Early Christmas Goodies!

Christmas came early in my house (even though I'm posting this late), with a fabulous package of Quality Quidditch Supplies from Gryphon the Great, of the Pride of Portree!

Just look at all of the great stuff Gryphon sent! There's a bag for all of my Quidditch gear, patterns and yarns for a dog-themed hat and gloves, treats for me, treats for the VeryBadDogs (which I think were homemade, and which we had to put up pretty quickly to prevent them all being devoured at once), and two nifty sculputures - a hedgehog with hairbrush bristles (perhaps a Transfiguration project?) and a dragon.


Here's a better look at the bag, with its Appleby Arrows logo. It has a nicely reinforced handle (I can't tell if that's from the stitch, or if he's added something) and is lined in bright purple. It's going to get a lot of use as a project bag, even when I don't have Quidditch matches to go to.


And here's the dragon. Gryphon recommended that the dragons get "G" names, so his name is Gordy. I haven't figured out what the hedgehog's name is yet, but I'm sure I'll know soon.


Thank you, Gryphon, for a wonderful package of magical supplies!

More Holidays

We had a fun Thanksgiving with the Muggles, and now it's time to get ready for Christmas. It's another thing that's much harder without magic - but we're trying to make things look as enchanted as possible, without giving anything away.

Thanksgiving

Wow, time's going by fast. We're about to head off for Thanksgiving with the Muggle family. This means no Quidditch for awhile - instead, they watch "football," a popular Muggle sport. It looks much more dangerous than Quidditch, but they seem to like it.

I've been unlucky here at home. I was making something for my friend from Pride of Portree - and I made two left mittens! My Transfiguration spells don't seem to be up to fixing one magically, and it doesn't seem right to ask her to switch one of her hands, even if it would help our side in the Quidditch matches. So I guess I'm going to have to start over and knit a new one. It's a good thing I bought plenty of yarn.

The Headmistress's Travels

It seems that this week our beloved Winnie is in North America. She started in Mexico City, then headed to Chile, and Brazil. I'm still not sure what she's doing, but I hope she's having fun!

And this week?

This week's a challenging one. I'm inclined to guess Carthage. But popular opinion is that she was in Queerditch Marsh, the site of the first Quidditch game, and that then she headed to Appleby - where she's enjoying some quiet time because there's nothing to do there. I have to disagree with that last bit - since Appleby is home to a fine Quidditch team! She could always come and watch our practices.

Where's Winnie this week?

The weeks are going by pretty fast - but not as fast as our headmistress gets around! She seems to have started her week at Larnach Castle, in New Zealand, and then she headed off to Quebec to look for maple syrup. Her Apparation skills are amazing, aren't they? I'm lucky to be able to travel accurately between home and Hogsmeade. I wonder if there's any maple syrup left in Quebec? It's all sold out for the season around here.

Muggle Job Hunting

I'm afraid there's no Quidditch news today, but I have an exciting development in my Muggle Relations effort - I've applied for a job!

It's as a blogger, and it would be my job to offer all sorts of suggestions to help people maintain a good mood. Of course, I couldn't suggest any specific spells, but maybe I could use a few magical ideas to help Muggles. After all, a lot of the fun we have here doesn't involve any specific magic - just friends and good times.

Would you vote for me, please? You could vote every day, until Halloween. If I'm one of the top 20 vote-getters I'll be able to submit a more detailed application - and then it will be time to bring in all of the lucky charms!

Don't worry, I wouldn't use felix felicis. I'm sure that would be a violation of all sorts of magical laws. But I could use your good wishes!

Shuntbumping

Yesterday was our first Shuntbumping match of the season! I was so excited! But, it didn't work out very well.

Our pattern was to be released very early in the morning - 8 am, I believe. I had no intention of being awake that early on a Saturday, but I hoped that my opponent was a reasonably-minded person who would also be asleep. I think she was, but it didn't help.

It also didn't help that we wound up spending a good part of the day making cider. That was a lot of fun, but it meant I wasn't doing any knitting. I didn't get a chance to start until about 5:00 in the afternoon - so I checked the competition standings, saw my opponent hadn't posted yet, and decided to start.

And then started again. I wasn't happy with the fabric I was getting on the Size 7 needles, so I decided to step down. But then somehow it also seemed like a good idea to work a circular needle instead of dpns, which meant I had to scale up to the medium size in order to fit the needle. I'm afraid I wasn't really excited by the hat pattern, so I thought a bigger hat might be a more practical gift.

After I had picked my yellow and orange yarn, I realized I had candy corn colors. So I decided to add in some white, hoping that the large stripes would speed up my work.

Once I started knitting, I went as fast as I could. I only took two breaks - once for dinner, and once to get my homework done. I wish I'd been able to do the homework earlier.

Just before midnight, I finished the hat, photographed it, and rushed to post it. Only to discover that my noble opponent, Ginny Lockheart, beat me by 27 minutes. I'm sad to lose, and even sadder that I skipped dessert to knit, and still lost. But I'm glad that Ginny's an Arrow, so I'll be able to cheer her on in the next round!

And I have a hat. I'm not sure how happy I am about that, because it doesn't look really good on me, and the third round of decreases gives it an awfully funny-looking tip. But we're having fun trying to decide who really needs a candy corn hat, so perhaps it will come in perfectly handy sooner or later. And now I can get back to my regularly scheduled knitting - and to Quidditich! Arise, Arrows!

Where's Winnie this week?

Our Headmistress is away from Hogwarts this term. While we're playing Quidditch, it seems she's in London, visiting the Ministry of Magic. I wonder where she'll wind up next?

Gathering Intelligence

Now it's time for the real work to begin. Our captain wants us to gather intelligence about the other players - and the other teams are doing the same thing. So I'm supposed to find people that fit each of these things - and then introduce myself, and get to know them a bit. It's all in the name of friendship and good sportsmanship - but I'm sure knowing what we're up against won't hurt. So here's the list:

1. Someone with the same craft as you (either those listed above or another one). Intarsia Bindoff does a whole collection of needlecrafts, like me.
   
2. Someone who was born in the same month: Saraid Swiftrunner was also born in June.
   
3. Someone from a different country. The Arrows' own Emma Wigworthy is from England.
   
4. A new HSKS Quidditch player. Stewlla Quinn, of the Wanderers
5. A player who has been in 3 or more HSKS swaps. Siobhan Mooney, of the Montrose Magpies
   
6. A player who has a bigger stash than you! (And if your stash is the biggest, proudly say so!): Megaera Black has a HUGE stash. I wonder if that means I need more yarn?
   
7. A player who both knits and crochets. Ambyr Phoenixfyre likes to do both.
   
8. Someone who has the same favorite color as you. Lily May Clearwater likes blue, and also green and purple. It's a good thing we're flying for Appleby!

With that done, we're supposed to say hello through blog or project comments. So, I discovered Lily May's awesome Slythering Snakes. Amber made some fun Candy Corn bags, and Megaera has made a nifty dishcloth in a pattern I haven't seen before. Captain Siobhan's cute crocheted fish will get a place on my to-do list, once I've finished something for my spoilee, and gotten through Round 1 of Shuntbumping. Our newcomer, Stewlla, has adorable dogs, and she's made a lacey little headband that looks like a great way to use leftovers. Emma's responsible for a whole collection of fabulous wizardy designs, but my favorite has to be the Hufflepuff Socks. Saraid doesn't have any projects on Ravelry yet, but I'm sure she will. She's in the Canadian Air Force, which sounds extremely interesting - I hope she can give the team some flying pointers! And Intarsia is into amigurumi, so she has several cute projects, including this adorable little snake.

Thanks to my fellow Quidditch players, I've certainly added a lot of projects to my wish list. My teammates and opponents are incredibly talented!

Help with homework

Wow, the season's off to a quick start. We already have our first homework assignment!

It's going to be a tricky one to do, so I'll post a bit about me to help everyone else (especially my teammates!) along:

1. Crafts I do: Knitting, some crochet, needlework, sewing, lampworking, origami
   
2. Month I was born: June
   
3. Country: USA
   
4. New to Quidditch? Nope!
   
5. # of HSKS Swaps: this is my fifth. I did #5, #6, #7, and summer camp
   
6. Stash size: Ravelry says I have 74 yarns in my stash. There are more, I'm sure!
   
7. Both knits and crochets: Yep, that's me. But I don't crochet as much as I knit.
   
8. Favorite color: Blue, followed by green and purple

So now I'll get down to doing my own homework - soon, anyway.

Takeoff!

Quidditch is under way!

I've received my assignment - I'll be spoiling Madam Ferula McGonagall, of the Pride of Portree. And I'll be cheered on this term by Gryphon the Great, also of the Pride.

I'd thought this was going to be an easy swap, because I thought I already had a good stash of yarn in most of the team colors. But it seems I've already used some of the yarn for other projects. Or perhaps I've misplaced it, but given the state of my craft storage room (and the bats - did I mention the bats?) I'm not sure how likely I am to find it. Fortunately, my new village boasts three yarn stores, so I shouldn't have any trouble finding Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Hi, Ferula and Gryphon! I can't wait for the first match!

Wish List

Just like Muggle sports leagues, our first week of Quidditch practice seems to involve a lot of paperwork. I've gotten registered, been assigned my team (yeah, Appleby Arrows!!!), and now we're supposed to post a wish list. So here it goes:

Favorite colors: Blues, purples, greens - cool colors. Also jewel tones.
Favorite scents: Lilac, violet, spices, cool scents
Favorite yarn brands: Fleece Artist, Lorna's Laces
Favorite yarn types (wool, cotton, etc.): I prefer 100% wool for my socks, but use the blends when I like the colors. I haven't done as much knitting with non-wool fibers, but I've never met a natural fiber I don't like.
Favorite types of snacks: Nuts, gummy bears, chick-o-stix, chocolate with mint or nuts, cheesy stuff.

Specify whether you knit or crochet or both: Mostly knitting, but I've done some crochet

Allergies: Cats and black olives

Wishlists: My Amazon.com wishlist, and my Bridal Registries. I didn't register for yarn, and I don't know how many housewares are good for quidditch (although we've beent talking about getting a new broom), but it's an easy link to a wishlist!

Add anything else that you think will help your spoiler out: Hmm...I like to read, a lot. Right now we're doing a lot of work on our Craftsman-era house, so I'm looking for decorating inspiration! I do lampworking, I cook, I like wine. I have two bad dogs. I think it's fun to learn about other places, and stuff other people like. And I love gadgets!

Quidditch

You won't believe this - I just signed up for a Quidditch league! I can't wait to find out what team I'm on!

What a care package!

It's always nice to get mail at camp. No matter how much fun you're having, you miss family and friends, so it's nice to know they're thinking of you. And it's really nice to get a care package with some goodies to make camp more fun.

Yesterday was really, REALLY nice! I got back to my cabin to find a package waiting for me, from Cassandra in Hinkypunks.

I wondered why Oscar was so interested in a care package for me, but that became obvious when I opened it. Not only did Cassandra send all sorts of lovely things for me, but she even remembered the VeryBadDogs!

Here's a better picture to let you see everything. I can't believe the dogs didn't notice I was taking this, but for once they stayed out of the way.

So, I get a kit for Potions class, to make some scented bath salts. Then there's a bonus Herbology project thrown in - yarn, needles, and a pattern for the Foliage hat. There are some buttons, including one that says "Mischief Managed" (Cassie has me pegged!) and a cute little bookmark that holds a photo.

Then there are these - some tiny little trial-size skeins of Harry Potter Opal yarn. I just love the mini skeins!

And I have to show you a picture of the pouch that holds the Potions ingredients - isn't it lovely? It's a little dark, but you can sort of see that the pouch is lined with the same funky fabric as is on the strap. I think it's handmade, although I'm not 100% sure - it's definitely beautiful work!

Thank you so much, Cassandra! Happy summer!

Iraqi Bundles of Love

There's one thing all of us here at camp have in common - and have in common with a lot of Muggles - we all love to knit, and perhaps do other crafts, too.

Now imagine what it would be like if you couldn't get yarn. Or needles, or fabric, or anything else you needed. It turns out there are a lot of Muggles in that situation.

And there's a man who's trying to help some of them. An American serviceman in Iraq is collecting boxes of sewing and knitting supplies to distribute to Iraqis who need them. Because he's in the military, it's really cheap to send a box of stuff to him, so it's easy to de-stash and get things in the hands of people who will use them.

You can read all about it here. I'm having so much fun getting things together for my friend in Hinkypunks, that I'm going to make another package, for someone I don't even know. If you want to do the same thing, Mr. IBOL Guy is happy to tell you how to do it.

Dining with the Muggles

I've heard that Muggles think some of our Wizard foods are kind of strange. I guess that's a little bit understandable, if they don't know, say, that there aren't any real frogs in Chocolate Frogs. And Every-Flavor-Beans are supposed to be weird, but maybe they don't like jokes with their food?

Or maybe they do. We were at the Indiana State Fair yesterday, and found all kinds of strange Muggle food.

Like corn dogs. It's not what you're afraid of - more like a sausage covered with dough. The corn-on-the-cob, though, was exactly what it claimed to be - and so good we couldn't take pictures, because our hands were covered with butter!

But what about this? This was a really bad idea. And a really bad pizza.

Or this? We didn't even try this. Muggle food usually doesn't move at all, but in this case I wonder if the pigs wallow around in the chocolate. If they do, then it sounds a lot like Chocolate Frogs - so it doesn't make sense for muggles to think our food is weird.

You know how Mr. Weasley says that Muggles have all sorts of clever substitutes for magic? That must be what they used here. I don't think this cake was enchanted at all, it's just really cleverly decorated.

But some things made me think Wizards might have been exhibiting at the Fair. Doesn't this look like it has to have been made by one of us?!?

Slow Days

The counselors remind me that it's been awhile since I've written anything here, like I'm supposed to. That's true, but it's because there hasn't been much to write. I've hardly had any time for fun camp activities, because of all this Muggle moving stuff. Here is how my day goes:

• Wake up. Way too early, because we don't have curtains yet.
• Get dressed. In something totally random, because we can't put away clothes until we paint the bedroom.
• Eat breakfast. Preferably something the ants haven't gotten.
• Open boxes and put stuff away.
• Move some heavy things - with no magic - to make more spaces to put stuff away.
• Eat lunch. Something random, because we've combined two pantries and have to finish open things. Once again, no conjuring something else.
• Open boxes and put stuff away.
• Eat dinner. Usually take-out, because we're tired of random open things and too tired to cook. Of course, we're also tired of take-out.
• Open boxes and put stuff away. Wonder what we've forgotten to move.

Throw in lots of dog-wrangling, and you have my day - any day. So there's nothing really exciting to report.

Tonight may not be so boring. We've been watching lightning for the past hour or so. The nearest storm is 100 miles away, so it's pretty amazing that we're getting such a show. I'm not sure if I'm hoping it gets closer or not!

Only One Chair

I've mentioned before that moving with Muggles is hard. You do it one thing at a time, for everything. All day. So you wind up spending some time without stuff you need, and you can't just conjure up replacements.

What happens when you have only one chair?

This.

The dogs love their new home. They've been running around checking out all the rooms, and just plain running around. They've already met some of the neighbors, and some of the neighbor dogs. I think they'll be quite happy.

Especially since they seem to get first dibs on all of the furniture. How does that happen, anyway?

Flying Without a Broom

Traveling with Muggles is an eye-opening experience. Once you're actually married to one, there are just all sorts of things you have to get used to. The Muggles even have a television program about a witch who married a Muggle, but - and this is the good part - they think it's all made up!

So Muggles, you know, don't fly. Well, they say they're "flying" - but they mean riding in an airplane, which is much, much slower than Apparating or using the Floo Network. But Muggles are ingenious at coming up with substitutes for magic. And since they never get to ride on brooms, they've found something else.


It's called parasailing!

The whole thing was very sweet. Aaron's uncle (it's all Muggles in his family, but they're nice Muggles) came up to him at the reception. He said that there was something he and Aaron's aunt had wanted to do for their honeymoon, but didn't because they were trying to save money, and they always regretted it. So he gave Aaron some muggle money, and told him that if we came across something silly that we really wanted to do, we should do it.

So this is what we found - Muggle flying! I hope I'm not losing my Wizardy credentials for saying this, but it was really very fun. Keeping the International Statutes on Magical Secrecy might not be so bad, after all.

Games, Week 5, Part I

Wow, this week's game is tricky. With moving and all, I don't know how much time I'll have to play. But I'll do my best.

Part I:

Fill in the answers to the clues by using all the syllables in the Syllable list. The number of syllables to be used in each answer is shown in parenthese. There may be more than one word in an answer. The number of leters in each answer is indicated by the dashes. Each syllable will be used only once. ONE (1) point will be awarded for each correct answer posted to your blog.

---

SYLLABLE LIST

---

1. Man or mouse? (4) AN/I/MA/GUS

2. Start spreading the news (4) DAI/LY PROPH/ET

3. Stick Tree Guardian (3) BOW/TRUCK/LE

4. Telescoping eavesdropper (5) EX/ TEND/A/BLE EAR

5. Brassicaceae danglers (4) RAD/ISH EAR/RINGS

6. Prohibited Ggowth of trees (5) FOR/BID/DEN FOR/EST

7. Metallic rosy-faced child with wings (4) GOL/DEN CHER/UB

8. Fleshless black-winged skeleton (2) THES/TRAL

9. Lofty philosopher (5) HIGH IN/QUI/SI/TOR

10. Instructive Order (7) ED/U/CA/TION/AL DE/CREE

Need a Yarn Niffler

We're moving, and when you move with Muggles you can't use any magic at all! This makes it really, really hard to move - you can't even find where everything is unless you actually go and look.

For example, I think I've packed all my yarn. But I can't be sure, because a simple "Accio Yarn" would violate the International Statutes on Magical Secrecy, and then I'd have a lot more to worry about than just some misplaced yarn.

So I propose a contest. Guess how many balls of yarn I'll find before I'm done packing. Post your answer as a comment, and once I'm settled in I'll send off an owl with a small goodie to the person who's right.

Excused from Camp

I haven't been playing hooky - I've been away from camp activities, but I have a really good excuse:

Anagrams

It's time for another week of games - this one's anagrams, with something coming later. So here's my list for the first part:

In the second volume of the HP books by JK Rowling, The (#1)Chrome Cab Festers, we continue to learn the incredible adventures of Hogwarts student (#2) Parry He Trot and his friends (#3) Oral Weensy and (#4) Angering Her More. Belonging to the house of (#5) Dry Off Grin, they attend Defense Against the (#6) Ark Darts taught by Wizarding celebrity (#7) Oracle Dorky Light, a none-too-bright fellow who cannot even handle pixies!

In The (#8) Chrome Cab Festers, we also meet Dobby a (#9)See Flu Oh for the first time. Determined Dobby seeks to sabotage the return of (#10) Parry He Trot to Hogwarts and is pretty persistent but is unsuccessful. After a few weeks at school, the deceased Ravenclaw student who haunts the girls lavatory, also known as (#11) My Molten Grain, shows (#12) Parry He Trot and (#13) Oral Weensy an old empty diary that dropped through her ghostly form out of thin air!

Many nifty things continue to happen for the next several months… we won’t go into all the juicy details right now… however, the ending is prime reading indeed!! (#14) Parry He Trot finally kills Tom Riddle’s (a.k.a #15 Mold Voter) sneaky diary (which we now know is a #16 Crux Rho) and saves the sister of (#17) Oral Weensy, (#18) Gayly Nine Sew!!!

Oh! Of course, we must mention that the thickheaded (#19) Oracle Dorky Light unintentionally erased his own memory, so he won’t be back for book three, The (#20) Snob In A Froze Parka…

1. Chamber of Secrets
2. Harry Potter
3. Ron Weasley
4. Hermione Granger
5. Gryffindor
6. Dark Arts
7. Gilderoy Lockhart
8. Chamber of Secrets
9. House Elf
10. Harry Potter
11. Moaning Myrtle
12. Harry Potter
13. Ron Weasley
14. Harry Potter
15. Voldemort
16. Horcrux
17. Ron Weasley
18. Ginny Weasley
19. Gilderoy Lockhart
20. Prisoner of Azkaban

Three Truths and a Lie

We're playing a cabin game called "Three Truths and a Lie." So guess which one of these things is not true about me:

1. I am three degrees of separation away from Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, and Saddam Hussein.
2. I have never received a speeding ticket.
3. I used to be a penguin.
4. I can't hold my breath under water.

Camp Games

I'm just slipping in under the wire here - but I wouldn't want to miss the camp games!

Part 1: What's In My Trunk?

Selena brought
a Sneakoscope
a Slinky
tasty Snacks
some Spare robes
a Succulent plant
new Socks
lots of Sock Yarn
vacation Souvenirs
a set of Stationery
Snake Repellent, just in case!

Part 2 - WINGO

I1 - Bevin Rae Mooney
I2 - Winifred Wartbobble
I3 - Hermione Bagnold (Edinburgh), or me (Tiberias, York, Budapest)
I4 - Bridget the Bloodthirsty (it's even the same day in June!)
I5 - Antonio de la Weasley

Part 3: Comments

I'm really impressed by Airica Lupin's Devil's Snare, and by Cassandra Crimsonchin's Starry Hairtamer.

Summer Camp!

Wow, this is an exciting summer! For the first time ever, Hogwarts is doing a summer camp! So now we can all get together again, and not have to wait all summer to see wizard friends.

I can't complain about the summer, though. I've had a great time away from Hogwarts. I went on a vacation to the mountains with my Muggle fiance, and as you can see, I had to take pictures of everything! We're getting married soon, in a Muggle wedding, so it's nice to have camp to provide a break from all that Muggle stuff.

I can't wait to get started!

Owl's Arrival

Madam Ferula Finnigan's owl dropped by, with a whole bag full of goodies for me!

Here's the bag...

...and here are the goodies!

There's a fabulous collection here - So I hope I remember to describe everything:

Two balls of Cascade 220, and some big needles for knitting something felted
A ball of pretty blue German sock yarn
A cute little bag, full of tea
A pretty note card, and some "Wizardry" stickers
Some candles, which smelled so lovely that I thought the lilacs on the other side of the house had been enchanted to become especially fragrant. Then I realized it was coming from the package on my doorstep!

AND this adorable little dragon.

Here's the owl responsible for the delivery. It's pretty impressive that such a little guy could carry such a big bag, isn't it?

I think it goes without saying that I'm enjoying the package - it's such a lovely collection! My doggies have had fun with it too, checking out the messages that Madam Ferula's kitties must have left for them. Their little noses were so glued to the bag that I could barely check it out myself!

Thank you, Ferula! See you at Summer Camp, I hope!

Transfiguration Trouble

With the end of term quickly approaching, maybe it's not surprising that I got into a little trouble in Transfiguration yesterday. More than a little trouble, really.

It started out innocently enough - Professor McGonagall transformed herself into a cat again, just like she did at the beginning of the year. It's always exciting to see - so of course some mates and I started talking in the back of the classroom about such transfigurations. It would be soooooo neat to be an Animagus, wouldn't it?

There didn't seem to be any harm in trying. After all, remember that lesson with the toothpicks we were supposed to turn into needles? I tried and tried, but couldn't do anything but make the tip of my toothpick a little bit silver. But nobody got hurt and no major laws of spellwork were broken, so a little experimentation never hurt anyone, right? Now people are saying that I should have known better - that if I'm so weak at Transfiguration, maybe I shouldn't have been mucking around with humans and animals.

But it's the end of the semester, and we were having fun. So somehow it seemed like a good idea to try to turn myself into an Ocelot. Who wouldn't want to be an Ocelot?

So I was supposed to turn into this (notice all the spots on the arms):

But all I ever got was this:

And now I can't seem to go back! All day yesterday, and now today, I've been walking around half-ocelot, or somewhat less than half-ocelot, with a spotty arm. I suppose I should be glad that I only got that far, and didn't stay human but develop an urge to go hunt reptiles. Madam Pomfrey says she can't fix me, and that I will just have to gradually get back to human over time. So now I'm going to spend the rest of the term - and maybe even part of the summer - all ocelotty!

I told my Muggle friends about this, and they say it just looks like I had an accident with a garage door and a can of spray paint. Boy, that would be really embarrassing! At least with Transfiguration trouble I learned something, even if it's sort of a lesson in what not to do.

Calling Madam Pomfrey

Ooohhh....my head.....

I have a terrible cold, and none of my spellwork is good enough to get rid of it. Here it is, almost sick, and I'm stuck sick in my room. I don't even want to go hang out in the common room, because I'm afraid it's catching.

I hope I feel better soon. There's so much to do, what with it being the end of term and all.

Does anyone know a good spell for colds?

Quidditch, Round 3

Wow, this term has gone by fast! It's almost time for the last Quidditch match of the term. So here are my pre-Quidditch questions:

1. This “Harry Potter” character’s first name comes from Roman mythology. The mythological character’s twin brother is named Romulus. What is the Harry Potter character last name?

b. Lupin

2. Which “Harry Potter” character’s first name is the Roman equivalent of the Greed Goddess Athena?

c. McGonagall

3. In ‘Harry Potter’ World, this wizard has created the Philosopher’s Stone (called the Sorcerer Stone in the US). The historical figure from the 14th and 15th centuries was a scribe and a manuscript-seller who became famous as an alchemist. Who is this individual?

Nicholas Flamel

4. What is the first name of a character whose last name is the name of a Bulgarian leader from early 9th century who doubled the country’s territory?

c. Viktor

5. Which character’s name is the name of goddess in Indian mythology?

b. Patil


6. “Where the Wild Things Are” tells the story of Max, a young boy sent to bed without his supper for his wild antics. Who created this winner of the Caldecott Medal?

a. Maurice Sendak


7. What was NOT one of the unexpected defense mechanisms that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook encountered in their attempt to rob Gringotts?

a. The Flagrante Curse


8. What was Snape aiming at when he cut off George’s ear?

c. Another Death Eater’s wand hand

9. How much older than James was Lily? (Referring to Harry’s parents, not children).

d. 2 months

10. Food is one of the five exceptions to what magical law?

b. Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration


Picture Hunt

George

McGonagall

Patil

Where the Wild Things Are

Fiber Fair

So today I'm writing to tell you that I'm not going to tell you much of anything.

I'll tell you where I was this weekend - at a Fiber Event.

I'll even tell you what I did - I walked around and bought some stuff.

But tell you what I bought? No way! I'm sure there's a Ssssneaky Sssslytherin out there who'd just love to know what sort of goodies I found, but she's going to have to be patient. But I assure you, there are goodies.

Want to see just a little bit? OK....

These are some of MY goodies. Sock yarn from Colortura Yarns, and some wonderful silk/wool yarn from Winterhaven Fiber Farm. I'm having lots of fun with my new yarn, and fun thinking about what I should share with my Slytherin friend.

But that's all I'm going to tell you.

Homework

I should be knitting for my Muggle duel, but I suppose I can't ignore homework forever. There's a lot more than this in my "to-do" stack, but I'll start with the easier assignment first:

1. James Potter and his friends have nicknames for each other - give three names and who they belong to.

Padfoot - Sirius Black
Wormtail - Peter Pettigrew
Moony - Remus Lupin

2. What are the three Deathly Hallows?

The Invisibility Cloak
The Elder Wand/Deathstick
The Resurrection Stone

3. What are the four items that belong to the founders of the houses at Hogwarts?

Slytherin's Locket
Ravenclaw's Diadem
Hufflepuff's Cup
Gryffindor's Sword

4. What is the Hogwarts Motto?

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus - Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

5. What is the Hogwarts school song (Book 1)?

Does it have a title? I think it's just the school song, which starts "Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts..."

6. What does O.W.L. stand for?

Ordinary Wizarding Level

7. What exams do Hogwarts students take at the end of their 7th year?

Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests

8. What form does Snape's Patronus take?

A doe, because of Lily Potter

9. Who takes over teaching divination after Trelawney is sacked by Delores Umbridge (Book 6)?

Firenze, a centaur

10. Who is Elanor Cadogan's boyfriend? What is his brother's name?

Elanor's boyfriend is the very fetching Dean, and his brother is Sam.

More Muggle Dueling

Since I'm doing it again, I should write about it again - Dueling With The Muggles.

This is a different group of Muggles, and a different group of things to knit - instead of hats, it's socks. The Muggles call it Sock Madness. For those of you who are interested in Things Muggles Do, the "Madness" part comes from "March Madness," which is the big tournament (sort of like the Quidditch World Cup, but every year, and only for Americans) for Basketball. "Basketball" is a Muggle sport that's a little like Quidditch, but with only one ball, and no brooms - it's kind of complicated to explain.

Anyway, at least the socks are easy - or it's easy to explain what a sock is. It's not so easy to knit them, and that's kind of the point. The socks are hard to knit (and get harder), but you have to knit them faster than everyone else in your division. I finished these socks in just five days - and without any magic!


Knitting without magic is hard. These socks were from the second round of last year's Sock Madness, and I've only now finished them. Obviously, I didn't do so well then - but I'm hoping I'll make it to Round 3 this time around!


I have to let you in on a secret - I had just a little bit of magical help. Since it was in the privacy of my own room, I think it's OK - no worries about violating the International Statute of Secrecy or anything.

Besides, Oscar really wanted to help. Since he's part Niffler, he likes to burrow through things and find stuff. So it made perfect sense for him to help me dig through my trunks and pick out sock yarn. These are the ones he found for Round 1, and the choices turned out to be good, since I finished my sock. Now he's helping me get ready for Round 2, which begins on Saturday. I'm almost as excited about it as I am about Quidditch!

Surprise!

I had a real surprise yesterday morning when an owl dropped off a package for me! I don't tend to move very fast in the morning, so it's a good thing it was a squishy package...and squishy packages are usually good.

This one was - it was yarn! From "Elanor" - maybe Elanor Cadogan? The owl didn't look familiar at all. I think it's a prize for doing homework, but I'm not completely sure.

Whatever it is, it's lovely yarn, and it made my day happy! The day got even happier when my fiance dropped by for a visit - he was on a trip for his Muggle school, and wound up nearby. Two great surprises in a day! Thank you, Elanor!

I'm not even putting the yarn away, because I may need it soon. I'm in the middle of Sock Madness, which is sort of like Dueling Club, but mostly involves Muggles. You have to knit socks very, VERY fast, and since Muggles are playing I can't even use magic! But I'll try to write more about that later.

Quidditch, Round Two

Wow, I've been really bad about posting lately. Nothing has been going right, especially knitting-wise, so I just haven't had anything exciting to say. But that should change - it's almost time for our next Quiddtich match! There's always excitement when there's Quidditch!

So here are my Quidditch Questions, or at least some of them. I might have to go back and fill in some blanks later:

Trivia

1. On which day did the Order of the Phoenix come to get Harry?
a. Tuesday
b. Sunday
c. Saturday
d. The day of his 17th birthday

2. During all this chaos with voldemort and the Death Eaters, people still had lives to live and Ron's oldest brother, Bill decided to marry Fleur Delacour? Who were the uninvited guests at Bill and Fleur's wedding?

b. Death Eaters


3. Voldemort had seven Horcruxes hidden in different places. Six of them were hidden at the Gaunt shack, Hogwarts, a cave, inside Harry, inside his snake, Nagini and Tom Riddles Diary. Did Voldemort hide the last Horcrux inside the Malfoy's vault at Gringotts?

b. No

4. Why did the Dumbledore's move to Godric's Hollow?

c. The father went to Azkaban

5. Harry and Hermione read a part of "Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore," written by Rita Skeeter. Then they met Dumbledore's brother Abeforth and he told them the same story, just with a few details changed. Which of the following did Aberforth and Rita Skeeter agree on about Dumbdore's past?
a. Why the Dumbledore family moved to Godric's Hollow
b. That Dumbledore was friends with Grindelwald for a while.
c. Why nobody outside the family noticed Ariana much.
d. The reason for Dumbledore's father's imprisonment in Azkaban.

6. When Harry and Hermione visit Godric's Hollow, they visit the graveyard to see Harry's parent's graves. Harry walks by a tombstone that we later learn belong to tone of "The Three Broother'. The brother buried there once owned what?
a. The ressrection stone
b. The cloak
c. The wand
d. The sword

7. The Trio finds out that Luna had been kidnapped by the Death Eaters , and that they won't give her back until they got Harry Potter. Why did they kidnap Luna?
a. Her father sided with Harry and Dumbledore
b. They though he would come to her rescue
c. She was a muggleborn
d. Her father failed as a Death Eater

8. After Voldemort killed Snape, he left the room and Harry came out from under the cloak. Snape gave Harry some of his memories all the way from when he was a child to just months before. Harry dived into the Pensieve and which of the following did he not see?

c. Snape and Lily having fun in a potions class

9. On the search of the Lost Diadem, Harry finally gets to takl to the Gray Lady. Who was the Gray Lady when she was alive?

c. Helena Ravenclaw.

10. Which of these is not one of Harry or Ron's children?
a. Rose
b. Hugo
c. James
d. Victoria


Picture Scavenger Hunt
These pictures must either be posted to your blog or linked to from your blog.

Lily



Ron



Snape



Luna



Godric's Hollow

Quidditch, Round 1

Wow, it's almost time for the first Quidditch match of the term! I think I'll be able to play tomorrow, although I'm not sure it will do much good. I had a ton of beginner's luck when I first tried Quidditch, but since then I haven't caught a single Snitch, nor even helped my House find one. So I guess the Quidditch prep is the least I can do:

1. What momentous event was the reason that the members of the Order of the Phoenix felt it necessary to move Harry out of the Dursley’s house?
d. Harry’s upcoming birthday

2. Who revealed the actual date of Harry’s transfer to Voldemort, despite the misinformation the Order had been spreading around that the move would occur on the eve of his actual birthday?
b. Snape

3. With the use of Polyjuice Potion (and to confuse any possible attack by Death Eaters), six member of the Order were disguised as Harry and escorted out of Privet Drive, along with the real Harry. Which member of the order did not survive that night?
a. Mad-Eye Moody

4. Who informed Harry, Ron and Hermione of the bequests left to them in Dumbledore’s will?
d. Rufus Scimgeour

5. During the wedding celebration for Bill and Fleur, Kingley Shacklebolt sent a Patronus to tell the guests that the Ministry had fallen, Scrimgeour (the Minister) was dead and the wedding celebration was about to be attacked by Death Eaters. What form did the Patronus take?
a. A lynx

6. Escaping from the wedding to London, our three friends found themselves confronted by a pair of Death Eaters, disguised as workmen. This close brush impressed on them the need to find someplace to hide. Where did they decide to go?
b. Sirius Black’s house

7. Kreacher’s animosity towards Harry, Ron and especially Hermione (a Mudblood) was well documented in book five, “The Order of the Phoenix.” His initial interaction with them showed that his attitude had not changed. How did they win him over?
d. By giving him Regulus Black’s old locket

8. Who did they eventually find was in possession of the locket/Horcrux?
d. Dolores Umbridge

9. What did Harry find embedded in the door of Umbrdige’s office?
a. Moody’s magical eye

10. After retrieving the Horcrux, they tried to return to their safe place but they were pursued (actually Yaxley tagged along when they disapparated). This meant that the Death Eaters knew their hiding place and they had to go somewhere else. Where did Hermione take them?
d. To the site of the Quidditch World Cup
Picture Scavenger Hunt

Mad-Eye Moody

Nymphadora Tonks

George Weasley

The Dursley's House

Kreacher

HUZZAH HUFFLEPUFF!!!!!

Moebius Magic

I'm not very good at magic for putting things away. I can't do an Undetectable Extension Charm, and I've never found a Mokeskin pouch for sale. If I try to use magic to put things back in my trunk, they wind up in a tangled heap. And my Monster Book of Monsters is still hiding under my bed, because I haven't been able to calm it down enough to get it back on the shelf.

But if there's one thing I can do, it's knit - and a little bit of magic thrown in makes things so much more interesting. So here's my latest project. It looks like an ordinary basket, right? But if you pick it up, it turns out to have just one side - no inside or outside - and just one edge. Even so, somehow it manages to hold some things - they sort of stay put, even though there's no real inside.

It's really too bad there isn't an O.W.L. in Knitting, isn't it?

Quiz #2

I've been procrastinating on all kinds of homework this week, but here's my second quiz:

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?
Both, but I knit a lot more than I crochet. I've been knitting on and off for 25+ years, probably crocheting occasionally for 20.

2. Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do?
A little. I have a drop spindle or two. I've only made one thing from my handspun.

3. Are there any other crafts that you participate in?
Many of them. Lampwork, embroidery, tatting, sewing, cooking, origami. Is that enough? I tried pottery once, but I'm really, really bad at pottery.

4. What are your favorite yarns/fibers?
I like natural fibers the best - a soft wool is my first choice for almost any project. I love cotton in fabric - knitting with it is a little harder, but I'm hoping to find a cotton yarn I love. I'm pretty fond of Tofutsies' soy silk, too.

5. What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fiber?
I don't like synthetics, although I'll use a blend when it's appropriate. I usually don't use mohair yarns, although I'm not sure why I haven't enjoyed them. And I learned the hard way that bamboo isn't much good for winter, although I'm not ruling it out for non-winter-sock applications.

6. Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance?
Nothing leaps to mind, but I'm always happy to find a new yarn someone else recommends. I'm not adverse to trying out some of the weird fibers.

7. What are you currently working on?
A wedding shawl and my Kauni Cardigan are the two big projects. I have plenty of smaller things going, but they will change quickly.

8. Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn?
Sometime I should sit down and learn the two-socks-at-once thing.

9. Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift?
No, I just wind my yarn by hand.

10. Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks?
My DPNs are in and outgrowing a nice fabric case. My circulars are going into a binder, as I find them, although I'm not convinced it's the best storage system. Hooks and spare tools go in the pockets of a suitcase that once held most of my stash.

11. Do you like sweets? What are your favorites?
Every now and then. I don't like terribly sweet stuff, usually. I like vanilla, and fruit. I like pastries. I really like nuts or mint in my chocolate. I tend to go for quality over quantity, especially with chocolate, since it's a potential headache trigger. But I'm not giving it up just because of that!

12. Are you having a birthday during this swap?
No, my birthday is in June.

Quiz #1

Wow, it's not enough that we had the first homework assignment - now we have a house quiz! We really are turning into a bunch of Ravenclaws. I'm sure I shouldn't complain - to be honest, the Sorting Hat really considered putting me in Ravenclaw - so maybe I'm just getting the best of both Houses, here. But still, homework in the first week?

So here's the question: "When did you first learn to knit - who taught you, how did you learn, what was your first project?"

To take the last question first, I can't remember what my first project was. I think I started a lot of random squares of knitting. The first thing I remember successfully making was a pair of slippers from sewn-up rectangles.

How did I learn? Not very easily - it took me three tries, and longer than that before I got good. I remember they tried to teach us in Blue Birds. I think I tried again at another point. But it didn't really stick until my crazy Muggle aunt (everyone has one, right? Mine was great!) figured out that I was trying to do things left handed. It was really weird - she'd been trying to help me with the knitting, and there was a lot of frustration. Then we were playing a game with a spinning top, and she noticed I was spinning it with my left hand. So we tried to accommodate that in knitting, and it worked - I remember I made a little bitty rectangle that very night!

The funny thing is that I'm not left handed. I do everything - eating, writing, wand-work - with my right hand. But often, when I'm trying to learn to do something, I'll start with my left hand, and have to remember to switch to my right. It helps a little, but I'm not really good with either hand. I think I'm ambisinister.

And when did I learn? Sometime in primary school, long before I was old enough to come to Hogwarts. I think I was 7 when my mother gave me a box of needlework material she'd bought and never finished, and there were knitting needles in that. I've had various periods where I've paid more attention to other hobbies, so this last knitting obsession has just been going on for a few years now.

Because I am a Hufflepuff, and very earnest, I'll even mention that I already answered the second question, some time ago, here.

7th Term

Wow, I can't believe it's time for the next term already. The holidays just seemed to fly by. My boyfriend and I spent some time traveling together, but now it's back to school for me and back to the Muggles for him.

I was quite surprised to get a letter from our Head Girl, Lavender, saying she's moved to Slytherin House. It's hard to imagine such a thing! I wonder what our new Head Girl will be like?

I almost wonder if she's really a Ravenclaw at heart - thanks to her, we're the first House to get homework! We're supposed to create a wish list. This is always hard - I have to do this for the Muggle families for when my boyfriend and I get married, and I'm having a terrible time deciding what we need.

But my Ravenclaw tendencies are showing, too, because I already have a Wish List here. I already have some knitting-related things on it, like this adorable peacock. I'd also love to have some jewelry that marks me as a knitter - there's only one example on this list, but I know there's a lot of neat stuff out there.

What else??? Hmmm... can you believe I haven't read The Tales of Beedle the Bard yet? Somehow those old stories have become all the rage in the Wizarding community again, but I've never read or heard them. And everyone who sees me walk around the grounds knows I love 100% wool sock yarn, because then I can wear my Birkenstocks through the snow. But then again, all yarn is good, right? I'm always happy with new project bags, too - you never have enough of those! And I love gadgets - even Muggle ones - the tinier and more ingenious, the better. The Weasley boys say their father is absolutely fascinated with Muggle substitutes for magic, and I have to admit I feel the same way. Who wouldn't love a cleverly designed little thing?

So there's the start of a wish list. I hope all of our homework will be this easy!