How many people has Amazon messed up, financially, emotionally, and credit wise...and why can't they do a simple check like PayPal or eBay or SquareUp?  

Beware folks....they don't have good fraud checking devices in place.

You could be next.

Continuing Saga and Continuing Shawl!

Well, now Amazon is making me write up a check forgery report on the DEBIT transaction that they did...it isn't and wasn't a check.  They won't take it off the TRS report until I fill out the information that TRS wants...have it nortorized, attach a copy of my ID, and give them the check information.

REALLY...so how do I do that since it was a debit?  Geesh!

I, of course, wrote another letter to Amazon. Believe me, you don't want to be dealing with this company if something goes wrong!

On a better note, I am almost finished with a shawl...just weaving in the ends now.  I made it too big so had to frog several rows.  Also, I was experimenting with the ends and it didn't work out well.  Right now it is quite beautiful, but not as lightweight as I had hoped.  I think it is a little larger than this...but will photograph it when I have it blocked.

This is made with Red Heart Unforgettable.  Lovely color called Tidal. I hope my niece will be able to use it on a chilly night when she and her hubby do something special!  Now to finish up and get it mailed...with a surprise!

AMAZON - BEWARE!

I have, I hope, just finished up with a miserable experience...working out problems with Amazon.

Did you know that a person can open a debit account with Amazon with  YOUR bank information and charge away until you see your statement?

Even my bank did not catch the fact that I don't do debits on my own bank account...so am sorely disappointed in Intermountain Community Bank, too....also known in the area as Panhandle State Bank or Magic Valley Bank.

So what harm could a person cause...in three days it was over $300...and I was lucky that she started doing it at the end of the month. Had she started clearing me out early on I would not have known until I had no money.

AMAZON?  No, their fraud prevention services are VERY lackluster.  Very!  

Did they check with the bank to see if that person was on that account?  NO.

Did they check the address of the account against where they were shipping? NO.

Did they verify ANYTHING? Again, NO.

And, to make matters worse after my bank gave me back the money and I closed the bank account, the lady in Payette went ahead and put through one more charge.  $9.98 worth of merchandise that was actually shipped to her even after Amazon closed her fraudulent account.

And guess what Amazon did?  RIGHT.  They turned ME into a collection agency.  ME. Not the person who owned the fraudulent account.  Not the woman who stole money.  No, no...they came after me.

When filed a complaint about it and told them to call off the dogs, what did they say? Let me quote...

"In situations regarding unauthorized use of a bank account TRS will directly refund the collections fees.  I have included a link that shows the information they need to waive the collections fees in your situation:"

NO. I am not paying it and then asking for it back.

Did they even read the email?  I don't think so. I think they have an automated response that picks out pertinent words and responds as best as a computer can respond to you.  Talk about mad as a wet hen...boy, that got my dander up.  So I wrote back to them and basically in my sweet southern accent told them to shove it...and of course that is why they have the computer so no one can read your angry words.

NOW - you have to go BACK on line and fill out their form that says NO, you did not answer my question...Call me NOW.  And they do.  They do call you right that second...and put you on hold for six minutes. Then the customer service rep can't help as it is so far up the ladder she doesn't know what to do. So they put you on hold again for six more minutes. 

Now you are speaking to a lovely lady with a lovely accent...wasn't sure what it was...almost English, but more Israeli sounding.  Don't know.  She was nice. After a few minutes she finally got the gist of it, apologized, promised to take care of it.

That was last night and I have yet to hear from them like she said...no email was forthcoming. So I am wondering...if they sent me to collections, did they turn in my name to the credit bureau?  If so, are they going to correct it?

In talking with my step-son, I have learned that Amazon is notorious in the computer field for not having a decent set up to double check their fraudulent purchases. So I am warning you.  Just know that someone out there that has received a check from you can now drain your bank account if you don't have a decent bank that also has some sort of fraud prevention system.

Obviously mine didn't.  

My one saving grace in all this is that Amazon said they will not write it off...they will go after the girl in Payette and hopefully send her to jail.  I'm also going to file a criminal complaint against her for stealing my identity.  Hope they put her on a rack and stretch her joints out!