hsks5

I've been remiss in posting about the swap package I received from Cecilia Kettleburn for the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap. Here it is, finally:



The yarn Cecilia included is the softest sock yarn I've ever felt! Softer than the squishiest merinos even.



It's kind of chenille-like...but nicer than most that I've experienced. It'll be fun trying it out.

There was a size 2 Addi Turbo, which is awesome because I love them and didn't have one in that size. She included the book Charmed Knits (as you see in the photo above). I'm really excited about that one, because I'd been hemming and hawing over buying it for ages.

I don't have a separate shot of the hand-covered blank book, but you can see it in the photo above too. Very pretty! I have to find something special to use it for. Cecilia also made me my very own wand:



I've saved the best for last, though. She made me these BEAUTIFUL Ravenclaw (book colors!) stitch markers:



AND a matching bracelet:



Cecilia really did a fantastic job on short notice (my previous spoiler dropped out of the swap fairly late in the process). Thank you, Ceci! :D

1. When Hagrid returns to Hogwarts after being sent to see the giants with Madame Maxime, Professor Umbridge questions him on his late return to school. She suspects that Hagrid had been to the mountains, but where does he tell her he has been?

d. South of France

2. Professor Umbridge comes to Hagrid's Hut and searches his cabin one evening (as she believes Harry, Ron and Hermione are there visiting him at night when they are not supposed to). When she walks past the place where Harry, Ron and Hermione are hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry holds his breath. True or false?

b. False

3. A stately-looking witch in an emerald green shawl is one of the members of the Advance Guard who rescues Harry from Privet Drive. What is her name?

a. Emmeline Vance

4. What is the name of the witch who was killed two weeks after the photo of the original Order of the Phoenix was taken?

b. Marlene McKinnon

5. Which two fifth year Ravenclaw students does Dumbledore choose to be prefects?

d. Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil

6. Which house was Rose Zeller sorted into?

d. Hufflepuff

7. What is the color of Murtlap's essence?

c. Yellow

8. Name the Ravenclaw girl who became prefect in Harry's fifth year.

b. Padma Patil

9. According to a healer's portrait at St. Mungo's hospital, which disease was Ron suffering from?

d. Spattergroit

10. Which book did Harry give Hermione for Christmas?

a. "New Theory of Numerology"

Picture Scavenger Hunt
Padma Patil (Padma is in the foreground)
Hannah Abott (center)
Percy
Dumbledore's Army
Cedric Diggory
(Extra 5 pts - What movie will Robert Patterson star in this December? Twilight)

Yay, my spoilee for HSKS5 got her package today!! I've also had a report from my spoiler that there's one in the mail for me now, too! Swaps are fun!

Since the veil of secrecy is now lifted, I can finally tell you about the so-called SECRET project! One of the requirements of this swap was to send a "handmade item" (a bag, a needleholder, or...something else, I don't remember). It was not required that this be a knitted item, but since I don't really have a place to put up my sewing machine and didn't have any other great ideas I decided to knit my spoilee a bag. I ran across the HP House Fair Isle Pouch Bag pattern and fell in love, so I ran with the idea.

As it happens this was my first completed Fair Isle project, and also my first lined bag. I was a bit worried during the knitting because no matter how careful I was with the floats, it contracted into a bumpy tube once it was a few rows away from the needles. I just kept hoping that blocking would fix it. So when it was done, I washed it and blocked it rather aggressively. Thankfully, blocking worked miracles and it came out GREAT!



(I didn't put any fringe on the bottom. I finished the bag late one night and frankly forgot. Then I decided I liked it just fine without.)

Here's one that shows the lining:



And, since knitters always seem to want to see the wrong side of Fair Isle, here's a shot of the inside before I lined it:



I followed the instructions for this bag pretty faithfully--with the exception of the fringe. I did make one major change, which was to use worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220--I'll have to look up the color numbers once I'm home again) rather than DK. I used a size 6 needle because I wanted the result to be pretty dense. Otherwise, I knit it as instructed and just let it turn out whatever size it wanted to be. I think it turned out around 11.5" x 14" post-blocking (Narcissa, can you verify that? I didn't write it down and only vaguely remember from measuring it for the lining). I used less than 1/4 yard of fabric for the lining. I sewed the lining completely by hand, which is something I haven't done for a long time (hand-sewing, I mean). I can't say that I love sewing by hand, but I am definitely proud of how the bag came out and I'm glad I went to the trouble.

I'll let you read about the rest of the swap kit over on Narcissa's blog, but I did want to mention one more thing. I had our wonderful local indie-dyer, Sharon of Stitchjones custom-dye a skein of her fantastic merino sock yarn in Slytherin colors. Here is the beautiful yarn she made for me to send on to my spoilee:

1. What is the literal translation of "Albus Dumbledore"?

white hat (or white bumblebee)

2. "Occlumency" is not, in reality, a word. However, it seems to be derived from a familiar real word that means "to block". What is that word?

occlude

3. Remus Lupin, the werewolf, has a name that is a double reminder of his traits. From what languages are his two names derived?

Remus comes from Roman mythology, and Lupin is Latin for wolf

4. Percy Weasley's owl takes its name, quite appropriately, from the Greek messenger god. Who is this god?

Hermes

5. Many of the creatures studied in the Care of Magical Creatures class or encountered by Hogwarts students are based on mythological animals while many others were made up. Name a mythological animal which is studied and/or encountered by Hogwarts students.

phoenix, unicorn, hippogriff...

6. Harry is tried for the "crime" of using magic outside Hogwarts by the Wizengamot. From what culture is the name "Wizengamot" derived?

Anglo-Saxon England

7. The hospital in OotP is called St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Who was the real St. Mungo?

the patron saint of Glasgow, Scotland

8. Dobby the house-elf gets his name from another kind of creature. In English folklore, what is a dobby?

a brownie (a benevolent goblin or elf)

9. Mundungus Fletcher is a disreputable little wizard with a penchant for trading in stolen goods. What exactly does mundungus mean?

it's the name of a particularly smelly variety of tobacco: "a stinking tobacco"

10. Harry's arch-nemesis throughout OotP is Professor Umbridge. Why is her name appropriate for her?

Umbridge is a homonym of the word "umbrage" which means "to take offense"; this seems appropriate since she takes offense at everything about Harry

This is the only hint you're getting, Narcissa:



;)

The HSKS5 package for my spoilee went out yesterday and should arrive at her home next Thursday. I can't wait!

I'm now officially on VACATION!

I don't go back to work until July 14th. YAY!!

Tonight, I need to put the finishing touches on my "secret" project so I can get the HSKS5 swap kit in the mail tomorrow. Pretty much everything else is ready to go. I can't wait for Narcissa to get her kit! Giving presents is fun. :D

I'll make sure I take some pictures before I send it off--once she gets it, I'll post about the secret project (both here and on Ravelry) and the yummy yarn I got for her.

Tomorrow...I have no idea what I'm doing tomorrow (other than going to the post office), and I'm okay with that! The rest of my vacation will probably be pretty busy, so one empty day is actually kind of nice.

YAY VACATION!!!

Here are my answers, most of which I'm pretty sure of:

Across

3. Wizengamot
4. Wormtail? (this is the only one I can't figure out--is there a missing letter?)
5. Marietta Edgecombe
8. Sirius Black
10. Arabella Figg
12. Tonks
13. Dumbledore
14. Doxy
15. Order of the Phoenix
16. Shacklebolt
17. Scrivenshaft's
19. Kreacher
20. Madam Puddifoot's

Down

1. Severus Snape
2. Honeydukes
6. Grimmauld Place
7. Ministry of Magic
9. Voldemort
11. Umbridge
15. Occlumency
18. Hog's Head