In just 3 days, Alltangledup aka atu celebrates its 3rd blog birthday. In honour of this occasion, I thought that I would highlight a few lesser known fact-lettes.
1. If you'd found me via a search engine, you were probably searching for
- kiri
- p*lly knitting
- prague yarn shop
- istanbul yarn shop
- Rowanette exchange
- chinese+wedding+hair+brushing
See, it's not all about shopping here!
2. The 2 posts with the most image images hotlinked are: this one (lai-see and gung hay fat choy) and this one (double happiness).
Does this mean that chinese people are more likely to commit bandwidth thief?
3. 3 projects where greater than 10 people asked me to send them the pattern.
Tango - I told them to email Rowan for the pattern, as it's out of print and Rowan will send it to members at no/minimum cost
Baby booties - from Debbie Bliss baby book, I modified it slightly
This poncho from Maryland - I honestly have no idea, I just took the photo.
Phew! I managed to help in 2/3 cases without violating copyrights
4. Photos demonstrating extreme knitting ... or wtf, is this girl nuts ...?
5. Top 3 referring sites in July/August
myspace.com - no idea why, it can't be 'em hotlinkers cause I'm barring them in my .htaccess
knittersreview.com
mimknits.com - probably because of the Icarus
6. Finally.... the annual blog birthday drawing... this year, it's going to require a bit of thought on your part ... all you need to do is leave a comment on this post with your name and email contact (use an anonymous one like hotmail or yahoo if you're afraid of being spammed to death) and a harmless trick that you think that I ought to play on the Geek for his birthday. You have until Sunday, 20th August, noontime EST, when my random number generator will randomly select a winner
I must admit that Geek and I have agreed to a ceasefire this year to avoid mutually assured birthday joke destruction, but should he even consider reneging on that, I want him to see the ammo that I have. You don't have to be original, so don't worry if someone else has suggested it. I have threatened to send him a singing gorilla-gram in the past but given the litigious nature of workplace harassment lawsuits, have decided against that... not to mention that chance that my company's security guards might refuse admit a masked person at these security conscious times Please do not suggest anything that might land me on the front page of the Times, there is a big difference between fame and infamy.
So the prize .. . 10 balls of Jaeger Pure Cotton in .... (now where did I put that yarn ..) This is a lovely yarn and 10 balls gives you 1250 meters, enough to do many of the Rowan designs.
The Pure Cotton has been discontinued for some time. It's the right tension to use to substitute the Rowan Glacé as well as the old debbie bliss wool cotton. I've had this yarn in stash for a long time and have been keeping it particularly for children's clothing. When I gift yarn, I want to make sure that there is enough to do a project and with 10 balls of the Pure Cotton, you can make up to the largest size of Crinkle from Rowan 39 What colour? Probably an off white. I'll post a photo tomorrow, cause I can't find the yarn right now.
PHOTO ADDED.
The colour is ecru and the dyelot is 6J0
I thank you all for continuing to visit whilst I record my knitting, yarn shopping and travelling adventures. I also wish you good luck and look forward to reading about how you would torture my friend ;-)
Posted by atu at August 17, 2006 11:04 PM | TrackBackHappy Blog Anniversary. You have a great thing going at this site. I love the look of the blogpage too. Keep up the very fun work that keeps us interested in knitting and blogging.
Posted by: kathy b at August 26, 2006 02:18 PMWow--knitting in the water--my daughter dared me to do that on our vacation--now I know I should have tried!
Posted by: alliesw at August 24, 2006 02:36 AMHappy blog birthday - and real one I think too. No good at thinking up tricks or jokes - I would just leave the poor guy in peace after reading some of the above suggestions!
Tango - I shall have to look for that one. Is it a childs or adults? Can't remember and my link doesn't seem to work.
Aaaw, those baby booties and cardi went to *my* baby!! They are even more beautiful in the flesh. Thank you, thank you, thank you! They'll be put to good use for Number Two in a few months :-)
xx
Posted by: Wendy P at August 21, 2006 08:57 AMHappy birthday Blog!
Gladwrap everything in his office - phone, chair, keyboard computer.... and fill all the cupboards and drawers with shredded paper and then glad wrap them shut too!
Posted by: Lee-Fay at August 21, 2006 03:32 AMHi Polly,
wished I could have met up with you at Liberty's this time. I am probably too late, but tell him you have gone mad on a 500 pound yarn spree. He will be so relieved when he realises it's a trick he will probably let you go on a smaller one!
Posted by: Chrissie at August 20, 2006 07:19 PMHappy blog anniversary Polly!
Thanks, I really enjoy reading your blog.
As for the Geek.. hmmm.
If you can get into his office, you can gift wrap everything. Everything, his computer, his monitor, his mouse, his pens; nothing says happy birthday like lots of presents to unwrap. :)
The cruelest trick I ever heard of was to remove the hubcap from your "friend's" car, place a dead fish inside, then replace the hubcap. I think that's a bit beyond the pale, though.
Posted by: BigAlice at August 20, 2006 04:05 PMHappy Blogiversary!
Posted by: emily at August 20, 2006 03:13 PMI think I'm too late... But you could offer him a mento and a drink of diet coke -- I wonder if the explosion would happen in his mouth.
Happy blogiversary!
Posted by: Mary de B at August 20, 2006 03:12 PMHappy Anniversary! I really enjoy reading this blog and looking at all your work.
Hide the tracker ball from his mouse when he leaves his desk.
Posted by: Un My Kim at August 20, 2006 07:25 AMThe black balloons always go over good in the office, along with the Pep Pills for the middle aged male. (aka Jelly Beans). Hope this helps.
Posted by: Angie at August 20, 2006 03:52 AMHarmless trick: Tell Geek that a strange chemical reaction causes ketchup to heat up when salt is added to it (or pepper or whatever other spice is handy). You can call it an exothermic reaction to sound more scientific. Naturally, he won't believe you because it isn't true. But offer to prove it to him.
Put a large puddle of ketchup on a plate or other flat surface (we used the disposable cup lids) and then add a lot of salt to it. Hold the palm of your hand very close to the ketchup for a few seconds and say something like, "There! it's starting to warm up, feel it." Geek will then place his hand over the ketchup in a similar way (palm down very close to the ketchup) and say, "I don't feel anything." Then, you say "you need to get closer" and immediately push his hand into the ketchup. (Or if he's suspicious of you, just push his hand in as soon as he put it over the ketchup.)
Happy Blog Birthday!
Posted by: Laura at August 19, 2006 05:52 PMHappy Birthday!
Tricksy tricks...
depends if his office has a closed door & isn't shared; if so, once Geek has left work (or before he gets in), put a line of talcum powder or fine flour just inside the door. CLose the door. Use a hairdryer to blow air under the door.
Result: an entire room covered in a fine mist of powder/flour.
Offer Geek a pressie (giftwrapped duster) & run!
Jo
xxx
Hi Polly
Happy 3rd birthday All Tangled Up!! I'm a silent, frequent reader.
I like the room full of balloons - literally full to the top - always good fun!
Also, a knitted nose (or ... whatever...) warmer could make him blush :)
Posted by: Deborah at August 19, 2006 09:53 AMi'm not very good at this, but i do this some times, and it's funny. wait until the other person is talking to someone, or engaged in another activity while standing up, and silently approach from behind. put your knees behind theirs, and bend them quickly. the other person loses his balance, but doesn't falls. it scares them, though! ;)
congratulations on your blog anniversary! :)
Posted by: betty at August 19, 2006 09:27 AMHappy Blog Birthday - I knit Kiri for the Knitting Olympics and recommend it to all. My daughter suggested removing most of his clean underwear from his drawer ahead of time, replacing it with one or two pairs glued completely shut. As in flat. You'll need to steal the old undies away to the laundry as well. Good Luck!
Posted by: ellen at August 19, 2006 05:31 AMHappy Blog Anniversary. Your blog is wonderful. Birthday treat for Geek: put a mirror in front of his computer screen with a sign on it that says, "This is what OLD looks like."
Posted by: Renée from Wisconsin at August 19, 2006 12:30 AMSpammed to death already! thanks for the little retrospective, it's DH's birthday too (well the 18th) and we just celebrated it by spending an hour towing his car out of a flooded road in the dark. Happy blogday and keep doing it.
Posted by: SamG at August 18, 2006 11:35 PMif he has an optical mouse, put tape over the optical bit ........ or send some balloons wishing him a happy retirement ;-)
Posted by: tina at August 18, 2006 10:45 PMThe evening before, set his alarm for midnight, and when he gets up, sing Happy Birthday and eat cake.
Posted by: Siri at August 18, 2006 09:43 PMIt doesn't work for everyone but CTRL-ALT-down arrow (or up arrow) I think turns the screen upside down. It is a bit lame but I'm tired!
Posted by: mrspao at August 18, 2006 07:57 PMEspecially for a Geek! You'll need a little time and access to his computer for this. First do an ALT PrintScreen; then go into a photo editor like Paint; Edit; paste and save the image. Exit the photo editor. Now copy ALL of his Desktop icons to a safe folder. Next right click on Desktop; go to Properties; Desktop tab; click on Customize Desktop button; uncheck all desktop icons; click OK until closed. Hover the cursor over the taskbar and right click...unlock the taskbar; close. Hide the taskbar by hovering over a blank spot on the taskbar until you get the little up&down arrow; then drag it down and out of sight. Set your saved image as his desktop background. When he clicks on ANYTHING, it will NOT work! Too, too funny to watch.
Posted by: Judy at August 18, 2006 07:45 PMOne year, we filled up a birthday boy's cubicle with packing peanuts. Clear up. All the way to the top. It was great...
Congratulations on 3 years, too!!
Judy
dragonflyknits at gmail dot com
I'm no good at practical jokes, but I'm delighted about your three-year blogiversary. :-)
Posted by: Beth S. at August 18, 2006 05:42 PMHappy Three Years, Polly. I am still kicking myself for not saying Hello in Maryland. This is my *favorite* prank. A friend played it on my husband last year. It takes a bit of work on your part but it is priceless. Our friend went into the office when my husband wasn't there and shrink wrapped every item in his office. Every apple in the fruit bowl, his chair, monitor, keyboard, phone, conference table, stapler, wedding pictures. I mean *everything*. It was in June of 2005 and he is still finding things that are wrapped in plastic wrap (I think he used Saran). Again, Happy Three!
Posted by: KT at August 18, 2006 05:32 PMLong time lurker here - happy blog birthday!
I always threaten to knit my husband a thong for his birthday. I think If I actuully did he would fall out of his chair - not knowing if I was serious or not. :)
Happy blog birthday! For a trick, try removing his keyboard, and substituting it with a pad of paper and a ball point pen!
Posted by: Charity at August 18, 2006 04:06 PMHappy birthday to your blog!
Posted by: Deb at August 18, 2006 03:03 PMHappy Blogiversary! Mine is in a mere 9 days. (only 2 years though) You are such an assest to Blogland and the corresponding knitting community...I'm so glad you blog!
As for harmless fun, my most creative moment was an April Fool's dinner. It wasn't hard to do!
http://somecallthemsticks.blogspot.com/2006/04/i-love-making-dinner-for-my-family.html
happy blogiversary! :) wow, 3! :)
like peninah, I've done a fun keymapping trick on someone before, either qwerty to dvorak or switching to another language, like Russian. It's pretty funny when someone starts typing and they're getting all Cyrillic characters back... :)
Posted by: jess at August 18, 2006 02:32 PMHappy blogaversary!
Why don't you just threaten to knit him something - I don't know - may be like this:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4534/1041/1600/roy1.jpg
A trick for Geek? Tell him that Bill Gates admited that he uses Linux for all his home computing needs! :D
Posted by: AmyP at August 18, 2006 12:33 PMI just love that mountain extreme knitting picture. Happy anniversary!
Posted by: Sharon at August 18, 2006 12:06 PMHappy blogthday!
At my work we always play an April Fools Day trick on our boss. This year, we all arrived early and proceeded to cover everything in his office in newspaper. Every surface, every book, every pen. It was hilarious! It didn't take as long as we thought it would - there were 5 of us and it took us about half an hour to do.
Posted by: Leanne at August 18, 2006 11:24 AMhappy three years, dear polly! i am hopeless with these kinds of pranks, unfortunately.
Posted by: kris at August 18, 2006 08:41 AMOn my hubby's birthday I sent him off to work with his pack lunch and inside the box I had hidden one of those wind up butterflies. He opened the box and whoosh this thing flew out and scared him half to death! His co-workers thought it highly amusing...
Posted by: Michelle at August 18, 2006 08:19 AMPolly, there's only one thing you can do ..... sign the Geek up for a knitting course - preferably something a little tricky like lace knitting or intarsia. That way he'll gain a bit of respect for your incredible skill! And maybe he'll enjoy it too. Happy Blog Birthday.
Posted by: Helen at August 18, 2006 08:15 AMI always thought that the office prank where you put about 20 little paper cups on the victim's desk, stapled together and then fill them half way with water, so as to make it quite a feat to remove them without spilling any was quite funny. (And poor syntax apparently. I apologize for the above sentence!)
Posted by: E at August 18, 2006 04:54 AMHappy Birthday to All Tangled Up!
Favorite harmless trick? When I stopped working at my previous job, my coworkers arranged to have my car towed and impounded (they paid the towing fees). It was pretty funny, especially since they timed it so that I saw it just as the tow truck was pulling away!
Posted by: Flan at August 18, 2006 03:35 AMHappy blog birthday!
Not sure if these will work for you at all...
My all time favorite (which doesn't work so well anymore and depends on the user's computer environment) is to take a screenshot of the desktop, set that as the wall paper, then hide the icons. i have also used it as a teaching tool that there are other ways to get at one's programs.. ;)
[I also switch keymaps (from qwerty to dvorak or "random") and I once left my computer unattended and a "friend" fixed it so that it would chose a different random keymap upon my login. *THAT* was a fun trick. thankfully i had the next few hours free.]
Posted by: peninah at August 18, 2006 02:43 AMI always think it's funny when someone falls for that old trick where one person gets down on hands and knees right behind the victim, and then another person gives the victim a light shove on the shoulder, then the victim goes toppling over. No one gets hurt but geez it's funny!
You know, I have always loved that Tango pattern after seeing it on your blog. I just might write to Rowan about it.
Congratulations on 3 years!!
Interesting! Happy Blog Birthday to All Tangled Up!
Contest! Love that. Harmless trick? This is really not original ... but I love it whenever I see it on the movie Under Seige ... send him a big birthday cake with a beautiful girl hiding inside (naked or not, you decide, ok?) who will burst jumping out while people are singing the birthday song. :)