5am and i'm awake

I thought only children could make you get up at weird times because of thunderstorms. I was wrong.

The shivering puddle of fur in the corner managed to make me get up. Ah, well, it wasn't like I was asleep anyway.

We're gonna be short and sweet this post, just a couple of Potter-related newsy bits and some yarn.

I did manage to finish listening to David Reidy's Series 3 yesterday while I was folding and stuffing 1200 envelopes. I like David's podcasts - they're chatty and informative, and he likes a lot of the same things I do! He just knits a lot faster than I do. LOL! Anyway, his podcast is Sticks and String, and he's currently wrapping up Series 5 - he breaks them down into groups of 10, and focuses on specific topics - Series 3 had a lot about the Easter Show in Sydney (last year) and had interviews and observations from there and from World Wide Knit In Public Day. His 'casts are about 30-40 minutes long, and are very entertaining. Go listen!

Speaking of WWKIPDay, I've linked the website over in the sidebar, and I hope someone here in town will organize a meetup here!! I have to work, but if there's enough interest, I may ask for that day off in order to go. I'm not sure where they'd set it up - it's in the middle of June, which gets hot here in Missouri, but maybe someplace like Union Station downtown would be nice. We could take over the food court or something!

Onto the yarn:

• 1 100g hank of a superwash merino/nylon blend (75/25) from Dharmafey - the last of the subscription series Potter Covers in colorway Deathly Hallows (sherbert orange, tan, chocolate brown, yellow, cherry red) with a stitch marker (I think it might be a representation of a cloak, but I'm not sure) and the original pattern "Hermione's Purse" - which is really a sock pattern, not a purse!

I've really liked the yarns in this series, and want to thank Carrie for all her hard work!

A little Potter news: PotterCast announced in the newest ep (#144 - The Magic Dragon) that Dame Maggie Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer, has already had the tumor removed, and 'the prognosis is good.' Leaky has an address for well-wishes, and I think I'm going to send a card, stalker!fan that I am.

The House Pouch is blocked, dried, and now I need lining material. Sounds like a trip to the fabric store! Horrors.

Well, the clock on the wall has started it's chiming for the day, so I think I'm finished for now.

Cheers!

happy easter

Busy week...plus a brush with what may have been the flu.

A few yarn arrivals first:

• 2 50g hanks of 100% superwash merino of Stone Barn Fibers' "Gypsy Girl Creations" in colorway Goblin (leaf green, grass green, black, lilac to amethyst)
• 1 100g hank of 100% superwash merino of Sunshine Yarns "Twist" in colorway Horcrux (yellow/gold, rust, black, blue, deep emerald green, grey to charcoal) A very Harry color!

I finally finished the knitting on the House Pouch for my spoilee - it's blocking now. It's a little bigger than I thought it was going to be, which is very good. Mine is next! I'm not overly thrilled with fair isle, because I'm afraid I don't 'float' very well. Practice makes perfect.

I've been working on PK's Twinkle Toes using the Fleece Artist yarn she picked out. I may have enough for a pair of crew socks! I'll have to check the weight when I'm finished with the pair.

No progress on the Big Blue - except a new name. It's now Seeker!

Oh the HP front, the fandom is still squeeing about the announcement last week about a 2 part DH. Theories are flying around about where they will split it...lots of opinions. There was an article that Adri on PFW translated for us from Spanish that covered a visit to the set - there was an excerpt that was posted quoting Dan and the fact that the movie appears to revolve around Harry and his ships. ;-) The H/G shipper in me is, as I posted on the forum earlier, dancing around the room with jazz hands! Squeee! Dan says that this movie has a lot more comedy in it than the others - ought to be interesting to see, since we also have a major character death at the end of it.

PotterCast talks about last week's news on Ep #143: Of Two Minds - linked on the sidebar.

My second squee is that Alton Brown is coming to St. Louis on April 27! Yay!! He'll be at a book signing at the Ethical Society in Clayton at 4PM. The link here shows his schedule, but it has the wrong address for the venue here - it's supposed to be 9001 Clayton Rd. Anyway, I think D and I will be standing in line - at least, I will be. The book tour is for his new book, Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run. *g* I'll bet he has to take a detour through Alton, Illinois! Mwhahaha! We all pronounce the town across the river like "AWLton" instead of how AB pronounces his name (ALton), and we'll have to see what he says to that.

Squee #3 is that the Stitch 'N Pitch date has been set for May 28, which is a Wednesday. It had originally been set for April 28, but that changed three days ago. I'm dragging PK along, and I think I'll take a vacation day for it. We're playing Houston! The link for SNP is on the sidebar - there are a lot of dates set, and I'm sure it will be as popular as it was last year. I'm glad that it's earlier in the season - here's hoping that it won't be 96F again.

Well, I think that's all for me. There are a few pics of PK's Twinkles on the Flickr group and the Ravelry site...oh! The HW now have a group on Ravelry, so if you're a SJHW, and you don't have your name on the list for Ravelry yet, get thee to the website! If you're not a SJHW, you should still go. ;-) I created the group so we can have a place to yak about our projects and yarn.

Chapter 17 of AtE is uploaded on the site - subscribe to the feed for the page on the right side. You can use any podcatcher or iTunes. :)

Cheers!!

dh announcement and squeeeeeeeing

Yes, it's been a few days, and Yes, I've been swamped at work. I am trying to not think about the 1600 letters - 7 reams worth - that are sitting on my desk, waiting my folding hands tomorrow. Ugh.

::fanfare::

My hyper news this week (besides my new audiobook website) is that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be released in TWO PARTS!!!!!

*cue me jumping up and down and squeeeeeeing lots*

The LA Times broke the story on March 12, and can be read here, Dan Radcliffe was interviewed by TV Guide and that can be read here (and No, that's not how's he's gonna look in the next movie, that's Dan as Jack Kipling, ca. 1915, and No, that's not a caterpillar attached to his face, Jess), and the PFW forum is all atwitter, as is the one over at The Leaky Cauldron. Everyone (DR, Heyman, etc etc) have all been saying that the movie would have to be very long, because unlike the previous 6 books, you really can't leave anything out of DH. The speculation now is 'where the heck are they going to split it?' Dan was right - there really isn't a definite point to end DH1.

The bad news? Well, we thought DH was going to be released in May 2010, 18 months after HBP (Nov 2008), but that's now been pushed back to DH1 coming out November 2010 and DH2 in May 2011. I don't think I can hold my breath that long.

I'm very excited about all of this!! Bet you couldn't tell. Ha. *bouncebounce*

My other news is that we are tentatively considering going to NY in the fall to see Equus on Broadway. I have read - and I don't remember where, I'll have to double- and triple-check this - that DR will be performing the run from about September 25th thru the beginning of February 2009. D is supposed to do a little digging too - I've never, ever been to NYC, and her mom lives in Manhattan. I have a feeling we'll be invading the Proprietress in November! Squee! A-in-Oz-ATM thinks that I need to go 'hang out at the stage door' or something. I....well, for all my hand-waving over my head, I am not a stalker. These people are PEOPLE, fps, and I just, well, I feel funny intruding on their privacy. Even IF they are actors, and they're there to entertain! I dunno. Thoughts?

Anyway, I DO have some yarn to review, but I need to sleep first. I'll try to post the review tomorrow evening so I can procrastinate cleaning. I'm not having someone install telephony in my house with it looking as it does.

Cheers! (and zzzzz)

light

Alli pointed me at this website, and I'm systematically going through the posts.

I really liked this one. It's subtitled "Like a beacon".

Cheers!!

audio site ahoy

*waves*

I'm a websiteowner, again! w00t!

Okay, so most of you won't be as excited as I am, but hey! it's a start.

I'm posting a very very SHORT post right now, becasue I'm a little wrapped up in the uploading and modifying of files for the new site.

Zsenya and Arabella have graciously allowed me to post the AtE audiobook! YAY!

You can go to the (temp!) site here: http://www.accioyarn.com/audio

Lots of work to do on it - text is sooooo boring - so stay tuned!

I have yarn, I have a box that I'll be posting about that I rec'd (HSKS4!!) and other stuff that I'll be posting about later tonight.

Cheers!!

*is tired*

Just a short post - I'm exhausted, and we've got phone calls coming in like crazy (I am disgusted with HSI. Just sayin'.), and I'm irked with news reporting. *grumbles*

First off, I managed to squeak in my Twinkles for the January Sockdown on Ravelry! Yay! Piccie:


I started these on 25 Jan and finished on 28 Feb. Yarn is Scarlet Fleece, "It's Tubular x2" in Easter Basket. I'm going to have to frog these back a bit, as they look great, but I have large calves! Sooo...they'll either become crew socks or I'll be doing some leg shaping. The foot fits just fine.

*takes another call for video and transfers it* *sigh*

Yahoo posted a 'news headline' about the lawsuit between RDR Publishing and WB/JKR. Personally? I think that RDR was in the wrong, and shouldn't have tried to publish works that were created by fans. I also think that WB has a stick inserted and needs to have it removed. I feel for both JKR and Lexicon in this. And that's all I'm gonna say about this - you can find more information about this crap at Leaky. The thing that irks me is that Yahoo is treating this like it's OMG NEW NEWS! It's not. It goes to *trial* on March 13, but has been in the works since, um, last October? Something like that. Not. New. Get over yourselves, Yahoo.

Lastly, the PFW forum exploded yesterday, but it ended up being rather funny. Ryan 'fired' Jen from her post as Deputy Headmistress, and then 'fired' the Head Boy, replacing him with a "Mysterious Stranger". All hell broke loose! At some point, two of the 'leaders' of the 'opposing armies' pulled out 'lightsabers' and POOF! the Star Wars names emerged. I'm currently Quon-Kis Matt, and I'd say out of the 60 or so people who regularly post to the forum about 40 of us now have 'Star War-ized' names. I'm still dizzy with trying to keep up! hehe!

Anyway, I'm off to lunch. Hopefully we won't be swamped this afternoon (I've taken 11 calls in the last 2.5 hours, and I usually don't take that many ALL DAY) so I can actually get the stuff done that I'm supposed to get done. Bleh.

Cheers!

PS: Cards have won the first 2 spring training games against the Metz - and they play the Marlins today. Woot!