What's Happening This Week -- February 27 - March 5

February Classes due by midnight POT 2/28.  CONTACT PICKLEMOMMY BEFORE MIDNIGHT POT IF YOU NEED TO BE EXCUSED!

OWLs -- 50% due by midnight POT 2/28

NEWTs --  75% due by midnight POT 2/28

February Great Hall Treasure Hunt - through 2/28

February Class Tetris Photo Contest -- through 2/28

March Classes

Headmistress Challenge #4 -- due by midnight POT 3/1

Quidditch Match #3 -- due by midnight POT 3/2

March Fo(u)rth and Minisock! -- 3/4

March Great Hall Treasure Hunt

March Class Tetris Photo Contest

Missions --  through 3/26

OWL Finals -- accepted through 3/31

NEWT Finals -- accepted through 3/31

Ongoing:

Quidditch earburn sign-up

Class Tetris - Goals and Plans

Prefect's Challenge

Remembrall sign-up

Great Hall Badges

Last Week in the Common Room: Cheese hoard

Wedding rings, engagement rings, settings that don't get stuck in gloves--we have answers for all that & more!

A LOT that I really didn't understand about WOW, raids, and guilds. 

Flapjacks and hopping are different things in the US & UK. 

Hope no one from the TSA is reading this: we did some problem-solving of which of our knitting needles would actually be the best weapon. But generally agree we don't want blood on our projects. FBI and ATF, I swear we aren't all serial killers. Just excellent problem-solvers. 

Yoga. Yoga with cats. YOGA WITH CATS!

Pertussis, croup, shingles, vaccinations ... don't worry, we are all germ-free!

People are enjoying shopping in Hogsmeade!  Please come back to show your pretties!

Good wine, cheap wine, good cheap wine, wine clubs ... prison wine?

Pumpkin! Pumpkin! We love pumpkin!

A snake sweater. As in--a sweater for a snake. Yup. 

CHEESE!

Left-leaning increases, right-leaning increases, and KFB. 

The HOH has confirmed there are "no" dragons in the tower. Certainly not a hoard of dragons. Or a dragon hoarding cheese. 

Saturday Showcase!

February is too short of a month!  It is quickly drawing to a close, but the first three weeks of the month had Ravenclaws turning in lots of wonderful projects all over the House Cup.  So of course it's time for more badge winners!

The Golden Pickle Award is given to Ravenclaw projects that just stand out above the rest!

aquariae knit an elegant lace shawl for Ancient Runes:

Stormrage crocheted a bale of adorable little turtles (yes, bale is the collective noun for turtles) for six classes and Quidditch:

Topfrog knit a fabulous pair of fingerless mitts for Ancient Runes:

Alfiriel crocheted a delightful sheep for Charms as well as a cute pterodactyl for Quidditch:

amylin knit a stunning cabled sweater for Charms (at 1225 yards, this one also deserves a Pickle of Sanity Badge!):

elekanahmen knit a marvelous pair of cabled fingerless mitts for DADA:

gardenmama knit a fantastic pair of fingerless mitts for DADA, accompanying her turn-in with a happy song about knitting:

fricknfrack made two awesome hand-bound sketchbooks for DADA:

Aridella painted a wonderful nighttime scene for DADA:

k8macq knit an exquisite lace shawl for DADA:

DrusillaWormwood made a gorgeous pysanka (Ukrainian Easter egg) for DADA:

kneadling made a lovely quilt for DADA:

KnotMagick made a terrific dress for Divination:

s2five wove a beautiful scarf for Divination and crocheted a spectacular shawl for Herbology:

suzannemm knit a charming anglerfish (if an anglerfish can be charming?) for Flying:

SadieLou wove a fabulous cowl for Herbology:

morningwynd made pretty soap for Outdoor Survival:

celizabethlill knit a delightful cabled baby sweater for Transfiguration:

And every showcase has to have at least one Ravenclaw who has successfully outrun the Mallet of Sanity to earn the Pickle of Sanity Badge!

kvaustin knit an unbelievable 1800 yard lace blanket for Quidditch!

Congratulations to all the badge winners!  I will be back in another week or two with the rest of February's awesome Ravenclaw projects!

Firstie (and Transfer) Friday!

In today's Firstie Friday issue, we're looking back on some statistics for our First Year class! We here in Ravenclaw do love data ... 

We have 14 First Year Students this term! 

Advanced Studies:

• 6 OWLs
• 5 OOTP
• 2 of those are PhOWLs!

Extracurriculars:

• Average rounds of Quidditch: 2 rounds per student
• 6 students participating in HMC

January Stats:

• Most popular January class: Flying
• Average number of classes in January: 3.6 per student
• Students in Detention: 9
• In January, our Firstie class contributed 1686 class points for the glory of Ravenclaw! 

Way to soar Little Eagles! 

RavenLore -- Yarncraft Diseases and Opadoos

This week, we are going to explore some crafting diseases.  Not actual physical conditions like tendon or muscle strains, but conditions that result when one or more Ravenclaws become obsessed with a certain pattern or designer.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, just some of the more common maladies.

Hexipox - This sad condition afflicts people who have succumbed to the lure of tiny owl knit's Beekeepers Quilt. One Ravenclaw was so affected that she walked an entire marathon while knitting hexipuffs! Beware of this one; it is highly contagious.

Hitchpoxia - Similar in name only to hexipox, this disease affects those obsessed with the Hitchhiker shawl. As you can see from the project count, this one is fairly widespread, but mostly benign.  Some people recover after only one bout, but other are affected over and over again.

Maple Lurgies - This virus comes in both knit and crochet versions. It's not hard to see why -- the Maple Leaf shawl is a pretty specatacular (if fiddly) pattern.  There was a fairly widespread outbreak of this malady about three years ago.  It has mostly run its course, but there are still a few individual cases.

Stephen West Nile Virus - As the name implies, this disorder concerns an obsession with the patterns of designer Stephen West. Susceptibility to this virus is highly variable -- some people are extremely likely to catch it, others are completely immune. Once one is infected, though, it seems to be nearly incurable.

Ysolda Fever - This condition involves a devotion to Ysolda Teague's designs.  While it is not quite as virulent as Stephen West Nile Virus, sufferers of this complaint are pretty devoted to this designer. Outbreaks are by no means epidemic, but they are pretty continuous.  Infection does not convey immunity; one can catch this one again and again.

Are you aware of any other yarncrafting diseases?  Let us know in the comments!

Word of the Week: Opadoo! Opadoo is toddlerese for Octopus.  First coined by gwenschweitzer's older daughter, it has spread throughout the Tower and become common parlance for any 8-legged cephalopod.

What's Happening This Week -- February 20 - 26

February Classes 

Hogsmeade Weekend -- through 2/20 

Detention Badge -- Turn in by midnight POT 2/23 for badge.

Headmistress Challenge #4 -- 2/23 - 3/1

DADA Class Blitz - 2/26

Quidditch Match #3 -- 2/9 - 3/2

OWLs -- 50% due 2/28

NEWTs --  75% due by 2/28

February Great Hall Treasure Hunt 

February Class Tetris Photo Contest -- Through 2/28

Missions --  Through 3/26

Ongoing:

Quidditch earburn sign-up

Class Tetris - Goals and Plans

Prefect's Challenge

Remembrall sign-up

Great Hall Badges

Last Week in the Common Room: Dorm cleaning time!

Car alarms, automatic locking and unlocking ... who knew we had so much to say?

Ball-winder & swift are reasonable first things to unpack, yes?

Does William Morris mean anything to you?

Some people enjoy detangling. 

Gardening! 

Wet, wet weather for some. Unseasonably warm for others. 

Recipe substitution is a thing. Not so helpful in recipe reviews, though. 

Printer paper with holes along the side, dial-up modems, and tape backup. Memories....

Airborne cheese--reward or deterrent?

Several Tower residents enjoy detangling yarn, should you find yourself in need. 

Somebody's getting a pretty new spinning wheel!

Watch for sleepwalkers during our big slumber party!

Skunk smell: summery, lemony, plasticy?  Stinky?

Geek of the Week -- Emma Willard

In conjunction with the Detention Badge (get those projects in by February 23!),  this week we will be profiling a pioneer in the fields of women's rights and education.

At a time when many in power thought it was against God's will to educate females,  Emma Willard was lucky enough to be born into a family that valued her intelligence.  Though he was a farmer, her father encouraged all of his children to read and think for themselves.  Emma was allowed to take part in dinner-table discussions on subjects such as mathematics, politics, and philosophy, which were thought unsuitable for women at the time.  She attended and soon taught at a school in her home town of Berlin, Connecticut.

Willard went on to work at a number of girl's schools, but decided to found her own school when she became disillusioned with what passed for women's education.  She wanted young women to be able to learn the same subjects as young men, not just the finishing school niceties that were thought suitable for them.  With help from New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, she was able to open the Troy Female Seminary in 1821.  The school, which still exists, was renamed the Emma Willard School in her honor in 1895.

Emma Willard retired from the school in 1838 and traveled the world promoting education for women.  She fought for the right of women to have "primary existences...not (as) the satellites of men."  In addition to her women's rights work, she wrote several books on history, science, geography, and other academic subjects.  She also published poetry and a book about her travels. The proceeds from the last were donated to fund a women's academy in Greece.

Emma Willard valued education and fought all her life so that other women could be educated, too.  She believed that women's minds were equal to men's, and that, whether they became housewives or scientists, women deserved the opportunity to study challenging subjects, whether or not men thought they were suitable.  For those reasons, I am happy to name her a Ravenclaw Geek of the Week.

Learn more about Emma Willard:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Willard
https://www.emmawillard.org/about-emma/emma-hart-willard
https://www.nwhm.org/html/exhibits/education/Biographies_Willard.htm

Photo: Public Domain

Firstie (and Transfer!) Fridays!

It's Firstie Friday again! 

WillowGlade (Deb)

How did you find the Cup and what motivated you to give the Cup a try? I first heard about it in Sock Madness. As a big Harry Potter fan (as I’m sure most of us are), I had to check it out. Summer was busy, so I didn’t get started until the fall, when I did my NQFY term.

What, in your own estimation, is your wackiest/most awesome project and why? I am going to pick the minecraft socks I made for my son. I spent hours finding minecraft images, and figuring out how to put them together. I did a lot of the knitting in the summer, while waiting for my kids to come out of swim club. The number of kids that commented on them was huge. Boy, girl, younger, teenager. My knitting often starts conversations with adults, but kids usually aren’t really interested.

What characteristics do you love most about the Tower so far? How do these things impact and change or encourage you? I love how open and welcoming it is. Anytime there is an existing group, being a newbie can be a little intimidating. There’s huge amounts of knowledge and enthusiasm. It makes me want to do everything! Having said that, I have strict crafting philosophy that I won’t stress knit. So, I want to do everything, but I am only doing some, but am loving everything I am doing, and am eager to share it.

What is on your crafting bucket list? I love doing colourwork. So, a sweater I’ve been thinking of for ages is the Dogwood Blossom Sweater. I think that may come next fall or winter.

What is currently on your needles? Lots… I am doing Pretty as a Peacock for my OWL. I also have just started the Londonderry sweater. That will be long term. I have some colourwork mittens going and a sweater for my son almost finished for detention. There’s legwarmers happening in a bulky yarn for my daughter (I don’t really like bulky yarn, but it is fast). Then I have almost a full bobbin on my spinning wheel that I hope to finish this week and get chain plied. That will likely become my first dying project. I do have two pairs of socks and a pair of slippers in hibernation. Those might get broken out in the next couple months. I used to have a rule that I can’t have more then 3 things on the needles at a time…

Siidine

How did you find the Cup and what motivated you to give the Cup a try?I found The Cup through a few Ravelry friends, who had participated. As I am a fan of HP, I thought it would be fun to see what it’s like. 

What, in your own estimation, is your wackiest/most awesome project and why? My NQFY projects all turned out quite well. Maybe some people might find a blue cat weird, though. :) 

What characteristics do you love most about the Tower so far? How do these things impact and change or encourage you? There are so many good things about the Tower. Really, it’s an awesome community just as it is. Plus, people are friendly and interested in the same hobbies. It is a great community. :)

From the Desk of the Spreadsheet Sorceresses: January Stats Update

We are well into the second month of term, so you may be wondering: How is Ravenclaw doing?  The short answer: It's extremely close!!!

In January classes, we came on strong!

But it's very close!

In Quidditch, we have some catching up to do.

But it's also very close!

If you haven't noticed the theme, it's very, very close!!  We are tied with Slytherin in NEWT points so far, and all houses are within a couple hundred points of each other in OWL points (with 50% OWLs coming in daily).  Overall, it's almost too close to call.

Keep those Advanced Studies projects, classes, and Quidditch coming, 'Claws!  This term is shaping up to be a real nail-biter!!

 

RavenLore -- Adulting and Ravenclaw Awards

This week we are going to look at some more of the awards that are unique to Ravenclaw.

PhOWL -- This badge goes to the intrepid Eagles who complete both a Mission and an OWL in the same term.

Flaming NEWT -- This one is for those ambitious achievers  who go one step further, completing both a Mission and a NEWT in the same term.

Completionist Badge  --This coveted badge goes to the those consistent crafters who earn a Flight of the First badge and a Detention badge all three months of the term.

Mrs. Lovegood Memorial Mad Scientist Award -- This award is given for true feats of Ravenclaw genius.  Mad scientists are nominated throughout the term for projects (both Ravelry and non-Ravelry) that are true works of mad genius.  Ravenclaws have won this award for knitting grape cozys and garden trellises, for turn-ins that told a connected story or were written in the style of Hamilton, for creating cupcake periodic tables and Egyptian pantheons.  Past winners and a link to the nomination form can be found here.

Golden Spectacles of Spectacularity -- This award is given to those amazing individuals who have already won the Mad Scientist award and have been nominated again.  

Word of the Week: Adulting -- Again, not a term that is unique to the Tower, but one that you will see used often in the Common Room.  Adulting is doing all those grown up things we hate, like paying taxes or writing important letters or making difficult calls when we would much rather be knitting (or crocheting, spinning, weaving, etc.) or curled up in the blanket fort with a hot beverage -- or something stronger.  Especially difficult feats of adulting are sometimes rewarded with a gold star.

Is there a particular Ravenclaw tradition or word you are puzzled by?  Is there some bit of ancient (or not so ancient) Tower history you are curious about? Let us know! You can either reply in the comments or PM omeletsmom or s2five. We'll do our best to answer any questions you have -- or track down someone who can!

Last Week in the Common Room: What's in a name?

Lots and lots of book recommendations! Primarily nonfiction, but some fiction as well.  Food, history, feminism ... there's something for everyone!

Double-knitted scarves are catching our fancy. 

Bacon trivets are more practical than bacon scarves!

CASPN. We always need more CASPN. 

Nom noms. Yum yums? Nom yums?  Squishy food toys, in any case. 

Great books for kids, especially science-minded ones. 

Names, name changes, and so on. 

Lots of visiting NQFYs!  Welcome!

What's Happening This Week -- February 13 - 19

February Classes 

Headmistress Challenge #3 -- Due by midnight POT 2/15

Hogsmeade Weekend -- 2/17 - 2/20 -- links to come!

Quidditch Match #3 -- 2/9 - 3/2

OWLs -- 50% due 2/28

NEWTs --  75% due by 2/28

February Great Hall Treasure Hunt 

February Class Tetris Photo Contest -- Through 2/28

Missions --  Through 3/26

Ongoing:

Quidditch earburn sign-up

Class Tetris - Goals and Plans

Prefect's Challenge

Remembrall sign-up

Great Hall Badges

Geek of the Week - Elizabeth Magie

Continuing with our theme of games for this term, today’s Geek of the Week is Elizabeth Magie, the creator of the first version of Monopoly!

Magie was born in Illinois in 1866. Her father was a newspaper publisher who introduced Elizabeth to many of the new ideas of the times, including the work of Henry George (an economist who was an early proponent of a single “land value tax” which would require wealthier landlords to pay more taxes).

She moved to Washington, D.C. in the 1880’s, and worked as a typist. She filed her first patent during this time (for a type writing machine). During this time, she came up with the idea to create a board game to teach her friends the basic principles of Henry George’s theories. She filed a patent for a game known as “The Landlord’s Game” in 1903, and was granted that patent in 1904. That game would go through several revisions and eventually become the Parker Brothers’s game Monopoly.

Two additional games designed by Magie were published and marketed by the Parker Brothers as well: King’s Men and Bargain Day.

Her dedication to finding new and novel ways to teach economics, as well as her status as a woman inventor at the turn of the century makes Elizabeth Magie a fitting Geek of the Week!

For more information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Magie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_board_game_Monopoly

http://invention.si.edu/woman-inventor-behind-monopoly

Firstie (and Transfer!) Friday!

Welcome back for another Firstie Friday! 

k8macq (Katie)

How did you find the Cup and what motivated you to give the Cup a try? You know, I can’t remember? I’d been on my list for so long and I never remembered to be sorted in the first place! I competed in this year’s Ravellenic Games and my productivity went CRAZY… I thought I’d keep that up with the Cup.

What, in your own estimation, is your wackiest/most awesome project and why? I don’t think I ever made a project page for it, but my friend Tim, an eccentric Asatruar with a degree in Medieval Literature, asked me for a Wagnerian Viking helm, replete with knitted horns. Who says no to that? Coincidentally, it’s the only time I’ve ever knitted bobbles (for rivets, like you do).

What characteristics do you love most about the Tower so far? How do these things impact and change or encourage you? Oh my goodness. You guys are so dorky. It’s like I’m HOME. There’s a Spreadsheet of Spreadsheets. I HAVE MY OWN. It’s like a nerdy dream around here.

What is on your crafting bucket list? Boyfriend keeps asking for a fisherman sweater. But he’s still a boyfriend, so that’s not happening. Surely the bad luck doesn’t count if you’ve only charted and done the maths, right?

What is currently on your needles? A Phoenix-Wing for my best friend, a pair of traveling socks for Boyfriend, and the perpetual sock yarn leftovers blanket. I’m a little knitted out from Christmukkah (I have a spreadsheet for that).

KNIT4BEER (Shawna)

How did you find the Cup and what motivated you to give the Cup a try? For the last 6 months I have been in a Knit-a-coma and I needed some motivation and I have been sneaking around the different cups for about a year and 3 months ago decided to take the plunge.

What, in your own estimation, is your wackiest/most awesome project and why? My wackiest would have to be my kids(dog) hats that I knit for them with reflective yarn to keep them safe for our night walks. My most awesome would have to be my Juneberry shawl it was my first project that I used Madelinetosh and the pattern is just gorgeous!!

What characteristics do you love most about the Tower so far? How do these things impact and change or encourage you? I love the camaraderie that is in this house. I have never been in a group where I felt like there were people that wanted to be your friends or even wanted to help you, like I have in this house. I really love the “Big eagle/ little eagle ” program that only Ravenclaw has and to be honest this is what really pulled me to this house! The fact that this house wants everyone to succeed, makes me want to do my very best and be proud that I’m a Ravenclaw!!

What is on your crafting bucket list? Colorwork and brioche

What is currently on your needles? Socks