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

Trivia

1. At the beginning of the year feast, who is the only person who rudely interrupts Dumbledore during his speech?

b. Professor Umbridge

2. Off what street is the alley where Harry first met Sirius?

c. Magnolia Crescent

3. Tonks’ mother had two sisters, both pure-bloods, and both left on the Black Family Tree. What are their names?

c. Narcissa and Bellatrix

4. What spell are the students studying in McGonagall’s class when Umbridge is doing her inspection?

d. The Vanishing Spell

5. Who comes to warn Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army that Umbridge and her group of followers are coming to break up their meeting?

Answer: Dobby

6. Who are the members of the Order that met Harry Potter in the Dursely’s house during the summer before his fifth year?

c. Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Remus Lupin, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones

7. Moody used the Disillusionment Charm on Harry.

a. Yes

8. Which of these Death Eaters is Sirius related to?

d. All of these

9. At what age did Sirius leave his home?

Answer: 16

10. How many of the original Order members were killed (don’t include those who disappeared)?

b. 8

Picture Scavenger



Kingsley Shacklebolt



Bellatrix Lestrange



Nymphadora Tonks (my cousin! or second cousin...something like that)



Remus Lupin

1. It's changing out there. Just like last time. There's a storm coming, Harry. And we all best be ready when she comes.

Rubeus Hagrid

2. Dumbledore's Army was about doing something real. Or was that all just words to you?

Neville Longbottom

3. Dementors in Little Winging? Whatever next? The whole world's going topsy-turvy.

Arabella Figg

4. The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by an invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing.

Severus Snape

5. Face it, Petunia. Our boy has gone lumpy.

Vernon Dursley

6. You're a fool, Harry Potter, and you will lose everything.

Lord Voldemort

7. Practicing is good, but there's something else that's even more important: believing in yourself. Look at it this way: every wizard in history has started out as nothing more than we are now -- students. If they can do it, why not us?

Harry Potter

8. I WILL have order!

Dolores Umbridge

9. When are you going to get it into your head? We're in this together.

Hermione Granger

10. When all this is over we'll be a proper family, you'll see.

Sirius Black

11. That's right. Anyway, my mum always said things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. If not always in the way we expect.

Luna Lovegood

12. You may not like him, Minister, but you can't deny: Dumbledore's got style.

Kingsley Shacklebolt (in the movie--in the book, the quote is slightly different and it's Phineas Nigellus)

13. Who wants to watch me take off Snivelly's trousers?

James Potter

14. One person can't feel all that, they'd explode!

Ron Weasley

15. They're very clean, these Muggles. It's unnatural.

Nymphadora Tonks

16. How dare you speak his name! YOU FILTHY HALF BLOOD!

Bellatrix Lestrange

17. Just because you can use magic now does not mean you have to whip your wands out for everything.

Molly Weasley

18. Did you actually believe, or are you truly naive enough to think that children stood a chance against us? I'll make this simple, Potter. Give me the prophecy now, or watch your friends die.

Lucius Malfoy

19. You sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.

Ginny Weasley

20. Ah, I thought we might hit this little snag. You seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to -- what is the phrase? -- come quietly.

Albus Dumbledore

1. Which Ravenclaw does not like games?

Miranda Moonstone

2. Who is taking a course in Remedical Magical Symphony?

Cecilia Kettleburn

3. Who got 3 puncture wounds in the bottom of her foot by stepping on a hair brush?

Ophelia Hopkirk

4. Who was formerly employed by the Ministry of Magic?

Emma Diggory

5. Who has been enrolled in a Magic Fibres Class in order to learn to knit?

Stuart Cauldwell

6. Whose mother is a squib?

Minerva Kwikspell

7. Whose father is an auror?

Chrysta the Cursed

8. Whose room smells like wet wool most of the time?

Chrysta the Cursed, Emma Diggory, and Elanor Cadogan

9. What Ravenclaw spent time in the infirmary for allergies?

Wisteria Lovegood and Agatha Vablatsky

10. Whose wand is made of holly with a kelpie feather?

Hydrangea MacDuff

11. Whose mother was a Ravenclaw and father was a Hufflepuff when they met at Hogwarts?

Olive Bladvak

12. Whose silencing potion backfired?

Emma Scrimgeour (with the help of her roomies, Patonga Pinkstone and me)

13. Who has purple hair?

Me!

14. Whose son attends Hogwarts?

Emma Wigworthy (and Emma Diggory's is in Hogwarts pre-school)

IT'S JUNE! STOP RAINING!!

sigh

(In better news, I just found out that I won the pattern for this cute bag. Thanks, Emma!)

1. Which of Arabella Figg's cats ran out from under the car?

a. Tibbles

2. Which of the following is NOT one of Albus Dumbledore's middle names?

a. Ignatius

3. Which educational decree introduced a High Inquisitor to Hogwarts?

d. 23

4. Apart from Harry, Ron and Hermione, who was the first person to enter the Hog's Head that showed an interest in Harry's Defence Against the Dark Arts classes?

b. Neville Longbottom

5. In the first Quidditch match of the year which player attempted to score first?

a. Angelina Johnson

6. What kind of bush does Harry hide behind to listen to the news?

b. A hydrangea bush

7. Why is Mundungus Fletcher disguised as a woman when he witnesses the DA (Dumbledore's Army) meeting in the Hog's Head pub?

b. He was banned from the Hog’s Head pub 20 years ago.

8. When Harry and Cho go on their first date to Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade, what is it decorated with for Valentine's Day?

c. Golden cherubs and pink confetti

9. How old is Sturgis Podmore and where does he live?

a. 38 and number 2 Laburnum Gardens Clapham

10. What did Fred and George Weasley do to Montague?

a. Forced him head-first into a Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor.

And pictures for the scavenger hunt...these are all screen captures from the movie. :)

The Weasley twins:



The Hog's Head Pub (inside):



Sirius Black:



Arthur Weasley and Harry:



Draco Malfoy:



(Had to give up, for now, on looking for a shot with Draco alone--he's hardly in that movie, it seems! If I find one, I'll swap this one out.)

(Don't worry, folks, I do these quite rarely.)

I've seen this one on several HSKS5 members' blogs, usually with a request for other members to also complete the meme. So, what the heck, here we go.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? 10 years ago this week I was getting ready for my college graduation, and also gearing up for grad school. I actually finished my coursework after the winter quarter, so I had spring quarter off. I was really glad it worked out that way, because my grad school program--an intensive 12-month program with very little time off--started within two weeks of graduation.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today: These days, I seem to rarely HAVE 5 things on my to-do list. Or maybe I just think that because it's 9 pm and the only things on my to-do list now are 1) brush my teeth, and 2) go to bed. Oh, and 3) read for a little while before sleeping.

3. Snacks I enjoy: (in no particular order) Sunflower seeds, Life Savers, chocolate (especially dark chocolate), apples with peanut butter, chips (or wheat thins) and dip, ice cream...

4. Places I’ve lived: California (my first 35 years, most--but not all--of which was spent in the general vicinity of San Jose) and Oregon (for the last 7 years). I lived in Southern Oregon for my first two years, then moved to the Portland area. I can hardly believe that I've been in Portland for almost 5 years now!

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Buy a big plot of land and build a bunch of houses that are close enough to visit back and forth, but not right on top of each other. Then move our families into them. Give lots of money to good causes (like breast cancer research, libraries, AIDS programs in Africa...). Travel.

6. Who I want to know more about: any other HSKS5 members who've yet to do this. Oh, and specifically Narcissa Shrivelfigs. (Might as well help out your spoiler a bit, right? :D)

In yesterday's Daily Prophet, Headmistress Wartbobble asked us to talk a bit about Care of Magical Creatures and the books required for the class.

As a first year, the required reading is this book:



I don't have the second one yet, but I've seen it around. Third years are required to read this scary-looking book:




Doesn't it look like it's going to try to eat you if you touch it? shivers

I haven't seen very many of those magical creatures in person yet, but I do love Hippogriffs. Aren't they just amazing?

I hope to get a chance to see lots of other magical creatures...but I might not want to get too close to some of them!

In other news...

I'm afraid my parents aren't too happy with my new purple hair. I have no idea how they found out so quickly, but I got a howler from Mum this morning at breakfast. How embarrassing!

I love my purple hair, and don't see why my parents should care what color my hair is. Hmph.

Andromache here...

Remember the "trouble" with the potion last week? Once Emma got used to it, she actually really liked the beautiful teal shade her hair turned. So we decided to make some changes and try it out on me, too. Check out Emma's blog for a picture that shows the lovely purple shade we turned my hair! I love it! It's just what I had in mind--we must be getting good at these color potions. (I have to give most of the credit to Emma and Patonga, though--as a first year, I'm learning a lot from them!)