Commonroom Recap 11-17 to 11-23

Buckle in, this is a long recap because we talked a *lot*!

There are way more ways to lace shoes than you realized. 

A healthier (and still tasty-looking) recipe for green bean casserole, in advance of Thanksgiving!

PorcupineSunggles got the job! 

I know I tend to fixate on how hard Cat's life is, but here's another update. 

The Traditional Food of One's People. 

Quantitative measures of qualitative data, aka, GG is AWESOME in her LOTR analysis. 

The New Ravenclaw Traditional Anniversary Gift List 

A discussion of Advent Calendars on this and preceding pages, including highlighting the NightFamily advent calendar. 

Here and continuing, a discussion of what House one's family members belong in.

An important question, and, tooting my own horn, the best possible answer. 

Reviews of Dallas Buyers Club and Blue is the warmest color.

All the names of days in every language, living or dead, you could ever possibly need to know 

The strict fast, for Orthodox Christians and then a bit of the history of Orthodoxy in the US. There and following is a lovely and interesting comparative discussion of Christian denominations in the US.

Here's a puppy in a mailbox

Some gratuitous pictures of Tom Hiddleston.

Can you tell real paper titles from nonsense? I can't 

Stuffing waffles!

A Doctor Who companion quiz 

We had a batch of NQFYs passing through and asking questions, starting here (and on the next page, a discussion of impersonating invertebrates)

Squidpocalypse 

A lovely scarf inspired by but not exactly Doctor Who

The prettiest sea slugs.

A podcast recommendation coming from someone other than me 

Starting roughly here and continuing, a discussion of Doctor Who 

Owl socks! 

What happens to make bread rise, and good places for that to happen.

A true Ravenclaw project. 

Unsurprisingly, many cat/kitten pictures show up in replies to this post.

Startinghereish, a discussion on test-taking 

You've heard of photographic memories, here's a metaphorical memory.

The best/worst test ever 

Chickens! At an author talk! 

Here and following, an example of an afterthought heel while the sock is still in progress (and in words)

A beautiful shawl and suggestions for blocking, following. 

A question on titles (ma'am, particularly) starting here and really picking up after here. 

Hooray for SineMairi! 

Hooray for Locks of Love, and hooray a beautiful haircut! 

How to turn kids into engineers (girls, specifically, but children generally)

Here and following, a referendum on sizing for clothes that go on females 

A beautiful phoenix. Congrats, Jess!

Commonroom Recap November 11-9 to 11-16

An adorable Jack Skellington.

Excellent sermon feedback indeed. 

A lovely collection of Ravenclaw-esque places to curl up with a book. 

The Weasel of Wrath Wrocks! 

As greenegirl said, cats are a liquid. 

An inventive use of washers (and remember, follow the Fiber Factor to support our own DovieJay!) 

Another podcast recommendation. 

This post touched off a long and convoluted discussion of what it means to "beg the question." It all boils down to this brief style guide for what to say instead of "begs the question," and here is what it means, as a name for a kind of logical fallacy. 

A poll and ensuing discussion of what it means to be "easy" in sock knitting. 

The start of a lengthy discussion about some classic Christmas movies. 

Math genealogy! 

Jessdhill has a new family (rav)name. 

A Swantsian limerick! 

A brief treatise on knitting chart conventions.

A box, with a baby for scale. 

KnittingLinguist had an awesome date and we're all super excited. 

DonaQuixote's epic house renovation has come to an end!

Super awesome felted bag! 

This post touched off a discussion of new cool things libraries are doing 

An interesting rule of thumb for what "processed food" means, and another. 

Ravenbaby! Ravenblanket! Ravenmom! 

Geek of the Week: Bobak Ferdowsi

Here we honor Muggle geeks who embody Ravenclaw spirit...when they succeed, they soar, and when they fail, they fail spectacularly!

Bobak Ferdowsi (b. 1979)
"If I can help motivate even a couple kids to get into science and engineering ... that would be wonderful."

Happy birthday -- it's tomorrow -- to Bobak Ferdowsi AKA the flight-directing breakout star of the Curiosity Mars rover 2012 landing!  When he's not sciencing for NASA (his educational background is in aerospace engineering, natch), "Mohawk Guy" listens to Thrilling Adventure Hour and infects his friends with the Magic: the Gathering bug.  Also: Ferdowsi changes his hair up for all major Mars mission events.  Also also: he has played board games with Wil Wheaton... probably should have mentioned that first.

Find out more about Bobak Ferdowsi on Wikipedia.
Watch Bobak play Magic: the Gathering with Sean Day[9] Plott on Youtube.

Geek of the Week: Neil Patrick Harris

Here we honor Muggle geeks who embody Ravenclaw spirit...when they succeed, they soar, and when they fail, they fail spectacularly!

Neil Patrick Harris (b. 1973)
"If I wrote a musical, it wouldn't be about me... it would probably be about a magician who appeared and re-appeared all over the place."

It seems inevitable that Neil Patrick Harris, who rocketed to stardom portraying a genius teen doctor on television, would end up being a geektastic adult.  Of course he's really into magic and the Muppets and Mystery Science Theater 3000 and musicals!  Here's hoping the erstwhile Dr. Horrible does fewer Smurfs movies and more Nightwing voiceover work.

Find out more about Neil Patrick Harris on Wikipedia.
Watch NPH's amazing 2013 Tony Awards opening on YouTube.

Geek of the Week: Grant Imahara

Here we honor Muggle geeks who embody Ravenclaw spirit...when they succeed, they soar, and when they fail, they fail spectacularly!

Grant Imahara (b. 1970)

"It still astounds me every time I have to build something like that, that people will give me money to build truly deadly devices. They will give me time and money and resources to let me do it and film it, for what's more, to show people these cool things that we've made."

Going on the age-old chestnut that "a picture is worth a thousand words," we give you a few snapshots from Mr. Roboto himself:

GRANT IMAHARA

A GEEK'S LIFE IN PHOTOS

Grant Imahara is kind of a big deal, and not only because of his work on TV's Mythbusters

as Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek Continues web series

cosplaying as the Tenth Doctor (other documented Imahara cosplay: The Walking Dead's Glenn, Gandalf, and my personal fave: Leisure Suit Loki)

Imahara controlled R2D2's movements in Star Wars Episodes I - III

Find out more about Grant Imahara on Wikipedia.

Classwork Showcase

Another week of showcasing the awesome work Ravenclaw's have been working on!


ASTRONOMY
Roocmc's tonal green baby cardigan is an pretty combination on yarn and pattern, showing a "specific confluence of events" during the penumbral eclipse.

CHARMS

Fractal spinning is not for the faint of heart, but indigoroses has ably demonstrated this advanced technique with some seasonally-appropriate yarn.

DADA

After researching in the library's restricted section, CathyCake transformed two large skeins of yarn from aliiiive human skin color to vampire eyes black and zombie skin gray (1440 yards of zombie skin!).

Detention

Rondaletts completed a half & half hat so her husband can show loyalty to BOTH of his marching band color guards!

Flying

idlecuriosity48 whipped up a Patriots headband in no time flat!

Herbology

KnittingLinguist had a little bit of trouble trying to grow a pumpkin. She finally decided to grow a normal pumpkin & it came out fantastic!

History of Magic
MrsWingnut crafted a Halloween hat to 1) protect her son's head from a concussion and 2) a mummy octopus!! Awesome!!

Potions
Mimulus knit up a fabulous hat to wear this winter in her theaters production of "Waiting in the Wings". "This project truly will bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses of my audience because it bottles Sarita’s fame & glory, but it can’t put a stopper in her inevitable mental decline and slow slide towards death."

Transfiguration
KnitByMoonlight89 used some boring, mouse-colored yarn for this wee Knubelchen-Mini’s face and brightened it up by charming his clothes into some lively blue and green stripes!

Common Room Re-Cap Oct 13-19

Naughtyknots didn’t listen last term when she was warned to stay away from the chocolate syrup taps in the Lab. Congratulations!!

NQFY shadowfey stopped by and inquired about the chocolate syrup. Watch out for surprise Ravenbabies when drinking in the lab!

A gorgeous, healthy baby girl was born to Bacs!!!

DonaQuixote is going to share a tutorial video on how to make Danish paper stars!!

TriGirlJ posted a series of questions. I am sure questions we all have asked ourselves at one point or another!


Pluckylass finished a 5k superhero themed race for a local charity!

Our Editor-in-Chief Emeritus honeyspoon ran a half-marathon!! Way to go!!!!!

Hypercycloid started a game: Contents of the Worst pinata Ever! (Watch out....some responses are a tad....gross)

And quiz time thanks to MyIzumi! Which country do you match best with?

A beautiful cover-up tattoo from our HoH!

Classwork Showcase October 7-14

This week's classwork showcase post is a little late & for that I apologize! So without further ado here is some spectacular work us Ravenclaws turned in last week!


ASTRONOMY
There's a meteor shower of zombie hats, thanks to IAmACuttlefish -- how far will the virus spread?

CHARMS
GazeboGal charmed this globe to show her advanced skill with colorwork, switching the pattern from intarsia to stranded with great facility!

DADA
Firstie Kansasienne has designed this beautiful cowl using this (skin) and that (teeth) from a moulting dragon... to protect the wearer against vampires, of course!

Detention
Scrapdash finished her inFURRiating socks! And is so very happy that they are finished!!

Flying
Wickedstash made this cute owl! She says he is a very good flyer! A great project for flying class!

Herbology
Arianwen08 did her first dying job! She was trying for orange but instead ended up with a beautiful autumnal yellow! Great job!

History of Magic
KnittingLinguist made a helmet to protect Loki of Asgard from a concussion!!

Potions
AndiSocial took some gorgeous fiber from the stash and made it stand out in this gorgeous yarn!!

Transfiguration 
After many accidential hot washes, SadieLou turned her gorgeous cardigan into a gorgeous tea pot cozy!!

Geek of the Week: Sally Ride

Here we honor Muggle geeks who embody Ravenclaw spirit...
when they succeed, they soar, and when they fail, they fail spectacularly!

Sally Ride (1951 - 2012)
"When you're getting ready to launch into space, you're sitting on a big explosion waiting to happen."

This month marks the 29th anniversary of the 1984 Challenger shuttle mission, the first space flight with two women onboard.  Astronaut Sally Ride is most recognized for being the first American woman in space in 1983, a distinction that focuses mostly on her feminine gender; Dr. Ride was focused mostly on science. 

Before she was a household name, Ride earned a slew of physics degrees from Stanford; post-NASA, she entered academia, founded a science education company, and authored several science/space books for children.  Ride will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian honor the United States can award) later this year.

Find out more about Sally Ride on Wikipedia.

Some 50% OWL's!

By my calculations we have 14 Ravenclaws who have handed in their 50% marks for their OWL's so far! We still have until the 31st to get them handed in so head on over to the OWL thread (or your dorm!) and encourage the knitting!

Here are a sampling of those that have already turned in their 50%. Make sure you head over to the Cup OWL thread to check them all out!

KnittingLinguist was the first 'Claw to pass in a 50%! Her Dragon Egg is hatching quite nicely!

Xallanthia is repelling her cruciatus beautifully!

 Honeyspoon has made awesome progress on her HoM OWL:

NoNeinNyet's Astronomy OWL is looking gorgeous!

And Rondalett's shawl for Ancient Runes is coming along spectacularly! 

Geek of the Week: Scott Westerfeld

Here we honor Muggle geeks who embody Ravenclaw spirit...
when they succeed, they soar, and when they fail, they fail spectacularly!

Scott Westerfeld (b. 1963)
"Ninety percent of the research comes first. I mostly blunder around reading stuff and talking to smart people until an idea batters or oozes its way through to my narrative brain."

**brought to you by a request from Eiseldora**

Scott Westerfeld has an educational background in philosophy... so of course he's an award-winning author of several series of sci fi and YA literature!  The Midnighters trilogy, the Uglies series, the Peeps series, the Leviathan series-- at least one of Westerfeld's works has been described as a "space opera." Good thing he's working on a new double-novel write right now.

Fun fact: Westerfeld's musical compositions for dance, commissioned by dancer Ellis Wood, have been performed internationally (Sweden! Portugal! England! Canada!) and in various US locations.

Find out more about Scott Westerfeld on Wikipedia.
Follow Scott's Westerblog.

Advanced Studies

Well believe it or not we are about half-way through the Fall term!! The time for proposing an OWL was already 8 days ago! We thought it would be fun to update you on the proposal rate for the Houses:

As you can see, Ravenclaws are in the lead! Let's cheer on those who are working hard to get their 50% handed in before October 31st (and to give an extra shout out to those who already have! Tune in next Tuesday for an update on those projects).

We also have broken down which subjects us 'Claw's have decided to work on for our OWL's:

It seems Muggle Studies is the most popular subject this term!

In other Advanced Studies news, EVERY SINGLE RAVENCLAW who proposed a NEWT has now handed in their 50%!!!! This is stunning & I am in awe of our NEWTlings!

Showing no favorites here are a sampling of the gorgeous NEWT projects:

Pertela handed in a finished sweater!

bookwormdjibouti finished 44 washcloths! Here are the first 25:

IAmACuttlefish also finished a sweater!

Make sure to check both the House Cup NEWT thread & the Tower NEWT thread to continue cheering on our NEWTlings!

Flight of the First!

Once again Ravenclaws are going all out for the Cup by getting those detention projects in during the first week of the month!!

First to hand in is Isisonearth who handed in her gorgeous Ravenclaw blanket!

MeeMojMoi finished a cowl!

Kansasienne finished up some socks!

Catdragon finished up a chemo cap!

Hafknits also finished up some socks!

Nightrae finished up some handspun!

Cathycake finished a peacock hat!

Abbiegrey finished up granny rose slippers!

MrsWingNut finished a gorgeous doll!

More socks handed in by NoNeinNyet!

A minion hat handed in by knitsNhikes!

Cyprienne finished up her shawl! (Her 11th shawl in 2013!)

Gojenn handed in a magic ball granny square!

Chennpug handed in some gorgeous sparkly socks!

Arianwen08 finished up a wicked cute turtle!

Sprepp finished a LARGE shawl!

Kaos127 handed in a beautiful scarf!

Omeletsmom finished a project for House Unity: a Christmas tree ball

Another shawl handed in! This time by Jessdhill

JeninRI finished up a candy corn pouch

LladyllamafiberCo finished up a gorgeous rainbow cowl!

DrusillaWormwood finished up a blanket square!

And another blanket square was handed in by folk!

It's not too late to hand in a detention project before the end of the day today to earn the FoF badge! But even if you don't get a project handed in this week....hand it in by the end of the month! An easy way to earn 10 points for Ravenclaw!!