Common Room Recap March 25-28

This Week in Ravenclaw

• Brains...human, feline and canine (no this has nothing to do with zombies).
• Some wise advice for many USA Claws.
• Effort well rewarded.
• Rondaletts got her spinning wheel! Gratz!
• NEWT in the Common Room!
• Some interesting news about giant squid.

 

Classwork Showcase

Only three days left for projects! Keep up the good work, and keep turning things in! Here's the final showcase of the month.

FLYINGKnotnknit will be VERY stylish in her winged sandals with these lovely socks.

COMC
This shawl, delicately crafted by Ryana, evokes the silvery pale underbelly of the moke:

CHARMS
BrineyDeep's Banishing Charm was unsuccessful: she has a critical case of Ysolda Fever!

HERBOLOGY

CarinCoralie crafted these socks as a representation of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Stay back, they look just about ready to burst!

POTIONS

crankyangel made this adorable sweater in a soothing bamboo-silk blend for her daughter. Look at those soft, pretty colors!

DIVINATION

Eiseldora used the protective powers of marcasite to make this burn-preventing potholder.

DADA

IAmACuttlefish used blue and pink (just two colors in the visible spectrum) to knit this beautiful Catkin.

MUGGLE STUDIES

Cyprienne knit this super-awesome drum cozy using a slouchy beret pattern (of all things!).

That's all, folks! You still have three more days to turn in classwork: go go go! It's been a fantastic term, guys. Soar Ravenclaw!

Geek of the Week: Simon Pegg

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

Simon Pegg (b. 1970)
"Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It's basically a license to proudly emote on a childish level rather than behaved like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating."

Simon Pegg used to kiss Princess Leia's picture every night before drifting off to sleep.  That kid grew up to write and star in cult movie Shaun of the Dead, play Scotty in the recent Star Trek movies, have a speaking role on his favorite TV show (Doctor Who), and author his autobiography Nerd Do Well.

Find out more about Simon Pegg on Wikipedia.

Common Room Recap March 22-24

This Weekend in Ravenclaw

• Free Neil Gaiman story here.
• The amazing Pudge!
• Duck Tales.
• Sarah and Sgiob at one :)
• Tribaby and the sea life.
• Don't be alarmed! Our Headgirl is fine.
• Crabgrass pictures!

 

Common Room Recap March 18-21

This Week in Ravenclaw

• Signs of Spring.
• Owls of awesome.
• Radar the Agility Dog in action!
• Seakame drops hints and posts very funny dino toys.
• Quidditch info here.
• A great deal of discussion about RKT's in all their variety was had all thru the week...I couldn't possibly recap all that gooey madness :)

 

Classwork Showcase

Next week is the last week in March!  Let's get that classwork finished -- one class a month will keep your sorting priority for next term.

COMC
Dixiehellcat crafted a silvery-green (AKA moke-colored) pillow cover:

Charms
Lavenderblueskies engorgio'd one of those marshmallow Peeps and turned it into a cute baby hat:

Defense Against the Dark Arts
Check out this crazy awesome yarn dyed by tkannon:

Divination
Hreow knit these fabulous socks to keep her feet warm while flying wearing sandals.

Flying
Jillian79 experimented with dying sock weight yarn; after several trials, the finished product is beautiful and quite unique.

Herbology
MyIzumi made a ruffle-bottom soaker to distract from a new baby's "stinksap":

Potions
This bunny blankie by Scubaknit is soothing for babies and parents alike:

March came in like a lion -- let's make it go out like an eagle!
SOAR RAVENCLAW!

Geek of the Week: Mary Roach

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

Mary Roach (1959)

 "Yes, the money could be better spent on Earth. But would it? Since when has money saved by government redlining been spent on education and cancer research? It is always squandered. Let's squander some on Mars. Let's go out and play."

**brought to you by a request from akasha111182**

Happy birthday, Mary Roach!

Mary is a self-described "gateway drug to science," writing books on topics that some avoid -- space, cadavers, sex (which, oddly, also features cadavers) -- to make them accessible to the general reading population.  She's given a TED talk, she's gotten interviewed by a MythBuster, and she's not done yet: her newest work covers the alimentary canal, AKA your food tube.

Find out more about Mary Roach on Wikipedia.

Common Room Recap March 15-17

This Weekend in Ravenclaw

• Info for US Claws wanting to get BBC Radio Broadcasts.
• What? You didn't know we have a jet?
• A SadieLou update.
• It's all communication :)

 

Common Room Recap March 11-14

This Week in Ravenclaw

• Gratz to boppingbeth...also...wow!
• Because David Attenborough.
• Childhood memories may never be the same :)
• There was a whole bunch of talking about chocolate which I will not recap, feel free to look at nearly any page from Tuesdays posts to see said discussions.
• An update from rambunctiousky.
• Epitrachelion.
• Science posters for all!
• Jayannell reports on the fun goings on in her life lately.
• The BBC is doing Neverwhere...with awesome peeps!

 

Classwork Showcase

It's that time again. Time to take a peek at what Ravenclaws have been up to this month. Below are some submitted classwork that the blog staff wanted to highlight this week. Enjoy!

CoMC
This leafy lace cowl was carefully crafted to attract mokes for transport -- it's so gorgeous, Akasha111182:

 

Charms

Wickedstash charmed us with this cheering towel; SOAR RAVENCLAW to Quidditch victory! 

 

DADA

Otismurph knit this adorable owl using several colors of the visible spectrum.

Divination

JenInRI  knit this newborn sweater to protect a baby due in May who will inevitably be subjected to chilly air conditioned buildings.

 

Flying

CarinCoralie knit these lovely socks to keep her feet warm as she flies around on her broom while wearing sandals.

 

Herbology

Hreow knit this lacy blanket square to represent the pustules and the grey color of Mimbulus mimbletonia. 

Muggle Studies

Eiseldora knit this Tardis iPod cozy to help represent the "bigger on the inside" characteristics of an iPod. How clever!

 

Potions

Nightrae made this pretty shrug to soothe her whilst defending her thesis. You're in the home stretch! You can do it!

 

Geek of the Week: Bobby McFerrin

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

Bobby McFerrin (b. 1950)

“If I can bring joy into the world, if I can get people to stop thinking about their pain for a moment... then I'll be successful.”

Don't worry that Bobby McFerrin hasn't been on the pop music charts since 1992 (for his collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma); instead, be happy that this ten-time Grammy-winning vocal virtuoso is still composing and performing in a variety of musical genres with a variety of collaborators.  He has long been a force in music education and cultural programs, sometimes volunteering (!) at public schools throughout the United States.

Bobby hacks brains with music during a demonstration at the World Science Festival 2009:

Find out more about Bobby McFerrin on Wikipedia.
Sing & Play with Bobby.

Common Room Recap March 8-10

This Weekend in Ravenclaw

• Greenheron started talking about what a horcrux is in an OWL sense as well as a canon sense, Drake had this response, and Dawntreader asked this, which led to this response. Dawntreader follows this thread with another question which leads to Fidecrux. Call and response...that most canonical of activities is yet the birthplace of something new and interesting.
• DonaQ reports on her spa adventures.
• An update from the bandbabe world.
• Ravenclaw meetup photo.
• Purpletude picture.

 

Common Room Recap March 4-7

This Week in Ravenclaw

• Woohoo Shenanigans!
• Many many congrats to nightrae!
• The hexapox strikes again!!
• Really cool derecho photos.
• The new Knitty has a Ravenclaw in it! Gratz!

 

March Flight of the First!

Have you turned in your Detention project to get the coveted March Flight of the First badge?  It's STILL AVAILABLE for a very limited time:

Ooooh!  Aaaaah!

There are lots of badge opportunities in Detention this month; in addition to the yardage-gobbling Going the Distance Award and the badge of honor to recognize charity donations (presented by visiting professor Minerva McGonagall), students can earn the Multiple WIPs badge if they have turned in a minimum of three projects over the term!

kokopelli99 completed a very friendly football/soccer ball; it's almost regulation size!

Bklyngrrl67 did some end-weaving and blocking to finish this pretty pink shawl:

rondaletts knit a sweater for the world's most patient cat:

KristyRecycles finished a ninja, complete with throwing stars, I'm not even kidding:

Sinemairi's gigantic crocheted bag would make any Doctor proud (Rex is angling to be the next Companion):

Keep those completed WIPs coming!

Geek of the Week: Ira Glass

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

Ira Glass (b. 1959)
"It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions."

Ira Glass has worked in public radio for over thirty years; during that time, his most famous work (a little program called This American Life) has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence.

In his "free time," Ira likes to eat Grape Nuts, cook ostrich to feed to his dog, and Google Chat with viewers of the movie he wrote and produced with nerdy comedian Mike Birbiglia.

Find out more about Ira Glass on Wikipedia.

End of February Classwork Showcase

Generally speaking I think this has been a bit of a rough term for a lot of Ravenclaw students. I know it has been for me. With this in mind, I hope you can forgive me for posting this Classwork Showcase so late. It's certainly not the first time this has happened this term. But it's never to late to celebrate excellent work, right?

CoMC
Can you smell the smoldering in Jayannell's beautifully burnt handspun?  

 

Charms

Dobby socks are a great way to "work smarter, not harder" for multiple spells; Dawntreader7 has mastered Gemino and color change after lots of practice on full-size footwear. 

 

DADA

Brave jessdhill persevered against a curse when she frogged a completed sock, practiced by making a mini-sock, then completely re-knit the sock she was unhappy with. 

Divination

DonaQuixote got in touch with her Ravenclaw core when she conducted research to craft this lovely blue shrug.

 

Flying
TindrasGrove spun this lovely Ravenclaw yarn on supported spindles!

Herbology
GazeboGal knit cloaks for her chickens. I'm sure they look classy in their new winter garb.

Muggle Studies
Anisa wove this lovely scarf to keep a Muggle warm during winter travels.

Potions
Kessanlin knit this beautiful cowl using yarn she dyed a couple years ago. What an excellent yarn/pattern pairing.