Your Head of Houseness.....
Q: So, tell us a little bit about yourself outside the Dungeon.
A: Let’s see…I am a mother of 2 little boys (Gryffinboy and Slytherboy) and currently live in the Portland, Oregon area. I spent about 9 1/2 years in the US Navy working on air traffic control radar electronics. The hubby and I were both on the same ship when we meet. In fact we were in the same division just different departments. I learned how to crochet back when I was a teenager in the 1980s from my mother and I taught myself how to knit back in the early 2000s. And now I can knit, crochet, sew, spin, do bead work. I am also the person who assembles furniture in the house.
Q: What is your favorite thing to Craft?
A: Lately I have been on this small shawl kick. But I also knit socks, dishcloths, hats, scarves, and crochet small items for the boys (Gryffinboy and Slytherboy). I also wish I had more spinning time. Maybe next month.
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| For the picture, I have chosen my Simple Yet Effective Slytherin Shawl. Why? Because it is made with my very own handspun yarn. |
A: That would be a black cat. I used to have a black cat many years ago and she was the greatest. Cats give you this “yeah, whatever” look plus they get to take cat naps. I wish I could take cat naps.
Q: Who is your ideal hottie and why?
A: That would be Jeff Burton aka The Race Car Driver. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone. I have accepted the fact that I have a weakness for Southern boys and he is from Virginia. He has this most amazing boyish grin that I can not resist. And I figure if he can drive a race car at speeds faster than 170MPHs than he has really good reflexes and amazing powers of concentration.
Q: Which class this term appeals to you most?
A: This month I would have to go with Herbology and the fall celebration. For me, fall brings about pumpkins and my favorite holiday treat in the mellowcreme pumpkins. It also brings back fond memories of living in Maine with all of the beautiful leaf color changes. Plus it brings my favorite holiday of the year and that is Halloween.
Over to you CraftyGryphon......
Q: Tell us a little about yourself outside the House Cup.
A: Well, to the crafting world outside the Cup, I’m CraftyGryphon, and I have a knitblog.
To the non-crafting world, I’m a writer/cartoonist/recovering lawyer with a bad totebag habit. “Recovering” means I practiced for a while, decided it wasn’t fun, and, once the student loans were paid off, quit. I still work in the field (banking & securities law), for other nice lawyers (they’re out there!), and don’t miss the stress One Bit. The money… well, that would be nice, but to me, it’s not worth the price. It took a few years for my friends to realize that no, I really couldn’t answer their legal questions (practicing with an inactive license = Not Good), but they get it now, and I can at least point them to where they might find the answers on their own. I’ve actually been told, to my face, that I can’t be Slytherin, since I stopped practicing law and gave up The Monieees. That just makes me laugh - there are all sorts of ambition, and mine happens to be “to be happy”. Got it, done, I win.
I don’t draw nearly as much as I should, and I’m woefully out of practice. I used to bleed cartoons, especially when stressed; then I managed to change it to writing. Now, thanks to HPKCHC, the yarn has taken over, and I bleed knitting. Frequently, I just make stuff up as I go (Acorn Disguise!) Seriously. I have, as I write this, finished EIGHTY projects this year. EIGHTY. My mind is boggling over that one. The really scary thing? I have A List of all the projects I haven’t finished yet, and right now (thanks to starting the Acorn Disguise) the number is 46. For several years, my big New Year’s Resolution was to get under 50 started-but-not-finished-and-yes-I-intend-to-finish-them things; this year, finally, it was to get under 40. I don’t think I’m going to make it - four of the projects I started this year, not counting Acorn Hat, aren’t finished - but I usually get a burst of speed in December, so who knows?
Q: What is your favorite thing to craft?
A: The current portable thing I’m knitting/crocheting/whatever! I have a pretty long commute, so I’m guaranteed at least 2h of knitting time a day. It really helps if I’m working on something that doesn’t need to be draped over the stranger sitting next to me!
I tend to carry a few projects with me at any given moment. As I type this, my bag has a cross-stitched “Wicked” necklace insert that’s about 3/4 done - but is 1 over 30, so not so great on bumpy buses; my Nigh-Impenetrable Acorn Disguise for Transfiguration, which I’ve hopefully turned in by the time you’re reading this; materials to make another Garlic Bulb Wrist Corsage to test the pattern I wrote up for it; and the yarn for a blanket square that needs knitting. I should be carrying around my O.W.L., too, but I forgot to add it to the collection this morning. Besides, it takes concentration to get the Celtic knotwork started; Acorn Disguise is easier.
Q: What form would your patronus take and why?
A: I’d like to think I’d get a mountain lion, which is the critter I saw as my avatar growing up. In reality, I’d probably get either a rabbit (my mother loves rabbits, and her influence would be strong on a wee witch) or - shudder - a squirrel.
Squirrels and I have had a life-long enmity. They find me and surround me, menacingly, if I remain in the open for more than an hour. (Okay, probably not just an hour, but there have been Incidents.) So, since the universe definitely has a sense of humor, a squirrel it would be.
Q: Who is your ideal hottie and why?
A: I’ve always had a thing for tall men with dark, wavy hair and light eyes, a la Pierce Brosnan and/or Hugh Jackman. It’s no accident my husband is 6’4” with that coloring & great hair! (I’ll always have a soft spot for Adam Baldwin, though. I’m glad Chuck made it past first season!
Q: Which class this term appeals to you most?
A: The loudest squeal-upon-reading-the-assignment was for Herbology, when I realized I could fit my Owls sweater into a class. I have fun with all of them, though. History of Magic was the easiest (except for the Lion Rampant glass cozy), since a basic glass cozy goes really, really fast for me now. Muggle Studies will likely wind up being the hardest - I knit left-handed/eastern reversed uncrossed (or something like that?), so double knitting doesn’t work well for me. I’ll have to play with it a lot between terms to figure out how to get mine to look right! I say “likely” because I still have to knit a clock (and figure out how to get it to run) and a mousetrap. Yeah. A clock and a mousetrap. I need to stop doing the research part of a class first and, instead, hit my queue, then the Ravelry patterns search FIRST to find things that would work - instead of writing fun write-ups that I then have to live (knit?) up to.
Also provided by CraftyGryphon was the following....
How about a cartoon? Yes, the rule for Three Minute Sketch Theater is NO MORE than one minute per page. Period!
There had been nothing more he could do, he thought. No matter how often you tell the young, some things must be learned from experience.
“Late again, youngling,” Grandfather growled.
“Late is…”
“I know, I know,” Toothsome Bounder ducked under his elder’s snout. “Late is getting caught.”
“Late is getting caught, killed, and skinned for your pelt.”
"… and it brings disgrace to the family. I know, I know,” the youngster rolled his yellow eyes.
“Not that you’ll care,” Grandfather arched an expressive brow. “You’ll be dead.”
“Ha! I’d like to see the human that can catch me!” Toothsome Bounder howled triumphantly, then bounced off a nearby rock, caught off-guard by the older wolf’s well-placed blow.
“It’s not the humans you have to watch for, silly cub. It’s the traps they set, the snares they lay. It’s the poisoned game they leave just so. It’s…”
Toothsome Bounder shook himself from tip to tail, then shot a superior look at his dam’s sire. “It’s nothing I haven’t heard before, Grandfather. And,” he nuzzled the old wolf’s shoulder, “I promise I’ll be careful.”
“See that you are,” Grandfather commanded. “Let’s join the rest of the pack.”
Grandfather recalled the snap of the steel jaws, the bark of shock from his favorite grandchild, the whines of pain, silenced once the humans had found their prey. There had been nothing more he could do, he thought. No matter how often you tell the young, some things must be learned from experience; the weight of words means nothing.
There. The two of those combined should give you a pretty good picture of my warped little Slytherin self!
Tune in next time when....okay, we're not really that coordinated, but tune in next time. Or leave us a comment and tell us who you would like to see interviewed? Is there a particular snake you are curious to know more about? Want to be interviewed yourself, but don't want anyone to know it was your idea - pm me - I'll interview anyone. Alan Rickman reading this in disguise as a middle aged knitter - pm me your phone number pleeeeease.
Love this interview!
ReplyDeleteGirlywithatwist, that shawl is beautiful! Craftygryphon, your cartoon is awesome! Both of you guys gave a great interview that kept me cracked up!