deviantART: by:DekeNicki

BIG NEWS! BOOK DEAL!

*DekeNicki — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:20:07 PST

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Nothing like some HUGE news to end the week with, eh?

I'm very glad to announce that I am going to be having a book published by Wiley Books [link] tentatively for March 2011. So for everyone who's been wanting to knit some of my dolls, you will finally get your chance! I am SO excited and this is more than a dream come true! I'll keep everyone posted with news as I get them. The whole process of finding an agent, working on a proposal, submitting the idea to publishers was one hell of a roller coaster, but WOW, what fun!!! Much props to my agent, Kate!! ([link])

Now I've just got to get back to knitting!

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Hey, my friend =jisuk needs to raise a bit of money to take a old cat to the vet. =jisuk is selling lovely calenders (I got one last year, I think, and it was so awesome!), and signed none-the-less! So if you've got the money, help out Ji!

[link]

P.S., I'll get to that photo meme ASAP.

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Well, again I'm waiting for some news to be official before announcing it, so in the meanwhile, here's another meme! I think I did this way back a few years ago maybe, but it's a fun one, and I encourage everyone to do the same!

Just comment something you'd like me to take a picture of!

It could be my school, my favorite shirt, a CD, anything! I'll wait about a week to get all the requests in, and then go on a photo-shooting spree!!! Have fun guys!

The dA meme

*DekeNicki — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:13:27 PDT

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Stole this from *CapnFlynn and golly gee goodness, it looked like fun to do!

Why did you join this site?
I think my sister made me join it back in like, 2002 or something, when I was visiting her at WIU. She had to show me how to use it because I didn't even own a computer at the time and had no concept on online communities.

What does your username have to do with you? Is it a combination of your favorite things, or a character of yours?
'Deke' is from Deke Slayton, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. I was seriously considering changing my name to Deke, and I only didn't because I didn't want to pay for it. Nicki is my other name. The more logical one.

What is your current icon of?
My character Pavel! It's an icon train with =holls, and hers is her character Joe.

How many watchers do you have and how many people are you currently watching?
448 people watch me, and I watch 18.

Do you have more than one account?
No, I've never understood that.

Name 3 of your favorite artists on DA.
=jisuk is just a brilliant artist and such a darling in person!
*stressedjenny has such a vivid and expressive style that I can't help falling in love with all that she does.
=holls because she's just a bitch. A bitch I love.

What deviant do you admire because of their personality?
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Hey everyone, I'm thinking of updating my FAQ, so if you have any questions you'd like to ask me, do so in a comment! I'm especially interested if you have any craft or knitting related questions. Thanks guys!

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I have big news, REALLY big news to announce, but I don't want to announce it until it's official, so here's a meme instead.

I stole it from =jisuk

Who sleeps in bed next to you?
Mister Moulton.

What's one of the stupidest things you've done?
Oh, dude, there's too many.

What kind of magazines do you read? What news sites do you read?
I get Astronomy and Moment delivered to me. Astronomy is like, all about astronomy and shit, and Moment is a Jewish-themed magazine. I actually am really bad about the news, and will click on article headlines that look interesting from my yahoo homepage.

If you could see one band in concert right now, any band, dead or alive, which would it be?
Oh, fuck, I don't know. I don't even like bands. Maybe Youth of Today so I can like, be excited I have a fucking Youth of Today lyric tattooed on me.

What's really disgusting?
Eggs.

Name one odd item within five feet of you.
Probably my cat, Pilot.

What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
Fandom I'd have to say Star Trek. Because I've been watching it nonstop and like, I love Kirk so much. Obsession? Hmmm.... hockey. I stupidly have hockey thinkplays Addiction? Coffee. Lovely, lovely coffee....

Where would you like to go right now if you had enough money?
ISRAEL! Me and Greg are planning a trip there in January, actually! Hopefully part of the super special awesome news will happen soon enough for us to buy tickets!

What are you most excited for?
THE SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME NEWS! O__________O

What websites do you always visit when you go online? What's your favorite place to visit?
Facebook, dA, my email, the cheezburger network, ugliest tattooes, twitter...

What was the last thing you bought?
Pumpkin Spice latte!

What's your favorite season?
Winter. Either that or fall. I love winter because I love being bundled up and I love snow, I don't li...

Avi, this one's for you!

*DekeNicki — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:27:28 PDT

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We watched this video last night in my Darwin class, and it was so hilarious I had to share it with all of you. It's a rewriting of the first chapters of Genesis, if it had been written in today's scientific language... *Dubhghall will especially love it, I'm sure, if he hasn't already seen it. Best line ever "Thank Me it's Friday!"

[link]

P.S. You might want to refresh your knowledge of Genesis, chapter 1 before reading it.

P.S.S. If you're easily offended, you probably will do best not to watch.

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So how is everyone? I am really tired of looking at my old journal, so I guess I'll let you all know how I am... school started last week, and I'm already bogged down with loads of homework. But it's okay! <3 I'm enjoying my classes, for the most part, and I'll be done in May! WHEEEEE!!!!

I'm also getting stupidly impatient about Star Trek coming out on DVD. Seroiusly. I only saw it twice in theaters, and then they released it in IMAX EVERYWHERE but Chicago. Honestly, I'd suck up my hatred of Navy Pier and go there to watch EPIC HUGE STAR TREK! *whines* Have anyone else seen it? Is anyone else writhing in sci-fi induced pain waiting for it to come out?! *whines more*

Hmmm.... and knitting! I forgot about knitting! It is going amazing well. I finished a side project I'd been working on for way too long - a little baby blanket! I want to keep it and wait until I have a baby :C But amigurumis are going good, too. I just need to take photos of them and post them on dA! I'm so lazy! :C

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My pal is in trouble and could use some help! Click on the link and see what you can do! [link]

New journal time...

*DekeNicki — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:13:29 PDT

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Hey guys, I'm back from Galena, and although there's really nothing new with me, I figured it was time for a new journal. School starts on the 31st for me, so I'm trying to enjoy my last few days of freedom... unfortunately that means I'm going to be working

Any ideas on things I can do to get one last thrill out of summer break? Go to a museum? Walk in the park? Try to unlearn shit? Give me an idea!

Galena, Galena!

*DekeNicki — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:24:52 PDT

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Monday and Tuesday I'm going to be out of town. Me and my sister, *Snitter are heading to Galena, Illinois for a little 'sister getaway!' There will be shopping, dining, adverturing, dorking, more dorking, and possibly more more dorking. See you all on Wednesday!

Tron: Legacy

*DekeNicki — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 07:34:06 PDT

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I HEARD of this trailer... and I swear, watching it set me off on such a Tron kick... I know the story is kind of crappy and the dialouge is horrible at times, but what an interesting movie!!! I bought the special 20th anniversary copy and loved the 'making of' documentary... it was totally before its time...

In either case, here's the trailer for Tron: Legacy!

http:// www. youtube. com/watch?v=1AwvuirSEAA (delete spaces)

Now who's excited to see this?

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I am so totally helplessly in love with ~ChezMichelle's amigurumi eyes that I want to do a giveaway and get rid of all my old eyes! That's right - totally free. I don't want anything for them, whatsoever. The only catch - suggest something you'd like to see me knit!!!

This is what I've got - (number corresponds to the number of pairs)

2 18mm Amber eyes
2.5 18mm Brown eyes
2 22mm Orange cat eyes
3 12mm Amber eyes
4 12mm Black eyes
1.5 12mm clear eyes
2 18mm yellow eyes
.5 18mm Blue eye
3 12mm pink eyes
3 18mm yellow Owl eyes
2 18mm cartoon eyes
1 pair doll glasses

Note me if you're interested! I will draw ONE NAME at random in a week on Friday July 31st to get the prize! All you have to do is give me your address and the eyes are yours!!!

AND THE WINNER IS..... =loveandasandwich!!! Congrats hon, and thanks to everyone who entered the contest!!! I loved hearing all your suggestions! They were so cute!!!

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Okay, so =holls managed to grab my 100,000th pageview! WAY TO GO HOLLY!

In other news, I just bought some eyes for my amigurumis from *ChezMichelle and I suggest you to do the same! They are some of the most beautiful eyes I have ever, ever, ever seen!!!! It's simply wonderful! I want to get rid of all my old eyes now... honestly, you will not be disappointed!

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That's right. If you get my 100,000th pageview, I will make you your very own amigurumi. There's an added bonus - it'll be included in my book of patterns! Since I'm aware that there are sometimes multiple times a person can see the same pageview (I don't know HOW that happens), only the FIRST PERSON who notes me a SCREENSHOT of the pageview will get the kiriban. Sorry, but no multiple free amigurumis.

Good luck!

P.S. If you get the kiriban, please don't pick either a trademarked character. I forsee a lot of issues of trying to include that in my book.

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Everyone, go here and get a commission. They're cheap, and awesome, and you'll really help out a good friend of mine. [link]

Hey guys, as you might have seen from my last journal, I'm going to be getting a book published with a whole slew of knitted dolls in it. Only problem? I could use some help figuring out what to knit! Not patterns but just ideas of crazy things I could do. Anyone out there think they can stump me with something difficult? Let me know! Anyone who's wanted my pattern - is there something you'd like to see me try? It might be your only chance to get a pattern made just for you, so send me suggestions/links to inspiring deviations/ect.

Amigurumi patterns - contract!

*DekeNicki — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:01:08 PDT

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I just got off the phone with my agent and I am getting emailed a contract to (hopefully) publish a book full of my amigurumi patterns! So for all of you who have been DYING to get your hands on my pattern, you'll be rewarded with your patience with a nice, shiny book full of patterns and examples! *That is, if we get a publisher interested*

HOLY SHIT. I need to go treat myself!!!! I can't believe it! I might be published soon! (This totally makes up for losing the contract for I (plus everyone else) Loves Nerdy Guys ) It's a dream come true day!

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I decided to start a very, very simple/easy meme... find your favorite book and write the very first sentence in it. Mine is...

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe.

"Within five minutes, or ten minutes, no more than that, three of the others had called her on the telephone to ask her if she had heard that something had happened out there."

I tag =holls, *Snitter, and *comic-chic ... and anyone else that wants to do it!

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I've been watching this nonstop for like, an hour. I know it's not the most telling movie trailer ever, but STILL GUYS! I have hope for it yet!

www. youtube. com/watch?v= DvLUrF3ItGQ (just delete the spaces!)

Also, I'm going to open up for commissions. I have a LOT of free time on my hands, so I will totally do an amigurumi for someone. Just note me if you're interested. I kind of need the money, so price is very negotiable... just note me!

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I've been back for quite a few days, but for some reason, sitting down and writing about the honeymoon has been more than a little difficult. I haven't been so much into writing journals lately (not neccessarily on DA, but just in general), so writing all this out has been on the backburner.

We flew into Portland and planned to spend two and a half days there. After our first day, we avoided the town at all costs. I know I live in Chicago, which is definately a bigger city, I just could NOT get used to the masses of homeless. There were parts of the city where it was just strip club, bar, or mission on the entire block. We went to three parks and all of them had a homeless sleeping person about every ten feet. A resturaunt we went to at 4.45pm could only give us something to go because they closed at 5pm to avoid dealing with the homeless. It was UNBELIEVABLE. I thought I was used to the homeless from living in Chicago. Hells no. It was horrible.

Granted, going to Powell's World of Books, the largest book store in the world (it takes up an entire city block and is three stories tall), was almost worth the entire trip. I got a book on moon observations, which I dearly wanted, and a book on the 'Miracle on Ice' hockey team. Yes, I am a dork.

Monday we decided that since we weren't all too keen on Portland that we would drive along the Columbia River to Mount Hood. If you are ever in the area, I highly suggest this. The road was fucking beautiful. (One-lane country roads that wove all over the place. Drive fast. It increases the fun.) Mount Hood was really fun. It was awesome to be standing around on like, four feet of snow in June. We posed for pictures with the summit in the background and realized as skiers suddenly appeared and nearly crashed into us that we were on a ski trail. Our bad.

Tuesday we drove to Astoria, of Goonies fame. We rented bikes when we got there and biked around the town. We went to the "Kindergarten Cop" Elementary School, and then biked to the Goonies house. That town was the hilliest fucking town I have ever been in. I had to get off my bike about a dozen times and walk it up the hill. We biked down to the water front and saw seals. It was so awesome. We watched them bitching at each other for about a half hour. We also went to a local bar and made about twelve friends. It was hilarious. Now we can m...

MARRIED!

*DekeNicki — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:36:05 PDT

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I still have to pack for our honeymoon, which starts Sunday morning, but I just have to say the wedding went PERFECTLY. The weather was beautiful, no awkward moments, no fighting parents, nothing. It was so perfect. Everything was so wonderful. Sure there were some little mistakes, but they were so small that it's barely even worth mentioning!!! The worst was that I only had a half hour to get ready because I got there two and a half hours later than I wanted! (Stupid construction!)

Even with the stress and running around last minute, everything went wonderfully. I am totally on a cloud right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's SO amazing! I want to thank *Snitter, =jisuk, =holls, *stressedjenny and *Dubhghall for all that they did for me at the wedding!!!! I swear I love you all so very, very much!

See you all again went I get back from Portland!

I'm in a land of misery! :C

*DekeNicki — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:52:39 PDT

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Not really 'misery' so to say, but definitely a funk. I cannot focus on ANYTHING. I know, I know, I'm getting married. I just had NO idea how distracting it would be. I've been trying to do ANYTHING. Read, knit, RP... and like, all creativity has been sucked out of me. I went on an 11 mile walk today, which might sound like torture but it saved me from these random days I've had to myself at home where I honestly do nothing but rearrange my bookshelf in whichever way the books look most pleasing. Honestly. All I can do is watch movies, go for walks, and try to distract myself. I'm excited about the wedding coming up and all, but holy shit, I didn't know these last few weeks would do this to me! Have any of you other married peeps out there gone through similar torture?

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OHMYGOSH there are now less than two weeks until I get married!!! You guys have no idea how like, troubling that is. It's awesome, I'm so totally excited, but I swear if one more person cancels on me I'm going to start breathing fire and burn this city to the ground. Honestly. For those who have been married before - how many people did YOU have cancel on you? I sear, I'm going to flip out.

In better news, the Blackhawks finally won a fucking game. *falls over* Anyone out there watching the playoffs? Who are you cheering for?

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I took a typing test and holy shit, I did pretty good! I want to know how fast everyone here can type! So go take the test and then let me know!

"You type 527 characters per minute
You have 98 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words"

98 words

Speed test

WHEEEE!

*DekeNicki — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:13:07 PDT

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School is DONE! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Now I just have to get my butt in gear and finish up all this wedding stuff! O______O! Lordy, lordy, it's so overwhelming at times! :C

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I only have one more week of school. I CANNOT wait. I have an 8 page final and a 10-15 page paper due by Monday... and then I am free. FREE. FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

...though not really!!! I have a wedding to get ready for. AND THAT IS ONLY ONE MONTH AWAY! O__________O!

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Okay, thanks to everyone who bullied me in my last journal. You may have noticed that I took those threats seriously and posted my new amigurumi. *dies* Sorry that took so long. Stupid wedding distracting me so badly.

Based on a conversation that me and ~MoonYen were having the other day about Star Wars, I stupidly decided to rent Episode I again. I had some far-away thought in my head that there had to be some redeeming things about it, right?

*shudders* As you probably assume, it was not the case. Maybe the one redeeming thing about it was that Ewan McGregor was in it, and he's hot, and something to stare at for the two fucking torturous hours that movie was.

It just made me so angry. Episode IV was SO awesome. I mean, they didn't even have DIALOUGE for like, the first seven minutes of the movie! It drew you in, you didn't even really know what this whole battle was about, but you wanted to care about it. And Episode I? They start off by showering you with horrible actors (was it really THAT hard for someone to say 'Yes sir?' without sounding like they had never acted before?) Shit, it was like the fucking animated Lord of the Rings. Everything was so overdone and I HATED it whenever little murderous baby Darth Vader would say 'whoopie!' It was like, overacting was POURING off of the screen.

And sorry, but hearing white people talk about being slaves just annoys me. Utterly annoys me. I don't know - I know it's POSSIBLE - but shit... it just seemed like an unnecessary sympathy card.

I could go on with Jar Jar Binks, but I won't.

So my question to you - if you had to rewrite the script, what would you do? Would you have just gone on to Episode VII?? Would you have written out all that weird ass midichlorian shit??? I know I would have!!!!

Let me know!

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Okay guys. This is getting really, really silly. For the past TWO months, I have had this amigurumi sitting on my bookshelf. It's done. It's completed. I just need to take a freaking picture of it and post it on dA. So someone, please, tell me to do it. Bully me. Send me threats... something! I am being horribly lazy on this one.

Greg in a music video! :D

*DekeNicki — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:47:05 PDT

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Sorry to post two journals like, five minutes apart from one another! My bad. But Greg just sent me this link, and I had to share it. A friend of a friend is apparently in this band, the Street Dogs, and Greg was invited to be in the music video. At first he thought he was just going to stand around in the background, but since no one felt like getting a real, non-break-away bar stool smashed over their back, Greg volunteered. And now he can put on his resume that he was in a bar room fight in a music video. D'awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[link]

(Greg is the tall guy who shows up around 1.56 and leaves by 2.12. A small role, but d'awwwwwwwwwwwwww...)

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[link]

I saw that and wanted to cry. That was like, my favorite book growing up. And this looks... just horrible :C

Wedding!!! :D

*DekeNicki — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:23:13 PDT

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Yesterday I got the bestest letter in the mail from *stressedjenny who said she was going to be coming to my wedding! Which is awesome, because I miss that girl so much! Which also made me realize how dA-filled my wedding is actually going to be!!! *Snitter, =holls, =jisuk, *Dubhghall and *stressedjenny so far all are coming!!! Hopefully more RSVP cards will come back soon!

GAH! Two months left! I can't wait but I still have a lot to do!!!!! Most of everything's been figured out, but still, weird tiny details you would NEVER THINK OF just suddenly become EXTREMELY important at the most INOPPORTUNE TIMES.

EDIT Hey! I have had quite a few people ask me about wedding gifts, so I thought I would post a few that I had in mind! If you ARE interested in getting me a gift, let me know so I can cross it off the list! Thanks for all the kind comments and notes I've been getting!!!! It's been so sweet!

* Lilith Magazine subscription - A subscription to a feminist Jewish magazine! Sounds like fun! [link]

* Hadassah Magazine subscription - A little bit more flashy and put together looking, this is a women's zionist magazine, with information on stuff that is going on in women's lives in Israel! [link]

* Amazon - my wish list on amazon(dot)com! Always a good idea, with lots of different stuff on there! [link]

*... does anyone have any ideas?

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WHY IS THERE SO MUCH SNOW?!?!? IT'S APRIL!?!?!

I woke up this morning and there was snow on EVERYTHING. I know that we can have snow all the way into May, but honestly, I am so done with snow. :C I guess it's better than global warming, but I'm ready to wear flipflops and skirts!

In other news, I am going to be doing my adult bat mitzvah in December! I was really excited about it! I'm going to be reading about the story of Jacob wrestling the angel, which is one of my favorite stories anyways! And hopefully since it's only like, 10 verses long, I can get it memorized!

So... how has everyone been doing?? I swear, I will post my new amigurumis soon... I have one guy finished... just staring at me. I'm just horrible with sitting down and actually taking photos of SOMETHING.

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If anyone ever, ever says that you need an endometrial biopsy, tell them to go to hell. Honestly. Women's Health explained it as "An endometrial biopsy is a simple procedure done to learn more about your condition by taking a sample of the lining of your uterus." It also warns there are "mild cramps."

BULLSHIT. It felt like the fucking bitch of all heavens.

*

I have no idea why I felt like sharing that, but I've been in pain all day and I guess I feel like bitching about it to the world over the internet.

*

In better news, I'm only 50 pages away from finishing the Tanakh! (Or the Old Testament as Christians call it) I would have to say that major parts of it are boring as all hell to get through, and some downright put me to sleep. But I really wanted to get through it... and now have to drag my feet through the last 50 pages, which regrettably I read online were 'some of the most boring passages ever put to print.' FUN TIMES! Anyways, I feel like treating myself for accomplishing such a task! Any ideas?

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Does anyone out there have ANY need for a bunch of skin-toned pipecleaners? I bought a bunch to try to make armatures for my amigurumi and I didn't like the results at all... and now I have like, 100 pipecleaners I feel a little silly about throwing out. I don't want any money for them, so just let me know if you want them and I'll mail them your way! Thanks!

<...

Pick a Character meme

*DekeNicki — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:40:06 PDT

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=holls told me to do this ages ago, and I kind of want to get that old journal off my front page, so here we go! Comment with a character of mine and I'll answer all these questions! FUN TIMES PEOPLE! FUN TIMES!

01. Full name
02. Best friend
03. Sexuality
04. Favorite color
05. Relationship status
06. Ideal mate
07. Odd Skills/Skills in general
08. Last Amusing Escapade
09. Favorite food
10. Crushes
11. Favorite music
12. Biggest fear
13. Biggest fantasy
14. Quirks
15. Bad habits
16. Biggest regret
17. Best kept secrets
18. Last thought
19. Worst sexual/romantic experience
20. Biggest insecurity

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... your professor opens up your thumb drive in front of the entire class and what comes up are thumbnails of gay smut. FUN TIMES.

Thoughts on Watchmen

*DekeNicki — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:26:59 PDT

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Okay, okay, I know EVERYONE and their mother went to go see Watchmen, so my thoughts on the movie probably don't amount to much. I won't give away spoilers, either, because I really, REALLY hate when people do that - but in either case, my thoughts.

I felt that the only winning thing about the movie, apart from the special effects, was the characters. THEY. WERE. AMAZING. Rorschach was the best. By far. I thought he was nicely developed and hilarious. The theater absolutely cheered like stupid for almost a whole minute with the 'you're locked in here with me' line.

Now, by saying that, I thought the plot was weak and just... not there. It felt like the characters forgot there was a plot halfway through the movie. Now this could definately be because i didn't read the comic, but it felt like the first thirty minutes of the movie had a plot, then the characters all just hung out and did random crap for the next hour, and then returned to the original plot line. It was really confusing. By the time they got to the original plot, I'd forgotten all about it, and completely gave up caring about it. Why should I care about the whole 'murder' plot when we, as an audience, were made to stop caring about it in exchange for the 'Silk Spectre/Night Owl' plot?

There was other stuff too - the ending annoyed the absolute shit out of me. Now, I know it's Alan Moore and death and destruction of the human race is probably what he dreams about every night, but it's kind of a shitty way to save the world to kill millions. Maybe I'm still idealistic, but it was just shitty. Absolutely shitty. And the tiger thing?? WTF?? Was that in the comic? I hope it was because that was just really out there.

Dr. Manhattan didn't really hit it off with me, either. His powers were cool, I kind of felt for him, but his complete lack of emotions made it really, really hard to care. It was hard to cheer for a character that, when bad shit started to happen, ran off to Mars and made some hilariously complicated machine for NO APPARENT REASON and then just kind of hung out there - probably watching Earth and watching for it to explode. I'm sure they explained that in the comic more (or I hope they did), but from a first-timers perspective, it was just hard to care about a character that really had no desire to save anyone.

I'm sorry for my negative thoughts, and I know a TON of people adore this movie/comic. And I also understand that this was most likely the way the original comic was, which gives the screenplay-writers less leeway in altering it, I know. It just didn't do much for me. If I could somehow get a copy without the middle hour, I would probably watch it a lot. But the whole 'let's go play and do random shit' intermission in the middle of the movie just really, really threw me off and I probably won't watch the whole movie again. Maybe just random Rorschach parts.

I'm a journalist!

*DekeNicki — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:48:09 PST

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So yes, today I'm officially a journalist. And say whatever you want about school newspapers, I'm still excited! My first published article was distributed around campus today, and my article covers the entire back page!

If you want to read about urban astronomy, you can go to [link] (NEIU Independent newspaper) and click on 'Features' on the left hand side. Mine is the article 'Urban Astonomy.'

New Journal Time

*DekeNicki — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:53:24 PST

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I am so effing tired. Today has been rainy and downcast all day, so I'm going to blame that. Hopefully all this rain means that winter is over and spring is here!

Holy shit, I need to go home and take a nap

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I wasn't 'officially' tagged to do this, but holy shit, it's so tempting to talk about yourself on the internets. I already did this on facebook. Gosh, I'm a dork.

1. I was supposed to be in my Museum Studies class right now, but my fiance kind of conned me into going out. Good thing my professors don't go to internet cafes or else they'd never believe that I was sick.

2. Speaking of internet cafes. I hate them. Especially the people who visit them. Which explains why I hate my job so much. :C

3. If I wasn't engaged with a guy who totally wants to stay in Chicago, I would be totally moving to Canada and getting citizenship. Most people I know think I'm Canadian anyways.

4. Case in point = I love a Canadian hockey team.

5. Another case in point = A co-worker once handed me all the Canadian change they'd accumulated over the years and asked me if it reminded me of 'the Homeland.' I gave them a weird look and asked "Indiana?"

6. I am stupidly a fan of Disney movies. I have watched Ratatouille twice already today.

7. I also repeatedly watch "Apollo 13" and "From the Earth to the Moon." My sister even commissioned a Valentine cosmonaut/astronaut card for me.

8. Yuri Gagarin has got to be the hottest non-alive man I know.

9. I swear the only men I'm attracted to are gay or nearly gay. Toskala and the manpurse in the best example of this.

10. I am currently wearing a Chicago Wolves hat and a Toronto Maple Leafs shirt. Good thing they can't play together.

11. I am also wearing a bright yellow NEIU hoodie. I won't get lost now!

12. I have completely given up on teaching myself Hebrew. I'll try again whenever I get around to like, graduating school.

13. I live in a Swedish neighborhood that has no Sweds in it.

14. I am almost more excited to have =holls come visit me in June than my actual wedding which she is coming to visit me for. My bad. I guess when you've been dating someone for 8 years, marriage seems almost like an anti-climax.

15. I have straight edge tattoos. YES, I was THAT big a dork at one point.

16. I also had an anarchist tattoo that I *thankfully* got covered up two years ago.

17. Sometimes your pa...

Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

*DekeNicki — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:08:32 PST

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So what did everyone do on Valentine's Day? Me and Greg don't really like the holiday... it has that horrible Hallmark taste to it, so this morning I sat around the apartment and now I'm at Screenz working. It's sad because the only people here are those depressing men who stop by to watch porn. *cringes* Fun, fun night ahead :C

And since boy and girl getting-along-together-ness is a theme of the day, I am doing a meme. So... my man-self can date my girl-self.

Your Boy Side

[x] You love hoodies.
[x] You love jeans.
[ ] Dogs are better than cats.
[x] It's hilarious when people get hurt.
[x] You've played with/against boys on a team.
[ ] Shopping is torture.
[x] Sad movies suck.
[x] You own an X-Box. (Well, technically Greg owns it...)
[x] Played with Hotwheels cars as a kid.
[ ] At some point in time you wanted to be a firefighter.
[x] You own a DS, PS2 or Sega.
[x] You used to be obsessed with Power Rangers.
[x] You watch sports on TV.
[ ] Gory movies are cool.
[x] You go to your dad for advice.
[x] You own like a trillion baseball caps. (Six = a trillion)
[x] You like going to football games. (hockey games count, right?)
[x] You used to/do collect baseball cards.
[ ] Baggy pants are cool to wear. (WERE cool to wear)
[ ] It's kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.
[x] Green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favorite colors.
[x] You love to go crazy and not care what people think.
[x] Sports are fun. (When participating in them...not when watching)
[x] Talk with food in your mouth. (all the time.......)

Total = 18

Your Girl Side

[x] You wear lip gloss.
[x] You love to shop.
[ ] You wear eyeliner.
[x] You have some of the same shirts in different colors. (is not ashamed)
[x] You wear the color pink.
[ ] Go to your mom for advice.
[ ] You consider cheerleading a sport.
[x] You hate wearing the color black.
[x] You like hanging out at the mall.
[x] You like getting manicures and/or pedicures.
[x] You like wearing jewelry.
[ ] Skirts are a big part of your wardrobe.
[ ] Shopping is one of your favorite hobbies.
[ ] You don't like the movie Star Wars. (HOLY FUCK WHAT?!?!)
[x] You are/were in cheerleading, gymnastics or dance. (I was in all three and pretty much sucked in all of them)
[x] It takes you around 1 hour to shower, get dressed,/ and put on make-up and accessories. (is ashamed)
[x] You smile a lot more than you should. (NEVER STOPS)
[x] You have more than 10 pairs of shoes.
[x] You care about what you lo...

Watch the skies!!!

*DekeNicki — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:15:35 PST

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Once agian, I'm here to update you on astronomical happenings all over North America. On FEBURARY 4th, the Moon, Jupiter and Venus will form a perfect isosceles triangle! Something like this probably would have freaked out the ancents and probably won't happen again for hundreds of years! So if the skies are clear, look up and get ready for some awesome, awesome astronomy!

*and since this came up last time, the brighter of the two planets is Venus!

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So, if you happened to notice, I am about 10k away from my 100k!!! Now I don't really do kiribans, or I haven't in ages, but 100k is a special place to get to. Hell, with a gallery full of knitting, I'm surprised I have half the pageviews I do!

SO!!! If you happen to get a screencap of my 100k, send it to me and you'll get yourself a nice knitted something from me!

*dies* In other news, I have been nothing but tired for WEEKS. I guess I've way too much on my plate lately, but there's little for me to do except trudge on. I've got to go to school, and I've got to work, so.......... Too bad the two don't mix!

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SO! Unless you're in an airplane coming back from London *cough*, you probably watched the Presidental Inauguration!

It was amazing here at school - NEIU went crazy for it! They opened up the HUGE Auditorium to broadcast the Inauguration. I went to it (thankfully my American National Government professor felt it was important for us to see it and let us out of class early), and it was amazing. I think one of the silliest points was when the ABC broadcasters cut to a scene of a moving truck at the White House and everyone started to cheer when they explained this was the last of the Bush's stuff being taken out.

There was a marching band that was walking around campus all morning (and yes, in the hallways) playing patriotic music. The cafeteria featured "Obama's Favorites" in everything - his favorite style of chili, his favorite pizza, and his favorite dishes were all on the menu!! I even got my picture taken with the new president!!! ...or a cardboard cut out made to his likeness.

SO!!! What were your impressions? Where were you when you watched it??? Did you giggle, too, when he messed up?? ...and boy, how badly I want to make a little Obama amigurumi now!!!

*sorry for all the journal spamming, I swear I won't go on another journal binge!*

For the love of Mrs. Chippy

*DekeNicki — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:00:40 PST

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My fiance found this for me [link] I swear, I MUST go to New Zealand now and pay respects to the first Mrs. Chippy!

5 Most Weird Work Experiences

*DekeNicki — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:25:54 PST

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I figured I should start a meme or something. This one - the five most weird work experiences you've been through. Either something strange happened, worst customers, oddest questions! Let me know!

1. "Do you have any paper heavier than white?"

2. Getting a Mooninite 'bomb' put on Screenz! That was fun!

3. Having a 'homeless' guy asking us to call an ambulance for him because he was having a heart attack. When the ambulance arrived, he just asked them to drive him home so he could take his pills. They drove off without him.

4. "Oh, great! You guys have coffee? Do you make meatball subs here?"

5. Getting pepper-sprayed when a homeless crazy guy got annoyed at being asked to leave the bathroom, which he'd been in for over an hour

I tag everyone who feels like doing it! If you don't want to do a journal, just comment with your responses, or if you DO do a journal, link me to it! Have fun, guys!

OOooohhhh, Leafs!

*DekeNicki — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:26:55 PST

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Wednesday night, I went to a Wolves/Marlies game with ~Snitter and Greg. I really want to kick myself for forgetting my camera, because we had front row seats and I got to check out Boyd Devereaux's ass like, all night. Sorry, I'm such a girl!

I was really excited to see so many 'actual' Leafs playing for the Marlies, like Mark Bell. I was hoping there would be a fight, but then again, we were supplimented with like, a thousand hits right in front of us. Oh nice! And there were like, four forty-somethings sitting next to us and I wonder if the hockey game was a little much for them! It was hilarious! Maybe even more hilarious was the one face off where both guys fell forward and hit heads. It was awesome. They had to redo the face off because they fell on the puck. Great job, guys!

Though next time I go to a Chicago/Toronto hockey game, I am NOT 'supporting both teams.' That got really fucking confusing. Here's a recap of the game ---> [link]

To celebrate, though, here's a feature of my favorite man-purse wearing goalie. Oh, Vesa, is there anything you can't do? Thanks Ardi!

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Hey guys! I feel very, very honored to tell you all that my newest amigurumi pattern is almost ready! I just have a few things to tweak and then I'm buying a copyright and it'll be ready for sale! I'm hoping to send this out to agents soon, and hopefully get a knitting book printed, so I would love for those who are interested in buying my pattern to let me know where things are confusing or unclear! Thanks a lot, and I'll let you know when the pattern is available for sale!

Encourage a soldier and I'm back...

*DekeNicki — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:31:35 PST

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1. If you want to send words of encouragement to an IDF soldier fighting in Gaza or a citizen under seige, please go here [link] (If you're not in support, don't write a letter condemning all of this - they do get read and yours will not be sent.)

2. I just got back from Canada... oh my, like, five days ago I'm so bad at updating stuff! I had a wonderful time, and I really need to post up more about my experience! Especially the "Highway of Heroes" - it was such moving stuff!!!! I'll find a youtube clip to explain it better and post it up as soon as I can! But all in all, it was a great trip, and now I'm ready for a new semester of school!

On that note - how was everyone's holidays? And what are you gearing up to get started on?

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I know I haven't really been doing much on here lately, but I'm going to be gone for about a week. I'm going up to Toronto to visit my favorite Canadian! Take care!

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Happy Holidays to all my DA peeps out there! Hope you're having a really good holiday season!

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=holls is running a raffle to help out an animal shelter that burned down by her house! If you've ever wanted a nice warm toasty hat from me, here's your chance! I donated one of my new hats to the raffle! The raffle has ALREADY risen over $300 to help out those Canadian cats!!!! Raffle tickets are only like, $2, so what are you waiting for?????

"Nearly 200 Cats Dead in Humane Society Fire

Article -> [link]

One of the animal shelters near us has burned down, claiming the lives of nearly two hundred cats. Not only have all those animals died, now a major city is without an animal shelter, and will be facing a big bill to rebuild. Being a non-profit organization, they're going to be relying on donations to get up and running again."

i personally cannot contribute much since i'm way behind on fanime assignments and still have commissions and trades to finish, but since animal shelters are very important imo (all three of my cats are shelter cats), i've offered to do a simple character sketch for the winner of the raffle.

so, please help out if you can, there are plenty of ways: offer a prize for the raffle, donate, or pass the word along to anyone who you think might be able to help.

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I got my grades today. 2 B's and 2 A's... I should be really happy, but it PISSES me off so much that I got a B in my History of American Sports class. Granted, everyone warned me this prof NEVER gives out A's, but I figured being ONE OF TWO people in teh class with an A on the paper and B on the midterm, *and with LOTS of studying for the final* I would ACTUALLY have gotten an A in the class....

*grumbles*

Now my precious, precious GPA is at a 3.69. NOT AT ALL where I want it to be. :C Now I will never be a part of Alpha Chi, or the 'top 10% of the school' club. :C

But I am in Phi Alpha Theta... go History Honors!

Please help local toy makers!

*DekeNicki — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:10:58 PST

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~MoonYen alerted me to this, and I think it's important for everyone to pay attention to and participate in!!!

*Taken from [link] *

In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small part, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels.

For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.

A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes dolls to sell at craft fairs must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of toys that have earned and kept the public's trust: Toys made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade toys will no longer be legal in the US.

If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while Kraft and Dole prospered.

How You can Help:
Please write to your United States Congress Person and Senator to request changes in the CPSIA to save handmade toys. Use our sample letter [link] or write yo...

Sub anyone?

*DekeNicki — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:24:07 PST

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Can anyone spare the money to buy me a subscription? Mine's going to run out on the 28th and... and... I'd really like a new one! :C

Thanks so much!

OKAY! CONFESS!!!! WHO BOUGHT ME ALL THOSE SUBS?!?!?!? *jisuk admitted as such, but I'm subscribed now until JUNE OF 2010!!!!!!!!!! @_______________________________@!!!! That's like... WHEN I WILL BE GRADUATING COLLEGE! OMG THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO DID!!! AND REVEAL THYSELVES!!!!!!!! SO I CAN ANNOINT YOU WITH MY LVOE AND AFFECTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^___^

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Last night I finished the last of my finals! As =holls knows, this has been one hell of a semester for me. One 17 page paper, one 10 page paper, and a hell of a lot of intense finals that have had me stressed and sick for the last month. I guess it sort of says something that your "US Legal History" class is a LOT more fun than your "History of American Sports" class. The finals were pretty brutal too. Imagine getting a 'study guide' for a Japanese history class, and it's two pages of outlines of everything you learned in the class... no possible final questions, just "this is what you learned, isn't that nice?"

But I woke up this morning, and I swear the sun couldn't possibly have been shining brighter! ...now I just have to wait for grades to be posted!

So yes, I am back on DA! I should be posting things soon, and... wow. I hope next semester is a HELL of a lot more interesting!

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Today has been one of the best days of my life. Well... the last few months of my life.

I asked Devon (my boss) at the Adler what I would have to do to get a job at a place like the Adler because I was really interested in continuing my education in conservation. And OH BOY did I learn so much! I got all these nice links to places that are local that offer CLASSES on CONSERVATION.

Such as [link]. They are only like, three hours from here and I can take classes and get a certificate (instead of going to grad school). I was so excited about this - this way I could work in having kids, working, AND learning conservation stuff all at the same time!

It's nice when there are days like these when everything seems to all come together.

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Tomorrow night (December 1st) there is going to be a rare and really cool astronomical sighting to be had! And you don't even need a telescope!

In the southern skies, find the crescent moon. Even if you live in a light-polluted area, it should be easy to spot two bright 'stars' next to it. Congrats! You've found Venus and Jupiter!!!!!!!! Not geek out, and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't be like 20% of the population and call the police reporting the appearance of UFOs.

Here's an article about the happening --> [link] Apparently it will go on until Febuary, check out the cool thing that'll happen on the 4th of Febuary!!!

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REALLY QUICK! WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY PAGEVIEWS?!?!? WTF HAPPENED?!?!? I had like, 400 yesterday and like, 150 today. Does anyone have any insight into that?

-Make a post containing your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.")

-If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you. Or, on DA, just send a note.

-Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines so that the holiday joy will spread.

-Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

-If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free - do it.

You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call. There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just... wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

1. Art. I wish I could draw my characters SO MUCH, and I always have the best ideas in my head for them! Anything related to them would be the best!

2. A picture of Vesa Toskala with his man purse. [link] I don't know why I'd love this so much, but I so totally would.

3. Yarn. Wool, to be specific. Nice bright colors!

4. Holiday cards! Note me for an addy if you want to send me one. And as a bonus, I'll send one back if you do!

Free yarn anyone? GONE!

*DekeNicki — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:25:04 PST

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So I've been cleaning up my house like NUTS lately, and I have pile of acrylic yarn that I am just never going to use (so I'm a wool snob now ). I don't want to just throw it in the Good Will bin - does anyone out here want it? I know the economy isn't good, so I don't want to charge anyone for it... but it will probably cost a pretty penny to send.

If you're interested, I can post up a picture of the colors I have. Maybe we can do a trade of some sorts, since there's probably about 10-15 things of Red Heart yarn. Just comment/note if you're interested in getting your hands on it! And don't worry so much about price - I want it off my hands! But remember, it's first come, first serve

EDIT!!! NO MORE YARN!!! ~MoonYen offered to buy up my whole collection, and since I'm broke, I mailed it out to her. So no more yarn giveaway! :C Sorry!

HOWEVER! THERE IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR CHEAP KNITITNG STUFF! I am going to do another knitting package for Christmas/Hannukah, since I have some needles (wooden size 10) and a few extra things of wool (NOT acrylic), knitting magazines and books sitting around... Does anyone have any ideas for this? Would you prefer if I put a price on it and it comes first serve, or do a cheap raffle? Give me ideas! I'll post it up in about a week!