Staff Interviews - May Edition

There are a lot of fantastic people working hard day and night to make The 7th Floor an amazing place to be!

This month we get to know Tesseractivate and Jensta79!

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First we meet Tesseractivate:

Welcome! Give us a bit of an introduction, if you please! Your name, your life in the muggle world, how long you’ve been a Gryffindor and a bit about your position on staff.
My name is Amy, tesseractivate here on ravelry. My muggle life consists of being a nurse and being owned and well trained by 2 cats, Macey and Frankie. I’ve been a Gryffindor for 6 terms, and this will be my second term on staff.

6 terms? That's wonderful! So, if I may ask: what is your favourite part of being a staff member of Gryffindor?
I am the baby blanket mistress and squares for KAS in memory of Sue. I coordinate where blanket squares go, who is in need of what, and I hope to get enough squares this term for our regular babies’ blankets to have squares to make blankets for charity. I love cheering other Gryffs on, and helping out when and where I can. [You can check out the thread HERE]

That is quite fantastic! But now on to the hard questions! Like ... why Gryffindor anyways? What drew you to this house over the others?
I always felt I was a Gryffindor, with my personality traits, and this group is fun loving, and has so many different activities to choose to do- it’s always an adventure, and pushes me to craft more than ever.

And crafting more is never a bad thing. So, can you show us a project you’ve made for HPKCHC that you are insanely proud of?
I think I am immensely proud of my lioness stuffie that I made. She just turned out so nice!

Amazing! She looks fantastic! So, what about Spring term? Tell us about some of your WIPs for classes this term – anything exciting on the needles?
I’m excited about my OWL this term- it’s my second attempt, and I think I’ll succeed this time. I am also excited about learning to do 2 at a time toe up socks soon- I hear socks are addictive!

Congratulations on your OWL attempt - good luck! Speaking of ... Classes, OWLs, NEWTs, Quidditch … there’s a lot to do as a student in the House Cup. What advice can you pass along to our newer house members to have a successful term?
My advice for new students is to just breathe, and try to enjoy yourself before getting stressed over how to get everything done. I take a tablet and go through the classes and write down possible projects for each class. If I get to them, great, if not, no stress, this is for fun! As long as you get your one class in for the month, everything else is gravy.

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us! Before you go, just for a bit of fun … if you could pair any two HP characters together, who would it be and why?
Who would I pair together from Harry Potter? Me and Snape! Just kidding, I like Ron and Hermione together. They act like real life couples do.


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Next up meet Jensta79:

Hello Hello! Give us a bit of an introduction, if you please! Your name, your life in the muggle world, how long you’ve been a Gryffindor and a bit about your position on staff.
I’m Jennie, stay at home mum to two boys aged 12 and 9, and a little girl who will be one very soon. I’ve been a Gryffindor in the House Cup all the way through since I started playing in autumn 2009. I’m a newbie prefect so still finding my feet a bit!

Wow, a long time player - congratulations! So tell us, what is your favourite part of being a staff member of Gryffindor?
I love chatting to and interacting with people. After being a Gryffindor for so long I feel like I’ve got friends all over the world! So being a prefect I feel that I’m getting to know people even more, as I’m trying to get an opportunity to talk with everyone this term!

That is definitely a wonderful part of the cup - Gryffindors all over the world! But really why Gryffindor anyways? What drew you to this house over the others?
To start with, I chose Gryffindor because I identified most with the ‘original’ Gryffies, especially Molly Weasley since having my family. But since settling in, I love the dynamic we have, made by all the other lovely Gryffies and I can’t imagine myself ever leaving!

Molly is amazing, and very inspiring herself as a knitter! So can you please show us a project you’ve made for HPKCHC that you are insanely proud of?
I love that the house cup has inspired me to try to design - I think the items I’ve designed are those of which I’m most proud, like my Butterfly Vines shawl from last term, or maybe Erin’s first bobble hat, a picture of which then became my Ravatar and made me a bit more recognisable in the common room!

Absolutely gorgeous (and I adore the colouring!) So I'm excited for you to tell us about some of your WIPs for classes this term – anything exciting on the needles?
I’ve got a few things planned, including my OWL and hopefully a spinning mission, but the thing I’m currently most excited about is a commission from my best friend. She has asked me to dye the yarn and then knit her a bolero to wear with her bridesmaid’s dress at her sister’s wedding in July - I feel so honoured, and also very proud that she thinks my knitting is good enough to wear at such an important occasion!

That sounds like an fantastic honour to me, and best of luck on your spinning mission! Sounds like a lot to keep up with, along with classes, OWLs, NEWTs, Quidditch … there’s a lot to do as a student in the House Cup. What advice can you pass along to our newer house members to have a successful term?
Don’t try to do everything at once, get your first class of each month done and then have fun and join in with whichever of the activities take your fancy. After a couple of terms you’ll know more or less what goes on when. Also, I’d really encourage students to join in with the chatting in the Seventh Floor. I get so much more out of the game when I make time to catch up on the happenings and see what people are up to.

Great advice! Thank you so much for speaking with us! And just for a bit of fun … if you could pair any two HP characters together, who would it be and why?
Ooh, tricky! I think JK Rowling made all the pairings I would have considered, but maybe some of the Hogwarts staff could get together - perhaps Argus Filch would be less bitter towards the students if he and Madame Pomfrey made a match?!

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And there you have it! Look for these wonderful ladies in and around the rooms in the 7th Floor and we'll be back next month, getting the scoop around the house from other staff members!
~ PrincessSerenity