Happening This Week: July 30 - August 5

July Deadlines:

Prefect's Challenge

NEWT 100% until 7/31
OWLs 100% until 7/31

Ongoing:

Great Hall Class and Detention Badges
Great Hall Advanced Studies, Quidditch and HMC badges
Remembrall Sign ups

August Activities:

Break month activities:

Shore Excursions 
The Captain's Table 
The Lido Deck
The Poolside Lounge  

NEWT proposals until August 22nd

Prjónfesta
 

Last Week in the Common Room: All about cats

Bird feeder robbers/raccoons
Cat introductions
Project tips/lifelines
Getting to the end of the day without meltdowns/productivity
Dyers/MKALS/MCALs/KALs/CALs
Strategies for points
Swimming adventures
Rain/flooding
Planning OWLs/aspiring OWL mistresses
Disabling ravelry suggesting emoticons
Paypal
Coming home to a clean house
Cat revenge vs cats that are happy to see their owners when they return
Completing all the OWLs vs NEWTing ASAP
How many NEWTs makes an NEWT mistress?
Tiny houses/schoolies/dealing with stash
Mochimochiland
Staycations
Craft everything from library term
Attempts to recreate food from a book
Sleeping outside/with the windows
Leaving windows/doors open for pets
Picot bindoffs
Sweater addiction
Beta fish/aquariums
Spreadsheets for cross stitch
WoW/breaks/playtime
subscription services (yarn, makeup/toiletries, food, toys)

Stats Update: June Classes!

June Stats

 

 It's time for June stats! Ravenclaw soared in with 13,977 points! Excellent work! The most popular class was Charms with 91 projects! In second place was History of Magic with 89 submissions. Astronomy and Potions were tied with 82 entries, Magical Law received 66 items, 64 Detention WIPs were turned in, Muggle Studies had 54 crafted articles, and DADA accepted 49 crafted objects. Lastly, Arithmancy obtained 23 creations!

 

  The class bonuses were about the same as last month at about 11 points. The class with the most bonus points was Magical Law with 15.15 points. The next closest classes were Charms at 13.12 points and History of Magic was close behind with 13.04 points. 

  This month most Ravenclaws turned in one class to keep their sorting priority. The next biggest group maximized their points by turning in 6 classes. The backbone of Ravenclaws who turned in 2-5 classes was the next strongest group and a few bold Ravenclaws turned in 7 or 8 classes.

What's Happening This Week: July 23 - 29

Quidditch Match 5 - until 7/28

Prefect's Challenge
Headmistress Challenge - until July 24
Detention badge until 7/25

NEWT 100% until 7/31
OWLs 100% until 7/31

Ongoing:

Great Hall Class and Detention Badges
Great Hall Advanced Studies, Quidditch and HMC badges
Remembrall Sign ups

Last Week in the Common Room: Electronics

Cats/Cat allergies/hypoallergenic cats
Adoption stories
Not so smart pets
Dream/bucket list pets
Dream crafting job
Cheapest isn't always better/living on a low or fixed budget
Internet connectivity issues
Michigan/Dallas
Forgetting to turn on cooking devices
Organizing stash
Measuring stash by miles between places/marathons of yarn
Mischievous 'Claws hiding non dragons from the new HoH
Partners/friends who disagree on favorite things
Stargazing/Astronomy
Squash (drink)/cordial/different meanings in Europe and the US
House cup tours to all 4 houses
Stress relievers
Lack of USBs/CD players/external drives
Lack of headphone jacks/bluetooth headphones
Too many chargers/not enough chargers of the correct type
New appliances
Hot weather/dust/smoke
Exercise for people with injuries (cleaning, swimming)
One doesn't want to do something but when you do it you don't want to stop
Scrapbooking/other uses for scrapbook pages
Job searching
Excel/spreadsheets
BROOM woes/there's more than one way to measure yarn
Pain that happens hours after the injury
Medical insurance

What's Happening This Week: July 16 - 22

Quidditch Match 5 - until 7/28

Order of the Phoenix - missions accepted until 7/22
Prefect's Challenge - July blitz - Astronomy - 7/22
Headmistress Challenge - until July 24
Detention badge until 7/25

NEWT 100% until 7/31
OWLs 100% until 7/31

Ongoing:

Great Hall Class and Detention Badges
Great Hall Advanced Studies, Quidditch and HMC badges
Remembrall Sign ups

Last Week in the Common Room: Introversion/Extroversion Spectrum

Dyeing
Differences in spinning wheels
The comedy wildlife photo competition and amusing captions
Flamingos
How long does it take to feel like a grown up?
Ravenclaws are overachievers but they're organized about it
Ravelry changes
Tits Out Collective charity
Myers-Briggs Intuitive Preference
Introversion/extroversion spectrum
Oversimplifying disorders as extreme cases (like OCD is extreme neatness)
The military and injuries/return to civilian life
Judgemental families
Visitation Weekend
Seattle Claw Meetup (Claw Fest 2019)
Yarn chicken solution
Poutine
Pokémon
Tips on buying health aids
Tips for sweater edging
Cold sheeping
Gift ideas

What's Happening This Week: July 9 - 15

Quidditch Match 5 - 7/2 - 7/28

Order of the Phoenix - missions accepted until 7/22
Prefect's Challenge - July blitz - Astronomy - 7/22
Headmistress Challenge - until July 24
Detention badge until 7/25

NEWT 100% until 7/31
OWLs 100% until 7/31

Ongoing:

Great Hall Class and Detention Badges
Great Hall Advanced Studies, Quidditch and HMC badges
Remembrall Sign ups

Last Week in the Common Room: Mini Parade

Time turners
People who can't/don't craft as much in the spring
Crafting race
Air conditioning wars
Changing your pronouns on facebook
Typos/Autocorrect/places you can/cannot correct your posts
Common law marriages have time expiration? 
Pickle of Fear/Vive la patisserievolution
Watermelon/salted fruit/sugared fruit
What size population makes a town big or small?
Days before holidays in the middle of the week have a Friday feel
Birthdays near holidays get lost
Calamondin (Calamansi) fruit
Participating in the Fair and wondering about the judging
Feeling bad (or not) about people who have to scan many items
Retail horror stories/customers who come in at the last minute
Credit card woes/Car woes
Mini parade
A cross stitch floss purchase of epic proportions
The Mallet of Sanity has its work cut out for it
Online scheduling
Taking pictures of food/cooking by taste or recipe
Buttons/button holes
Disney food/cognitive dissonance over dumplings that taste like cheeseburgers
Fireworks/new firework laws/people who buy fireworks elsewhere
Knitworthy family members/dealing with difficult family
The hardest part of making software is naming things?
Composers's names as curses
Spoons/spoon theory for those without disability or chronic condition
People who get worn out from using their intellectual and social sides
Humidity/dry heat
Refurbishing old houses
MacGuyver knitting story
Software that names files by date in a odd format/Julian date

What's Happening This Week: July 2 - 8

 
Flight of the First - 7/1 - 7/7
Quidditch Match 5 - 7/2 - 7/28

Order of the Phoenix - missions accepted until 7/22
Prefect's Challenge - July blitz - Astronomy - 7/22
Headmistress Challenge - until July 24
Detention badge until 7/25

NEWT 100% until 7/31
OWLs 100% until 7/31

Ongoing:

Great Hall Class and Detention Badges
Great Hall Advanced Studies, Quidditch and HMC badges
Remembrall Sign ups

Last Week in the Common Room: Gay Pride

Reply all emails
Birthdays/kids growing up
jump castle/bouncy castle
menopause
Steam summer sale
Getting into tight places with hoop skirts/crinoline or bustle
Wardrobe accents
Eloping/common law marriage/weddings after the fact
wedding planners
wedding vs marriage
changing needle sizes to finish a project
2x2 rib
flats vs heels
Rules about people helping someone finish a project
Rules about JAYG/granny squares/10 stitch blankets
Minis
Old HPKCHC rules for squares/hexipuffs
Washi tape
Different pronouns for ravelry users
Technology causing pain or discomfort
Different parents's rules about kids gaming
Changes in gaming controls
Hysterectomy/oopherectomy/hysterosalpingooophorectomy
Last minute classe
Body dismorphia 

Firstie Friday

As we wind down this term, it's time to meet the next Firstie! It's sheselectric!
 
How did you find the Cup and what motivated you to give the Cup a try?
I’d seen the Cup around Ravelry for a while, and when I had the opportunity to play as a NQFY at the start of Winter ‘18 term, I thought I’d give it a whirl. The Cup provides excellent motivation for my least favorite crafting tasks: weaving in ends and sewing on buttons!

What, in your own estimation, is your wackiest/most awesome project and why?
The tumbling block vest, which was a mishmash of various inspirations--I used a pattern for the basic shape, scaled it to suit my own gauge and the size I was after, added the tumbling block pattern, knit it in the round instead of flat, and added my first steeks.


What characteristics do you love most about the Tower so far? How do these things impact and change or encourage you?
I really like the dorm and big/little eagle systems. The smaller communities are great for keeping up progress on longer-term projects and encouraging turn-ins for smaller projects (e.g., Quidditch).

What is on your crafting bucket list?
Two-color brioche, Alice Starmore cable and colorwork patterns, and argyle socks knit in the round.

What is currently on your needles/hook?
Illumine (shawl), Love’s Promise (cardigan), and Barley (hat).



I hope you've enjoyed getting to know the Firsties this term. Soon they will be our rising second years! 

What's Happening This Week: June 25 - July 1

June deadlines:
Quidditch - Match 4 - until 6/25

Prefect's Challenge
Detention badge until 6/25

NEWT 75% until 6/30
OWLs 50% until 6/30
June Classes until 6/30

July deadlines: 
Flight of the First - 7/1 - 7/7
Quidditch Match 5 - 7/2 - 7/28

Order of the Phoenix - first missions accepted back 7/1 - 7/22
Prefect's Challenge - July blitz
Headmistress Challenge - until July 24
Detention badge until 7/25

NEWT 100% until 7/31
OWLs 100% until 7/31

Ongoing:

Great Hall Class and Detention Badges
Great Hall Advanced Studies, Quidditch and HMC badges
Remembrall Sign ups

Last Week in the Common Room: Crazy Pants Overachievers!

Why is there a word for pink but not light blue?
Killing plants, even lower maintenance ones
Fast knitters
Traveling for work and enjoying uninterrupted sleep and mealtimes
Presenting speeches
Misspellings on tests
Air Conditioning
Not being able to leave mistakes in your work and lace surgery
Over achieving crafters
Moreporks exist in real life and not just in Pratchett books
Activities at the library
Donating books to the library
Comfortable room temperatures 
utility bills/solar panels/crypto-currency
Cross stitching floss/storing floss
"X things by X birthday" challenge changed to include a bucket list and social things.
Baby gift ideas
Gothic Tradition class
Losing knitting mojo

Firstie Friday!

The next firstie is unravellingwith7!

How did you find the Cup and what motivated you to give the Cup a try? 
I’m not sure how I found the cup… I think the cup chose me. I thought I must be with my people. I always knew I should have received my letter to Hogwarts but the owl must have gotten lost.


What, in your own estimation, is your wackiest/most awesome project and why? 
My most awesome project is a goat I crocheted for a friend. His name is Hopscotch. My friend is a Tennessee fainting goat owner. They are a disillusioned breed so I made her one that stood up. I crocheted most of it on a family trip to the Canadian maritimes.

What characteristics do you love most about the Tower so far?
How do these things impact and change or encourage you?
So about the tower… I love how encouraging everyone is. I love my big Eagle (shout out to Bigsnakes!). I love to see what everyone is upto and new patterns and I’m becoming a faster knitter which is awesome because that means I can knit more things! What is on your crafting bucket list?
I have so many things on my bucket list:

A fading point shawl I suspect that will be my fall term owl
My Ginny cardigan that was almost my owl
A cabled sweater for my hubby
Some padraig slippers for all of us
And a sock yarn blanket
A granny square blanket for my daughter.

What is currently on your needles/hook?
On my needles currently.. too much my husband says

How to Tame Your Dragon socks from my failed sock madness qualifying round

Safiya that I played yarn chicken and lost 4 rows from finishing so waiting on some replacement wool (will be a detention at some point)

Find your fade (my owl)

Ainu (my mission)

And Jessica Jones cowl in the most heavenly wool, cashmere, silk… will be a class I think

And a half finished Twilight sparkle for my daughter…

What's Happening This Week: June 18 - 24

Quidditch - Match 4 - 6/11 - 6/25

Prefect's Challenge - June blitz - 6/24
Detention badge until 6/25

NEWT 75% until 6/30
OWLs 50% until 6/30
June Classes until 6/30

Ongoing:


Headmistress Challenge - until July 24
Order of the Phoenix - first missions accepted back 7/1 - 7/22
Great Hall Class and Detention Badges
Great Hall Advanced Studies, Quidditch and HMC badges
Remembrall Sign ups

Last Week in the Common Room: Funny Road Signs

Women in video games, RPGs, cons
Breaking negative thought patterns/PMS triggers
New computers
World Wide Knit in Public Day
Correcting knitting without ripping out the stitches or doing surgery
Making cakes and icecream/making party favors
Stitch Maynia or setting personal crafting goals
Flying gnomes
Rivalries
Doing what you want on your birthday
Troubleshooting sewing machines/recommendations on sewing machines/sewing thread
Common things for one person might be rare things for another
Choosing constellations/people who were left out
Changes in horoscopes
Grammar in songs and on signs/Funny signs
Correcting pets
Not so smart pets
New Zealand vacations
Book themed road names
Drive on beaches/beach vacations
Santa
Sunglasses
Containerized housing units
Teacher gifts

Stats Update: May Classes!

Stats Update

Hey Ravenclaws! Ready for some stats? Ravenclaw accumulated 15,752 points in the month of May! Way to go!


The most popular class was Muggle Studies, probably because it was our May Blitz class. Muggle Studies raked in 119 submissions! Next was Defense Against the Dark Arts with 94 completed projects and Detention with 90 finished WIPs! History of Magic had the next highest turn in rate at 74. Magical Law had 65 submissions, Potions had 59 entries, Arithmancy had 58 turn ins and Astronomy had 54 completed assignments.

The class bonuses averaged around 11 which is an excellent sized bonus. The highest bonuses were in History of Magic at 15.04, Potions at 13.61 and Charms at 13.21. 

Most Ravenclaws turned in one or two classes. This is a good thing and the backbone of our points comes from these amazing Ravenclaws. It seems, in true Ravenclaw fashion, that most people either went for 1 or 2 classes or went straight to 6 classes. Some industrious Ravenclaws went for 7 or 8 classes but we wouldn't be anywhere without our solid point earners in the middle.