What's Happening This Week October 30 - November 5

Fall Term Theme

October Classes - DUE BY MIDNIGHT POT 10/31!  Contact HoH Bacs if you need to be excused!!

Deathly Hallows Seminar Class Blitz -- 10/31

OWLs -- 50% due by midnight POT 10/31

NEWTs -- 75% due by midnight POT 10/31

Class Tetris Photo Contest -- Through 10/31

Quidditch Match 3 -- Due by midnight POT 11/3

November Classes

Order of the Phoenix -- Missions accepted beginning 11/5

HMC #4: Bettering -- Through 11/7

Prefects’ Challenge

Great Hall Hallows and Horcruxes Challenge -- Through 11/30

Great Hall Badges --  Classes and Detention here;  extracurriculars here

House Unity Blanket Fort Activity  -- Ravenclaw Portal

Remembrall Sign ups

        

Last Week in the Common Room : Maple Leaf Tree of Life

Phone updates misbehaving

A Ravenclaw written book

Results of the Wollmeise NIP sale

Ragdoll Kitties

Raking leaves and creatures playing in them

Maple Leaf Tree of Life

flu shots

cubic needles

Quiddy Match Two Stats!

The points are in for Quidditch Match 2, and while we as a house were defeated by some spectularly scoring Slytherins, we're all about stats here in the Tower, and I thought I'd go over a few things I noticed.

Firstly, I always think it's interesting to look at when people turn in during the month. Our intrepid spreadsheet sorceresses don't collect that information for classes (and what a nightmare it would be to try!), but I have the dates for each Quiddy turn-in, so I thought I would use it.

I started off wanting to compare week-by-week, but as it turns out, only four of our 67 goals were made in the first week, so I took another tactic. The first two weeks of the match, September 28-October 11, had a total of 18 turn-ins. October 12-16, the next five days and remainder of the match excluding the last day, had more at 21, and the last day alone scored us 28 goals! It seems unfair to compare these uneven amounts of time, but I think it says a lot that even as the time periods shrink, the goals increase!

Of course there is frequently a reason for these last minute goals, and it's not always procrastination! That last day had a significantly higher points average than either of the other groups, which proves that at least some of those last minutes goals were pretty spectacular ones that may have taken every last second. 

Then, of course, you know your stats blogger's fascination with comparing things by dorm this term, so I sorted out the goals that way. Those wily Sevenths, just as they did in the first match, jumped out in the lead for participation! Once again the Fourths and Firsties were in second and third place, though they swapped places for this match. Participation in general was definitely down from last time, though. Perhaps everyone has gotten more focused on their Advanced Studies projects?

Here's the full stat-by-dorm breakdown for Match 2, if anyone wanted to check how they were doing against the others!

Before I go, don't forget that Quidditch Match #3 is happening right now! Craft something that relaxes you or relieves stress by November 3rd (next Friday!) in order to earn 20 base points as well as awesomeness and yardage bonus. Non-rav crafts are being accepted for this match, too, so get out your sewing machines and paint brushes if you want and score for Ravenclaw!

Firstie Friday: Extracurriculars

Our fantastic Firsties are a busy and enthusiastic bunch as seen in their participation in two of our Cup extracurricular activities; Quidditch and Headmistress Challenge.

Quidditch
Quidditch Match 2 finished up last week, and was a popular activity for our First Year dorm with 7 Firsties scoring a goal. The purpose of this match was to create something for charity or something that would be a gift, and our Firsties stepped up with a round of projects that will help keep others warm and make them feel loved.

Headmistress Challenge
The HMC this term is focused on bettering of all types, and our First Years have responded. More than half of our Firsties have participated in each of the first 3 rounds.

While it's true that a Cup participant only has to turn in one class a month to stay active, our First Years have quickly learned that there is fun to be had by checking out all the other activities the Cup has to offer.

Way to SOAR, little Eagles!

From the Desk of the Head of House: Shiny Things, Round 3

My, how time has flown past!  It's time again to award some badges for Shiny Things!

While the weather where I live is still trying to make up its mind about what season it is, for many people it's Hat Making Season!  And with that comes a variety of colours, styles, and sizes of hats to distract us.

For some examples (and perhaps inspiration), here is the video for this round's recipients!

Included are projects from: cauterize, gardenmama, gazebogal, gojenn, gwennian, hreow, kauaid, kaypendragon, knit4beer, knitsnhikes, kvaustin, lateclematis, lynn4mk, masschroeder, meshamarie, mootzee, mrswingnut, neetsey, purplepigwidgeon, qtinki, s2five, saskiabr, and wendebular.  Kolson111322 also turned in a hat, but her picture was submitted through private message to the professors so I couldn't add it to the slideshow.

Hats are generally a nice project to whip up quickly for a turn-in.  Many people use them for their Flight of the First project so they have their one class minimum taken care of.

And I already know what next round's theme will be, but you'll have to wait to find out ;)

Take care,

Quidditch Match 3 Preview!

Quidditch Match 3 is Almost Here!

It will begin at midnight POT at the beginning of Thursday 26 October.  For this match, craft something that relaxes you or relieves stress. The relaxing effect can come from either the crafting process or from the item you’re making - be sure to explain clearly in your turn-in post.

This is a short time frame - from 26 October through 3 November - with a sweet 20 base points - so a nice small project is a good choice for this match.  Go for a project you can sell as easy or relaxing to make, or something that relates to an aspect of your life that is relaxing or stress relieving. For example, a small gift for a friend because spending time with friends relaxes you. Or a little scrubby because a dirty sink is stressful, so cleaning it will relieve your stress. You get the idea!

For those who don’t enjoy small projects, yardage bonus will be given. But do beware the short time frame that stretches over the end of the month. If you start plain vanilla socks because it’s such a soothing and relaxing knitting process, but then don’t finish in time, they can go for detention in November but not for a November class.

Non-rav crafts will be accepted (though not eligible for yardage bonus).

Awesomeness bonus available for all!! Awesomeness bonus can be hard to predict, but cute and funny turn-ins usually get some bonus. If you have any kids or pets, using them in the photos is a great idea. If giving your crafted items to charity is a stress-reliever for you, be sure to explain about it, because some of the referees may give bonus for donations to charity.

Be sure to visit the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team thread for ideas, more details, help, encouragement, and cheers!

Thank you greenheron for that preview of Match 3!  SOAR RAVENCLAW!

Mid-Term Prefect Challenge Update!

It's been a while since we've checked in to the Prefects' Challenge, so your intrepid blog team decided that it was about time! If you aren't aware of what is going on in the Challenge in general, go catch yourself up in my previous update.

We've been turning in lots of classes and checking things off our bucket lists, and we've made quite a bit of progress on the BLUE train; we've made five more stops!

First stop since our last update was a tour of the Ministry of Magic! We had a bit of Patronus practice in the empty court chambers before moving on.

Our next stop was at Burnham Beeches, where Hermione fled from Death Eaters who were pursuing her from the Ministry. It's a beautiful scene in this autumn season and we stayed to study healing and have a bit of a picnic.

Next we traveled to High Marnham, an abandoned power station where Ron, Hermione, and Harry traveled after Ron splinched himself and could no longer apparate. We had a Transfig lesson here and learned about why you can't conjure food from nothing, relating it to the Trio's struggles to find enough food on this leg of their journey.

Our next stop was to Loch Etive, where the stress of the journey was enough to drive Ron away from his friends. We practiced setting protective charms while at this campsite.

Our next stop and current location is Marnham Cove, where Harry and Hermione planned the next steps of their journey. While here, we are going over the history of Godric Gryffindor.

So keep turning in classes and checking in bucket list items on our spreadsheet to keep making progress on our journey!

Don't forget that the Prefects' Challenge October Blitz is set for October 31st in the Deathly Hallows Seminar. We're re-illuminating skills and techniques that haven't been used in a while!

What's Happening This Week -- October 23 - 29

Fall Term Theme

October Classes

HMC 3: People Bettering  -- Due by midnight POT 10/24

Detention -- Due by midnight POT 10/25 for badge

Quidditch Match 3 -- Begins 10/26

HMC #4: Bettering -- Begins 10/28

Deathly Hallows Seminar Class Blitz -- 10/31

Class Tetris Photo Contest -- Through 10/31

NEWTs -- 75% due by midnight POT 10/31

OWLs -- 50% due by midnight POT 10/31

Prefects’ Challenge

Order of the Phoenix -- Agents out for Missions

Great Hall Hallows and Horcruxes Challenge -- Through 11/30

Great Hall Badges --  Classes and Detention here;  Extracurriculars here

House Unity Blanket Fort Activity  -- Ravenclaw Portal

Remembrall Sign ups

        

Last Week in the Common Room: Livers can do more than kill people

Addictive games and in game purchases (with real money!)

What yarn fiber and yarn weight do you use most often

Chicken Dance, the Bunny Hop, the Hokey Cokey or Hokey Pokey

meditative poetry

Nightguards
 
Adjusting to different climates

WIPs and Startitis

Rhinebeck and Edinburgh Fiber Festival plans

Liver disease can cause changes in taste 
 
Trains!

It’s Study Time! Ongoing Fiber Education, Sewing and Socks

We're here with another installment of our feature on the Tower Specialist Study threads. This time we have a bit of something for everyone whether you are into Rav crafts, other crafting, or learning more about fiber arts.

Lifelong Fiber Learning 

The newest specialist study in the Tower, this thread is home to discussions about all the different ways yarn artists can grow in our craft. From information on Master Knitting, Crochet and Spinning programs, to reviews of Craftsy classes, this is the place to go to learn and discuss all the ways we can continue to evolve and hone our art. Rav crafts aren't the only items being discussed here either; there are reviews of several sewing classes as well.

Sewing Days

Experienced and aspiring sewists have this specialty study to call their own. Visitors to this thread share tips, tricks, successes and defeats with all things related to sewing. Whether looking for a recommendation for a beginner or advanced machine, a pattern for a project bag, or discussion about creating a capsule wardrobe, this Tower destination is the place to go to find others with similar interests. 

Mad About Socks

Whether you're an experienced sock knitter, or attempting your first pair, this Tower specialist study has a ton of information for anyone making these sweaters for your feet. From conversations about sock knitting competitions such as Tour de Sock and Sock Madness to chats about KALs and favorite patterns, this is the place to go to talk socks.

We hope this exploration of our many Tower Specialist Study threads is giving you some new places to visit in our beloved House. I'll be back soon to highlight more.

Firstie Friday!

It's time for another peek at one of our fantastic Firsties!

Cerridwen28 (Jaime)

How did you find the Cup and what motivated you to give the Cup a try? I was vaguely aware of the Cup from a few people from another Rav forum that I frequent. I had taken a look, but I had found it rather overwhelming. I decided to give it a second try after hearing Laura on The Knit Girllls podcast talking it up.

What, in your own estimation, is your wackiest/most awesome project and why? Hmm. This is a tough question. I guess wackiest might be this one: Thwomp! I needed to fulfill a prompt for Nerdopolis regarding something inspired by indigenous peoples. I play for Team Space Alliance, and so I needed a tie in to my team as well. I thought about Chakotay from Star Trek Voyager. Officially he’s not meant to represent any one Native group, but he does allude in character to his people being the “Rubber Tree People” which made me think of the “Rubber People,” another name for the Olmec. Olmec art is notably remembered for their really big stone face carvings. So, I crafted a Thwomp from Super Mario, which is a big stone face.

I can’t decide most awesome, but I did finish a Doctor Who scarf… Acheson Hero Scarf.

What characteristics do you love most about the Tower so far? How do these things impact and change or encourage you? I love how insanely organized 'Claws are! I’m in awe of the spreadsheet magic some of these folks possess. Everyone’s overachieving and so I don’t feel like I’m putting people out or making them feel bad for aiming to complete all the classes each term. In fact, if anything, I’m spurred on to do more and more by the awesome people in the Tower. I feel very much at home here.

What is on your crafting bucket list? Everything! OK, maybe not everything, but there’s a lot. I’ve a lot of double knitting projects I’d like to get back to. I had participated in the first Yarn Quest 2017 - Heroes of Yarnia RPG MKAL at the beginning of the year, but time and other projects have taken me away from completing the main quest blanket, as well as subsequent side quests. I’d like to eventually get round to working through those. I’d also like to make some more fun socks that aren’t for competition. I’m a big fan of Caoua Coffee, and I’d love to work through a few more of her designs.

What is currently on your needles/hook? I have 10+ active WIPs at the moment. I like having different things going so I always have a project to match my time, space and attention span. I’m working on my OWL mostly at the moment, which I don’t have up on Rav yet. Other than that I’ve been really enjoying working on my Starting Point. There’s lot of easy to memorize sections which makes it good for bringing to work so I don’t have to worry about having pattern charts laying around.

We're pleased you chose the Tower, and are happy you feel at home here.

From the Desk of the Head of House: Halfway Point

Can you believe we are already halfway through the term?!

I don't know about you, but I've been a bit overwhelmed at times recently thanks to real life.  Between world happenings and just flat out being busy at home, I sometimes need a little pick-me-up to help me along.

In the Common Room, we have a link in the header to the Calming Manatee.  I suggest (if animated GIFs are not something that cause a problem for you) also checking out Kitten Witch.  I have a tremendous love for the little kitten and the wonderful messages on the GIFs, such as "'Doing your best' is not pushing yourself beyond your limits" and "'Doing your best' can change day to day" because there are days when I need these sorts of reminders.

I would also like to recommend sites like Do Nothing for 2 Minutes, which has the sound of waves and asks you to not touch the mouse or keyboard for two minutes (just a sort of mental break) and Weave Silk, which allows you to use your mouse to draw random (and pretty) shapes.  It's important to remember to take a couple minutes to just exist.

And if you find yourself struggling and very overwhelmed, take a look at this document titled Everything is Awful and I'm Not Okay.  It has a list of things to do that may help you get through.  Feel free to ask for a candle in the Tower's candle thread, chat in the Common Room (like post five happy things or request cute animal pictures), hang out in your Dorm, or even just take a few days off from chatting and crafting to rest.

Taking care of yourself should be a priority.

Take Care,

Quidditch Update -- Last Day of Match 2!

Match 2 is almost over.   The stroke of midnight POT at the end of Tuesday October 17 is your last chance to score.  

While we are in last place as of this writing, we are holding our own and expect a flurry (perhaps a blizzard?) of last minute scores.  Kudos to the noble Chasers of Ravenclaw who have already scored in Match 2, and hurrah for those hard at work to finish in time.

If you haven't started yet, you may still be able to score.  Even a small project made for charity or to protect someone else will earn 25 base points.  Come visit the Ravenclaw Quidditch thread for pattern ideas and encouragement.

Thank you to greenheron for that update on Match 2!  SOAR RAVENCLAW!

What's Happening This Week -- October 16 - 22

Fall Term Theme

October Classes

Quidditch Match 2 --  Due by Midnight POT 10/17

HMC 3: People Bettering  -- Through 10/24

Detention -- Due by 10/25 for badge

Deathly Hallows Seminar Class Blitz -- 10/31

Class Tetris Photo Contest -- Through 10/31

NEWTs -- 75% due by midnight POT 10/31

OWLs -- 50% due by midnight POT 10/31

Prefects’ Challenge

Order of the Phoenix -- Agents out for Missions

Great Hall Hallows and Horcruxes Challenge -- Through 11/30

Great Hall Badges --  Classes and Detention here;  extracurriculars here

House Unity Blanket Fort Activity  -- Ravenclaw Portal

Remembrall Sign ups

        

Last Week in the Common Room : Time Traveler

Wombles Fever

the best mouse bait

favorite and not so favorite holidays

food adventures

substitutes for allergy inducing ingredients

DPNs, smaller needles and tension

potential food contamination by chemicals

snowfall, reactions to snow and cleaning up snow

cheese jokes and beautiful horses

birth year Time Traveler keywords

toilet paper and campsites

knitting socks inside out

SoS and NQFY visit

poetry from childhood

September Class Stats!

Now that the month is well over and all the points have been posted, it's time to take a look at September's class stats! First off, a look at which classes were more popular with Ravenclaws:

Our blitz class for September, which was the Horcrux seminar, actually managed to take second place to Charms. Sometimes it all comes down to solid studying in core classes. 

Next, I went to my favorite comparison right now: by dorm! Here's the breakdown for average number of turn-ins across all classes by dorm (which does include partials):

The Fourths are holding steady in the lead, but those enthusiastic Firsties are surely on their tails! My own dorm, the low-Ms, seems to be seriously lagging for September. We should step it up!

 Of course it doesn't always come down to number of turn-ins if you have classes with bonus points! Here's the comparison of average points per turn-in by dorm:

Those Fourths and Sevenths are definitely pulling their weight; high in both number of turn-ins and average points! And we low-Ms may be a bit behind on number of turn-ins but we are right in the middle for points; clearly the upper years have all figured out a good middle ground for bonus points!

We're nearly halfway through October now, so I hope everyone is well on their way for this month's classes!