FĂ ilt [Welcome]! Ciamar a tha thu [How are you]?

• The Fiery Cross Sign-up runs through March 1, 2011 [CLOSED]
• The Fiery Cross Clan Assignments & partners posted March 15, 2011
• Sporrans mailed by May 15, 2011

Outlandish Swap V: The Fiery Cross

Scottish clans were originally a Highland way of life. The Highland clan was, above all things, a family; a family in which everybody believed they were all, from chief to blacksmith, descended from one founder or progenitor. They regarded themselves as very close kinsmen. This Swap is dedicated to such clan families and will be organized into four clans.


Friday, October 3, 2008

Highland Games Round 3 Results

A total of 15 individuals were included in the hand-knit felted cloche drawing. We’re on a steady upward trend here. I’ve also modified the quizzes to they focus on one area of the book so it should save some time on everyone’s part.


Those included in the drawing:

Nemetona (tandemsandy), Elspeth (georgethegirl), Murron (lovestoknit), Brighde (Rumplestiltskin), and Moven of Clan Beauchamp; Jocasta Walkley (Anne) and Eilidh MacAlister (HelenKOsings) of Clan Fraser; Mrs. FitzGibbons (jules 1960), Rhona (Rahrini) and Mordag Elsbeth McLean (abitknottie) of Clan Mackenzie; and Joan (Vivian5), Senga (robyn), Ros (Margeco), Marsali (mommaowie) and Latharna (cabrita) of Clan Murray.


Winner: Mordag Elsbeth McLean (abitknottie) of Clan Mackenzie. She earns an additional 5 points for her clan.

Clan Standings: For Round 3

Beauchamp: 84
Fraser: 55
Mackenzie: 62
Murray: 82

Total Clan Standings After 3 Rounds:

Beauchamp: 228
Fraser: 157
Mackenzie: 177
Murray: 232

Additional awards: (for bragging rights)

Early Bird Award: Jocasta Walkley of Clan Fraser. She submitted her answers first. Her e-mail was dated 7:56 p.m Sept. 24.

Sneaker Award: Joan (Vivian5) of Clan Mackenzie. She submitted her answers last. Her e-mail was dated 11:05 p.m. Sept. 30. That’s 45 minutes before deadline.

Teacher award: Providing insight to what the 18th Century would have been like: Eileen of Clan Murray (justajenjen) offers this history lesson about what would be appropriate for women to wear in the 18th Century:

Women at that time wore long dresses. Showing ankles and elbows was forbidden and hair was supposed to be pinned up and usually covered. Proper women wore about six or seven layers of clothing. (My own set of clothing for my re-enactment activities includes a chemise, a set of stays, stockings, a petticoat of muslin, a skirt with another petticoat sewn in made of satin and then the actual skirt made of a heavier cotton, then a blouse with big billowing sleeves that fall to my wrists, a shawl, and then I pull up my hair and cover it with a linen kertch and a straw hat. I'm dressed as the wife of a modestly successful French merchant, played by my husband. The girls dressed as members of the French court are the ones that really impress me, if only for the ten pound wigs.) Of course, the style of dress changed according to culture and social status, but she Claire would have been seen to be running around in her underwear at best, which would have indicted to most people that she was a prostitute.”

Thanks for that lesson. I think we often forget the volume of clothing women were expected to wear. The impressive part, to me, is that it all was hand sewn. Thinking of that just makes me cringe every time Claire’s clothing gets ripped off.

~Kellan

Statistics:

24 of 36 participated in Highland Games Round 3, that’s 67 percent (Remember the clan chieftans are excluded from playing. We organize, you play. Except for the Chieftess Challenge, which will be posted shortly after Kellan receives the results.)

15 people got every question right or 63 percent of those who participated.

Clan Beauchamp had 89 percent or 8 of 9 members participate, earning 84x points

Clan Fraser had 67 percent or 6 of 9 members participate, earning 55 points

Clan Mackenzie had 44 percent or 4 of 9 members participate, earning 62 points

Clan Murray had 78 percent or 7 of 9 members participate, earning 82 points

The point totals reflect a correction for a mistake I made in Round 3 regarding Clan Mackenzie. Three additional points have been added on. One point for the answer marked incorrect, but should have been correct and two additional points for then having a perfect score. Unfortunately this individual was not included in the drawing for the 5 bonus points. This time around, I checked answers more carefully and will continue in the future.

The points also reflect a correction for a mistake our friends, the Internet and Yahoo, made. One clan member’s e-mails to Yahoo account weren’t getting along with g-mail. G-mail said they were sent, but never arrived – even in the spam folder. When it was brought to my attention and I received a copy of this individual’s e-mails, I gave credit to this person. I’m exploring possibilities of delivery confirmation. In the mean time, each week I’ll post who I get responses from. If there is a discrepancy, please e-mail me at the swap e-mail or send me a PM on ravelry.

~Kellan

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Clan Participation

Since we had a little problem with Highland Game answers lost in the ether, I’m posting the following which shows which people have participated in the games, divided by clan.

A number represents each round you’ve participated in. If you missed a round or it never arrived in the yahoo e-mail inbox, it is marked with a dash. I do check the spam filter to make sure no one is lost that way.

If you completed a quiz round and it isn’t marked here, e-mail me at outlandishswap@yahoo.com and we’ll try to figure it out what happened. Quizzes that come in past deadline are not scored nor are they indicated on this list. See the Round 3 answers post for an explanation of what I’ve done for quizzes that have been lost, but thought to have successfully been sent.

~Kellan


Clan Beauchamp
Siusan (knittingalone) 1,2,3
Imogen (Haze) 1,2,3
Nemetona (tandemsandy) –,2,3
Shaylee (soniacolleen) 1,2,-
Brighde (Rumplestiltskin) 1,2,3
Elspeth (Georgethegirl) 1,2,3
Muirne (bwarnergroup) 1,2,3
Murron (lovestoknit) 1,2,3
Morven (BessE) 1,2,3

Clan Fraser
Sassenach (sasenach) 1,2,3
Jocasta Walkley (Anne) 1,2,3
Caitlin (wit-n-knit) 1,2,3
Meadhbh (HabetrotSpins) -,-,-
Sileana (sassenachlass) 1,-,-,
Frannsaidh Muir (CarmaFrancie) 1,2,3
Seonaid (Crowesgirl) -,-,-
Eilidh MacAlister (HelenKOSings) -,2,3
Morgana (Cluxewe) -,2,3

Clan Mackenzie
Catrionia (Neila) 1,2,3
Mrs. FitzGibbons (jules 1960) 1,2,3
Dearbhail (dbyrne44) -,-,-
Rhona (Rahrini) -,2,3
Mordag Elsbeth McLean (abitknottie) 1,2,3
Kinley (Rehnbo) 1,2,3
Fenella (Knitpickins) 1-,-,
Katharine Robertson (Greydog) -,-,-
Sorka (EDrakeDesigns) -,-,-

Clan Murray
Joan (Vivian5) 1,2,3
Senga (Robyn) 1,2,3
Ros (Margeco) 1,2,3
Moira (UnseelieSuccubus) 1,2,3
Marsali (Mommaowie) 1,2,3
Margaret (GrandmothersWheel) -,2,3
Searlaid (Tagesmom) -,-,-
Eileen (justajenjen) 1,2,3
Latharna (Cabrita) 1,2,3

Chieftess Challenge III

This week we have heard from all of our clans' Chieftesses!

You have all down a braw job again, lasses. There were no wrong answers, literally, so 3 points to each clan.

The Early Bird award goes to Jenny from Clan Murray this week. Answer recieved Sunday evening, 10:42, an hour earlier than the second answer.

Summary:
Beauchamp: 3
Fraser: 3
MacKenzie: 3
Murray: 3 + 1 = 4 Way to go Jenny Murray!

And so happy we are, Fiona, that you were able to join us this week.

Overall standings for the Chieftess Challenge:
Beauchamp: 8 + 3 = 11
Fraser: 3
MacKenzie: 10 + 3 = 13
Murray: 6 + 4 = 10

Remember, Good-sisters, the next Chieftess Challenge will be released Friday evening at 7:30, so please check back then.

Highland Games Round 3 Answers

1. At what fire feast did Claire go through the stones? Beltane, or near Beltane

2. While in Inverness Frank Randall catches up with the Rev. Wakefield who has a penchant for Jacobite history. Wakefield shows Frank a document that reveals what? That Jonathon Wolverton Randall was connected to/in the pocket of the Duke of Sandringham *cue “Secret Agent Man”* Indeed, there was proof, via dispatches that Randall was to dig up Jacobite supporters for Sandringham.I accepted secret agent, spy. I did not accept relative. Frank already knew Randall was his relative.

3. When does Claire realize Geilie is a traveler like she is? When she sees her vaccination scar at the witch trial in Crainsmuir. I think Claire had suspected it earlier, but it wasn’t confirmed until that moment. Claire had known for a while that Geilie really WAS a witch like her.

4. What name did Jamie Fraser use while at Castle Leoch, before he and Claire married? Jamie MacTavish

5. Name two possible reasons (of several) why Dougal wanted to see Jamie married? It was a way to keep Claire out of the hands of the English. Marrying a Scot made her nominally Scots and made it so he didn’t have to hand her over. A guaranteed way to make sure Jamie would never be the cheiftan of Clan Mackenzie – while a potential alternative after Column and Dougal before Hamish would be old enough. Clan members would never accept Jamie as chieftan if he married a Sassenach wench. A possible way to get Lallybroch back from the Frasers. Lallybroch sat on one of a few mountain passes, one that the Mackenzies didn’t want to give up, if Jamie died before having children, the land would go to Claire, and then Dougal, (he hoped) or another Mackenzie could marry her and keep the land. Otherwise it would go back to the Frasers. A test to see if Claire was a spy for the English. She’d likely run away rather than marry a young Scots.

6. Why did Claire panic when she went up to the church to marry Jamie Fraser? They were to be married at the same church that she and Frank were/would be married at.

7. Why do many members of Clan Mackenzie consider Jaime’s father, Brian, a silkie? No one knew who he was, and the woman who saw him in the back passage the night that Ellen Mackenzie ran away said he looked like a silkie, because of his Black Hair. As it turns out Fraser lands border near where the silkies, or seals live. Legend has it that silkies put aside their skins when they come ashore and walk like men. If you find a silkie’s skin and hid it, he or she cannot go back into the sea again, but must stay with you on land. Wisdom say’s it’s good to take a seal-wife because they are very good cooks, and devoted mothers. No word on the husbands, other than they have black shiny hair.

8. Why was Jamie afraid to go back to Lallybroch after he came back from the abby in France. He was ashamed that he wasn’t able to protect his sister Jenny. When he left, he was under the impression she had been raped by Randall and had a child by him. A fact enhanced by something Dougal told him. In truth it wasn’t the case. He was a wanted man and he didn’t want to risk his home place.

9. How does Geilie Duncan kill her husband? She tried to slowly poisoning him by “doctoring” his elixir with white arsenic, but it wasn’t killing him fast enough so she gave him a big dose of a “quick and deadly” poison, probably cyanide while eating at the feast for the Duke of Sandringhamp at Castle Leoch. While poison is correct, I need more specifics. In reality Mr. Duncan thought she was poisoning him so he wouldn’t eat anything she ate, but she added arsenic to his elixir but it wasn’t doing the job fast enough. When she was getting to the point she couldn’t hide the pregnancy (Dougal’s spawn) any longer she hurried the job up.

10. How would Claire describe her wardrobe when she walked through the stones the first time? How did the Mackenzie’s who rescued her from the English dragoons describe her clothes? (I’m looking for two answers) Claire describes her outfit as a thin peony sprigged spring dress and walking shoes. She also described it as “Something pretty and springy and bright after the dreariness of the war. The Mackenzie’s described her as wearing her shift Randall agreed she was in her shift, or otherwise dressed as a whore, but her shoes were too nice. Any self-respecting Beauchamp would have gotten this one right.


FYI:
Some clan members have been having problems with their e-mails arriving in the swap inbox. I'm working on a solution. Until I come up with one, I'm going to post who's participated in each contest. So today, I'll let you know who's played the Highland Games to date. If you think there's a problem, let me know, either by swap e-mail or Ravelry PM (I'm knitmo). Eventually, I intend on posting the spreadsheet I've been using, in pdf format.

I have decided in the cases where the e-mail doesn't show up in the inbox, and if you can forward a copy of the e-mail from the "sent item" folder from your e-mail accounty proving correct e-mail address and time stamp, I'll give points for correct answers. I don't know how wide-spread of an issue this is.

When points are posted tomorrow, there will be some small modifications to make up for the errors.
~Kellan/knitmo

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Highland Game Quiz Round 4

Remember to Put Highland Games Round 4 in the subject of your e-mail to outlandishswap@yahoo.com and include your swap name, clan and answers in the body of the e-mail.

  1. Where does Claire and Murtagh take Jamie after breaking him out of Wentworth Prison? [Where Claire dresses Jamie's wounds and where they spend the night]
  2. Outline the basic plan for breaking Jamie out of Wentworth Prison.
  3. How do Murtagh and Claire let people know they are looking for word about what's happened to Jamie after he's been taken by the Watch?
  4. Who was Sawny? Who gave him the nickname?
  5. What were Jamie’s requirements before he agreed to marry Claire?
  6. Why did Jamie think it was prudent to hide during the oath taking during the Mackenzie Gathering?
  7. How did Jamie save his skin during the oath taking?
  8. Who is the father of Geilie Duncan’s child?
  9. What message does Dougal pass on from Geilie to Claire? This happened when Claire and Dougal were in the cave, at the same time Claire finds out that Jamie will be executed.
  10. What is contained in the box that Wentworth Prison Warden gives Claire to deliver to Jamie’s family?

Good Luck Clans! Contest ends at midnight Eastern time, Tuesday, Oct. 7. Results will be posted Friday, Oct. 10.
~Kellan

Highland Game Quiz Round 3 Over

Thanks for playing the third round of the Outlandish Swap Highland Games. Answers and results will be posted sometime on Friday, Oct. 3. Be sure to check back.
~Kellan

Monday, September 29, 2008

Chieftess Challenge 2

My Good Sisters,You have done a braw job with your fancy words.

This challenge had two parts so I will reprint the challenge here: A Wee Tease ~ Scotland’s most famous Bard has written these words. 1) Can you rewrite them into something English and 2) let us know what the subject of the poem is?

Wee sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie,
O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an chase thee,
Wi murdering pattle!

Again, I recieved poems from 3 clans and I will share them here.

Clan Beauchamp:
1) Literal:
Small, sleek, scared, timid creature,
Oh, what a fear you have in your heart!
You don’t have to go away so fast With such a scamper!
I would be relunctant to run and chase after you
With my murderous plough!

Contemporary:
Oh, itty-bitty little thing,
How afraid you are!
You don’t have to scurry away so fast!
It’s not in me to chase after you,
With my killing machine!

2) Robert Burns is trying to assure this terrified little creature that he has no intention of causing it any harm. A mouse.

Clan Mackenzie
1) Oh, sly sneaky timid beastie
Why such a panic in your breast-y?
There's no need to run so hasty
With a flickering scamper.
I'm too bashful to go and chase thee
With my deadly plow

2) In English what is the subject: A farmer digs up a mouse's nest with his plow and he's talking to her.

Clan Murray:
1) Little sleek, cowering, fearful beast
Oh, how worries you are! (or: how the panic shows in your breast! I can't decide which is better)
You don't need to run away so fast
With a quivering run!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
with my murdering paddle.

2) it is about highland cattle

Scoring:
2 points for each of the poems.
2 points for the mouse (clan MacKenzie & Beauchamp)
Early bird: Clan MacKenzie 1 point ( 9/26 2:31 pm - 5 hours before the second one came in) 100% correct 1 point (MacKenzie, Beauchamp)

Summary:
Beauchamp: 5 points
MacKenzie: 6 points
Murray: 2 points

Standings:
Beauchamp: 3 + 5 = 8
MacKenzie: 4 + 6 = 10
Murray: 4 + 2 = 6
Way to go Kellan MacKenzie! Clan Fraser should be back on Tuesday and ready to partake of the Chieftess Challenges.

~Mordag Elsbeth McLean (abitknottie) of Clan Mackenzie

Chieftess Challenge I

Three clans were represented here, Beauchamp, MacKenzie and Murray.

There were no wrong answers and I did have a few giggles over these answers. 3 points each for perfect scores.

Early bird goes to: Kellan of clan MacKenzie. Her answer was submitted first: 5:46 pm Several answers were the same, some quite creative.

My personal favorite from each of the sets of answers: Kellan writes: 1.) Colum http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/thigh-high-leg-warmers [Colum's legs are twisted, like cables, from his weird disease that has yet to be named]

Eilis writes: 11.) Donas - post 107069http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/loopy-groupies/127224/107051-107075#107069,

Jenny Murray writes:
St. Ninians spring: this one was hard. So you had to tell the truth after drinking from the spring, so I found the "sword of truth" group!

A special Accolade award will go to Jenny Murray of Clan Murray. The Last item found in everyone's hunt was a reference to one of her posts.

POINTS:
Beauchamp: 3
MacKenzie: 4
Murray: 4


~Mordag Elsbeth McLean (abitknottie) of Clan Mackenzie