What had been signposted as an errand was, in Maisie' mind, an opportunity. Although crafting was more common at Hogwarts than she'd ever expected, she didn't ever want to just take materials and often times, there wasn't even exactly what she wanted. Still, she knew what these things cost and pocket money could only get one so far. So, when the opportunity came up to get paid to pick up pygmy puff fur—an excellent raw material for yarn she suspected—Maisie couldn't resist. And she managed to rope in two of her best friends to assist.
She figured they should start at the source: the Charms classroom. Since it was the new(ish) Charms instructor that had identified this 'problem,' it seemed obvious that the largest infestation should be there. "Okay, do we want to each take a corner?" she addressed Addie and Robin as they stepped into the classroom. Dividing and conquering seemed like a reasonable idea to pick up as much fur as possible, and that was the easy part. Spinning the fibers into yarn would be a more complex process that required a lot of patience—unless, there was a spell for that. Maisie would have felt comfortable asking Professor Fresnel something like that, but she had yet to develop that level of camaraderie with Professor Townsend so she would be left to her own devices.
And as ever, that meant she would be prepared and come with a plan. For each of her compatriots and herself, she had brought a plain wicker basket. In these, she suggested they might place the fur as they collected the samples. She also brought a hairbrush. Unfortunately, she didn't have a set, but hopefully the girls would have some too or a comb. They'd need that before spinning the fibers. Still, however confusing this got, she was hopeful they would get some nice, long pieces of fur, which would make great yarn and in turn a great sweater or socks. Although, she promised Addie and Robin she would start them off easy with a scarf in garter stitch. Yeah, anyone could do that.
But before the wonderful process of creating came the less wonderful process of collecting. Gripping her basket, she took stock of the room. The task would have been evident even if there had not been a specific signposting about the errand. On the bookshelves, tucked in the window corners and all around the room were the pygmy puff sheddings in vibrant pinks and purples. Maisie herself was partial towards pink so those were the furs she reached for first. The fur was light but dense. It felt different from how her beloved Mischief's fur felt. Perhaps that was because this was a truly magical creature, but she did not know very much about pygmy puffs at all. They seemed a bit boring beyond their coloring and squeaking noises compared to the other options students had for pets. And beyond that, they were well expensive and something Maisie knew she would never be able to get one even if she wanted one.
"How do you both feel about these colors?" she queried as she began to collect fur into her basket. The pink and purple were quite bright and not to everyone's taste she knew. Though, she could always dye the yarn if the girls weren't fans of these shades. But it would be good to know if she needed to add that into the whole teaching-her-friends-how-to-knit scenario because it would be an additional step in the process. And while Avis had not taken particularly well to sewing, she was hopeful her fellow duellists might have more enthusiasm.
