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!