I finally have my camera, the cable, and batteries!!! So here are some of the pictures I've been promising. So, without ado, here's my HSKS package from Meg!

That's a great little tote bag (which I'm already taking everywhere) that she sewed up. Not one, not two, but three great sock patterns, and the beaded one? I just had in my cart at TLE the day before and decided to wait! Knitter's ESP! A beaded row counter (helping me keep track of MS3) and stitch markers, SOAK that I can't wait to try, two bars of soap - one for LMV and one for me (I think I'm going to toss the one for me into a stash bag and scent the yarn with it....cinnamon = yum!) A pear scented votive that I can't stop smelling...I want to just bite into it it smells so good! Two tubes of a gaw-geous black seed bead with an "oil-slick" shine, and a package of Bertie Botts. The coup-de-gras? The WoolGirl sock yarn. Sooooo pretty! I managed to forget the new Addi Turbo circ and the Orange Creamsicle (!!) limp balm, but that's because it was already in my pocket being used! I take the tote bag to the park with me every evening with my current "easy" knitting and work while MathMan and LMV play.
I'm currently in design-a-holic mode again. I know, I know. I *need* to actually write up the designs that I've already done. Well, at least the ones that worked. The "different construction" one? didn't work so well. Pooey.
I'm off to try to finish (or more realistically get close to finishing) the second clue of MS3 before the new one comes out!
ETA - oh, yeah, I've got the Seattle pictures. Loads of them, mostly taken out the window of a moving car. Rather than make this a massively picture heavy post, here's a link to the flickr set.

Labels: design, HSKS

Old business first - the HSKS trivia answer is Voldemort
On to new business - I'm designing another sock. Yes, I know I haven't made the mate to the last one, but this one was just SCREAMING to be made. I'm at the tricky part right now, and I just ripped back for the second time, but this sock is scratching at the inside of my skull, trying to get out and say "LOOK!!! how cool I am! Admire me!!!" Normally, I wouldn't be so, I guess egotistical? But this sock doesn't seem of me - it seems more like I'm the vessel it's using to get made. But anyways - a description. I recently re-watched Cat Bordhi's recent Knitty Gritty appearance, and her discussion about approaching sock construction differently got me thinking about how I could do it differently. It's nothing too outrageous, but it's definitely different. And that's all I'm saying about that. So the new business? I need a test knitter for when the pattern is done. If you think you may be interested, let me know. I'm trying to keep meticulous notes, but this will be my first written out pattern. I should *hopefully* have it done by the end of the month, but if it takes longer, it takes longer.
We get our house in just over a week! AAAHHH!!!! Hmmm...I better do a double check on all my addresses.....
In other news, the SockMonkey bag has been found, contents and all!!!! It got stuck away by MathMan, who then promptly forgot that he had touched it at all. The problem? I now have to face the fact that the sock inside is too small for it's intended recipient, as well as everyone else I know. Oh, well. I enjoy the knitting, right?

Labels: HSKS, socks

I meant to stick this to the bottom of last night's post, but I forgot. So, the answer is Hermione and Ron from Order Of The Phoenix

Labels: HSKS

I futzed and fought with the previous post - blogger tried to make the text so tiny I couldn't see it with a microscope. Somehow, in all that, comments got turned off. I'm sorry, and I'm also not going to bother trying to turn them back on. I'm afraid of throwing off that precarious balance of getting the formatting right and actually being able to READ the post. I know I can get into the HTML and fix all, but I'm really feeling lazy here.

Jenean got my HSKS package yesterday. I wish I could have taken longer getting it to her (meaning I wish I could have had a few more justified shopping trips) but I was so afraid it would get lost in the jumble of moving so I sent if off to her.

Knitting techniques meme

If you read this and you knit -- consider yourself tagged! Be sure to leave a comment (you non Xangans, too,) so I can see your list.

Bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do eventually and normal for stuff you don't intend to do

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl - not done yet, though
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL - one day, when I have the time
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn - I can't find any good sweaters to take apart - only plastic
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with Bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting - again with the "when I have time" thing
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/Doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with Alpaca
Fair Isle Knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured Knitting
Kitchener Bind Off
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and Purling Backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed Toys
Knitting with Cashmere - doesn't everyone!?
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia - I "get" most everything else in knitting SO easily, but this is the thorn in my side.
Knitting with Linen
Knitting for preemies - see "knitting for charity"
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/Bolero/Poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Labels: HSKS, meme

Can I create even one post that doesn't have to be edited? I guess I'm just a "fixer" at heart, there's always something to be done to make it better. The last few posts all have an "ETA" at the bottom. Jeez.....
I just wanted to respond to Jenean's comment about the Dobby picture - thanks for the word of Qte, but I don't believe that's Harry. That's Sir Hotting-ton himself, Lucius Malfoy. Like this Slytherin would post a picture of *that boy* unless she had to. :D

Labels: HSKS, misc

Trivia
1. Who is the Fat Lady's friend?
- Violet

2. When the Fat Lady was attacked by Sirius Black and fled her portrait, who took over for her as guard of Gryffindor Tower?
Sir Cadogan

3. Usually when Harry is in Dumbledore's office, what are the portraits of previous headmasters doing?
- Snoozing

4. Which one of the Triwizard champions did not go to the World Cup?
- Fleur Delacour

5. Who did Harry give his Triwizard winnings to?
- Fred and George Weasley

6. Minerva McGonagall

7. Oliver Wood

8. What author's name appears on the book "Quidditch Through the Ages"?
- Kennilworthy Whisp

9. What does the Keeper do in a game of Quidditch?
- Guards the goal

10. In the Goblet of Fire why did the Mad Eye Moody imposter put Harry's name in the goblet?
- He wanted Harry to win the tournament

Picture Scavenger Hunt
(linked)
- Dobby holding his sock from Harry - no one said it had to be from the movie!!
- Cho Chang and Harry's first kiss
- Viktor Krum and Hermione at the dance
- Mad Eye Moody

Labels: HSKS

Trivia #1
What's the name of this potion?
This potion has the colour of molten gold, and while exposed to the air, large drops will leap like goldfish above the surface without spilling.
Felix Felicis (I don't have my book, so I'm not sure if that's how it's spelled.)

Trivia #2
Which book is this line from?
"Harry and Cho were now too embarrassed to look at each other, let alone talk to each other; what if Ron and Hermione started going out together, then split up? Could their friendship survive it? Harry remembered the few weeks when they had not been talking to each other in third year; he had not enjoyed trying to bridge the distance between them. And then, what if they didn't split up? What if they became like Bill and Fleur, and it became excrutiatingly embarrassing to be in their presence, so that he was shut out for good?"
HP & The Half-Blood Prince

Trivia #3
Who utters these words?
"Oh I am glad I'm not on duty. I wouldn't fancy having to go and tell the Irish they've got to stop celebrating."
Arthur Weasley

Labels: HSKS

Firstly - thank you to everyone who comments here. Makes me feel like I'm not just some crazy mumbling to herself. I try to respond to everyone, but sometimes blogger just won't let me reply to a comment, so I occasionally post a response as another comment. Just so you know.
Whee! I found an online cataloger for personal libraries on Meg's blog. We all know I'm a joiner, so I started inputting some of my books, and I even put a widget in the sidebar over there.-----> That's not even half of my books - I'm down in the city looking for a new house (SQUEE!!!!) so that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. Minus my guilty pleasure from the earlier post, of course.
Currently I'm working on two things. No, that's not all that's on the needles, but it is all that I'm actively working on. The Weasley sweater for my girlie. It's out of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. It's splitty, but not as bad as some other yarns, and I *love* the hand and drape of the fabric. It's out of English Rose for contrast roll edging at the hem, collar and cuffs plus the big letter on the front, and a LimeLight for the body. As I'm typing all this, I feel as though I've said it before. Oh, well, if I have I'm sure you can skip over that part easily enough.
The other thing I'm working on is a sort of stashbuster project - I had two skeins of Koigu from last fall that I tried to make into socks several times. I >heart< style="font-size:85%;">I fell off the wagon. I got another two skeins of Koigu to go with these two - and I'm loving how it's knitting up, too - but I also got two skeins of CTH Supersock in two different colorways to make another. I am glad I did in the end, though, because it's a fun, easy knit. And I like knitting back. :) Someone asked me how this is managed. There is a video on knittinghelp.com, but I'm also working on getting someone to hold the camera so I can post a video of how I knit and knit back.
I've been shopping for my HSKS swap pal. Do you know how hard it is to find stuff in Hufflepuff House colors that don't look like a bumblebee barfed everywhere? But I found yarn that I wish I had gotten two skeins of - it's that pretty, and still the right colors! And I got the things to make the bag, too. (Sorry for the stealth, but she knows who she is, and I want everything to be a suprise, down to whether I'm knitting, crocheting, sewing, or *paperfolding* a bag!)
On the house front - I'm looking at one today that is Brand. Spankin. New. Someone had a builder build it, but the deal fell through on the table. It's in a lovely neighborhood, with great parks and close access to MathMan's commute, but because the builder is having to sit on it and lose money, it's selling for 50,000 less than original list!!! How excited am I? Other than that, I've got the list narrowed down to three houses that MathMan is going to see with me tomorrow, then it's decision and offer-making time. I'm going to have a dedicated craft room!! (With a Murphy bed - gotta have somewhere for guests to sleep...)
Wow, I'm wordy today, and without a single picture. Could be because the camera is in the other room and I have a sleeping baby on my lap. Oh, well, I promise pictures later!

Labels: chevron scarf, house, HSKS, stash

Round One
Trivia - answers in bold
1. Who isn't or hasn't been a Quidditch captain?
Cedric Diggory
Cho Chang
Oliver Wood
Marcus Flint

2. Who are the Gryffindor chasers? (books 1-5)
Hermione, Dean and Seamus
Alicia, Angelina and Katie
Fred, George and Oliver
Parvati, Colin and Neville

3. Who are the Slytherin beaters? (books 1-4)
Crabbe and Goyle
Flint and Montague
Derrik and Bole
Pucey and Warrington

4. What type of broom isn't made anymore?
Firebolt
Silver Arrow
Nimbus
Comet

5. The Slytherin team all ride the same broom, what is it?
Cleansweep Seven
Nimbus 2000
Comet 260
Nimbus 2001

6. Which of these is not a Quidditch team?
Pride of Portree
Appleby Arrows
Tudshill Tornados
Caerphilly Catapults

7. Who is Head of Hufflepuff House?
Professor Binns
Professor Flitwick
Professor Sprout
Professor Sinistra

8. Which Hufflepuff student is reported to have been one of the only peple to have ever given Hufflepuff success?
Justin Finch - Fletchley
Cho Chang
Cedric Diggory
Lily Evans

9. In Book 1 who was the first Hufflepuff student to be sorted?
Hannah Abbott
Terry Boot
Susan Bones
Lisa Arygle

10. What is the emblem of Hufflepuff House?
Deer
Beaver
Badger
Bear


Pictures: linked
Harry, Ron, and Hermione together
Hagrid
Buckbeak
Sirius Black
Uncle Vernon

Labels: HSKS

So, I was a bad girl yesterday. Went into B&N for a look-see since I was in the area. They had Favorite Socks. Now, I've been wanting this book as I'm new enough to knitting that I don't have any of these patterns. So, I decided to grab it. I also saw a stitch dictionary. Very well done and positively LOADED with nifty patterns of all sorts - lace, cables, colorwork, even simple knit and purl patterns. It's called The Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns. Got it, too. I even saw Sensational Knitted Socks. I looked through it (for the first time) and wanted it bad, but I didn't get it. Showed restraint on the one most likely to help me with designing my own patterns. Go figure. But then, when I was at the counter I noticed a paperback: the next in a series that is a guilty pleasure. I won't cop to the name of the book or the series, but needless to say, it's only about a step up from trashy supermarket romance. Just has a little more woman-power and a little less save-the-damsel-in-distress.
So, socks are irking me lately (except the Sparkle sock) so they are all in time out. I'm knitting the very first thing for MMT - the Hug Me Sweater from Brown Sheep. I'm even using Cotton Fleece, which is a bit splitty but not *too* bad to work with. I like the feel of it. It's going to be in a pretty rosy pink and green, mostly the green. The store only had one skein of the pink in, and as it's such a production to go in, I decided not to wait. They aren't new purchases, probably about three months old, but I dug them out due to the yarn diet I'm imposing on myself after last week's splurge.
I did, however get some fun things for my HSKS swap pal, and she knows who she is. It may not be a secret swap, but by golly, it's going to be a secret package!!!!
So, we are finalizing negotiations on the house!!! I'm so unbelievably excited!!! We're finally getting out!!! The bad - it *won't* be such a production to go to the LYS. The good - it *won't* be such a production to go to the LYS!
In other good news - the girlie now has a front facing seat. I know, just because she meets requirements doesn't mean it's safer for her to sit front, but she DETESTS riding in the car, and the trip home with the front facer was much more pleasant than it usually is. She's not rid of the rear, it will fit her for another ten pounds, and ten inches, and I'm almost positive that the latter will come first.
Also, I'm adding links and saw this. I. Must. Knit.

Labels: house, HSKS, MMT, stash

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Slytherin Rah-rah-rah!!!!

2. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Double points? Um, I'm a metal girl, so probably Inox, Knitpicks, and addi turbo, but I prefer circulars with the kidlet running around. Just not safe to try to knit with her on my lap with so many pointy things. That said, I have tried bamboo DPNs (granted cheap bamboo) and I guess I just grip my needles too tight. They feel like they're going to snap like twigs.

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? People say good things about Crystal Palace, so I guess I would like to try those, but it's nothing urgent. I just got my knitpicks and I lurf them. I guess I would also like to try the addi lace needles, but again, not so urgent

4. --skipped--

5. If your pal decides to send candies or chocolates are there any that you don't like? Coconut and marshmallow.

6. What are your favorite scents? Fruity things, and heavy musky stuff. Nothing floral or flighty. I like spicy too. It helps to have something to smell: I like the pear stuff from Victoria's Secret, and Lancome Poeme is my favorite 'spensive perfume.

7. Do you have any allergies? Nope!

HSKS Trivia of the Week - Voldemort
I screwed up last week cause I didn't know to post on the blog, and I didn't email anyone my answer. :(

Labels: HSKS, Questionnaire, swapping