Geek of the Week: Felicia Day

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

Felicia Day (b. 1979)

"When you're really knowledgeable and passionate, it's hard to be stumped."

business geek! she's the head honcho at Geek & Sundry, a YouTube channel that hosts content like Wil Wheaton's Tabletop
Whedon geek! she was a Potential Slayer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the romantic lead in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
gamer geek! her web series The Guild is really really really fantastic and awesome
music geek! she is a classic violinist and majored in both music and math in college

This is what I know about Felicia Day, off the top of my head.  There's more, of course, and you can find it on teh intarwebs.
All hail Queen Geek, long may she reign.

Find out more about Felicia Day on Wikipedia.

Common Room Recap February 22-24

This Weekend in Ravenclaw

• An update from Hypercycloid, complete with twin pic.
• Our Headgirl has completed her quest...thing.
• Of course there is a rock ballad about knitting.
• Exciting news from the TangledHouse.
• Candle is lit for the PistachioHouse.
• Quiddy announcement here!
• A kountingsheep wedding video.

 

Common Room Recap February 18-21

This Week in Ravenclaw

• Keeping our fingers crossed for MyIzumi and her family.
• Some interesting things about pain tolerance.
• HoH Emeritus is looking at a new tattoo design.
• Neil Gaiman shorts/flash fiction linked here.
• Excellent thesis news!

 

Mid-Feb Classwork Showcase

So many fantastic projects!  The mind boggles!

COMC
AriadneWebb crocheted a dragon as a result of her research of the Chinese Fireball dragon in The Observer's Book of Dragons (106th edition).

Charms
MariaCrafts Geminio'd a beautiful Baby Surprise Jacket and color changed it for stunning results.

DADA
Jillian79 is protecting herself from the Curse of the Bogies that easily makes its way into her home.

Divination
M8land crafted a lovely green square for her homework as she studied malachite.

Flying
While there are a great many brooms in Flying class this month, kokopelli99's project is nothing to be swept under the rug! What a beautiful project...and bride!  She's lucky to have you as a friend.

Herbology
KnitByMoonlight89 crafted this cute mouse with bobbles for ears. Look at his little scarf!

Muggle Studies
Tiny one-sided brooms to clear snow?  Muggles sure do things the hard way.  Good thing CarinCoralie made these warm mittens for protection.

Potions
Ryana studied the effects of Amortentia; she knit a delicate purple shawl, inspired by the smell of lilacs.

Geek of the Week: Ray Bradbury

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

Ray Bradbury (1920 - 2012)
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."

During his long life, Ray Bradbury influenced the work of his friends Charles Addams, Ray Harryhausen, and Gene Roddenberry, as well as inspiring countless writers, teachers, scientists, etc.  The man who brought us Fahrenheit 451, the 100th episode of The Twilight Zone, and myriad short stories was outspoken about his love of libraries and poetry.  In his later years, Bradbury was resistant to e-books and cellphones -- "We've got too many internets" -- which is kinda funny considering he's most famous for his science fiction writings.

Hey, fun fact: Bradbury's first published story was handpicked for a magazine by Truman Capote!  Further nerd alert: he loved doing magic.

Find out more about Ray Bradbury on Wikipedia.
Live forever!

Common Room Recap February 15-17

This Weekend in Ravenclaw

• One little letter can make sooooo much difference, especially here. And naturally there's a Ravenclaw to help with that.
• In case you missed the info re KnitPicks being hacked.
• A fair point ( you'll see what I did there :).
• While learning that both spellings are correct CathyCake pointed out poetic opportunities, which did not go to waste.
• The WWW report with pictures!

 

Quidditch Challenge 2: Finis!

We were challenged to shade the sun for the high fliers on the Quidditch pitch for Challenge 2 ---

Scads of charity hats are set to shade preemies, babies, and adults alike:

The 5-point charity bonus goes to akasha111182, CathyCake, digitaldiina, FatesLady, anisa, greenheron, Jillian79, Kaypendragon, MariaCrafts, NoNeinNyet, Omeletsmom, OneNeedleKnitting, and rondaletts!

These minihats by Secrettrail, ValkyrieLHWB (with +5 bonus!), electronjam, and Stormmoon prove that working smarter, not harder, is the way to go:

This swirly cloud towel by kokopelli99 (with +5 bonus!) provides some relief from the rays...

...while Rebuky caused an eclipse with the ultimate sunblock, the moon:

Hreow made this clever cap for those Quidditch questers who've misplaced their brooms:

The prize for Best Hobbit Accessory goes to nightrae for her true-to-life shady umbrella!:

Ouch -- only 16% of the participants were repping Ravenclaw this challenge...  which means we have to really bring it for Game 2!

RIGHT NOW! Game 2
Paired Pattern Face Off: February 16-27
Two players from any house must faceoff by choosing a pattern to modify in some way; both of you must make the same pattern, but each must modify it in a different manner.

The best way to maximize Ravenclaw points is to pair up with a fellow Claw in the Tower Quidditch thread or with an SOS or NQFY in this dedicated House Cup thread.  Once a pattern is picked and your pairing is set, announce it in the dedicated Partnering Hall and get to crafting -- good luck!

No matter what method you choose for alteration, the turnin for your FO must include standard project turnin format (including the tag ClawQ14Faceoff) PLUS state your mod, partner, and original pattern.  REMEMBER projects for charity (tag CharityQ14) get a FIVE POINT BONUS.  Bonus bonus bonus!

Common Room Recap February 11-14

This Week in Ravenclaw

• Congrats to the RoE Recipients!
• An important question, not so much answered as magnified :)
• And related to the above.
• Things to know about Mennonite cookbooks.
• Foxy goodness here.
• Handknit sweater flashmob.
• Interesting blood chart.

 

Classwork Showcase

Hello! Let's see what's been happening in the classes this week.

DADA

mimulus figured out how to repel bogies with style.

Divination
Kessanlin used bright blue yarn to craft this adorable device to organize her earrings.

Muggle Studies
gojenn crafted these baby cowboy boots to keep tiny toes toasty.

Potions

Pyai made these fingerless mitts to hide the rash she got from Cupid's Crystals, a Wonderwitch product.

Charms

bknips whipped up this cute coffee cozy using the Genimio spell.

Herbology

loveswildflowers gritted her teeth and wove this dishcloth using Sugar n' Creme.

Flying

Tsukiko made a lovely, broom-colored, cabled Kindle case for a friend.

COMC

elekanahmen studied the Chinese Fireball's scales and came up with this pretty blanket square to represent them.

That's all for this week! Tune in next Thursday to see more. Soar Ravenclaw!

Geek of the Week: Elizabeth Blackwell

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

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821 - 1910)

"It is not easy to be a pioneer - but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world."

Those already familiar with Elizabeth Blackwell will not be surprised by her inclusion on this blog.  If you're just hearing her name for the first time, hear this: she was the first woman on the UK Medical Register AND the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States.  Her determination in her study and career was met with consternation, as detailed in an exhibit shown at the (US) National Library of Medicine; her admittance into medical school was a prank by the student body! Really funny, guys.  You know who wasn't laughing?  The countless women whose suffering was eased considerably by Blackwell's care.

Find out more about Elizabeth Blackwell on Wikipedia.

Common Room Recap February 8-10

This Weekend in Ravenclaw

• A link to some fabulous Firsties.
• FatesLady had a very rough morning indeed, BUT eventually it got better!
• The chicken chat continues via GG's photo contribution which naturally only encouraged the usual suspects. And then she added lyrics.
• Hypercycloid got impressive snowfall.
• Soprano1 asks an excellent question.
• Eight Leggy Meggy visited us!!!
• Kountingsheep had a wonderful wedding day, congratulations!

 

Quidditch Challenge 2 Update

Challenge 2, Sun Shades, is in full swing. Ravenclaw is a bit behind the other houses in turn-ins but don't fret. You have until midnight POT on February 12th to participate. Another bit of good news: all hats will qualify. As always, our awesome Ravenclaw Quidditch staff have put together a list of ideas.

 I have a hat pattern saved in my queue I plan to use to make my future brother-in-law a hat for Valentine's Day. Bknips has already crafted a pretty awesome looking hat as seen below.

Do you have a child in your life that would maybe like a hat for their doll? Perfect! All sizes of hats including small enough for a Barbie doll qualify. Check out the tiny hat pictured below crafted by KristyRecycles.

There is always the option of knitting something sun-themed, such as the umbrella square knit by DJackson.

Last but not least is the option of dying yarn in sun-themed colors as bandbabe did.

As you can see, there are many ways you can participate in Quidditch Challenge 2. Also, don't forget about the charity bonus. Like we always say, craft smarter, not harder. ;)

Soar Ravenclaw!

Flight of the First Week: February Edition

Can you believe that Flight of the First Week ended a couple days ago? February is just whizzing by but of course it always does since it's a shorter month. I did a tag search in the Detention thread and counted 21 Flight of the First Week submissions. Let's take a look at a few of the projects.

Meilindis attempted grafting for the first time when she grafted the arms onto the body of the sweater pictured below. Way to go!

Kokopelli99 knit the awesome tiny Jayne hat pictured below to be a zipper pull on a Firefly-themed box bag. How cool is that?

 

Digitaldiina found the time to steek the sweater pictured in her detention post. Your little girl looks so classy!

Tygress was able to finish a shawl she had submitted for partial credit last month. What a great yarn/pattern combo.

After working on it for a couple of months, CathyCake was able to finish her first big crocheted bag for her daughter. I'm sure she'll love it.

Jessdhill was able to finish the fun socks pictured below. Her sister is one lucky girl.

To everyone who participated, way to go! And don't forget that there will be another opportunity to participate in Flight of the First Week in March.

Soar Ravenclaw! 

Common Room Recap February 4-7

This Week in Ravenclaw

• It started innocently enough...and culminated in this.
• Oh no! Poor Rromera! Candles are lit!
• This is awesomesauce!
• Advice to live by.
• Toddlers and numeracy information.
• DonaQ is still computerless but updates us from her parents house here.

 

Quidditch Game 1: Ta-da!

The fruitcake quaffles are flying around the pitch!  It's a fruitcake frenzy!

Fruitcake in the form of hats (most for babies, almost all for charity):
thanks to anisa, Boppingbeth, digitaldiina, Jayannell, JenInRI, Jillian79, Katzenwolle, captain MariaCrafts, NoNeinNyet, OneNeedleKnitting, Pyai and wickedstash

Fruitcake in the form of dishcloths and blanket squares:
via AnnieCC, bandbabe, elekanahmen, FatesLady, gojenn, greenheron, kokopelli99, Lavenderblueskies, rondaletts, Secrettrail, Xallanthia, and xamonster

Electronjam, kaypendragon, and Rebuky crafted using ingredients -- deeeeelicious:

 

 

...and presenting: a study in FRUIT/CAKE by FangAili!

Gryffindor took the game this time, with Hufflepuff following close behind...

...but Ravenclaw rocked the charity bonus!  Craft smarter, not harder!

RIGHT NOW! Challenge 2
Sun Shades: February 3-12
Make something that will help keep the sun out of your eyes OR be inspired by the sun OR be inspired by things that can block the sun OR do a sun-bleaching/ sun-dyeing project.  SUN!  Answers to the inevitable questions can be found in the Tower Quidditch thread.

REMEMBER to use the tag ClawQ14Sun in your turn-in post; projects for charity (tag CharityQ14) get a FIVE POINT BONUS.  Bonus bonus and more bonus!