Yarns from Ottery St. Catchpole

How Many Horcruxes?

2011-01-19T14:59:00.000Z

Loads!!!!

And lots more besides!!

Hermione Bagnold is the world's best spoiler. I suspect at some point she has been affected by a midas charm as everything she touches turns into something wondrous!

Enough of words - I know you want pictures!! Particularly ones accompanied by lots of my trademark exclamation marks!! ;0)

The enormous box, which despite its enormity clearly also had an exension charm on it!

The yarn - wonderful colours (my favourite) of KnitPicks Palette. Perfect for stranded jumpers, and I think there is enough here for a whole one!

Venetian goodies - a beautiful ceramic carnival mask to hang on my wall, and a scarf/wrap. Hermione, I'm going to hang the wrap above my bed - it's perfect for that space, and will remind me of my dream of one day visiting Venice. :0)

Amazingly crafted horcruxes, and related bits and bobs. The yarn caddy is awesome - with a removeable strap, and I love the colours. Just perfect for me! A basilisk fang, and Tom Riddle's Diary containing wonderfully blank (unlined) pages for my design notes. Yay! The tiara (Ravenclaw's diadem?) will go to my niece for whom it is perfectly suited. There's also some wonderful golden snitch stitchmarkers, beautifully handcrafted by Hermione, for a Harry horcrux. Finally a lovely little pot of Wilton's food colour for dyeing with. Green of course!!

These flames of Fiendfyre are my favourite thing of all. They are the cutest, most adorable amigurumi thing I have ever seen! I love, love, love them!!!

3 knitted cloths, one with the Harry Potter logo, one with Riddle's Diary (with 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' knitted into it), and one with Ravenclaw's diadem knitted onto it. Very useful in my houseful of little ones! And some KnitPicks cable needles (wonderful - I haven't seen these before!), and a Knitpicks fixed circular. :0)

Finally, my very own diadem, a beautifully knitted hat. I've become a knitted hat addict you know, and love to rotate through my collection, rarely going out bareheaded!

So Hermione, how on earth do I thank you for this incredible generosity? I feel so loved by these gifts, and you've no idea how much that means to me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you!!!

Life goes on....

2010-11-14T22:42:00.000Z

I apologise for my long silence here. I know you understand it, and thank everyone for the messagesof sympathy I have received. They have been very comforting, especially the lovely statue Clara sent me, 'Forever in my Heart', which expresses so beautifully how I feel about my Dad.

Anyway - this is my response to last week's activity, albeit a day late:

1. To which prison was Gellert Grindelwald sent after he was defeated by Dumbledore in 1945?

Nurmengard

2. Who is the first casualty in The Deathly Hallows?
Charity Burbage

3. What does Draco Malfoy name his son?
Scorpius

4. Before Harry gains control of it, who is the master of the Elder Wand?
Draco Malfoy

5. Severus Snape’s Patronus takes the same form as which other character’s?
Lily Potter

6. Where do Ron, Hermione and Harry apparate when Death Eaters invade Bill and Fleur’s wedding?
Tottenham Court Road

7. Who does Harry send to search for Mundungus Fletcher and the missing locket?
Kreacher

8. Who destroys Salazar Slytherin’s locket?
Ron

9. What does Hermione use to destroy Helga Hufflepuff’s cup?
Basilisk fangs

10. Following the death of Lord Voldemort, who is named temporary Minister of Magic?
Kingsley Shacklebolt

Incantations

2010-10-02T19:31:00.000+01:00

Pumpkin Pie

Owl Order

Leaf Lace

Weasley Red

Quaffle Waffle

Hallow 's Eve

Mad Hatter

Dragon Eyes

Crystal Meths

Trees Woods

Hermione Granger

Hogwarts Express

Burrow Down

Dobby Wax

Horcrux Harry

Ministry of funny walks!

Magic Wands

Sirius Black

Apple Dumpling

Juice Orange

Candle Snuffer

Ghost Train

Snake Skin

Wand Electric

Invisibility Cloak

Tent Pegs

Spell Bound

Umbridge Archers

Dursely Dudders

Prophet and loss!

New Term, New Pattern!

2010-09-20T14:43:00.000+01:00

It's a new term at Hogwarts and already I am getting behind with my homework! Alas I have too many extra-curricular activities keeping me from my quill and parchment, so shan't be able to do the set homweork to get to know my classmates as it looks like a very time-consuming task. I have very much enjoyed reading all the messages I've received from fellow students who were giving the assignment the proper effort.

The last few days I have had various freinds and family staying with me as we were all attending a course of advanced magic together. Houseguests included my brother and his wife, a young cousin of ours, and a friend who flew over from Switzerland especially to be with us. It was lots of fun being with them and we all learned so much on the course.

Recently I published a new shawl pattern of which i am very proud. My dear sister, Lizzie Wychwood, knitted the sample and it was modeled (in my garden) by a good friend of ours.

Kit from Ambyr!

2010-08-20T22:32:00.000+01:00

Ambyr's owl arrived on Monday with this fantastic kit. Alas, I have been so busy working and minding Lizzie's children and my children since then that now is the first opportunity I have had to take pictures to show you. Ambyr is a very patient and kind witch, and I thank her for her forbearance waiting for this, especially as I hate waiting myself for folk to post about kits I have sent!

Of course, Ambyr did a stunning job with the kit, having clearly done her homework about my preferences. This led to the most amazing handsewn project bag, done in my most favourite colour with a snakelike pattern. It is lined with a lovely acorn patterned fabric. :0)

Pictured with the bag are the yarns (Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in green and pinks) and a tea-cosy pattern to go with them. The yarn colours are 'avocado', 'carnation', and 'hollyberry'. Although I do love the cosy I hope you don't mind Ambyr if I do something of my own designing with this beautiful yarn?

As you can already see, Ambyr made a nature kit for me. Hence these very lovely fish and butterfly-inspired stitchmarkers (I adore butterflies!) that Ambyr made especially for me. Note that the fish are in Hogwarts House colours!

Ambyr also included some M&Ms, which the boys promptly helped me to eat. There is nature inspired food too - some gourmet shell pasta (included because Ambyr is in Shell Cottage). Other nature treats include the 'Sea Garden' hand cream and a Bonsai kit (Mr. Wigworthy will love growing this while I am not to be allowed near it as I am bad news for plants!), as well as some very welcome soak sachets (I love this product - so kind to wool, and very easy to use).

Ambyr, this is a most delightful kit for which I wholeheartedly thank you! You are so, so kind! :0)

World Record Holder?

2010-07-24T22:35:00.002+01:00

On 23rd August I am part of a team of 8 spinners and knitters who are attempting to break the worls record for fastest time from sheep to sweater! We have the world's fastest knitter (yes, really!) on the team, and some renowned spinners, and, um, me! So we're going to do it, right? ;0)

Problem is, magical means are not permitted. We are not even allowed to wash and comb the fleece! So, I had a lesson earlier this week with a good friend of mine from Bradford Guild who is an expert in long-draw technique, the fastest way to spin by far. See, even though I first learned spinning nearly 25 years ago now, my usual worsted technique is known as 'inch-worm'! Anyway, Freyalyn got me going well, and by the end of the session I was spinning yards in seconds rather than minutes!

Freyalyn spinning (with a spindle) with another friend at Woolfest 2 years ago (Freyalyn is the witch facing us in this picture, if she hasn't wandered off that is...):

In Swap News I can reveal that I have now received three separate owl deliveries in the last week for Wisty's kit!

Witches Wishes

2010-07-15T13:31:00.002+01:00

Knit or crochet or both?
Both, and prefer knitting.

Brands you would like to try but don't have easy access to:
Anything KnitPicks!

Favorite fibers/least favorite fibers
Love any natural fibre

Favorite colors/least favorite colors
Love all greens, also like soft dark pinks (blue side of the range). Hate orangey pinks and pale browns.

Yarn weight preferences
I love laceweights (don't get a green one though as I have several already!)
Also like worsted weight as we can't easily get that in the UK.

Favorite projects
Small ones!

Favorite gadgets
Cute or funky tape measures and knitting gauges
Favorite designers
Me!!!!!! LOL!
Kieran Foley ('knitlab' on Ravelry)
Nicky Epstein

Salty or Sweet or...?
Both!

Tea or Coffee or...?
Tea!

Allergies
Fur and dust

Other things you like, i.e., buttons, pens, fabric, stitchmarkers, etc.
Anything crafty, so all of the above!

Currently Craving
A Debra's Garden gauge
A small project bag
Vintage style notebooks
Anything Potter!

Where you might have wish lists (Loopy Ewe, Amazon, Etsy)
Amazon (my email address should find it)
Etsy favourites (I'm Rumpelstiltskin on etsy)

Spoiled Witch!

2010-06-15T15:01:00.000+01:00

Yes, my package from Celestina Pettigrew arrived this morning. I was sitting outside at the back of the cottage (wrapped in a blanket because despite the June sunshine it is definitely a cool day) when a heavily laden owl fluttered down and halted beside my chair.

I was so excited to see the package, realising instantly who it was from. Celestina spoiled me royally last summer, and she has done it again! :0)

Check out the Ravenclaw wrappings:

Contents:

1) Green yarn (my favourite colour) a rubber stamp specially made for me with a heart flower and 'Ann Kingstone Designs' on it, a packet of treats, a beaded row counting gadget, and a Rita Skeeter kit.

Celestina very cleverly worked to meet my needs as a designe in this kit.

She used the rubber stamp to decorate the beaded counter:

This is a wonderful handmade notepad cover with pockets for colouring pencils (included) and containing a notepad of squared paper (Celestina has clearly realised that I do a lot of charting for my designs).

Check out the magical internal cover:

A generous-sized Ravenclaw satchel bearing a beaitfully embroidered Ravenclaw crest.

Close-up of the crest for you - beautiful!

A very cute mini Ravenclaw sock (I love the patterning - well done Celestina!) on a mini-blocker and keyring fastened to a bag of goodies - various chocolates and a mini shell bottle (for perfume?):

And the Rita Skeeter kit - a newsboy hat, Rita-style glasses, Quick Quotes quill and notepad:

Celestina, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You!!!

Lonely Witch :0(

2010-06-11T22:49:00.000+01:00

Mr. Wigworthy and the boys have gone camping without me!

They've gone off for a weekend of magical fun on a camp exclusively for wizards. They're well equipped, although their tent isn't quite up to the standard of the one the Weasleys biorrow from Mr. Perkins. Only two bedrooms and a very small kitchen area for the Wigworthys. Snug!!

The boys were particularly excited, especially as their cousin, Lizzie's son was going with them too. They are looking forward to all kinds of crazy activities - a wet and soapy slide, climbing, campfire singsongs, and a party, for which they had to take buns. I admit, I didn't make the buns myself but ordered them from Madam Puddifoot's teashop in Hogsmeade. She makes such delightful fairy cakes!

So, here I am, forlorn and forsaken! ;0)

Luckily I have the excitement of my meeting tomorrow with the Lord Mayor of Coventry to keep my spirits up. I've been madly preparing for it. A new hairdo, clothes laundered, knitting supplies bagged up, etc... I've even bought a wonderful artefact from Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment that will magically guide me to the location in Coventry of this stupendous event. I'll be sure to tell you full details of the meeting when I next write here. Until then, may you find pleasure in all of your stitches. :0)

Lord Mayor of Coventry

2010-06-05T14:30:00.002+01:00

I just found out that next Saturday I will be teaching the Lord Mayor of Coventry to knit!

Here he is with his wife (the lady Mayoress):

It is to be World Wide Knit in Public day, and the organiser of UK Knit Camp has asked me to go to Coventry for this immense honour. Jo lives in Coventry and owns a yarn shop there. Information about the event can be found by grabbing this portkey:

I'm a Winner!

2010-05-29T00:05:00.000+01:00

Yes - I won a prize in the Ravenclaw draw a couple of weeks ago. I am the most happy recipient of some beautiful hand-dyed yarn and stitchmarkers from the wonderful Olive Bumblebirch, who just happens to have been my spoilee in the last swap, and is my dear siter's spoilee in the current swap. I think that is why she included two sets of stitchmarkers with an instruction for me to give one set to Lizzie. It iwll be the blue set as that is Lizzie's favourite colour. I also love the cute little envelope Olive sent the stitchmarkers in. I'm a sucker for pretty little things!

Sadly I learned this week that my spoilee, Elladora Madley has withdrawn from the swap. I think that, like me, in the context of a busy life she has been finding it difficult to maintain the level of participation that is required. So, instead of creating a kit for Elladora I have now been delegated the joyous task of helping to create an angel kit for her spoilee, the illustrious Megaera Black. Luckily Meg is a Slytherin, the same house as the Draco around whom I was theming Elladora's kit, so many of the things I was going to put into Elladora's kit are in fact quite suitable for Megaera instead. So all's well that ends well....

Apart from the cashmere yarn that is, which I'll have to keep for myself. Shoot! ;0)

Which witch?

2010-05-22T21:50:00.002+01:00

Who in the magical world do you think these would most suit?

They are my latest design and I am currently working up the pattern ready for test knitting with the intention of publishing the pattern within the next couple of weeks. I'm using my new publishing spell (PagePlus X4) to write up the pattern, and am really enjoying this advanced form of magic which is apparently comparable to Adobe InDesign.

As with most of my designs, these are very original. I've not seen a knitted lace overcuff in any other glove design, and I know the lace panel on the sleeve is original as I developed it myself from a lengthy trial and error swatch process! I even invented a new double increase technique for them (I know by saying so that I risk incurring the wrath of folk who think ther are truly no new techniques in knitting, just re-discovered ones; nevertheless I do think this invention is truly new).

Close-up:

In Swap news I am sad to report that my handmade item for Elladora's kit is unfinished. In fact I'm not very happy with it at all, and am considering sending it to the frog pond and starting afresh on something altogether better. Trouble is, I don't know what to do instead. I've found it very hard to think of a relevant handmade item to make for the kit this time. I know Elladora has high tastes, and worry that whatever I make will prove to be too tacky! ;0)

Late again!

2010-05-09T22:13:00.000+01:00

A whole day late this time. Sigh. And Hermione has increased the pressure - no prize drawing for Ravenclaws unless everyone blogs. So I've just deprived my housemates of prizes. :0(

I am, however, making some progress with the kit for Ella. A few owls arrived this week with goodies for her, and I have scouted out a very special pattern to give to her. I will, of course, also give her all my patterns too.

My dear sister Lizzie is now in Florida, and sent me some wonderful pictures of the Wychwoods swimming with dolphins. Amazing!! I'm missing her though, not least because she is best at getting me organised.
She took yarn with her to knit up a shawl for me. It's a design I've created for some lovely red yarn I received from The Knitting Goddess, a British yarn witch. Here's a sneak peek of the swatching for it:

It seems I'm too busy designing these days to be able to give the time to The Swap that is needed for proper participation. Perhaps I should just not sign up next time (sob!)? While I would feel bereft, at least I wouldn't keep feeling guilty.

Post, post, post!!

2010-04-30T22:12:00.000+01:00

My dearest sister, Lizzie Wychwood (easy to say 'dearest' as she's my only one actually!!) has prodded me to post as I forgot last week in the midst of all my busyness. I've been working on a number of different design projects you see, and wishing for a time-turner to fit it all in. Alas, without a time-turner I've just had to burn the midnight oil instead.

One of the projects was writing up the pattern for the Knit Camp Pullover. The organisers of UK Knit Camp (a week of knitting heaven at Stirling University this August) asked me to design the 'official' Knit Camp Jumper'. It being in Scotland I used fair isle style colourwork, charting thistles (national flower of Scotland), and adding flags of the patron saints of Scotland, England, and Wales, and sheep and yarn and needles:

Another of the projects was working on the design for a shawl to go in the book of designs I'm writing. Lizzie is going to knit the shawl for me during her trip to America. Yes, the Wychwoods are going to Florida for two whole weeks to celebrate Lizzie and Mr. Wychwoods' 25th wedding anniversary (yes, she was a child bride!!).

I have pictures of the swatch of the edging I've designed for the shawl. If you want to read about how I developed this stitch pattern then please visit my new muggle blog.

In The Swap I am happy to reprt that I have made good progress on Elladora's kit. I have ordered the yarn and pattern, decided what to do for the handmade item, and have recieved through the post a few of the goodies I plan to include in the kit. I've decided to go with Ella's first choice of Draco Malfoy for theming the kit, and it is proving to be lots of fun. I just have to work out how to include a sock!

Care of Magical Creatures

2010-04-17T22:12:00.000+01:00

Five items that are used in caring for unicorns:

Silver horn polish:

Grooming brush:

Tool for removing stones from hooves:

Hay rack (during hard winters unicorns are only able to survive because of the food that magical folk put out for them):

Blanket (a comfort in cold weather, and essential for ailing unicorns):

1. Please describe the physical appearance of a house elf.

Short with pointy ears and long thin limbs.

2. Kreacher is the house elf of which wizarding family?
The Blacks

3. What is Hermione Granger making for the house elves?
Hats, scarves and socks.

4. How do you free a house elf?
Give it clothes.

5. What does S.P.E.W. stand for?
Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare

I made this little hat for the UK branch of SPEW:

2010-04-11T07:29:00.000+01:00

Woke up this morningrealising I hadn't blogged for HSKS! Remember something about the deadline being midnight Saturday PST (??) in which case I've just got time to do it (it's 11pm PST as I write, 7am BST), so here is this week's blog:

Alas, there is not time enough to do the spell homework we were set this weeek - a transfiguration project. I loved Hermione's work (swot!) on this, and Poppy also did a great job with it.

The problem is I've been working so hard. As well as my usual duties assisting Madam Pomfrey in the infirmary, I've been working my socks off to publish my new pattern, Lissuin. It's a fair isle jumper, and writing the pattern for it to be clear and straighforward to follow was an amazing challenge. I opened my mail this morning to find a huge compliment from someone who bought it which makes me think this effort will prove to have been worthwhile.

Anyway, this is the jumper. It is only 12 hours now since I published it, and already over 100 folk have added it to their favourites in Ravelry, not to mention the number who have queued it:

A New Year at Hogwarts

2010-04-02T22:41:00.000+01:00

And I have once again been appointed to assist Madam Pomfrey in the infirmary. I so love the opportunity to do a little nursing. Of course, this is only a part-time appointment. Most of the time I will be at Creaky Cottage (the Wigworthy home) loooking after my brrod, and working on my knitterly creations. i sell knitting patterns via the Daily Prohet classified section. It's not exactly lucrative, yet together with my nursing salary at Hogwarts it will go a little way toward ourt household expenses.

Deputy Headmistress, Wisteria Lovegood, is running another knitting swap, and as usual i have signed up for it. We are doing kits themed on well-known personalities in the magical world. I've chosen Luna Lovegood, Albus Dumbledore, and Rita Skeeter as my characters. Here's why:

Luna Lovegood:

Very much reminds me of myself in my younger days. She has so much creative energy, making her rather scatty and quite the daydreamer. I love her fascination with the weird and wonderful. Most of all I love her strong sense of loyalty to her friends, her amazing artistic ability, and the wisdom and insight that she sometimes manifests so humbly yet powerfully in the most poignant situations.

Albus Dumbledore:

Is such a twinkly, loving man. As with Luna, I adore his eccentricity and how willing he is to appear extremely odd. I deeply admire his principles, and most especially appreciate his humility.

Rita Skeeter:

An odd choice I know! It was spur of the moment. Maybe I chose her because she reminds me of how I don't want to be? Narcissitic to the extreme, sucks everything she can out of folk, cares not a hoot for how much she hurts people, acid tongue, acid quill.... And there's the thing - I think ultimately I chose her simply because she is a writer!

Very late photos of my wonderful package from Lily May Clearwater

2010-02-03T13:08:00.000Z

I am so sorry Lily that it has taken me so long to get around to posting these photos. It is two and a half weeks since this package arrived. I know, I'm a very naughty witch for taking so long to do this, and I apologise profusely. :0(

Anyway, I really love the package, particularly the awesome fingerless mittens that Lily made for me inone of my most favourite shades of my most favourite colour. Thank you!

Sadly Lily's owl arrived in a very sorry state, having taken a lot longer to make the journey than owls usually do, and the package had come open mid-flight! Was he attacked by dark forces? We can't know!

There may be little items missing, yet there still was so much stuffed in this package that I think it might all have made it here. Alas, the day the package arrived the delicious variety of Green and Black chocolate bars within were quickly consumed by the younger Wigworthys!

So here is what was left:

Beautiful yarns, all wool in sock weight (Lily has clearly noted my preference for fine-guage knits). The first two pictures are of scrummy Chinese yarns, presumably brought back to Scotland by Lily when she last came to school here. The last picture is of yarn dyed by a very well-known British dyer, The Knitting Goddess - this is her 'semi-solid slate' - lovely! :0)

I'm going to use the small skeins in the first picture to edge something (ponders possibilities!) made with the main yarn which they complement beautifully:

Handmade by Lily; a lovely bag in Arrows blue which I'm going to line with the pretty fat quarter it sits on in this picture which Lily also included in the package:

Utterly awesomely beautiful and scrummily-coloured fingerless mittens, handmade by Lily:

Rosewood knitting needles and pretty stitchmarkers (made by Lily):

Rose oil (for my burner), knitting badges, and some wool wash (there were two - I've already used the other!). Despite the pronouncement on one of the badges, which I suppose is to ward off dark wizards when I knit in public, I swear I have never been in prison! ;0)

And finally a gardening journal. Lily has obviously noticed the pictures of my lovely Yorkshire garden that I have occasionally posted.

Thank you so much Lily for all these lovely things. You have again really touched ny heart with the extent of your generosity. :0)

Who stole it and where is the Quidditch World Cup trophy?

2009-12-28T13:14:00.001Z

The carved boar's head among the belongings of the thief vanquished by Winifred Wartbobble is a piece of artwork from the Black Forest of Germany. I think this is the biggest (and as far as I can tell the only clue) to the location of the hidden trophy. The peruvian darkness powder and hand of glory were clearly used to hide the trophy. This location fits the hints some of the quidditch captains have provided, describing the location of the trophy as 'more specific than a country, less specific than a city'.

I believe the thief himself was a vampire! Winnie's missives have contained several veiled references to vampires. Among the thief's possessions are some bloodpops - confectionary of vampires. Also at one point she went to visit Horace Slughorn to get information from him. He was very good friends with Eldred Worple, befriender of vampires, and author of 'Blood Brothers: My life Amongst the Vampires'. In fact I think it is possible that the thief may even be the vampire Sanguini who was in company with Mr. Worple at Slughorn's Christmas party during Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts. We know that vampires are associated with the Black Forest because Quirrell claimed to have encountered one in his travels there. A possible further association of the clues with vampires is the fact that Whitby museum is one of only two locations in the muggle world to possess a true hand of glory, and Whitby is where Bram Stoker stayed whilst he chronicled the story of Count Dracula, the most famous vampire of them all in muggle lore.

However, I really fail to understand the significance of the Swiftstick broom, the snitch and the broken wand, beyond the obvious association of the broom and snitch with quidditch, and the possibility that the wand was broken during the vampire's fatal duel with Winnie.

And that's my final say on the matter (I think!)

(Incidentally, the Black Forest was the location of mine and Mr. Wigworthy's honeymoon!)

Stumped!

2009-12-23T22:36:00.000Z

Beyond the obvious choice of Hogsmeade, I have no good idea where the stolen Quidditch World Cup Trophy is hidden. My other guesses are Peru, Transylvania, and the Black Forest. :0(

Stolen Quidditch World Cup Trophy?

2009-12-14T21:58:00.000Z

Winnie has sent a mystery object to Wisty and Siobhan with a cryptic clue on the box. In true Ravenclaw style I have applied myself diligently to deciphering it. I tell you, I should be working as a code-breaker for Gringotts!

In Winnie's missives from her travels around the world on a 'secret mission' there have been odd letters enchanted to stand out a little from the rest. I think she achieved this with some special ink from Scribbulus at Diagon Alley. These numbers are an exact numerical match to the sum of the letters in the '5 words' that Winnie referenes in her clue on the aforesaid box. Rearranged into words of the designated lengths ('6, 9, 5, 3, 6') the letters almost spell out the words which appear in the title of this post - 'Stolen Quidditch World Cup Trophy'. (I say 'almost' because one C has to change to a U to do this - perhaps the ink has tipped a U on it's side?) My conclusion is that Winnie has been on an amazing worldwide adventure to recover this wonderful magical artefact, and that this is what is in the box she sent to Wisty and Siobhan. Perhaps Winnie plans to award it to the winning team in The Swap? I do hope that is the Arrows!!

Getting Christmassy!

2009-12-12T21:38:00.000Z

We are getting ready for Christmas in the Wigworthy household, putting decorations and cards up (every day brings more) and making and buying presents for the family. As I write a few pounds of redcurrants are merrily boiling in the cauldron to extract the juice for this year's batch of jelly. This forms most of our Christmas giving. Of course, I knit a few gifts too; this year my Falling Flowers Scarf will be a gift for my niece Poppy.

And Winnie is preparing for Christmas too - it seems she has been to visit the man himself, Father Christmas, in his home at the North Pole. I'll not tell my little wizards - they would be so jealous!

And this week I finally finished and sent my package to dear Olive Bumblebirch. She is a whole ocean away, so this will be an epic flight for poor Verso. I know he is up to it though, and hope he gets to meet some lovely American owls on his trip.

News From Winnie?

2009-12-05T23:51:00.000Z

After a somewhat alarming absence during which we all thought Winnie might have come a cropper, we have finally heard from her again. It turns out her last two letters had simply been mislaid. So all's well, or is it...

It looks as though Winnie has been to Rome, where she purchased lots of garlic and stocked up with holy water and crosses, contemplating her next stop, which is clearly in the Black Forest of Germany ('Shwarzwald' to the locals), where it is known that vampires live. Indeed it seems from her last missive that Winnie is only just managing not to be nobbled by one!

I know Emma Gorodok lives in Germany; I wonder if she will be able to go and offer Winnie some assistance to fight them off?

St. Mungo's

2009-11-26T10:43:00.000Z

That's right. In true sporting fashion I've been detained in St. Mungo's with a cartilege injury! The healers used a special magical item (called an 'endoscope') to have a good look inside my knee, and confirmed that the cartilege was torn. No wonder I've been struggling to walk much over the last few years. They 'trimmed' the tear whilst they were in there, and I should now find myself returning to full useage of the joint. I have exercises to do to get there, lots of them! As an international quidditch star I am. of course, unfazed by this! ;0)

Meantime I've been working away on the package for my spoilee in The Swap. I've now got the yarn for it, having finally got hold of the vendor via jellyphone. We arranged for me to pick it up from their stall at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate on Sunday, and all went well. I've very nearly finished the handmade portion of the package, and just have one other goody to source and then it'll all be sent off with my trusty owl, Verso.

I had great fun at the show helping out on the spinning guild stand and the handknitter's association stand. I taught a few folk to spin with a drop spindle, taught one lefthander to crochet, and one righthander to knit. It felt great!

Bedtime

2009-11-14T23:55:00.000Z

And I have to post first! Hmm, what to say? I read Winnie's letter a couple of days ago, and think she may have been to Egypt. Well, there were pyramids. I think the Phoenicians had pyramids too, so I guess she could have been there either. Egypt seems more plausible though! No idea about libraries that are themselves like books - Timbuctoo (lol!)?

I've been busy making something for my spoilee (Olive Bumblebirch). Black and white as she is a Magpie. Perhaps I should put something sparkly in as well, as I know magpies are very atttracted to shiny? I'm sure Olive doesn't have any kleptomaniac tendencies though! I sure hope she'll like the stuff I have made - it's taken ages, and I keep thinking I might have it all wrong about her taste!

It was my eldest little wizard's birthday yesterday. The very imporatant 17th - a full-grown wizard at last! We took him out to nando's (his choice) for some chicken treats. He enjoyed showing us photos on his phone (muggle contraption) of a chority day they had at his college. All the students went in fancy dress, they had every creature and character you can imagine there, and some inanimate ones too (a couple of Rubix cubes!). I'm glad he has settled in there, and seems to be having fun. Of course, the NEWTs are hard work though...

Is that long enough?.. I'm off to bed! :0)

Where was Winnie?

2009-11-07T20:53:00.001Z

Hmmm... Africa? South America?

To be honest I'd have to cheat and go read somebody else's blog, or do proper research with Wikipedia to have a more accurate guess thyan that.

Oh, ok, I'll go do some research then.....

Ok - Mexico? The Dia de Los Muertos festival seems to be more associated with there than anywhere else.

Aha - Mexico City was built on a lake!! Yay - go me!

There is a Chinese city called Weifang which is known as the 'City of Kites'. I guess Winnie was there?

And the pink library? Well all I can find is pictures of libraries with interior walls painted pink. :0(

Where in the World Was Winnie?

2009-10-31T23:01:00.000Z

I am a little worried about her actually, and wonder if she ought to go back to St. Mungo's for a short spell? She is all confused about times see - Cyprian Youdle played quidditch in 1357, not 1857, so dear Winnie is 500 years out of Sync - perhaps she's been using that timeturner of hers a little too much? Anyway - I believe she must have been to Queerditch Marsh as she has been muttering strangely about the first ever quidditch game, and that was there. Oh, and Appleby Village in Lincolnshire. She was complaining bitterly about the lack of pubs and shops there, the old soak!

Where in the World is Winnie?

2009-10-24T20:00:00.000+01:00

Well, some folks have clearly been doing extensive research in an effort to deduce Winnie's whereabouts. I've seen posts about far-flung castles and maple syrup factories. By contrast I lack time for such levels of research so I'm keeping my guesses simple. I'd hazard a guess that Winnis has visited Australia or New Zealand and Canada!!!!! (Wheezing with laughter here!)

Dad has been in St. Mungo's this week, so me and Lizzie have been somewhat occupied, especially me as Mum came to stay while he was in the care of the Healers. They did a good job, and I'm relieved to say he is home again now, though feeling his age much more than previously.

Other news is that I have published a new pattern.Well, it's actually one I designed many months ago, and only got to publishing it now. It's a doubleknitted scarf pattern which I originally conceived as a gift for my newest niece, Poppy. Below you see it modelled by another of my nieces, my sister Lizzie's daughter. Isn't she gorgeous?

Getting to Know You

2009-10-17T19:43:00.003+01:00

Someone with the same craft as you. Andromeda Finch-Fletchley spins. I love the cup-holder she has on her wheel.

Someone who was born in the same month. Lizzie Wychwood ofcourse! ;0)

Someone from a different country. Maisy Muddlestixs is from South Australia - that's 10 hours ahead of me in England!

A new HSKS Quidditch player. I think Celeena Cree is new?

A player who has been in 3 or more HSKS swaps. Wisteria Lovegood is a trampish type of girl who can't keep away from Hogwarts, or it's male professors!!

A player who has a bigger stash than you! (And if your stash is the biggest, proudly say so!) Winifred Hornswaggle has 91yarns stashed on Ravelry. That's more than I have, just!

A player who both knits and crochets. Hermione Bagnold has learned to crochet and it wasn't long until she took up knitting too. She's now knitting a beautiful laceweight shawl!

Someone who has the same favorite color as you. In her Ravelry profile Stellwa Quinn has listed pink and green as her favourite colours. That's the same as mine, just in the opposite order.

Where in ther World is Winnie?

2009-10-15T10:22:00.002+01:00

Mistress Wartbobble is undertaking a round-the-world trip and we are most fortunate to be blessed with wonderful correspondence from her while she travels. She is clearly currently in London, England, not far from Yours Truly, as she has sent a postcard that pictures a remarkable image of the atrium at the Ministry of Magic. I think she might have visited Saint Mungo's too as she was rambling about ministry officials having poor bedside manners. I do hope you are OK Winnie?

I made it onto the team!!

2009-10-08T13:30:00.006+01:00

Yes, my friends, you may think I am a clapped-out old housewitch from Ottery, whereas really I am a fledgling international quidditch star. Appleby Arrows have recognised my hitherto hidden talents and following tryouts have invited me to join the team!!!!!!!!! Go me!!! :0)

So, my first task for the team is to post a list of 'wishes' - things I would dearly love to receive from my top fan (aka 'spoiler'), and things I would like him/her to know about me, like that I really am so allergic to cats (I know - not very witchlike of me!) that I will start sneezing and itching and struggling to breathe just if I sit next to someone who owns one. The cat doesn't even have to be there! Same thing with horses, dogs, hamsters, mice... As far as I know I am pretty safe with goldfish however! Luckily I am also fine with sheep, which may be why they are my favourite animal, and why my patronus is a ram. So it will not surprise you to know that I love wool, preferably without too much plastic mixed into it. I also adore silk. So yarns that blend wool and silk are totally awesome in my opinion.

Other useful information for my top fan might be that I totally love green, any variety of it, and especially moss and leaf greens. I love floral scents, and fruit flavours.

And the rather obvious information, though I will state it nonetheless, is that I love to knit. I have a very strong creative bent, and love to express this through designing and knitting.

Now as I am an Arrow, I know my top fan will want to provide me with blue stuff, so I'm going to help by pointing out some blue yarns that I like. Sock yarn first:

In the US:

Knitpicks Stroll Tweed in 'Aegean'
Knitpicks Stroll in 'Tidepool Heather' or 'Mermaid'
Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Yarn in 'Powder Blue'

In the UK:

Fyberspates Scrumptious 4-ply in Aqua
The Knitting Goddess Cash Sock in 'Semi-solid slate'

Now, the bag! Hmmm... This will have to be a project bag (not main handbag) as really I would not usually use a blue handbag. If you want to make the bag yourself, then let your imagination and creativity go wild with those hints and the blue and silver Arrows theme - any blue for this will be fine. If you want to gift me with the yarn and pattern for me to make the bag can we make it that the pattern is any old throwaway (so definitely one that is free to you), so that actually I can use the yarn to knit a bag to my own design? I say this because as a designer I need to devote as much of my knitting time as possible to stuff that can go into my portfolio. BTW I'd prefer a throwaway sock pattern for the same reason if you decide to make the bag and send yarn for socks. In fact, I'd be happy if you don't send a pattern at all, it's just I think it is a requirement of the swap for you to do so. Perhaps the powers that be would allow an exemption in my spoiler's case?

I can design to whatever yarn you send, or pick from the following:

US choice:

Cascade 220 in Pale Blue

UK Choice:

Texere Yarns Troon Tweed in 'Sky tweed'
Texere Yarns Airedale Aran in 'Sky' or 'Duck egg' (the latter is my top fave!)

Other wishes:

I would love to have a shawl pin - anything pretty and dainty (clumpy things don't look good on me!) such as the ones made by this etsy seller. (Not a budget purchase - perhaps you can find something similar at a lower price?)

Another Etsy seller makes cute little rubber stamps - including an option to have this one done with knitting needles instead of a crochet hook.

This UK company sell beautiful and very reasonably priced rosewood straight knitting needles.

I'd love to try some square circular needles, also available in the UK from KCG Trading.

In general I'm sure to love whatever you send. As you can see I love handmade items, so please do include as much of your own crafting as you wish - I'm bound to like it!

My kit for Madam Ferula Finnigan

2009-08-23T14:23:00.013+01:00

Ferula has been having problems getting photos of my kit posted, so as today marks the photo deadline for the 'best kit' competition I'm posting the ones I took here. I don't know how much chance I stand though - I've seen many awesome kits this swap, and believe that even though the budget has been tighter the general standard of all the kits has even improved on previous terms (great though they were). And, of course, I think the kit I got from Celestina is the clear winner!!

Anyway, I sent Ferula this Defence Against the Dark Arts Kit:

The main handmade items were the bag, which features a silver cat on the back (her patronus - not shown)

A 'bump trump' - a yarn caddy (from her wish list)

Another of my felted knitting wand holders (on the right in the first picture -I will eventually, one day, publish the pattern for this!)

And these defensive spell bookmarks:

She asked for some 'local indie dyed yarn'. Can't get more 'local' than some dyed by yours truly! It is an aran weight alpaca and silk yarn that I dyed in a teal colourway. With the DADA theme in mind I packaged it up as an item fom Borgin and Burke's, claiming it was originally spun and dyed by Rowena Ravenclaw! (I am such a fraudulent witch - perhaps Mr. Borgin might consider giving me a job?). There is 100g here - enough to knit the Darkside Cowl, the pattern I included in the kit. I bought the circular needle specified in the pattern and packaged it up as an Ollivander's wand

Other goodies I put in included some liquorice wands (a traditional UK sweet) that I packaged as a Honeyduke's item:

And this notebook that I made. The internal pages are blank parchment.

Other titbits included some dark mark temporary tattoos (I thought she might like these as I've noticed she has an interesting fixation with skulls!), and a needle gauge (labelled as a 'wand weigher').

And that's it!!

Package from Celestina

2009-08-18T10:31:00.008+01:00

Just back from the annual witches convention at Pendle. A wonderful camping event full of fun days out among unsuspecting muggles.

As we were leaving for this event an owl arrived hauling a huge package from Celestina Pettigrew, my spoiler in the Summer Camp Swap. I barely had time to peek at the contents before we flew off to Pendle, but I made sure the bag the package contained was firmly wrapped around my broom to go with me.

There was no time for pictures then, so here they are now. I'm sure you'll all agree Celestina put together an amazing package for me. What you may not realise is just how perfectly themed it is for my tastes. It really is spooky how she seemed to know what I would like. I suspect either she is a talented legilimens, or else my sister Lizzie has been heavily involved in advising her about me! The main theme is my favourite colour (green) which Celestina has very cleverly worked into a Herbology kit.

So, here are the pics:

The whole thing, apart from the book (a wonderful book of floral knits) which I've just realised I didn't take photographs of because Lizzie had been ogling it so it wasn't with the kit when I did the shoot):

A very clever little frog notions case containing a very cute owl tape measure (handmade cover in felt), magnetic buttons ('Sock Diva', and 'Sheep are for felting'), wonderfully elegant stork needlework scissors, knitters balm stick (Love it! I asked for a knitter's hand cream - thank you Celestina!), a green metallic crochet hook, a sweet little flowered tin with transparent lid which contained some wonderful beaded stitchmarkers (green beads!), one of which sported a little ram charm (my patronus). The bag of bags! I wish I could get the colour to show better in the photo - it is not at all the greyish hue that appears here, but a lovely mix of greens red and yellows.. It is beautifully handmade with embroidery touches on the edges and a very pretty lining.

Pure wool (my favourite fibre) fingering weight yarn, a pattern for a 'Dragon Scarf and Hat', and some wooden needlesto knit it, with brightly painted and crackled green ends (love them!!).

Lots of Harry Potter sweets (YES!! - These are almost impossible to get in the UK) and some green M&Ms.

Some other great Potter goodies - a time turner with stickers, Half Blood Prince trading cards, and a figure of a purple witch carrying an owl. She now sits on the windowsill next to my knitting chair which really needed some ornaments.

Some patttern notecards for crocheted and knitted hats (adorable!)

And this, which might be my favourite item, I so love it and can't wait to use it! A monogram stamp with my muggle initial and wax for sealing letters:

Celestina, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you for this wonderful package!!

Done!!

2009-08-03T11:55:00.002+01:00

Yay - my kit is done and the wonderful Mr. Wigworthy has returned from the Owl Office where he has hired an owl to fly it over the water, all the way to America!! He got me a receipt, so I can prove postage if necessary.

And now we are off on our hols for the next two weeks. We will be camping with the boys in a lovely part of England called the Peak District. Thankfully Oliver has enchanted the tent to fit us all in comfortably, and even fitted it out with wardrobes and a kitchen for me! Due to a problem with my knee that St. Mungo's are taking an immense time to solve I won't be able to go walking and cycling with Oliver and the boys, so instead will be sitting knitting while listening to the Wyrd Sisters. Such a tragedy!! ;0)

See you all soon!

Summer Camp Game #5 - Part 1

2009-07-20T20:43:00.001+01:00

1. Man or mouse? (4) ANIMAGUS
2. Start spreading the news (4) DAILY PROPHET
3. Stick Tree Guardian (3) BOWTRUCKLE
4. Telescoping eavesdropper (5) EXTENDABLE EAR
5. Brassicaceae danglers (4) RADISH EARRINGS
6. Prohibited Ggowth of trees (5) FORBIDDEN FOREST
7. Metallic rosy-faced child with wings (4) GOLDEN CHERUB
8. Fleshless black-winged skeleton (2) THESTRAL
9. Lofty philosopher (5) HIGH INQUISITOR
10. Instructive Order (7) EDUCATIONAL DECREE

Tribute to Our Hero

2009-07-06T22:34:00.002+01:00

Well friends, it seems that the muggle world has got wind of a story closely resembling the truth about the biggest hero in the world of magic, Mr. Harry Potter. A muggle 'film' company has made a moving picture show about some of the events in his life leading up to his vanquishment of You Know Who. Somebody has clearly seriously breached the Statute of Secrecy!

Fortunately it is clear that muggles think this is all just a wonderful piece of fiction concocted for the sake of entertainment. With this in mind I have decided to join in the fun, and will be attending a showing of the 'movie' (similar to, but not quite so realsitic as magical portraits). The following photo shows what I plan to wear - do you think I will be incognito enough like this?

Woolfest!

2009-06-27T22:12:00.003+01:00

Today Lizzie and I went to a fantastic fibre event in the English Lake District where we were dazzled by the vast array of gorgeous yarns and fibres, and thoroughly warmed through by the friendliness and laughter of all we met, both old friends and new. I spent much more than I had intended, mostly on books, vintage knitting accessories, and yarn!

The highlight of the day was when we found the Timbertops stall. My spinning wheel is a Timbertops, made in 1980 by James Williamson, maker of all Timbertops wheels until his retirement 3 years ago when it sadly seemed that Timbertops wheels would cease to be made. Luckily in the last year another craftsman, Clive Jones, and his wife Joan, have taken up the gauntlet and are starting production of the wheels up again, guided by James and Ann (James' wife). All four were at the show together today, and I was delighted to be able to chat with them together. I also spent some very magical minutes spinning at a Timbertops Leicester wheel while James span at a Timbertops Beaver beside me. I think we both passed the keen-eyed appraisal of the spinning master, his wife!!

The photo below shows James and Ann at either side of Joan and Clive, with yours truly sat in worshipful adoration beside them!

Wish List

2009-06-25T10:03:00.003+01:00

Just to let my spoiler know that I have updated the wish list in the sidebar to the left here. I've stuck with inexpensive items that would be appropriate for the small kits we are doing this swap.

Summer Camp!

2009-06-15T20:02:00.008+01:00

Well, I've arrived. Got all my knitting gear, and lots of graph paper for designing some new knits. Yes my fellow witches and wizards- I am a design junkie!! Latest efforts include these gloves which were modelled at UK Ravelry Day just over a week ago now. My dear twin-sister (Lizzie Wychwood) knitted the silk ones featuring roses, while the red ones were knitted by a kind Ravelry volunteer. I've called the design 'Flower of the Nation Gloves' as they are themed for each nation in the Union (England, Scotland & Wales), each featuring the national flower - roses for England, daffodils for Wales, and thistles for Scotland (I can't show you the Scottish version as they wre sadly delayed by Royal Mail and didn't make it from the volunteer knitter to the fashion show.

Meanwhile I'm still designing and knitting up preemie hats for SPEW. My latest is based on the wonderful aquatic plant, gillyweed. The roots of this have tiny water bubbles clinging to them, which is what I've worked to emulate in this design:

Lastly, I've got to tell you all that I had the immense pleasure of meeting a wonderful American wizard called Jared Flood, aka Brooklyn Tweed, at Ravelry Day. The pink cheeks you see in the picture below tell the tale of how much firewhisky we had consumed by the time this photo was taken!!

TTFN!!

Package from Lily May Clearwater

2009-04-19T14:14:00.008+01:00

Yesterday just as I was leaving the house to meet with some other witches for a day's spinning, a beautiful owl tapped at the front door. It was carrying a huge box from my spolier in The Swap - Lily May Clearwater. Alas - I had no time to even open it, and realised that just by taking the time to open the door to receive it I had already made myself late to my meeting. Poor owl - I sent it off home again without any refreshment in my haste to get to the chimney and our floo powder!

So, I carried the box to the guild meeting with me, and was helped to open it and examine the contents by a whole bunch of squealing witches!! They were most impressed!

What did it contain? Each item was ripped open (beautiful wrappings now totally unusable!) to reveal

Yarn!! A whole cone of pure new wool yarn for felting. Two balls of Rowan (believe it or not the first time Rowan has ever joined my stash - I always look for cheaper yarn - I feel so spoilt!!)

Stationary!! A lovely parchment letter from Lily (in a parchment envelope), a gorgeous flocked notebook with lined pages, a perfect spells and charms notebook (from my wishlist - I'm reserving this for jottings and sketches for my Potter designs), a DADA card, and some coloured pens (great for my design notes/sketches).

Knitting!! A beautiful bag made by Lily especially for me in my favourite colours, green and pink!

Luxuries!! A totally cute little Cath Kidston purse (from my wishlist) - this is going in my knitting bag to hold stitchmarkers. A pretty soapstone oil burner - this is going on the windowsill in my knitting room to waft the gorgeous smell of lavender over me as I knit! A decorated wooden comb and wooden mirror compact - both from China where Lily lived before she came to Hogwarts.

A hangy decoration!! I adore this!! It is hanging on my new Jordana Paigfe knitting bag which it matches perfectly. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!

Food and drink!! All my favourite flavours! Sherbet lemons, mint humbugs, liquorice, apple and pomegranate tea, chinese tea pouches, Chewits (total nostagia kick - I used to buy these a lot from Honeydukes in my own Hogwarts days), jelly beans (every flavour except the nasties which have mercifully been omitted from this collection), and some chocolate mints ('After Eight' for when I have posh visitors!)

Patterns!! A whole book of designs for felted bags - I love them!

A Legilimency toy!! The boys are busy playing with the one I received! Therefore this is a picture I've borrowed from the Daily Prophet classified section. It's a golden snitch that works out what you are thinking with just 20 questions - amazing!!

Recipes!! Lily noticed I like to cook, so she wrote out a few of her favourite recipes for me to try - chocolate chip cookies, chocolate truffles, and brownies.

Lily -thank you!! It is clear you put a lot of research and thought into this kit. It matches my tastes wonderfully!

Quidditch - Round 3

2009-04-17T23:54:00.003+01:00

1. This “Harry Potter” character’s first name comes from Roman mythology. The mythological character’s twin brother is named Romulus. What is the Harry Potter character last name?
b. Lupin

2. Which “Harry Potter” character’s first name is the Roman equivalent of the Greed Goddess Athena?
c. McGonagall

3. In ‘Harry Potter’ World, this wizard has created the Philosopher’s Stone (called the Sorcerer Stone in the US). The historical figure from the 14th and 15th centuries was a scribe and a manuscript-seller who became famous as an alchemist. Who is this individual?
Nicholas Flammel

4. What is the first name of a character whose last name is the name of a Bulgarian leader from early 9th century who doubled the country’s territory?
c. Viktor

5. Which character’s name is the name of goddess in Indian mythology?
b. Parvati (Patil)

6. “Where the Wild Things Are” tells the story of Max, a young boy sent to bed without his supper for his wild antics. Who created this winner of the Caldecott Medal?
a. Maurice Sendak

7. What was NOT one of the unexpected defense mechanisms that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook encountered in their attempt to rob Gringotts?
d. The Geminio Curse

8. What was Snape aiming at when he cut off George’s ear?
c. Another Death Eater’s wand hand

9. How much older than James was Lily? (Referring to Harry’s parents, not children).
d. 2 months

10. Food is one of the five exceptions to what magical law?
b. Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration

Picture Hunt

George (royal)

McGonagall (kilt)

Patil (Indian politician)

Where the Wild Things Are (illustration)

Knitting Wand Holders

2009-04-12T12:07:00.003+01:00

This week I produced yet another felted knitting wand holder using my still unpublished pattern. I'm now thinking of making the pattern multi-option, as I've found that while using duplicate stitch for the text is more straightforward, the results from stranded knitting in a tube that is then cut prior to felting produces finer-looking text. I've also done some felted versions in thinner wool (Kauni), and have now decided to add another option - an unfelted version worked in sock yarn! So this week I am taking that project and the Slytherin Pride Socks away on our camping holiday with the intention of completing both so that I can finally publish these two patterns before the end of the month.

Here's the one I did this week, in Ravenclaw colours. It now carries my full stock of sock needles, both DPNs and circulars.

Wheels

2009-04-10T20:20:00.003+01:00

This week I've been doing a lot of travel on a muggle bicycle. Well, I haven't actually been travelling on it, just cycling around the grounds of the library over the road from the cottage. No, I haven't lost the ability to disapparate, rather I have determined to increase my level of physical activity in order to become 'fit'.

It is rather difficult. I'm doing ten minutes every day, and end up rather hot and sweaty and breathless at the end, which just goes to prove how far I have to go in order to create the level of fitness manifested by such muggle heroes as Chris Hoy (British olympian who won three gold medals in the muggle olympics last summer).

Saturday in Honolulu!!

2009-04-05T09:26:00.004+01:00

As I have apparated to Honolulu, where it is currently 22.30 on Saturday 4th April, can this post count for the requirement of this week's blogging?!! I last blogged on Satrurday 28th March.

If that plea doesn't past muster, please fellow Slytherins forgive my sloppiness. I promise I am not a secret agent from Ravencalw come to sabotage House efforts to win the Cup!

Anyway - 'Aloha' my friends (= 'Hello' in Honolulu). And Hau`oli la hanau Lizzie ('Happy Birthday)!! In the UK it is already mine and Lizzie's birthday, so even though I am ~~supposedly~~ currently located in a different time zone (!!) I will tell a little bit about what I've done for Lizzie. Then I'll tell you what I got from the Wigworthys, as it is my birthday too!!

I have made Lizzie a felted knitting wand holder in Gryffindor colours. I can't show you the finished project as I've wrapped it and she won't get it until I see her at Nostell Priory later ~~today~~ tomorrow (we are visiting for a birthday treat with our families). I can, however, show you a picture of it at an intermediate stage of the felting. I felted it some more, and lined it after taking this photo.

I'm still working on the pattern for this, which I do intend to publish at some point. Problem is the stranded knitting is off-putting for many, so I need to do some more tests with duplicate stitch. I prefer the results from stranded knitting - the lettering ends up completely embedded, whereas with the versions I've done using deplicate stitch the lettering ends up looking thicker. However, I think the pattern might be more succeesful if I offer it as an easy knit, instead of a stranded and steeked knit. What do you think? More tests? Would any of you like to test the pattern in either or both versions?

Finally I must tell you that my family rocks!! I have received the coveted Jordana Paige bag from my wishlist!! That was a gift from the wonderful Mr. Wigworthy. I also got some beautiful flowers from the boys. Photos in another post (perhaps ~~tomorrow~~ on Monday).

Och Aye The Noo

2009-03-28T12:20:00.008Z

Is what they say in Scotland. I've very little idea what it actually means, something like 'ooh la la' perhaps? Maybe they say it in the far north of Scotland though, and not in Edinburgh, which seemed to contain more American accents than Scots during our visit last weekend. Elladora said this could have been because it was 'Spring Break' in the US, and lots of American witches and wizards were visiting Scotland on vacation. I'll say!! Our very own Hermione Bagnold, Elladora Madley (who despite being from Taiwan, grew up in the U.S.), and Elladora's fcriend, Vicky all added to the general American sounds. So Lily May Clearwater, who is Scottish, and Emma Gorodok, who is German, and my very dear sister Lizzie and I were able to enjoy a little education in various magical American things. We were especially fascinated by the different potion recipes our American friends shared with us, and found that although we think we speak the same language, actually we really don't!! So I found that 'coriander' is 'solento', and while we enjoy pasties, Americans love to munch mysterious food called 'pound-cake' which doesn't contain any money at all!!

Edinburgh itself is a truly gorgeous city, and if you'd care to visit my sister's magical portal you'll find a series of photos she took of some of those parts which are protected from muggle eyes by enchantments performed in keeping with the Statute of Secrecy, including our very dear Hogwarts Castle (Muggles think it is an ancient monument where Scottish kings and queens of the past lived), and a few places that are particularly dear to Slytherins (e.g the castle dungeons, i.e. 'The Snake Pit').

On the day of our arrival, Lizzie and I relaxed in our room after a long journey on the Hogwarts Express. We travelled in 'first class' - a real treat as we were served food and gallons of tea at the spacious table we sat at, whilst the riff-raff all had to crowd together in other carriages! After recovering from this excess we roused ourselves to wrap the presents we had brought with us for our spoilees Hermione and Elladora. We had special permission from the headmistress to give our kits early as we were meeting our spoilees in person. We took care to take photos before and after the wrapping, so here is my kit for you to see. Elladora will, I am sure, post more detailed photos and descriptions when she has completed her vacation and finished the long journey home to Taiwan.

Elladora's Kit before wrapping:

Unfortunately I have never managed to get a really good photo of the bag, which features owls all the way around. I took this one a few weeks ago before lining it with yellow satin as you see above (Elladora is a Hufflepuff). This photo at least shows the eyes, and you can just see the owls too if you allow your pet mouse to nibble the picture to make a Hagrid-sized version. In real life the owls really stand out and are very cute!

I also took this close-up of the owls on the sock blockers which Mr. Wigworthy made and I painted:

You may have already noticed the strong owl theme in Elladora's kit? Well, I guessed she loves owls when trawling through her projects and favourites early in The Swap - I found many owl-themed patterns there, and she asked for an owl pendant in her wish-list. Then when I gave her the kit, even though she was surprised to discover she had unknowingly manifested a passion for these magical creatures, she showed me her purse - another owl!!

The other items in the kit? Another of my felted knitting wand holders, in Hufflepuff colours and lined with owl fabric, the pendant she asked for, a book (Anne of Avonlea, from her wishlist), a long Knitpicks Harmnony circular for magic loop (Lizzie taught her this during the weekend), the Rivendell sock pattern (in her favourites), three varieties of Muggle Sweets (sherbet lemons, treacle toffees, and mint humbugs), a needle gauge, a yellow tape measure, two balls of yellow sock yarn (not only is Elladora a Hufflepuff, she also loves yellow!) an assortment of yellow and black beads, an owl poster (she asked for stuff to decorate her walls), and finally, this little owl which I named Toblemory (though Elladora may of course rename him if she wishes):

I believe Hermione will also soon post about the kit she received from Lizzie. This was beautifully themed with Hermione's favourite colour blue, conveniently also her house colour!

While I took only a few pictures myself in Edinburgh I did get this one of us enjoying a meal in the little coffee shop where J. K. Rowling first wrote about our beloved Harry. This was before we went to see Hermione in the hotel after her nightmarish journey (read about it at her magical portal).

We had such a good time! It was wonderful to be with fellow knitters and Potter lovers in a beautiful city. Our Swappers are fantastic people, and I love them all!

Especially Aidyn and Calen!!

Seriously Hard House Quiz!!!

2009-03-19T15:03:00.005Z

1) Fawkes

2) Black

3) Magical Remedy

4) 1971 feet

5) Knitted Cupcakes

6) St. Mungo's

7) Met Tito Pullo, aka Ray Stevenson

8) Fire and Ice

9) One

10) Odin’s bird. Odin is considered the chief god in Norse paganism, the god of battle, magic, inspiration and the dead.

Quidditch Round Two

2009-03-16T22:01:00.003Z

1. On which day did the Order of the Phoenix come to get Harry?
c. Saturday

2. During all this chaos with voldemort and the Death Eaters, people still had lives to live and Ron's oldest brother, Bill decided to marry Fleur Delacour? Who were the uninvited guests at Bill and Fleur's wedding?
b. Death Eaters

3. Voldemort had seven Horcruxes hidden in different places. Six of them were hidden at the Gaunt shack, Hogwarts, a cave, inside Harry, inside his snake, Nagini and Tom Riddles Diary. Did Voldemort hide the last Horcrux inside the Malfoy's vault at Gringotts?
b. No

4. Why did the Dumbledore's move to Godric's Hollow?
c. The father went to Azkaban

5. Harry and Hermione read a part of "Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore," written by Rita Skeeter. Then they met Dumbledore's brother Abeforth and he told them the same story, just with a few details changed. Which of the following did Aberforth and Rita Skeeter agree on about Dumbdore's past?
b. That Dumbledore was friends with Grindelwald for a while.

6. When Harry and Hermione visit Godric's Hollow, they visit the graveyard to see Harry's parent's graves. Harry walks by a tombstone that we later learn belong to tone of "The Three Broother'. The brother buried there once owned what?
b. The cloak

7. The Trio finds out that Luna had been kidnapped by the Death Eaters , and that they won't give her back until they got Harry Potter. Why did they kidnap Luna?
a. Her father sided with Harry and Dumbledore

8. After Voldemort killed Snape, he left the room and Harry came out from under the cloak. Snape gave Harry some of his memories all the way from when he was a child to just months before. Harry dived into the Pensieve and which of the following did he not see?
c. Snape and Lily having fun in a potions class.

9. On the search of the Lost Diadem, Harry finally gets to takl to the Gray Lady. Who was the Gray Lady when she was alive?
c. Helena Ravenclaw.

10. Which of these is not one of Harry or Ron's children?
d. Victoria

Picture Scavenger Hunt

Shelved

2009-03-14T21:05:00.002Z

Now that I am writing a book of knitting patterns I decided I really need to 'up the anti' with regard to the organisation of my knitting bits and pieces. So today Mr. Wigworthy cleaned up some old shelves I painted up many years ago and hung them in the spare bedroom that has over the years come to be called 'Mum's Knitting Room' by all the family! It is where I do most of my knitting and reading and designing.

It is lovely to have the shelves back in use, they've been in the cellar since we moved here 7 years ago! Originally they were some Sunday school shelves that my older brother rescued and hung in his room at my parents house. Later his room was shared by me and Lizzie - I have photos of us in there with various of the little knick-knacks that were important to us displayed on the said shelves. They have moved around with me in the years since, and underwent a total overhaul, including a green paint and stencil job, a few years ago after they were damaged by damp in the cellar of my previous home.

So, today, with my knitting books and patterns now transferred to my knitting room, I have been perusing that literature to get some ideas and inspiration for my book. Believe it or not, one of the patterns is for a lace gown!! Hence, today I have knitted a few little lace samples on really tin, tiny needles, firstly 1mm!!! Latterly I played with knitting an edging on 1.5mm needles. At the moment I'm working in plain mercerised cotton because the yarns I have chosen and ordered to ~~play with~~ sample for the designs have not arrived yet.

Knitting Wizard

2009-03-07T18:03:00.006Z

Timothy, my middle son, has been learning to knit during the last couple of weeks. Due to the restrictions on underage wizardry he is learning it muggle-style, without the advantage of enhanced speed and such that some witches and wizards use (I actually prefer to do it muggle style myself - it is so relaxing that way). The following picture is of my clever little wizard knitting last weekend. At that stage he just knew the knit stitch, and learned it with a cute little rhyme. Since then he has also mastered purling and is now engaged in making himself a little stocking stitch knitting bag!

Sock Poll

2009-02-28T10:00:00.003Z

The folk publishing one of my sock patterns in a book this autumn (Lark books) have asked their designers to invite friends (that's all of you!) to do a fun online poll about socks and ... stuff!! The book is to be called 'The Joy of Sox', so it should be no surprise that one of the questions is about playing 'footsie'!!

Alas, I don't know if I am allowed yet to post pictures of the socks I designed for the book, so I'm playing safe and waiting a little longer! Slight clue - I called the design 'Pink Passion', so I'll leave you to guess what colour the socks are!!

In other design news, I am currently in negotiations with Yarn Forward magazine who have asked me to write an article about double knitting to accompany the pattern for this scarf I've just finished:

Also, I have designed and knitted a silk lace bag. The pattern is the first for a book Lizzie has suggested I could write. I will publish this one separately first - it is coming up to wedding season, and I think this would make a great accessory for a wedding outfit:

All this work keeps me so busy that I hope you will forgive me for again not doing the Slytherin quizz?

Quidditch

2009-02-19T09:18:00.001Z

1. What momentous event was the reason that the members of the Order of the Phoenix felt it necessary to move Harry out of the Dursley’s house?
a. The start of the new school year
b. The Dursleys kicking him out
c. Voldemort’s escape from Azkaban
d. Harry’s upcoming birthday

2. Who revealed the actual date of Harry’s transfer to Voldemort, despite the misinformation the Order had been spreading around that the move would occur on the eve of his actual birthday?
a. Mundungus
b. Snape
c. Yaxley
d. Shacklebolt

3. With the use of Polyjuice Potion (and to confuse any possible attack by Death Eaters), six member of the Order were disguised as Harry and escorted out of Privet Drive, along with the real Harry. Which member of the order did not survive that night?
a. Mad-Eye Moody
b. Nymp0hadora Tonks
c. Hagrid
d. George Weasley

4. Who informed Harry, Ron and Hermione of the bequests left to them in Dumbledore’s will?
a. Kingley Shaclebolt
b. Minerva McGonalgall
c. Arthur Weasley
d. Rufus Scimgeour

5. During the wedding celebration for Bill and Fleur, Kingley Shacklebolt sent a Patronus to tell the guests that the Ministry had fallen, Scrimgeour (the Minister) was dead and the wedding celebration was about to be attacked by Death Eaters. What form did the Patronus take?
a. A lynx
b. An otter
c. A doe
d. A stag

6. Escaping from the wedding to London, our three friends found themselves confronted by a pair of Death Eaters, disguised as workmen. This close brush impressed on them the need to find someplace to hide. Where did they decide to go?
a. The Leaky Cauldron
b. Sirius Black’s house
c. The Dursley’s house
d. Ron’s Auntie Muriel’s house

7. Kreacher’s animosity towards Harry, Ron and especially Hermione (a Mudblood) was well documented in book five, “The Order of the Phoenix.” His initial interaction with them showed that his attitude had not changed. How did they win him over?
a. By giving him clothes and his freedom
b. They didn’t win him over!
c. By giving him something to eat
d. By giving him Regulus Black’s old locket

8. Who did they eventually find was in possession of the locket/Horcrux?
a. Severus Snape
b. Lucius Malfoy
c. Lord Voldemort
d. Dolores Umbridge

9. What did Harry find embedded in the door of Umbrdige’s office?
a. Moody’s magical eye
b. Nymphadora’s purple hair
c. Hedwig’s head
d. George Weasley’s ear

10. After retrieving the Horcrux, they tried to return to their safe place but they were pursued (actually Yaxley tagged along when they disapparated). This meant that the Death Eaters knew their hiding place and they had to go somewhere else. Where did Hermione take them?
a. To Godric’s Hollow
b. To the Forbidden Forest
c. Back to the Burrow
d. To the site of the Quidditch World Cup

Picture Scavenger Hunt
Pciturs linked below:

Mad-Eye Moody
Nymphadora Tonks
George Weasley
The Dursley's House
Kreacher

Posh Witch!!

2009-02-17T00:15:00.002Z

Having updated my wish list in the sidebar this evening I have realised that it reveals my rather posh taste in things. So, I hasten to assure my dear magical friends, that while I may have expensive tastes, in speech and manner I am a true Yorkshire lass!

Books

2009-02-12T14:35:00.005Z

I found this great meme on my spoilee's blog and thought I'd do it myself. The crossed out books are ones I've read, and the bold books are ones I intend to read at some point.

1. ~~Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen~~ (my favourite read!)
2. ~~The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien~~
3. ~~Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte~~
4. ~~Harry Potter series - JK Rowling~~
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. ~~The Bible~~
7. ~~Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte~~ (set near my home!)
8. ~~Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell~~ (set text for O Level English Lit.)
9. ~~His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman~~
10. ~~Great Expectations - Charles Dickens~~ (set text for O level English Lit.)
11. ~~Little Women - Louisa M Alcott~~
12. ~~Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy~~ (set text for A level English Lit. - brilliant book, and I hated Thomas Hardy for it!!)
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. ~~Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier~~ (great book!)
16. ~~The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien~~
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. ~~Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell~~
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. ~~The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams~~
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. ~~Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll~~
30. ~~The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame~~
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. ~~David Copperfield - Charles Dickens~~
33. ~~Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis~~
34. ~~Emma - Jane Austen~~ (of course!)
35. ~~Persuasion - Jane Austen~~ (ditto!)
36. ~~The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis~~ (don't know why this separate from 33)
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. ~~Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres~~
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. ~~Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne~~
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (seen the film - loved that)
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. ~~Lord of the Flies - William Golding~~
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan (seen the film though!)
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. ~~Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen~~ (naturally!)
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. ~~The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon~~ As my eldest son has Asperger's, thankfuuly not as severely as the boy in this book. I cried a lot!
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy (Lizzy says this is even worse than Tess for leaving readers in a suicidal state!!)
68. ~~Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding~~ (Not as good as the film!)
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. ~~Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens~~
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. ~~The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett~~ (Lovely Yorkshire story!)
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. ~~Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome~~ (My favourite books as a child)
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. ~~A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens~~ (I now have this on my iPod read by Patrick Stewart - wonderful!!)
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker ** this was a good story.
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. ~~Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle~~
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. ~~The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery~~ (I still cry at this one!)
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks (Hubby's favourite author, not mine!)
94. ~~Watership Down - Richard Adams~~ (Cried buckets!)
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. ~~Hamlet - William Shakespeare~~ (Set text for A Level English Lit.)
99. ~~Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl~~
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Slytherin House Quiz

2009-02-02T23:29:00.004Z

What are your three most favorite colors?
Green, green, and pink!

What are your three least favorite colors?
Black, orange, and red

Your favorite candy is ...
Sherbet lemons (of course!!)

Draco, Lucius, or Snape?
Snape, Snape, Severus Snape

Do you knit, crochet, or both?
Both

What type of kit did you ask for?
Felted

Acrylic—has its uses, should all be burned, best yarn to work with (choose one)?
Should all be burned! Really - it is an abomination against sheep and taste!

Who is the Slytherin Head Girl this term?
Quinn

Name four “extras” you would love to receive in your kit.
Ooh!! A shawl brooch/pin, a knitting book/magazine, anything sheepy, and any smellies.

What are your three most favorite scents?
Lavender, rose and honeysuckle

Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks?
Salty

Which Slytherin is the Keeper of the Crucio List?
Cassandra Puddlemere

Do you really need more stitch markers?
No!!

Dpns, circular, or straight?
Straights - I have less stock of these, and recently broke one of my only pair of 3.75mm straights.

What yarn makes you squee?
Louisa Harding Kimono Angora - I got some recently and it is divinely soft! Sadly now discontinued, so I might have to buy up Texere's entire remaining stock!!

Favorite HP Movie?
Goblet of Fire

Favorite HP character?
Dobby!

Who was your first choice for DADA professor?
Colin Firth (except I couldn't stand to see anybody else get him!)

What is the Slytherin Common Room called?
The Snake Pit

What makes you worthy of being in Slytherin House?
My awesome greatness!!

Sock kit swap

2009-01-27T11:50:00.003Z

Yes- it's starting again! I'm looking forward to receiving lots of green goodies. I've asked for a kit to make a felted item this time. Late last summer I purchased a magical felting aid from Dervish and Banges during a day out in Hogsmeade and now crave opportunities to use it. It's a fantastic piece of magical engineering - takes any piece of knitting and turns it into heavy felt with no effort whatsoever. Before I got it my felting spells worked very haphazardly so I'm delighted with the reliability of the 'Ecoballs'.

Recently I started knitting a Shetland shawl using some laceweight wool I span a year or so ago. So far I've nearly finished the edging for one side. It's slow work! I'm also working on some special socks to show my House Pride. I showed them to Irma when I was working a shift with her at Hogwarts last week, and she was most complimentary. What do you all think?

Champion!!

2008-12-18T12:33:00.009Z

This is the hat that successfully saw off Mr. Draco Firewalker - the illustrious Hufflepuff with superfast wandwork who nevertheless couldn't deflect this deathly curse.

And this is the champion's plaque I got for seeing off all my opponents. Lucky me!!

Advent Cheer

2008-12-01T20:56:00.004Z

With awesomely perfect timing Emma Gorodok's owl landed here today with another package from her. A wonderful selection of goodies with a strong Christmas theme, including an amazing Christmas stocking Advent Calendar. There was also a set of silvery Christmas serviettes, some Zitron sock yarn in Ravenclaw colours, a long Addi 2mm circular needle (great for magic loop), a German Christmas stollen (Mmmmm!!!), and a beautiful Christmas angel made by Emma's Mum in hardanger embroidery. Apparently her Mum makes tham to sell at a 'Weinachtsmarkt'. I'd love to visit one of those. I so love German Christmas traditions and products - truly magical.

The boys helped me put the stocking Advent Calendar up tonight, then we emptied the stocking labelled with a '1' for the first of December. I was just expecting sweets, so was amazed and quite overwhelmed when some lovely tree ornaments and a set of beautiful Ravenclaw stitchmarkers appeared. There was also a piece of chocolate covered marzipan - it was very yummy!!

Emma, from the bottom of my heart - Thank You!!

Quidditch - Round 3

2008-11-16T17:11:00.001Z

1. Who was Tom Riddle Sr.'s girlfriend before Merope gave him the love potion?
a. Eleanor
B. CECILIA
c. Sally
d. Mandy

2. What does Luna say floated into Harry's ear when he was in the train car that supposedly caused him to lose focus?
a. Demiguise
b. Jobberknoll
C. WRACKSPURT
d. Runespoor

3. How much do the primary Apparition lessons cost?
a. 10 galleons
b. 8 galleons
c. 15 galleons
D. 12 GALLEONS

4. What is Professor Merrythought's first name?
a. Eileen
B. GALATEA
c. Carol
d. Jocelyn

5. What Hogwarts club was Eileen Prince captain of?
a. Charms Club
B. GOBSTONES CLUB
c. The Slug Club
d. Occlumency Club

6. Who is head of the Goblin Liaison Office?
a. Ambrosius Flame
B. DIRK CRESSWELL
c. Ciceron Harkiss
d. Barnabas Cuffe

7. Mrs. Weasley offers Fleur a goblin-made tiara for the wedding with Bill. What family member is currently in possession of the tiara?
A. AUNT MURIEL
b. Aunt Ethel
c. Aunt Edna
d. Aunt Thelma

8. How many points does Snape take from Gryffindor for Harry's late arrival and muggle attire?a. 30
B. 70
c. 50
d. 90

9. When Professor Slughorn first meets Hermoine, he asks her whether she is related to Hector Dagworth-Granger. What society did Dagworth-Granger found?
a. The Most Extraordinary Society of Charms
b. The Most Extraordinary Society of Herbology
c. The Most Extraordinary Society of the Defense Against the Dark Arts
D. THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SOCIETY OF POTIONEERS

10. Which of these describes Golpalott's Third Law?
a. The antidote for blended poison will be equal to less than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components.
b. The antidote for blended poison will be equal to less than the product of the antidotes for each of the separate components.
c. The antidote for blended poison will be equal to more than the product of the antidotes for each of the separate components.
D. THE ANTIDOTE FOR BLENDED POISON WILL BE EQUAL TO MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE ANTIDOTES FOR EACH OF THE SEPARATE COMPONENTS.

Ravenclaw 'Super-Secret' Quiz

2008-11-08T23:43:00.002Z

I admit I used magical aid to complete this - I was falling asleep scouring the floo network for research data, so I cribbed some answers from worthier Ravenclaws than I!!

1. Astrid Cloverleaf
2. Cassandra Grubbly-Plank
3. Enna Kirts
4. Selena Starfire
5. Henry Longstaff
6. Cecily Fortescue
7. Mona Ravenscroft
8. Argentia Pascal
9. Prendolyn Wilcox
10. Lizzie Wychwood
11. Ursula Longbottom
12. Rowena Weasley
13. Aurora Curlyfur
14. Lily May Clearwater
15. Megaera Black

Bonus 1: smiuleynetta/Hermoine Bagnold (of course!!)
Bonus 2: It is less than half

Halloween

2008-10-31T21:11:00.002Z

A few pictures to celebrate our special day, my fellow witches and wizards!

The boys and I had a lot of fun getting the pumpkins ready. The spider one is by far my most ambitious ever - the other being much more representative of what I usually do.

Then the boys got dressed up ready for the Halloween party - both were skeletons. Their cousin was, of course, her usual pretty self.

Package from Emma

2008-10-29T11:52:00.003Z

My spolier, Emma Gorodok of Slytherin, has sent me a package - the first of two I am to expect she says. This one contains gorgeously squishy yarn in Ravenclaw colours with a pattern to make a doubleknitted scarf with owls on it, and a knittng journal that Emma very cleverly made with papers she designed herself. It's beautiful - I'm including pictures of some of the pages for you to covet! There was also a selection of Haribo sweets - already consumed!! I love how Emma made an envelope for her letter with her own paper, it looks really professional.

Thank you Emma for such a lovely package!

Halloween's Coming!!

2008-10-25T00:56:00.003+01:00

It's nearly here, and the little wizards are getting quite excited! Today they've been making little bats and pumpkins out of paper and bits. I've promised that next week I'll sit and do lots of Halloween crafting with them - make moving skeletons and flappy bats, as well as carving the lanterns.

We have three pumpkins to choose from, grown by Mr. Wigworthy of course. We brought them in last weekend, and they are sitting on the dresser looking yummy! The boys are going to plan the faces themselves on paper before we do the carving, and I'm planning to make pumpkin soup and some savoury pasties with the flesh.

The harvest from Mr. Wigworthy's plot is particularly varied and plentiful at the moment. I took this picture of the produce he picked a few days ago to show you all what goodness we are enjoying at Creaky Cottage - chard, courgettes, marrow, cabbage, tomatoes, and leeks:

Quidditch - Round 2

2008-10-16T20:35:00.002+01:00

1. What animal does the portrait in the Muggle Prime Minister's office resemble?
b. Frog

2. What drink does Romilda Vane try to give Harry?
a. Gillywater

3. What is the name of the person who heads the Holyhead Harpies?
b. Gwenog Jones

4. How many 'Exceeds Expectation' grades does Harry receive in his O.W.L's?
c. 5

5. What is Professor Slughorn's favorite candy?
d. Crystallized Pineapple

6. What tattoo is Harry reported to have on his chest?
c. Hippogriff

7. What color robes do the staff at the Weasley's shop wear?
b. Magenta

8. What is the man outside Flourish and Blotts selling?
a. Amulets

9. How much is the skull, which Hermoine enquires about at Borgin and Burkes, worth?
c. 16 Galleons

10. What are Professor Slughorn's initials?
b. H.E.F.

Ravenclaw Photo Challenge

2008-10-08T14:49:00.004+01:00

What a ride!! My broomstick is rather bedraggled looking after flying me around to get these pictures. This is for points for me and my roomies, 'The Charming Chums' - the 'originality marker' is a tape measure!! I've managed everything except the Shady Shop, and the Public Art.

Horcrux (Helga's Cup):

Lucky Potion:

Fanged Frisbee:

House Socks:

Tree - changing season:

Used Textbook (this is a very used potions textbook!):

Broom:

Engagement Ring:

Butterbeer:

Muggle Artefact:

Raven's Feather (there are quite a few on this chappie!!):

Government Employee:

Diadem:

Magical Creature:

Quizzes galore

2008-10-03T13:09:00.004+01:00

Gosh - I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the quizzes I have to do at the moment. As well as the HSKS regulars I now also have weekly History of Magic homework for the Knitting and Crochet House Cup (I have to send my answers for that to the Professor each week), and a photo challenge to complete before Wednesday. So I'm struggling time-wise.

What makes it all especially difficult is that I've now finished the Hogwarts Socks for my middle little wizard and am busy writing the pattern up for sale. I've got a photo I'll post after the quizzes - it's not great because the purple colour of the cuff and foot has come out blue in the pic due to dodgy work with an over-flashy wand I think. I'll have to get a better picture for the pattern. The text says 'Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon', which you all should know is the Hogwarts school motto!

House Quiz

1. What potion has the strange side effects of excessive singing and nose-tweaking?

An Elixir of Euphoria

2. What ingredient can be used to counteract the effect of the above side effects?

Peppermint

3. How much can you get for Acromantula venom?

One hundred galleons per pint

4. What is the most powerful love potion in the world?

Amortentia

5. What antidote does Harry use to help Ron when he is poisoned by Madam Rosmerta's finest mead?

Bezoar

6. How does Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' Owl Order Service get their potions past the security at Hogwarts to their customers?

They disguise them in perfume or cough syrup bottles

7. What did Draco Malfoy make in Potions class when Professor Slughorn assigned them to make something amusing?

A hiccuping elixir

8. What spells will not work in an area affected by Instant Darkness Powder?

Light spells, such as Lumos, and fire magic

9. What are the ingredients for the Draught of Living Death?

Asphodel, Wormwood, Valerian Roots, and a single Sophorous Bean

10. How much will unicorn tail hair fetch?

Ten galleons per hair

Extra Credit:

Do you prefer to knit or crochet?

Knit - and I love to crochet too!

What is your favorite weight yarn to knit/crochet with?

Anything except bulky

What fiber contents do you most like to knit/crochet with?

Wool and silk

What fiber contents do you dislike knitting/crocheting with?

Mohair and acrylic

How many complete pair of socks have you knit/crochet?

Oh my gosh - far too many to count!!

What is your favorite item to knit/crochet?

I love to make anything with appealing design, pattern and colour

What is your favorite treat?

Pavlova!!

Do you drink coffee, tea, or both?

Only tea at home - cappucino when I'm out

Do you have an online wish list? If so, where?

It's in the sidebar of this blog.

How many Ravelry groups are you in?

22 (must whittle it down!!)

Is there any special item you have been really wanting, but can't find in your local area?

I'd love (and really don't expect my spoiler to get something expensive like this!) an upright wooden skein winder like the beautiful one that Brentusfirmus (Rav ID) has!!

I'd also love a magnetic pattern holder like the ones at Knitpicks

And here are the latest socks:

Quidditch - Round One

2008-09-26T10:49:00.002+01:00

1. At the beginning of the book, Cornelius Fudge is talking to the Muggle Prime Minister. Which member of the Order of the Phoenix has recently been found dead?
c. Emmeline Vance

2. What animal does Bellatrix Lestrange kill when she and her sister, Narcissa, are going to see Professor Snape?
b. Fox

3. What time does Professor Dumbledore collect Harry from Privet Drive?
b. 11 p.m.

4. What did Professor Sluhorn transform into when he was trying to hide from Harry and Professor Dumbledore?
a. An armchair

5. What grade did Harry get for Herbology?
a. E – Exceeds Expectation

6. Herbert Chorley, the Prime Minister’s Junior Minster, has been entertaining the public by impersonating which animal?
b. A duck

7. What is Professor Sprout’s first name?
d. Pomona

8. What is Dumbledore’s idea of ‘a few words’?
d. nitwit, oddment, blubber and tweak

9. Who is Marcus Belby’s famous uncle?
b. Damocles

10. What is Snape’s mother’s name?
b. Eileen Prince

Pictures

Daily Prophet Obituaries

2008-09-22T13:27:00.008+01:00

Anna Meriweather 1973 -2008

It is with regret that we inform the magical world of the proposed untimely death (according to information received from Mrs. E. Wigworthy) of Miss Meriweather, the nationally known knitter.

Anna was a brave soul, a Gryffindor in her Hogwarts days. She is fondly remembered by her fellow-students as a mischief-maker. Mrs. Lizzie Wychwood told us with delight of one particular escapade when Anna tied an item of Professor McGonagall's underwear to the snout of one of the stone hogs that so famously flanks the gates of the school!

In adult life Anna remained a character of immense bonhomie. Yet she was also a very skilled witch, best known to the magical world for her work in the use of knitting spells for warmth and beauty. Alas, in the end her vast knowledge and skill in magical threadwork was not enough to serve her when she was suffocated by a cabled hat. The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office is investigating.

Me knitting (of course!!)

2008-09-22T13:05:00.002+01:00

Mr. Wigworthy took this action shot of me knitting a few months ago when I was working on the Hufflepuff Pride Socks. Gosh, I've done a lot of knitting since then!

This week I've been learning a new technique - double-knitting. I'm making a scarf for little wizard number two. I'm particularly excited that I've managed to get the name to read properly on both sides:

Clever eh?

Then this weekend I raced to knit this hat for my duel partner in the contest that is running as part of The Swap. Verso has just left with it, and I'm very hopeful that he will deliver the grave goods to my partner before her owl arrives here!

HSKS6 Questionnaire

2008-09-14T14:06:00.002+01:00

Potter Name: Emma Wigworthy

Rav ID: spinningmaid

I am allergic to:
Most furry and hairy animals (cats, dogs, rabbits, mice, horses, goats etc....) However, I am not allergic to wool or mohair!

Pets that I have: None!

My favorite yarn:
??????? I love so many!! Probably easier to say that I really do hate acrylic!!

If you are a Ravenclaw, do you prefer the film colors or the book colors?
I'm a purist - while I love blue and silver as a combination, for house-themed items I prefer book colours.

My favorite flavor:
Any fruit flavour

My favorite holiday:
Absolutely Christmas!! I love, love, love German Christmas shops!! My Weinachtspyramids are my favourite Christmas things!

I would like to receive a: Scarf kit (for a change!)

List your favorite brand of needles or hooks, including size and length:
My favourite brand is Knitpicks Harmony. My favourite size is 2.5mm, but I have loads of them!! I've just learned magic loop, so would love a 100cm or longer circular in any sock size except 2.5mm (which I have).

Is there a brand that you are dying to try?:
Yes - Lantern Moon rosewood or ebony needles

I've participated in HSKS: This is my third HSKS swap.

Do you have a birthday during this swap? If so which day?
Not this time - my birthday was in April

New Term!

2008-09-06T20:57:00.002+01:00

It has been such a busy summer!! My dear twin-sister, Lizzie Wychwood, works full-time at Gringott's so I had the pleasure of having her little witch and wizard with me during the school break. Luckily I had a lovely wizard from the Congo to assist me with the coven of teenies! We got out most days to visit places around, and did lots of walking in the local woods and hills.

Alas, such pleasures have to have an end, and sure enough September 1st came all too quickly. My youngest little wizard started full-time school, the same day that we saw Dennis off to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express. Here's a picture of the three of them together in their various school robes that we took that happy/sad morning (I was so proud and so achey all at the same time!):

There were lots of knitty activities filling my time otherwise during the summer. Particularly special was a wonderful knitting challenge, called 'Ravelympics' which the witches knitting forum, Ravelry, ran concurrently with a strange muggle sporting event called 'The Olympics'. I was in Team Hogwarts alongside many folk from Professor Wartbobble's sock kit swap, and many other Hogwarts students and alumni. I managed to finish 'Vesty Thing' for 'WIPs Wrestling', and knitted the cover for a felted knitting wand holder (for 'Felted Freestyle') with the Kauni yarn that Kaaelana so kindly gave to me last term. Alas, the felting spell didn't work very well and drained the colours, then I scorched it and cut a hole in it while trying to put it right!!

Vesty thing:

Cover for knitting wand holder:

Meanwhile I made a fairisle bag for Molly's daughter-in-law, Fleur, who I've been teaching to knit:

And some silk socks. The design was commissioned by Madame Maxime for students at Beauxbatons, so I've called them 'Chaussettes de Beauxbatons' (I so love French!!):

I've published the patterns for the bag and the socks in my Ravelry pattern store.

So - lots going on!!

Of course, now Hogwarts has started a new term I will be spending a fair bit of time there assisting Madam Pomfrey in the infirmary again, and I'm once more very much looking forward to participating in Professor Wartbobble's sock kit swap. We have quite a lot of new students that have joined the swap, and I look forward to getting to know them, as well as chatting with many wonderful old friends. I'm rather concerned about the new head Girl though - Wisteria Lovegood - she spent a worrying amount of time hanging around with the more handsome professors last term - I suspect she has a strong floozy streak!!

Wool and Wands

2008-07-23T19:11:00.007+01:00

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

2008-07-17T10:35:00.004+01:00

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

2008-07-12T21:43:00.002+01:00

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!

2008-07-07T18:45:00.003+01:00

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

2008-07-05T23:08:00.003+01:00

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!

2008-07-03T20:40:00.010+01:00

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:

Woolfest

2008-06-28T09:54:00.003+01:00

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

2008-06-18T19:50:00.005+01:00

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'

2008-06-16T20:40:00.004+01:00

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!!

2008-06-14T07:46:00.003+01:00

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

2008-06-07T12:43:00.006+01:00

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!

2008-06-02T18:37:00.009+01:00

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:

Quidditch ~ Round One

2008-05-30T14:24:00.003+01:00

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

a. Mr. 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. Hydrangea

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.

Picture Scavenger Hunt

Fred and George Weasley

Hog’s Head Pub
Sirius Black
Mr. Weasley & Harry (Together)
Draco Malfoy

Lizzie's bag

2008-05-23T19:55:00.005+01:00

My dear sister Lizzie likes the bag I've done for the design competition so much that she asked if she can have it. So she has it - I'm sure she has more stuff I've made in her home than I have in mine! I finished it last night, including lining it with some fabric I bought a while ago to line Emma Gorodok's bag with last term.

Observant readers might note that the hat which has previously appeared on the bottom left corner of the bag has wandered off. Indeed, I was not happy with how the first embroidery design looked - it was altogether too 'busy', so I went for a simpler scheme with just two elements that closely relate to The Swap - a ball of yarn with needles, and an owl carrying what I hope all will realise is a sock kit package.

This afternoon I took some pictures of the bag, including several with it modelled by its new owner, Mrs Lizzie Wychwood. Then Mr. Wychwood took photos of me and Lizzie together wearing our HSKS vests for your enjoyment. Lizzie is in pink and I'm in blue.

Ravenclaw Puzzle

2008-05-21T19:57:00.002+01:00

With trepidation I sat down to complete this week's puzzle, for it was set by Miss Minerva Kwikspell who is notorious for the difficulty of the riddles she sets. So it was with amazed delight that I found I was able to 'crack the code' within just a couple of minutes. Yippee - more knitting time!! The answer is:

Can you keep a secret?

The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is at No. 12 Grimmauld Place.

Smelly witch!

2008-05-19T22:23:00.003+01:00

I am spoiled so rotten that surely you can smell the decay!! :

An owl has arrived from Denmark carrying a very beautiful and thoughtful gift from my spoiler in the sock kit swap. She has made for me a minature sock in Ravenclaw colours with a little eagle in the design, and some stitchmarkers with golden eagle feathers hanging from them - clever girl. They are so attractive that my boys keep trying to sneak off with them magpie style!

Kaaelana Lassanda Allianda, thank you!!

Old bag!!

2008-05-16T17:43:00.011+01:00

Just using that title for effect - a little fun poke at myself! In fact the bag that I am going to talk about is actually so new that it isn't even finished yet! I refer, of course, to the bag that I am designing for Professor Wartbobble's design competition (note the use of the present tense - and interpret 'I'm making this one up as I go'!).

As I think it is highly unlikely that anyone will try to steal this design before I've finished it I am daring to share pictures of the work in progress so that you can appreciate what I mean when I use adjectives like 'enormous'.

I started out thinking I might not enter the competition at all, given that as well as being a busy housewitch and mother, I am also very busy with sock designs for knitting witches and wizards who want to celebrate their affiliation with the various Hogwarts Houses. Indeed, I have regular contact from such persons 'just wondering' when the next pattern will be ready!!

Nevertheless, for a week or so after her aforementioned illustrious headmistressness announced the competition I pondered 'what I should do if I could', which resulted in an actual design idea. Oh dear!!

My idea was to knit a bag that incorporates the latin phrase 'adtractior magicum nunquam pictus' (which roughly translates as 'never needle a magical knitter'), and the letters HSKS (the abbreviated name of Professor Wartbobble's knitting swap). Charting these into a balanced stitch graph proved that a very large stitch count would be required in order for the letters to be visually pleasing. That meant I would have to knit an enormous bag!

Enquiries among knitting friends who are experts in felting techniques (I refer particularly to my dear friend Esmerelda Beanswallow) increased my confidence to attempt this as a solution to the size issue, for felting shrinks knitted fabric. Swatching proved that my chosen yarn for the background felts well, and that it also felts even when letters are knitted into it fairisle style with a non-felting contrast yarn. Of course, I am still nervous that a whole bag will not behave the way my swatches did!

At the moment I just have to finish the strap, and then the felting begins. The edging at the top of the bag is applied i-cord - my first ever use of that technique, and I'm really pleased with the result. Hopefully the puckering due to the tightness of the edging will be resolved by the felting and blocking. After felting I intend to embroider some pictorial elements above and below the HSKS where there are currently large blank fields. I've sketched out outlines of a hat, cauldron, and yarn ball and needles for this that I think I will work in chain stitch, again in the silver.

And here are the pictures - both sides of the bag and one of my felted swatches. While it is a little predictable, and a rather basic structure, I am still rather proud of how it is turning out.

New Term!

2008-05-05T21:09:00.006+01:00

That sad time has come once more when we have to wave goodbye to Dennis at platform 9 3/4, although this term it seems possible that I will see a little more of him than previously when he has been at school. Why? Well, it seems that Madam Pomfrey could do with a little assistance during busy times in the hospital wing, and as I have a fair bit of nursing experience Professor Wartbobble has asked if I am willing to be on standby to offer such help. Of course, I didn't have to think twice before I said yes! What an opportunity - a chance to see a little more of dear Dennis, combined with time at my favourite magical institution (I am so fond of my school memories), and time with some very inspiring people. Poppy for one, I know, is a very warm and charming lady despite all that matronly bustle!

Meanwhile things have been getting very interesting on the home front since my big sister (well, she is a whole 5 minutes older than me, as she loves to remind me!), joined the sock kit swap. She decided that as she was joining a knitting group she had better do some knitting, and asked me to provide her with a pattern for her little wizard (same age as Tobit). Well, I've always knitted socks for my boys from a pattern in my head, so I had to do a fair bit of jiggery pokery with my quill to get it onto parchment for dear Lizzie. Then, would you believe, she went and knitted them in just a couple of days without magic!!!! And didn't she do well? -

We've included this picture with an accio version of the pattern in that marvellous forum for knitting witches, Ravelry, so that other magical knitters can knit socks for their little wizards too. If you want to get the pattern (gratis - it won't even cost you just one little knut!) let your pet mouse nibble these magical words and you'll see the Ravelry library shelf where it is directly.

Exciting witches..

2008-04-24T10:55:00.008+01:00

Things are getting very exciting in the preparations for the next sock kit swap. Headmistress Wartbobble has set up all kinds of marvellous wheezes for those witches and wizards who will be taking part. She's even going to have knitting duels! Amazing!! I do hope I will be able to have a go at this, although the first one takes place when Clan Wigworthy are camping with the Pendle Witches Institute.

While the group has a rather tragic history we have fared very well since the Statute of Secrecy was introduced, and now number some 200 witches and wizards from Pennine districts. The end of May sees our annual meet which, although it includes some serious political discussion, is mostly a week of fun and games. The boys are practising hard for the under 8s quidditch match! Fortunately we are not affected by the traditional rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire that exists in local muggle communities. Well, perhaps we are just a little - last year I caught Terry (5 at the time) hexing a 7-year-old wizard from Trawden who had called him a 'Dirty Tyke' ('Tyke' being slang for a native of Yorkshire).

In knitting news I am glad to report that I have now finished and published my designs for house socks for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. They are for sale in the wonderful witches knitting forum, Ravelry, and in my Etsy shop.

Since my kit arrived last week a spinning friend of mine has suggested that I could make some beaded yarn with the beads that Lily Finnegan had included in the kit. What an excellent idea! So I've bought some beading needles and something called 'nymo' from 'Crafty Witches R Us', and am all ready to have a go. Alas, I think I will have to get the time-turner out to be able to do it, for I feel utterly overfaced just with completing the house sock designs I commited myself to doing. I would also love to do a bag for Professor Wartbobble's current design competition, especially as I've paraded a little as a 'designer', which makes it embarassing not to enter something. Would Gryffindors and Slytherins mind awfully if I took time out from the sock marathon to do so?

Most exciting of all is that my twin-sister, Lizzie Wychwood, has decided to join the sock kit swap. While Lizzie is not much of a knitter (she has already asked if I could knit for her the yarn she gets in her package!), she is keen on muggle crafting in general, and particularly good at quilting. We've discussed how I can support her with the swap, and I've already agreed to dye yarn for her to put in the package for her spoilee! She is quite excited about doing it, and will be setting up her own magical portal soon to aid social communication with other swappers.

Lizzie is an accountant for Gringotts - a much more modern career-minded witch than housewifely me. Despite differences in outlook like this we are actually identical twins, at least as identical as the famous Weasley twins. Luckily as the swap is not conducted in person we won't be encountering the usual confusions and mix-ups that have peppered our lives because of the similarity between us (honestly - I'm scared someone is going to start asking me complicated banking questions every time I pop into Diagon Alley to do a bit of shopping!). I think my friends in the swap will like her, and I'm sure they will make her very welcome.

Owl delivery

2008-04-14T13:56:00.008+01:00

Yes- it's here!! An owl arrived this morning with a very exciting package, my sock kit from Lily Finnegan. I was so excited I nearly tore it open straight away, then remembered that my dear friends in the swap would want to share the excitement of discovery with me, so I ran for the camera. First I got a picture of the unopened parcel. I noted with delight that it had some very interesting Swedish delivery markings upon it. I love to experience things from other cultures that I don't normally see, so I took a close-up of the markings for posterity.

Despite the care Lily had so obviously taken in packaging the kit there was a rip in the back of the packet - I think her owl must have been as curious as me to know what was inside and attempted to claw it open! There was all kinds of packaging fluff sticking to the bag inside. Luckily a quick hoovering spell sorted it out, and I laid everything out so that I could show you what I got:

Next to the stitchmarkers (beautiful aren't they?) you can see a little tube filled with tiny bronze beads. I'm going to have loads of fun thinking of things to make with them. The edible/drinkable goodies were really interesting because they were labelled in Swedish. I had no idea what they were until I opened them! One of them said "Emma's skafferi" on the packet - very clever of Lily to find a personalized treat for me! Apparently it means 'Emma's Pantry' (my translation tool from Skrivenshafts came in very handy this morning!), and the packet contained a baked liquorice sweet bread-type delight! The other brown packet says "Önskebrunnen, Önskebrunnsblandning, sort: svart" on it!! I can't find what the first two words mean, but I think they have something to do with potion ingredients because the stuff inside looks like tea. As well as the little pieces of dried leaf material there are little pink hearts in it - I think they might melt to add a particular flavour to the draught? "Sort: svart" means "Kind: black"! The red and gold packet contains little chocolate horses filled with caramel. The packet tells me that they are a gift from Sweden. I'm sure my little wizards are going to enjoy helping me to eat them!
The stitchmarker bag also contained a cute leather and braid bracelet that fastens with a button. I think Lily may have made it herself?

Being a knitter the things that most delighted me were, of course, the handknitted and felted bag, and the yarn. I like the bag so much that it is going into use as my everyday handbag! And the yarn is just to die for, don't you agree? I'm thinking of using some of the silver I have left from making Emma Gorordok's bag to knit a lacy cuff at the top of the socks I make with it. I know really I should use bronze, because it's meant to be for Ravenclaw socks. Nevertheless I think a sparkly whitish silver will look awesome with that shade of blue. What do y'all think?

Jumping Wizards!

2008-04-09T17:52:00.004+01:00

What an exciting week! Would you believe some visitors like my ramblings here so much that they've awarded me a prize? A dear girl called Cecilia is sending me some lovely yarn in Ravenclaw colours from Knitpickery (witches knitting mall). I can hardly wait and am already pondering possible designs for a hat or mittens with it. Thank you Cecilia!!

Following the difficulties we had with the camera on holiday, Mr. Wigworthy has bought us a new one. Unbelievably it was a lot less galleons than our old one even though it takes better pictures. The magical features work very well, so I am at last able to decoarate this portal with some proper moving portraits of family and friends. This one is of our two littlest wizards. Very bouncy boys!!

Saints and Dragons

2008-03-29T20:10:00.013Z

We're back!! It has been such a wonderful holiday, and I wish I had lots of pictures to show you of it. Alas - our camera is rather poorly and didn't travel well at all, so I'm going to have to pinch other people's photos to show you some of the exciting things we have done.

The 'cottage' turned out to be an ancient farmhouse at the end of a very remote Welsh valley. Slate floor in the kitchen, stone walls at least three feet thick, and internal walls and floors of oak. Even the toilets had oak cisterns!! My absolute dream home and location. Our house was at the very end (head) of the valley, not far from the waterfall you can just see in this picture:

It being Wales there were pictures of dragons everywhere we went, and we managed to find some live ones at King Arthur's Labyrinth. Welsh muggles depict red dragons in all their patriotic bits and pieces, a red dragon being the national symbol that appears on the Welsh flag:

Of course, this is rather amusing to magical folk as we all know that the main breed of dragon in Wales is actually green. A rather artistic wizard has set up shop in one of the valleys near the Tanat valley (where we were staying) making and selling ornamental dragons which he sculpts from glass. At his studio I found a beautiful representation of a Welsh Green. Sadly we did not spot any live ones (Welsh Greens that is) during our stay. Perhaps we will see some next time we visit when I hope we will get up to some of the lesser known mountain tops which are their natural habitat (we couldn't this week as our youngest little wizard isn't yet up to such high-level flying).

The boys especially loved our trip on the Bala Lake Railway - a company that takes tourists up and down the Bala lakeside in little steam trains:

Mr. Wigworthy most loved our visit to something called the 'Centre for Alternative Technology' which shows lots of ways muggles can make and use electricity in a manner that will be less harmful to our dear planet. This is of special interest to Mr. Wigworthy due to its relationship to his engineering specialism (vortex management). I didn't realise how much of a problem rubbish is to muggles - they have to do something called 'recycling' to try and reduce it. I think this has something to do with 'saving energy' too - I didn't really understand it properly, and luckily of course I didn't have to because we just disappear ours, or transfigure it into something we want (like soil for Mr. Wigworthy's vegetables).

Oh dear - I nearly didn't tell you about the saint! In the lounge of our farmhouse there was a big metal plaque behind the stove with a hare, some oak leaves, and the name 'Melangell' cast into it. We found out when we visited the little church in the valley that Melangell was a 7th century saint in the valley who saved a hare from being killed by the local prince's hounds (it hid under her robes while she was praying). The prince was so impressed by her holiness that he gave her the valley for her own and she founded a religious community there (now gone, all but the church which still has an ancient Romanesque shrine to her - the only remaining Romanesque Christian shrine in the UK apparently). This story particularly interested me as my patronus is a hare!! I've found a picture of the shrine and an icon of Saint Melangell for you:

Ravenclaw Quiz

2008-03-18T17:10:00.003Z

This is the last Ravenclaw quiz for the current sock kit swap, so I have a break coming up before the next one (Professor Wartbobble has told us she will run another swap beginning at the end of May). Meantime some of the girls are doing a 'readalong' of one of the series of biographies that have been published concerning the incredible schooldays of our greatest hero, Harry Potter. I'm looking forward to learning more detail of his amazing deeds.
I'm also excited about seeing all the kits that should be received over the next couple of weeks. I'm away to Wales for a 'welcome in the hillsides' next week with Mr. Wigworthy and our little wizards (when will I stop calling my strapping fifteen-year-old 'little?) - we will be staying in a remote cottage on a mountainside, without access to the Floo Network. So I look forward to seeing lots of kits when we return, including (I hope) my own!
1. Who loves containers of all sorts?
Esmerelda Beanswallow
2. Who dyed her fingers blue?
Lavender Ackerly
3. Who is related to William Shakespeare?
Celestina Cadogan (purportedly)
4. Who wants to own an alpaca farm?
Victoria Black
5. Who hates carrots?
Selina Starfire
6. Who is from the Muggle town of Bagshot in Surrey?
Patonga Pinkstone
7. Who was searching for radishes in the winter?
Madam Ferula McGonagall
8. Who got a gift certificate to a LYS from a Slytherin boy for Valentine's Day?
Cecilia Kettleburn
9. Who discovered ghosts and house elves drinking tea in the Great Hall at midnight?
Ophelia Hopkirk
10. Who took an extra credit class called Muggle Fantasy Literature?
Selina Starflame
11. Who attended a Muggle music convention?
Patonga Wigworthy
12. Who taught herself to purl backwards?
Serafina Starfire
13. Who sports Ravenclaw Spirit socks?
Minerva Kwikspell
14. Who would like to work in Muggle Relations after graduation?
Allitrya Spelling
15. Whose Mum is named Henrietta?
Avada Finch-Fletchley

Quidditch Round 3

2008-03-13T21:25:00.008Z

1. When Rita Skeeter prints a bad article about Hagrid in the Daily Prophet, which Professor teaches Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class while he is away?

c. Professor Grubbly-Plank

2. What was the article Rita Skeeter wrote about Hagrid called?

c. Dumbledore's Giant Mistake

3. When the school champions were being chosen from the Goblet of Fire, whose name came out first?

b. Viktor Krum

4. What is the spell Ludo bagman says to magically magnify his voice when he commentates?

a. Sonorus

5. What kind of dragon did Cedric have to face in the first task?

b. A Swedish Short-Snout

6. Who raised the trophy after winning the world cup?

b. Troy and Quigley

7. How many bedrooms did Mundungus Fletcher claim to have?

d. 12

8. For what did Moody mistake his birthday gift of a carriage clock?

b. A basilisk egg

9. What did Mr. Ollivander produce for the end of Cedric's wand?

d. Silver smoke rings

10. The dark mark is on Snape's left arm.

a. Yes

Picture Scavenger Hunt

Yarn and Bag

2008-03-10T11:29:00.010Z

My poor spoilee has been a little sick this weekend, and I think that must be why she hasn't yet released pictures of the yarn and bag I sent her. I'm so proud of them I've decided to enchant some pictures of them to appear here, hoping she doesn't mind! Why am I so proud? Well, I've rarely dyed yarn myself before, and never in variegated colours. I've never spun with angel moulitngs before (properly called 'angelina'). And I've never knitted a bag before. So I'm rather excited by my results in all three areas. Given the history of how I discovered the process (documented here a few weeks ago), I made yarn labels with the 'company' name of 'Rumpelstiltskin'. Since doing this I have set up shop under that same name at the magical mall 'Etsy' where I intend to offer more of my own dyed yarns, and perhaps even some handspun, for sale. Meantime I've got a sock pattern and some spinning wheel oil for sale there.

Emma's yarn is silk, both the commercial undyed yarn I used for the green, and the fibre I used to make silver yarn (apart from the silver angelina, which while not silk is very soft and, of course, even shinier). I named the green yarn 'Salazar' after the founder of her house. The handspun silk and angelina I named 'Darke Sylver', as it was dark in colour, and followed the technique (albeit in a non-evil manner) of the nefarious dark operator, Rumpelstiltskin. I hope you can see the sparkly bits of angelina - difficult to capture in a picture. As usual, if you let your mouse nibble the picture, you'll see a Hagrid-sized version.

The bag was knitted from a pattern I found in that amazing forum for magical knitters 'Ravelry'. I really like the button I found for the side pocket which, I hope you can see, is a witches hat. There are three more pockets inside that I sewed into the lining (I love the stars - they remind me of astronomy lessons in my Hogwarts days - fortunately I have lots of the fabric left to use for future projects). This was my first go at i-cord too - attached to the pocket flap, the top of the bag, and used for the drawstring.

Shocking!

2008-03-06T20:20:00.003Z

Others have been posting extracts from their spell books too, and I must say, there are lots of very funny ones. However, I am a little concerned that the Hogwarts professors are not doing a very good job of teaching latin formulations for magical work. Now, when I was a young witch at Hogwarts they had us reciting latin verbs right left and centre - I still sometimes chant a few, rather like humming a favourite tune... sweet nostalgia.
It's also very exciting seeing reports about the various sock kits that folk are receiving. One girl got a very cute little crocheted owl that she's named 'Bumble' due to it's yellow and black colouring. And dear Emma has now received all her kit too, although the second owl has only just made it. Tragically the rhubarb and ginger jam and the pumpkin pickle arrived in broken jars. I'm now contemplating sending replacements with very shockproof packaging!

Extracts from my spell book!

2008-03-05T18:36:00.002Z

A few jottings from my Hogwarts days. Must try some of them to see if they work!

1. Do my homework for me = Lazy witch helpus
2. Tidy up my bedroom = Lazy witch helpus morus
3. Make a delicious chocolate cake = Greedy witch feedus
4. Make my professor stay in bed today = Guilty witch shield charm
5. I would like breakfast in bed, please = Room service charm
6. Stick all my Quidditch opponents' feet to the floor = Cheating hex
7. Give everyone the giggles = ‘Snortus laughtercus’
8. Dye some yarn in my favorite color = ‘Aciae tinctus callaina’
9. Unravel the mess I've made with my yarn = Frogging charm
10. Knit my Prefect the perfect bag = ‘Saccus absolutissimus adstricus’

Fleur Weasley (née Delacour) and the Beauxbatons Academy

2008-02-29T09:56:00.006Z

Fleur Weasley (née Delacour) first came to the attention of the international magical world when the 'Goblet of Fire' selected her to be champion for the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in the Triwizard Tournament, hosted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy in 1994. A fascinating detail of her recent ancestry was revealed at the Weighing of the Wands ceremony at the beginnining of the championship when Fleur told Mr. Ollivander (the famed wand expert) that the magical core of her wand is a veela hair from her own grandmother's head. This revelation helped to explain the bewitching attractiveness of Fleur to the young wizards of Hogwarts. These included the famous friend of Harry Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley, brother of Fleur's future husband, Bill.

The Beauxbatons Academy of Magic attended by Fleur is situated in France, and is very characterisitc of its location. 'Beauxbatons' means 'beautiful wands' in French, which meaning is illustrated in the school's crest seen below. The school buildings are in the style typical of French palaces such as that of the historic kings and queens of France at Versailles. Fleur herself is French, and manifests the same elegance of dress and manner associated with students of the school.

Apart from her role in the Triwizard tournament Fleur is celebrated as one of the brave witches who participated in the battle which saw the final end of the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, at Hogwarts in 1998. At the time she had only recently been married to Mr. Bill Weasley, who participated in the battle with her. He sadly lost one of his own brothers in the battle, the fondly remembered Fred Weasley whose twin brother George owns the popular magical joke shop 'Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes'. Fleur and Bill's first child, Victoire, was so named because she was born on the first anniversary of the battle.

Petunia's game

2008-02-28T22:02:00.006Z

Here's my contribution to a little game started by one of the young Hogwarts witches (a lovely Hufflepuff girl):

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question

What is your name.......................................... Emma
4 Letter Word......................................................Ever
Vehicle........................................... Espace (Renault!)
City............................................................. Edinburgh
Boy Name........................................................... Ernie
Girl Name................................................. Ethelberga
Alcoholic Drink............................... Elderberry wine
Occupation................................................... Engineer
Something you wear.................................... Earrings
Celebrity.................................. Egbert the Egregious
Food......................................................... Eels (jellied)
Something found in a bathroom....................Earwax
Reason for Being Late...................... Everybody else!
Cartoon Character................................... Ermintrude
Something You Shout............................. Excrement!
Animal........................................................... Elephant
Body part.......................................................... Elbow

Your turn!

House Quiz

2008-02-27T13:30:00.003Z

1. Veritaserum is a colourless and odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth.

2. If the spell to Apparate goes wrong and leaves bits of you behind you are said to have been 'splinched'.

3. Miranda Goshawk wrote the 'Standard' books of spells that are used for teaching witchcraft and wizardry at Hogwarts.

4. When brother wands are opposed to each other in a duel an effect called 'Priori Incantatem' is created. One of the wands emits ghostlike recreations of the spells it has cast in reverse order, with the most recent coming first.

5. Ludo Bagman used the 'Sonorus' charm to magnify his voice at the Quidditch World Cup.

6. The charm 'Aperecium' makes invisible ink become visible.

7. The 'Fidelius' charm requires the use of a Secret-Keeper.

8. A strengthening potion should be turquoise in colour.

9. A confusing potion is prepared from sneezewort, scurvy-grass, and lovage (incidentally Mr. Wigworthy grows lovage at our allotment!)

10. Glumbumble parts can be used to cure the hysteria caused by eating Alihotsy leaves.

11. A potion made from wolfsbane (aconite), thus called 'Wolfsbane Potion', has been created by modern wizards. This potion (merciful heaven!) enables a werewolf to keep his human awareness when he transforms into the werewolf form, thus rendering him safe. Unfortunately, if sugar is introduced to the potion it becomes ineffective.

12. To be used in making 'Polyjuice Potion' Fluxwood must be picked when the moon is full.

13. A 'Shrinking Solution' should be bright acid green in colour.

14. The 'Draught of Living Death' is made from aspodel and wormwood.

15. Jobberknoll feathers are used in memory potions and truth serums.