End of Term last CRR pgs 579-590

So it's the end of term and my job is done... this is the last CRR of the term. So grab your courage badges and wear them with pride.  I've smallified them for you to use as ravatars.

so lets get to it.
NaturallyKnitty finished her 2nd OWL. Darahmartin got some lovely stuff in the mail! Knicknacks finished her potions. Derricksdoll is crafting like a mad woman and turning out wonderful things! Frick visited a new LYS and some roving followed her home. (guess who' jealous) Trubie's growing into a little man sooo cute after his first haircut! Mindysue rocks the scarlet with a crazy month. Good job to you and everyone who's earned a badge! Check out the hat Derricksdoll made on the cute little baby!
ok and that brings you to Aug 1st.
Good Job Gryffindor! you guys ROAR!

only a few days left in this term! pgs 552-578

Like I said before all the chatting is starting it's going to be a little crazy the next few days. Lets jump in.
Right off the bat CS is tempting us with Kromski wheel photos! (sigh) Hottie's juggling. Hottie in the pool. Jedimeg got the surprise blanket we started back when we found out she was pregnant. and she likes it!! YAY!
Darahmartin got her kids into dying! aren't they just cute. Hermionejean finished her OWL. I need to get that pattern b/c those dragons are so cute. Frick's Owl's getting closer! Straayerliz has been busy dying.CS is plotting baby rooms. Lupingirl is knitting knitting knitting! Spartyliblover shared a HILARIOUS video. NaturallyKnitty gave us a lesson in dehairing. Jajigirl spun lace weight for her owl ON A SPINDLE!!!! call me amazed b/c that is what I am! it's so pretty! CS is showing us some beautiful angora. you can just tell how soft it is! NK shared her llama all spun up. Vertigo finished a pretty scarf. I love it. Gerard! CS's dragon is done! I have the pattern I just need to make one! Noonee is trying to decide her next OWL.. go help. and picked a potions owl. can you help her place her scarf in the right class. TWO roaring lion badges went out one to AmyPC and the other to Derricksdoll. Yay you guys ROAR! Mallet of sanity! CS is plotting owls. Ravenclaw's having a reading challenge. CS you're tempting all of us to get a Kromski. the bobbins are beautiful! Darahmartin is a waiting her new wheel and she's ready!

and that should catch you up!
till next time!

Crafting into Overtime! pgs 524-551

It's that time of the month when people start crafting overtime. or they're all done and start chatting overtime. Not a problem I'll try and keep you up to date... with that.. lets get going!
Frick plied some yarn (it looks store bought don't you think) Noonee finished her OWL. it's awesome. (did you ever get better photos?) OKC got us all excited with the Sookie Stackhouse yarn she's using. (i totally NEED to buy some) The best one liner ever! and i TOTALLY agree. OKC got to meet Charlaine Harris and I'm all green b/c she's hoping to see her again at comic con! Straayerliz is spinning beautifully! I realize I've been posting a bit in the CR and I just have to share I'm so excited about this. There was a movie night that I missed. but hopefully I'll be able to make it to this week's. NaturallyKnitty's shawl is pretty! Siriusly got her drop spindle. NaturallyKnitty is sharing beautiful photos of roving. Alexist finished her shawl. CS is showing off her carding fun! (i really want a drum carder) she also is showing us photos of them. Covington finished some bookmarks. CS has a WIP that's looking wonderful! and some beautiful roving to card together. I'm loving the sparkely parts. Derricksdoll finished her bookmarks. Lisakbye had a wheel follow her home. Spartyliblover is showing us her lovey yarn haul. Stacylovesyarn and PennyIA had a meetup! OKC had fun hanging out with Seth Green. oh and she got a fair amount done on her shawl. and I know this isn't about me but I need to share the dying I did the other day. it was a TON of fun! Straayerliz did some dying too! CS  is gathering a list of Kromski owners. and sharing the lovely photos of her wheel again! so if you're a gryffie and you have one let her know! or if you're looking for a wheel CS will steer you right!
Ok that should catch you up!

it's about that time. pgs 507-523

I find myself at home alone and the CR needing a recap. so here we go.
Darahmartin is getting a kitty. Straayerliz turned in her pretty shawl.(ya know the one that ALMOST makes me want to knit a shawl) PennyIA finished her dragon. Andisocial finished her first sweater. (i love that pattern it's in my queue) OKC is showing off her fabulous sweater and cute baby. Crochetbyclare has just a few birds. Funny comics. Straayerliz's first yarn on her new wheel! Naturallyknitty is stunning us all with her lovely photos! Lion Cookies. Frick is almost done with her OWL. TKJ is back for a bit and showing us some juggling stuff she bought. (pretty freakin cool if you ask me) Derricksdoll made a beautiful baby blanket! Jajigirl was sewing, and I think she's got me wanting to sew again! NaturallyKnitty went to a fiber fair and took our dad and mom. and then showed us her haul and tons of photos and one from the meet up with Jedimeg and baby Ian! Krazyquilts made some awesome socks. I love the color! Savvyknits got a new kitty. Draco's getting big. Lisakbye is sharing some photos to giggle at.
and that should catch you up!

Playing catch up! pgs 472-506

Hey everyone, sorry I've been so long in giving you another CRR. the Quidditch mega challenge just took it out of me.

Derricksdoll shows us some lovely lovely FO's.  We had a lot of gryffie's nominated for prizes this past month. Straayerliz knit some great snowman mittens. Naturallyknitty shared a test knit vest she made for Clhoe. (isn't my niece so cute?) Spartyliblover finished a great doll she had a good story too! Straayerliz is sharing her cute little baby boy. CS the roving reporter gave us an update on the blog. PennyIA's weekly progress report/plan is putting me to shame. So is straayerliz's. Jaclynbailey is back and with quidditch say hi and maybe she'll stay around! (we miss you!) Lupingirl did a podcast for her class go check it out. Amypc did some research for us N runes. thank you so much! so did Mindysue! Covington finished some quidditch things.  Straayerliz is watching The princess bride and shared her progress on her shawl. Mauri's creatively helping out! Jajigirl is back from her vacation. Lupingirl made an announcement. please go read. ROAR! Covington is asking for some help. Stacylovesyarn is sharing her monthly plan! Autumnleaf77 needs help to decide what to do. TKJ is going to camp... we'll miss her! Darahmartin- I love the CR too! Mauri shares how the world is so freakin small! Congrats Fantasyflyte!!!! Galena shared with us  a great knitting comic. go check it out. NaturallyKnitty finished one of her OWLs. it's awesome! I have to share my 10 year old Daughter is knitting a sock!  Lisakbye got some beautiful yarn in the mail! Straayerliz got her beautiful new wheel! more progress updates! CS is checking in from her vacation. Andisocial shared an AWESOME cartoon and her totally cool new tat. Gerard is visiting for vertigo1414's birthday. and more Gerard. (you may want to immerse yourself in the CR today)

and that should catch you up! Don't forget about our House Unity Project for July!

Roving Reporting!

StarKnits has done such a fabulous job with the common room recaps I didn't think I actually needed to update you all with some of the spinning reporting.. but as I am going away and since I cannot take you all with me.. I figured we needed one monster post we could refer everyone to! So with that.. lets begin!

Everyone knows that I am a huge Kromski lover and since I own two and have sung their praises high and convinced quite a few other Gryffindor's to buy them.. I am often asked do I ever dream about owning another wheel? The answer to that is this -- I do dream of owning a triple flier castle style wheel.. but they are a little out of my curent budget and I don't know that I would actually be able to spin on them or if I would be so terrified I would knick the beautiful carvings! Anyway.. here are some photos of my dream wheels. Beautiful aren't they?!



Next, did you know All Spun Up is planning on a huge spin-a-long on July 20th? The listings begin on her etsy shop and you can check out the SAL thread on Ravelry for a preview of the rovings. They will be a silk blend so if you're interested (and chances are you will be!) head over to the thread and give Kristin a shout so she knows how many rovings she will need to dye up.. If you can't make a purchase after you comment, there's no worries.. ASU rovings are always snatched up fast! Many are planing to purchase enough to make a sweater and I am planning on grabbing at least 3 for myself since its such a delicious colorway!

Last but not least.. we get a lot of questions in our common room about spinning.. most of the posts are asking where to start.. so if you've read these posts a million times you can just skip right ahead! Other wise, listen up! You do not need to spend all that extra money on spinning classes.. trust me. I spent all that money on one and learned nothing.. and what's more, everything you will ever need to know about spinning -- we're going to talk about right here!

Spinning 101

The first thing you are going to need is a drop spindle. You don't have to have an expensive one, in fact you can make one yourself right here! If you want to purchase a kit, they have some great ones on etsy. I have used this shop and sent one to derricksdoll from this shop and she has some some beautiful yarn on it!

Once you get your spindle, we should talk a little bit about your fiber options. I like wool top for beginners because its fully combed and very easy to spin and draft from.. roving is also combed but not quite as much as tops are.. the fibers are a little more compact and can require a little more drafting... then there are batts, these are fluffy pillows of fiber that have been put together on a drum carder and often include different fiber blends.. start with anything you like but avoid silks.. try to learn on wool, its just easier for beginners..

Next watch these videos!

Drafting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us0nk_ryMDI
Spinning on a Spindle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXTWgMeMgI
Spinning Basics - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGQXo5ZQYMo
Spinning Basics 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9wA561aglo
Spinning with Batts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMEDB9FK2vM


There you go! Everything you will need to get you started on spinning! Watch for my next blog post about what to do with your fibers once you have spun them!

I hope everyone has learned a little something, was enabled a little bit, and now feel encouraged to pick up a spindle and try to make some yarn! I will be on vacation so my posts may be few or far between.. so know that I will miss you all dearly!

xox,
CherrySprinkle

Independence day..... pgs 432 -471

With the end of the month and the beginning of the new month we had a lot of action in the CR. I'm going to try and sum it up for you!
The NQFY purzelonline shared some FO's they are amazing. Straayerliz finished her OWL and it's a PATTERN free for download! go check it out. Frick shared a link that is now my desktop background. thank you very much! Derricksdoll needs some help with her etsy store. The new DH trailer is out.. Naturallyknitty linked us to one. Frick has shared some amazing homework projects. Krystina1207 brought the HP Trailer to the CR for us.
Vertigo1414 brought Gerard! that is one HOT photo! (which you should know that I'm watching law abiding citizen right now)
CS is sharing some awesome spinning videos. if you're thinking about spinning these are good places to start! Krystina1207 showed us her very functional homework project. There was a badger invasion. CS is 50% on her OWL. PennyIA is trying to tell herself she doesn't want to spin.. How's that working for you? CS got her new drum carder. and I'm so jealous!
Then the parade of Hotties started.  we like 'em HOT! click each link for a different photo. (my fave are the ones OKC shared)  SapphireRuby shared her gryffie socks with us. TKJ is going to get one awesome drop spindle! FantasyFlyte is sharing proof of her spinning. (soon the whole house of gryffindor will be spinners)
Annamyra is sharing some stats and updates. Derricksdoll shared some great wrist warmers and a great photo. Lupingirl is asking your opinion on our July house project. Binkette55 is getting a new wheel. it's the same kind I have and I love it! Andisocial shared a video for canada day. there were 2 Roaring Lion badges awards! Yay for Woolenhorse and Loveswildflowers, you guys ROAR! The mallet of sanity is still out there people if you need a whack just ask. Angiejude got a raise! Catdragon came over and gave us a lesson in cleaning wool. Colvea came in to the CR to tell us that Dobby socks are a win win in her class. I missed movie night AGAIN! ARUGH!
Lisakbye made an amazing winky which i think i need to make myself a house elf. Krystina1207 finished her DADA owl. it's beautiful! Everyone started posting ideas for the AR letters. I got an N and all I got was noro and I don't particularly care for the yarn so if you have any other "n" ideas please LMK! CS shared a photo of great mittens for but needs to find the pattern. if you can help, please share! Straayerliz finished her HOM. so did Purzleonline. True Blood anyone?
autumnleaf77 finished her OWL too.
and that's a good note to finish on.
The movie is done and I'm going to get to bed.
Have a fantastic 4th of July everyone!