Quidditch, Round Three

It's the last round of Quidditch for the HSKS5 swap. I'm glad I have my head wrap finished in time!

Round Three Questions

1. When Hagrid returns to Hogwarts after being sent to see the giants with Madame Maxime, Professor Umbridge questions him on his late return to school. She suspects that Hagrid had been to the mountains, but where does he tell her he has been?
d. South of France

2. Professor Umbridge comes to Hagrid's Hut and searches his cabin one evening (as she believes Harry, Ron and Hermione are there visiting him at night when they are not supposed to). When she walks past the place where Harry, Ron and Hermione are hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry holds his breath. True or false?
b. False
p 386 - "Harry actually pulled in his stomach as she walked by"

3. A stately-looking witch in an emerald green shawl is one of the members of the Advance Guard who rescues Harry from Privet Drive. What is her name?
a. Emmeline Vance

4. What is the name of the witch who was killed two weeks after the photo of the original Order of the Phoenix was taken?
b. Marlene McKinnon

5. Which two fifth year Ravenclaw students does Dumbledore choose to be prefects?
d. Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil

6. Which house was Rose Zeller sorted into?
d. Hufflepuff

7. What is the color of Murtlap's essence?
c. Yellow

8. Name the Ravenclaw girl who became prefect in Harry's fifth year.
b. Padma Patil

9. According to a healer's portrait at St. Mungo's hospital, which disease was Ron suffering from?
d. Spattergroit

10. Which book did Harry give Hermione for Christmas?
a. "New Theory of Numberology"


Picture Scavenger Hunt

Padma Patil

Hannah Abbott

Percy

Dumbledore's Army

Cedric Diggory


Extra 5 pts - What movie will Robert Patterson star in this December?
TWILIGHT!!!

Fitting in at Hogwarts

Not much new to post, so I'm seeing which Hogwarts resident I'm most like. Personally, I like Dumbledore, but I thought I'd come up as a Sirius Black - and really wish I could do a Bat-Bogey Hex like Ginny Weasley. We're heading down to Kentucky for the weekend for an SCA event. I hope I'll have some finished knitting when I'm back! Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?

You scored as a Albus Dumbledore

Strong and powerful you admirably defend your world and your charges against those who would seek to harm them. However sometimes you can fail to do what you must because you care too much to cause suffering.

Albus Dumbledore 75% Sirius Black 75% Ginny Weasley 75% Harry Potter 70% Draco Malfoy 65% Remus Lupin 65% Hermione Granger 60% Ron Weasley 60% Severus Snape 55% Lord Voldemort 30%

Seeking

These last few days haven't been the greatest, but here's something to get excited about - the Hufflepuffs won round two of Quidditch!

Once again, I got amazingly lucky and found the Snitch. This time it was sitting on Miss Wartbobble's own blog, just waiting for someone to get bored and wander over there while waiting for a release announcement. It's good for our House that I have a short attention span!

So now I'm at work and can't knit, which is a little troubling, because I've realized that I have to complete nearly two tentacles a day in order to have my bag for my Hogwarts spoilee finished on time. When I add in trying to get stuff ready for my SP12 pal, and trying to have nice-looking garb for Border Raids, that's going to amount to a pretty busy week. I'm just waiting for the part of summer where we get to take it slow and get stuff done.

Quidditch, Round Two

Here's another homework assignment for the Hogwarts Swap - it's time for Round Two of Quidditich!

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

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

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

4. What spell are the students studying in McGonalgall’s class when Umbrdige is doing her inspection?
d. The Vanishing Spell

5. Who comes to warn Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army that Umbridge and her group of followers are coming to break up their meeting?
Answer: Dobby (five letters)

6. Who are the members of the Order that met Harry Potter in the Dursely’s house during the summer before his fifth year?
c. Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Remus Lupin, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones

7. Moody used the Disillusionment Charm on Harry.
a. Yes

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

9. At what age did Sirius leave his home?
Answer: 16 (Number)

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

Picture Scavenger:

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Bellatrix Lestrange

Nymphadora Tonks

Remus Lupin

Tentacles

I'm in Kentucky, on a trip to celebrate Aaron's father's birthday.

It was a pretty scary trip down - rain almost all the way. Indiana has had way more rain than it needs, and it keeps coming. I was relieved to find out that my Southern Indiana family was largely unharmed by all the flooding, but that's not true for a whole lot of people. And the rain keeps coming.

I'm really glad we got here when we did, because this is what we saw blowing in after we arrived.


But there's a silver lining to every cloud, right? And light at the end of tunnels? In this case it's more of a wooly lining, kept at Stone's Throw Artisans. We discovered this little Georgetown gem thanks to Ravelry, and since I'd lost a needle for my Audacity socks, we really had to make a stop. And look around. And so I picked up some Wildfoote yarn, too - a new brand for me!

The Audacity socks are only a backup project. Right now, I'm working on my bag for the Hogwarts Swap - it's the "Jester Tentacles" bag from Cat Bordhi's Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. I checked this out awhile ago from the library, and it fell under my "three copies" rule (if I see more than 3 projects that I'd be tempted to photocopy, I definitely need to buy the book). But this is my first attempt at Moebius knitting, and so far it's going reasonably well.

The cast on was a little tricky, because it's easily possible for your needle to be too long, and I don't think the book really indicates this. I used a 48" circular needle, and the Moebius band was seriously stretched as I worked it. This isn't a problem for something that's going to be felted, but if I keep up with this I'm definitely stepping down to a 36" needle.


Her directions also require you to buy a lot of needles - using a 16" circular for the basket or bowl portions, and then 2 circulars as you decrease. Since I rarely use anything larger than size 4, I don't want to buy a whole bunch of bigger needles. So I'm using magic loop - it's slower, but it keeps the needle purchases under control. So far the bag is progressing nicely, the directions are perfectly clear if followed one step at a time, and I'm looking forward to the finished product.


I haven't completely neglected the Audacity sock. We
were in Indianapolis on Wednesday night to check out a potential wedding caterer, and the sock saw this at a nearby bar.


The really amusing part? This seems to be the main concern. What kind of people visit this bar, if noise is their biggest problem?!? Wouldn't "don't crash airplanes into the roof" be a better courtesy to offer the neighborhood?

Potions Ingredients?

I'd hoped today's blog entry would be about the great time we had at the Vintage Indiana wine festival yesterday. But yesterday was cold and wet, so we stayed in.

I can't even show off any knitting, because I'm frantically working on Amanda's Sockday socks. I've finished one foot, but need two socks before Wednesday. This may be a bit of a challenge.

So I offer this, as an alternative pretty picture. Aaron's planted a lot of flowers in the past few years, and they're in bloom. This is spiderwort, an Indiana native, although it was deliberately introduced to our yard. The flowers open every morning, and wilt and close by afternoon - I'm catching this one just a bit past its prime.

When we were looking through a list of potential wedding flowers, I joked that we could have "spiderwort" and "tickseed," and get the Bug Bowl people to come to the wedding. I didn't realize that spiderwort was so pretty! I may have to re-think tickseed, too.

And this is dianthus - specifically, "firewitch" dianthus. So it really does sound like I'm stocking a kit for Hogwarts, doesn't it?

For now, I'm back to my knitting. I hope to have more pictures of socks - and other fun stuff - soon!

Magical Creatures

We Hufflepuffs have another quiz - this time we're supposed to write about Magical Creatures.

My friend in Ravenclaw has a really cute crup, but the Magical Creature I'd most like to own is a niffler. Aren't they adorable? This little fellow looks a bit like a cross between a rat and a mole, and they're supposed to be very affectionate.


I've always loved rodent pets. I used to have rats who loved to high-dive off my bookshelf. They'd climb up the wall, jump off the shelf onto the couch, and then run around and do it again. I don't know if they were magical or not, but they were sure fun to watch!

And nifflers, of course, are supposed to be wonderfully useful for finding stuff. Some of the books on Magical Creatures suggest that's a problem, because they'll get into things, but it's not like I haven't seen that problem before.

I think Oscar may be part niffler. See how he has a long, pointy nose? He has a curly tail, too. He's definitely very affectionate. He's also attracted to shiny things - he's tried to bite my ring, and he chewed up an earring once. I even caught Max with a whole gold chain in his mouth, so he may have some niffler tendencies, too.


Just like a niffler, Oscar loves to burrow. When he's inside, he likes to sleep under blankets.


And when he's outside, he can't resist dirt. He'd dig himself a tunnel if I'd let him.


So I may not be keeping any Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, but I think I have a magical half-breed or two at home. Surely Muggle dogs couldn't be so ingenious at being bad!

Quidditch, Round One

Did I mention that the Hogwarts Swap involves a lot of work? Here's the latest - a Quidditch game. We'll have three rounds, each with a set of trivia questions to answer, a scavenger hunt, and a Snitch to find. I thought I was a big Harry Potter geek, but I'm learning that I'm really not.

So here are my answers:

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

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

3. Which educational decree introduced a High Inquisitor to Hogwarts?
d. 23

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

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

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

7. Why is Mundungus Fletcher disguised as a woman when he witnesses the DA (Dumbledore's Army) meeting in the Hog's Head pub?
b. He was banned from the Hog's Head pub 20 years ago.

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

9. How old is Sturgis Podmore and where does he live?
a. 38 and number 2 Laburnum Gardens Clapham

10. What did Fred and George Weasley do to Montague?
a. Forced him head-first into a Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor.

After the Trivia, there's a Picture Scavenger Hunt:

Fred and George Weasley, together

Hog's Head Pub

Sirius Black

Mr. Weasley & Harry, together

Draco Malfoy

Now it's on to find the Snitch!

Hufflepuff Quiz #2

This Hogwarts swap has a lot of homework! Here's Quiz #2

Unscramble the Potions Ingredients:

1. colimamhe - chamomile

2. hianeaecc - echinacea

3. lgveoa - lovage

4. nsaie - anise

5. itlhhawcez (2 words) - witch hazel

6. ladeevrn - lavender

7. oynranlype - penyroyal

8. iwelnrepki - periwinkle

9. aavvakka (2 words) - kava kava

10. waoalhmlsrm (2 words) - marsh mallow

11. gseginn - ginseng

12. uwgtrmo - mugwort

13. What is your favorite thing to do besides knit and crochet? - koordeabs (2 words)

14. Do you collect anything? (yes and no are invalid answers) - shif

15. What is your favorite flower? - calli

Hufflepuff Quiz #1

Joining the class at Hogwarts makes for a challenging swap! We have homework, and quizzes. It's a good thing housemates can study together - and nice to get to know my housemates.

Hufflepuff Quiz #1

1. Is from a muggle family and the first to attend Hogwarts?
Perenelle Ballycastle

2. When knitting socks you use dpn's, 2 circ, 1 circ 1 sock, 1 circ 2 socks?
5 dpns, or 2 circulars

3. Their owls name is Owlbert?
Eleanor Wigworthy

4. Beat Agatey Mirrofold in a contest?
Lily Clearwater

5. Your favorite non 'puff color?
Blue, purple, green

6. They learned to knit for a school play?
Emma Kettleburn

7. They got engaged last week?
Me! Selena Starfire

8. One sentence/statement you would use to describe your stash?
It's metastasizing.

9. Their best class is Divination?
Daisy Chang

10. Last term everyone thought you were your sibling?
Antonio de la Weasley

11. When not going to Hogwarts your favorite thing to do is?
Read, drink wine, bake, make glass beads

12. You have read the books, watched the movie or both?
Both

13. Your family includes?
My fiance Aaron, Max the VeryBadDog, and Oscar the EvenWorseDog

14. They have frogs in their room?
Clidonia Acromantula

15. Has a dog named Kluane?
Ursula Longbottom

16. My favorite thing to knit is.
Socks!!!!!

Favorite Harry Potter Character:

Madame Hooch.

Hogwarts

I'm busy re-reading all of the Harry Potter books, for knitting reasons. I've signed up for the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap, and it looks like it's going to be tons of fun.

This is no ordinary swap. There are all sorts of activities - games, contests, a chat room, and even a chance to find the Golden Snitch. What you send your partner is pretty carefully dictated, too, so there's no danger of getting three half-balls of leftovers from someone's stash. I've always had really good swapping experiences, but it's nice to be able to enter a swap with confidence.

The organizer, Jeneanw, is one of my fellow moderators from Knitters for Barack Obama. She's just amazing at putting things together - she's also one of the people who organized the Obama Afghan Drawing that raised over $8700 for the campaign. I'm really glad Ravelry lead me to her blog, so I could find out about this Hogwarts thing.

I've joined House Hufflepuff, and my "Hogwarts name" is Selena Starfire. All of the sorting quizzes put me in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but she needed people to join Hufflepuff, and I really didn't mind. Maybe being easy-going enough to do that makes me a Hufflepuff. The name generators all gave me different options, but I went with this one because I've always wanted a Bethlehem Starfire torch for beadmaking.

There's still time to join! If you'd like to attend Hogwarts with me, just visit the site linked above.