Onward and Upward

I was just sitting downstairs, knitting away on my Aquatic Raglan, looking over at my SUPERSECRET HP pal gift, which is about 95% finished, and thinking...oh my gosh, it's finally summer.

Time to think, and knit, and play with my kids...time to watch movies and stay up late and try new foods and explore my area and visit with my extended family and catch up on some housekeeping details (like cleaning closets and...oh...renewing my teaching certificate, which expires on...um...Monday) and take Mr D to soccer camp and go swimming and sing songs with Miss E and ride my bike and get back into exercise and surf the net and ... the list goes on.

Maybe even do some writing, like I'm always intending. And do some more writing. And take some good pictures. And learn to use InDesign and Photoshop better, not just because of teaching journalism, but because it's fun.

So. First on my list: walk to mailbox, put renewal form in, and raise up the flag. (Also on list: replace nasty rusty mailbox that got bashed by neighborhood hooligans last year.)

After that task, as Mr. Bennett says, I will be quite at my leisure. And after the year I've had, I'm pretty darn glad.

trivia...

Trivia

1. At the beginning of the year feast, who is the only person who rudely interrupts Dumbledore during his speech?

b. Professor Umbridge (hem, hem)

2. Off what street is the alley where Harry first met Sirius?

c. Magnolia Crescent

3. Tonks’ mother had two sisters, both pure-bloods, and both left on the Black Family Tree. What are their names?

c. Narcissa and Bellatrix

4. What spell are the students studying in McGonagall’s class when Umbridge is doing her inspection?

d. The Vanishing Spell

5. Who comes to warn Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army that Umbridge and her group of followers are coming to break up their meeting?

Answer: Dobby

6. Who are the members of the Order that met Harry Potter in the Dursely’s house during the summer before his fifth year?

c. Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Remus Lupin, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones

7. Moody used the Disillusionment Charm on Harry.

a. Yes

8. Which of these Death Eaters is Sirius related to?

d. All of these

9. At what age did Sirius leave his home?

Answer: 16

10. How many of the original Order members were killed (don’t include those who disappeared)?

b. 8

Picture Scavenger



Kingsley Shacklebolt



Bellatrix Lestrange



Nymphadora Tonks



Remus Lupin (also see my entry two down to prove that I am married to him!)

I caught the snitch!

snitch2
Originally uploaded by Wordpurler

For teachers, the end of the year is simultaneously a sprint and a marathon. This year, in particular, I felt like I was trapped in one of those runaway mining cars in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom--just careening blindly toward who-knows-what. Family health issues...teaching two sections of AP for the first time...student research papers that were absolutely AWFUL but also a graduation requirement...and an unexpected family tragedy (on Thursday evening) made this final week of school unlike anything I've ever lived through.

But today I earned 150 points in the game of life. And the school year is over! My swap partner, Lavender Ackerly, sent me this awesome snitch, which hides a measuring tape inside its golden little body. (Hope I don't have to whisper, "I open at the close" to use it.)

She did specify that this gift confers no special snitch-finding ability when it comes to HSKS Quidditch...hoping for a Hufflepuff streak, I guess. Humph.

Thanks, Lavender! You made my week! And, yes, I will be doing LOTS of knitting this summer to make up for all those hours I lost this month commenting on horrific research papers...

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

This is my husband, my son, and I dressed up for the HP7 launch party last summer. Since I scored as a Lupin on the personality test, I thought I'd show how I am married to Lupin.


(I was dressed up as Mrs. Weasley, of course! Note the knitted patches on my sweater and my Swallowtail Shawl. I see Molly as a lace knitter for herself after all of those shapeless jumpers for the kids.)

Collagio!

1. Foot and Jeans with Dana and Tree Bokeh, 2. Not available, 3. Trebuchet 2, 4. The red one, 5. Rafe Spall, 6. IMG_1905, 7. "LET THERE BE LIGHT". IRELAND., 8. New York Style Cheesecake, 9. Writer, 10. Family Portrait, 11. 1hp nigg optimistic, 12. Woodpile II

This was a fun one! Go to Flickr and search by the answers to the questions below. From the first page of results, choose one photo and paste its URL into this mosaic maker.

Funny: there were no results for Wordpurler, my Flickr ID...but it asked me, "Do you mean woodpile?" So, hence, the woodpile. And, for my high school, a picture of a trebuchet came up. Yikes!

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Blogipostiumus!

Editorial Caps
Originally uploaded by Wordpurler

Ack. Sorry, Ravenclaws, I've been working like a house-elf on end-of-year stuff for my Muggle school. The hats pictured here are the garments with which i set free three of my senior house-elves, the three editors on the yearbook staff.

All are variations on the Basic Cable hat from Stitch'n'Bitch Nation, which I've now made about eight times, I think...great basic beanie. Of course I'm not happy with the plain rope cable any more, though, so all three were tweaked to my heart's desire.

From left to right:

1. Husky purple for my managing editor #1, attending UW this fall in Seattle...6-stitch silver dollar cable.

2: Charcoal grey, or "east coast grey" as I think of it, since here in the Northwest we're all about the earth tones--for managing editor #2, attending Northeastern in Boston this fall...I call this one the "brain wave" because i did a rope cable alternating L and R crosses so it didn't twist but waved.

3: Leaf green for my editor-in-chief, attending Journalism school (yay!) at Northwestern this fall in Chicago...This one had the most tweaks, because it was a 9-stitch braided cable. I wrote up the pattern for this one and I'll post it soon. I love how it turned out!

Oh, and all 3 were in Patons Classic Wool...Purple, Charcoal, and Leaf, I believe. Size 7s for the ribbing and 8 for the cabled portion.