Hand Painting Yarn

I got together with some Muggle friends this weekend and we practiced the muggle art of turning plain white yarn into rainbows. It wasn't magic, of course, but I must admit the muggles have a certain je ne sais quoi ... Perhaps it is a way of coming close to magic. First we had to wind the yarn into skeins, then soak the fiber for an hour to thoroughly wet it.

Then we mixed up the dye in little bottles. Professor Snape would have had a fit, I'm sure, to see Muggles mixing a potion. We removed the fiber from the tubs they had soaked in and laid them out flat on plastic to protect the tables. Then we went mad squirting and brushing the dye on the yarn in wild and disharmonic color combinations that nonetheless turned out beautiful. We had to hang the yarn to dry.

Now we have beautiful hand painted yarn to knit with!

My Package Arrived!

And, boy, is it great!!

The cats like it too!

It began with a nice note from Penelope (Daisy) Clearwater of Slytherin, explaining in Harry Potter terms what each item was . Bath salts = potions, balls of yarn & needles = Muggle artifacts, hand sewn purse = wand pouch. Everything was so nice. It was obvious that Daisy had selected each item with an eye to my wish list. On my list I had said I'd like to try the Lantern Moon Sox Sticks, but I knew they were too expensive for a swap. But I got them - Ebony, size 2.25! I also said I wanted to try out the Panda wool and bamboo sock yarn, and I got 4 skeins in a gorgeous blue/green mix, plus a pattern that looks marvelous, called Lupine Lace Socks from Fiber Trends. I got a fun Christmas card with a picture of a box of "fast growing moths" which is what Santa gives to naughty knitters. There was a nifty little knitters notebook with pen, a tin of ginger candies, bath salts, a can of spice tea, two bars of really nummy chocolate. All those items were on my wish list. The one thing I really did not expect to recieve is a tea pot. I collect tea pots. My spoiler didn't disappoint. She gave me a ceramic tea bag holder (like a spoon rest) in the shape of a teapot. It's adorable. So I really did get everything I had wanted, and more than I expected. Thank you Daisy! It is a lovely package. And tonight I am planning on opening one of the chocolate bars and having a cup of tea.

Bad News

My brother in law was found in his home this morning, dead. It appears he had died several days ago. He and my sister have been estranged for the last two months, trying to reconcile but unable to reach any agreement. The cause of death is unknown, but may be self inflicted. My five year old niece doesn't know what is going on and my sister is overwelmed. Please pray for us.

Here is a picture of my sister, her husband and their daughter a couple years ago.

I am going now to take comfort in the lovely assortment of goodies my spoiler sent me. I think a cup of tea is just what I need right now. I am not able to properly post about my package now, but I will post tomorrow.

Handmade item finished!

I got my handmade item finished in time for the deadline on Friday. See? Here's my scroll.

yay! Now I have to wait for the witchy knitting needles to arrive by owl before my package is complete.

RavenClaw Quiz

Here's the next house quiz for Ravenclaw. I'm guessing on a couple of these:


What security question does Mr. Weasley ask Mrs. Weasley before he enters the Burrow? What is the answer? Mr Weasley asks what is his private name for her? Mollywobbles

What two names does Mrs. Cole call Dumbledore when she takes him to see Tom Riddle at the orphanage? Mr. Dumberton/Mr. Dunderbore

What is the name of Ginny's Pygmy Puff? Arnold

What three D's are needed for apparating? Destination, Determination, and Deliberation

What spell did Harry perform when he was attacked by Dementors? Patronus Charm

Who did an arrow salute at Dumbledore's funeral? the centaurs

What did Dumbledore set on fire to prove to Tom Riddle that he was a wizard? Tom's wardrobe

What Christmas present did Kreacher give Harry? a large number of maggots

What is on top of the Weasleys' Christmas tree? a golden garden gnome in a ballet costume

What was the most popular item at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes? Love potions

Why did Harry threaten to kick Ron off the Griffindor Quidditch team? His bad attitude about the other players

What happens if you break an Unbreakable Vow? You die

Who did Hermoine go to Slughorn's party with? Connor McLaggen

Who is Mrs. Weasley's favorite singer? Celestina Warbeck

Who are the only two people who know the full contents of the prophecy made about Harry and Lord Voldemort? Harry and Dumbledore

A Dollar Short and A Day Late

That would be me...

My Favorite Character and Magical Animal

Really, how can anyone choose one absolute favorite Harry Potter character? My friend Daye would chose Snape hands down. She teaches literature at a Michigan university, and one of her classes is actually about Harry Potter. She's written scholarly papers on the appeal of Snape's character. And don['t get me wrong, Snape is a very complex and well written character. But somehow I'm drawn to the bad boy openly on Harry's side: Sirius Black.

Unicorns have been sadly over-done. They tend to look almost cartoon-ish. Anyone who has read Anne Bishop's Black Jewels books knows that unicorns are not sweet cartoons.