Walking in the Rain

I just got inside after walking around outside in the rain. It started out as a drizzle, and it just kept on drizzling and drizzling until it was pouring and I was soaked to the skin. It was like an all-natural shower (though I wasn't naked). Now I'm inside, snuggling up in a big turquoise sweater with llamas and snowflakes on the button bands and cuffs and wearing the most comfortable sweat pants. I've got a huge cup of hot chocolate to one side and a slice of cold pizza on the other (the two go together surprisingly well). I have a new pair of socks on the needles and a novel to write.

It's been a long time since I've done a 'random' post, hasn't it? I think my last truly random one was back in January! It looks like a lot of my posts about the weather seem to fit nicely into the random slot, I suppose because my mind tends to wander when it's raining or snowing out.

My sister is making muffins currently. If she doesn't share with me, a combination of the Hufflepuff and Slytherin inside me will force a few of those pumpkin cream cheese muffins into my stomach. On the topic of food, I have now finished my hot chocolate and pizza and I'm only somewhat full. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, because they were very liberal helpings of both. My stomach must be growing. Or these sweat pants allow me to eat more than I normally could.

And now I have to go and either do some knitting or writing. See you soon!

Gernumbli Gardensi

In the last few days, I've been crocheting more than knitting, which is very unusual for me. Since receiving the crochet book More Cute Little Animals to Crochet in a swap on Friday, I've been more inspired to pick up a hook and I've already finished one thing from the book-  the Garden Gnome. I used various scraps of worsted weight acrylic I had lying around and a size F hook. As I didn't have any safety eyes, I just embroidered them on with black yarn. Also, the pattern includes instructions for a mushroom, flower and lawn but I didn't want those and I didn't have any green yarn, so I just stuck with the gnome. 

I've named him Gernumbli Gardensi, which is the Latin name for Gnomes in Harry Potter. Of course, in Harry Potter the gnomes are grubby creatures with potato-shaped heads, but I have a feeling that trying to craft one of those would not yield as good results as this did. I loved crocheted Gernumbli and I love the finished object, and I can't wait to crochet more from the book. 

I'll be back tomorrow with a spinning update! 

WIP Wednesday: ooo presents

spoiler alert!

The above is what I have been working on in the past few days- i.e., the package for the swap in which I am participating. It's getting closer and closer to being done- my plans are getting finalized, the biggest knit (the gray thing in the top right corner) only has a few more rows, and everything else can be completed in a day or two. Unfortunately, I still have a few small things to pick up at the store, and since I can't drive I have to rely on somebody else to take me, per their schedule. 

Naturally, the swap isn't the only thing I've been working on- the day before yesterday, I made my 100th hexipuff (and have since made two more). I've been going completely crazy with hexipuffs this month (which is good, because last month I made about 4). I have 23 so far, and my goal is 60- only two a day! I just hope my miniskein stash won't completely die out before I meet that goal. 

As for what I've been reading this week? Well, I haven't been reading so much as listening. On Sunday night, I listened to A Christmas Carol, starting at 10:50 pm and finishing at about 2:00 am. It was read by Jim Dale, the wonderful reader of the Harry Potter books. I loved the book, and look forward to reading (and listening!) to it again and again in the future, though next time may be nearer to Christmas. 

I also listened to A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes book, and quite loved it. It really is incredibly similar to the Sherlock episode based on it. 

Hope you all have a great week! I'm going to be blogging more in the next few days- I promise! Check out Tami's Amis for more WIPs. 

Am I Obsessing Over Nothing?

Not really.

It all started in the summer of 2007, when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book and the Order of the Phoenix movie came out. It was then that I decided to read the entire series. I had already seen the first five movies; I practically grew up on the first two and the third was my favorite for a while.

It took me a very long time to read the books- the fifth one probably took about six months. But finally, I finished. And read them again. And again. And again. And again. And again. I must have read some of them eight times in a row.

As far as I can remember, here are the things I have been obsessed with in order, from 2007 to 2012

Harry Potter (2007-2009)
Lord of the Rings (2009)
Enchanted Forest Chronicles (2009- 2010)
Artemis Fowl (2010-2012)
Doctor Who (2010- )
The Dark is Rising (2011)
The Avengers/ Superman/ Batman (2012)
The Adventures of Merlin (2012- )

So in the past five years, I have been obsessed with eight different things.  That's pretty sad. Two of them are still up and running. Of course, it would be really sad if I weren't still obsessed with Merlin seeing as I've only been watching it for a week and a half. (Or is it sad that I'm already obsessed with it?) And Doctor Who, well, it's not the sort of thing you can stop being obsessed with. Especially with series 7 currently airing.

Who knows how many other amazing things there are out there, just waiting to be discovered? And to think, five years ago I thought Harry Potter was the only best thing in the world.

Hey, Pottermore

After months and months of waiting, Pottermore has finally opened. I am deeply hurt that they said it was going to open in early April and it didn't open until April 14th, which is totally mid-April.

Just kidding. I didn't really care enough to be deeply hurt. But I still checked it daily to see if it was still in Beta...  well, almost daily. And it doesn't really comfort me to know that there were a million other Potter fans out there.

The only thing I was really looking forward to was the sorting hat. Which was pretty cool, once I got to it. I naturally got sorted into Hufflepuff (isn't it strange how nearly every single person in the world knows those four words? Rowling, I give you credit for creating nonsense words that have become part of everyday conversation). Hufflepuff is awesome. Their common room sounds fab, with cute yellow and black decor and round doorways. Do I sense a little hobbit-ness? Plus the kitchens are right down the hall. What could get better? I bet all the Huffelpuffs know each house elf by name.

Pottermore isn't that great, but it's fun. And now I know that I actually do want to be in Hufflepuff. I mean, everybody loves badgers, si?

And yeah, I will be going back to the site. Hopefully not on a daily basis. Really hopefully.

p.s. I just saw on a preview of this post that the photo so doesn't go with the color scheme of this blog. forgive me!