Weekend Report

In our top story the end is nigh and the dishes are dirty.  Yes, this is your last weekend to fulfil your January prompt dreams.  With the end so close here are some pattern links to the extremely quick point getters in the form of dishcloths.  No, they won't get you much in the way of yardage bonus, but they'll get you to your prized private compartment on the St. Mungo's express and something you can hand to neighbors as yule gifts next year.

DADA - This little darling not only reminds you of your hex deflecting abilities, but defends against the dreaded dried lasagna hex.
Charms- First years Aikaterini and Floriental now have this open star dishcloth in their project pages.
Potions -  Are you invigorated by walking your dog on a cold day?
Divination -  Did you read the tea leaves and only see more tea in your future?
Herbology -  Okay these are potholders, but they fit the general theme of fast.
Flying -  Since the class prompt is about keeping warm and well, even strategically placed a washcloth is a tough sell, how about a nose warmer?
History of Magic -  No link here - whip out four of them in house colors - bam! Done.
Transfiguration - Anyone a fan of The Velveteen Rabbit? 

Weather:  Hurricane Dishcloth just might be moving in off the Black Lake.

In other news - class highlights.  So lets look back at some great Slytherin work this term.


DrusillaWormwood - Divination

 



Abycat - Transfiguration

HolyCuteness - Herbology

KikiBrown - DADA

Donkeyeggs - History of Magic

NwFairy - Flying

Prism - Charms

Snowqueen73 - Potions

Forgivable Curse of the Week:  Holy Grindylow Droppings!

In Sports - Hats like confetti littered the pitch this week.  EvilOverLady scored early with a 12 hat goal closely followed by RockyMoreno with 7.  Robynrenee claimed the quaffle posting 10 amazing hats then passed to Damiknitter producing a wicked 12.  Peanutzmom swooped over the pitch with 9 crocheted wonders while Girlywithatwist hammered home 6 lilac lovelies.  EvilMichelle posted up 6 points and Moongirlknits made a showing with 9 wee caps.  High score title went to first year DuhI'mknitting with a record 15 hats!

So much warmth created in the world this weekend great work Quidditch team.

The Hallows and Horcruxes Lab saw some serious partying this week with Fibreaddict, Yul, Elfielori, SerraBloodsong, and EvilMichelle sharing cake and hotties.

Finally from the Sub-Human Interest Desk we present a new feature....Council from the Caterpillar.  This week Abycat produced this tribute to Alice's Caterpillar.  If you found yourself 3 inches tall and were walking in the undergrowth and found a wise caterpillar lounging on a mushroom what would you ask him?  Think of it as a Dear Abby of the laid back Slytherin ilk.  Post a comment with your question and perhaps you'll be featured in an upcoming edition of Council from the Caterpillar.

Well that's all kids, until next week craft like you mean it.  Rockinsticks signing out.

Subversive Slythertastic

Hello fellow snakes!

Unfortunately, I have not been yarn-graffitti-ing since my last fun-guy(girl) escapade. After a lovely and completely typical weekend out of town visiting friends, belly-dancing, and throwing axes, I sprained my foot. Therefore, mobility is limited and my ninja getaway skills have been temporarily put on the backburner.

Whatever will I blog about? I wondered in desperation. How can I yarn-bomb from my couch, with leg elevated? I racked my cunning little brain until the glorious inspiration of my fellow house-mates worked its Hogwartian magic.

I have it! Let's yarn-bomb the other houses! We all search the internet for green and silver or snake themed yarnbomb pics and agree upon a day and time to hit their common room threads and post them!

We could either assign a different day to each house, or divide into three teams and hit them all at the same time. Or we could pre-emptively assuage any inter-house misunderstandings and bomb them in their own colors! (They just couldn't get mad about that, could they?)

What say you, Slytherin? Are you up to the challenge I lay before you? Are we ready to prank the rest of Hogwarts in true snakey, fiber-y style? Who's with me?!

--ElfLiberator, inciting to craft-riot

Hottie of the Week.

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune.

- Robert Burns

Tomorrow is Burns Night. In towns all over Scotland people will be boiling haggis and lifting their whisky tumblers while reciting poems written by Scotland’s favorite son. As you all no doubt know, Hogwarts is in Scotland. Situated up in the Highlands, where men are men and sheep are scared... This week in honor of Burns Night, and the location of our beloved Hogwarts, I have decided to focus on sexy men in kilts. Usually I put up men and women who have names. Not this time. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure that their mothers gave them names, but today they are just men, most of them without shirts, wearing kilts. 

It's alright that you can see the top if their rear's because this photo is obviously supposed to be artistic.

Not sure if this long skirtish thing counts as a kilt, regardless of the tartan used to make it, but this man is hot and wearing a top hat. How can you argue with that?

Obviously a face isn't required to be hot. Take this tasty picture of the Headless Kiltman for example...

Kilt? Check. Bare chest? Check. Hot? Check. These are some of the men who have been featured in the Lawson's Whisky commercials. You can find them on Youtube. They are hot there too.

I decided to add this last picture just in case anyone was curious as to what a man wears under his kilt.

Remember ladies and gents, real men wear kilts... and they usually don't wear anything under them.

See you next week. Same hot time, same hot channel.

Weekend Report

Welcome to another addition of Weekend Report. 

In our top story this week, Tomorrow!  Yes tomorrow is the first quidditch challenge of the term.  Our Slytherin team will be heating up the pitch with needles and hooks racking up the hat points.  We hope to bring you highlights next week of the fabulous collection of millinery produced by our housemates.


Weather:  Soft mohair haze settling in the valley, drive carefully everyone.

In points news we see our house showing the House Cup what Slytherin domination means. 

Divination - 19 projects to date
Flying - 32 winging their way toward points totals.
DADA - deflecting 33 hexes.
Herbology - also 33 fun and fabulous projects.
Charms - 32!
Transfiguration - changed from 10 last week to 17 this week.
Potions - 28 concoctions
HoM - 27 and counting

Forgivable curse of the week:  Son of a Snitch

In our Wildlife report Eureka is holding steady with our one NEWT while the rest of the Slytherins are approved for 75 total OWLs.

In the Hallows and Horcruxes Lab birthday greetings went to RobbieRobbie, Moongirlknits, Theherocomplex, Urbanneedles, RavenLuna, and Bewilderbeast.

Finally from the sub-human interest desk - the end.  This is a little pile of ends from my past.  All year I throw them in vase and then in the spring the Trolls hide them around the yard.  Sure enough we find robin's nests lined with wool by the end of the summer.  What do you do with your cut yarn ends? 

This is Rockinsticks running away........

My first mission

I finally accomplished my first yarn bombing mission!

Even though I was tagging the pottery studio of someone I know, it was still exciting.

First, my accomplice (boyfriend with a camera) and I drove slowly and casually past the target for reconnaissance. Seeing no one around, we came back around and parked near the front yard and I pulled on my clever hat, sunglasses, and scarf disguise.

I crept silently across the front yard to brave the ferocious guard dog you see in the picture below, whom I instantly calmed and befriended with my dog whisperer skills.

After I attached the mushroom-shaped tag to the iron gate, I fled ninja-like to the car and drove away. My accomplice suggested that not slamming the car door when I got back in would have been slightly more stealthy. I'll have to work on that.

I also realize that my disguise may have been compromised by wearing a bright blue sweater coat, and something less distinctive and more shadowy might be a better fashion choice the next time around.

So far, the pottery studio owner has not suspected my involvement in this yarn-related incident. I think my stealthy mission was a success! Here's to many more ...

-- ElfLiberator, inciting to craft-riot

How About a Quest

Have you heard of the Slytherin Quest Room of Requirement?

I am personally going for the Ultimate Quest. Being a first year and a member on St. Mungo Express with the goal of getting permanent residency. There are different badges for different levels achieved and not all quests are for those Slytherins who are crazy like me. There is also a Lite Quest and a Zen Quest. Or, if you have plans on completing one large project over the course of the semester you can get the Slytherin "Size Matters" Quest badge.

So come and join up in the fun. If you don't make the quest at the end of the day its no big deal, but if you do, then you will get another fancy Slytherintastic Badge to show the other houses just how awesome of a Slytherin you are.

One other reminder - there are 13 days left in January. Get those assignments turned in.

The last day to join St. Mungo's Express is tomorrow.

And OWL proposals are due at the end of the month

Hottie of the Week - Class Addition

As we are about halfway through the month I decided to showcase Hotties that correlated with some of the classes. Here they are, in all their glory, cheering you on as you stitch and purl your way to as many points as possible.

Our first Hottie represents Flying. The flesh and blood representation of our assignment is Jacob Black. Anyone who has read the Twilight series knows that Jacob is a werewolf. According to the books a werewolf’s core body temperature is far higher than that of a normal human male. I figure that instead of knitting a wool scarf I can just turn in cuddle up to Jacob. He’s tall, buff, sweet, sexy and literally hot. No really, his everyday temp is usually somewhere between 103ºf and 105ºf. His warm blood and rock hard body make him the Flying Hottie.

Next up is Transfiguration. In class we were tasked with reading a book then transfiguring it into an object that could represent a person or theme in the book. Our Transfiguration Hottie hasn’t been spelled to look like anything other than what he is, but that is just fine by me because he is hot with a capital Comestandnakedinmybedroom!

While I have only recently started to read the Southern Vampire books, I am an avid True Blood fan and was drawn to the books because of Eric Northman. He also just so happens to be our Transfiguration Hottie.

 

In Herbology we were tasked with the assignment of making fungi or something fun guy or fun girl related. I took this to mean funny guy or girl. Now I know what you are thinking... Funny Girl? OMG NOOOOOO BABS! NOT BABS!!!!!!! Don’t worry. Barbara will not be appearing in this blog. A fellow Saturday Night Live guest will be though. Not only is she smart and sexy, she’s funny as hell and proved that time and again as a writer then actor (not to mention guest) on SNL. Tina Fey can do more with a pen to make you laugh than most comedians out there today and that is why she is the Herbology Hottie.

 The Potions Hottie was hard for me to pick. I, of course, wanted to pick none other than Severus Snape. He’s hot... but this isn’t fan fiction and I needed to make sure that the Potions Hottie really was someone who could invigorate us all. I kept trying to move away from the second person that popped into my head for this category but he just wouldn’t go away. While he may or may not be gayer than a handbag full of rainbows, Bob Harper is exactly the sort of invigorating element that I would love to have in my gym telling me to move my butt. He knows how to motivate and how to get things done and that makes him our Potions Hottie.

 Last but not least is the Hottie for History of Magic. In this class we were tasked with making a hat or crafting something that showed house unity. When I think of Hotties in hats all that comes to mind are cowboys. Shiftless men in jeans wearing Stetsons and carrying rope who say things like “Howdy ma’am” and “Yee-haw”. Our Hottie in a hat is a nameless cowboy whose face is hidden. I figure nothing says house unity like a shirtless man whose face can’t be identified because it’s hidden behind his giant hat. He could be from any of the houses. I just hope he’s from ours...

 I'll see you next week girls and boys. Same hot time, same hot channel.

Message to the First Years

First of all, welcome to the craziness that is the House Cup and welcome to the mighty House of Slytherin. When I first looked at the list and saw we had 75 First Years, I was pretty speechless. But in a good way. You see the number "75" holds a special meaning for me. It happens to be the number of the one and only aircraft carrier that I served on during my time in the US Navy. So I hope that it will be a sign of good things to come. And so far from what I have seen, y'all seem like a very enthusiastic bunch and you will do just fine this term.

Now that you have had some time to settle into your new house I just wanted to take some time to tell you a few things that might be helpful.

- Keep in mind that you are required to do a minimum of one class per month. You are of course free to do as many as you are able to. Just try not to hurt yourself in the process. And we completely understand that real life comes first.

- This term we have tried something new with the snake nests. Every single Slytherin from the first years all the way to the Head of House is now in a nest. These nests can help you settle in and answer any questions you may have.

- Here are some important links that might help you.

Slytherin Staff Winter 2011 Term

Slytherin Announcement Thread

Slytherin Quest FAQ

House Cup FAQ

Everything OWL-Like!

All of the above links are Ravelry links so you will need to be logged in to see them. If you plan to attempt an OWL, all proposals are due by the end of this month (11:59:59 PM 31 January Pacific Time). And remember that First Years are only allowed to attempt 1 OWL.

- And lastly if there are any good reasons that you are unable to submit a class project for any month then let your Big Snake know. Or you could tell one of the Prefects, Head Girl, or me (Head of House) know. Keep in mind that I am not a mind reader and will not know if you are having any problems.

So let's have a great term. And remember that every point counts. Every project counts. And every Snake is important.

Weekend Report

I'm Rockinsticks and this is  Weekend Report.

In our top story this week:  House Unity Themes and the parties that love them.  Slytherins are taking up implements of craftstruction this week to commemorate the birth of that half blood prince, potions master, and fun in a frock coat Severus Snape.  One baker in Hogsmede was quoted as saying, "I don't know how we're going to structurally support a cake of the size required for so many witches to jump out of at once."

Celebrations will be continuing through the month of January and spreading into the classrooms throughout the castle.

Weather:  Too much snow, too much cold, and too much flooding.  All good reasons to stay in and craft by the fire.

In other news Slytherin is rocking the points totals this week.  Glancing at base points we have the following unofficial totals:
Divination:  9 projects totaling 135 points
Transfiguration: 10 projects and 150 points
History of Magic:  14 projects giving the snakes 210 points
DADA and Charms:  Both with 18 projects and 540 total points
Potions and Flying:  Both have 19 projects each tallying 570 points
and Herbology with a whopping 20 projects turned in with 300 points.

Unbelievable snakes!  1,905 points and only the middle of the month.

Forgivable Curse of the Week: Purl Biscuits!

In our Wildlife segment 70 count them 70 Slytherin OWLs have been spotted in the area.  If you see a someone in the common room working on their OWL give them an encouraging word.  If every one of those projects is completed this term the house scores 10,500 points!  And even if they only make it to Feb. 28th there are 3,500 points to be earned.

A special salute to Eurekas who is our sole approved NEWT student this term making an attempt at Astronomy and History of Magic.  Craft on you crazy koala snake you.

In the Horcruxes and Hallows Lab this week cake and hotties were shared by Maigret, Knitknot, Pocamilla, Cubejelly, Nightowlknitter, and Vehementwombat.  Sources say Severus Snape was spotted leaving the Lab on the arm of some of his favorite witches.

Finally, from the Sub-Human Interest Desk:  Catering.  If you were to make dinner for Professor Snape for his birthday what would be on the menu?   Would it be a lavish multi-course meal with sweet figs and roasted meats, and red wine topped of with a selection of the world's amazing cheeses or would you drop a sandwich by his door and run?

Leave a comment and give me something entertaining to read.

This is Rockinsticks signing off for another Friday.  Party on snakes.

The truth about vox8

ElfLiberator here, interviewing the infamous vox8, second year Slytherin, from the fourth floor broom cupboard:

E: You don’t mind if I use a Quick Quotes Quill, do you?

You have been such a busy Slytherin lately, stalking the Wild Acryls, brewing and testing invigorating potions, creating your own designs, and keeping up with your blog http://tumpedduck.wordpress.com/

Is it true you keep a sweatshop of house elves to assist you in these efforts? And which hottie minions have you been using to help accomplish these ends?

V: I was unaware that house elves were able to sweat, whenever I look in those little buggers are kicking back and swilling their drink while fashioning togas out of the very fabrics they are supposed to be … did you mention Hotties?

As you may know, I was able to secure the original of Captain Hot-pants himself, Nathan Fillian. Luckily the other denizens of the Pit are generous and I have a Spike and Ewan MacGregor on semi-permanent loan. I enjoy, shall we say, refereeing the discussions between Malcom and Obi-wan regarding the superiority of their respective “Space Operas”. But other than ferrying refreshments and stress relief, what are they really good for?

Q: Of all your past knitting projects, which one most made you want to stab eyes out (your own or someone else’s) with your needles?

V: I have one on the needles at the moment that I can barely bring myself to pick up. My sister decided to knit and purchased the yarn and the pattern at a LYS several years ago. The yarn is 4 balls of Lang Pearl, which is an acrylic/mohair/poly mix that really wants to remain in its beautiful ball. The pattern is also Lang and really quite simple. Two rows over and over and over again. Unfortunately every 3rd stitch on one row is p2tog tbl. On size 10 needles. Slick needles. Did I mention the mohair? When I have managed to knit a rectangle about as long as I am tall I then do some funky origami seaming and somehow have a top.

It hurts us.

E: Where is the strangest place you’ve ever … crafted?

V: I am afraid I am fairly pedestrian when it comes to … crafting. The one time I actually took my knitting to the Dr’s office they saw me almost immediately, can you imagine? The nerve! I have joined a knitting night group and we knit in a Tea House. Other than that it is just the usual; State Parks, back seat of the car, friend’s house on the sofa.

E: Which was your favorite Harry Potter book? Which movie? Any particular reasons for your choices?

V: Really, that is quite the Sophie’s Choice you have given me. I could say Deathly Hallows because it is the longest, but unfortunately there was a bit too much angst in the tent for me in that one. They all just blend together for me, into one long story. I would have to re-read them all to make a decision. Oh, the Horror!

I have yet to see the new film, but so far my favorite has been Order of the Phoenix. Why? One word: Bellatrix.

E: If you could speak Parseltongue, what would you ask snakes about?

V: What do those Scots really wear under those kilts?

E: What would you least like to run into in the Forbidden Forest?

V: Gonna have to be boring with this one. Giant spiders would send me screaming for the hills.

E: Which HP character would you most like to run into while roaming Hogwarts at night, and where?

V: The answer is so obvious that it would be cliché, so I will ignore my first (baser) impulse. If I weren’t a student and therefore likely to be disciplined (for that I would go with the obvious choice) I would very much like to have a drunken night chatting with McGonagall. I have the feeling that there is much more to her than meets the eye and she would be a hoot. Where doesn’t really matter as long as there is Butter Beer.

E: Thank you so much for your time, vox8, you’ve been a real sport!

Signing off,

--ElfLiberator, blog reporter

First Year Fanatic

Have you caught the first year bug? No, I'm not talking about something you picked up walking through the greenhouses. I'm talking about "the bug". That need to be involved and see what is going on everywhere. That bubbling excitement that feels like it is going to burst out of you - like the care bears when they do their bear power (of course I can't remember what its called) except ours is the snake and we light up the night. I have to say that I have the bug (or the snake) and I love it. I have accomplished more in the last couple of weeks knitwise than I have in the last year.

Since I have signed up for the crazy train and ultimate quests I know I am nuts. But being nuts takes some careful planning and scheming. Its not an easy task. There is a thread in the main hall that has a thread for first years. Of course, we are our own elite class, but the challenge that has been given I think is one everyone can benefit from.

First Year Planning Challenge

The idea of the challenge comes from DevonC. Yes she is a Ravenclaw but we can steal, I mean borrow, ideas that will help us succeed in our quest for the cup.

posted 9 days ago (Sunday, January 2)
133
10 replies
Hey Everyone!! Let’s have a PLANNING CHALLENGE!

I used to host these in Ravenclaw Tower, but everyone there is REALLY GOOD at planning now, so I am going to throw it out to my Firstie babies to help you get in the swing of the Cup. Basically, every month I plan out what I am going to accomplish each week, to help me pace and not overextend myself (of course, being a ‘Claw I do that anyway, but…. it helps.).

This is how I do it, but you’re welcome to use whatever method works for you. I like to mix up my knitting and work on lots of projects at once, but if you’re a monogamous knitter that’s fine too!

January Plan (by week, Mon-Sun):
1/3 - 1/9 - Podster Gloves to thumb for Herbology, CO and work collar of Rosamund’s Cardigan for HoM OWL, Heel of Seven Chakras for AR OWL
1/10 - 1/16 - Finish gloves, make 3 Infamous Beaded Necklaces for Potions, Transfig, and Divination
1/17 - 1/23 - CO Minerva’s Argyles for OWL, work to heel on sock #1, work orange/yellow feet on Chakras
1/24 - 1/30 - Work to heel on Argyle #2, work to body join on Cardi, work green/blue on feet
1/31 - Finish up whatever didn’t get done!

Now the fun part. Post your plans here, and EARBURN ME (devonc) in your post. On Thurs 1/6, I will randomly choose one of my earburn messages to WIN an Infamous Beaded Necklace made by me in your House colors :)

And most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

So, I challenge all of you to plan ahead. Figure out where you want to be on the train and if you want to quest. Or, how many Quidditch points are you going to accumulate this month?

We are Slytherin. The Cup is Ours.

Tuesday's Wild Ideas

Wow, Slytherins. This past week has flown right past us. I’m hoping it’s not an indication for the rest of the month (says the person who’s only turned in one homework assignment so far).Being out of town for a week really threw off my schedule for crafting but I hope the rest of you are busy working away at your projects for the month. Between homework, OWLs, and Quidditch, it promises to be a busy but fun-filled term.

Being now January 11th, we have just under three weeks left of the month which is plenty of time to whip out those hooks and needles and start almost any project for almost any class.

Potions- Oslo Walk Shawl, Cuppa Joe Java Jacket

Divination- Grrr, Drawstring Bag, Tiramisu Blanket

Flying-  Brooke’s Slouchy Hat, Dragon Scale Scarf

Transfiguration- Lady Bertram Shawl, Small Lace Bag

Herbology- Shroom, Mushroom Softies

DADA- Aviatrix Baby Hat, Sarah's Slip Stitch Socks

History of Magic- Black Diamonds, Thorpe

Charms- Sheldon, Calorimetry, Multnomah

For those of us going for a ride on the St. Mungo’s Express or signing up for one of the Slytherin Quests…well, good luck to all of us. I’m sure we’re going to need it.

This term in Slytherin we’re having two KALs: $5 in Paris and Quadrat. If you’re still looking for an OWL project, check out those two sweaters and the accompanying KAL threads in the Snake Pit. If you're not joining in, just stop by to cheer everyone on and ooh and ahh at the pretties being created by your fellow Slytherins.

Well that’s all I have for now. Off to the races with needles and yarn. See you next week!

-RobynRenee

Hottie of the Week

Whenever I have to fill out paperwork I have a devious need to be a jerk.
Name? WonkyFeint
Race? Night Elf Mohawk
Gender? no.
Occupation? Light Bulb Maker Assassin.

I used to write in that I made light bulbs for a living but people started asking me about it. How much I liked it. Was there good pay in it. It was a lie that really took up more time to explain than it did to actually write. So I changed my job. I am now an Assassin. Why? Assassins are sexy. They are smart, clever, dangerous, skilled, well versed in interesting accents and frankly, rollin’ in the dough. It’s a perfectly Slytherin occupation really. Who wants to be a banker when you can be a ghost?

My pretend (or is it?) occupation has inspired me to have movie night after movie night dedicated to our next band of yummy men and women... Hottie Assassins.

Lets kick off this party with a man who’s so good at being a spook that most people forget he was one. When Clive Owen appeared in The Bourne Identity he played The Professor. Wearing glasses and carrying a big gun The Professor went in to exterminate Jason Bourne after he went rouge. He lost that fight but imparted wisdom that stuck with Jason until the very end of the trilogy and he is absolutely still a Hottie.

Our next Hottie in the business of getting rid of people is John Cusack. As Martin Blank, he was a lovable assassin back in his hometown of Grosse Point Michigan on assignment. He also just so happened to be there for his high school reunion. With his flexible morals, his hilarious interaction with his shrink and one seriously sassy secretary, John Cusack is undeniably the funniest assassin on the list. 

Next up we have The Fraternity (from the movie Wanted). That’s right. An entire group of Hotties with license to kill. Because we could do an entire blog entry just on them, I decided to focus on their newest member. Wesley Gibson, played by James MacAvoy, hates his job, his boss, his d-bag coworker and his cheating girlfriend. When Fox (played by Angelina Jolie) tells him that he is destined for something more, he is hard pressed to believe her but soon comes around to her way of thinking. After intense training at the hands of The Fraternity he is not only ready to take on all the bad men and women out there that need to get dead, he is also a certifiable Hottie.  

a

Our second to last Hottie spot is held by twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus also known as The Saints. Raised in Ireland, the brothers are wicked smart and devout Catholics. They love the Lord and feel that they do his work. Vigilantes more than assassin’s they take out some of the FBI’s (and Boston's) most wanted with surprising ease. Throw Il Duce (Billy Connolly), who just so happens to be their father, into the mix and you have a family of Hotties that you and your mother can get behind... or on top of.

Last but certainly not least is The Bride, a.k.a Black Mamba. Some may say its just Snake Pride that made me put her on the list, but in reality, its her badassery mixed with her good looks that has Uma Thurman taking up the rear in this list. She took on fellow members of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad with ease in an effort to avenge the “death” of her unborn baby. It took two volumes to get through all of her former colleagues but every minute of Kill Bill 1 & 2 was worth it. 

 As always boys and girls, I will see you next week. Same hot time, same hot channel.

Weekend Report

In our Top Story this week - attitude.  Our outstanding chick with the Prefect Badge and keys to the Room of Requirement, Abycat has introduced the dungeon to the concept of “Kiss my Sticks!”  Slytherin crafters far and wide are embracing new robes with the saying and are finding that 2011 indeed is the year of knitting with attitude.

As if legimenically connected our professors have provided us with many an opportunity to do just that.  Simply look at Transfiguration where its all about you and your library.  What was your favorite book?  Do you want to knit a Wandering the Moors shawl to commemorate Wuthering Heights (wait that was my  idea), or maybe a Wild Thing sweater to show your inner child the way out.

Flying is nothing but freedom this month.  Something warm or something that meets your animal urges, um I mean uses animal fiber.  Absolutely fabulous time to work up a heavier weight shawl like Snowflake for yourself of course.

DADA gives you the opportunity to pamper your ears or feet.  Maybe these Las Calacas Socks  or a We Call Them Pirates Hat.   Not so sure, pick a pattern and take it to your snake nest.  I’ll bet someone can come up with an outstanding made up hex to sell it.

Potions couldn’t fit the Kiss my Sticks theme more.  Its all about invigorating you.  Maybe yoga is your thing and these yoga socks would fit the bill.  However should you experience invigoration lasting more than four hours seek medical attention – just ask Vox8.

Divination similar to Potions is about your future this month.  What is it going to be like this year?  What do you want to accomplish?  Maybe work up a little project bag that would allow you to knit on your walks to get fit.  I’ll just stay here on the sofa and watch.

Charms is another excuse to knit for you.  Under the guise of getting to know a first year, or at least their project pages, you get to pick something to knit hopefully for you.  

Speaking of first years History of Magic has us unsorting ourselves.  Four houses is a great opportunity to try out making a pieced baby blanket.    Or maybe this House Unity Scarf.   If your just not feeling the unity thing how about a pirate hat  I made one of these for my husband last summer and it is truly awesome and fast fast fast.

Herbology  is all about fun or maybe using herbological methods to find your spirit animal (totally not encouraged - trust me).  What is fun for you?  Yeah, not gonna go there – you are on your own for this one.

This rash of stick kissing is expected to last throughout 2011.  Slytherins are urged to not seek treatment and let it run its course.

Weather:  A soft haze of mohair and #8s will be settling over the valley this week.

In Sports Quidditch season came in with a fury this week.  It looks like the best of the best challenges are this terms game plan.  Slytherin's team captain Snowqueen73 will be pulling us through charity crafting and three challenges including the hat challenge coming up Saturday January 22nd.  Also note team robes should be worn on the fifteenth of every month.  Remember, in Slytherin, everyone's a chaser.  If you are afraid of the challenges just get out there and submit something you've knit for charity.  You'll feel good, we'll get points, someone out there in the world will benefit. 

Speaking of charity knitting if you are able to fit a chemo cap into a class, quidditch or just because you find Ultimate Quest totally unchallenging the HOH challenge is all about hats and also helping out a fellow house cupper.  Even if you choose not to send your cap to our Ravenclaw friend cancer centers in every community accept such donations.  

Forgivable Curse of the Week:  Mother-felter.

In the Hallows and Horcruxes Lab Tigersjp, Deadalchemist, Dangerouscurves, Crazyredheadchick, & Knitmainea all celebrated birthdays this week.

Finally from the sub-human interest desk - first years.  Tell me first years, what do you think of all this?  Is the craziness everything you hoped it would be?  Too much?  Barely a challenge?  Leave a comment and tell us about your experience so far.

That's it for me.  Keep slithering strong my sinuous ones.  This is Rockinsticks signing out until next Friday. 

Subversive Slythertastic

Hello, fellow Slytherins! I'm sure many of you have heard of yarn-bombing, yarn-tagging, guerilla knitting, or knit/crochet-graffiti. After recently receiving a copy of Yarn Bombing by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain, I started browsing yarn bombing blogs and pictures on the internet and thought I'd look into this fiber-based street art, and maybe even give it a try myself.


Anyone with basic knit or crochet skills and a healthy sense of mischief can tackle tagging, armed with yarn, needles or hooks, and an attitude of confident stealth. Have you noticed all of the depressed commuters at the drab-looking bus stop? Perhaps that nearby railing just needs a cute critter added to cheer the place up a bit!



Or maybe that bored parking meter down the block needs stripes on its pole to give it some style.




For the truly ambitious, may I suggest a patchwork cosy for an old fuel station?



A google image search for yarn bomb or yarn graffiti will pull up every imaginable type of subversive crafting project, and there are countless blogs detailing individual yarnbombers' and groups' projects. There are also several yarn bombing and yarn graffiti groups on ravelry to check out, many of them for specific cities, and even one for tagging HP-style.

I am currently working on tags and reconnaissance work to find sites around my town to get up. I plan to keep all my fellow snakes apprised of my yarn bombing forays this term, and if you are having or plan to have any kind of subversive yarn adventures of your own, please let me know. I'd love to interview you and put your pics on the Dungeon Bulletin Board!

When searching for yarn bombs online, I sadly found very few snake-themed ones, which seems like a perfect shape for all of these tubular tags, but the following piece in Vancouver is too excellent not to leave you with (obviously not a killer rabbit):

--ElfLiberator, inciting to craft-riot . . .

Manic Mania

As a first year student it can be a little overwhelming getting familiar with all of the goings on around this place. Between classes, Quidditch, the various challenges going on and OWLS this Slytherin needs to figure out how to balance all that AND still be able to pull some pranks, hex students from other houses and short sheet their beds.

One of the most exciting aspects is being allowed to sit for the OWLs. Being able to plan a larger project that I have been lusting after for awhile and getting points for it so our house wins the cup is awesome. The only issue is that my list of projects I would like to do has increased due to everyone else's OWLs.

Then there is St. Mungo's express. Aiming for anything less than permanent residency would be just silly for me, since I am a bit crazy as it is. I wonder if they put name plates on the doors and they will let me bring my cauldron and potions into my room to continue my experimentations. Reminder that the last day to buy a ticket is January 20.

Slytherin Staff for Winter 2011

Another session is upon us here at HPKCHC and a new record has been set for students signed up for the semester. As a new year starts, so does the endless possibilities of plotting and world domination here in Slytherin House. To recap the staff and snake nests there is a list below. Also, please fellow Slytherins, if there is something that you would like your blogging staff to write about please either message one of the blogging staff or leave a comment here.

Slytherin Staff:

Head of House: GirlyWithATwist
Head Girl: suenosdejmi

Prefects:
abycat (Quest Mistress)
Cattiekins (Unity Theme Cooridinator)

Quidditch Captain:
Snowqueen73

Blog Editor-in-Chief: Rockinsticks
Blog Reporters:
fibreaddict
elfliberator
wonkyfeint
robynrenee
moongirlknits

Team Unity: Trustcrazyideas, wonkyfeint

Honorary Team Unity Advisor: Seakame

Quest Minions:
fibreaddict, Bidibid

Honarary Quest Advisor:
LNS

Prize Patrol: Drusillawormwood (coordinator)
cubejelly, rockymoreno, vox8

RAK Coordinator: Rockinsticks
Seakame, Robynrenee, fibreaddict

Bar Tenders: joseybug & wonkyfeint

Class Advisors: Fosterson & damiknitter

OWL Wranglers: Eurekas & damiknitter

Prank Coordinator: Vacant

House Cup Staff:

Groundskeeper: fosterson
Quidditch Coaches: Suenosdejmi
Our OWL Examiners: BadAmy, Assistant Peanutzmom
Slytherins who are on OWL Staff Damiknitter (Ravenclaw Examiner) BadAmy (Assistant for Hufflepuff)
NEWT Assitant: folk

Detention: trustcrazyideas
Rotation 1 (CoMC, Flying, Muggle Studies): linuxchic
Rotation 2 (Astronomy, Arithmancy, Divination): Sea-Jelly
DADA Assistant: knitknot
Potions: jjkawano
Herbology: DrusillaWormwood
History of Magic: seakame
Transfiguration: LNS
Charms: Cattiekins
House Blog Editor-in-Chief: Rockinsticks
Blog Staff: theHeroComplex
First Year Blogger: TBD

Mambas (1)
Big Snake: suenosdejmi
Middle Snake: cubejelly
Middle Snake: linuxchic
01Tangled
actuallee
addlepated
ainn
alexaferg18
alyanome
AwayWeGo88
BEEM
LNS
biteyfish
grirova
JacquelineDKeene
juliebug137
Dannibeez

Egyptian Asps (2)
Big Snake: cattiekins
Middle Snake: Trustcrazyideas
Middle Snake: Eurekas
bemgelado
bewilderbeast
bluetofu
Boggles
BrittneyK
BronwenD
Caitlinsara
omly
shenene
noctuae
dovely
3secondfish
misselle
gigiiv

Sea-Snakes (3)
Big Snake: sea-jelly
Middle Snake: ElfLiberator
Middle Snake: seakame
ChiaLynn
christinahwest
DangerousCurves
dejapup
dorathalia
DuhImKnitting
DyeabolicalYarn
Holycuteness
abycat
jessajune
Polcamilla
switchcleo
theherocomplex
pnkprncss22

Wolf Snakes (4)
Big Snake: JuliaV927
Middle Snake: canadiadry
Middle Snake: rockymoreno
EmiDoodle
EvilOverlady314
FearlessLeader
fiamgt9
fiberfreak
fibreaddict
Firecrackerash
EHyde
discombobbled
Septima
rubyyarn
phoenixblue
jonboy1987
somethinksfishy

Kraits (5)
Big Snake: Snowqueen73
Middle Snake: RobynRenee
Middle Snake: Bidibid
galaxichic313
GothKnitty
happytempest
imaginepeace4080
IrishRoses
jackobob
jaimeclaire
jeffnet
dnatheory
yarnmaiden
TurpentineChai
rblackbird
js8xx
Strigidae

Copperheads (6)
Big Snake: crazyredheadchick
Middle Snake: knitmainea
Middle Snake: kims
jiccho
Jinxsa
khannings
khloe440894
knotsnneedles
Koth
liadon
EvilMichelle
charmling
kikibowns
BadAmy
donkeyeggs
knitsquid
mkissa

Anacondas (7)
Big Snake: Peanutzmom
Middle Snake: Maigret
Middle Snake: Fluffybaka
libs
lleavid
luvthesnow
makeyouahaiku
MayaMoonie
mi5chicken
MommyEmily
momofpeg
Peby
rockinsticks
deadalchemist
bbhatsnstuff
Shelvicious
Madduckinc

Morelia Viridis (8)
Big Snake: lilleduck
Middle Snake: joseybug
Middle Snake: damiknitter
NewKnitter64
Oshelle
Prism
purplelizzard16
rhymeswithmaria
rivetkitten
Roue
IggyLinda
fosterson
clementine1
mydeadbasil
tawnyowl96
theknittingcat
vox8

Black Adders (9)
Big Snake: aquablue85
Middle Snake: Drusillawormwood
Middle Snake: CraftyGryphon
scottishgeek
smbennett
snarkypirate
Spike
springbound
Suzi66
Terese
TheCraftyFaerie
hermionejean
didao
Elfielori
nwfairy
moechae
wolfgirl88

Water Moccasins (10)
Big Snake: Lunathecat
Middle Snake: moongirlknits
Middle Snake: mariannewells
Thedoctorsplusone
TheHysterian
Velouria22
wonkyfeint
Zelvarious
vampirewolf
vehementwombat
jjkawano
asphalt
dragyn
georginaelizabeth
irishlacenet
musicandyarn
GirlyWithATwist

Hottie of the Week

WonkyFeint here, reporting to you all from the comfy pillow in front of the fire.
As you all no doubt know, our common room is filled to the brim with hot men and women willing to do our bidding. They carry trays of cocktails, single malts, beer, wine, ‘fortified’ tea and coffee and even Kool-Aid and orange juice for the under 21 set. Most of them are topless or vampires... or topless vampires. We have a few musicians, more than our fair share of actors, the occasional athlete, one hot race car driver, freedom fighters, a Jedi, men in kilts, a few very lovely ladies, more than one Lord of Time, and vampires.


With a list like that, I am sure that you can imagine how hard it was for me to pick the number one Hottie of the Week. I mean come on, we’ve got three Doctors, Jack Harkness, Wedge Antillies, Ewan McGregor, Alan Rickman, NPH, The Master and a few Slytherin Old Guard that have just gotten better with age!
I would love to say that I had a rough go of it, finding the hottest Hottie of the Week, but really I knew who it was before I even took up my quill as a writer for this blog.


There is only one Hottie in our midst who has appeared multiple times in various hottie related threads all over the House Cup. He is the one hottie that all the houses can agree on. He bridges generations and looks good while wearing eye liner.


He is the one, the only... Johnny Depp.

The first time I saw him he was playing Wade “Crybaby” Walker. The last time I saw him he was the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Both times he was the hottest hottie of them all. So hot in fact that he makes us all wish we lived on 21 Jump Street.
This, the maiden post of Hottie of the Week, is dedicated in its entirety to the original Capt’n Jack. I think that the only bad thing about Johnny Depp being our Hottie of the week is the fact that he is consistently hot. He never gives us down time... but honestly, if Johnny Depp being hot all the time is torture, chain me to the wall!
So, pass the rum, break out the chocolate and settle in for a few drool worthy moments because here he is...



He adores us so much that he composed a song...













Stay tuned for next week... Same hot channel, Same hot time.