Monday, February 8, 2010

Disturbing Tatting Events

 
PAIN  
of the 
Deadly Hook!

The First Thing
Late last night I was stunned to see that I had impaled my palm,  IMPALED IT!  There was the hook, buried in my flesh - a 14 point crochet hook... Remembering someone else had posted about this, I realized I could not just pull it out (though I did give it a tug!) and knew I could not be cutting it out - it was too deep in there.

So, with thoughts of how I would get to the emergency room at the nearest hospital at one in the morning, I began to panic,  and absently started to shake my hand, upside down, with the hook hanging.  It begin to slip down, so I started twisting it, and... TA-DA... it was out!

By now, I was shaking, and ran for the alcohol, antiseptic salve and a bandage.  After it was summarily doctored, my hand was throbbing, but seemed all right.  Today it is better - I think.  I have NOT LOOKED at it under the bandage!  

What trauma! No one ever  tells you about the dangerous pitfalls of the gentle art! Must be a dirty little secret!

*~**~**~**~**~*

The Second Thing
  Did anyone else get this?
The email was sent - it would have you believe - from
Connie Mayes of "happytatter" @ gmail.
Hello,
How are you doing? I hope all is well with you. I know this might be a surprise to you but I'm writing this email to you in an hurry and in a confused state of mind. I want to say I'm really sorry that I didn't inform you about my traveling to Scotland for a Seminar. It was something urgent and i didn't even inform anyone about this traveling. But I just got myself in serious mess here. I got my wallet misplaced on my way to the hotel and all my money, phone, bank cards, diary, my return ticket and other vital documents are all in the wallet. I'm so confused right now as I have lost all contacts.

 I need to get out of this mess. Please I need $1,500 USD to sort myself out and to pay for the hotel bills but I will appreciate any amount you could afford. I will pay you back as soon as I get back home. Let me know if you will be able to help me with any amount and you can help me send the money with my details below at any western union money transfer office and i will get the money over here within an hour.

Name: Connie Mayes
Address:  14 Porteous pend, Edinburgh, EH1 2HP Scotland
Country: United Kingdom

Kindly help me to make the transfer as soon as you receive this email and you should get back to me with the 10 Digit Money Transfer Control Number, exact Amount sent with details used in sending it. I still have my passport to prove my identity at Western union here when receiving the money, and I will email you with the return flight details immediately I receive the money.
Your reply will be appreciated.
Thanks so much
Connie

Do not respond to this email!

Anon,
Posted by Fox at 10:47 AM

22 Comments:

  1. Poor hand! Those little hooks are vicious, you gotta watch 'em every minute!
    As for the "letter" it's spam or phishing and you should NOT respond to it!
    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Marty!
    Oh, don't worry!I do not intend to respond, but I wonder if some ill-informed tatter out there might fall prey to this kind of scam.

    The person who wrote it has a website - I am surprised that it is so obviously traceable and am annoyed that it is aimed at tatters!
    Fox : )
    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't see that it's specifically aimed at tatters. This scam has been making the rounds in various versions for a couple of year now. One thing to bear in mind is that the person whose name is signed to it is probably not the person who wrote/ sent it. The scammers generally hijack somebody's e-mail account by stealing their password and then changing it, and send the message out to everyone in that person's address book. That way it looks like it's coming from someone you have some connection to, thus increasing the likelihood that you'll go for it.
    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Miranda,
    I was wondering about that very thing. This fascinates me - as does the whole realm of computer crime. Was interested to see if others had been sent it as well. I haven't seen this particular one before.
    Fox : )
    ReplyDelete
  5. When you said alchohol I thought you wanted me to send you MY bottle of gin!!!!! Actually, come to think about it, I haven't seen it for ages and ages.
    That other email is certainly a scam. IGNORE it and BIN it. Stay safe with those hooks. Take care.
    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, the email from Scotland is a clever scam. Someone who is in your email address book got e-hijacked. Delete and/or report it to your service provider so they can screen out these messages in the future.

    OUCH! Impaled! As soon as you can, you should have a doctor (or a nurse) look at it.
    ReplyDelete
  7. Spam, it's everywhere, we have to live with it and just delete it. They must catch some people or they wouldn't do it.

    The hook...ouch...everytime I give out these hooks...finer ones size 16 0.4mm I read them a warning story about a tatter who got one in their finger to make sure they are aware of the dangers of tatting!!

    One of these days I guess I will do it too.
    ReplyDelete
  8. Sorry to hear about your hand. Make sure you look at today and keep it clean so it doesn't get infected. Wow, I sounded just like my mom for a moment...

    Everyone is right about the spam. Delete it and ignore it.
    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Fox!
    Well this is an INTERESTING post! Hope your hand is feeling OK today. I gotta say my stomach twisted reading your description of last night's events. Tatting a gentile art? Heavens NO!!! Not with the wicked tips on those shuttles and barbed, needle-like hooks... Apparently tatting is for THRILL SEEKERS!

    Marty and Miranda gave good advice about the email. It's another scam.

    :) Ann
    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey, Ann! I think it is for everyone - Hindus, Jews, Christians, Buddhists alike, to name but a few. Not just gentiles! Thanks for the chuckle! LOL!

    Jane, Gin sounds great about now...... LOL!

    Thanks everyone for the input. Maybe I have a virus in my mailbox. I have good software, but I will have to check into this.

    Fox : ) ♥
    ReplyDelete
  11. Sorry but everyone keeps using the wrong word--this is not"spam"--its FRAUD !!! It looks like both of your topics are warnings to take great care. Thanks for the heads up.
    ReplyDelete
  12. Poor hand!
    Wishes for a speedy recovery.
    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh that brought tears to my eyes, I hope the pain and discomfort will not stop you tatting?
    Jane and drink shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!
    ReplyDelete
  14. Is it BEAT UP ON THE CANADIANS week? Jeff's computer crashed, Sharon's furnace has been running cold, and you are attacking your own hand! What goes on up there? Is it the frigid weather? Cabin fever? Let down from the holidays? Mercy! I'm sending warm vibes and happy throughts to ALL of you!
    ReplyDelete
  15. Glad you found my little "joke"/spelling error funny Fox! Hope that you didn't hurt that sore hand laughing!!!
    :)))) Ann
    ReplyDelete
  16. Ouch! I'm going to be really careful with my crochet hooks! I've gotten similar e-mails... unbelievable! Luckily I spend all my cash on stash... I wouldn't be able to help out if I wanted to!
    ReplyDelete
  17. I know your pain. I managed to sew through my finger a couple of years ago while using my Bernina, I haven't touched it since as I got pretty hysterical.

    Thanks for the warning regarding the scam email. I have to wonder though, who replies to these things? Someone must or they wouldn't bother. If someone wants to mug me then they're going to have to come and steal my purse from my (cold, dead) hands as I'm not sending them anything.
    ReplyDelete
  18. Ouch, I know that really hurts, Fox. Sorry to hear of this accident. Ann's right... we so often get ourselves scratched, poked and all by our beloved shuttles and crochet needles. But we love our tatting still... Speedy recovery. :)

    Yikes, that's a scary letter to receive! We should all be so wary all the time. Thanks for sharing it.
    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh Fox, that looks like it really HURT. TRY not to sit on one as I did last year. Evidently, it slid down in the bed and when I changed my position ~ well, let's just say I got the point! DH was laughing so hard that he had a hard time getting my posterior released. He said I kept turning around (like a dog) to 'see' it but I couldn't see it and that was why he was laughing. I kept saying, "I think something BIT me " Living in the desert I always think of 'critters'. XXXX B
    ReplyDelete
  20. Yeah, I have done that with a tatting needle. Had one about a half inch into my arm. Thank goodness there was not a hook on the end.
    ReplyDelete
  21. I am posting my sincere thanks for the lovely package of shuttles you sent to me. I am afraid that my regular email won't get to you like last time! Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated =) I hope your hand isn't hurting anymore. I showed my husband your post and he said I better not do that! I once stepped on my trolly needle and got it stuck in my toe. My poor dh nearly fainted!
    ReplyDelete
  22. Ouch! Hope your hand is feeling better. My friend in NYC got the SAME letter. Thanks for posting it to your readers, DO NOT RESPOND. Huge scam.
    ReplyDelete

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