I waited until March of 2011 to purchase an Apple iPad. I ordered my gadget early on the release day of the iPad 2. Since then I have found many reasons why a rug hooker should have an iPad.
- Lightweight and very easy to carry. You can load up movies and survive that airport delay on your way to rug camp.
- Organize your photos and have them on hand. If I need to see a photo of a pine tree I can call it up on my iPad and have it sitting right next to me for reference. Don’t have a pine tree photo in your collection of photos? The iPad 2 has a camera.
- Jayne Hester introduced me to Camera Fun. It is a free app you can download.
- I especially like the sketch lens. When you take a photo, it translates it into a sketch. Sure would make pattern making easier. This is a photo I took at Manistee, MI after a lunch presentation.

The app Camera Fun is no longer available for download. Research what is out there and find tour favorite app.
And the best part . . . you shake it like an Etch-A-Sketch to erase it!
Click on the box below to go to their website. You can skin your phone, iPad or computer. Just pick out your equipment, upload your own photo, or use one of theirs and complete the sale. A package arrives in just a few short days. It applies like a sticker and according to the website it is removable, but I haven’t tried taking it off yet. It is now September and mine has been in place since April. The edges are tight and I love having a photo of one of my rugs on the back of my iPad. It makes it uniquely my own.
I love my Padlette. It straps on very quickly. I can carry the iPad safely without fear of dropping it and without the dreaded “thumb cramp.” Click on the box below to get your own from Amazon.
OK, so that is more than 10 reasons but I bet you can suggest even more. Add your comments if you’ve found a use for an iPad.
What did I get? I like the black instead of the new white border. I did not get 3G and got the wifi only because most hotels have wifi. I ordered the one with the largest storage so I would not outgrow it quickly. By the time I need more storage, Apple will have added new features that I don’t even know I need yet.
Convinced? Get your own ipad!