Wooooooohoo!
Let me tell you where that list came from.
A long, long time ago...I did a forum search on Ravelry...
Okay, seriously. I did do a search on others who had done the Gaithersburg stole I finished in January, and I found:
Or, the HPKCHC for short.
It's a Ravely group! I've joined a few others, but never been terribly involved. This group has some close similarities to the old-fashioned YahooGroups RPGs (from way back in the early days of the Internet).
What's the goal?
You are a student at Hogwarts, and there are 8 typical classes to participate in each 'year'. A 'year' or a 'term' is 3 months, with a month off in between so that the admins and mods can plan for the next year.
There are also other challenges you can participate in, such as Quidditch, OWLs, NEWTs, the Headmistress' Challenge...the list goes on! This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend, so tomorrow they'll be announcing the project prompts that we can participate in for points.
So Velvet, what house are you in?
I'm not! I arrived after the current term had begun, so I am currently on the 'waiting list'--we are a group called NQFY (Not Quite First Years). By completing homework assignments and other challenges, I am given a certain priority when sorting comes around at the end of this term, which ends March 31st.
Well then, why are you bothering?
Because this is totally motivating me to finish some of my old projects, and create new ones!
For example, the hangout spot for NQFYs is the Leaky Cauldron (the B&B in Diagon Alley for you Potterheads out there). The challenge?
FEBRUARY LEAKY CAULDRON CHALLENGE:
Challenge: Craft a cup cozy for Tom. Any crafting method will be accepted. Please tag your posts with ForTom. We mentors encourage you to also use your cozy as a class project, or if it fits into quidditch, you may use it for that as well!
Disclaimer: I'd never made a cozy in my life! I wasn't even sure where to start, but I figured it couldn't hurt, and I could combine it with a class prompt. Reading through the different classes, I settled on Herbology:
As you walk into the greenhouse you notice that there are some rather pretty white flowers in a planter at the front, near the professors. Professor elekanahmen greets you as you sit down: “Welcome back to Herbology class! Today we will be discussing Hemlock. It isn’t used much for potions brewing, but it is very poisonous and grows very commonly in Britain; it’s native to Europe but has been taken to the Americas as well.”
Professor momofpeg continues: “Consuming Hemlock in small amounts can cause a feeling of vertigo that has been described as a spinning or whirling sensation, as well as paralysis, but can easily be deadly in what are still relatively small amounts. This is especially true if the seeds are consumed.”
Professor AuroraSelene gestures toward the various parts of the plant as she explains: “Being able to identify this plant is very helpful in avoiding accidental poisonings. It has delicate fern-like leaves that are richly green and have an almost waxy shine, and its small white flowers grow in broad clusters much like other related plants, such as the wild carrot, which is commonly known in North America as Queen Anne’s Lace. Hemlock has distinctive dark red mottling on the lower half of the stem that separates it from its family members, so this is the most important thing to watch for.”
Your assignment this month is to craft something inspired by the Hemlock plant, either its physical characteristics or its effects e.g. spinning/whirling sensation.
So here's the mug cozy I made based on the hemlock plant:
Tom's Hemlock Mug Cozy
And...I was marked complete!
I earned this badge:
And that was the minimum qualification needed for the month. But I didn't stop there, I promise! That's where the list comes in. You can only submit homework for six of the classes for actual credit, and for the purposes of my Etsy business, I don't need to do a bunch of larger projects for no good reason.
So, I set up a list that would encourage me to finish VintageBeef VII in smaller chunks, while working on smaller assignments in between. It's been going really well!
Next time, I'll share the Arithmancy homework assignment, and also tell you about the Star Trek group that does almost the same thing, but instead of "classes and homework", it's "missions"!
It's tons of fun, and I think this really will help me catch up!
'Til later, craft on!
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