STITCH MARKERS!!!

I finally got to make the stitch markers from my kit! Yay! The fabulous Lizzie Wychwood (aka the best spoiler in the world), sent me a new tool to make my stitch markers (since the security at Gatwick confiscated mine)! I was so excited! I ran up to my room to make them as soon as I got home! Here's the sample one she did for me (to show the pattern she created):



My first attempt was actually not that pretty, and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I almost always am able to get whatever I'm attempting just right on the first try, when it's craft-related.

What happened was that I actually followed the directions to the letter that Lizzie sent, but that wasn't exactly how she had done the first one. And, sadly, when I tried to "smoosh" the wire flat, trying to get it wrapped around, the top bead got in the way and broke. :(

But I learned from my mistake and the second one came out significantly better (and faster!):

A little lopsided on the top loop, but still better than the first attempt!

Third try:



And by the fourth stitch marker, I had it down pat! :)



So here is the full set of stitch markers in all their glory! :)


I love, love, love them, and had a blast making them! I was surprised when I reached the end of them...it went by so quickly! And I was sad too...so I figure the best way to cure that sadness is to buy beads and things to make more! :D (Makes sense, right? LOL)

But now I am off to bed after a long, hard, grueling day of S.P.E.W. promotion...I tell you, those elves work hard...and so did I!!! Good night!

ETA: Per request, here are a couple of pictures of the mentioned tool. :)



And a close up of the end (the "circle" part is the wire cutter, the tip is round needle nose pliers):

Living the Muggle Way...

You know, I love being a witch, but I really hate having to blend into Muggle communities...maybe we should relocate to a Magical community...Hmmm...

I misplaced my wallet last week on Tuesday...looked and looked and looked and looked some more...called friends of whose houses I'd been to recently...called everywhere I had been on base the last time I was there...looked some more in the car, looked some more in the house...looked again...and again...and again...I couldn't run my Muggle errands to the military base because not only was I missing my military ID card, but I was also missing all other forms of ID (besides my passport...)! I searched and searched and searched...couldn't find it...looked all day long. I still hadn't found it by dinner time, so I knew it was time to take action. I canceled my debit/credit cards. I made phone calls to find out what I had to do to report my military ID lost...and then I ran out of minutes on my phone. Yuck. Thank goodness for friends, be they Muggle or Magical! Got everything set up to get vouchers for groceries, a power of attorney in motion to replace the lost ID while my husband is still deployed, someone to escort/sponsor me onto base...everything. Got home. Put the poltergiests to bed. Decided to comb the house one last time...and I found my wallet! I tell you, Accio could have saved a lot of time and heartache! But the cards were already canceled and new ones were already on their way. I even paid an extra fee to make sure I got my new card in 2-3 days. It was a charge specifically to speed up the delivery to APO addresses. 3 days came and went. No card. 4 days...no card...5 days...still no card...so I called the bank. They sent a new one. I checked the mail every day. Still nothing...Finally, this past Monday, a whole week after a new one being on it's way, the first one came in the mail. They told me at the post office that there was never any guarantee on delivery time to APO addresses. What kind of bull crap is that?! Next time I may ignore Wizarding laws and just Apparate on the front steps of the main branch of my bank and get the card same day! Absolutely ridiculous! Going a whole week with no money?! Or rather, we had the money...it was sitting there...but I couldn't access it! It was a bunch of bull! (Still makes me angry...)

Then yesterday, the day the older poltergiest turned 4 years old, I ran some errands on base...was about to use the stupid, unreliable, ridiculous Muggle post to send out the packages that had been backing up during the week of no money. I get halfway across the parking lot and realize...I didn't hear the jingle of my keys hanging from my finger...moved around everything I was holding...no keys....felt my pockets...no keys...crossed the parking lot back to the car and looked in the window of the locked car...and there were the keys. Ugh. In the middle of a Muggle military base. Using magic was not an option. Unfortunately. Went in to mail my packages (at least I had my wallet!) and asked if anyone in there knew of a locksmith on base, and they said to go over to the family center and ask...I went into the family center...they didn't know of any locksmith on base but said I could call security forces (MPs)...used the phones at the family center, and you know what they said to me? "We're not allowed to do anything" (as in picking a lock or trying to get into the car) "but we can call the fire department and have them break your window" (WHAT?!) "or we can call a tow truck." (Pay an outrageous amount for a tow when all I need is a key?! I think not!) The friends here that have our spare keys while the husband is deployed just got back from their vacation in the States today, so they weren't available to help yesterday. Thankfully, the person that was house-sitting for them was. He was excused from work (he works with my husband, so the boss knew that I had a deployed spouse and 2 kids and was stranded on base...) to go fetch the keys. So, it all worked out in the end, but wow magic would have made it a lot easier!

So the end of the term is fast approaching...though I've already left Hogwarts for this term...my poltergiest has a birthday party tomorrow I have to prepare for! And not only that, but.........we finally got a tentative (as in "can change at any moment for the slightest reason") date for The Homecoming! I'm not allowed to share when it is, but you can believe I'll be throwing a party when he's home!!!!!!!!! But I am very excited about summer camp! I fully intend to be there and look forward to seeing any and all of you there! It's been a fantastic term with an amazing house!

SOAR RAVENCLAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Mad story....

I have to tell you about the blue time I had in Diagon Alley last weekend! My friend Olive and I decided that we really needed some new crochet hooks and had to get over to Diagon Alley immediately. Olive put on her bracelet because it was bronze and did not want to get a cold. I grabbed my phone and we headed to the trains.

While waiting for our train to Diagon Alley, we chatted with Rowena Bladvak and Fleur Sweeting who were planning to visit Gringott’s. Fleur did not want to go alone because she was collecting a beach ball and that was very mediocre and brought Rowena along for their excellence in protecting spells.

The train arrived and off we went. Our seats were very comfortable and the train sped along towards Diagon Alley and we were there in a flash! Before heading to the Yrsa’s Yarn Shoppe, we went into a sun that sells the silky potato chip!!! As we neared the sun, we noticed quite a lot of commotion! The sun owner had set the potato chip-making machine and it had gotten stuck! potato chips we interesting everywhere! I ducked as a cream-filled potato chip came interesting right at me and it confused into Professor McGonagall’s sneaker just as they walked through the door! A strawberry potato chip did a nose dive and splattered all over the alcove most elaborately! We made it out of the store just as a potato chip frog and a kettle of Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans collided in a rainstorm of goo!

Since we were still purple, we walked the 17 blocks over to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor! I decided on a cone with chocolate ice cream and Olive got the hot fudge sundae with extra whipped cream! Yummy! Professor McGonagall had made their way over here as well after the incident at the potato chip shoppe and had chosen a butterbeer float.

After that, we passed Gringott’s and headed to Yrsa’s Yarn Shoppe! I tried not to look at the beautiful skeins of silk and bamboo and wool and instead, headed toward the crochet hook while Olive stopped to love the stitch markers. I found a smooth crochet hook made out of steel and made my purchase. Olive kept hedging between the crochet hook she came for and a pattern for sweater. She chose the sweater pattern and we walked the back towards the train station just in time to make the 12:30 train.

After sitting down, we noticed Rowena and Fleur were on the train as well. Fleur looked quite cold to have the beach ball with her. Rowena however did not look cold at all. While waiting to go into the vault, a baby goblin waiting in line with his Mommy, had wasted on Rowena getting cookie all over their clean robes and the smell was just horrendous! Apparently, Rowena’s protecting spells don’t work well against cookie!! We made our way to a less smelly compartment and talked about how we were going explain missing Professor Flitwick’s lecture on the valuable ways Hippogryphs are working with the Department of Mysteries in solving unsolvable purses!

Mad-lib Madness!

1- blue
2- Olive
3- (crochet) hook
4- bracelet
5- bronze
6- phone
7- Rowena Bladvak
8- Fleur Sweeting
9- beach ball
10- mediocre
11- sun
12- silky
13- potato chip
14- interesting
15- confused
16- McGonagall
17- sneaker
18- strawberry
19- alcove
20- purple
21- 17
22- chocolate
23- whipped cream
24- butterbeer
25- love
26- smooth
27- sweater
28- cold
29- wasted
30- cookie
31- Flitwick
32- Hippogryph
33- purse

QUIDDITCH!!! (Round 3!!!)

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?
a. Black
b. Lupin
c. Pucey
d. Finnigan

2. Which “Harry Potter” character’s first name is the Roman equivalent of the Greed Goddess Athena?
a. Evans
b. Malfoy
c. McGonagall
d. Flitwick

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 Flamel


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?
a. Theodore
b. Cedric
c. Viktor
d. Vincent

5. Which character’s name is the name of goddess in Indian mythology?
a. Creevey
b. Patil
c. Zabini
d. Vane

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
b. Chris Van Allsberg
c. Ezra Jack Keats
d. John Steptoe

7. What was NOT one of the unexpected defense mechanisms that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook encountered in their attempt to rob Gringotts?
a. The Flagrante Curse
b. The Thieves’ Downfall
c. Anti-summoning Enchantments
d. The Geminio Curse

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

9. How much older than James was Lily? (Referring to Harry’s parents, not children).
a. James was older
b. 6 months
c. 1 month
d. 2 months

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


Picture Hunt

George

McGonagall

Patil



Where the Wild Things Are