Wool and Wands

The Wigworthy clan leave for our summer holiday today - two weeks camping. It's a big family affair - Mum and Dad, my brother and his wife, and Lizzie and her crew too. Should be lots of fun!!


Before we go I must acknowledge my amazing spoiler and very good friend, Kaaelana, who has sent me yet another package. More sweets - all gone already (raspeberry hearts and some 'witch howl') and some beautiful yarn. One lot of the yarn is a special kind called 'Kauni' which is charmed to gradually move from one colur into another. The one I've got changes through various greens to pinks and purples. I can't wait to knit with it! I'm thinking of making a knitting wand holder with it as I recently designed one. Alas the picture here shows the yarn looking more yellow than it it generally is. That's the problem with magical stuff - it isn't very 'photogenic'!!

The other yarn is another lovely green yarn with shiny bits, ribbony bits, and pinky bits in it!! I think it will make a lovely scarf:

I've completed a Slytherin version of my wand holder design for my friend Freyalyn, and am currently making a Gryffindor one for Lizzie. I'm going to make a Ravenclaw version for my own straight wands, and I think one with the Kauni yarn to store my bendy wands in (muggles call their version of my bendy wands 'circulars'). Here's some pictures of the one I've finished:

There were a few other design projects I wanted to finish before our holiday, alas it was not to be! I'm making some Beauxbatons socks, a 'Fleur Tote' (named for Molly's charming daughter-in-law), and some Hogwarts socks that I haven't even started knitting yet. I have, however, finished and published the pattern for some socks I knitted with the yarn I got in the last sock kit swap. I called them 'Luna's Moonlight':


All my design projects have to be left on hold for a while now as I really must knit some baby clothes for Poppy - the expected niece whose birth is due end of August. And I have yarn to spin and 'Vesty Thing' to finish for the magical knitting Olympics, being run concurrently with the muggle sporting games. I'm participating in 'WIPs Wrestling and the 'Handspun Heptathlon'. Will I need a dose of Felix Felicis? We shall see....

Quidditch Round 3

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 Hermoine are there visiting him at night when they are not supposed to). When she walks past the place where Harry, Ron and Hermoine are hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry holds his breath. True or False?
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 Hermoine for Christmas?
a. "New Theory of Numberology"

Picture Scavenger Hunt

Padma Patil

Hannah Abott

Percy

Dumbledore's Army

Cedric Diggory

Ravenclaw Quiz

1. What is the literal translation of "Albus Dumbledore"?
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?
Italian and Latin
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 encourntered by Hogwarts students.
Unicorns
6. Harry is tried for the "crime" of using magic outside Hogwarts by the Wizengamot. From what culture is the name "Wizengamot" derived?
The Wizengamot gets its name from the Witan, also known as the Witenagemot, from Anglo-Saxon England. Witan is defined as "an assembly of higher ecclesiastics and important laymen, including king's thegns, that met to counsel the king on matters such as judicial problems."
7. The hospital in OotP is called St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Who was the real St. Mungo?
Mungo Bonham
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?
A very smelly type of tobacco
10. Harry's arch-nemesis throughout OotP is Professor Umbridge. Why is her name appropriate for her?
Because her name is based on the Latin word "dolor", which means pain, sadness, grief, or resentment.
Also in English when people 'take umbrage", it means they are very offended by something. Professor Umbridge frequently causes people to 'take umbrage'.

More Goodies!

My spoiler, Kaaelana, has spoilt me yet again! This time with some gorgeous silk fibre to spin, and a lovely collection of buttons for my various craft projects. I think after spinning I'm going to use the silk to knit a satin-lined, lacy purse. I could use it to store my stitchmarker collection!

There was liquorice and chocolate too (note past tense - the little wizards were very helpful with some vanishing spells!!)

Thank you Kaaelana - your generosity warms me so much!

Ravenclaw Quiz

1. Severus Snape
2. Honeydukes
3. Wizengamot
4. Boggart
5. Marietta Edgecombe
6. Grimmauld Place
7. Ministry of Magic
8. Sirius Black
9. Mundungus
10. Arabella Figg
11. Umbridge
12. Tonks
13. Dumbledore
14. Doxy
15. Order of the Phoenix (across)
15. Occlumency (down)
16. Shacklebolt
17. Scrivenshaft's
18. Hog's Head
19. Kreacher
20. Madam Puddifoot's

Goodies Galore!

What an amazing week! I have achieved and received so much this week I hardly know where to begin my account of it. It's probably simplest to start at the beginning, so I will - Woolfest! I'm starting with my favourite photo from the show. This is two of my spinning friends, Freyalyn and Sarah, gossiping over their spindles!

The hats were made by Sally Pointer. I may have to add one to my growing Christmas list - rather costly items this year (it already contains a Golding vintage, handpainted ring spindle!).

Due to family events I could only spend a few hours at Woolfest, so missed loads. I did manage a little shopping though, carrying two new spindles and some gorgeously soft hand-dyed alpaca/silk/cashmere blended fibre home with me. The spindle on the right is a square laceweight spindle (10g) made by Michael Williams. The other is a beautiful one I bought from Pete and Carol Leonard, called the 'Kelly' spindle.

We spent the weekend with Mr. Wigworthy's family, due to our nephew's birthday. I got lots of knitting done there, and can report that the socks for Lark Books are now finished - no pics allowed though :(

My other big achievement was getting my package for Lily all packed up and sent off with Verso yesterday. He arrived with it today and Lily likes her kit, including her hat (big relief!). I knitted an elephant tam because Lily likes elephants. Here are a couple of photos I took of a friend modelling it a few weeks ago:

An amazing coincidence that Lily got her kit from me today, as I received one from her today too! It was a 'Random act of Kindness', something we're doing in the swap to spread some love around. Lily sent me the most beautiful stitchmarkers I have ever seen, and some chocolates. If you let your pet mouse nibble the picture you'll be able to see a lovely detailed close-up of the markers:

I was busy showing off this picture in Ravelry when yet another owl arrived, this time carrying a huge parcel of knitting goodies I ordered from Knitpicks (mecca for knitting witches), kindly forwarded to me by Lavender Ackerly. That girl has such a generous spirit - she included lovely extras in the package - yummy American cookies, and a bag pattern I've been coveting for some time now. I've also put the needles in this picture that I've bought to try out socks on circulars again, this time with longer points as I didn't get on with the very little ones.

Alas, I only had time to munch one of the cookies before I had to rush out, aglow with happiness, to attend a prize-giving day at my middle-sized little wizard's school. I barely even had time to open the box!

The yarn I ordered (Wool of the Andes) is to make some needle rolls in house colours. I've taken a picture of the main colours with the buttons (from Woolfest) that I bought to fasten the rolls with (rather blurry I'm afraid = and the green rather greyed here):

Finally I've been making a little more progress on a bag I'm knitting based on Kaeelana's pattern. I'm knitting the bag in the round instead of double-knitting it: