LOVE the New Norah Gaughan!

I have a love of Norah Gaughan's knitting work, even though most of her stuff is for the *really* skinny people and probably not for me to wear. However, I just ran through the Preview for her "Objet d'Art" booklet for Berroco, and can we just say "WOW!" - Stuff that's original, exciting AND wearable. She's hit a good one here.

The above picture is "Veil" which is a really cool looking cardi that reminds me of one I had in high school that I absolutely adored to wear to my job selling pantyhose and purses to old ladies. This one is different in the shape of the back and shoulders, which almost remind me of a shawl or very loose shrug. Loads of fun there at my old job LOL, but at least it afforded me some of the classic shoes and purses and such that I still own because they're in fashion today. And it helped me refine a sense of style that I don't think I would be able to wear to my current "real" job!

Roundup in Hogwarts Land...or Happy Leap Year!

This week has been absolutely fascinating.

-Monday, I worked on my HSKS4 bag some. Got really frustrated and decided to put it down for a little while. (stupid yarnovers...)

-Tuesday, I fell asleep on the couch at like, 7 pm. WAY too many nights of going to bed late, I think!

-Wednesday, I went to dance class and worked on merengue, salsa, bachata (sp?), and waltz. So fun! I also found out about the next dance party is going to be "Ballroom Baby" where they're going to collect things for the local "abandoned/chronically ill/abused" baby shelter.

-Thursday I spent in bed due to a strained calf muscle - yech!

-Friday (aka today), is Happy Leap Year! I've basically found out they don't need me for the addendum, so I've been looking up baby patterns based on the suggestions of the people from Ravelry for Quick yet useful items. I don't want to give them a bunch of headbands, for example, and find out the shelter can't use them!

Normally I would go to the dance party at the studio tonight, but I'm not going to bother since it would be a bummer just sitting along the sidelines with an injury.

So this weekend I plan to make baby items and intersperse that with rows on the HSKS4 bag. I'm on row 33 of 63 for the first side - I've got to pick it up a bit!

Quidditch, Round 2

Questions

1. With whom does Ginny go to the Yule Ball?

a. Neville

2. When Harry arrives at the Burrow and Mrs. Weasley makes them all dinner the night before they leave for the Quidditch World Cup, what does her wand turn into?

a. rubber mouse

3. Since some of the sixth-year girls didn't have any quills on them, what did they think Krum might sign their hats in?

c. lipstick

4. How old does the Quick Quotes Quill say that Rita Skeeter is?

a. 43

5. What color cloak is wormtail wearing in the Riddle house?

b. Black

6. What color is "Mad Eye" Moody's magical eye?

d. Blue

7. What color are the robes that Rita Skeeter was wearing when Harry meets her at the Weighing of the Wands ceremony?

b. Magenta

8. What does Sirius Black tell Harry, Ron and Hermione to call him when speaking around anyone else?

b. Snuffles

9. Which team beat Wales, disqualifying them from competing for the Quidditch World Cup?

c. Uganda

10. What does Madame Maxime say is the only thing her steeds will drink?

c. single-malt whiskey

Picture Hunt
Goblet of Fire



Madam Maxime



Dragon from first challenge



Viktor Krum



Madam Pomfrey

Eww!!!!

A poster on Ravelry was talking about how she basically pierced her tongue where a DPN got stuck in her mouth...

...but the best part of the thread was this:



That is the funniest graphic I have seen in awhile- that one and the Time magazine article that said Architects are the happiest people in the world. Yeah. Right.

Quack Here and There

Sometimes, I just have to get something done. Little guys like this are what come out of this feeling that irks you until something happens.

I was sitting at home staring at a pile of Red Heart Super Saver that had been donated to me via my aunt-in-law and my grandmother-in-law. Bright yellow, orange - very odd colors I wasn't sure what either of them could have thought to do with them!

Then it occurred to me - this was a baby duck in the making! With a beak to grow into and cute little wings, this was a great idea!

I thought about how much sewing I would have to do if I followed the pattern in my Crochet project deck and decided to make my own. This isn't so much a pattern as a description of how I did it, and you can judge for yourself if you like the idea - or not.

I started by chaining five and then gradually expanding out in a circle until I had a small bowl sized shape. I then started decreasing until I had a ball shape, but enough room to stuff - which is what I did then. I closed off the circle and then used that as the beginning of a "foundation" for the back of the neck. I single crocheted around in a circle, I believe five stitches, and after that was tall enough, I stuffed it and closed it off as well. I then took the string and pushed it through the inside back to the other ball and made fan wings - cast on eight stitches, treble crochet into the fourth stitch eight times, slip stitch into eighth stitch - and then stuck the yarn through and did the same thing on the other side.

I then took some orange yarn and did fans for the feet and looped them through the bottom of the yellow ball - these were only four tc's instead of 8. Last, I did the beak, in which I kept doing single crochets until I got the shape I wanted. Then of course, I had to do eyes, which became simple French knots.

So a cute little duckie was born, and he lives on my tv now.

Accio - yarn and needles!

I went up to MN for the Knit Out and Crochet Out at Mall of America. It was great fun - and I got a ton of free yarn and needles.

So "accio yarn and needles" and "accio patterns" from Patons, Lion Brand and others.

Lion Brand is coming out with a sock yarn! I'm so excited - it will be great if they do Harry Potter colors next year!

All Knitted Music Video

This is really amazing work - this band, Tricot Machine, did an entirely knitted music video! I haven't had time to work the entire lyrics, but here's what I've heard and can verify its the right words:

T'as les joues rouges, boréal
Tes couettes noires virent au blancs
comme l'asphalte
Ils tombent des peaux de lièvres sur Montréal

On s'éclipse du party
la neige glisse sur nos pieds
les flocons dansent doucement

House Quiz 2

Yeah! House Quiz answered AND I got to practice my Photoshop skills!

Giants Win!!!!

(Photo by Pinkus at the Giants Website)

DH and I got invited to a Super Bowl party yesterday - nothing fancy, just us and two other couples with a bit of food and liquor and the game.

It was hilarious! I've never had such a good time at a football party. I had brought the dog collar with me and the pattern just didn't work. I'm going to try something new.

Quote of the Party:

TV Commentator: "The Giants are going to bursting onto the field any minute..."

Friend: "They're bursting! They're bursting!"

And all I have to say about that is....

"Ding ding ding dong"

GRYFFINDOR FOUND THE SNITCH!!!!

Woohoo for Cassandra Grubbly=Plank!!!!

She totally rocks!

I worked on my bag for HSKS4 at KCGB today - the darn thing, you *really* have to pay attention to what you're doing!

I am just thrilled to come home and see such good news!!!

(Photo by TV at Flickr Creative Commons Pool - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tv/71273447/)

Evening and Weekend Hour Restoration at NARA

Hurray!

- - - - - -

NARA Requests Comments About Restoring Research Room Hours
The following was written by the U.S. Naional Records and Archives Administration:

For public comment - NARA rule restoring DC area archival research room hours

The National Archives and Records Administration published an interim
final rule in the Federal Register on February 1, 2008, to restore the
weekly evening and Saturday hours that the archival research rooms at
the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and the National
Archives at College Park, MD are open.

Comments on this rule will be accepted through March 17.

To review the rule and make comments, please go to www.regulations.gov
and type "NARA" in the Search box. The rule is titled Locations and
Hours; Changes in NARA Research Room Hours. Additional information on
the rule is provided below.

The FY 2008 NARA Budget in the Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2007
signed by President Bush on December 26, 2007, includes $1.3 million to
restore evening and Saturday hours in the research rooms in the National
Archives Building and the National Archives at College Park (Archives
II). Prior to October 1, 2006, these research rooms were open three
evenings per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) and every Saturday.
Under this interim final rule, the research rooms will be open from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday. On Wednesday, Thursday,
and Friday they will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. We decided to make
this adjustment to the previous schedule so that out of town researchers
will have consecutive evenings along with Saturday to work. This
schedule will also make staffing the rooms easier for managers. We set
the effective date of the new hours as April 14, 2008 to allow time to
hire and train the additional research room staff and to adjust the
terms of the security guard contract.

A beautful scarf pattern - Harry Potter colors?

I was surfing the Interweave Knits forum over at Ravelry and a girl posted this lovely pattern based off of a design she saw in IK two summers ago.

Shazam Scarf

That's her image above - so, so pretty!

So I got looking at it, and it immediately brought to mind Gryffindor - can you imagine this in burgundy with gold (the color hue, not the metal or shiny) beads?

It totally brings it to mind. If I ever get through my current slog of projects, this one will be on the list!