Quidditch

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?
a. True


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?
"
d. "Moste Potente Potions"



Padma Patil



Hannah Abbott



Percy Weasley



Dumbledore's Army



Cedric Diggory

And the extra five points - the movie in which "Cedric" will be appearing as Edward this fall will be Twilight.

Inter-house Unity knit-along

I have looked at a few, not all, of the scarves, and they are all lying politely flat, crossed section very fluid and relaxed, more or less exactly like the pattern. Mine, however, looks like this:





There is a lot of texture there, beyond what comes with the thick and thin yarn I am using. The knitting is sort of pulling up into cuplike sections. I can't say I don't like it, and I can't say I haven't thought of possible "fixes" - using a much larger needle, for example, or blocking. I am not sure I will do either, however. For one, I kind of like the way it looks, and for another, well, it seems very me to have knitted a really simple pattern that just - isn't like the rest, even though the rest are very very nice.

THE BOX

So, I finally, this term, got around to joining the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap, and if I were into bitter regret, I would be bitterly regretting the four terms I've missed. The friendliness and society is superb, and what luck - one of the busiest knitters and posters turns out to live 15 mintues from me and be awesome in real life as well. Sometimes you hit an experience that makes up for a whole lot of traffic tickets and stolen parking spaces and nights you had to knit by yourself, and this is one of those. And that is all before the kit itself.

But what a kit.

I sort of knew I was in for a marvelous ride opening this when I found out my spoiler, Cassandra Puddlemere, was a prizewinner last time around. Cassandra is a prefect and one of the most prolific posters, so I've gotten to know her fairly well already, and there are weeks of this swap left to go. But no one could really have expected this.

First of all, there was too much swag to fit in one container, so she had to send two:






Which I carefully excavated, much like an archealogical dig.










there were delicious treats:



The resident house elf had ripped open the box of Bertie Bott's before I could so much as read the letter! It was forcibly retrieved and placed out of his reach. The lemon drops remind me of Dumbledore, and the rootbeer is a touch of home here in the castle...


Gryffinly paper goods included red bugs (Whose animagus is that? They are way too sweet to be related to Rita Skeeter!)a Trio bookmark, Gryffindor gold notepaper emblazoned with a G, magical roses which can stick on to metal and hold sheets of paper on as well, the snitch keychain I was slobbering over on the net the other day and two textbooks! I have been dieing to read Fantastic Beasts and now I can!



The tyvek bag was astounding. It had two hand made owls; a Baby Brother owl for my little one, and Big Brother owl for my older son, along with another toy for each - a tiny Thomas the Tank Engine for the baby, which is not in the picture because said baby would not let it out of his grubby little paw, and a planet sun catcher for my older son. The note that explains these choices is priceless, and I thank you for that especially, Cass.




Approaching the sock itself, I show you one of the Hiya Hiya 000 needles Cass sent, displaying the gorgeous stitch markers. I specifically needed this size, and I was thrilled beyond belief with the needles and with how pretty the stitch markers are. Do you think the discerning will notice if I wear two as earrings while displaying the rest on my needeles?


>

(There was also a CD of knitting patterns, which you can see in the final picture)

And now, we get down to the heart of the matter...the nitty gritty guts of a sock kit: Fiber. Yarn. Bag.


I was very surprised to find this roll of roving, hand painted by Tempted Hand Painted Yarns - 4 oz of Blue Faced Leicester. Is it any surprise that this colorway is called Godric? I am wondering if it is going to become socks, or a shawl. It is SOOO soft! There are a ton of options as to how I can spin it up - just deciding between them is delectable!




Then, there is sock yarn! 435 yards of machine-washable goodness in this colorway, which the Painted Sheep is calling Tulips. Well, I guess they want people who don't know or don't care that it is the perfect Gryffindor colorway to buy it, too? This is a five and a quarter ounce skein, so despite the impressive yardage we are talking a hefty, substantial sock yarn. This may become a pair of my Eight Great Gryffindors sock - pattern available soon...I have to see how it works up with the patterning. If not, I'll be trying Inukshuk71's Minerva's Lucky Quidditch socks. Audrey was my spoiler in HSS2 and I have a pair of those in my drawer already, and they are superb! We will have to see what the yarn wants to be. Although I should warn it - I think there might be enough for a nice coffee cup sling, or at least cuff, after the socks are done...




and now, the piece de resistance... the ne plus ultra...the moment you have been waiting for...

A teaser look at that bag. I call this photo "The Heart of the Matter" and I think I may be making prints to put on cards...



And now...drumroll... the bag, THE bag, the bag that has my mother WILD with Envy, and she a woman who does not have a jealous bone in her body...(A little jealous cartilidge, maybe, but not a bone...)



Is. This. Not. FANTASTIC???????????????????????

I love it. I love the color. I love the sheen of the fiber. I love the pattern, which I have contemplated making numerous times but never gotten around to. I love the button. I love the handle. I love the lining, carefully machine stitched for strength and then even more carefully hand-stitched in. Teh only possible way to improve this bag is to fill it up with sock knitting and enjoy it.

Which is exactly what I am about to do!



Thanks, Cassandra. MARVELOUS job!

Hello Gryffindors. Here's a little fun quiz for you. Hope you enjoy it!

Who is your favorite member of the Order of the Phoenix?

Probably Mad-Eye. He and I have a lot in common.

Favorite person at Hogwarts?

Hagrid. Wait, he's also in the Order of the Phoenix! Well, since Mad-Eye is not at Hogwarts, we will let them each take one and no one's feelings get hurt.

Favorite spell or charm to use?

Does Apparating count?

Best and worst classes at Hogwarts?

Best is History of Magic. Worst is Potions.

Favorite flower?

Iris

What is your beverage of choice? Coffee, tea, latte, soda/pop?

Recently, Seltzer

Favorite muggle music?

Not one favorite kind. I like Gregorian Chant, I like Led Zeppelin, I like singing old Civil War Songs... I am not much into hipping and hopping, though.

How many family members do you have?

Family of Origin had five before people started getting married. Family where I am the mother has four.

What do you do on your summer vacation?

Well, I'm not in school so it is not really a summer vacation. I keep on doing what I usually do, and then here or there we may go away for a few days. We like to go to County fairs, and last year we went to Lancaster PA and Gettysburg. Once we went to Cooperstown, and that was SOOO cool because it is not just baseball.


What is your Favorite vacation ever taken?

Probably my honeymoon. We stayed at West Point and at the Mohonk Mountain house.

What is your favorite subject at Hogwarts? Why?

I like History of Magic because I already understand how to understand History. All the others are very difficult for me. Potions is darned near impossible.

How many pairs of shoes (footwear)do you have?

I have not counted recently, and I am not going to go count now, because I do not want to know.

Which are your favorite pair? Right now probably the strappy red high heeled sandals.


How many projects do you have OTN (on the needles)?

I have needles with projects on them since 1991. Do you really want me to go count them all?????

I am actively working or thinking of working on at least 3 pair of socks, a shawl, a blanket square, and probably a few other things I am not registering in my mind at the moment.
What is the oldest project you're working on and when did you cast it on?

An Avocado green sweater I cast on After I was married, but Before my son was born. That was probably around 1990 or 1991.

Favorite food(s)?

Rare Roast beef, my mom's salad with blue cheese and walnuts, my mom's veal marsala, peaches, string beans, certain varieties of apples, chocolate croissants, cranberry and orange muffins like they used to have at Balducci's in the 80's, real thin Italian pizza, Brooklyn Pizza (no, these are not exactly the same) dark chocolate, I could go on for days and days and years....

This assignment is due by Monday night 9pm ET. AND thanks Ophelia B for coming up with much of it!

Quidditch!

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


b. Professor Umbridge (and everyone is SHOCKED, as no one EVER interrupts Dumbledore!)




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 (And many others. All the pure Bloods seem to be related to some degree - it is just a matter of what degree...)


9. At what age did Sirius leave his home?

Answer: ________16. ___________ (Number)(he stayed with the Potters until he came of age, at which point money from his Uncle Alphard was available and he got a place of his own.


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


b. 8

This includes members in the picture Moody showed Harry, but did not include their family members. Caradoc Dearborn is the one they never found.

Picture Scavenger

Post these pictures to your blog. They must either be posted or linked to from your blog in order to receive points.



Kingsley Shacklebolt



Bellatrix Lestrange





Nymphadora Tonks (with Movie!Moody. I could not resist. Even though he does not look like MY Moody, still...)



Remus Lupin

Socks you may want to see.

I thought I'd post all my Potter Socks for people in the current swap to see. They still are not up on Ravelry.

This first sock was knitted for a Hufflepuff, and is inspired by the three challenges in Goblet of Fire. The top is false flame stitch, for dragons; the middle is bubble stitch, for the lake, and the foot is the maze pattern, a mosaic. I designed this sock.



This next sock was knitted for a Gryffindor whose favorite character was Hermione. I also designed this one. The ribbing is hourglass ribbing - for her time turner, and for the points she was always getting for the Gryffindor points hourglass. The first colored section at the top depicts the canaries she sicced on Ron... The middle section represents both the coins she charmed for the DA and the SPEW badges. The foot is as close as I could get to little beaded handbags. You do need a bit of imagination there, but now that you know it, can't you see it?



I did NOT design this sock, which is called "King's Cross" after the station, but I felt King's Cross did fit the Potterverse so well. I got the pattern from the blog of a Raveler called "wollehun" although I am probably spelling that incorrectly. I will try to edit with a direct link tomorrow - I love this pattern so much I have already knit it twice and will be doing it again.



I would love comments. I am writing up the patterns for the two I designed and wonder what people think.

Second Gryffindor Quiz

1. onihexp__phoenix______________
2. nro____ron____________
3. mayr__army______________
4. seelway___weasley_____________
5. hrigda__hagrid______________
6. ifdynrrgof___gryffindor_____________
7. dawn___wand_____________
8. oshawrgt___hogwarts_____________
9. busnim___nimbus_____________
10. bdulodeerm__dumbledore______________
11. bydob____dobby____________
12. bugmrdie___umbridge_____________
13. emionehr___hermione_____________
14. rhayr___harry_____________
15. arkreech__kreacher______________
16. riissu___sirius_____________
17. dootvlemr___voldemort_____________
18. ptrote____potter____________
19. hwgedi__hedwig______________
20. ebtahlkclso____shacklebolt____________

Obviously most of these are proper names and would normally be capitalized, but I kept it to exactly what we were given.