Hooray! I’ve been counting down the minutes til Max got home from his trip and found the birthday package I sent him. I’ve been reading Max’s site for nearly seven years now, from way back when he still had the old “Mr. Plow” domain. (I think this is the first official w-g mention.) Though we’ve never met in person, I’ve come to think of him as a really good friend. He’s always been super supportive of my schemes and ideas, and he’s introduced me to some great dance music. So I decided it was time to thank him! I sent off a secret e-mail to TheRealTimShady and luckily he was a fan of the idea. With his help (surreptitiously getting someone’s shoe size from overseas isn’t easy!), I cracked open Knitting Vintage Socks and whipped up a pair of “Gentleman’s Socks with Lozenge Pattern.” I used two balls of Sirdar Town & Country (with very little left over). Then I packed them into a box with a packet of Tim Tams and a selection of weird Australian candy bars. Unfortunately I was a bit off with my timing; the box made it to Atlanta before Max’s birthday, but he’d already left on a trip to New Mexico! So I had to keep mum about it til he got home. (Which – ask the Snook – isn’t easy. I’m terrible about surprises.) Today brought the happy news that Max is home, he got the package, and the socks fit him perfectly. So hooray! Happy belated birthday, Max.
Author: Kris
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Max’s Socks
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HP Spoilers
CRAP! Looks like I’m going to have to be extra vigilant about Harry Potter spoilers for the rest of the week. What jerks to try and ruin everyone else’s fun.
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Sock Blockers
Fellow MeFite and Raveler vanessarama tipped me off about Natty Yarns, a small Australian online yarn retailer that carries – drum roll, please – sock blockers! And they’re so adorable. They have a sheep on them! I might have to order some. Would any of you like to combine orders and save shipping with me?
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Tempting Fate
Last night as I got into bed, I told the Snook that even though I haven’t been rigorous with my diet or exercise lately, I’ve been feeling really happy and comfortable with my body for the past few weeks. I’ve just been in a good mood.*
Today, a woman just pointedly looked at my belly and congratulated me. *sigh*
* I think a lot of it has to do with the weather. We’ve had a string of non-rainy days and that just lifts my mood so much. I think I have a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
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iPhone
How FREAKING COOL is this? Fake Steve links to this YouTube video of a toddler playing with an iPhone. That little girl has got it figured out in two seconds. Me, I’m trying to navigate this piece of crap with a tiny nubbin that doesn’t even register presses half the time, and she’s sittin’ there listening to Coldplay and swiping through her photo albums. Sheesh.
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More Ravelry press
Huh. Some technie nerds mentioned Ravelry and the initial comment response was pretty disparaging. Luckily some awesome knitters showed up to put them in their place!
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Weasley’s Ice Cream Van!
The SMH has in interview with Daniel Radcliffe in which he mentions Rupert Grint’s ice cream van: “I told him you’ve got to get it all stocked up by the time we’re all on Harry Potter 6, so he can drive us in and give us ice-creams every morning.” Suddenly my own commute seems so boring!
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Fudge Hat
Is anyone sensing a theme this week?
Somebody made a lime green felted bowler as part of a Cornelius Fudge costume. AWESOME. In related news, the Snook and I hit The Costume Shop yesterday to finalize our outfits for this weekend. I found an awesome bikerish jacket that I think is going to be perfect for Tonks. (While the movie did not sway me towards purple hair, it definitely inspired me to take her in a more punkish direction.) The Snook also got a few Mundungus effects. Which reminds me: Do any of you Sydneysiders have any really gaudy costume jewelry you could loan us for the day? We’re looking for both “royal jewel” type stuff and also “evil goth” stuff. Please let me know if you can help us out! -
HP Stuff
Incendio!
So far I’m 35% of the way through the Order of the Phoenix videogame. Sadly, I’ve also run into two bugs so far. The first was when I was unable to get out of the Marauder’s Map screen. After two minutes of fruitlessly pushing buttons, the Snook had to look online and verify that it was impossible. After a restart, the game (and Map) worked perfectly. The other bug was during the task where you’re supposed to help Colin Creevy get his camera down off the roof. There’s a set way you’re supposed to go about it, but I somehow managed to get up on the roof from a different direction. Without thinking, I used a “depulso” charm to push the camera down to the ground. When I got down there, I found I was unable to pick it up and give it to Colin. All I could do was “accio” it around the place. Eventually I had to turn to the Internet again to discover my mistake. If you come at the camera from the proper side, Hermione yells out for you to use “wingardium leviosa” to levitate it down from them. I ended up having to quit and restart the task over. Bad task design, Electronic Arts! Other than that, I’m having a lot of fun running around Hogwarts and lighting things on fire. (“Incendio” is my favorite spell.) I also like that as you discover new things, you unlock prizes in the Room of Rewards. These prizes basically turn out to be little documentary snippets about the making of the game, most of which involve interviews with the movie cast (since so many of them provided voices for the game). I’m just working up my nerve now to head to the Owlery and make out with Cho…