Quidditch Sweater - Started (twice)!

There was a lot of drama in HPKCHC over the weekend (henceforth, "The Kerfuffle"); I'm still digesting it. I'm certainly staying in the Cup for the rest of the month, and probably the rest of the term (once I calm down a bit) - if only to make sure Slytherin gets the cup back. After that, I'm not sure; if, say, Durmstrang starts up, I'll probably enroll there. Right now, I'm just plain angry, and trying to keep my (potentially not-useful/harmful) comments out of there. One of the "healing activities" started up is to contribute to the Quidditch Essay (... don't ask), and this is what I came up with:

To me, being a Slytherin is being able to be myself, in all my crazy-ambitious it-is-TOO-possible-just-watch-me! glory.
It's having a House where people understand that the gift of ambition and drive to make things better in whatever framework one is dealt is exactly that: a gift that should be used and nurtured.
It's having encouragement to reach for the seemingly impossible, dream of a bright tomrrow, and work hard to bring it into reality.
It's knowing that brilliance, harnessed and directed, can make things better than we ever imagined.
My House is Slytherin, and together, we can change the world.

A big part of why I've enjoyed HPKCHC is because of the House of Slytherin, as it was before last Friday. Our (former) HoH and the Crazy As (who, along with the Deputy Headmistress, aren't in the Cup anymore) really encouraged everyone to do the best they could, and I've been able to pull off more spectacular and fun projects since last May than I could've dreeamed possible. As it turns out, this has actually been a really good thing for my mental health: I thrive on feelings of accomplishment, of "there, that's done," and creativity. The Cup has outlets for both - insane deadlines, and chances to make up designs (so far this term - Arithmancy, Flying), play with existing designs (DADA, History of Magic & Charms - and my OWL), or actually follow designs as written (I'll let you know if that happens). If you've seen my house, you know that it takes a good long time to get anything accomplished around it - it happens, it's just slow. Knitting/crocheting for the Cup is nigh-immediate, since at times, I can finish a class assignment in one day!

So, I'm staying in the Cup for now, since, and now it's about the POINTZ. (And I'm staying mostly in The Slytherin Dungeon, run by my ex-HoH, but will pop into the new Dungeon & the Cup from time to time). I want ALL THE POINTZ!!! I've already turned in (and gotten credit for) five of the six "points" class possible - and hopefully, there will be lots of bonus points. I'll be wearing my "Scarlett's Army" Quidditch Ravatar from here on in, so we'll see.

On the POINTZ front, I started my Quidditch sweater. I was a good little bunny, and even did a swatch!


The swatch, however, IS A LIAR. A big, fuzzy LIAR. I measured, and got 20st=4". Which, somehow in my brain, turned into "cast on 360 stitches". (Which, in the cold light of day after a few nights' good sleep, I realize should have been "cast on 260" - math after midnight should be banned.) But even with considerations of Math Failure, the sweater was 200 stitches too big, not 100. Even my poor math skills can't save this swatch from being branded the lying liar it is!!


So, Monday night, still shaking from The Kerfuffle, I ended up ripping out 7,200 stitches and casting on again, this time with 160 stitches. Just before work on Tuesday, I was almost back to where I'd been when I had to frog:


I've gotten quite a bit further along now - it's amazing what knitting 200 fewer stitches per row will do for my knitting speed.


Hopefully, this will be done this week - by the end of the weekend at least? - and I'll have POINTZ for Slytherin - and be able to start on the matching necktie, hat, gloves, socks and (hopefully) plaid skirt. Yes, POINTZ IS ALL!!!