Woolfest

Flew in very late last night - poor broom looking a little straggly after a hard day's work taking me all the way to Cockermouth for the annual wool festival. Alas - I can't give a full report because I have to fly again to visit Mr. Wigworthy's family today. Our youngest nephew is celebrating his fourth birthday with a barbecue!
In Swap News I will quickly say that I have now got everything for Lily's kit, and am now working on packaging, hoping to send it early next week.

Quidditch ~ Round Two

1. At the beginning of the year feast, who is the only person who rudely interrupts Dumbledore during his speech?
a. Professor Snape
b. Professor Umbridge
c. Hagrid
d. Harry Potter

2. Off what street is the alley where Harry first met Sirius?
a. Diagon Alley
b. Little Whinging
c. Magnolia Crescent
d. Privet Drive

3. Tonks’ mother had two sisters, both pure-bloods, and both left on the Black Family Tree. What are their names?
a. Elladora and Meliflua
b. Bellatrix and Elladora
c. Narcissa and Bellatrix
d. Meliflua and Narcissa

4. What spell are the students studying in McGonalgall’s class when Umbrdige is doing her inspection?
a. The Acquiring Spell
b. The Shrinking Spell
c. The Demolishing Spell
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?
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?
a. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Alastor Moody, Sturgis Podmore, Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge, Nymphadora Tonks, Mundungus Fletcher
b. Alastor Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Nymphadora Tonks, Dedalus Diggle, Sturgis Podmore, Emmeline Vance
c. Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Remus Lupin, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones
d. Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones

7. Moody used the Disillusionment Charm on Harry.
a. Yes
b. No

8. Which of these Death Eaters is Sirius related to?
a. Lucius Malfoy
b. Bellatrix Lestrange
c. Regulus Black
d. All of these

9. At what age did Sirius leave his home?
16

10. How many of the original Order members were killed (don’t include those who disappeared)?
a. 9
b. 8
c. 6

d. 10

Picture Scavenger
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Bellatrix Lestrange
Nymphadora Tonks
Remus Lupin

'Tagged'

A couple of folk in The Swap have tagged me with this questionnaire now, so I guess I ought to do it. Must be quick though - I have socks to knit!!
1) What were you dooing 10 years ago?
Teaching in a secondary school in Oldham (near Manchester - the 'wrong' side of the Pennines!)
2) name 5 things on you TO-DO list for today?
Knit another motif repeat on first Pink Passion sock
Knit another motif repeat on second Pink Passion sock
Lift clean laundry from floor onto spare bed
Replace black print cartridge
Book train ticket to Cockermouth for Woolfest next Friday (yippee!! - + no guilt cos I have 8 hours knitting time on train!)
3) snacks that you enjoy?
apple crisps
oranges
sherbet lemons
(fruity eh?)
4) what would you do if you were a billionaire?
Fund social projects for young people in the UK
Have Mum and Dad's home gutted and swanked up for them (don't think they'd want to move after nearly fifty years there!)
Buy a super-eco car (fuel cells?)
Go to S.O.A.R.
Buy a country property for eco-renovation and have the renovation done for the Wigworthy clan to inhabit
5) Name places you have lived.
Huddersfield
York
Easingwold (tiny market town 15 miles north of York)
near Raskelf ('middle of nowhere'!)
Ulverston (Market town next to the English Lakes)
Lindal- in- Furness (village near Ulverston)
Brighouse (small textile town in south Pennines)
6) what jobs have you held?
Cafe dogsbody
Specialist nurse (learning disabilities)
Teacher (religious education)
Lecturer (theology/religious studies)
Freelance writer for AOL
7) Who are you tagging?
Lily Clearwater

Sock News!!

Luckily for me I do not have to do all the homework set for those busy students in The Swap - in between shifts in the infirmary, knitting, and looking after my little wizards I do occasionally find time to have a go at the set tasks. However, a rather exciting development means that I will have to minimise such pleasure for a few weeks, for I have to knit yet another pair of knee-high socks and write out the pattern, this time for publication in a book of sock patterns by Lark Books!

They approached me some time ago, claiming they were looking for new designs from 'talented' witches. They are planning a book with a 'suggestive' theme (though tastefully so I am assured!) and I've designed some socks for it that I've called 'Pink Passion', although they may change the name. They have 'selected' the design, and now I have to knit them and send them to the publisher with the pattern by 14th July!! Aaargh!!! I wish I could report that this is going to make me rich, however the 'designer fee' is so paltry that I'm ending up working for less than a knut an hour on this project. Oh for Lizzie's job at Gringotts!! (Although I'd be hopeless at it I'm sure!)

Other sock news is that I've finally finished knitting the Gryffindor sock design, and have published the pattern in that wonderful forum for knitting witches, 'Ravelry'. I'm sure you all want pictures?

Meantime I am making progress on my spoilee's kit (she is Lily Clearwater of Hufflepuff - just arrived at Hogwarts from China where she's been having a tough time, poor dear). I won't say too much about the kit because Lily is very good at guessing apparently, and I want the contents to be a surprise. Of course, I can make vague references to let you know that I have now completed the 'handmade item', and have the 'knitting accessory' and 'needles', and 'pattern' all handled too.

And now I need to get ready to fly to Hebden Bridge where quite a group of knitting witches and wizards are meeting today to knit in public (although we may have to do a little disillusionment to make ourselves appear normal to the local muggle population). Guess what I'll be knitting?!!

Ravenclaw Pop Quiz

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?
Elanor Cadogan
9. What Ravenclaws 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
13. Who has purple hair?
Andromache Tonks
14. Whose son attends Hogwarts?
Me -Emma Wigworthy!

Gobsmacked!

That's how I feel today!!

This morning I received, as anticipated , a parcel from my spoiler, Kaaelana, who I knew was sending me the Ravenclaw bag she made for Professor Wartbobble's bag design contest. I was very impressed by the box her owl brought, for she had stencilled some wonderful eagles onto it with blue and shiny bronze paints:



I opened the box with great excitement for I had already seen pictures of the wonderful bag I knew I was getting. Imagine my surprise then to find not only a bag inside, but all kinds of other packaged goodies too:

I actually cried as I removed things from the box - I was so utterly overwhelmed by Kaaelana's generosity - I felt really loved.

What was in it?

1) The bag - amazing construction (I still can't work out how it was done!), and so cute! It too has an eagle stencilled on the bottom with a stitched outline. I'll post close-ups after this list so you can appreciate how glorious it is!

2) Beautiful rosewood sock needles - I have been coveting some for a while now!

3) A very clever, shaped, Ravenclaw cosy for my wand, containing a stick of liquorice, known as 'Witch Howl' in Kaaelana's native Denmark.

4) Some delicious organic ginger marzipan (I refer with confidence to the quality for I have already eaten half of it!). Beautiful too - it has real flowerheads decorating the bars.

5) A heart-shaped bejewelled photo frame - this will go in my bedroom with a picture of Mr. Wigworthy in it.

6) Two balls of a wonderfully soft natural colour sock yarn. I may dye this - I'm already pondering colour options.

7) Some green velvet ribbon (has Kaaelana been researching for this? - Green is my top favourite colour!)

8) A gorgeous crystal flower button! It is generally a bronze colour. I thought at first that it was a brooch, but found it has a button shank on the back. This is destined to fasten a bag in Ravenclaw colours. It matches the little seed beads I got from Lily Finnegan last swap, which I am planning to use to spin some beaded yarn. So I think I will use that yarn for a bag , and fasten it with this beautiful button.

Kaaelana, from the bottom of my heart I thank you for this wondrous package!!

And finally the close-ups of the bag that I promised: