Kitty candy

I know this post is only going to interest the nichest of an already niche audience (our readership), but I don't feel too bad about it somehow.

I've got a fun new crochet project! Thanks to Crochet Me, I not only have found a great way to get rid of small bits of cotton yarn leftover from other projects, but I've also learned a new crochet technique (how to crochet a ring without leaving a hole in the middle), AND I'm making great little toys for my friends' pets as well. And as if it couldn't get any better, each one of these suckers takes only about an hour to make.

Some tips to make this pattern better:
1. I've learned that it's too tough to switch yarn colors between the first two rows, so I make the first two rows the same color.
2. The ring technique, while awesome, requires you to REALLY pull the yarn hard. Which, more often than not, breaks the yarn. So I've learned that it's OK to leave just a little bitty loop and then pull it to the inside of the ball with your crochet hook.
3. Use 100% cotton yarn; cats apparently don't like acrylic.
4. Use two colors that contrast each other for maximum cat-happiness.
5. The monk's cord description in the pattern is a bit confusing; check a standard crochet book or other websites for a better explanation.

My awesome friend Emily was the recipient of the first toy I made, and she said she had "never seen her cat so hyper" and called the toy "the best thing ever." Apparently the cat was so crazed over this thing that when she batted it under the bed, she ran at top speed INTO the bed and gave herself a mild concussion. (Poor thing.)

Random Ramblings

Hi all. Annie here, after a long hiatus.

Randomness to follow. It's late and I apologize in advance for spelling, grammar errors.

1. Poe
IS WORKING ON A NEW ALBUM! GLEE!

2. Wii
Rocks. Can't wait to try a more substantial game on it, though we've enjoyed Play and Sports.

3. Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix movie
Really well done. For me, it's a close second to Goblet of Fire for favorite HP film; for Josh, it triumphs over Prisoner of Azkaban as his new favorite. My former coworker Larry described it aptly as "Batmanesque." Very dark. But very good.

4. Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows book
I've finished it; Josh hasn't. No spoilers here, but suffice to say it is awesome and satisfying. I literally laughed and cried a LOT over the last third of the book. Emotional ROLLERCOASTER. Once Josh has finished we'll probably do a hidden post analyzing it for those who have also finished it, and link to it from the blog for those who want to read it.

5. Those wacky youngsters
At an event this weekend, I had postcards for people to fill out with an advocacy "promise." I asked them to address the postcards to themselves so I could mail them to them after the event. What struck me as very odd was the number of people - mostly those under 18 - who struggled with the concept of addressing a postcard to themselves. Most didn't include their name in the address; several put stuff on the wrong lines; and one teen had to ask a parent for assistance. It struck me that the written letter or the mailed bill payment is truly becoming a thing of the past. Will the upcoming generation of adults never need to send actual post to somebody? I can see all bills being paid electronically and all correspondence happening by phone and e-mail, but what about packages? Hmm.

6. Disturbing
What does it mean when you dream about hanging out with Amy Winehouse and find her to be a perfectly pleasant and balanced person???

7. Congrats
To my childhood friend Kristine, who is expecting! I now officially feel old.

8. Things I'm digging right now

• Harry Potter. In general.


• Sarah Barelleis' album Little Voice


• Demetri Martin (Check out his "Demetri Martin. Person." special on Comedy Central. Absolute riot.)


• My new Charlie Unicorn shirt


• Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (especially their recent jokes on the Harry Potter ending: "I just loved the part where Harry wakes up in bed next to Suzanne Pleshette.")


• Crocheting


• Alt.NPR Press Start podcast, especially their recent dispatches from E3


• Amy is the Next Food Network Star! Huzzah!


• Ricky Gervais's Extras on DVD


• Did I mention POE is working on a NEW ALBUM???

9. Where are Josh's articles from the past 6 weeks or so?
I've been sick/away and haven't had time to post 'em. I'll get around to it.

And now, off to bed. Goodnight, everybody!

Random thoughts

1. This morning I got up and promptly turned on the computer, only to discover our often-problematic router was acting up again. After about an hour with tech support, it was determined that the little router that couldn't was, in fact, dead. So the day Josh and I had hoped would be spent lounging around turned into a day of errand-running (to buy a new router and some greeting cards for the mass of birthdays coming up this month), geek-squading (hooking up said new router), cleaning up the boxes after the new router was determined to be working, etc. Sigh.

2. On the bright side, I had a blast Friday at a co-worker's clothing swap party...I brought all the stuff I was ditching post-clothing survey and everyone else brought stuff they no longer wanted, we tossed the clothes into piles by item of clothing, and started going through the piles to see what new gems we could score. I was particularly lucky - I've been in need of a new fall coat for quite some time (I've had my current green leather jacket since 8th grade, and to this day it looks like I'm wearing a guy's coat), and I found a beautiful, very feminine suede coat that's just perfect. I also got a pair of sunglasses to replace the ones I broke last week, a gorgeous DKNY business jacket (size 2, but oddly it fits), some courderoy pants, a couple of casual long- and short-sleeved shirts, a Gap sweater set, and a couple of short sleeved blouses. Awesome! And all the swapping was done amidst wine, cheese, and chocolate - a perfect party, IMHO. Hats off!

2. I've been crocheting up a storm...got lots to do before Christmas and, fortunately, lots of travel time to do it in (30 minutes a day on Metro, plus all the flying I've been doing lately). I'll post pics of my creations post-holidays, so as not to give away the surprise.

3. I haven't forgotten to post additional pics of my post-clothing-purge new attire...I've got pictures of lots more new stuff and will get around to posting them eventually. Life's been hectic!

4. So, yeah, we're guilty of assuming that just because we see something different from what we're accustomed to, that it's due to our newness to this geographic area. In an earlier post we noted the astonishingly early arrival of Christmas stuff in the stores here...and as it turns out, it's pretty much a nation-wide phenomenon this year. Go figure.

5. I'd like to plan a group outing for my birthday later this month, but I'm at a complete loss as to what to do. I thought about going to a local comedy show, but because of the holiday the one I had in mind won't be doing another show until mid-December. Grr. Any ideas for a fun group outing to celebrate my 27th year on the planet? Post them in the comments!

Hat-tastic

I just finished crocheting a hat - check it out! I even customized the pattern by adding a frilly edge.

This pattern taught me some new stitches and techniques - half-double-crochet and double crochet, namely, plus decreasing and that frilly edge trick. I probably made the whole hat twice over, considering how many rows I had to rip out and redo. But after that learning experience, I think I'm ready to advance to the next level of difficulty!

I'm on vacation right now - woohoo! My sister's coming to visit today and I'm totally stoked. So blog posting by me will probably be light over the next week - Josh will have to pick up the slack. ;-)

Fun With the 'Rents...and Fun With Hooks

So I just got back from visiting my parents. We had a ball. Mom took me apple picking, which was fun. We picked a bunch of McIntosh and Golden Delicious apples, then made a pie from the Golden Delicious ones. So good! There were even enough for me to bring some home, so I'm hoping to make a pie tomorrow night for Josh.

We also checked out a local candy factory/outlet store. Holy cow. They have a chocolate fountain and probably more candy than I've ever seen in one place. It was kind of like visiting Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, only this place's specialty is gummy bears. (And now, people of my generation, try not to have the theme song go through your head...uh oh, too late! "GUMMY BEARS! BOUNCING HERE AND THERE AND EVERYWHERE!")

And finally, Mom taught me how to crochet! I finished one potholder and am working on my second - it's nearly done.I'm hoping to work up to more complicated stuff, like winter hats and things. It's so (sew?) easy, relaxing, and oddly mesmerizing. I'm really excited to have this new hobby - I've been wanting to get back into needlework for some time now, so this is a good choice for an easy, very portable craft. If you've got any fun (and easy) crochet patterns, send them to me! And, fellow DC-ites, if you know of any good places to buy fun and funky yarn, please post them in the comment section!

On a side note, hopefully blog updates will happen more frequently now that I'm done traveling for a bit. Thanks for your patience!