The List, October 2010

Someone over in Hufflepuff House started a "stash" thread, which I was invited (thanks, Steph!) to join. It got me thinking about The List, that magical giant spreadsheet I use to track things started, finished, and just sort of sitting there in any given year. I started The List back in 2001 (at least that's the earliest iteration I can find), and each January 1, I get a fresh start. The Ultimate (and possibly unreachable) goal is to get my works in progress into the SINGLE digits. Under TEN. Yeah, I know, not for a long time. But for 2010, the goal is to get the number of items on The List under 40... and that could happen. Stats for the year: projects started and finished: 74; projects finished total, 83; projects started and not finished, 6. I have a really, REALLY long commute, and have decided housework is a waste of time - that's how I manage so much crafting time.

So, here it is. The List, as it stands at the end of October, 2010, all 47 items-in-progress. As you can see, I tend to cling to projects once I've started them. That needs to change. There are some things on this list that I'm never going to finish, and I need to just Let Them Go. (This is different from the ones I can't find; they'll turn up. Possibly when I start getting rid of the other, never-to-be-completed, projects.) Some aren't worth finding new homes for; some I'll give away via the Ravelry groups for the associated "started - anyone want to finish?" threads. But here's the list, right now. (Any photos are the most recent ones I could find on Photobucket; most projects are beyond the point in the photo.)

Cross-Stitch Projects: 25	Year Started	Designer	Plan
"Castle Sampler"	1992	Teresa Wentzler	Finish. I bought all the floss again for Ancient Ruins over the summer, and I have everything I need - except the time.
"Arcadian Angel"	1993	MarBek/Serendipity	One of a set of four, this is the "summer" angel. Spring is done, and I have the kits for autumn and winter. They're lovely, so this will get finished.
"Dreamcatchers II"	1993	Design Works	This only has about four hours left, but it's NASTY counting and a ton of backstitch. I've finished a companion piece already, and have another related kit in the wings. So, this, too, will get finished.
"Day"	1994	Teresa Wentzler	I have "Night", too. It's a TW; the border is done, the rest will be. Someday.
"Mysterious Spirit Woman"	1994	Candy & Co	I really like this image - but I've so far changed all the colors in it, reworked several things... and I still have just a bit of it finished. This one will be DISCARDED, and the chart kept in the archives.
"Waiting for Ships/Mermaid of the Pearls"	1995	Miribilia	This is a 4'x4' piece when finished, and finished it will be. Someday. I think I'm most of the way through the WfS mermaid, and have about 1/3 of the tail of MotP done. And, of course, I'm changing the hair on one and the face on the other to make it seem that they're running from danger. (Why, I'm not sure; the idea appealed to me when I started stitching.)
English Knot Garden	1996	Lake District Designs	The first kit I bought at a Cross Stitch Show. I'm really getting close to this one being done; I need to finish it before the end of 2011.
"Unicorn" ("Night Watch")	1996	Teresa Wentzler	32-count black linen AND it's a TW. My husband picked it out, and I'll do it someday - but NOT on 32-count black linen. DISCARD.
"Autumn Queen"	1997	Miribilia	I need to find yellows I like for her skirt and olive greens I like for her cloak; she's about 4/5 finished at this point, and re-done in autumn colors (reds and oranges and golds!)
"Angel of Christmas"	1997	Jannlyn	I liked this enough that I accidentally bought it twice (gave the spare to a friend long ago)... and yet it still isn't finished a decade later. I'm on the fence with this one.
"Peacock Tapestry"	1998	Teresa Wentzler	I think I've got one corner of this done - but it counts as started. It's my favorite of her designs, so it'll get done someday!
Water Dragon (from BFF)	1998	JannLyn	I think I have most of the dragon done at this point, and I'm working on the buildings. It's a lot of olive green, but it's cool, so I'll finish it.
Autumn Sampler - Twisted Threads OCSJ class	2001	Twisted Threads	This is a very tiny sampler - and has been lost in my house for quite some time now. If I find it, I'll finish it - possibly as a needle roll.
"Abundant Acorns"	2001	Sweetheart Tree	I love acorn motifs, and I love Sweetheart Tree designs, so this really should be done by now - but every time I pick it up to work on it, I lose interest quickly. On the fence on this one.
Sanctuary/Drawn Thread	2003	Drawn Thread	I started this as part of a stitch-along, and have about 5/6 of it finished. Once again, it's lost in my house...
Pocahontas "Proud Princess"	2003	Disney	One of two Pocahontas kits I'm doing (I own four); I think I'm down to the border on this one.
Guenivere	2005	MarBek/Serendipity	I've started this chart twice. There's not a lot left, I just need to finish the darned thing. (It's on some gold sparkly cloth that's really pretty, too!)
Tiffany Wisteria Window (1)	2005	Cross My Heart	After a lot of thinking... I don't really like this chart as much as I thought I did, and I've got the Oyster Bay window chart now. DISCARD.
"Once Upon a Time" (The Fairy20s Secret Love)	2005	Passione Riccamo	Wedding Sampler for my BFF on some lovely hand-painted cloth. I need to finish it!
Pocahontas "Beautiful Braids"	2006	Bucilla	I think this one is really close to done, too - I've done Meeko (the raccoon) and the border; I just need to stitch the girl.
Tiffany Wisteria Window (2)	2006	Barbara Thompson	This has been an on-and-off carry around project the last few months, and it's getting closer and closer to being finished. Good chance I'll manage it in 2010.
Small but Ferocious Gryphon	2008	Arelate Studio	This is me having fun and combining two Arelate Studios charts into one, with the idea that it'll look like an illuminated manuscript page when finished. Single-thread gold crosses take FOREVER because the thread keeps snagging on itslef. That's why it's not done yet.
VS 12 Days of Christmas Bellpull	2008	Victoria Sampler	It's Victoria Sampler. It's Twelve Days. I Took the Cyberclass, then fell behind... but I have all my instructions. I'm on the Three French Hens, but this will get finished.
Williamsburg "The Chase" Sampler	2009	Mary Starker/Elsa Williams	Technically, this is off the list at present. I need to take the thread out of the original stamped cross stitch fabric, iron same, and fold it gently for preservation on the back of the finished new one. I have a sheet of 32-ct linen that I'll be working two over two instead, but I haven't started it yet.
Wicked Necklace	2010	Primitive Needle	The current carry-around; likely done by the end of November 2010
Cross-Stitch Quilt/Set Projects: 3
"MS 2000"	2000	Various Designers	This was a design-it-as-a-group project, where several bands for each month (with additions for birthdays and anniversaries and other events) were presented, and everyone could choose their own. I believe I'm working on July (with a birthday band between March and April, and Anniversary between June and July). Someday, it will be finished.
Eight "Joy" Ornaments (JCS Ornament issue	2006	Sweetheart Tree	I started making these for my friends for christmas in 2006. With the year on them. At this point, when I find them, I'm sending them out. My friends know about the list, and will understand!!
Six Williamsburg Mini Ornaments	2007	Ronnie Rowe	I love Ronnie Rowe's stuff; I've got all his pen-and-ink designs. These will get done.
Latch Hook Projects: 1
Lounging Leopard Rug	1996	???	I don't know if I have the rug yarn for this any more. If it doesn't turn up by the end of 2011, that's the end of this one.
Crochet Projects: 0
Knitted Projects: 6
Peacock Scarf	2007	CJ Bagaria	This is beautiful Alchemy yarn, with iridescent beads and a peacock-feather pattern I invented. As it's one tiny ball of yarn and a vial of beads, it's a tiny, tiny project. It's been lost for a few years; I'm hoping it will come to light, because I do intend to finish it.
Dragon Illusion Blanket (II)	2009	CJ Bagaria	At this point, I'm hoping I hit the halfway point of this monster by the end of 2011. It's HUGE. If I finish it, though, I'm totally selling the patter, because it's AWESOME.
Hello Kitty Illusion Scarf	2010	Alana Blewitt/CJ Bagaria	I think I have three blocks left on this. Possible 2010 finish.
Yarn on Thursday: Stitch Edition Blanket	2010	CJ Bagaria	I'm halfway through the stitch directory I'm using for this project, and I will finish. HPKCHC is slowing me down, though!!
2HPKCHC - Transfiguration - Tilting Tardis	2010	CJ Bagaria	Another possible 2010 finish; the body and sleeves are done, I just need to figure out what I'm doing for the ribbing, and whether or not I'm putting a high collar on it.
2HPKCHC - Herbology Owl - Sweater	2010	E.J. Slayton/CJ Bagaria	Done before Thanksgiving 2010 Or Else.
Quilting Projects: 7
September 11 Patriotic Shoo-Fly Quiltlet	2001	CJ Bagaria	All the piecing is done, I just need to quilt six more of the 12 blocks. This needs to be done!
Optical Illusion Squares Quilt	2004	CJ Bagaria	Quilt top is done. I just need ot put it with its bunting and backing and bind it. Originally, I was going to quilt it; at this point, I'm just going to tie it because I want it finished.
Quilt Block Exchange Quilt	2004	Various	I did a quilt block exchange in (I guess) 2004, and got some lovely squares. Not everything was done to the specified size, however, so a lot of work re-sizing things with brightly-colored strips needs to be done. It'll happen. Someday.
Block-Of-The-Month/ Red, Green, Gold	2005	Jo-Ann Fabrics	I think I pieced half of one block; this is coming off the list until I have time to work on the whole thing. "DISCARDED."
Blue Triangles Quilt	2005	CJ Bagaria	I cut a jillion triangles in various shades of white-on-blue to blue-on-white, and then pieced them together by hand. It's pretty wonky-looking. DISCARD.
"Northwoods Challenge" Quilt	2006	CJ Bagaria	I was going to enter this in one of the Keepsake Quilting challenges; I think it would've rocked. All the pieces are cut out; I just need to do the piecing and quilting. Will happen, just not anytime soon.
A Very Broncos Christmas	2006	CJ Bagaria	A bargello strip quilt of my own design, to get me used to my sewing machine. I believe all my strips are pieced at this point, I just need to put the strips together (and then to the rest of it). Will happen. Someday.
Canvaswork: 5
"Fishing Pillow" (for Dad)	1999	Bucilla	I've tried to do this thing TWICE, keep running out of yarn, and other ugliness. I think I'll make something that my dad would actually appreciate instead (he's not really a throw-pillow sort of guy). DISCARD.
"Partridge in a Pear Tree" stocking	2002	Bucilla	I'm allergic to the black wool used for the background - or at least I was. I might not be so much any more - and it's just the background that needs doing now. I should finish this.
Dragonfly Window	2005	Lisa Bolger	I love, love, love Lisa Bolger's designs. This is all worked in cotton, since when I got it, I was reacting poorly to needlework wool. I was trying to come up with different textures for each part, and got stuck on the leaves. I've since decided that they'll be done, flat out, in wool, since I can deal with it now. This will get finished.
Bargello Flames Bag	2005	CJ Bagaria	I had a brilliant idea for this canvas, which is 2'x2'. It's never going to work. DISCARD.
Stained Glass Peacock Kit	2007	Dimensions	Annoying, since it was hard to track down, didn't come with the main blue color, and is printed slightly off-kilter. Will finish it thought, because it's (a) a peacock and (b) could actually be stained glass.
Sewing Projects: 0

Yeah, I think I'll definitely let some of these things go - and try to finish up the rest. I'll try to find everything by the end of November (because I'll want a break from NaNoWriMo, and cleaning out the stash room is equivalent to vacuuming the cat as "things to do to not deal with writer's block"), and knock things off the list as I find them. I'm also going to attempt to get a "current" photo of everything on The List, too. That should be... um... an adventure!!

Thursday Thoughts

Someone's gonna be an unhappy camper.


Why is there a handle here?


You can't park any closer than this. Paper-thin space, but it's there!!


I want to stitch this.

Transfiguration - DONE!

The eighth and final class for October is Transfiguration. The assignment? Please make an item that a reasonable muggle would interpret as part of a costume. My answer:

Hello, Professors! This is CraftyGryphon, Second Year Slytherin, turning in her Transfiguration assignment. To disguise one's self as a disguised Muggle, one has to think like a Muggle. Muggles seem to favor disguises of "monsters" (the gorier, the better), "super heroes" (like monsters, but clean-shaven and lots of spandex), "naughty _____________" (mostly for females, and seems to involve very short skirts) and "__________ that carries an ironically small, in comparison, ____________". I have chosen to go with the last category. Thus, I am disguised as an Acorn, carrying an ironically small Squirrel. (In front of my "Change" poster, which seemed appropriate for this class. Please excuse the washed-out photo; in future, I will keep in mind that standing in front of a blazing-red anything is likely to give a camera fits.)


Thanks for a fun assignment, Professors! I'll be testing out my creation this upcoming Sunday. I believe I will successfully blend in with the Muggles. (And if not, I will throw the squirrel at them and run!)

If you've been to my house, the Squirrel is the one that's usually wearing the surgical mask. Without the mask, it's a kinda creepy stuffed animal:


Yeah. The mask will be going back on. And here's a better photo of the hat, you just can't read "CHANGE" on the poster behind me. And really, given I've got a "CHANGE" poster, that's really where the Transfiguration photos had to be!


That's all eight classes turned in. Now I just have to get to 50% on my OWL (two sleeves completed at this point, and the front panels are underway), and I'm good for October!!

Charms - Done!

This assignment was to make an item from a specific point in history. Any point, from yesterday to the age of the dinosaurs. You must, however, research carefully and report back why this item will be helpful to you when you travel to that time. This is what I came up with, based on data I found interesting enough to share. The Regency/Napoleonic Wars era of English history is a specialty of mine, and I know the usual stuff about the French Revolution that preceded it. I didn't know, however, just how far the Revolutionaries went to discard the old ways.

Hello, Professors! This is CraftyGryphon, Second Year Slytherin, turning in her Charms assignment. Traveling to any era has its hazards, chief among them the difficulty of learning how the locals mark the passage of time. Do loud bells peal from the highest tower in the land at regular intervals? Is the entire population able to glance at the sun and know how long they have until teatime? Or did something truly absurd happen, forcing the population to discard out a perfectly workable time-telling system because someone decided to invent something completely new? Only once in history, Wizard or Muggle, have the measures of the ancient calendar (introduced in Babylon of old) been set aside. That was in France at the time of the Revolution, when the French people, in their passionate hatred of all the traditional things that reminded them of their past sufferings, invented a new calendar. A completely new way of measuring time, in fact!!


The French Revolution is often considered to have begun on 14 July, 1789 with the storming of the Bastille. However, the period of radical change associated with Robespierre's terror and the guillotine did not begin until after the tumultuous summer of 1792, when the new, largely Jacobin legislative assembly called the National Convention sat for the first time and immediately proclaimed France a republic. One year after that proclamation, on 20 September, 1793, a mathematician named Gilbert Romme presented his proposal for a completely new calendar. It was a period marked by a strong sense of new beginnings and radical reform in many areas of public and private life in France. The Church that had been such a dominant force in pre-revolutionary France had come to be seen as 'anti-revolutionary' and the Gregorian Calendar, with its Saints' Days and religious holidays, was a powerful symbol of the Church's underlying influence. Romme had been commissioned to provide 'a more scientific division [of the year], more in phase with the movements of the heavens, the seasons and tradition. The result was implemented for 13 years between 1792 and 18051 and is known as "The French Revolutionary Calendar".

The year would no longer begin on 1 January, but at the autumnal equinox/anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic: 21 September. Each month was thirty days long, divided into three 'decades' of ten days each. The ten days of the decade were called: primidi, duodi, tridi, quartidi, quintidi, sextidi, septidi, octidi, nonidi and décadi. Every décadi was a rest-day for workers. Each individual date was also given a name - replacing the Saints' Days - with the quintidi and décadi being named after animals and agricultural tools respectively, and the remaining days after trees, bushes and plants. At the end of the year, the five remaining days of the solar year (16 - 22 September) were proclaimed holidays: les Fêtes de la Vertu (Virtue), de la Génie (Talent), du Travail (Work), de l'Opinion (Opinion) and des Récompenses (Rewards). In leap years, an additional Fête de la Révolution was celebrated.

Traditional Calendar	Republican Calendar	Rough Translation
September/October	Vendémiaire	Wine-harvest
October/November	Brumaire	Foggy
November/December	Frimaire	Frosty
December/January	Nivôse	Snowy
January/February	Pluviôse	Rainy
February/March	Ventôse	Windy
March/April	Germinal	Seeding
April/May	Floréal	Flowering
May/June	Prairial	Grassland
June/July	Messidor	Wheat-harvest
July/August	Thermidor	Hot season
August/September	Fructidor	Fruitful

(Some contemporary wit in England came up with these rather good satirical translations for the new monthly monickers: Wheezy, Sneezy and Freezy; Slippy, Drippy and Nippy; Showery, Flowery and Bowery; Wheaty, Heaty and Sweety.)

Each 'metric' day was divided into ten hours of a hundred minutes of a hundred seconds. (How long was a new Revolutionary second? I leave the maths to those who really really like Arithmancy.)

With the notoriously "if you're not one of Us, you're one of THEM" attitude prevalent in France during those dark and dangerous days (dark and dangerous for anyone NOT part of the Revolution, that is), fitting in is paramount - and frequently, it's the allegedly simple things, like the answer to "Pardonnez-moi, quelle heure est-il?" that can give a Time-Traveler away.

So, I decided to make my own clock, so I wouldn't be caught off guard - by that simple question, anyway. For the most part, my journey was successful. I managed to not subvert the time-stream, and remained, for the most part, undetected by the then-sters. My clock, pictured below, was useful given that most people over the age of ten had trouble coming to grips with the new time-system. In fact, my little clock helped establish myself and my TA shepherd, Cindiknits, as genuine inhabitants of post-Revolutionary Paris.


In short, a month passed, mostly uneventfully except for a bit right at the end, and we came back home. It was an interesting assignment, Professors. I like having my odd little clock, but, between you and me, I'm never going back then again!!

(P.S.: Apologies to TA [Cindiknits](person) for the Flying Flaming Bears incident - it was supposed to be Flambeaux, and I totally understand why you opted to remember none of it. If I hadn't had to make this report, I'd have chosen the Obliviate, too.)

It's ten o'clock. Do you know where your children are?

Divination - Done!

While I haven't actually finished any swatches for TKGA Masters Level I, I have PRACTICED a whole lot. I've managed to completely solve the stockinette front/right side selvedge stitch wonkiness problem; I just need more work on the back/left side.

I did cast on my OWL, I'm hoping to have the sleeves finished tonight (hey, it's only about a yard of knitting. I'm past most of the tricky cable bits. How hard can it be? I don't need sleep!!), and the front panels finished Wednesday. That gives me Thursday and Friday to get as far as I can on the back, and that should put me comfortably over 50%.

I also finished my last three classes. Here's the first of those: the Better Mousetrap. For this, I used a Pop-Tart Cell Phone Cozy pattern as the base of the trap, and then winged the rest of it. I also winged the cheese (the yellow thing, it's supposed to be cheese) and the mouse. Growing up, one of the go-to gifts for all the kids in class were felt mice with long tails for bookmarks, so I just crocheted that shape, stitched it up, and added eyes, nose, tail & ears - took all of 15 minutes. I'm probably going to dissasemble the mouse-trap parts of the mousetrap, and leave myself with a pretty little Pop-Tart iPod cozy; I just need to add a snap or some velcro to close it.

Hello, Professors! This is CraftyGryphon, Second Year Slytherin, turning in her Divination homework. I chose the do a tea, coffee or wine reading, show and explain for us your results, then make or spin a project showing what you learned or saw option, and did a Tea Reading.

Methodology: Brew tea from loose leaves. Concentrate while sipping the tea. Think about the past, present, or future of your life or really focus on someone else in your life to get answers. When tea is mostly gone, swirl in cup three times clockwise, then quickly drain rest of liquid. Look at symbols left on sides/bottom of cup.

Guide: The side of your teacup is generally considered to cover a time period of one month. Things that are half way down will occur in two weeks; further down in three to four weeks. The top represents today and the rim is now. The types of animals which appear in a tea leaf reading often mirror your hopes, fears, or dreams and can show your inner feelings. Symbols that resemble everyday objects represent what you are doing with your life and will show whether you have a positive or negative effect on the world around you. Images that are symbolic of nature reflect the atmospheres you surround your life with and can often foretell good fortune or troubled times, typically things that are mostly out of your control at that time since nobody can control nature. Images that look like people or parts of people reflect where you are as an individual mentally and emotionally and what roles you are playing at a particular time in your life.


Results: As comes as no surprise to me, my actual job is present-but-secondary in my life (the rooster - wake up early; go to the lawyers - the shark; travel to get there - the footprint, all three are tiny, and clearly, I'm not worrying about them until November.). My big concerns right now are finishing all my classes (the letter A) and sitting in a comfy chair, knitting. I'm a little worried about my best friend (the frog) and her new relationship (not my business, but still, I worry). I'll see a bunch of my friends, and their kids at the end of the month (Halloween party) and drive to get there (the car). Further down, not so fun: bad news (a raven), suffering (a cross), a need for bravery (a rabbit). My initials, so definitely directed at me. There's a mouse, which usually indicates "theft", but I think it means an actual mouse. I'm guessing the mice cause some serious damage to my house. Stupid mice. On the upside, the last symbol is an open book, which is good news... I think that means I'll actually finish a book during NaNoWriMo this year. Yay!

Interpretation: I need to make something to either stave off the Bad Prediction, i.e., the mouse attack. Thus, I present a Better Mousetrap, which, evidently, will be getting lots of use. Instead of boring old wood (which mice will chew through, but only as a means to an end, I have made a small iced poptart, which should totally attract them. (The sprinkles, especially. Mice can't resist sprinkles.)


Using special remote-distance viewing, I was able to see that yes, the baited mousetrap did attract a mouse.


Some tweaking to the design will be necessary to actually catch the mice. However, I'm hopeful I'll be able to manage it.


Thanks for an interesting assignment, Professors. I'll let you know if my Better Mousetrap helps stave off the predicted Mouse Disaster!

Tomorrow's assignment was actually some fun research on a topic that we've all heard about, but may not have realized just how crazy The Crazy got: the French Revolution! See you then!

Potions - Done!

The Potions assignment this month was Craft a potion to help you overcome [a] nasty habit[s]. Again, I had fun with my write-up, so you get it here!

Hello, Professors! This is CraftyGryphon, Second Year Slytherin, turning in her Potions assignment. I decided to mix up Strix Supero Malum Habitum, a potion distilled from a suspension of sandalwood powder, crushed compass-weed and a single pinfeather from a common barn owl. I fully expected the aspects of "protection" and "healing" to take a fairly unremarkable form, maybe a gentle warmth or growing tufts of feathers in odd places for a time.

Boy, was I surprised. I will never, ever again skip the footnotes in my textbook, especially the ones detailing the "actual expected results."


The potion, mixed properly, summons a number of Fierce Habit-Breaking Owls. According to the footnote in question, which I've now committed to memory, the number of Owls summoned is dependent on the severity of the habit and the mental condition/will of the caster. I had thought my compulsive totebag shopping was a Very Severe Habit - and yet I was saddled with only two small Owls. (I refuse to comment on any reflections this may have on my mental condition/willpower.)

"If the caster attempts to act on the Bad Habit in question, the Owls attack."
That footnote isn't kidding. They ATTACK. Beaks are sharp, claws are sharp. And they're really, really good at finding tender earlobes, no matter how many hats you wear. Not only does defending oneself from Owl Attack completely take one's mind off everything except said Owl Attack, one is quickly compelled to do whatever it takes to stave off the next attack.


The footnote continues: "The Owls stay with the caster until the Owls are certain the Bad Habit is broken. The caster is completely at the mercy of his or her Owls. The caster is responsible for the feeding, care, housing and amusement of the Owls. The Owls are very good at letting the caster know exactly what this feeding, care, housing and amusement should entail. (Thankfully, I stumbled across a serialized "television show" for Muggle Studies class; Owls have a weakness for television, especially things that are broad-cast late at night. And they like elaborate plots, complex characters and well-drafted dialogue.)


I'm not certain how long the Owls will be hanging around with me. They eat a lot, and like swooping down suddenly from dark corners. My nerves are a little rattled.

The potion works, however. It was supposed to produce Owls; I got Owls. And they're pretty effective. Since mixing my potion, I've only acquired ONE new totebag.


It hurt, but it was totally worth it.

Thanks for an, um, enlightening assignment, Professors. One quick question: which page in the textbook has the "Reversio Strix Supero Malum Habitum" potion? I can't seem to find it!!

Hopefully, by Monday, I'll have at least one more class to turn in, and at least 1/4 of my Herbology OWL finished!

Muggle Studies and History of Magic - Done!

Turned in three classes on Tuesday (by dint of staying up waaaay too late doing the finishing on them and getting fun photos). Since I had fun writing up my assignments to turn in, I'll share them here, too.

First, Muggle Studies:

For your assignment this month, you are to watch a Muggle television show and make a report based on it.

Hello, Professors! I chose the Muggle television show "Star Trek". To use the words of one of the characters, I found it fascinating. Imagine, if you will, a castle that can move between the stars, discovering other worlds and visiting the inhabitants! And I mean a castle - there's a greenhouse, a hospital wing, the headmaster's office (the "bridge", as if it were a ship - the characters refer to it as a "starship"), and hundreds and hundreds of rooms. To travel from the "starship" to various worlds, the characters use a Teleportkey, called a "transporter". That's all interesting on its own, but the way the residents of the "starship" interact with the various beings they encounter can be downright strange (especially the "captain").

The characters have rudimentary magic - wands with two incantations that don't require verbal activation (Stupefy and the Killing Curse, which I don't actually know, so I won't write it here). The hospital wing contains Trick Orders, which seem to be healing charms - all sorts of injuries are repaired as quickly as magic can do, perhaps even faster!

Overall, the show is amusing, rather like a series of fables, where the characters encounter a moral dilemma, and figure out a way to solve it (frequently without anyone dying at all).

My favorite character was the Scottish Engine-Ear, called, unoriginally, "Scotty".


He keeps the Starship working, makes sure the Teleportkey operates properly, and distills various alcoholic potions for fun. Different jobs on the "starship" are color-coded; Engine-Ears wear red and gold. (Additionally, the Security Detail wear red and gold, but have very short lifespans. I wasn't able to ascertain the difference between Engine-Ears and Security Detail just by looking.) Since distilling can frequently leave a bit of a mess behind, I decided that a nice, absorbent dishrag in Engine-Ear colors with the Starship's symbol would be something Scotty might like. Since the main theme of the show is exploring and "going boldly where one hasn't gone before" (or something like that), I decided to try my hand at double knitting, which I've never done before.


I'm going to have to work on it. I knit Eastern Uncrossed Reversed (again, "or something like that") so I think the way I carry the yarn during the one-stitch color changes is somehow not working. I'll have to try some more double-knitting, and figure it out. Big block areas are OK, but the swift color changes... yeah. I need more practice time for those.

Thanks for a fun assignment, Professors! Although I have finished watching all 79 "episodes" of this Show, I understand there are at least three - four? - other Shows related to this one, and several "movies" (two hour shows best watched when projected onto large walls). I will be tracking down as many of these as I can to watch during Winter Break. (And I hope my Fierce Habit-Breaking Owls like them, too, or my ears are in trouble.)

---

Then, History of Magic:

Sir Nicholas would appreciate some help with the decorations for this year's expanded celebration. Craft something to bring to the party that will help spread the spirit of his Deathday festivities!

Hello, Professors! This is CraftyGryphon, Second Year Slytherin, turning in her History of Magic assignment.

I decided to help with the table decorations for the party by whipping up some glass cozies. In deference to Sir Nicholas, I made them in Gryffindor colors, with what I believe are traditional House motifs. By making each one different, at least four people will be able to keep track of their respective drinks - and given the varied nature of the beverages that may be on offer, keeping track of one's drink is a must!


I do hope Sir Nicholas will like them. They were certainly fun to make! Thanks, Professors!

That's enough for today... I'll show you the third class tomorrow!

Eek!!

Now, I know you were looking at the loot from yesterday and thinking "Well, that's not so bad. She didn't even break $40. That's pretty good, for her." That just means you forgot that In Stitches also does handpainted canvas. And, yeah, I got one of those, the fibers I'd need to finish it, and, well, finished it. (As opposed to doing the finishing, which will happen someday.) It was a little Associated Talents canvas that came With Stitch Instructions, which REALLY made things go quickly, since the usual dithering-about-what-stitch-to-do-where was already done for me.


It's so cute!! And I just love the Neon Rays and Very Velvet. The only thing I'd change in future is to NEVER use white and black very velvet next to each other ever again. Both shed something fierce!!


Just in case you were being impressed that I finished a whole canvas so quickly, let me point out that it just wasn't that large. Pretty, though...



As to why I had to get this one? I have a small collection of carved words, and sometime in September this year, I'd picked up an "Eek". So, I really had to get the canvas to go with it!

Ta-dah!!