Friday Featured Classroom: Flying

Hi there, I just flew in from from checking out Flying class and boy are my arms tired (ba dum bum)...okay so that joke is just never going to be awesome, but I did see some awesome things in Flying class.

This month is Flying class we are focusing on thing that helps us care things on our brooms. And there are some amazing turn ins. Makes me want to pack up on my broom and travel just to try out a few of the "luggage" ideas.

Gryffindor has some awesome travel accessories.

KatnissWytch made this cute bag that looks just perfect for carrying quills and candies to school:

PennyIA showed us how multi-use a hat can really by with this pretty little hat used as a bag:

Hufflepuff has shown off some great bags as well

anthrogirl17 has made a pretty black bag that would be great for a ride to school or a ride out to dinner:

JMN has made a gorgeous green clutch with wooden handles that is bright and pretty:

Ravenclaw has been getting ready for broom travels too.

kikkitul has made this fun zippered wrist bag, perfect for a broom handle:

knotnknit made a bag just perfect for the end of her broom, just imagine the things she could carry:

Slytherin has been showing up some first class luggage also:

KristyRecycle has made this pretty rainbow bag that would be just lovely anywhere:

TheEvilPretty1 has made this bright blue and yellow bag, ready for a bright summer beach day perhaps:

NQFY have been showing off their travel accessories as well:

Potoupy has made a beautiful bag that fits just right on her broom, ready to head out on a trip:

peka568 has made with bright and fun bag that looks at though it can expand to fit just about anything:

The Students on Sabbatical (SoS) know quite well just how important a good piece of luggage is as they show off here :


lea67000 has made a set of baby booties which also serve as really ingenious containers for small items on the broom

Captndenim has sewn a wonderful zipper pouch with a handle that is just right for hands and broom handles:

These are just a few of the amazing turn ins in Flying class this month. I recommend you stop buy the class, even if you don't plan any traveling, as the ideas and beautiful work are definitely not to be missed. 

There is only a couple days left in this month, make sure you get that one class requirement in for your sorting. Remember partials count, and if life has just stomped all over your crafting this month, talk to AmyPC and let her know, she might be able to give you a excuse note.

Remember Round 3 of Quidditch starts today, so if you are eligible to play swing by the pitch and get a plan on your play for Round 3. ROAR Gryffindor.

Gryffindor Blog Interview with Covington

Hi, and welcome to this weeks interview. Every other Thursday we are going to try to sit down with someone in the Cup. One of the most wonderful things about the Cup is that we get to have fun and get to know others that are as crazy about crafting and Harry Potter as we are. We hope that these interviews provide you with a way to get to know other players and hopefully enhance the connections and friendships we all share.

This week we are sitting down with a long term HPKCHC player, Covington. So grab a cup of tea and your latest project and get cozy while we talk to Covington  about how she found the Cup, her favorite past projects and more.

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KMNash: How did you find the Cup?
Covington: I found the Cup through the Radar at Ravelry.

KMNash: How many “years” or terms have you been with the Cup?
Convington: I started out as a NQFY in Spring 2009. I was sorted into Gryffindor in the next term. I played every term as a sorted student except for one term - I played as a SoS that year.

KMNash: What would you say is the greatest change to your crafting since joining the cup, have you tried some new thing that maybe you had not heard of? Or maybe taking on something bigger then you usually do for an OWL or Order Mission?
Covington: Ever since I joined the Cup, I’ve been taking much more initiative in learning new knitting and crochet techniques.

KMNash: Have you ever traveled to the other houses common rooms, if so what houses have you visited, if not have you ever thought about it?
Covington: I’ve visited the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin Common Rooms. Each of these houses has their own strengths and personalities. That being said, visiting all the common rooms helped me to strengthen my belief that Gryffindor is the place for me.

KMNash: How active are you with OWLS and NEWTS and other Advanced Studies options? Do you think they will help motivate you to finish things you might not have done?
Covington: I used to be very involved with OWLs. Life has changed though, and Advanced Studies aren’t really suited for my lifestyle at the moment. That being said, I encourage everyone to try at least one Advanced Study class during their time at Hogwarts.

KMNash: Do you have an OWL or NEWT option that you think will be especially hard for you to complete?
Covington: All Advanced Studies classes are challenging. I don’t have one that will be especially hard for me.

KMNash: Have you told anyone about the Cup? If so what are some of the things you love to tell people about to maybe make them want to come play?
Covington: No, I haven’t told anyone in real life about the Cup. The Cup is the place for me to escape the craziness of real life. I have told people in Ravelry about the Cup though.

KMNash: Of all your turn ins to the cup, this term and any past, what are some of the ones you are most proud of and what were they turned in for? (providing links to project page or picture would be wonderful)
Covington: Here’s a picture of my first sweater I’ve made. I turned it in for Muggle Studies.

I’m also proud of the charity crafting I’ve done.
Charity hats:

Here are some squares I made for Gryff baby blankets:

KMNash: Have you won any special badges that you are really proud of playing the Cup, and if so what did you earn them for?
Covington: I used to win plenty of points-based badges. These are the best because anyone can win them.

KMNash: Do you have any pointers or comments you would like to say to everyone about anything?
Covington: The Cup is what you make of it. The more you put into the game, the more amazing it will be for you. That being said, remember that real life comes first.

KMNash: Thank you so much for your time and the pictures of your beautiful work.

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Our interview ends here readers, it is so wonderful getting a chance to get to know our fellow cuppers. There are only a few days left in the month so make sure if you have not got your one class requirement in you do before the month is over. If you are having trouble with ideas remember the Knight Bus is available to help. Round 3 of Quidditch starts tomorrow, so remember if you turned in forRound 1 and Round 2 that you are eligible to play in Round 3 and to be able to play in the Semi Finals you must play in Round 3.

Weekly Pride Summary

Hello and welcome to another pride recap for the fourth week of term!

In the Acid Pops, homework was turned in as well as quidditch, there was commiseration about stash, and to top it all off there was some sweet nursery decorating.

In the Animal Crackers, there were big plans, fun questions were answered, a very impressive WIP the 1st was prepared, and there were quidditch projects galore.

In the Canary Creams, there was a good explanation of tagging, a NEWT 50% celebration, there was lots of progress shared, and a pretty purple dishcloth made an appearance.

In the Exploding Bonbons, some pretty yarn was submitted to class, a quick real life update, and a little doughnut consumption.

In the Fizzing Whizbees, there was a sweet drop in, and another one (with some ice cream!), a Lacy Baktus made an appearance, and there is a poll about a doily.

In the Pepper Imps, there was a quick check in, a motivational prize post, a cute octopus stuffy, and several more class turn ins.

In the Sugar Quills, there was a gorgeous shawl, a neat felted pot, two pairs of socks, and some gorgeous handspun.

Study Hall: Entrelac

The Entrelac study hall has received a lot of attention this month, and for good reason. This intriguing technique creates a knit or crochet fabric with stitches going in multiple directions. It seems that the two most popular class projects were bags and washcloths. There are plenty of each from Gryffindor this month to brighten up the thread and classrooms around the castle. Interestingly, it seems like red is a very popular color in the thread.

A cute beaded phone case by azancolli:

A Gryffindor colored DVD cozy by graceness:

A quick change purse by otherfireangel:

A fantastic crocheted washcloth by kmnash:

A pretty knit washcloth by LumosKP:

A 3 colored washcloth by princesscutie:

And a rainbow dishcloth made by watrpriestess (me!):

At least one person is using entrelac as part of their advanced studies, LumosKP is knitting an entrelac blanket shawl for her NEWT. No pictures yet, but I'm sure if you keep an eye on the thread there will be plenty soon enough. I got the inside scoop (er, which is in the Common room) and have a preview of her progress, behold an entrelac and lace shawl:

If you're intrigued by entrelac, stop by the thread for links to tutorials, awesome patterns, and to share your progress. Good luck and don't forget to ROAR!

Featured HPKCHC Blog

This week we have another great blog to share with you.  It's called Sand and Sky Creations http://sandandskycreations.com/blog/ and it's written by Simone, who's known on Ravelry as sandandsky.  She usually posts a couple times a week about her works in progress and her finished objects.  One of the best things about her blog is all of the pretty pictures she puts up for each of her posts and the beautiful layout of the blog itself.  The blog also includes 15 free patterns and links to a lot of websites/blogs that she loves to read.  Here are just a few of the free patterns she has available ...

We asked Simone some questions and here are her responses ...

When did you start this blog and what motivated you to start it? 

I started blogging back in 2006 as a way to keep track of the projects I was working on and the new techniques I was trying to learn and it evolved from there.

What types of topics do you usually blog about?

I blog most often about spinning and knitting but I enjoy sharing about family adventures, hiking trips and the beautiful island we live on, gardening, and cooking/baking.

What type(s) of crafting do you normally do and how long have you been doing them? 

I have been knitting for 11 years, spinning for 6, dying for 4, and have within the last couple of years gotten more into sewing. I am quite eager to learn how to weave and was gifted an antique table loom but just haven’t been able to squeeze in the time yet … but it is definitely coming! As for fibers, I am often trying out new-to-me fibers for spinning and frequently blog about my experiences with them.

Which HPKCHC house(s) are you in and what year are you? 

I have always played for Gryffindor and I am in the B2 year.

Do you normally fit a project into a class after you’ve finished it or do you usually choose a project based on a class prompt?

It all depends upon what inspires me each month. Most often I find the prompts very intriguing. I like to try challenge myself and at the same time have a lot of fun and the HPKCHC is perfect for this. Other times I see a pattern or fiber that I REALLY want to play with and I’ll pick a class which coincides with what I want to work on.

Are you planning to work on an OWL, NEWT or a mission this term?

I haven’t tried an OWL or a NEWT yet but I am very tempted. I think that this winter coming will be an excellent time to give it a shot because things tend to be a little less busy then.

What’s your favorite part about being in HPKCHC?

My favorite part of participating in HPKCHC is getting to check out all the wonderful projects by the other members. The talent in the group is astronomical and the creativity very inspring.

What can you tell our blog readers that they may not already know about you?

Two things the readers may not know about me is that I am entirely self taught AND I’m left handed. When you teach yourself from pictures in books, trial and error, and youtube videos, you can sometimes come up with odd but totally workable ways to get things done. I had that wonderful experience of finally meeting another fiber lover who knits very similar to me this winter just passed. I don’t know which one of us was more excited!

Definitely check out her blog and all of the great photos she shares, like these!

Gryffindor Blog Interview with mommyofrhyse

Hi, and welcome to another interview. Every week we have been trying to sit down with someone in the Cup. One of the most wonderful things about the Cup is that we get to have fun and get to know others that are as crazy about crafting and Harry Potter as we are. We hope that these interviews provide you with a way to get to know other players and hopefully enhance the connections and friendships we all share.


This week we are sitting down with mommyofrhyse. So grab a cup of tea and your latest project and get cozy while we get to know her.

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KMNash: So, mommyofrhyse, how did you find the Cup?

mommyofrhyse: I found it through someone else in a swap group that I am in. I was looking at their profile and saw the banner for the House Cup and followed the banner.


KMNash: It is amazing how many different ways we all found our way to the castle. What would you say is the greatest change to your crafting since joining the cup, have you tried some new thing that maybe you had not heard of? Or maybe taking on something bigger then you usually do for an OWL or Order Mission?

mommyofrhyse: So far I have not tried much of anything new, but for my first OWL I did do a large project.


KMNash: I find myself trying for larger things as well, the OWLs are so great for motivation. Our houses are also wonderful for motivating each other. Have you ever traveled to the other houses common rooms, if so what houses have you visited, if not have you ever thought about it?

mommyofrhyse: I have traveled between house common rooms. As a NQFY we visited all of the houses. Currently I hang out in Slytherin and Griffendor.


KMNash: It is great that we can all feel comfortable in different common rooms. You said the OWLs have helped you to do larger projects, how active are you with OWLS and NEWTS and other Advanced Studies options? Do you think they will help motivate you to finish things you might not have done?

mommyofrhyse: Other than my NQFY term I have done a OWL each term. I have the majority of my OWLs planned out for the next several terms. I do think that they have helped motivate me to get larger projects done.


KMNash: Do you have an OWL or NEWT option that you think will be especially hard for you to complete?

mommyofrhyse: I think that Muggle Studies will be the hardest for me. I am terrified to make a sweater.


KMNash: Sweaters can be scary business. Have you told anyone about the Cup? If so what are some of the things you love to tell people about to maybe make them want to come play?

mommyofrhyse: I have told my mom and sister. Mom is never online and probably would not participate. I just talk about how each month has different ways that you can create something to turn in.


KMNash: Of all your turn ins to the cup, this term and any past, what are some of the ones you are most proud of and what were they turned in for? (providing links to project page or picture would be wonderful)

mommyofrhyse: The project I am most proud of is my Arithmacy OWL. I made a blanket for my son. This was my first big project.

KMNash: How beautiful. Have you won any special badges that you are really proud of playing the Cup, and if so what did you earn them for?

mommyofrhyse: Probably but I don’t really collect the badges (unless it is for OWLs). I have 2 OWLs under my belt and am looking to become a OWL mistress.


KMNash: Owl Mistress is an awesome goal. Do you have any pointers or comments you would like to say to everyone about anything?

mommyofrhyse: Just do what you can. I know the cup brings on “the crazy” for crafting but sometimes you have to step back and think am I just doing this for points or for me. This is something that I have had to do. The drive to “make all the things” is so strong sometimes that other things might get pushed to the side. For me the cup is a great motivator to get projects started or done that have been in my to-do pile. The cup has also allowed me to make new friends in all of the houses and having people that understand your crafting is a very good thing.

KMNash: Thank you so much for your time and for the beautiful pictures. It has been great to get to know you.

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And here dear readers is where we end again, don't forget to drop by the Knight Bus if you need help getting an idea for your class. And we are in the second round of Quidditch, if you played in Round 1 you have until Sunday to play in Round 2 if you wish to be able to play in later Rounds.

Weekly Pride Roundup

It's that time of the week again, folks. We're looking at what's been happening in the Prides for the third week of term.

In the Acid Pops, OWL progress was shared. Also shared were some awesome hats. There was mention of nargles, Luna would be proud! Finally, a really cute pattern was shared.

The Animal Crackers shared their plans, and showed off a stash acquisition. The term has been flying by, but goals are in sight!

The Canary Creams have an impressive marauder mission list! There was also discussion about how swatching fits into the cup and some pretty crocheted coasters made an appearance. Also, there's an amazing diaper cake and the beginnings of a cowl.

The Exploding Bonbons got some great incentive to reach 100% of the Pride to turn in at least one class. KnitInferno has her hands full, but uses the time to teach her kids geography. Part of a CoMC team turn in was finished as well.

The Fizzing Whizbees were a little quieter, but there's a great freezer pop cover and excitement over the beginning of Missions as well as Headmistress' Challenge. Also, they are currently in the lead for number of people with a class turned in, must all be busy crafting!

The Pepper Imps had a conversation about sewn box bags which resulted in a very cute finished object. There was lots of progress by Trametes1971 and fuzziekit.

The Sugar Quills made progress on OWLs and cute flowers for Herbology, CoMC, and Charms. There was also a discussion on knitting in church.

That's it for the pride recap, but I'd like to highlight a new thread on the Seventh floor. If you want to participate, Gryffindor is hosting a chemo cap drive in memory of Nesterknitter. There are suggestions on how to fit a hat into every class in the Charity Hat Challenge thread, as well as in the Knight Bus.

The Common Room recap 12-18 May

Another fun and busy week in the Common room:

The week started off with some lovely spring flowers.  Suggestions were made for new teapot slogans.  There was an astonishing turn-in for Divination.   There was a good discussion on whether it was good to time your knitting and how to do it.  One brave person undertook to crochet a tinfoil hat, and had to come up with a way to turn it into yarn.

 Several Gryffindors enjoy listening to podcasts and discussed their favorites.  All the sock yarn turned out to be too much of a temptation.   More pattern help was provided to a Gryffie in need.  The 10th Doctor wants you.

A new knitting machine set up was proudly displayed and there was some good discussion on getting locked into (or was that out of?) the naughty suite.  There was a lesson on the hazard of going through your stash.  Some great links were posted on working with color.  In a very imaginative turn-in, T-fur the tortoise got a jacket and Henry was jealous.  And at the end of the week, Richard provided encouragement on class projects.

Sunday Special Classroom: Care of Magical Creatures.

I have been a busy reporter this weekend as I have been working with my daughter and her Girl Scout troop at an adoption event at our local pound. As we bathed and played with the dogs getting them used to having attention and love, some of them have spent their entire lives at the pound, I realized that coaxing an injured or skittish animal to you to be able to provide the help they need is not an easy job.

For that reason we are going to focus on Care of Magic Creatures on today's Featured Classroom and look in on the projects that are coaxing, containing and curing the Peryton.

There are many teams who have completed all three tasks

Groups of students from all over the castle are working together to help this poor creature.

TheEvilPretty1 From Slytherin coaxed it out with cupcakes

PaisleySpirit from Hufflepuff safely trapped it with this scarf

And then KnitInferno from Gryffindor was able to use this leaf to heal it

There are amazing ideas for enticing it out from all over from food to soft sweet toys, they are sure to get that Peryton to come out.

TheBeadyHooker from Slytherin made a fruit that looks nice enough to entice me out of the woods too.

Caffinated412 from Hufflepuff made a yummy cupcake.

abitknottie from Gryffindor made a beautiful flower that just begs to be smelled

KnitWit685 from Ravenclaw offered the love and caring that an injured animal craves as well, with a soft snugly bunny friend to hold

PickleMommy from Ravenclaw thought a up a new way to trap the Peryton with a set of cable gloves which are not only beautiful but are spelled to send out a net to safely trap with.

There are so many amazing stories and beautiful turn ins I could stay there all day, unfortunately I have my own team waiting on a safe trap so I must leave you here to get back to my work.

If you have not yet, I highly recommend stopping by the Care of Magic Creatures classroom and taking a look at all the amazing ideas and beautiful projects. It will inspire you I am sure.

Till next time, don't forget that if you need ideas the Knight Bus is here to help. And to anyone who played in round one of Quidditch, Round two is now going so don't forget to score and ROAR for Gryffindor,

Featured HPKCHC Blog

We have another great blog to tell you about!  It's called "She Makes Hats" http://www.shemakeshats.com and it's written by Robyn, who's known on Ravelry as shemakeshats (she recently changed her name from adevinelife).

As the blog's name implies, Robyn talks a LOT about making hats, but one of the coolest things about this blog is she is not just making hats for herself, family or friends, but she is donating many, many hats to organizations throughout the world!  

Robyn was willing to take a little break from making hats to answer some questions for our blog and here they are ...

When did you start this blog and what motivated you to start it?

I started She Makes Hats in 2009 as a way to track the hats I was making for my One Hundred Hats project. I had decided to make 100 hats for 100 people out of 100 patterns in just one year, and after I reached my goal at the end of August 2010, I just never looked back! I’ve been knitting hats and giving them away and sharing them on the blog ever since, with my new goal of making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime!

What types of topics do you usually blog about?  

I focus on the hats I’m making, the patterns I’m using, and sharing charities for folks who want to make hats and give them away, but aren’t sure where to send them. Before I publish a post, I ask myself how it will help people make hats and give them away. This means every post has a pattern you can use, thoughts on yarns to make your hats from, and plenty of advice on where to send those hats when they’re finished!

Do you have one charity you usually donate to?  Do you have any idea how many hats you’ve donated since you started?  What motivates you to keep making and donating so many hats?

I donate to a wide variety of charities, and in the last year have started hosting hat drives on She Makes Hats to help get folks involved and donating hats as well. I just finished a big hat drive for the University of Iowa’s Pediatric Oncology Center, and am now collecting hats for Completely Kids, which is a local Omaha organization working with kids living at or below the poverty line.

Because I’ve got two small kiddos at home, it’s easier right now for me to donate close to home. However, I’ve donated hats to charities all over the world, and am excited to do some bigger charity hat drives in the coming months to places in other states as well as those close to Omaha.

I keep track of the number of hats I’ve made since I began my big goal of making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people, and as of today (5.8.2014) I’m at 722, which means I’m almost 1/10th of the way to my goal!

I find myself motivated most often by the great amount of need there is. No matter how many hats I can churn off my needles, there will always be more babies being born who need a hat to keep them warm, and folks finding themselves homeless or suddenly living below the poverty line who need a warm hat in the cold months, and folks will always get sick and find they are in the hospital, where a handmade hat can not only cheer their spirits but also help keep them warm and comfortable through treatment.

Which HPKCHC house(s) are you in and what year are you?  How long have you been in that house?  Have you ever been part of one of the other houses?

I’m a Gryffindor, and have been for many terms (I’m a B4!), although I did spend one term in Ravenclaw. I’m definitely a Gryffindor through and through, however, and don’t plan to visit any other houses any time soon!

Do you normally fit a project into a class after you’ve finished it or do you usually choose a project based on a class prompt?  

Because I knit hats almost exclusively, I read the class prompts with hats in mind. That said, I don’t usually have specific hat patterns I want to be knitting, so I’ll figure out what hat best fits which prompt once I’ve read them all. As an example, it was easy to make a blue hat for Charms this month, and I have a hat with a lacy flower design queued up for a class as well!

Are you planning to work on an OWL, NEWT or a mission this term?  If so, do you have a project in mind for it yet?

I am doing a NEWT this term, a combination of arithmancy and transfiguration. Of course, the NEWT involves making lots and lots of hats!

What’s your favorite part about being in HPKCHC?  

I love the friendships I’ve made most of all!

What can you tell our blog readers that they may not already know about you?

Hmmm .. I love chocolate and pizza, I have a two year old son and a two month old daughter, along with three black cats. My husband has been slowly but surely renovating every room in our 120 year old house, and we plan to dig up our front yard in a few weeks to turn it into a vegetable garden!

Here are some awesome hats she made recently ...

Be sure to check out her blog and if you have an extra hat you'd like to donate sometime, she is definitely a great person to ask about where to send it!

Interview with Hufflepuff HoH Marushka

Hi, and welcome to a special interview this month. We are going to try to sit down once a month with a Head of House. As you all might know, last term Gryffindor Head of House, AmyPC was our very first interview on the Blog. I suppose it is my own shyness and lack of thought that did not think of talking with the other Head of Houses last term.

This term however we are opening things up to talk to people from all over the Cup. One of the most wonderful things about the Cup is that we get to have fun and get to know others that are as crazy about crafting and Harry Potter as we are. Every house in the Cup has great talent and wonderful friendly people, common rooms that will welcome anyone from any house or those who don't have a house yet to stop by and just jump in and have fun.We hope that these interviews provide you with a way to get to know other players and hopefully enhance the connections and friendships we all share.

This month we are sitting down with Hufflepuff Head of House Marushka. So grab a cup of tea and your latest project and get cozy while we talk to Marushka about how she found the Cup, what houses she has been in, the fun parts and the hard parts of being a Head of House, her favorite past projects and more.

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KMNash: So Marushka, How did you find the Cup?
Marushka: My daughter was interested in playing (she was about 14 then) and I thought it would be fun to join together. We both were sorted to Gryffindor.


KMNash: What a fun idea, playing along as mother and daughter. How long have you been playing the Cup?
Marushka: Since Spring 2010. Somehow it seems longer than that (but in a good way).


KMNash: So this term makes 4 years, that is quite impressive. What would you say is the greatest change to your crafting since joining the cup, what have you improved on the most etc?
Marushka: I’m so intrigued and inspired by what people make that I've learned to spin, learned to dye, and learned to crochet. I've made so many more things than I ever would have done on my own.


KMNash: I completely agree with the inspiration that the Cup offers. You have been with the cup since 2010, what year were you when you joined staff?
Marushka: I was a Gryffindor Pride leader in my second term.


KMNash: Pride Leader is a fun and rewarding job that is for sure. What are some of the other positions you have held on staff?
Marushka: Since coming to Hufflepuff  I've been a cete mama (similar to your pride leader), Activities Prefect, Head Girl, and now Head of House. I've enjoyed all of it!


KMNash: From leading a pride, to leading a cete to leading a House. Quite an amazing job. What are some of the unexpected trials and joys of your current position(things that are harder to deal with then you though, and things that are even more fun then you thought)?
Marushka: We've had some sad times in The Den this term and it’s hard to know how to help. Typically though the difficult things are in resolving misunderstandings -- even with the best of intentions, people can get their feelings hurt. On the bright side, I love being in the middle of things and helping make sure everyone is having a good time.


KMNash:  You mentioned being a Pride Leader so I know you had to have worn Red and Gold once before, have you ever traveled to any other houses, if so what houses have you been in, if not have you ever thought about it?
Marushka: I was in Gryffindor for a couple of terms -- until my daughter ditched me to join a friend in Ravenclaw! Since finding Hufflepuff, I've never had any impulse to wander.


KMNash: It is amazing sometimes how that feeling of home is just perfect when you find just the place to be isn't it. Being a Head of House I am sure you are busy, but in your own points scoring how active are you with OWLS and NEWTS and other Advanced Studies options?
Marushka: I’m attempting my first NEWT this term. I have done 7 or 8 OWLs and a number of missions. Some terms I’ve had health or other reasons not to take on Advanced Studies, but found that it a lot of fun to be able to concentrate just on classes and quidditch for awhile.


KMNash: Wow, first NEWT we will have to keep an eye on that one, 7 or 8 OWLs, that is amazing. Do you have an OWL or NEWT that was especially hard for you to complete?
Marushka: After having hand surgery, I made the Sipalu bag (stranded colorwork) for a Potions OWL. I could not carry one strand in each hand like I did before the injury and it seemed a lot less fun than it should have been. I do love the bag though and felt triumphant when I finished it.


KMNash: I can understand you feeling triumphant, it is a bit like an athlete coming back after an ingury to score the winning goal. With all the thing you are active in you must have some great stories about the Cup. When you tell others about the cup what are some of your funnest memories to talk about?
Marushka: One would have to be the end-of-term feast when Hufflepuff won the House Cup for the first time -- as people realized it, our Uncommon Room exploded into laughter and happy tears.


KMNash: First time Hufflepuff Cup Win is quite an accomplishment, bet that next win was just as much fun. Great Job. On a more personal note, of all your turn ins to the cup, this term and past, what are some of the ones you are most proud of and what were they turned in for?
Marushka: My favorite OWL project is my Girasole shawl -- even though I've never worn it, I so loved every minute making it!

But that didn't give me 15 minutes of fame like my Summer Splendor lap blanket did when it was featured in the House Cup article on Ravelry’s home page. 

KMNash: Thank you so much for showing us your beautiful projects, you are very talented. Before we go do you have any pointers or comments you would like to say to everyone about anything?
Marushka: First, my advice to NQFYs is not to define the Houses here by what the books say about them. Find the people you feel comfortable with and that’s your House. Second, until you've had a staff job, you have no idea how hard people are working behind the scenes to make this game as much fun as it is -- play nice and say thank you.

KMNash: Thank you so much for your time Marushka, we will let you go now and get back to the very busy job as Head of House. I wish Marushka and all of Hufflepuff a wonderful term ( I hope not quite as wonderful as Gryffindor though as I would like us to get that cup back hehe)

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And here my readers is where our story must end for now, Marushka has offered us a wonderful insight into another house, and a very tough job. I myself have dropped over to the Hufflepuff Den to say hello and I personally recommend a visit to all my readers, they are a wonderfully friendly group.

Remember,Quidditch Round 2 Starts tomorrow, OoTP Missions are a Go on Sunday, and we are halfway through the month so if you have not gotten that one class requirement in or need help with an idea drop over to the Knight Bus for help.

Hope to see you tomorrow for Fridays Featured Classroom, and I might just put on my reporting hat and head out to do some Roving Reporting as well.

Also as a last note I would like to add that if you have someone you would really like to see interviewed, drop me a line on Ravelry and we will see if we can set it up.

Weekly Pride Summary

The Prides are really getting into gear with all the beginning of term activity!

The Animal Crackers have started a friendly rivalry with the Sugar Quills, submitted a darling baby Welsh dragon for quidditch, organized some yarn, and got creative to keep a separate crafting room.

The Sugar Quills recommended some good summer reading for tweens, turned in a first class with a photo of a great mug, tried felting for the first time, and decided to try three-at-a-time socks.

The Exploding Bonbons turned in lots of hats, showed off cute hatchlings, got a special incentive to turn in classes and a threat if they didn't, and contemplated fine dining. 

The Canary Creams tackled a big afghan, planned a spectacular diaper cake, made sure they were well-prepared for the day, and formed a Mellow Yellow relaxicrafting team.

The Acid Pops turned in a hive hat complete with bees, added a flamingo to a baby's menagerie and found a dress to go with it, explained to a passing stranger that socks work, and learned that conferences can actually help knitting.

The Fizzing Whizbees spun some beautiful yarn, provided some reassurance on steeking, provided updates on lots of turn-ins, and finished a sock for an OWL.

The Pepper Imps made good progress on an OWL,  turned in some lovely socks for detention, provided a glowing example of a turn-in, overcame some last-minute hitches to turn in Quidditch, and got advice on maximizing points.

Mother's Day 2014!

In the United States and in many other countries in the world, yesterday was Mother's Day.  Many of our fellow HPKCHC members crafted some lovely gifts for their mothers and then turned them in for homework, quidditch or detention.  Here are a bunch of them ...

TruffleShuffler finished a stunning cotton/silk blend cowl for her mother.

PlainSimpleGarak knit a gorgeous and comfy looking pair of socks for her mother.

Bijou3owl made EIGHT washcloths for her mother!  Here is one of them ...

ewhite3 knit this beautiful cowl for her mother.

JaynaMac made this pretty dishcloth as part of a special basket she's putting together for one of her moms.

Stephieroo knit this pretty hat for her mother.

Last but not least, beeanimated made this adorable scrubby cloth to complete her mom's Mother's Day gifts.

Hope all of you mothers had a great Mother's Day!

The Common Room

The Common room is the most active forum within Gryffindor and here on the blog we will do a weekly wrap-up to try to hit the highlights of the posts there.  So if you get behind and it's too many posts to catch up, you can at least get an idea of the main threads here.  We do link to the posts, so you can go read the actual thread (or see the photos) if you want.  If there are a lot of posts on one topic, I will normally only link one here.   Now this is the first summary of the term and we already have more than 3300 posts, so this first post will unhappily skip the first few days (and 115 pages) of introductions and games and start with a summary of the past week.

The week got off to a good start with a round of hottie sharing, which fortunately did not distract one of our college students from her finals.  A sweet furry boy celebrated the one-year anniversary of his adoption.  There was a vote of appreciation for those family members who put up with our passions.  Mio demonstrated the powers of a human crochet machine.  There was a good explanation of what detention yardage counts and another on counting the yardage from Advanced studies.

Barknknit showed her beautiful knitting local and lamented the need to have to return to work.  The first 50% NEWT was turned in.  A comment was made on what you need for crochet, causing the PG lion to stir a bit.  Our Head of House found a relaxing way to start the day, as long as she's not too picky about the colors.

Some staff members came up with songs to cheer on the OWL and OOTP students. Some beautiful yarn was spun for Quidditch.  There was a demonstration of what makes the house so wonderful. There were also fun tributes to mothers and an NQFY planted a lovely seed.

Sadly, Gryffindor lost a precious member this week to cancer.  AmyPC has set up a document for condolences to be sent to her family. 

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And now for some informal statistics for the week.    Today is the last day for the first round of Quidditch.  While the final scores are not yet in, as of yesterday Gryffindor was in third place behind Slytherin and Ravenclaw.  The scores were close, though, with only 14 submissions separating us from the top. 

On the house cup, however, the scores as recorded so far (and this is totally unofficial) have us slightly in the lead.  We have the most detention turn ins of any house and we're tied for class turn ins.  This is not the time to relax, though, we need all the classes we can get to bring the cup back. 

Featured HPKCHC Blog

Want to hear about a great crafting blog that's a lot of fun to read?  This week we're featuring a blog written by a fellow HPKCHC member, Ruth, who's known on Ravelry as BraschElegance.  Her blog can be found at: http://braschelegance.indiemade.com/blog and be sure to click on each of the blog posts to see lots of awesome pictures of her finished objects and more!

Ruth was kind enough to let us ask her a bunch of questions about her blog and here are her responses ...

When did you start this blog and what motivated you to start it?  I started blogging about 3 years ago while I was in college because lots of people saw me knitting and asked me the typical questions: what are you making, how do you make it, can you make me one? I wanted to discuss my favorite patterns, have a place to keep a record of the projects I’ve worked on. I also love blogging because it gives me the chance to connect with other people with similar interests. I don’t know too many people who knit and crochet, but blogging has introduced me to tons of crafters!

What types of topics do you usually blog about?  Most of my blogging involves knitting and crocheting, and a little bit about my life and things I may be reading at the time. I like to have consistent subject matter so people know that when they come to my blog they’ll find mostly crafting talk.

What type(s) of crafting do you normally do and how long have you been doing them? Are there any techniques, fibers, or types of crafts you’d like to try but haven’t yet?  Ooh! There is so much I have to say about this! My mom taught me how to do basic knitting stitches when I was a young child- just your standard cast on, knit, and purl. I don’t even think I knew how to cast off! I learned how to do a chain stitch from my grandmother when I was about 12, and made multiple balls of chain stitch because I didn’t know any other crochet stitches! Everything beyond that is self taught- I used to mostly read library books, because sites like Ravelry weren’t around yet. Once blogging and sites like Ravelry came into existence, I started trying every new technique I could find! 

I’d love to try my hand at spinning and dyeing, and will likely be working on that throughout this year. I have a drop spindle and some wool, but my skills are sorely lacking at this point! My goal is to be able to knit from my own handspun yarn at least once by the end of the year. I’d also love to learn to spin on a wheel- I admit, partially because of the sheer coolness of sitting behind a spinning wheel, and partially because using a drop spindle with a baby crawling at your feet does not work well!

Which HPKCHC house(s) are you in and what year are you? How long have you been in that house? Have you ever been part of one of the other houses? If so, when and for how long?  I’m a second year in Hufflepuff (Huzzah Hufflepuff!). Since it’s only my second term, I decided to stay in the house I started in, but I would like to do a couple terms visiting the other houses! I love meeting all the people in HPKCHC, it’s such a fun environment!

Do you normally fit a project into a class after you’ve finished it or do you usually choose a project based on a class prompt?  I’m about 50/50 with this. There’s plenty of times I’ve taken a project I would have made already and just scrolled through class prompts, trying to see which (if any) I could submit it for. My first class, though, I was so excited that I made a project just for it on one of the first days of the term! I do a lot of knitting and crocheting either as gifts for people, or to sell, so I like to find a way to work my planned projects into class prompts.

On the other hand, I have made so many projects already that I would not have attempted if the class prompts hadn’t encouraged me!

What’s your favorite part about being in HPKCHC? I absolutely love the atmosphere in the houses! There’s so many helpful people that love to knit, crochet, spin, weave, dye (I think I got all the crafts!), and they want everyone to love their crafts as much as they do! I think that’s why people are so generous and helpful to the new people like me- everyone just wants to share their love of crafting!

What can you tell our blog readers that they may not already know about you? I’m probably not the most conventional crafting blogger! I haven’t been “seriously” blogging for that long, so I don’t know how I “should” run a blog. I just write and tell you what I’m working on and what I think about it! I have an almost 9 month old son, and I’ve just started being a stay at home mom, which I’m super excited about! You’ll probably end up seeing bunches of pictures and posts about him if you read and/or follow my blog! I love to talk yarn, wool, knitting, crocheting- just about anything! It would make my day (heck, who am I kidding, probably my month) if someone read my blog then messaged me or commented to talk about it- I think I would be dancing for weeks!

Here's one of Ruth's most recent finished objects ... it's a sparrow bag that's lined with feathers!

Check out all of her other great finished objects on her blog!