Damson: Finished!

I'm quite happy with myself - my very first shawl is finished! It's not the first one I've started, but I did finish it. I blocked it as best I could while at my brother's. I might re-block it later to open up the lace a little more. This shawl is also my very first Ysolda project.

Pattern: Damson

Needle: 4mm

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss in Winter Night - 440 yards

Damson makes for an easy first shawl. It is knit in garter until you reach the chart and the 2 rows of edging are really easy.

15 Days left!

Wizard's Chess. We all remember Harry and Ron playing it in Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. But that's not the game I'm talking about. The game of Wizard's Chess I'm talking about involves knitting. And WIPs. In HPKCHC, Wizard's Chess is a game where up to a total of 10 points, you can work on a few WIPs. Instead of just a 'finish all the WIPs you can' it gives a little more focus. Which is nice. The points are tallied like this: Pawn (1 pt), Rook (2 pts), Knight (4 pts), and Queen/King (5 pts).

My first WIP is my pair of advent socks. A knight. I get a clue for the socks every weekend. Clue 3 came out last night because the designer's midnight is my 6pm. (yay Germany!) I'm still working on clue 1.

Second WIP is Damson, a rook. I have about 30ish or so rows left to finish. And then all it needs is some blocking. My goals for both Damson and the socks is to have them finished and wearable by Christmas Eve morning.

Last WIP is my Traveling Woman shawl. Another knight. I don't have an exact size to aim for with this one. It's easy to increase the size of TW with the first chart. So to finish I need to do as many more chart A repeats as it will take to make me happy. And then I can do the finishing chart. And be done.

These three WIPs get me my ten points. I have more than three to finish, if I'm lucky, I can finish 5. That will get my remaining WIP count down to two. Yay!

17 Days left!

I figured out last night that acrylic, at least Red Heart, really hurts my hands. To the point where every time I knit with it, it shot pain through my right hand. I'm not going to knit with something that hurts my hands. So I'm pretty much all done working with Red Heart. I'm also taking a break from all acrylic for awhile. Wool makes my hands (and me!) happy. The good news is that this happened after I finished the presents I needed to get done.

Finished:
Fun Fur Scarf
Midnight Blue Beanie
Present for Mom

WIPs (for me):
Aquitine Pullover
Traveling Woman
Damson
Advent Socks

My goal for December now is to try and get three of the four listed completed. So, everything but the sweater. I want to try and get Damson and my advent socks finished before Christmas. In enough time to block Damson so I can wear the two of them on Christmas Eve.

24 Days left!

There are 24 days left until Christmas. And I'm so not ready. There are presents left to do. Not just for family but for me too. I have plans what I want to wear to the family gathering on both the 24th and the 25th. Namely my shawl but I'd also like to wear a beret too. December will be the month where I focus on the things that I need to do and my WIPs. Here's the list of each.

Need to do:
Fun Fur Scarf
Midnight Blue Beanie
Present for Mom
Scarf/Hat/Mitten set in both green and black

WIPs:
Aquitine Pullover
Traveling Woman
Damson
Accompanist's Gloves
Advent Socks
One Row Scarf
Gretel

My goal of December is to finish four things for me and all of what I have to do. The need to do list is easy, once I focus. It's hard sometimes, because I'd be happier just knitting what I want to. On the list of WIPs, the ones in italics are the ones I'd like to finish before the new year. If I finish more, great! If I have to pick two, it'll be Damson and the socks.

Free Pattern: HP Fingerless Mitts

The pattern that I originally wrote up for these fingerless mitts never worked well for me. While knitting a Slytherin pair for my friend for Christmas this year, I revised the pattern. It seems to work better with the revisions and I've also included instructions for even stripes or uneven stripes in the contrasting color.


Materials:
Worsted weight yarn in 2 colors - MC and CC
Size 7 (4.5mm) needles
Stitch marker
Waste yarn
Tapestry needle

Gryffindor: Scarlet and Gold
Slytherin: Green and Silver
Ravenclaw: Blue and Bronze (or silver in the movies)
Hufflepuff: Yellow and Black

CO 32 sts in MC
Knit in 2x2 rib for 5 rows
Switch to stockinette and knit for 10 rows

Uneven Stripes:
Rows 16-18: knit in CC.
Rows 19 & 20: knit in MC.
Rows 21-23: knit in CC.

Switch back to MC and knit for 15 rows. Repeat stripes until desired length, ending with 7 rows of MC.

Even Stripes:

Knit in CC color for 10 rows. Switch back to MC and knit for 10 rows. Repeat until desired length, ending with 7 rows of MC.

Next row: knit 5 sts onto waste yarn, slip back to left needle and knit in working yarn. Knit 2 rows. Knit the last 5 rows in 2x2 rib. BO.

Thumb: Remove waste yarn and place live stitches on needle. Knit the sts on the bottom needle, m2. knit the sts on the top needle, m2. Knit for 5 rows. BO.

Left mitt: Knit the same except that the waste yarn is placed at the last 5 sts of the row instead of the first 5.



It's never taken me very long to make a pair of these. They're made to fit my small hands but you can either go up a needle size or increase the amount of stitches to allow for a slightly larger fit.

Free Pattern: Quick & Easy Beanie

Both my brothers requested an easy hat last year for Christmas. I looked online and couldn't find one exactly how they wanted. So I decided to come up with my own, specific to what they wanted.

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn

Size 8 16" circulars

stitch marker

tapestry needle

CO 80 sts. Knit in 2x2 rib for 2".

Switch to stockinette knitting. Knit for 5.5"

Begin decreases.

row 1: k8, k2tog

row 2: knit

Continue these two rows, knitting one less before the k2tog each time. When you are done, you should have 6 sts remaining. Cut yarn and pull through. Weave in ends and enjoy!



I've been able to make one of these hats in an evening. It's a very nice knit to do when you're sitting down to watch TV or a movie. :)

KnitPicks Contest

Knit Picks is having a contest where out of all the people who share their wishlist on facebook, they will pick one lucky person to give $100 towards their wishlist. (or, if its only 100, send them their wishlist.) I made up mine and after tweaking it last night, found it to be around $180.

http://www.knitpicks.com/cfCart/viewWishlist.cfm?wishlistid=2E57C999-219B-8E23-CCFA43CA63CA6A4E&medi

The top 5 things I'd like from it:
1. 4" Harmony Double Points
2. Lace Blocking Wires
3. Around the World in Knitted Socks
4. Vampire Knits*
5. Sock Innovation

*Don't ask me why I want this book. I'm still not 100% sure. I love vampires and everything dark and undead, despite the horrible name vampires now have because of Stephanie Myer.

Samhain Socks!

I finally finished my Samhain socks. Originally I was going to use a pattern for them but after I got started and saw how the stripes were doing, I realized that they'd be just as beautiful without a pattern. So I didn't use one. Despite how much I love knitting socks, I've only finished three pairs. The first pair went to mom because they fit her better, the second pair needs redoing. And well, here's the third:


This will probably be one of the last times I get to update my blog with finished projects until Christmas. Why? Because I don't want anyone seeing their presents before they get them.

Ravenclaw Pride

The first four days of October were Ravenclaw Pride Days. What this meant was that I would spent however long during those four days to craft an item in Ravenclaw colors. I decided on a scarf since I didn't have one and it's started to get into scarf season again.


Because crochet is so much fasted, I crocheted it. Worsted weight yarn, I hook, half double crochet. 2 days. Not bad for a novice crocheter, eh?

October Plan

As always, I have a plan for the month. I'll be doing four presents this month and getting ready for not only NaNoWriMo but the first part of Deathly Hallows to come out in theaters. I will, of course, be going in full Ravenclaw wear.

Herbology: Berry Season in fall/halloween colors.
Charms: Snapdragon Flip Tops
DADA: A scarf for my oldest brother - gotta ward off those vampires!
Divination: Highland Triangle Shawl
Muggle Studies: Green socks for my brother (Ducky from NCIS would totally wear handknit socks)

OWL to 66% at least
Quidditch: Hufflepuff fingerless mitts
Ravenclaw Pride: Ravenclaw scarf

End of the Month Update

The month disappeared on me. Before I knew it, I was running out of time and had so much to finish. Sad to say that I didn't get anything finished this month. Wait no. I did finish a section of a traveling scarf and a blanket square. This means that I have three things to finish: the shawl I started in Aug, my Ravenclaw bag, and a present for a friend's birthday. There are a few reasons why I didn't get anything finished this month. This first (and most important) reason was that I've been focusing on my college classes more than my knitting. Knitting is fun and I love it but college is important. The other reason is drama. Specifically online drama.

This is the start of my Ravenclaw bag. It is also my very first attempt at doing any colorwork. I'd always thought colorwork was pretty - but also hard. It really isn't, just takes longer than working with only one strand of yarn. I can't wait until it's done. This bag is one of the things I plan to take with me to go see the first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

My sixth pair of fetching. The yarn is a real pain as it enjoys splitting on me. I have to make sure that it doesn't because I don't want to send a present off to a friend where half of the stitches are where the yarn split.

Lastly, a progress picture of my sweater. This is kind of an older picture - I have since finished the skein and started into the next one. The last time I measured it was about 9". At first I had wanted to get it done in time for NaNoWriMo in November but I don't want to kill myself over getting it done. It'd be nice to get it done before December though. :)

Spinning!

Guess what? My spindle came a few days ago! I also got myself some pretty roving to spin.

It's a Hi-Lo spindle which means that it can be used as a top whirl or a bottom whirl spindle. This means I can decide which one I like better without having to go out and buy another spindle. Yay.

Only thing. The roving I bought along with my spindle is BFL. From what I've heard, that's nice roving. I'm almost afraid to spin with it because I don't want to mess it up.In this way I do want to buy the Corriedale roving from Knitpicks until I get more used to spinning.

September monthly plan

Charms: SKA September Mock
Potions: Twinkleberry
DADA: Snapdragon Tam
Flying: HP Fair Isle Bag
Transfiguration: Celtic Cable Neckwarmer
Herbology: Fetching

6 classes. 1 OWL. Quidditch.

This is exciting!

Preparing for a New Term

Therealkarity of Ravenclaw here with a proposal for Muggle Studies Option 1: Knit or crochet an adult sweater.

Pattern: Aquitaine Pullover
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, 100% Merino, color way Tuareg.

I will knit the body first and then knit the sleeves two a time before moving on to the yoke.

Challenges: This will be a challenging project for me for several reasons. I have never successfully knit anything larger than a pet-sized blanket. None of my OWLs have been completed in the given timeframe. Classes always prove to be a distraction for me.

{swatch photo will be here}

Midterm: Out of the six skeins I have, I will need 5 of them, the sixth being there if I need a bit extra. I will achieve 50% when I reach the 19" needed for the body. This should also be about 2 and a half skeins used up. When I pass this, I will know I have reached 50% and be eligable for my midterm points in October.

Socks from Germany~

My socks from Kate arrived last week. :D I absolutely love them! She sent chocolate too and it makes me go "om nom nom..." every time I have a piece.

Shortening the List

This month has been all about working on getting WIPs finished. I had a total of six going into August. I expanded it by a few since then but I've also finished half of the original six. The original six are counted as WIPs because I started them in July. In August I've started a traveling scarf, 6 dishcloths, and a pair of Hufflepuff mitts for a friend. Right now I'm aiming to get as much of the two shawls I've been working on for awhile done. I'm positive one will get done and I'm hoping to get the other done too.

This hat actually ended up being a bit smaller than I would have liked. It looks more like a cap than anything else. I need to try it on again (It's wool, I haven't tried it on except for pictures) to decide what I'm going to do with it. If I decide it really is too small, I can always take it out and reclaim the yarn. I don't have that much wool so I'm not that likely to just give it away.



The second WIP I finished was a KAL that a few of my friends and I decided to do. One of my friends who hasn't been knitting for very long found this cell phone cozy. We all liked it and wanted to make one so we decided to wait until August and do them together. Mine is done and so pretty. :)



The last finished WIP is a test knit I did for a friend. She wanted to know if any of us would like to test knit a cowl she designed and I jumped at the chance. I love to test knit because not only am I helping out someone, but I get the pattern for free. :D This one was an easy cabled cowl that came out fairly well. The only thing I didn't like was the curling. Blocking would help with it, if I had used a yarn that was wool.



Now I have two shawls (one for me, one for Mom) and a pair of socks out of the ones started before August and planned on being finished this month. And August is already half over. Where did the month go?!

Knitting Bag!

I'm so excited! I finally have my knitting bag! I've been wanting one forever and today I finally have it. After the reunion today, Mom and I found this neat little store that had all kinds of things in it. There were two rows of bags of all sizes. This was the one that really caught my eyes. I know I know, me and my bags right? :D (I have this, obsession I suppose, with getting pretty bags I like.)



And the most important thing about a knitting bag: pockets. The size is right for most of my projects. But the only thing that has been holding me back from using a bag I already have as my knitting back is that I need it to be the right size and have good pockets. The ones on this bag are deep and half of them are inside where there is no worry of losing anything.



Now the only thing left is to set it up for use. Deciding where everything will go and how might take some times before I'm completely happy. But the best part about this is that now I can grab it and go when I'm leaving the house. No more "Okay.. which one do I take and will it fit in my purse or do I have to carry it in my hands?"

DS Cozy

In July, I decided to make myself a cozy for my Nintendo DS. I've been meaning to make one for awhile. It gets put into bags whenever I go anywhere that has some travel time and/or I think it will get dark. I can't knit in the dark. Now I have a way of keeping my DS protected so it doesn't get anymore scratches and such.



It also was the first time I did a button flap, button hole, and sewed on a button. I have to say, I still dislike weaving in ends the most.

Exploding Snap!

Last HPKCHC break, we had three KALs going on. This time we have Exploding Snap. It is a fun little game to get WIPs finished. For each WIP finished, points are awarded. If a new project is started in August, 1 point is taken away for everyday a new one is started. We all had to sign up and then post the plan of what we want to finish.

Not only am I doing this but also 2 KALs and test knitting a cowl for a friend. I decided to not inclue the cowl on my plan even though it will get finished. If all the points of the plan are achieved, more points are awarded for completion. I can't remember if a prize is given out randomly or not.

My plan is here.

Hat and Bootie Set

One of my HPKCHC friends found out this month that she's expecting. I've been wanting to make a couple of baby items for someone. I didn't want to just make them and give them to a hospital because then I wouldn't feel the same joy as I feel for making these items for my friends. I decided on a pair of booties (I did those for Quidditch) and a baby hat in cotton. Cotton just doesn't slid over the needles like acrylic or wool does.



Aren't they adorable? I gleed over the booties for nearly 15 minutes after I finished them because that's just how cute they are.

Birthday Presents for Nami

Okay, I can post these now. Nami (or Bubbles as she's also know as) got her package in the mail today. When I made myself a pair of Evangeline back in January, she commented about how she'd love a pair Slytherin colored. I knew then that I'd make her a pair for her birthday. Hers were made wrist length because it was hot and I didn't see the need to make hers as long as mine. I also got tired of them by the time I had a couple cable repeats done. I'd been trying to do them twice without a cable needle but they refused to work. In the end I used the cable needle. I absolutely love the wrist length. If I make myself another pair, they'll be wrist length.



I hadn't planned on making this headband for her until I was thinking about what I wanted to send with the mitts. The pattern was one I was doing for a HPKCHC class to the letter E. The pattern, yarn, or item had to start with E. I had decided I wanted a headband and went with making the Easy Cable Headband. It was something quick and easy so I added it to Nami's package.



5 days left in July and 3 classes to finish. One of which will be another headband, this time for me. August is an break month for classes and yet its looking like it will be busy too. And I still have to figure out what to do for Dad's birthday...

Stitch Markers: Gold/Silver set

Today I made my very first stitch markers! I wanted to use some headpins but couldn't find any in the house. So.. I cut the pointy tip off of some straight pins with wire cutters. Two beads fit perfectly on what was left. I'd been meaning to make some for awhile and had great fun making these.



If you look closely, you'll see the one on the far left is two silver beads and the one on the far right is two gold beads. They're to mark my place at the beginning of a round in my knitting. Like for my sweater.

I think I want to get into beading now.

More Quidditch

For the main Quidditch this term, each player was asked to create 3 items that would go to charity. Charity could mean that it went to a friend or someone who needed the item. On the other hand you could indeed, find a charity and craft for them. Now, I'm as much a supporter of charities as the next person but for this I went more personal.

I made two scarves and a pair of booties. The booties are going to a friend who just found out that she's expecting. :D The pattern said they were newborn size but didn't come out so. That's okay - she can use them when the baby gets big enough to fit into them.



The scarves were made for something that one of my aunts wanted to do. She thought it would be fun if I would craft a scarf for every aunt. I ran out of time to do the third so I'll work on that in August or something.

The good news is that now that Quidditch is done, I can get back to working on classes! I only have two left (finished one up this morning) and a week in which to do them. Maybe for the first time, I won't be turning in projects on the last day!

Quidditch and Bookmarks

Is it really already the 20th? I've been so busy crafting this month! Two classes are finished but I can't post pictures of them yet. They were for a friend and I don't want her seeing what she got before they arrive in the mail. I've also been working on bookmarks for the Headmistress' challenge. They had to be postmarked by the end of July and I sent mine out today.



I just finished, an hour ago, an afghan for charity. GazeboGal on Rav's shelter is in desperate need of blankets and such for animals and crates. Being the animal lover I am, I just had to craft one! My first afghan and I did it in two days. Can you say hand cramp?



I should be able to post the classes I've finished soon. In the meantime, I'm working on a cozy for my DS and a hat similar to the one I made at the end of June. This time it's wool and knit on the right size needles.

Blue Fairy Lights

A fellow Ravenclaw came up with a hat pattern she calls Fairy Lights a few days before the end of June. I tried to get it finished before the last day of the month was over but didn't. I got tired of working on the decreases for what seemed like forever.

Isn't it pretty? I love it~! June was an off-month for me in terms of knitting. July will be much better. I will make it so.

July Monthly Plan

I have a plan!

Anicent Runes: Easy Cabled Headband
Charms: Van Dyke Socks
Herbology: Evangeline
Potions: Fawkes
DADA: Gemini Kittens

July 1 - 4: Focus on finishing Mom’s shawl. Work on Potions when if I need a project change.
July 5 - 11: Continue working on Potions. It is also a sock KAL with tangledskein.
July 12 - 18: Cast on and finish Herbology. Once finished, cast on Ancient Runes. Both should be done this week.
July 19 - 25: Cast on Charms and DADA. Bookmarks must be done before the end of the week at the latest.
July 26 - 31: Finish up anything that hasn’t been finished by now.

Around the edges of the first half of the month I’m also going to be working on the bookmarks for Onica’s challenge.

This shouldn't be so hard...

When I did the first waist decrease on my sweater, both times, I wasn't thinking or something because reading "continue knitting in pattern" translated as "keep the cable but decrease the amount of sts between cables" which is not how it should be. If I was looking at the magazine earlier I would have figured it out. I don't have to take it all out, I can go back to the first decrease. It's just really frustrating.

I think this sweater is going to teach me to learn patterns extremely careful.

What NOT to do...

When I was knitting my sweater yesterday I realized that I had completely missed a cable about 5 rows back. I attempted to put a lifeline in 8 rows back and just make up the difference. However. Somehow I didn't do it right. What ended up happening when I got down to the lifeline row was it that it was hung up with no way to fix but to take out the lifeline. Every knitter (and crocheter? I have no idea what lifelines are like in crochet or if you even use them..) knows that to take out a lifeline is a horrible thing. But there was really nothing else I could have done.

So I thought.

What ended up happening was I had to take out the entire 4.5" of sweater (aka, 166 sts) that I had knit. I should have waited for other Ravenclaws to get back to me and help. One pointed me in the direction of instructions on how to fix a cable without taking out entire rows. The other showed me how to put in a lifeline which I already knew how. I think the lifeline deal was more I was already upset when I put it in so that didn't help..

So what happens now is I have to redo all the work I did on my sweater. And get to 50% in a month instead of two.

June Monthly Plan

June 1-15: Knit solely on the OWL. Get it to 50%.
June 16-19: Start working on the shawl.
June 20-26: Continue working on the shawl. Start socks for the Nut challenge. Maybe finish them, I’m not sure yet because this is also birthday week for me.
June 27-30: Make Gemini Kittens. Finish any incomplete work on OWL and classes. If all done, work on Quidditch.

And here’s what is planned for classes.

Ancient Runes: Have a Heart, also for the Shawl-a-long with everyone else in the Tower who’s doing a shawl this month.
Herbology: Nutkin, also for the Ravenclaw Nut-a-long.
DADA: Gemini Kittens

ETA: And my plan of the day - finish the current OWL skein I’m on!

May Charms: Complete!

For Charms, we needed to craft something that was related to (or inspired by) dragons, birds, or rabbits. And now, onto the story!

I was out on vacation with my family a few years ago in Colorado. While there we decided to do some climbing on Crystal Peak. The first day we climbed there was nothing unusual. On the second day, I decided to go back because I really liked it. To my surprise there was a dragon flying around out in the sun. It was a gray dragon, or so I thought.


I'm not sure if it was because I hadn't moved while I watched the dragon fly around but eventually it came and landed in the shade. Not next to me but close enough where I could still make it out. In the shade the dragon didn't look gray but green! The only thing I could think of was that the scales appeared different colors depending on the background.

I have never forgotten the dragon and decided to use it as inspiration for this assignment.

PS: The discloth is only one - the pictures were taken on different backgrounds so that it would appear gray or green.

May Potions: Complete!

I have another improvised pattern! Yay! It also marks a fourth class - Potions - done for May.


The Weasley twins enlisted my help in creating a potion that would mimic the Sorting Hat. When you dip the article of clothing into the potion, it is supposed to reveal the house colors of the wearer. After finishing the potion, I took a black choker and placed it in the potion. When I removed it, I found that some of the original black had remained and along with some blue, there was now a patch of green. It took a moment before I realized that I am such a Slytherclaw that the colors for both houses showed on my necklace.

May Herbology: Complete

Herbology this month was really easy - we only had to turn in something that was related in someway to a flower. Or embellished with one. I was going to crochet a red purse and attach my black rose to it but when the purse was finished, it was off enough that I'd have to start all over... Instead of doing that I decided to finish my Apparition Bag that I started in April - do you remember it? It really didn't take much time to finish it and then I simply added my black rose to the top of it.

There isn't a story needed for the bag - just the rose. I don't have to come up with a story for every assignment and I'm having a hard time thinking of a creative one for the rose. So I think herbology will be the only one that doesn't get a story this month.

May HoM: Complete

I told myself that I wouldn't focus so much on the classes this term so that I would finally be able to finish my OWL. So far it's.. sort of worked. The other thing I told myself is that I would create stories to go along with each of my class submissions. I'm a writer! I should be able to create the stories easily! (And yet, its been hard to come up with something the last two terms..) Anyway, here's the story and the accompanying fingerless mitts that will later be turned into gloves. Yes, with actual fingers.

During my trip down into the chamber, I came across a piece of thread. I was intrigued by it and decided to see how much of it there was. By the time I was about to gather all of it that I could find, there looked to be enough for a pair of gloves. The purple color of the thread seems to come from Lockhart’s cape. It must have gotten stuck on something when he was leaving the chamber.

It turns out that there wasn’t enough for a pair of gloves so I decided to make them fingerless instead. I was glad to have them because the chamber was colder than I thought it would be. These provided me a way to keep my hands warm but still be able to take notes on what the chamber was like.

Quidditch Challenge

Saturday I had a hat challenge for Quidditch. The challenge was to knit as many hats as possible in a day. Having never finished a hat in one day before, I say I did pretty good. My hands are still a bit sore from all the knitting I did. I was also able to do some stashbusting - used up two partial skeins. I started another hat and might even finish off the skein when I get around to finishing it.



The second hat is identical to the ones I made for myself and my brothers in February. Because it is my own pattern, I needed to test knit it before I put the pattern up anywhere.

Nyaaahh...

I had a pattern for a crocheted purse all picked out and after spending all evening last night working on it, I figured out that it won't work. It's really frustrating because I then had to separate the two skeins I'd been using together. I looked around on Rav and found another one I thought would work but I didn't even get through the first round. It just feels too flimsy to work as a bag, even if I am going to line it. I don't know what to do. I need something to work for Herbology.

I don't have to make something new, I just don't really have anything that I want to add a flower to. If I can find a purse that'll work easily enough and isn't too small for the rose I've already made I'll be happy. I even have a story picked out for when I turn it in already.

ETA: Hmm. I could possibly do the CAL I attempted in April but smaller. All I would want it for would be the useage I get out of my smallish purse I use now but slightly bigger. Hmm. This could work. (If anyone actually reads this, let me know what you think)

Dishcloths!

This year I decided to knit four dishcloths, two each for Mom and my step-mom Susan. Susan and I don't really get along very well so these are kind of my gift to say "I'm sorry and I forgive you." Plus she and Dad are moving into a new house this summer so I though they'd both enjoy some new dishcloths. I'll give them to Dad when he comes to see me before going back down to Florida.


I haven't finished the two for Mom yet but I already gave her the one I made for her. She'll get the other one when I get around to it. And I'll take a picture of the two of them when I do get the last one made. And now I can go back to my knitting for HPKCHC!

New Plan for May!

May 10 - 14: Work on Herbology purse. If finished before the 15th, begin knitting Monkey Socks.

*May 15: Knit as many hats as possible for the Quidditch Challenge Hats Off! Probably spend the day watching DVDs while knitting.

May 16 - 22: Continue (or start) knitting Monkey socks. Knit them 2 at a time so possibly finish them this week. If they get finished before the end of the week, work on HoM fingerless mitts.

May 23 - 29: Finish up any incomplete classes. Knit first item for regular Quidditch. Work on the OWL.

May 30 - 31: Knit like crazy on the OWL! If there's time, knit the last dishcloth for Mom.

I think this'll work for a finalized monthly plan. I feel like I've left enough time for everything. (The mitts might not get finished but that'll be okay.)

May Monthly Plan

Here is my monthly plan for May. I used to do these on my own but lately I've been writing them up for the Tower so I figured I'd start posting them here too.

May 1 - 8: Finish swatch and post OWL proposal. (done!) Knit four dishcloths for Mom and Susan by the end of the week. (half done.) Knit and felt three mice for Selena. Begin working on herbology purse. Begin knitting OWL once approved.

May 9 - 15: Finish herbology purse and add a rose to it. Submit to Ravenclaw Tower's May Flowers contest. Begin and possibly finish Monkey socks for Ravenclaw Monkey KAL. May 15th - knit test beanie pattern for Quidditch challenge. Continue working on OWL.

May 16 - 22: If socks aren't finished, finish them. Start a Jayne hat for Potions. Begin working on the first of three regular Quidditch items. Continue working on OWL.

May 23 - 31: If any classes aren't completed, finish them. Finish Quidditch item 1. Get OWL to 33%.

This is as much as a monthly plan as I can have. It's always subject to change, depending on how much knitting I get done in a week. The OWL (aka, my sweater) must be at 33% by the end of the month so that I can get to 50% by the end of June.

OWL Proposal: Aquitaine Pullover

Therealkarity from Ravenclaw submitting her proposal for a Muggle Studies OWL, Option 1: Knit or crochet an adult sweater. I will be making Aquitaine Pullover using Malabarigo Worsted in Tuareg. The pattern calls for US 10s which I will be using.
and my swatch up close:
I will be knitting the body first followed by the sleeves two at a time. This will be my first attempt at a sweater. The challenge of the complex construction of this garment is sure to keep my interest. Knit as one piece, my skills will be tested I will prevail!

You can see the official proposal on the HPKCHC forum here.

Apparition Socks: finished!

Look! They're finished! I absolutely love them.


The wonderful thing about how small my feet are is that I still have enough left over from this skein to make another pair of socks. I haven't decided on what color I'm going to make my next pair but I do need to ball the yarn. I really do hope I get a ball winder and swift for my birthday next month. It would make winding yarn MUCH easier..

Apparition Socks: One finished!

Look! Isn't it pretty? I can't wait until I get the second one done so I can wear them.


The next pair of socks I want to finish are my Hermione Socks. One of them is 99% finished but I haven't reached the length of the leg that'll make me happy. If I have any spare time to finish that one up after I do my other apparition sock and swatch for my OWL, I'll try to finish it. Maybe there will be a WIP class this term so I can finish the socks. If I had two socks from different patterns to finish, I'd just ask the professor if I could do that. But.. I don't unless I don't even start on the second one of this pair. (Not going to happen. I'm in love with these socks)

Ohmygosh, is it really only six days until term? Gahhh.

Spring OWL - Rule Changes

The new rules for OWLs this term haven't been up more than a couple days and I'm already annoyed. Not with the new rules but the reactions the rules are getting. The two new rules are

1) Swatching is mandatory.

2) 50% by June 30th.

It used to be 33% by the end of month two and I have reached the 33% but never finished. So I'm a little worried but not too much. I'm absolutely in love with the sweater I'll be making. What I don't like is how everyone is bitching about how they have to swatch. Swatching doesn't always have to mean to get the correct gauge. I swatched last term for my bat shawl because I wanted to see how the yarn would work out to be. That's what I think swatching is really all about. I don't do it much - just for my larger projects.

But I still think people should realize that the OWL examiners aren't out to make things harder - they want to see us succeed.

Apparition class updates

I'm so excited - the Spring 2010 HPKCHC term is almost here! I'm all signed up and eagerly awaiting the start of term. Until then, I have apparition lessons keeping me busy. First there is the the sock class that I have just caught up on. There are a total of four clues out and I've reached the fourth clue even if I haven't started it yet. And yes, that is the heel you can see. I'll be starting on the foot soon (clue 4).


The other class I am doing is the crochet bag. I haven't even started clue three for it because I've been focusing on my socks (and have a paper to write before Thursday). This picture doesn't show sage green as well as I'd hoped. I am having fun working on a larger crochet project than just bracelets and a dishcloth sized granny square that I did in January.


At some point I'm hoping to find time to finish the pair of socks I started in March and never finished. I got almost one done (I'm still working on the leg) but I mostly didn't feel like knitting in March. The only thing I finished was yet another pair of Fetching to wear Easter weekend. That didn't happen because it was in the 90s that weekend. Ick.

Teachers don't understand

What is it about the teachers I get and their lack of understanding that yes, I can indeed knit and listen to them at the same time? On Tuesday we had this "evaluation" quiz to do about our teacher and the class. I got done early before the teacher came back in the room so I took out the knitting I had brought with me. And continued knitting even after she came back and started talking again. I was paying attention to what she was talking about but still working on my sock KAL.

She didn't like that. She came by my seat and quietly placed her hand on mine to say "STOP". I didn't exactly stop because I knew what would happen if I put it down in the middle of the row - I'd lose most of it because there was a chance it would come off the needles. Putting down lace in the middle of the row is something I fear doing.

I didn't say anything in the middle of the class but I kept wondering for the rest of class why she couldn't understand that I can pay attention to what's on my needles and what she is saying.

April is Apparition month!

After each 3 month term, I get a month off from HPKCHC classes and OWL work. April is that month. It is also the first month they've brought in apparition projects. What that means is that a few people have patterns they're working out and we can test knit the patterns for them. It's a mystery CAL (crochet-a-long) or KAL (knit-a-long). It means that on certain days of the week we'll get the next part of the pattern to work on for however many rows. Once that is finished, we have to wait until the next part is released. There are three of these going on for HPKCHC, two knit and one crochet. I've decided to do the crochet and one of the knitted ones.

Apparition Bag: My very first crochet pattern to follow and also my first bag. (So far I was confused as hell) I am using colorways Sage Green and Lime Stripes of Lily Sugar n Cream cotton yarn. Size US H hook.

Apparition Socks: Socks knitted cuff down (grumble) on US 1s in fingering weight yarn. I'm using a Wine colorway of Knit Pick's Stroll sock yarn. Pattern is released on Tuesday and Thursday.

I'm really excited and positive I'm going to have a lot of fun with these.

No knitting motivation

For whatever reason, I have little to no knitting motivation this month. I was hoping to have my bat shawl done, or at least to the border by now. I still have another row of bats to do. If I really worked at it, I could get my shawl done but I'm not sure I'd have enough time to block it. After the whole issue of not being online to post my 33%, I want to have everything done the day before its due because I don't want it happening again. So my personal deadline is March 30th.

Not only do I have my bat shawl to finish, I've also been working on a pair of toe-up socks. I'm not used to the small yarn and small needles. They seem to be taking forever where as my first pair didn't take that long. I need to keep reminding myself that my first pair of socks were done in worsted weight and on 6s. (or were they 8s? I can't even remember back to January..) I really love them and the first sock is almost done but man, I can't even finish a pair of socks in two weeks? That's got to speak for my lack of motivation right there.

OWL update: 33%

I was able to get my 33% completed but I didn't get to turn it in for the 50 points because my internet was down. It kinda upsets me but oh well. I can't do anything about that. If I'd KNOWN it was going to be down I would have made sure to have it finished the day before. I still wanted to put it up here so everyone can see how pretty my shawl is turning out.


Most of March is going to be working on my shawl. I want to get it done but I also don't really have that much I want/need to make right now. Well.. besides socks. The only other thing I really want to do is figure out how I'm going to use up the rest of my Red Heart yarn short of sending what I have left to Bubbles.

Ravelympics Completed

Once I got started on Ravelympics and realized how little time I would have for my OWL if I did two WIPs for the WIP Dancing event, I decided to do just one. I needed to get it done because it was a hat for my brother that I'd started back in November. I should remember that November is always a busy month and that I'll probably get little knitting done during it...


The other event I decided on doing for Ravelympics was Aerial Unwind. I had frogged a pair of Bella's Mittens I'd started for a friend and also the Ziva scarf. Maybe one day I'll decide on a project to do with the yarn I used. So far I seem to keep starting something with it and than frogging.


And this means that the only thing I have left to do for a few days (it's actually been more like a week but I hadn't done the aerials yet and that took only 5 minutes each..) is my bat shawl.

Hat for Me

Remember my last blog post where I mentioned I was working on a hat for me? Well, it's finished! It only took me three days (actually more like two) to do. Knitting while watching movies is a wonderful thing..

Weeks 1&2 progress

So far I've been able to stay on task with my February plan. Both Potions and Transfiguration are done. Astronomy should be done later tonight. For Transfiguration this month, you had to knit something that was scary. Scary to me was knitting presents and have them not fit. (I hate giving a gift and having it not fit!) This allowed me to be able to finish a hat I'd promised my brother a long time ago.

Potions was the Hate potion- you had to use a fiber, technique, pattern, etc. that you hated. For me, I'm not overly fond of using cotton even though its all I'll use for dishcloths. I had a dishcloth pattern I was making for someone who means a lot to me so it fits for Potions or I'd have only done one class this month.



Last but not least is Astronomy. This time it's a hat for me. I'd wanted a hat with cables but as I looked at the time I had for a contest in my HPKCHC common room and the pattern I was still figuring out, I decided to go with the same pattern I'd used for my brother's hat. I'm making mine black instead of green like his. And when I finish with Ravelympics, I'll have made 3 hats, all pretty much the same, in one month.