Where is the Quidditch World Cup Trophy?

This is a very quick (amended) post to say that we have had another message from Winnie, who seems to have killed the thief in a duel!  She has asked if we can work out where he hid the trophy. She sent the personal belongings he had on him before he died, which were...

Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder
Broken Wand
Blood Pops
Hand of Glory
Boars Head
Golden Snitch
Swiftstick Broom

I have been working with my dear sister Emma Wigworthy to work this out.  We have together concluded that the trophy must be hidden somewhere in the Black Forest of Germany - clues to this are the carved Boars Head, which is from that region, and that it is a known location of vampires, which Winnie has been hinting at as the thief.  Plus, we have been told that the location is "more specific than a country, but not as specific as a city.  The Black Forest fits that clue perfectly, as it is a region.

We also think that the blood pops are a clue to the thief's identity, given that these are a confectionary beloved of vampires.  The Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder could have been hidden in the golden snitch, in the way that Dumbledore hid the resurrection stone for Harry Potter.  A vampire would have no compunction at killing someone in order to re-open it, and then using the powder to create the darkness required to steal the trophy. Then the hand of glory could have been used to light the thieves escape route.  And of course the swiftstick broom is what he would have used to make the escape.

We also know that Winnie visited Professor Slughorn during her travels to find the thief and the trophy, and he is known to have befriended vampires - indeed we believe that Sanguini may have been the thief, a vampire that attended Slughorns Christmas party at Hogwarts.  The broken wand is probably Winnie's own, broken in the duel that resulted in the thief's death.  The hand of glory also points towards vampires, as Whitby is one of only 2 known muggle locations for this magical artifact. Count Dracula, lord of Vampires, sailed to Whitby with Harker, when he came to England to begin his quest for world domination, and it is also where Brem Stoker wrote his famous novel about the Count.

Now that my conclusions are posted, I have much left to do before visiting Mr Wychwood's family for the New Year, so I must fly - accio broom!!!

HSKS9 Packages from Emma Gorodok

The owls have been so busy with Xmas deliveries, that I was quite surprised to have an owl arrive this weekend, being only a few days after Emma Gorodok had sent it off.  Her poor owl had to divert to our local owlery though as we weren't at home when the tired little thing arrived on the cold and snowy morning we had yesterday.  When I eventually picked up the package, after leaving plenty of time for Emma's owl to get there, I went along with my dear sister Emma Wigworthy, who of course helped me to rip open the package to reveal the contents...

WOW!!!  Emma G has knit me the most wonderful hat and mitts set, in this beautiful 100% silk yarn.  The hat design Ripley is by one of my favourite British designers - Ysolda Teague, and Emma adapted the lovely Waves Arm Warmer pattern to make the mitts.  The colour is just gorgeous, a pale silvery blue, ideal for Arrows players - I love them! 

I also got a cute little "Owl Post Service" badge that Emma picked up when she was visiting Birmingham, and in the same colour as the hat/mitts was a voile bag with a lovely beaded key-chain handmade by Emma...

And for our Christmas table, Emma included some silver napkins, and two Xmas tree shaped candles in blue and silver bases.  Perfect for our Christmas dinner at Emma Wigworthy's house, as she decorates the dining room in blue and silver!

This was my second package from Emma.  Earlier this month a package arrived full of wonderful goodness...

Some awesome sock yarn hand-dyed by Emma, the Lizzy (!) sock pattern, some German tea, and a Father Christmas advent hanger, filled with chocolate coins, Santa's, and little charms...

Thank you Emma for doing such a brilliant job of spoiling me - I am thrilled with it all, you are a fantastic spoiler!

Now to go and advertise this news in Hogwarts, must fly - accio broom!!!

Winnie's Secret Mission

Olive has posted that Wisty and Siobhan have received a box from Winnie, with a mysterious item inside it.  There was a clue on the outside that I have managed to decipher... "STOLEN QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP TROPHY".  I am quite certain that this was what was in the box, and therefore that Winnie's secret mission must have been to recover this from the thief!  What an outrage that such a precious item should be stolen from right under the nose of the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Games and Sports.  But how wonderful that our amazing Headmistress has managed to retrieve it!

Now I have lots of  Xmas shopping left to do, so I must fly - accio broom!!!

Letters and Packages

This week there has been another letter from Winnie, stating that she was heading to "the place where Christmas began" where it is "rather cold".  So I'm guessing that she means the North Pole... 

Every year Christmas begins with Santa setting off from here on his sleigh with Rudolph and the other reindeer and his sack full of gifts for all the good children in the world.  My own dear ones have written letters to Santa this year, which we posted just yesterday at the red letterbox next to their school bus-stop (they are too young to attend Hogwarts yet, or to use the floo network). 

And speaking of Xmas gifts, I was thrilled to see this week that my trust owl Specky had landed safely at Megaera Black's abode with the Reducio Swap package that I had the pleasure of pulling together for her.  The theme was "A Very Weasley Xmas", and so I was inspired to make a replica of Harry Potter's first ever Xmas gift from the Weasley's - an emerald green sweater.  I also knitted a Xmas Cracker - wizards love these, and of course have very special ones that go off with a loud bang and envelop everyone in smoke, and of course I knit a mini-sock which is mandatory for the swap.  I indulged my latest hobby by making some Xmas tree stitchmarkers.  On top of this, I included some Bertie Botts beans, and some incense sticks with an evergreen leaf holder.  Here's a picture of all the handmade items:

 
When Specky returned from Megaera's I had to send him off again directly with the HSKS9 package for Amethyst Aurag of the Montrose Magpies.  I hope he's okay, he was very tired.

Anyway, I have so much to do to get the Wychwood household ready for Xmas, and so little time.  I have gifts to buy, and so I must fly - accio broom!!!

Mysterious letter from Winnie

A letter has been found from Winnie, just when we were all getting quite worried about her whereabouts.  It was buried deep under a pile of papers on a desk, and contained some intriguing clues as to her continued travels.

Firstly she talked about being in a large city, where she had plenty of garlic, and expected to have no trouble in finding holy water and a cross.  I'm beginning to think that her mission may have something to do with vampires!  Anyway, I wonder if she could have been in the Vatican City, which is actually a city within a city i.e. Rome, Italy.  What better place to find holy water and crosses?

She then talked about heading off to a dark region to the north-west of a mountain range.  Continuing my guess that she was somewhere in Europe, I believe that she may have been heading for Galicia in Spain, known as a dark region (and therefore possibly home to vampires?), which is north-west of the Cantabrian Mountains...

Ah, those beautiful mountains, makes me want to take flight myself for a holiday.  Must fly, accio broom...!!!

Busy Week

I don't feel like my feet have touched the ground all week.  I've had a couple of trips on Gringotts business, one to a director's meeting in London.  I went via train of course to Kings Cross Station, and had to run back to the station after the meeting to ensure I caught the train back - broomsticks and apparation are too risky with so many Muggles around.  The trip back was rather fun, I dined in the restaurant coach with a colleague, and knocked over a glass of red wine - it was a Muggle train so we had to endure the rest of the journey with an obvious red stain on the tablecloth - very embarassing.

My other trip was to Leeds for a seminar to learn all about the latest rules on financial presentation in the Gringotts annual report, as they are shortly to embrace international wizard financial standards, to bring us into line with worldwide wizarding financial institutions.  Would you believe I had forgotton all about this seminar?  I turned up at work in Gringott's local office, and it was only when my colleagues asked if the seminar had been cancelled that I realised!  In the end, I was over an hour late for the start, but managed to sneak in unnoticed because it was a coffee break when I got there!

It's been such a busy week that I haven't had chance to get in any more Quidditch practice, for which I will now make amends - must fly!  Accio Broom!!!

Things I'm Thankful For

Our HSKS Quidditch teams are all telling the world about things we are thankful for this week.  It has made me feel so good reading what everyone is putting down, and here for your reading pleasure are mine:

My family is number one - my Mum and Dad are so laid back, always happy to see us but never nagging us to visit, and I'm extra thankful that my Dad is doing okay since the recent scare over his heart.  My sister Emma Wigworthy is the most wonderful sister anyone could have, she introduced me to the world of HSKS and Ravelry, which has brought me so much pleasure.  My dear husband Mr Wychwood is the most special wizard in the world, supportive, strong, helpful, great with the kids, and so much fun.  And my children of course give me joy every day - the sweetest little witch who has a heart of gold, and the cutest little wizard who is full of adventure.

Next on my list are my friends - including all the people I have met through HSKS and Ravelry. My most special friend is one I rarely see now, and am infrequently in contact with, but it always feels so easy whenever we do speak - we just get talking and laughing together.  Sadly my best friend from school died aged 22, and I have lived twice that now, I still think of her, and that leads me to my next thing...

I am thankful for my health - to have a mostly pain-free life, only marred by the odd infection that is doing the rounds.  I am so admiring of all the people who endure daily pain and suffering, including my own dear sister Emma - I do hope her knee surgery is successful.

I am also thankful for my home, it may not be elegant, but I am so comfortable here, and when I think of all the poor homeless people in the developing world, I count my blessings, and stop griping about the unfinished DIY jobs, old carpets, childrens toys lying around, and so on.

Another thing I am thankful for is literature - it is wonderful to immerse myself in the world of Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, Discworld, Narnia, Austen's novels, and so many more.  And they have inspired so many wonderful things, many of which I have enjoyed in Ravelry swaps.

And then of course there is crafting - knitting, crochet, spinning, sewing, cross-stitch, beadwork, papercrafts, and so on.  I have turned my hand to many different crafts over the course of the years, and have many beautiful things in my home as a result, along with the gorgeous painted gifts from my sister.

Well, I think that is enough for you to get a feel of what makes me feel good in life.  If only I was a little slimmer and fitter and more willing to do what it takes to achieve that.  I definitely need to do more exercise, speaking of which I must fly - accio broom!!!

More of Winnie's Travels

This witch is certainly getting around.  We've had another postcard from her this week, with a picture of Pyramids on the front - a sure sign that she has been visiting the Middle East.

Firstly she went to "a very fashionable city to seek out a friend who used to run his own club at Hogwarts. I found him in the magical library that was shaped like giant books. Thankfully, I had stocked up on crystallized pineapple during the South America trip."  I'm pretty certain that this is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and that she was there to meet Horace Slughorn, who ran the Slug Club for his selected group of students - he loved crystallised pineapple!  This city is amazing, it has so many wonderful buildings, to which the Book Shaped Public Library is a great addition...

Then she went to "a place that had pyramids of a different kind than those in South America. I had to visit a friend who is an author and beastly anthropologist. I'm really and truly hoping that his experiences can help me on my mission. The one thing that I did not like about my last stop?? There was sand EVERYWHERE!" This has to be the Pyramids at Giza near Cairo in Egypt.  She is following in the Weasley's footsteps with this visit - they had a family holiday in Egypt when Bill was working there as a Curse-breaker for Gringotts.  I wonder if that could be connected to her mission somehow?  Hmmm.

Anyway, I feel the urge to make a little trip myself now, must fly...Accio Broom!

Winnie's Travels Continue...

We got another letter from Winnie this week, full of mysterious clues about her latest travels.  She has headed to the southern hemisphere, and visited 3 places in total over the course of the week. 

First she went to "a capital city that was built On a lake, but the lake has since disappeared. Many ghosts meet in the ancient temples and all over the town."  This is clearly Mexico City, which was built on an island in Lake Texcoco which was drained in the 17th century.

Second she landed in a city where many kites are built & flown. Very windy place that! The city has old game courts which would have been useful for local Quidditch playoffs.  Well I think this might be Chicago, known as the Windy City, and I have found these examples of kites made in Chicago.   I haven't found reference to any old game courts though, so I could be wrong.

Third she visited a beautiful Northeastern coastal city that is known for its annual multicultural carnival. Ravenclaws would have loved the pink library! The town is smaller than a nearby large city and is very relaxing. There are so many historic places to visit. I think this may be Boston, which has a public library built with pink granite. 

I wonder where she will head to next.  I wish I could spare the time for all these travels, and the energy, I really do need more exercise!  Anyway, I must fly... accio broom!!!

Where in the World is Winnie this Week?

Winnie certainly is getting around the world quickly.  This week she returned to England, as she wanted to speak to Cyprian Youdle's ghost - he was killed in 1357 whilst refereeing a Quidditch match.  I think Winnie is getting a little muddled up though, she seemed to think that it was during the first ever Quidditch match, which took place on Queerditch Marsh.  But that was much earlier than 1357, as Gertie Keddle who wrote about it lived in the eleventh century!  Nevertheless, Winnie did mention that she was in a place where the team was in blue jerseys with silver arrows - yes, my very own team - Appleby Arrows!  She also mentioned that there are no shops or pubs there - so she was clearly referring to Appleby Village in Lincolnshire, rather than Appleby in Westmoreland which has plenty of shops being an historic market town!

It has been fun tracking her movements - she certainly is quick on that broom of hers.  I need to put in lots of practice to get that good on mine, speaking of which, I must fly!  Accio Broom!!!

Where in the World is Winnie?

We've had another intriguing postcard from our absent headmistress Professor Winifred Wartbobble.  She certainly is getting around the world at breakneck speed, I'm guessing she must be using a combination of portkeys, apparition, floo powder and good old broomwork. 

Anyway, she talked about being in a place with sheep and near a castle, where it is spring now.  There was a picture of a beautiful castle on her postcard, which looked to me to be this one, which is Larnach Castle near Dunedin in New Zealand.

She followed this up by saying she wanted to pop into a place to buy Maple Syrup, there being a factory in a town situated by a lake bordering Quebec, and that this town was formerly 3 towns.  It's taken me a while to track this one down, but I am now fairly certain that she is referring to Stanstead, Quebec.  This town was created in 1995 by the merger of the former towns of Stanstead Plain, Rock Island and Beebe Plain, and maple syrup is harvested throughout the region in which it is situated.

So those are my guesses - Dunedin, New Zealand and Stanstead in Quebec province, Canada.

Well, I'd better get on with pulling together items for Amethyst's package, so I must fly.  Accio Broom!!!

Where in the World is Winnie?

We had a letter from Winnie this week, who was clearly writing from somewhere in London, England.  She enclosed a photo of the Ministry of Magic, with lots of wizards and witches milling around in it.  Would you believe she had been accused of teaching apparition to underage wizards? 

Anyway, it looks like she may be heading off to Italy next, as she signed off her letter with "Ciao"!

Well, I'd best hurry along and put in some more quidditch practice.  Must fly... Accio Broom!

Quidditch Players of the World

What a fun assignment this week, I had to research my fellow Quidditch players to get to know them a little better.  Plus I had to find answers to this quiz...

1.Someone with the same craft as you (either those listed above or another one).
Olive Bumblebirch is a knitter like me - her RavID is Oliveknits!
I've left a comment on her gorgeous Herbology Washcloth, it uses a lovely stitch pattern that I used for a dress for my daughter's doll.

2.Someone who was born in the same month.
Emma Wigworthy - she's my twin sister!  But I figured I ought to try harder, so have established that Minerva Lovegood was also born in April.  I've left a comment on her Jaywalkers which are in fabulous colours, I'm planning to knit these myself at some point.

3.Someone from a different country.
That's easy - nearly everyone is from a different country to me!  So I've gone for one of our newbies, Ginny Lockheart (fellow Arrow), who is from Utah, USA.  I've left a comment on her Ravenclaw Sockettes, they gave me the urge to pick up my needles for another pair of socks.  I'm quashing it though, I have to get on with stuff for this swap!

4.A new HSKS Quidditch player.
Maisy Muddlestixs just joined the Wigtown Wanderers team all the way from Oz!  She's shaping up as a great player, having gone in for both the crochet and knit leagues in Shuntbumps!  I've left a comment on her Chains & Diamonds Crochet Quilt - it is beautiful, patchwork in blues and white.  I love patchwork, and have a stash of fabrics ready to make a quilt one day.

5.A player who has been in 3 or more HSKS swaps. 
Rowena Bladvak has been in several HSKS swaps - she even persuaded her husband to join in previous swaps, a very powerful witch she is!  I've left a comment on her Flight of Fancy shawl, which is stunning.  I'm knitting my first shawl in the HSKS shawl kal, which Rowena is also doing.

6.A player who has a bigger stash than you! (And if your stash is the biggest, proudly say so!)
Enna Kirts has 71 in her Ravelry stash compared to my 36!  I've left a comment on her Zitron Trekking XXL, which is in lovely pale blue colourways (very Arrows!).  I've used Trekking myself for a pair of socks (Luna's Twilight Socks), which I've been wearing all day - they are my most worn pair of home knit. 

7.A player who both knits and crochets.
My good friend Hermione Bagnold - I commented on her James' First Socks, which are just adorable, and in a lovely shade of blue, again perfect Arrows colour!  I'm missing sock knitting, it's June since I last knit a pair, and that was just in stocking stitch, I want to get my teeth into a lovely patterned pair.

8.Someone who has the same favorite color as you.
Selena Starfire has Blue, Purple, Green listed as her favourite colours.  Blue is my total favourite, and I also love purple and green.  I have left a comment on her Baby Surprise Jacket which is being knit up in a simply to die for colourway that is very reminiscent of peacocks.  This pattern is in the Knitters Almanac which I bought after attending a talk by Meg Swansen (Elizabeth Zimmerman's daughter) at UK Ravelry Day.

Now that I have completed this task, I'd better go check on Winnie's current whereabouts!  Must fly... Accio Broom!!!

Quidditch Season Wishes

I'm so made up because my pre-season broom practice has paid off - I've been selected for the Appleby Arrows team!  I must tell you that the tryouts were a nerve-racking experience, but both Emma and I made it in.  I think it is partly due to our experience in shuntbumping - we were joint Northern England champions for several years running in our prime.

You may have noticed that my excitement has spilled over onto my virtual pitch in a change of colour scheme, along with some new portkeys which will take you to the HSKS9 Quidditch arena, and the Appleby Arrows locker room.  Plus I've updated my wishlist in case I attract a stalker now that I am a member of the elite Appleby Arrows quidditch team.  Here's a few other pointers:

Favourite Colours: I love the Appleby Arrows colours of Blue and Silver. I also love Purple, Turquoise, Green and Pink.

Favourite Scents: At this time of year I love Sandalwood and Christmas aromas.

Favourite Yarn Brands: Knit Picks (won't deliver to the UK), Knitting Goddess, and British brands like Rowan, and King Cole, or Cygnet.

Favourite Yarn Types: I love natural fibres, especially wool and silk.  I'm not keen on acrylic/polyester/rayon except to to strengthen sock wool.  I prefer solids and semi solids to show off stitch patterns and designs.

Favourite Snacks: Blackcurrant liquorice, sherbet lemons, cheesy doritos, and I loved the Sour Apple Witch's Potion from Pelican Bay that I got in my HLBOES package! 

Allergies: None other than housework!

Wishlists: Etsy, Amazon

Still time to get in a little more practice before the season begins - I must fly! Accio Broom!!!

York Minster

Thought you might like to see where I am this weekend, travelling incognito amongst a horde of Muggles.

I have just had a lovely lunch at Betty's, and wandered down to the Minster. The bells are playing lovely music, it is a sunny day, and I am able to enjoy it at my own pace, as Mr Wychwood has taken the children to visit his Mother, whilst I tour York. How wonderful!

And now I am off to the back of the Minster to visit Treasurers House before getting ready for a meal out with friends tonight. Must dash... !!!

HLBOES Herbology

My favourite muggle plant is English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). Here is a picture of one of the many shrubs I have growing in my garden. I love it for the colour which varies between pale blue as here and pinkish purple. I also love it for the aroma, which is heavenly. Indeed, muggles have perfected the art of harvesting the flower heads to use in all manner of ways. Oil can be distilled from them to use in perfumes and toiletries, and massage oil. It is also reputed to be an effective antiseptic, and I myself used it in the nappy soaker when my children were babies. The flower heads themselves can be dried to use in pot pourri, or to fill scented sachets such as wardrobe hangers to repel moths. The smell can be refreshed by simply crushing the flower heads together, and so the sachets are useful for years. Every September I harvest the flower heads from my shrubs to dry and use in handmade items for my home and as gifts. And it just so happens that I have a wardrobe hanger on the needles right now which I really want to finish tonight, must dash...!!!

End of HSKS Summer Camp

Well, it's been such a great vacation with Summer Camp. I have had a wonderful time and am going to miss all my new friends, especially my Manticore Cabin mates. I think it was the butterbeer that helped us to get to know each other so well, I am always more sociable after a drink or two! I'm looking forward to Quidditch now, I really need to get some practice in though, so I must dash...!!!

Dales and Peaks

I had a totally fabulous 2 week camping holiday with my family. For the first week we were in our tent (with magically enlarged interior of course) at Bewerley Park near Pateley Bridge in the North Yorkshire Dales. My little witch and wizard had a fantastic time cycling around, having mastered 2 wheelers in January on the grassy slope in our local library grounds. They are not old enough for brooms yet, but these Muggle cycles are a great first step in mastering the balance required for a broom. They made lots of friends whilst there, and there were a few tears when we left. The tears soon dried up though as we joined my dear sister Emma Wigworthy and her family at a campsite by Buxton in the Peak District. For that week we stayed in a friend's caravan, which was lovely though a little cosy compared to our tent! Our little witches and wizards were overjoyed to be together again, and spent many happy hours on their bikes, and in the caravan playing Diagon Alley. During the holiday I made good progress knitting up the scrumptious Melody yarn that my spoiler Ambyr Phoenixfire sent to me, into the lovely Spring Garden scarf pattern. Here is a picture of my progress... I've had a hectic week so far since getting back though, there has been so much to catch up on in Summer Camp! And getting the children to return to a reasonable bedtime hour has been a headache, speaking of which I must dash...!!!

HLBOES - My Wand

Our professor for Charms has asked us all to share a little bit about our wands. So here is a picture of mine, which you can click on to see an enlarged version which shows the detailing much more clearly. The core of my wand is a dragon heartstring from the Chinese Fireball, and it is is wrapped in strands of pure gold, mined in Otago. Etched into the wood of my wand in Chinese is the old saying "never tickle a sleeping dragon", which is known to many because it was taken up as the school motto at Hogwarts. The wood comes from a Chinaberry tree (Melia azedarach), which may be why this wand chose me as it flowers in early April which is when I was born, and it bears purple blossoms, my favourite colour. Unfortunately I haven't had time to make a holder for my wand yet, as I am frantically preparing for a family camping trip, speaking of which I have yet to pack - must dash...!!!

Summer Camp Game #6

Our dear headmistress has set us all guessing at the potions that she keeps in her trunk. There are six altogether, and she is giving out clues. Unfortunately I will be missing most of these, but happily the reason is that Mr Wychwood has finally managed to track me down and reverse the effects of the rejuvenation and displacement potion I had inadvertantly drunk. To celebrate our reunion, we are taking our wee witch and wizard on a family camping trip. Anyway, here are my suggestions for the potions Winnie carries around: 1. Draught of Peace (worked this out from the clue on her blog) 2. Mandrake Restorative Draught (worked this out from the clue in Ravelry) 3. Felix Felicis 4. Blood Replenishing Potion 5. Calming Draught 6. Mrs Scowers Magical Mess Remover And that's it from me until after our vacation which I now have to go and pack for, must dash...!!!

Parcel From Ambyr

Squee!!! I got my HSKS8 package today!!! Less than a week since Ambyr said she had sent her owl, which is superfast for all the way across the big pond. The poor bird was exhausted, but soon perked up with the help of some owl treats and a refreshing drink. Of course all the time I was attending to the owl I really wanted to be opening the parcel! And when I did I was even more excited at all the individually wrapped goodies inside begging me to tear off the wrappings. I wanted to share that exciting moment though, so I took a picture of all the parcels that were inside the box... Ambyr had done a marvellous job on wrapping and labelling, from which I could see that she had sent me gifts for 3 classes - Herbology, Astronomy and Charms. Without further ado I began to unknot string and tear of tissue. The first parcel I opened was the mysterious unlabelled one, which had a label inside saying that these two adorable lavender owlets needed a good home. Well luckily we have an owlery already for QQ and his babies, and my children were thrilled to have some more playmates for them! I started munching on the scrummy liquorice, and then opened the Charms workshop, which contained these simply gorgeous stitchmarkers. I think Ambyr must have made them because there is a HSKS8 marker along with the 5 other really pretty ones. They are perfect. After this I opened the Astronomy workshops. There is a set of Knitpicks double pointed crochet hooks which were on my wishlist (thank you Ambyr!), along with some simply divine blue Knitpicks palette yarn. Last of all, which I had been building up to because it was clearly the main parcel being wrapped in a fantastic gold damask bag, I opened the Herbology workshop. The bag was fastened with lovely wooden buttons and ribbon loops - Ambyr is a very clever crafty witch! Inside it was the most gorgeous Melody superwash 100% wool in a splendid combination of blue with accents of purple and green - totally scrumptious. Along with this was a lovely scarf pattern - "Spring Garden", which will be stunning in this yarn. I adore this workshop! Thank you, thank you, thank you Ambyr for this truly wonderful package, I can't stop admiring it! You have done yourself proud, I can't believe this is your first swap! Now to see if I have the right needles for the scarf, must dash...!!!

Summer Camp Game #5 Part 2

It's been great fun getting the photos together for the second part of this week's game. My token in each picture is a lion's head in Gryffindor colours. Here are the pictures with a little explanation behind them... 1. Animagus. My youngest, showing early ability with his other form, a duck. 2. Daily Prophet. Front cover of a version we print for Muggle use. 3. Bowtruckle. Our resident friend having some fun on the kid's slide. 4. Extendable Ear Hurray for the kids' modelling clay accessories! 5. Radish Earrings Thanks to Hermione and Poppy for making these little beauties. 6. Forbidden Forest In my back garden! 7. Golden Cherub An ornament Mr Wychwood bought for me whilst in Italy many years ago 8. Thestral My daughter in the horse outfit I made for her Xmas production plus some wings! 9. High Inquisitor My son looking appropriately serious for his judgemental role 10. Educational Decree Instructions concerning homework from my children's school. Now that's done I have to sort out some tea for the children, with treats to reward them for their assistance with this. Must dash...!!

Summer Camp Game #5 Part 1

Well I put my thinking cap on for this one, and got the answers in the end. It was great fun, well done to our camp staff... SYLLABLE LIST A / AL / AN / BID / BLE / BOW / CA / CHER / CREE / DAI / DE / DEN / DEN / EAR / EAR / ED / EST / ET / EX / FOR / FOR / GOL / GUS / HIGH / I / IN / ISH / LE / LY / MA / PROPH / QUI / RAD / RINGS / SI / TEND / THES / TION / TOR / TRAL / TRUCK / U / UB 1. Man or mouse? (4) ANIMAGUS 2. Start spreading the news (4) DAILY PROPHET 3. Stick Tree Guardian (3) BOWTRUCKLE 4. Telescoping eavesdropper (5) EXTENDABLE EAR 5. Brassicaceae danglers (4) RADISH EARRINGS 6. Prohibited Ggowth of trees (5) FORBIDDEN FOREST 7. Metallic rosy-faced child with wings (4) GOLDEN CHERUB 8. Fleshless black-winged skeleton (2) THESTRAL 9. Lofty philosopher (5) HIGH INQUISITOR 10. Instructive Order (7) EDUCATIONAL DECREE Now I just need to get planning for Part #2, must dash...!!!

Summer Camp Game #4

It's been a fun week at camp, with all the campers searching around for golden eggs hidden by our cabin counsellors and their minions. I've actually managed to find a few and am feeling pretty good about that, as I usually suck at this sort of game!

The weeks are flying by, I do hope that the magical reversal squad are doing their best to bring me back to my normal age and time, these teenage angst hormones are really beginning to irritate me, and if Bridget the Bloodthirsty snores again tonight I may just have to give her cause to thirst for more blood!

I have been doing my best to unwind by knitting, and this week have managed to complete a Gryffindor tie, lavender wardrobe hanger, gold coin purse, and am now getting on with another preemie hat for SPEW.



Pictures of the hat will be forthcoming once it is complete, so I really should get on with it, must dash...!!!

Summer Camp Game #3

There was a boggart lurking outside my home this morning, in the form of a Grim. Shudder!!! Anyway, I managed to rustle up the Riddikulus charm... I was laughing so much that I nearly had an accident myself! Anyway, I doubt that this one will try taking up residence on my patch again. In other news I have been getting on with the Summer Camp workshop package for my spoilee Salamandra Grindelwald. I'm mostly done with the main handmade item, just a few finishing touches, speaking of which, I must dash...!!!

Summer Camp Game #2, Part #2

More fun, a very clever extension to the game I posted earlier. We had to work out a qoute using letters from the anagrams we had unscrambled. Here is the quote I worked it out to be: "WHEN IN DOUBT GO TO THE LIBRARY" Was it … Gilderoy Lockhart Hermione Granger Ronald Weasley Severus Snape I went for the obvious one, Hermione Granger, but it turns out it was actually Ron Weasley that said this, can you believe it?! That took some working out, and I'm shattered now and on my way to bed, must dash...!!!

Witch & Wizardly Wisecracks

I was very honoured today to receive an envelope from across the water. It came addressed from Bevin Rae Mooney no less, Assistant Camp Director for HSKS Summer Camp. I was alerted to the likely nature of the contents by the logo on the front "Witch & Wizardly Wisecracks", so I opened it expecting something wonderfully quirky, and was not disappointed! Can you believe she has sent me a set of double pointed needles made in the extremely exotic cocobolo wood! This wood has magical qualities, indeed the needles packet was charred so I suspect that Bevin had used the incendio charm whilst in proximity to the sealed envelope. The needles are size 0.75, intended for distinguished knitters like myself, and were a custom order made especially for me in Gryffindor colours. They took a little getting used to, as they are just 2.5 inches long. But being a clever witch I have mastered them quickly, and here you see them in use for a mini-sock... She also sent a lovely knitting pattern for a "Pull Mystere" which looks great. I will have to get it translated before I can get started though, as the pattern is written in French! Along with this was a very neat little swirl paperclip and a fabulous sticker from Whimsic Alley, labelling me as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Here is a picture of all the envelope contents together... Now to announce this wonderful surprise in Ravelry, must dash...!!!

Summer Camp Game #2

More fun, I've cracked the anagrams and here is the resulting passage: In the second volume of the HP books by JK Rowling, The (#1)Chamber of Secrets, we continue to learn the incredible adventures of Hogwarts student (#2) Harry Potter and his friends (#3) Ron Weasley and (#4) Hermione Granger. Belonging to the house of (#5) Gryffindor, they attend Defense Against the (#6) Dark Arts taught by Wizarding celebrity (#7) Gilderoy Lockhart, a none-too-bright fellow who cannot even handle pixies! In The (#8) Chamber of Secrets, we also meet Dobby a (#9)House Elf for the first time. Determined Dobby seeks to sabotage the return of (#10) Harry Potter to Hogwarts and is pretty persistent but is unsuccessful. After a few weeks at school, the deceased Ravenclaw student who haunts the girls lavatory, also known as (#11) Moaning Myrtle, shows (#12) Harry Potter and (#13) Ron Weasley an old empty diary that dropped through her ghostly form out of thin air! Many nifty things continue to happen for the next several months… we won’t go into all the juicy details right now… however, the ending is prime reading indeed!! (#14) Harry Potter finally kills Tom Riddle’s (a.k.a #15 Voldemort) sneaky diary (which we now know is a #16 Horcrux) and saves the sister of (#17) Ron Weasley, (#18) Ginny Weasley!!! Oh! Of course, we must mention that the thickheaded (#19) Gilderoy Lockhart unintentionally erased his own memory, so he won’t be back for book three, The (#20) Prisoner of Azkaban… And that done, I really should get on with planning my package for Salamandra Grindelwald, must dash...!!!

Sozzled!

What a great time I'm having here at camp and being a teenager again. We've already had a campfire, with a sing-song session, voices oiled by copious amounts of Butterbeer - would you believe some naughty wizard or witch hid 99 bottles of the stuff in our cabin? Not only that, it was spiked with something wicked! I got rather tipsy very quickly, and rather embarassingly spilled a whole bottle over our dreamboat counsellor, Antonio. I must say though that I really enjoyed mopping him dry! Antonio is helping us all to have such a fun time, and this week he has asked us to follow up on our Muggle pretend game, by saying which of our 4 statements was the "lie", and why the others were true. So here goes: 1: I have never travelled outside Europe. This is the lie, I have been to the USA several times, and to Hong Kong. 2: I scored 100% in a statistics exam at university. I hoped people would think this was the lie, because I think it is quite a joke, but it really is true! 3: I have slept in a 12th century castle. I have actually spent a weekend at Alton Castle which is a catholic youth centre. 4: I have never watched "Its A Wonderful Life". This is true, can you believe it? I keep promising myself each Xmas that I will watch it, but never get the chance! So there you have it, well done to Wisty for guessing correctly (helped along by Emma's helpful hint!). Well, it's dinner-time for me now, so I must dash...!!!

Summer Camp Games Week#1

What fun, the cabins are already competing in games at camp. Here goes with my entry for this week: Part 1 "What's in your trunk?" Lizzie brought… 1. Laxatives 2. Liver salts 3. Loperamide capsules 4. Linctus 5. Lozenges 6. Listerine 7. Lithium salts 8. Local anesthetic 9. Lugol's iodine 10. Lint-free dressings Part 2 WINGO! Part 3 Get to know your Spoiler and Spoilee. I am spoiling Salamandra Grindelwald who is in the Erumpents cabin, and this is her first time in HSKS. She claims to be a quiet girl, but I've noticed that she has been quite chatty so far in camp. I've noticed this with many people, that they can become their alter-ego in a new environment where they can make new friends. Sal has already got into the spirit of things with this game, and left a lovely comment about my Brae mini-sock. I've taken a peak at her projects and spotted one that intrigued me called SJ's Womb - it is a very quirky pattern based on a womb and fallopian tubes! I have of course left a comment, and here for your pleasure is a pic of Sal's progress so far... I plan to thoroughly spoil her of course! And for my Spoiler I have Ambyr Pheonixfire, a wonderful girl who is already one of the chattiest at camp. She is closely related to my cabin-mate Gryphon. I've taken a look at her projects, and it is clear that she shares my passion for socks. She is currently working on some Winter Garden Socks, I just adore the colours and pattern and left a comment to say so, I'm sure you'll all agree... I can't wait to see what delights she puts into my package! And now I really must find Antonio, I think he's beginning to notice me in the right way, he told me today that he loved my woolly jumper and actually stroked it! Must dash...!!!

Summer Camp

Something very strange has happened, and I think it must be something to do with the anti-aging potion I have been using. I find myself to be a teenage girl again, with a group of complete strangers at a wizarding summer camp. It is a lovely place, and my fellow campers are wonderful people, but I do worry that Mr Wychwood and my two little ones must be beside themselves with anxiety about my whereabouts. Hopefully he has contacted the Ministry of Magic to ask for their assistance in finding me, with any luck the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad will be able to help. My friends all know that I am never one to shy away from a new experience, so I have launched myself into camp life, and must say that I am loving it. I have been placed in a cabin with some very chatty students from Hogwarts. I'm not sure that they believed my account about really being a grown up witch who works at Gringotts - I have had a few strange looks and heard some whispering with my name in there after lights out. I have to say that I would be sceptical too if I were in their shoes, so I am doing my best to be as normal as possible, and taking hope in the fact that mad Luna Lovegood made friends with many legendary people in the wizarding world whilst at school, including Harry Potter and Hermione Weasley (nee Granger). Acting normal though is no mean feat, as the age reversal is playing havoc with my hormones. I have developed an irrational crush for our cabin counsellor Antonio, and find myself fantasizing about spending time alone with him, playing through my mind over and over the longed for moment of our first kiss. I am undecided about the best location and circmstances for this, it simply has to be perfect. During a midnight skinny dipping lark perhaps? Or by the dying embers of the campfire when everyone else has left for their beds? Or during a twilight stroll along the mountain brook? My heart speeds up just thinking of these possibilities, I think I may faint if this dream ever comes true! Could it?!!! Antonio has set a task for our cabin, whose mascot is the Manticore, a fearsome magical beast with the body of a lion, tail of a scorpion, and face of a human hiding several rows of viciously sharp teeth. We are all to pretend that we have a muggle alter-ego, and make 4 statements about that alter-ego, 3 of which are true, and one of which is a lie. So here goes... In the muggle world I am a British woman, married to my one true love, with whom I have 2 dear children, and live just 5 minutes drive from my birth-town, my wonderful parents, and my dear twin sister and her adorable family. The statements about me that you have to pick the lie from are: 1: I have never travelled outside Europe. 2: I scored 100% in a statistics exam at university. 3: I have slept in a 12th century castle. 4: I have never watched "Its A Wonderful Life". Oh goodness, Antonio has just asked me to help make the beds, must dash...!!!

Mad Libs

Here is my completed tale... "I have to tell you about the slinky time I had in Diagon Alley last weekend! My friend Victoria Pettigrew and I decided that we really needed some new needle holders and had to get over to Diagon Alley immediately. Victoria Pettigrew put on her brooch because it was steamy and she did not want to get a cold. I grabbed my wedding ring and we headed to the trains. While waiting for our train to Diagon Alley, we chatted with Hermione Bagnold and Emma Gorodok who were planning to visit Gringott’s. Emma did not want to go alone because she was collecting a dustbin and that was very wide and brought Hermione along for her excellence in protecting spells. The train arrived and off we went. Our seats were very comfortable and the train sped along towards Diagon Alley and we were there in a flash! Before heading to the Yrsa’s Yarn Shoppe, we went into a book that sells the short chocolate!!! As we neared the book, we noticed quite a lot of commotion! The book owner had set the chocolate-making machine and it had gotten stuck! Chocolates were shining everywhere! I ducked as a cream-filled chocolate came shining right at me and it puckered into Professor Sprout’s socks just as they walked through the door! A lemon chocolate did a nose dive and splattered all over the floor most elaborately! We made it out of the store just as a chocolate frog and a kettle of Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans collided in a rainstorm of goo! Since we were still pretty, we walked the 42 blocks over to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor! I decided on a cone with nutty ice cream and Victoria got the hot fudge sundae with extra breadcrumbs! Yummy! Professor Sprout had made her way over here as well after the incident at the chocolate shoppe and had chosen a redbush tea float. After that, we passed Gringott’s and headed to Yrsa’s Yarn Shoppe! I tried not to look at the beautiful skeins of silk and bamboo and wool and instead, headed toward the needle holders while Victoria stopped to knit the stitch markers. I found a yellow needle holder made out of steel and made my purchase. Victoria kept hedging between the needle holder she came for and a pattern for a blanket. She chose the blanket pattern and we walked back towards the train station just in time to make the 12:30 train. After sitting down, we noticed Hermione and Emma were on the train as well. Emma looked quite sweaty to have the dustbin with them. Hermione however did not look sweaty at all. While waiting to go into the vault, a baby goblin waiting in line with his Mommy, had swam on Hermione getting vimto all over her clean robes! The smell really was just horrendous! Apparently, Hermione’s protecting spells don’t work well against vimto!! We made our way to a less smelly compartment and talked about how we were going explain missing Professor McGonagle’s lecture on the valuable ways elves are working with the Department of Mysteries in solving unsolvable people!" What a laugh that was, thankyou Bevin! Now to get on with some more knitting for my dear sister Emma Wigworthy, must dash...!!!

HSKS Package Arrived!

Today Megaera Black's trusty owl flew in with my package. The poor thing was exhausted having carried such a heavy package all the way from Canada to England, so I gave him some much needed treats before tearing open the package. Packed tight into it was a feast of magical and knitting goodness. Firstly the bag she had made, along with a dischcloth in the same yarn as the bag tie. The bag is a gorgeous lacy knit drawstring style, perfect size for sock projects. The dischcloth is a Hogwarts one with the characters HP for Harry Potter along with a picture of a snitch... Also enclosed was stacks of yarn from Knitpicks, which we can't buy in the UK, so I was well chuffed with this. The Swish Worsted in Fired Brick colourway came with the gorgeous "Cable That Bag" pattern by Chrissy Gardiner. There is also divine Imagination yarn in Damsel, and Gloss Lace yarn in Pinot, both from my wishlist... I was overwhelmed with knitting accessories: a zip-up case to keep everything in, Knitpicks circulars size 2.25mm, Clover darning needles, 3 packs of wool soak, and from my wishlist the Knitpicks view sizer and a set of foldable scissors... Then there were some lovely personal touches: a pocket book for noting my spells and charms, a linen mailing bag carrying instructions to feed the carrier owl on delivery, a notecard with a message from Mageara, some shrinky dinks from my wishlist, and two little handknit owls for my wee ones, who immediately fell in love with them saying "Mummy, QQ has some babies"... Here is a picture of the package contents all together: Thank you Megaera, I love it all, you have been such a wonderful spoiler! Now I have to plan projects for that yummy yarn, must dash...!!!

HLBOES Package Arrived!

I have been blessed with a great package from a wonderful young witch, Isabelle Prince. Her owl flew in today with it, and after I had given the little treasure some much needed victuals, I commenced with the opening of my package. First to meet my eyes were a set of notes from Isabelle about herself and the contents of the package, I must say that for a witch from Singapore of just 17 years she has very neat writing and excellent grammar. She is busy deciding which university to attend when she has finished school, I do hope she ends up here in the UK at one of our famous institutions. Next to come out of the box was a delightful journal with totally blank pages so perfect for sketching project ideas, and writing notes/thoughts/to do lists. Then I lifted out a some novelty paperclips, shaped like cutlery (4 sets in all) and with a magnetic holder in the shape of a plate - I shall have to put these in a safe place to protect them from Cornish Pixies, who they are perfectly sized for! Then out came 3 huge skeins of yummy yarn, one in a super red/orange multi colourway and 2 in pure white. I also pulled out a clover sizing gauge - my little wizard (5 years) loved this for the chinese writing on the packet as he has been studying about China at his school. He and his sister were also very happy to see some handmade sweets emerge from the box - Blackcurrant Bursts and Apple Rock, delicious! And last of all, but the crowning glory, was the hat - in Ravenclaw film colours of course, for my house in HLBOES. An earflap hat, which I have yearned for in the cold winter months. The crown is in stocking stitch, and the contrast brim and flaps are in garter stitch. It also has braided ties as a finishing touch. A total triumph, for which Isabelle deserves a NEWT for achievement in the tricky muggle technique of knitting. Feast your eyes on these pictures of my wonderful package... Thank you Isabelle, you have been a simply super spoiler! And now to advertise this post in the HLBOES thread, must dash...!!!

Gryffindor Divination Homework

Having consulted my crystal ball and the stars I confidently predict that Ravenclaw will be HSKS7 House Cup winners with a final score of 129%. Slytherin will be runner up with 110%. Gryffindor will be in third place with 99%. Hufflepuff will be last with 95%. I have also predicted elements of a story that Bevin is to publish: 1- An adjective - slinky 2- A fellow Gryffindor - Victoria Pettigrew 3- A knitting or crocheting item - needle holder 4- A clothing accessory - brooch 5- An adjective - steamy 6- Something you always have with you - my wedding ring 7- A HSKS student1 - Hermione Bagnold 8- A HSKS student2 - Emma Gorodok 9- A noun - dustbin 10- An adjective - wide 11- A noun - book 12- An adjective - short 13- A food - chocolate 14- An adjective ending in “ing” - shining 15- An adjective ending in “ed” - puckered 16- A Professor at Hogwarts - Professor Sprout 17- An article of clothing - socks 18- A food flavor - lemon 19- A part of a room - floor 20- An adjective - pretty 21- A number - 42 22- A food flavor - nutty 23- A food topping - breadcrumbs 24- A drink - redbush tea 25- A verb - kintting 26- An adjective - yellow 27- Something you can knit or crochet - blanket 28- An adjective - sweaty 29- A past tense verb - swam 30- A food or drink - vimto 31- A Professor at Hogwarts - McGonagle 32- A magical creature in Harry Potter’s world - elf 33- A noun - people I'm sure it will be a fabulous tale! And now I am feeling a little sleepy, must dash...!!!

Final Quidditch!

The Wychwood family is away having a wonderful holiday, and have spent the last week in York, a wondrous city which in my opinion is actually better than Edinburgh (there will be shocked cries of "never" at this I am sure!). We are now at my dear husbands mother's house for the weekend, from where I spoke to my dear sister Emma Wigworthy today using a muggle device called a "mobile phone", to ask if she would kindly buy some shirts for my little wizard who starts summer term at his prep school on Monday. Just as well, because she reminded me about the Quidditch due in today, so here it is... 1. This “Harry Potter” character’s first name comes from Roman mythology. The mythological character’s twin brother is named Romulus. What is the Harry Potter character last name? a. Black b. Lupin c. Pucey d. Finnigan 2. Which “Harry Potter” character’s first name is the Roman equivalent of the Greed Goddess Athena? a. Evans b. Malfoy c. McGonagall d. Flitwick 3. In ‘Harry Potter’ World, this wizard has created the Philosopher’s Stone (called the Sorcerer Stone in the US). The historical figure from the 14th and 15th centuries was a scribe and a manuscript-seller who became famous as an alchemist. Who is this individual? Nicholas Flamel 4. What is the first name of a character whose last name is the name of a Bulgarian leader from early 9th century who doubled the country’s territory? a. Theodore b. Cedric c. Viktor d. Vincent 5. Which character’s name is the name of goddess in Indian mythology? a. Creevey b. Patil c. Zabini d. Vane 6. “Where the Wild Things Are” tells the story of Max, a young boy sent to bed without his supper for his wild antics. Who created this winner of the Caldecott Medal? a. Maurice Sendak b. Chris Van Allsberg c. Ezra Jack Keats d. John Steptoe 7. What was NOT one of the unexpected defense mechanisms that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook encountered in their attempt to rob Gringotts? a. The Flagrante Curse b. The Thieves’ Downfall c. Anti-summoning Enchantments d. The Geminio Curse 8. What was Snape aiming at when he cut off George’s ear? a. Another Death Eater’s back b. George’s wand hand c. Another Death Eater’s wand hand d. George’s face 9. How much older than James was Lily? (Referring to Harry’s parents, not children). a. James was older b. 6 months c. 1 month d. 2 months 10. Food is one of the five exceptions to what magical law? a. Grimp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration b. Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration c. Gamp’s Law of Fundamental Transfiguration d. Grimp’s Law of Fundamental Transfiguration Picture Hunt George McGonagall Patil Where the Wild Things Are Hopefully I shall be around for the snitch hunt, although I cannot be certain until Mr Wychwood advises me of his plans for the day, as we have little ones to keep entertained, speaking of which I must dash...!!!

Hogwarts Prep

My little ones are so eager for the day to arrive when they will attend our wonderful educational establishment, that we have caved in and had a trip to Diagon Alley to fit them out with uniforms and wands so that they can at least play act. Luckily they are not yet bound by the Ministry edict on underage magic, thankfully that does not apply until they begin their schooldays at Hogwarts. Don't they look keen!

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HSKS6 Best Kit Prize

Wow, it is definitely worth winning the best kit award! My prize for HSKS6 landed this weekend from Wisty, and of course my little witch and wizard were full of anticipation now that they know that when Mummy gets a package it always contains something very wonderful! And they were not disappointed, look at the fabulous stuff I won... Full descriptions: 1. Gorgeous blue (my fave colour) dishcloth handmade by Wisty, embossed with a witch's hat. My first ever handmade dischcloth, I must make some myself now, I love it! 2. Hogwarts Journal, it's fantastic, so quirky, and shall now be my notes companion for all future Hogwarts swaps re packages, homework, pattern ideas, and so on. 3. Color Style pattern book by Pam Allen and Ann Budd. 17 great designs, I particularly like the Bohus knee high socks. And a very useful section on the back about colour techniques. 4. Holiday Window Snowman Craft Kit. My little ones love this, it will be put away until the appropriate time, and they will then have lots of fun making it up. Thank you Wisty for this wonderful prize, and to everyone who voted for my kit in HSKS6. And good luck to you all for HSKS7, the winner is going to be very spoilt! Now to spend some time drooling over these patterns, must dash...!!!

Birthday Surprises

I had such a wonderful birthday on Sunday. My little witch was desperate to give me my card and present, and was up at the crack of dawn to deliver them! Mr Wychwood had to send her back to bed with instructions to wait until he gave the all clear, so I did get a lovely lie-in. I dozed from that point on though, not slipping back into a deep or lasting sleep, and so got up at about 9am, but was forced back to bed by my little wizard as he and Daddy were busy cooking breakfast for me to enjoy in bed! Mr Wychwood scored major brownie points with my present - nothing less than the Royale Harmony Interchangeable Set (Gold Plated)! Emma rang to sing happy birthday, it is becoming a tradition for us to warble to each other down the phone like this on our birthday! Then we made plans to have a thoroughly indulgent day at Nostell Priory, where we met for lunch and a leisurely wander around the wonderful regency period house. My gift from Emma was fabulous, she had made me this wonderful felted needle roll... As you can see I have already transferred my DPN's and fixed circulars into it... I have been busy myself with knitting, firstly finishing off my Plimpy Tracks socks - the design makes me think of webbed feet... Then I set to with some old stash yarn to make an outfit for my little witch's baby, she has been begging me to knit some clothes for him for some time now! So he got some trousers, a jacket and matching scarf. I was quite proud of the jacket which I knit without a pattern, using a top down raglan technique... And now I really must get on with some knitting for SPEW, those poor elven babies are in need of charity. Must dash...!!!