eKNITabeth

some 'splainin' to do...

Well, now, I've noticed that it's been over a month since i last posted here (i blame it all on Ravelry!!)...  But there are quite a few different things to catch up on... hmm... where to begin...

KNITTING & READING:
The first term of the Hogwarts' Little Bit of Everything Swap ended in March.  I was in need of a reading fix, so i promptly chowed down on the first seven Sookie Stackhouse novels (Charlaine Harris, author). I read through those seven books almost as fast as i read through the four in the Twilight series (10 days).  Additionally, I joined some other swaps until the second term of the HLBoES begins. So I joined the Booklovers' Yarn Swap & a few of the Odd Ducks swaps (Dr. Seuss, Childrens' books, & Edward Gorey) in their respective groups on Ravelry.  The BLYS & the Dr. Seuss swap both ended yesterday, but Linda (my BLYS partner) and I both sent our packages a few days early. So...
Yesterday was awesome. Confusing to some extent, but awesome.  It was the last day of a shortened week (no school today because of the Apple Blossom Festival) AND when I got home from work, i had a package waiting for me. I was expecting the package from Linda (i'd been stalking it online & it had come through Baltimore the day before -- so it was a shoo-in), but the package wasn't from Linda!
::insert Mystery music here::
It was from my friend Cheryl (my spoiler for the first term of the HLBoE Swap) and it was an awesome belated birthday present -- the pop-up version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland! I have wanted it for soooooooooooo long, but couldn't bring myself to shell out the $$ for it... Cheryl said she bought it at a sale, the proceeds of which are going to help her friend that had a brain aneurysm. Prayers for Cheryl's friend!!
So after i got over my initial delight at the gift from Cheryl (which took a while, let me tell you) i started to wonder what happened to my other package... the one that i was supposed to get! ::hrrumph:: I searched by all of our doors, in case we had a different mail carrier for the day... no luck. I grabbed my delivery confirmation number & ran upstairs to the office to do some more online reconnaissance.  To my surprise, I found out that the post office had delivered it at about 9:30 that morning... which didn't make sense, because our mail doesn't arrive until at least 10:30 or 11.  As I'm pondering this, i hear my phone ring downstairs (not the "someone is calling you" ring, but the "you have a voicemail" ring... dunno how i missed the call)... And all of a sudden, everything goes ::click::
My MIL works at the post office. Sometimes, when I get a package, she will "pick it up" as my proxy & drop it off at our house on the way home from work.  So the call must have been from her, i figure, telling me that she is bringing the package to me.  So I jog downstairs, grab my phone & listen to my message. It's from the Blood Bank, requesting a donation.

 GAH!! WHERE IS MY PACKAGE?!

Finally, I give up & go check on my garden (more about that later).  As I'm pouting and poking at the dirt & little green sprouts, my dog (more about him later) begins to bark. I look around... it's The Great White (my MIL's truck -- which is huge and white, if you couldn't figure that out) and my MIL has brought my huge package from Linda. Huzzah!  The♥Hubster arrived also at that time, which delayed the package opening frenzy (which was good because I needed to recoup some of the energy lost tearing into my first package).  However, a few minutes later, this is what I discovered:
 
- Four (count 'em!) Patterns -- in sleeves!! how thoughtful!! -- 3 for slippers & one for a basket blanket
- Three skeins of yarn (Malabrigo kettle dyed wool in Gorgeous shades of burgundy, brown, & green; Ultra Alpaca in a beautiful teal, which I alternately smelled and squished for a good long time; purple linen, which is exciting because i've been wanting to try knitting with linen for some time now)
- Two Turtledoves & a Partridge in a Pear Tree (just kidding)... but really...
- Zelda Fitzgerald: Her voice in Paradise (the book for the booklover)
- A Leaf Bookmark/Necklace (a pattern from my faves in Ravelry)
- an assortment of other goodies: stitch markers (which I needed badly), a little change purse (that's almost exactly like the one i wore through as a child and is perfect for my smaller knitting notions), and some bath confetti (cleverly disguised as a book; sunflower scent!!) which i will be trying out in short order ;D
Last, but most certainly not least, Linda included a very thoughtful card.
I have decided to adopt Linda as an "Aunt." (Cheryl, if i haven't told you already, you're an "older sister.")

okay, other stuff:

GARDENING:
Hadn't posted about it yet, but I planted my first vegetable garden a little more than a week ago. And it's starting to sprout! Lookee!!
 
So far you can see (from near to far) the two mounds with sunflowers, the row of radishes, the row of beets (you have to squint, or click on the picture to make it bigger), and the mounds with squash (left) and cucumbers (right).  I also planted some marigolds around the border & they're starting to make an appearance, as well! I will probably find a 10 minute window when it's not raining today to go out & thin the radishes, sunflowers, and maybe the squash... I'm still waiting on the tomatoes, bell peppers, and carrots.
Sometime this weekend (again, if it's not raining), I'd like to turn up the ground for a flower bed in the section of our yard that we have been affectionately calling "The Poop Garden"... i have great plans for the flower bed, which i intend to model after one of my favorite FAVORITE books as a child.
Here is the "Before" picture (don't look to close or you'll actually see the dog doo):
 

The "Poop Garden" is just one of the smaller attractions at
Mastiff Country Safari
Oh no! The beast has escaped...

AHHHHHHHH...
::Chomp, Chomp, Gulp!::

Short.

Sorry for the short post, but it's late.
Someone on Ravelry suggested that I should write book reviews, an idea that I thought to give pause to.  It seems to me that this would be an excellent forum in which to try it out.  I can't promise to do one every week, but I'll post again tomorrow with the first... and we'll see how it goes from there.

Nifty Fifties...

One of my school's is having a sock hop later this month... I am cranked!
While I was researching hair-dos, I came upon some 50's slang & just had to share the following insults:

Peggy Sue (to Sally Ann): I can't believe Betty Jo came to my party wearing a blouse identical to the one I told her that I was going to wear! She's got some nerve!
Betty Jo (overhearing the conversation): Oh, D.D.T.! (Drop Dead Twice)
Sally Ann (to Betty Jo): What, and look like you?

 

hahaha...
*sigh*

Update...

I've been doing a lot of things lately (except posting here, apparently).
I apologize to anyone who has been following my blog...

As a side note, I received a wonderful package from a Ravelry friend (devotion2knit) as part of the HLBoE Swap. Check out all of the cool things she sent:

HLBoES: Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz

1. Who is the author of the books prescribed for Defense Against the Dark Arts?
   d. Quentin Trimble (is the best answer, though all of the books used in HP's 2nd year were by Gilderoy Lockhart & 5th years used a book by Wilbert Slinkhard when taught by Dolores Umbridge... Snape used Confronting the Faceless for the NEWT level class, but the author of that book was never mentioned)
2. When conjuring a Patronus, the user is supposed to produce what type of thought? a. Happy & b. Powerful ("Make it a powerful memory, the happiest you can remember. Allow it to fill you up… Just remember, your Patronus can only protect you as long as you stay focused… Think of the happiest thing you can." -- as stated by Harry Potter, teaching the students in Dumbledore's Army)
3. Who was the teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts in Tom Riddle’s time? c. Galatea Merrythought
4. Which Defence against the Dark Arts teacher is an accomplished Occlumens? c. Severus Snape
5. Which of these spells is the Full Body-bind Curse? b. Petrificus Totalus 
6. Lord Voldemort used Avada Kedavra on Harry Potter in the Little Hangleton graveyard. But another spell used by Harry at the same time caused the Priori Incantatem effect. Which spell did Harry use? b. Expelliarmus
7. Which of the following can the Unforgivable Curse not do? c. Make parts of the body fall off
8. Which kind of people are known to use Unforgivable Curses very commonly? b. Death Eaters 
9. One of the Horcruxes was a ring. Whom did the ring belong to? a. Albus Dumbledore (I know I'm out on a limb -- let me explain: Though the ring was mentioned to be the possession of (b.) Marvolo Gaunt & later his son Morfin Gaunt, but neither of the Gaunts never had possession of the ring after it became a Horcrux. The only two people to have possession of the ring, while it was a horcrux, were Tom Marvolo Riddle/Lord Voldy-thingy & Albus Dumbledore -- who became the "owner" after removing the horcrux/ring from the House of Gaunt. T.M.R./L.V. was not an answer option, though he would be the best answer to who owned the ring during its horcrux state).
10. The creation of a Horcrux requires: c. Killing someone

Extra Credit: Name the 3 Unforgiveable Curses. Describe how to cast each and the effects of each curse. Why are they unforgiveable and what will happen to the person who cast them?

1. Spell: Cruciatus Curse
    Incantation: Crucio
    Effects: Causes severe, torturous pain to the recipient

2. Spell: Imperius Curse
    Incantation: Imperio
    Effects: Causes recipient to be under the influence of the spellcaster (can be resisted with practice)

3. Spell: Killing Curse
    Incantation: Avada Kedavra
    Effects: Causes instant death to recipient (one exception: "the boy who lived")

These curses were named "unforgivable" by the Ministry of Magic because of their effects.  Any person who casts any of these spells will be sent to Azkaban, the Wizarding World Prison.

wand at the ready...

The second round of the HLBoES dueling club begins tomorrow and I am preparing my materials.  More on that later, when I get a chance!

HLBoES: History of Magic Quiz (contains spoilers)

Based on your reading of the websites previously listed and your own personal knowledge of Hogwarts history, write a short essay on the meanings of the House symbols. Include all 4 Houses, not just your own.

I have decided to use a different (and perhaps unique) lens to look at through in my analysis of the house animals/mascots. It may not entirely fit the criteria of our History of Magic professor, but it certainly has sated my curiosity.  I will be analyzing the House animals in terms of "Animal Totems."

Ravenclaw
Animal: Eagle
Values: Intelligence, Creativity, Wit, & Wisdom
Totem significance: The eagle is noted as a symbol of strength, ferocity, vision, & endurance.  Vision, in this sense, has dual meaning -- both optical (sight) and mental (foresight & insight).  These characteristics are fitting for Ravenclaw because, though they do not value ambition like Slytherin, they need an outlet for their intelligence and creativity. 
Element: Air; associated with mental realms. This fits naturally with Ravenclaw -- all of their values are related to thought.

Hufflepuff
Animal: Badger
Values: Hardwork, Loyalty, Tolerance, & Fair Play
Totem significance: Badgers are associated with healing (caregiving), tidiness, & organization -- all fitting of Hufflepuffs.  They are also recognized as aggressive, especially in protecting their young. They will fight to the death (like Cederic Diggory ::sniff::) if cornered.  This trait well corresponds with Hufflepuff loyalty & stick-to-it-ness.  Badgers are diggers & create their entire home underground.  Their dens are clean and well-organized.  Such an effort clearly requires hard work.  The one element of the Badger totem that does not seem to fit with the Hufflepuff is that they are often solitary creatures.
Element: Earth; associated with physical realms.  This fits Hufflepuff as their tidiness and organization, as well as many forms of showing tolerance & care for others, play out physically.

Gryffindor
Animal: Lion
Values: Courage, Daring, Nerve, & Chivalry
Totem significance: Courage and family are the two main traits of the Lion totem, as well as an underlying current of female strength.  Lions travel in prides (the name given to a family of lions) and the Gryffindors certainly become a sort of family for Harry -- with all of the emotions and drama of family, as well. Ron and Harry, who share a brotherly bond, have some of the most sensational blow-ups at each other.  Indeed, Ron's sister Ginny literally becomes family when she and Harry marry. Lily, Harry's mother, was also a Gryffindor, she demonstrates lioness-like qualities in her fight for the survival of her young against Voldemort. Finally, lions are also known for their ability to disappear into the scenery and their preference to live a leisurely life.  Harry's adulthood is a testament to these traits.  With his fame, Harry could have easily gone on to be Minister of Magic or another cheeky Gilderoy Lockheart.  Instead, he chooses a (relatively) normal career and family life, in essence disappearing from the spotlight (despite the fact that everyone still acknowledged who he was & the feats he had accomplished).
Element: Fire/Heart; associated with dynamism (change).  The greatest change I've seen amongst the Gryffindors is the evolution from meek to bold, growing from uncertainty to boldness.  A prime example is Neville Longbottom. Originally uncertain & lacking in self-esteem, he first stands up to his friends in their first year at Hogwarts.  In his final year at Hogwarts, Neville becomes the quintessential Gryffindor -- standing his ground against Voldemort himself. As an aside,both  Fire & Passion/Zeal can have dire consequences if they run unchecked.

Slytherin
Animal: Snake
Values: Ambition, Cunning, & Resourcefulness
Totem significance: The Snake totem is associated with rebirth of power, the secrets of the underworld (a trait that it, unexpectedly, shares with the Badger), charm, and the death/rebirth cycle (by shedding of skin).  These elements are definitely seen among prominent Slytherins, especially Voldemort (Tom Riddle); he was easily able to charm a variety of people (Slughorn, Hepzibah Smith, etc.) to get what he wanted, he "died" and then was "reborn" in the cauldron after the Triwizard Tournament, he sought many secrets -- especially those related to death & triumphing over it.
Element: Water; associated with the realm of emotions. The best way to describe the Slytherin relationship to the emotional realm is "extreme."  Pride, Envy, Disgust, the list goes on.  Voldemort himself shows the emotional extreme in the negative.  He is cold, lacking most emotion, from his endeavors to split his soul.

Resources:
eagle - http://www.serioussilver.com/totemenergy/eagle.html
badger - http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm
lion - http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/bertisevil/537/projects/totems/lion.htm
snake - http://dovelove.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/snake-totem-symbol-of-rebirth-wisdom-sexuality-healing/

HLBoES: Flying Homework #4

County Laois Cluricauns
(Laois is pronounced “leash”; Cluricauns are relatives of leprechauns. You can find out more about them here.)

Robes:

Emerald green (one-shouldered for the ladies, standard robes for the men) with golden embellishments on the front & a golden harp embroidered on the back (such as the Leinster province flag below).
 
Players can also be recognized by their rouged their cheeks & light blue stockings.

Brooms:

Our brooms are made within County Laois, from Monterey Cypress trees grown outside of Emo. Each broom carries special charms to repell livestock and open flame (cypress can cause cattle to miscarry and can be extremely flammable) and to enhance the natural strength and reddish-gold color of the wood.

Trademark Formation:

Sláinte Slant

Most Effective Move:

Luath Lunge

Pitch:
Our pitch is located in the bog below the Rock of Dunamase (Dún Masc is Irish Gaelic for “the fort of Masc”) in Leinster Province, Ireland. Our historic pitch was originally built in the early ninth century, but was demolished in 845AD when the Vikings of Dublin attacked the fort. Though the fort remained unoccupied for the next few centuries, the farmers and shepherds in the area attempted to maintain what was left of the pitch, using it for pick-up-games. In the late twelfth century, a muggle nobleman, William Marshal, built a castle on the Rock of Dunamase (see picture of ruins below). His wife, Isabel (née Strongbow), who was -- unbeknownst to him -- a witch, secretly funded the renovations of the nearby quidditch pitch. The original County Laois team included the noblewoman’s handmaiden, one of the stable boys, and the castle’s chief gardener. Later teams would include the magical heirs of William Marshal, as well as members of the Moritimer and Moore clans -- leading to the tradition of the County Laois team consisting solely of players with “M” surnames. Over the years, the castle fell into disrepair and, by the early fourteenth century, was abandoned. By this time, the countryside near the Rock of Dunamase had drawn a number of magical families. While the area is not exclusively magical, most of the local muggles are in some way related to a magical family, leading to a fairly loose interpretation of Clause 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. (Yes, we have quite a few muggles who hold season tickets -- don’t tell!)

 

Ruins of the Castle
 
View from the Ruins (pitch is beyond hill on right)

Our current pitch is not as aesthetically pleasing as others made of marble or magicked to be invisible, in homage to the surrounding natural beauty. The County Laois stands are, like our broomsticks, made of Monterey Cypress (don’t worry, we have anti-splinter charms steadfastly affixed!). They are decorated with garlands of holly and ivy. The pitch itself is a carpet of shamrocks, naturally. Our hoops are embellished with golden celtic knots & look as if they were strung with silver harp strings. The strings are merely an illusion charm -- the quaffle can sail right through!

Mascot:

We have one cluricaun, Cassán, who comes and goes as he pleases.

 

a stitch in time saves nine...

Well, our Charms professor for the HLBoE Swap has given us a most righteous assignment (EXCELLENT!).  We have been assigned to finish one UFO/WIP or item on our "to do" list.  Since I have a million projects (but can't seem to find the appropriate yarn, pattern, and/or needles for any of them), i figured i should begin an item that's been on my "to do" list for quite some time --> clean & organize my craft room.

Here's the before shot:
(sorry for the poor quality -- it's a stitched panoramic photo w/ bad lighting)

Since this shot was taken, I have organized the mess into numerous piles (see below) & I will strike them out as I finish organizing them:
- Knitting & Crocheting Books
- Knitting & Crocheting Magazines
- Assorted Papers (some patterns, some notes on patterns, some sketches of ideas, etc.)
- Sewing/Mending Projects
- Catalogs (which I really should just throw out...)
- WIPs/UFOs (50% complete)
- Yarn
- Finished Projects (that don't have a home)
- Stuff that Belongs Elsewhere in the House (10% complete)
- Knitting Needles & Paraphernalia (who decided it was a good idea to throw an extra "r" in there?!)
- Bags & Other Storage Containers (90% complete)
- Keepsake Stuff from High School, College, Grad School, etc.
- Sewing Paraphernalia
- "Other" Craft Paraphernalia

HLBOE: Potions quiz

1. Name the two known Potions professors at Hogwarts during the books. Include which book(s) each of them were professors during.
Professors Severus Snape (Books 1-5) and Horace Slughorn (Books 6 & 7)

2. Name the five pieces of equipment that a student of Potions is expected to have. (1)
Potion making kit, cauldron (pewter, standard size 2), 1 set of phials (glass or crystal), 1 set of scales (brass), & Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger and/or Advanced Potion Making by Libatius Borage

3. Give me the name and the person who invented the potion that is used as a remedy for the common cold. (1)
Pepper Up Potion by Glover Hipworth

4. What does the Polyjuice potion do? Name at least four of the ingredients. Tell me at least two of the characters who used this potion in the books and tell me what it did to them. (2)
The Polyjuice potion is designed to give the potion taker the features of another person, for a limited amount of time (about 1 hr.). It is only to be used for human transformations.  Ingredients include, but are not limited to: lacewing flies, knotgrass, powdered horn of bicorn, and boomslang skin.  Barty Crouch, Jr., took polyjuice potion to maintain his disguise as Mad-Eye Moody (Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts).  The year after Harry and his friends left Hogwarts, Hermione used polyjuice potion to disguise herself as Bellatrix LeStrange to get into the LeStrange's vault at Gringotts' Bank.

5. What is a bezoar and what is it used for? (1)
A bezoar is a stone from the stomach of a goat. It is kidney shaped and used as the antidote to most poisons.

6. Tell me what the Amorentia potion is. What would yours smell like? (1)
The Amortentia potion is the strongest love potion in the world (to date).  It smells like things you love; consequently, the smell varies from person to person.  To me, Amortentia would smell like oranges and cracked pepper, freshly cut grass and sunkissed skin.

7. Name three Potions ingredients that can be found in the Muggle world. What are each of these items used for in each situation? How to Muggles and Wizards use these things differently? (2)
1) Lacewing flies -- Wizards use them in Polyjuice potion & other potions, Muggles watch them flit around.
2) Potassium aluminum silicate (moonstone) -- Wizards use them in the Draught of Peace & other potions (wizards get them from the moon), muggles wear them as jewelry (muggles get them from parts of the U.S.A., Africa, South America, & the European Alps).
3) Mandrake roots -- Wizards use them in a restorative draught, muggles use them to enhance fertility in barren women.

8. What is your favorite Potion and why? (1)
Essence of murtlap -- I'm extremely accident prone (papercuts like you wouldn't believe!) and I have two cats.

9. There are at least two Potions which are mentioned as being illegal to the students at Hogwarts, but they get used in the series. Which two are these and what do they do? (2)
1) Polyjuice potion - Used by Harry, Ron & Hermione in their first year at Hogwarts.  Harry & Ron transformed into Crabbe & Goyle, Hermoine accidently used cat fur instead of human hair and her transfiguration went awry.
2) Amortentia - Used by Romilda Vane in effort to capture Harry's affections.  The "spiked" chocolate cauldrons were eaten by Ron, who immediately fell in love with Romilda.

10. Name the three ingredients in the Draught of the Living Death. In what year do the Hogwarts students brew this potion? (2)
Ingredients include, but are not limited to, asphodel, wormwood, and valerian roots.  Hogwarts students attempt this draught in their sixth year.

11. We all know that Remus Lupin is a werewolf. During his time teaching at Hogwarts, Snape makes him the wolfsbane potion to counteract some of these nasty effects. There is one ingredient which Lupin says will render the effects useless. What is this ingredient and why is it important? (1)
Unfortunately, sugar will make the wolfsbane potion useless.  It is unfortunate, because the potion has a disgusting taste.

Extra Credit
There are many mentions of Potions in various Muggle books. Name at least one reference to any well-known Muggle book (either one that does not have anything to do with magic or one that has a very archaic view of it, so DO NOT give me a fantasy novel). What is this Potion used for? By whom? How do Muggle views of Potions differ from our own? Is there an ingredients list to this particular Potion? If so, what items are necessary to make it? Are there any Potions that exist in the wizarding world that have similar effects? If so, which one(s)? I want at least five decent sentences. (5)
In A Midsummer's Night Dream, by William Shakespeare, Faerie king Oberon wishes to punish his wife and has his servant, Puck, put drops of "love-in-idleness" into her eyes as she slept.  Love-in-Idleness was a potion that would cause her to fall in love with the next man she saw.  This story, written by a muggle, does not go into detail about potion ingredients or method of creation.  The closest potion in the wizarding world would be Amortentia.  Amortentia differs, however, because the object to be desired is designated, whereas, in Mr. Shakespeare's story the object of affection is left to chance.