Hogwarts Sock Swap Two!

Petunia Quafflepuncher, the amazing second-year Ravenclaw totally rocks. There was just so much amazingness in this package that it exploded everywhere (and the bars of chocolate quickly were confiscated... I will have to see if I can snag any of them before they are gone).



The yummy Professor Snape as an amazing polaroid transfer card (which I do believe was made by her).



A gorgeous hand-decorated hollow book, which revealed the following:



An adorable little sock bookmark and a beautiful pouch that contained the following:







OMG aren't those amazing? Look at that gorgeous beading. Wow. I have to pause for a second to mention that there are no photos of them being worn. As positively gorgeous as these socks are, I cannot get them over my heels. *cry* I still absolutely love them, though and will figure out some way for them to be worn.



She also made this gorgeous bag. It's beautiful. I love the fabrics she used.



Last, though certainly not least, two beautiful skeins of yarn from Wooly Treasures... one is a merino/bamboo/nylon blend, the other is merino/tencel. They are both gorgeous, I love the richness of these colors and cannot wait to make myself some socks with them.

Petunia darling, thank you so, so much. Please don't feel bad about the socks not fitting, I know my feet and ankles are horrible and it is absolutely not your fault. I love the socks anyway and am amazed at how much work you put into this package.

Sneak peek

It's a bit blurry and/or out of focus, so I may retake it tomorrow when I have more light to work with, New photo added, much better looking I do believe. The above is a wee little peek at the Ravenclaw socks I am working on for HSS2. Sock #2 is at the heel, I have the first part of the heel (short row) done, but I'm taking a break before I start decreasing the number of wraps again since I already had to frog it back two times. I seem to keep dropping one of the stitches when I am working the p2togtbl for the one side. I don't remember how I did the first one, but I know it didn't give me any problems like this second one is. Hopefully the third time will be the charm for this one. Once I get this heel done, I've only got a few inches of cuff to do and they will be finished.

HSS2 Contest - Q&A

The newest contest for the Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 is mine. I am doing a Q&A type of contest in an effort to aid communication between swap pals. Since tracking communication via email would be rather shady, the contest consists of some questions that everyone can answer by way of posting to their blog. Here are my answers:

What type of pet do you choose as your companion at Hogwarts?
I would certainly have to choose a cat for my companion since they are very intuitive and magical. Most likely my cat would be all black or dark gray.

While shopping in Hogsmeade you stop by Honeydukes for some sweets. What treats do you purchase for yourself?
Mmmmmmm... Honeydukes. I think I'd pick a fine selection of milk chocolate coated fruits and caramels.

A potion you are preparing needs an ingredient available only at muggle shops. You don't want to stand out in your wizards robes, so you resort to traditional muggle clothing. Describe your outfit in detail.
Since I spend far too much time in the muggle world, I have a fair selection of clothing that enables me to fit in when I need to go out. My ensemble would be a plain black or dark colored t-shirt or tank top, faded bootcut blue jeans and either a pair of casual sandals (Teva or Birkenstock) or sneakers (Vans).

What is your favorite subject to study at Hogwarts and why?
My favorite class would have to be Potions, partly because it is taught by that dreamy Professor Snape, but also because I love to experiment with making magical concoctions.

Likewise, what subject is your least favorite and why?
Ancient Runes. I never was very interested in learning scripts from ages ago.

Back to the potion you were shopping for ingredients for, what type of potion are you making, what color is it, what are the ingredients, and precisely what does the potion do?
My potion is Dulcis Perficio (Sweet Perfume), it is a deep golden amber color made from carefully blending patchouli, blood from a Peruvian Vipertooth Dragon, essence of golden honey, vanilla, and a drop of lavender. Just the tiniest amount applied in precise locations on the female body renders male wizards completely helpless to the wearer's charms. The male wizard will follow the potion's wearer about like a little lost puppy, and will remain under her spell until it is fully washed off the skin.