Post, post, post!!

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

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:

 

 

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

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

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?

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!

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(