Cavern of Remembrance

August STUFFF - Part 2

2011-08-14T19:01:00.003-04:00

And the second half of my STUFFF accomplishments. Blogger wouldn't let me upload all of the images into the same one so I split it 3 and 3. :)

When I completed my Porifera socks (better known as Axel Socks), I noticed something. Where the heel joined the leg, it had left small holes, despite me picking up a stitch or two and knitting them together with an already established stitch. This normally gets rid of said holes. So... I took scrap yarn of the same color and closed the holes.

Finish. This is going to be the one tile I get a lot of (I hope!) because of my stack of WIPs. Rachel is going off to London soon and although she herself is a knitter, I know she's been having trouble making a hat that fits her just right. I'd been wanting to do something for her and knew she needed a hat. So, I made her one!

And frog. I'm pretty much done with this tile but I've already acheived two of them. The pile of WIPs into yarn was my first frog tile, the socks into yarn was the second. None of the WIPs (this time) were complete failures. It was mostly I was either waiting to do the project later or the yarn didn't want to be that specific project.

And with all of that work, I am down to 5 WIPs, 3 for me and 2 presents for family. Both of which are already half done. Once all 5 WIPs are completed, I will probably jump into working on presents. I have 6 more before all are done. And next year I'll only make presents at birthday time so it's a little more spread out.

August STUFFF - Part 1

2011-08-14T18:26:00.004-04:00

In HPKCHC-land, it is the time of cleaning and WIPs! On every break month, we have an activity that helps everyone get ready for the coming 3 month term. Last time (April) was Wizard's Chess. This time it's Scrabble, also known as STUFFF.

Swatch

Tidy

Update

Fix

Finish

Frog

Today I was awarded my golden tile set, the set of letter tiles awarded to those who have completed all six! This was what I was waiting for before I blogged about it. And now, pictures of what I've completed.

STUFFF also has swatch-along weeks. First was dyeing but I had an epic fail with the yarn so nothing got dyed. The next week, this week, was crochet. I haven't done anything beyond basics in months so I decided that I would do a swatch of fpdc and bpdc on the idea that instead of knitting my niece's presents, I would crochet them.

Tidying. My desk is my work space for everything. Knitting, school, writing... You name it. At first it was covered with yarn and other things. After I found homes for all the yarn there was much more room for when I needed space to do things. Although, when both laptops are open most of my space disappears.

And the drawer. My desk has a drawer that is just right for keeping my needles/hooks and active WIPs. It was piled high, in part because I hadn't put needles away after I'd completed or frogged a project. So it just needed a little bit of tidying.

Lastly, update. I have no pictures for this but I reorganized and cleared out my queue. Now there is less "I will make this someday" patterns queued and more of "I have plans to make this before the end of the year" patterns queued. But I did keep all my video game character KALs or I'd forget what Rachel and I'd planned.

FO: Haruni

2011-07-30T14:44:00.003-04:00

It done, oh god it's done. After months of not working on it, I spent the last week working hard on Haruni. I was a bit unsure I'd get it done before the end of July, but I did. This is good too, because my cousin's bridal shower is on the 6th of August, I think. Before now, the biggest project I've made for someone else was a scarf or a hat. Nothing as big as a shawl. But I'm glad that I could make something that Ashley would like.

Pattern: Haruni

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Royalty

Needles: 3.75mm

Notes: I love this shawl, so much. The next one I make will be for me, in green.

Now I'm down to... 10 WIPs. It's slowly going down.

WIP Wednesday: Iris & Haruni

2011-07-27T16:30:00.003-04:00

It's WIP Wednesday again! Haruni still isn't done but it's closer. I've also decided to use 30-minute intervals to work on a present for someone else and then something for me. Today's projects are both shawls; Haruni for my cousin and Iris for me. Haruni still looks like a purple blob and will until its blocked so I'm not taking a new picture.

The picture I have of Iris is a bit dark. The yarn is a mixture of green, purple and some blue. It reminds me a bit of Red Heart's Gemstone colorway they discontinued. The shawl is a mystery shawl I had to put down in light of July getting busy/other things to work on. This picture of clue 1.

WIP Wednesday: Haruni

2011-07-20T07:37:00.003-04:00

Today is WIP Wednesday! After I got home from spending a wonderful week at my brother's, I realized something. My ideal goal for WIP count is between 3-5. I have twelve. It was worse, actually. I was up to 16 before I finished two things and frogged a few others. This also made me look at all of my WIPs and I was reminded, yet again, that Ashley's shawl isn't done. August will be here before I know it and it won't be done if I don't work on it now.

This yarn is one of my all time favorite yarns from KP. I love tonals and purple is one of my favorite colors. I'm still sad they discontinued this colorway. I haven't yet decided if I'll make myself a shawl exactly like Ashley's but I know one day I'll make myself this same shawl in a green tonal.

Yes, I know the shawl looks like a purple blob. Shawls are nearly impossible to picture as anything but blobs while they are still on the needles.

FO: Moogle!

2011-07-20T03:20:00.004-04:00

A long time ago, I found a pattern for a crocheted moogle from Final Fantasy. I didn't know how to crochet at the time so it went into my favorites on Rav and I forgot about it. Sometime during last winter moogles were mentioned and the pattern was brought up. I decided to make a moogle. When I told one my good friend QS about it, she wanted one. I knew I had to make her one since she, in her awesomeness, reintroduced me to KH after years of having it but not playing it.

Pattern: Moogle Doll

Yarn: Red Heart Super Savior in white, dark red, and lavender

Hook: 4mm

Notes: I used the game case for Final Fantasy IX for scale. Also because it's the one QS and I are both playing right now. The moogle's eyes I'm not happy with and I think the nose is a bit fat...

FO: Netbook Sleeve

2011-07-17T08:26:00.002-04:00

One thing I've wanted for years has been a netbook. For my 21st birthday, my wonderful father gave me enough money to get one. I knew instantly that I wanted something to protect it when I would put it in a backpack with other stuff. Instead of paying $10-20 for a commercially made protective sleeve from HP, I decided to design my own. The way I designed it makes it easy for it to be a sleeve or a bag.

The prototype is finished and my netbook is in my hands and has been for about a week now. I have thus named it Marly. The only thing I need now is a small cordless computer mouse.

Here's an image of the netbook, fully inside of the sleeve:

Project: Netbook Bag

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Shaded Dusk

Hook: 5mm

Notes: My first crocheted pattern design. It came out well I think.

FO: Porifera & Twilight Socks

2011-07-07T00:40:00.003-04:00

Two pairs of socks are complete! I just finished one pair and the other was done about a month ago. I waited to post a picture of them anywhere besides Rav because they were Mom's birthday present. I wanted her to see them first.

Porifera was one of the guiding patterns in my purchase of a booklet titled Twist & Knit. Rachel kept talking about them and other patterns from it until I eventually folded. Porifera will probably be the only ribbed pair of socks I do.

Pattern: Porifera Socks

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Kettle Dyed in Wine

Needles: 2.25mm

The pattern for mom's socks was originally written for cuff down but because I like doing my socks toe up better, I converted it. And even learned a way to do the slip stitch heel (most common heel I've seen on cuff down socks) on a pair of toe up socks.

Pattern: Twilight

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in Paisley Multi

Needles: 2.5mm

WIP Wednesday: Netbook Bag

2011-07-06T10:19:00.003-04:00

Today is WIP Wednesday! You know what also happened today? My netbook arrived! I had it sent to my brother's house because mail for my house is weird. I live on a private road so USPS doesn't deliver mail so we can only have a PO box. (Although they sent it FedEx which does come...)

What this means is I need to work on the bag I've started to crochet for carrying and protecting the netbook. I know the exact size to make it because I measured my brother's netbook and got the same model as his.

The entire body of the bag will be a varigated blue. Then the flap at the top and straps will be black. I'd really like dark blue buttons but unfortunately unless I paint them, all my buttons are white. I'll figure out something.

WIP Wednesday: Make Up & Porifera Socks

2011-06-29T21:54:00.004-04:00

Today is WIP Wednesday!

I've hardly done any work on my socks in the last week. I had a busy weekend in celebrating my birthday. I was busy having fun and visiting with my brother and friends that I ended up not knitting much. But I did make some progress. Make Up Socks (purple) are through the heel now and Porifera Socks (red) are at the heel. You can see the first one being worked on here:

I have a deadline of finishing both of these pairs of socks by the end of tomorrow. It's not the end of the world if I don't, but I'd be really happy to reach that goal.

Adventures in Dyeing

2011-06-23T09:52:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to try dyeing for the longest time. It only seemed natural to know how to dye my own yarn, especially after I knew how to spin. A few months ago I received a swap package and in it was a skein of bare wool from Knit Picks. At that point, I hadn't gotten around to taking the first step to learning how to dye with Kool Aid. I was always thinking of knitting projects I wanted to do when I had money to spend on Knit Picks. Anyway, my swap person sent me a 100g skein of undyed fingering yarn from Knit Picks.

It wasn't until a couple days ago where I decided I'd go ahead and do it. Truth is, I was scared of completely messing it up. My really good friend Rachel helped walk me through it and so did a tutorial on Knitty. The first step was to soak the yarn:

While it soaked, I got out my pot and added the water and Tropical Punch Kool Aid. I'm not sure where my brain was but I actually wanted to dye the yarn blue. Somehow I got it in my head that the tropical punch was blue. It was when I poured the packets into the pot that I realized I was wrong. But... I didn't want to waste it and I love the color red too. So I decided to go ahead with the red and to do blue next time (and soon). After the packets were added to the water, I stirred it until they were dissolved, adding no sugar. Then I added yarn.

I heated the yarn to an almost boil and then let it cool until I could manage to touch it. I think that took about 4 hours at the maximum. I'd poured out the original water I soaked the yarn in before adding it to the water/Kool Aid mixture so I could use the same thing it'd soaked in before to wash it gently. When that was done, I got out as much water as I could before hanging it to dry over my shower curtain. This morning it was all dry.

And that's it. That's all it took to dye my first yarn. I can't dye acrylic or I'd try. I have plenty of white sitting around not being used for much because I don't knit with white often. The yarn needs to be made from animal fibers (ie. wool, mohair, alpaca, etc.) It still smells fruity but eventually the smell will go away and its not a bad smell. I haven't decided what to use the yarn for yet, I'm thinking maybe I'll make another Damson so I'll have a red one in addition to my blue one.

WIP Wednesday: Make Up Socks

2011-06-22T07:43:00.003-04:00

Today is WIP Wednesday! Over at my home in Ravenclaw Tower on Raverly, we've started posting what we're currently working on every Wednesday. I really like the idea and decided to also post to my blog about what I'm working on every Wednesday.

The project for today is a pair socks for me. They're a beautiful shade of purple and turning out to be a decently quick knit. The pattern is Make-Up Socks from one of my sock books (Joy of Sox).

Of the 5 pairs of socks I've planned to have done by the end of July, I'm nearing halfway there. I have one pair done, another at 50% and this pair is 25%ish.

First Yarn

2011-06-16T02:29:00.003-04:00

I'm super excited about this. I finally finished, after a long time (months - probably 4) my first handspun yarn. My friend Del in Canada sent me the roving when she send me some acrylic she was trying to get rid of. About a month ago, maybe more, I finished the actual spinning part of it but had never gotten around to plying until tonight. Now when I have time, probably August I can spin the deep red roving I bought when I bought my spindle.

I have no idea what weight the yarn is, my guess would be sport-dk but it is 120 yards. One wrap around my computer chair is 3 yards even and I have 40 wraps in the skein. The lighter is placed there for scale.

FO: Demyx Fingerless Gloves

2011-06-02T00:04:00.003-04:00

I don't really know where May disappeared to. I only ended up completing one knitting project and getting two others halfway or more. For months I'd be nagging my friend Rachel to fix the charts to her gloves she designed so that I could test knit them for her. I'd fallen in love with them the first time I saw them. Well she did... right before I had college exams. :(

Well, exams were over the 4th of May. So I made my gloves and I love them. It's also the first time I did partial fingers. Now nothing is stopping me from making my own gloves this winter.

Pattern: Accompanist's Fingerless Gloves

Yarn: KnitPicks Palette in Blue Note Heather

Needle: 2.75mm

Mods: Knit to pattern. Rae did hers in two colors for the cuff, I did mine in a single color.

The inspiration for these? Demyx from Kingdom Hearts. <3

No more hats!

2011-04-18T07:07:00.002-04:00

I'm calling it quits on my goal of 52 hats in a year. Maybe some other year I'll get it done, just not this one. Working on hats has become... a chore. Knitting is never supposed to be a chore. It's not like I'm going to stop making hats for the rest of the year. I'm just... not going to set a goal and make myself reach it. I realized that I needed to rethink what I was doing when I had two hats that were just killing me. The first one kept hurting me hands and the one after that was so utterly boring I wanted to do anything but work on it.

On a happier note, I'm crocheting a shawl! It's coming along pretty quickly and looks great. This one is actually for a friend, but I think I'll end up making another for me.

FO: SKA March Socks!

2011-04-18T07:01:00.003-04:00

They're done! SKA (Sock Knitters Anonymous) has a mystery sock KAL every other month. Sometimes I join in, other times I don't. This time I did and I'm so glad I decided to. The socks turned out absolutely beautiful. I don't ever want to take them off.

Pattern: SKA March Mystery Sock

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Kettle Dyed in Auburn

Needle: 2.25mm

Mods: N/A

Fingerless Mitts!

2011-04-03T17:32:00.004-04:00

I finished two pairs of fingerless mitts in March. One pair was for me and another was for someone I got to spoil in a swap. My pair was originally for her but with a deadline looming, I stopped working on them in favor of a quicker pair.

Pattern: Serpentine Mitts by Miriam L. Felton

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet in colorway 16

Needle: 2.25mm

Mods: 3" 2x2 ribbing for the cuff, instead of 4"

Pattern: Susie's Reading Mitts by Janelle Masters

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Wool/Cotton

Needle: 3.5mm

Mods: I only did the picot edging for the cuff, instead of also for the knuckles too.

HatHatHat~

2011-04-03T16:44:00.005-04:00

March was almost a utter fail month in terms of knitting. I did finished 3 hats and get a pair of socks sort of close to the heels. I also nearly finished two pairs of fingerless mitts. But, this post is about hats:

Bold means Not Pictured; Italics means gift.

1: Eyelet Ridge Hat
2: Windy City Hat
3: Tangled Mom Hat #1
4: Godric’s Hollow Graveyard Hat
5: WeeCorgi Baby Hat
6: The not-girly-manly-MAN!hat
7: The totally-girly-womanly-LADY!Hat
8: Divine Hat

I'm so behind. I wanted to do a hat per week. It is not the beginning of March, it is the beginning of April. So I'm 4 behind. I'm going to try and get at least 5 done this month. I need to do one more a month, if not two, so I can catch up.

(Psst. Justin if you're reading this, I need a picture of your hat!)

FO: Test Knit socks!

2011-02-26T02:33:00.002-05:00

I'm so happy. I finished the socks I was test knitting for a friend. They're really comfy and cozy. And a perfect fit! When I'm knitting a pair of socks or such for myself or anyone else, the thing I worry most about is fit. I get frustrated if what I'm knitting doesn't turn out to be a perfect fit. Because then I either have to give what I spent time on to someone else or redo it. This time, it came out right!

Pattern: English Breakfast Tea Socks

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Kettle Dyed in Ivy

Needle: 2.5mm

Project page

Yarn Packages! :D

2011-02-19T14:51:00.003-05:00

Today was a package happy day. One of my friends wanted to know a colorway in Chroma that I'd like, since I'd ordered myself a skein of Midwinter already. I'd ordered yarn from a woman on Rav who was selling skeins of a Knit Picks yarn in a colorway that was now discontinued. Another package I was expecting was coming from the UK. A friend had yarn she was willing to send me and she also send chocolate!! All three of these packages arrived today. So of course I had to take pictures.

Mmm. Yarn from across the ocean, chocolate, and a postcard! No idea what I'll make with it yet.

The skeins of KnitPicks Tonal in Royalty that I'd been expecting. Now I can make my cousin's shawl and not worry about having any left for me! :)

Knit Picks Chroma fingering in Galapagos. 2 skeins is about 800 yards and is enough to make just about any shawl I'd want! I think I already know which one too.

Test Knitting

2011-02-19T00:26:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things to do in the world of knitting is test knit patterns for designers. Sometimes that even means that I get a paid pattern for free. In February, two of my friends came up with patterns that needed to be test knitted. One was a hat like the one Hermione wears in the graveyard scene of Deathly Hallows part 1. The other was a pair of socks.

The socks aren't finished yet. I've only finished the first one tonight. I'm really hoping that now that I've finished one I can speed knit through the other one. That's the way my socks are usually knit - I do the first one and because I want the second one so badly, I speed through it.

Here's the hat I finished a couple weeks ago. As I told the designer, it needs to be a bit longer. I'll probably go back eventually and add some length to the body of the hat.

Monthly Plan: February

2011-02-07T03:45:00.003-05:00

Charms: Umbreon Plushie

DADA: Ventus Shawl

Herbology: Irish Breakfast Tea Socks

Potions: Pichu Plushie

Astronomy: Riku Gloves

HoM: Snapdragon Tam

CoMC: Godric’s Hollow Graveyard Hat

Detention: Chroma scarf or Aquitaine Pullover

OWL: Seraphim Shawl - 75%

Quidditch: TangledMom hat

I have no idea how much of this I will actually get done, I'm hoping 6 classes and my OWL to 75% or so. February is a few days shorter so once the classes I've already got on the needles (Ventus, Riku, Godric's Hollow hat) I need to get it to 50% so I know I'll have a chance to finish. The other thing I must finish this month are the socks. They're a test knit for a friend and perfect for St. Patrick's day socks.

January Summary

2011-01-31T12:42:00.004-05:00

In January, I knit (or crocheted) a total of 7 things. 3 small bags, 3 hats, and a cozy for my PSP. I also started a scarf out of the skein of Chroma I ordered with my last KP order. I knew I wanted to make a scarf out of it so I got a skein of Choma Worsted in Midwinter. The scarf is about half done. It'll get done soon enough so I can block it and wear it.

6 HPKCHC classes:

Choma scarf:

You'll notice the third bag is missing. I need to do 2 things before I post it, take a better picture and mail it out today to the one it goes to.

Free Pattern: Drawstring PSP Cozy

2011-01-26T22:41:00.004-05:00

This pattern is a pattern I came up when I couldn't find many PSP cozies on Raverly. See, I have a few portable game systems and never felt the need to have a cozy for them, until now. My DS and GameboyAdvance both close, keeping the screens protected. The PSP doesn't so it needed a way to keep the screen from getting scratched.

Materials:

2.5mm needles

Fingering weight yarn

Small crochet hook

Stitch marker to mark beginning of round

Using Judy's Magic Cast on, CO 24 sts (48 total) and knit one round.

Start working in 3x1 rib. Continue for the length you want the cozy to be.

Work an eyelet row: (k2tog, yo, k2).

Work in 3x1 rib for another inch or so. BO.

Taking the crochet hook, chain a length of desired drawstring. Weave through eyelet row.

Weave in all ends and enjoy!

It only took me a few hours over a couple evening to knit this up. The pattern can be easily adapted for another weight yarn and would go even quicker. :)

2 of 52 Hats done

2011-01-22T16:28:00.002-05:00

Finally got around to taking a picture of my second hat. I almost had a third done but it was way too big for my head and I wanted it for me. Ah well. I have a different one in progress now and will have a fourth one started soon.

Pattern: Point Lobos Hat

Yarn: Unknown Handspun - One ply and wool

Needle: 5mm

Project page

Pattern: Windy City Hat

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in DK Country blue

Needle: 4.5mm

Project page

Knit Picks Chroma

2011-01-18T13:21:00.002-05:00

Knit Pick's new yarn Chroma comes in both fingering and worsted. It is a single ply yarn with 396 yards in a skein of fingering, 198 in a skein of worsted. It's $8.99 per skein.

Ever since Chroma was released, I've been itching to try it out. I probably won't use it for socks since it is single-ply but it would be great for things like scarves, hats, shawls, etc. The colorways I really like are listed below, my favorite one in bold.

Pegasus

Galapagos

Pool Party

Regency

Midwinter

U-Pick

Finished: Cozy & Pouches

2011-01-18T12:19:00.004-05:00

So far in January I've finished five things. I'm going to wait and do my finished hats later, when I finally get around to taking a picture of the second one. The first thing I made this month was a self-designed cozy for my PSP that I got for Christmas from my Dad. The second and third were two pouches from the same pattern. I love quick little crochet patterns that can be done in a half an hour or so.

Pattern: N/A

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks Stripes in Krazy Stripes

Needle: 2.5mm

Project page link

Pattern: One Hundred Yen Pouch

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Burgundy

Hook: 5mm

Project page link

Pattern: One Hundred Yen Pouch

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Lavender

Hook: 4.5mm

Project page link

Monthly Plan: January

2011-01-01T23:18:00.004-05:00

January Plan

Flying: Accompanist’s Fingerless Gloves
Herbology: PSP cozy
DADA: Eagle’s Flight
Charms: HP Fair Isle Pouch
HoM: Odessa
Divination: Gretel

Detention: therealkarity’s advent socks

OWL - Charms: Seraphim Shawl

I'm going to try and get as much of this done as I can before the 10th - that's when I go back to school. At some point I'll need to do two hats that aren't on the list so I can end January with four hats complete. Am I crazy? Quite possibly.

2011 Plans

2011-01-01T12:54:00.002-05:00

I'm probably out of my mind for doing this, but I've decided to challenge myself to complete certain knitting goals in 2011. Knitting to a deadline helps me much more than just knitting. There are four challenges I decided to do this year. The last one is the biggest and the others can be added into it. The first three are hats, shawls, and socks.

52 Hats - a hat per week in 2011

11 Shawls in 2011 - what it sounds like

12 in 2011 - sock club for me and Sparky

The last one listed, 12 in 2011, is the one I'm using for a sock club Sparky and I decided to do. We want to do a pair of socks a month and it works perfectly for that. Now, the last challenge is 111 projects in 2011. Yes, 111. Which means that everything I do in 2011 will be working towards that goal. Each time I talk about my FOs in 2011, I'll probably include a counter for how many I've done so far.

Damson: Finished!

2010-12-27T03:04:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-12-10T08:45:00.005-05:00

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!

2010-12-08T05:59:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-12-01T23:40:00.004-05:00

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

2010-11-15T11:44:00.006-05:00

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

2010-11-14T21:52:00.007-05:00

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

2010-11-09T21:33:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-10-27T20:34:00.003-04:00

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

2010-10-05T22:09:00.002-04:00

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

2010-10-02T17:32:00.002-04:00

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

2010-10-01T02:36:00.006-04:00

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!

2010-09-18T15:04:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-01T21:13:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-01T19:43:00.000-04:00

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~

2010-08-29T11:53:00.000-04:00

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

2010-08-15T07:06:00.004-04:00

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!

2010-08-14T19:26:00.003-04:00

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

2010-08-02T07:46:00.004-04:00

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!

2010-07-31T18:22:00.003-04:00

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

2010-07-30T06:54:00.005-04:00

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

2010-07-27T12:31:00.007-04:00

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

2010-07-25T02:49:00.003-04:00

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

2010-07-24T07:57:00.004-04:00

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

2010-07-20T19:53:00.006-04:00

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

2010-07-05T18:08:00.004-04:00

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

2010-07-02T02:26:00.001-04:00

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...

2010-06-13T04:38:00.002-04:00

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...

2010-06-08T02:09:00.002-04:00

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

2010-06-03T20:22:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-05-29T22:43:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-05-29T21:26:00.007-04:00

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

2010-05-28T09:43:00.008-04:00

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

2010-05-24T17:24:00.005-04:00

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

2010-05-17T13:48:00.004-04:00

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...

2010-05-11T07:53:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-05-10T22:38:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-05-10T22:29:00.003-04:00

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

2010-05-07T13:39:00.003-04:00

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

2010-05-03T16:46:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-05-02T18:08:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-04-25T02:22:00.004-04:00

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

2010-04-23T18:45:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-18T00:11:00.005-04:00

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

2010-04-14T22:18:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-04-06T12:47:00.002-04:00

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

2010-03-17T23:13:00.002-04:00

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%

2010-03-04T22:46:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-26T01:59:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-17T18:13:00.006-05:00

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

2010-02-13T18:22:00.003-05:00

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.

RAVELYMPICS! ♥

2010-02-11T21:50:00.005-05:00

Ravelympics starts tomorrow! Since its in Vancouver I'm three hours ahead. The opening ceremonies are at 6pm which makes it 9pm for me. (I'm going to have to wait all day. Ugh..) I'm doing two events: Aerial Unwind and WIP Dancing. For HPKCHC, the Quidditch this term is Ravelympics which is like the Winter Olympics except that the events are knitting/crochet based. There's even an event for spinners and dyers. As soon as I saw that there would be an event for finishing WIPs, I got really interested. XD What I'm planning on doing is this...

Aerial Unwind: Bella's Mittens
WIP Dancing: Scorpio Scarf and Josh's Hat

I think there is supposed to be a certain amount of points one gets for finishing a project. 5 points is the set amount for unwinding something though. I've been wanting to cut back on my number of WIPs because I only have a set amount of 32" cables (only four) and three of them are being taken but by WIPs. My goal is to try and get my number of WIPs down to zero by the end of April. I think with Ravelympics helping, I can do it.

The only other thing I'll be working on these last two weeks in February will be my bat shawl. I need to finish 6/15 bats to get to 33%. I'm still working through the first bat.

February Monthly Plan

2010-02-06T10:30:00.002-05:00

In the Ravenclaw common room of HPKCHC, I've been writing up monthly plans for what I would like to get done that month knitting-wise. It's never set in stone and I'm not sure I've followed it completely once. But it still gives me a good idea of what I would like to get done.

Week 1: Cast on and finish Potions. Cast on Transfiguration.
Week 2: Finish Transfiguartion if not already finished. Cast on and finish Astronomy. If there's time, cast on and finish Herbology.
Week 3: Ravelympics (WIP Dancing event) and OWL
Week 4: Ravelympics (WIP Dancing event) and OWL

I have to reach 33% of my bat shawl this month to get 50 points and then finish by the end of next month (that includes blocking!) to get the other 100 points. I think I focused on classes too much last month. Sometimes I forget that classes are only 15 points and an OWL is 150 points. And it really isn't about the points, its about having fun!

Quidditch this term has been confusing because its also Ravelympics and there are guidelines to follow for both groups. However, I think I pretty much know what to do. I wouldn't really be interested in it this term if Ravelympics didn't have a WIP Dancing event where you finish WIPs during the two weeks of the Olympic Games. (the timeframe that Ravelympics runs)

End of the Month projects

2010-02-01T11:24:00.004-05:00

I did it! For the first time, I finished all six classes! Transfiguration this month was to organize my queue on Ravelry so I didn't actually have to knit anything for that one. Potions was my first pair of socks and Divination was the pair of fingerless mitts I finished. That leaves.. Charms, DADA, and Arithmancy.

For Charms I did a scarf for someone who will not be named because he can read this and then he'll know about it and I want it to be a surprise. I still need to add the fringe but that can come when I get around to messing with it.

For Arithmancy, I crocheted a granny square to act as a dishcloth. It needed to be an image within an image and a granny square works for that. It was the last class I did so I ended up being awake at 11:30 finishing but I still got it done.

For DADA, you had to pick a resolution and find something to represent it. That was easy for me because I had two craft related resolutions this year. One was to learn how to make socks and the other was to learn to crochet. At first I was going to mess around with bracelets some and then actually make something. But then I decided to make friendship bracelets because two of my really good friends crochet so I think of them when I think of crochet.

So.. I made blue(me), green(Bubbles) and pink(Alli) bracelets.

January sped by and I have a feeling February will too because February is always a short month..

Ravenclaw Evangeline

2010-01-25T04:18:00.003-05:00

So for Divination, the assignment was to knit something to protect our palms (ie. fingerless mitts, mittens, gloves, etc.) This was exciting because I love knitting fingerless gloves. I've been wanting to make Evangeline for awhile and this was the perfect opportunity to do so! I browsed the project page of the pattern to see what colors others had made them in and got the idea to knit them in blue and silver. Blue and silver are Ravenclaw colors in the movie just like blue and bronze are Ravenclaw colors in the books.

So here they are:

I absolutely love them. <3 <3 Usually I don't get extremely attached to my knitting but omg.

Socks!

2010-01-14T11:44:00.002-05:00

I've been knitting a lot lately. The first FO of the year for me is something I kept telling myself I would make and would always find something else to make instead. I told myself it would be a resolution of mine to learn how to make socks. And here they are!

The even fit too! Because they're my first pair and I wasn't exactly the best at making sure everything was tight enough, I'm not sure I'd want to wear them anywhere except around the house to keep my feet warmer. But that won't happen until I stop wearing my wool socks.

I don't think I knit much of anything without HPKCHC anymore. My first pair of socks goes to the January Potions class of the Winter 2010 term. The second option was to make something that would delight Dumbledore. He said it himself, "One can never have enough socks."

OWL Proposal - Winter 2010

2010-01-08T00:39:00.005-05:00

I actually forgot to blog about a few things because I've still been buried in my Kingdom Hearts fandom. For the Winter 2010 of HPKCHC, I've decided to make my first ever lace shawl. Its also my first big project (big being bigger than hats/scarves/gloves/etc.)

Therealkarity from Ravenclaw submitting her proposal for a Charms OWL.

1. Identify the pattern(s) you will be using (original designs encouraged).

I will be making the Wa-na-na-na-na-na-na-na bat shawl in Knit Picks Gloss, colorway black.

2. Photograph of the yarn(s)/needles/materials involved.

In this picture you can see the yarn I will be using for my OWL, my Nickel Plated Interchangable needles from Knit Picks, a printed copy of the pattern, stitch markers, and few other items like a tape measure and sissors that I think I might need.

3. Two or three sentences describing the planned crafting sequence and analyzing any areas of potential difficulty or new skills learned.

I have never knit a big project before so sticking with it is going to be the first challenge I'll face. This will also be my very first shawl and lace project. My hope is that with the compleation of this shawl, my confidence in my own knitting will improve and I'll be proud to wear it out in public.

4. Photograph of your swatch or explanation of why a swatch is not needed. Please note that "I never swatch" will not be accepted as an explanation.

Gauge is not terribly important for this project because it can be adjusted during blocking. In the above picture you can see where I tested out the yarn and needles I would be using to get the feel of them.

A new term! (preparing)

2009-12-13T05:23:00.003-05:00

I didn't get much done in November because I was so busy trying to get my 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo. Good news? I won for the second year in a row! Now I'm back to working on the last presents for family. I've got half of my niece's scarf done and once I'm done, I'll start on her hat. I'm just about finished with the ribbing on the hat for my oldest brother too. After I finish it, I'll start on the hat for my other brother. 3 hats and a scarf... That's all that is left of my Christmas knitting. Yay!

January is trying to sneak up on us. With January comes a new HPKCHC term, making me a second year! I have been... hmm, how should I put this? Haha. I have been really into Kingdom Hearts as of late. My favorite of the series is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days where you really get into the story of Roxas while he was in the Organization XIII. Calling on that, I made myself this icon to use during my second year:

Zexion, number six. You don't see him much in 358/2 Days and he isn't in Kingdom Hearts 2. Zexion is mostly in Chain of Memories, the one I haven't played too much of. In Chain of Memories and Re: Chain of Memories (remade for the PS2), you attack using cards and that takes a bunch of getting used to for me. Once I showed it to Bubbles, she was trying to think of which of the Organization XII members would be Slytherin-like. Naturally Xemnas came to mind. Xemnas is the leader of Organization XIII, number one. And Bubbles is my number one knitting friend. So, I made her this:

She was so happy. I love doing little things like making icons that just make my friends day. All of my friends mean so much to me. ♥

Little Progress

2009-11-09T09:00:00.005-05:00

I've not really been knitting all that much this month. This year NaNo isn't as easy for some reason so its hard enough to keep up with the daily word count (1,667 per day) and I really want to get 50,000 again this year. I was able to finish my Cancer dishcloth from Divination last month though.

Instead of keeping it for me, I decided to give it to Mom as part of her Christmas present. She has no idea on the other part of it, which I know she'll love. I was able to finally get ahold of Dan and get a size to make his Jayne hat that should fit (he never measured his head and it was hard enough to just talk to him..) I should have enough yarn to make myself one too!!

I've been working on my cousin's scarf that is the second part to Arithmancy from last month. It's between a fourth and half done and doubled in about an hour while I was watching an anime. I might go back and put in another DVD of something so I may be able to finish it today!

Present progress:
Mom: finished
Dad: not yet started
Josh: not yet started
Justin: not yet started
Allison: starting later today if all goes well
James: finished
Leslie: finished
Katie: not yet started

I'm really slacking on the job here, or it feels like it. Christmas is only a little over a month away and hardly anyone's presents have been finished.

My November Classes

2009-11-02T01:16:00.004-05:00

Charms - a hat for my brother Justin
Potions - a hat for my brother Josh
Herbology - finishing up my Scorpio Scarf from last month I'd originally wanted to do for Divination
DADA - if I have time, a cowl for me
OWL - as many of the remaining hats as possible but definitely Allison's hat.

I'm also going to be knitting 3 garter scarf for various family members who want simple scarves. They don't make it fun, but they do make it quick! Then in December I can knit Dad's scarf and be all done! (unless I decide to knit more presents for friends..)

I have all of this on top of school, work, and NaNoWriMo. (6,895 words so far btw!)

November Classes

2009-11-01T08:37:00.004-05:00

Wow, classes for November have already been posted?! Sweet. I'm going to list what they are here and then see what I want to do along with some more work on my OWL.

Astronomy: Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences in the world, and the movements of heavenly bodies have been studied since ancient times.The list of cultures where Astronomy was of great importance goes on, including but not limited to- Mesopotamia, India, China, Nubia and others. Knit, spin, or crochet something inspired by one of these ancient stargazing cultures.

-Your professor has an inordinate fondness for historical computers. The oldest known of these is the Antikythera mechanism, which was used to calculate the position of various heavenly bodies. Bonus points will be awarded for any project that interprets the Antikythera mechanism in fiber form.

Charms: Impervius This charm makes something repel substances and outside forces, including water.
Create an item to repel something for example - water, food, crazy stalker guy, Mother-in-law, etc. Explain what it repels and why you need to repel it.

Protego - The Shield Charm The shield charm causes minor to strong jinxes, curses, and hexes to rebound upon the attacker, or at least prevents them from having their full effect. It can also cause a shield to erupt from the caster’s wand. Create something as a gift to shield the recipient from harm…e.g. someone who gets a lot of colds - create something to help stop them getting colds.

Transfiguration: Create something that will Transfigure a person, or a person’s body part, into something else. Or if, while working on your Herbology assignment, you find a weed that is impossible to get rid of (ie, finish up), you may bring it here for Transfiguring into something lovely and useful.

Herbology: This month’s project concerns another important aspect of maintaining your garden or greenhouse: WEEDS!!! A weed is something in your garden that you didn’t plant or don’t want around. It could be a perfectly good plant - to someone else. Your task is to take that weed from your WIPs or stash and get rid of it (by making something with it.) Post should contain why said project is a weed, how long it has been a weed, and how happy you are now that it is gone, a before and after photo would be a good idea!

DADA: This month, we’ll be exploring Quirinus Quirrell. Please reflect on how you would react and compensate if Voldemort were grafted onto the back of your head. Would you wear a balaclava? A cowl? A turban? A toque? Show us your kicky Dark Lord-concealing headwear. Extra points for house colors, making the prof laugh, or embroidering (or knitting/crocheting in) the inside of the hat with Voldemort’s face.

Potions: Something that represents who/what you love the most. It can be anything you love passionately. Please elaborate what this item represents to you or an item for a loved one. Something this person is going to enjoy and love or something with spirals.

So much inspiration for classes..

End of the Month Pics

2009-11-01T05:50:00.005-05:00

As I said in my last update, I finished 35% of my OWL. I tried to get a couple classes finished but it didn't happen. But since we get 5 points for starting, I took pictures last night and posted them. That's a total of 65 points for the month of October. Not bad.

For Divination, I decided to do a dishcloth with the Cancer symbol on it. This was taken with my camera phone because the flash of my digital makes it impossible to see the sign in the blue of the yarn. I'm actually almost done with it and when I finish will be giving it to Mom, who is also a Cancer.

For Transfiguration I was going to do the scarf Ziva wears in the opening credits of season four. She wears it in at least one (I swear its two but I don't have the DVDs of season 3) episode of season 3. I gave in and downloaded the episode I knew she wore it in so I could get a screenshot of it since finding it was being impossible:

I'm knitting the scarf on circulars so I can sew the ends together to make it flat when I'm done. I hate so much how stockinette curls on straight needles. This is my way of getting around that.

For Arithmancy, I managed to finished my fourth pair of fetching (they're such an easy knit that its no wonder I've made so many!) but I didn't get the scarf to match started so I turned in the gloves for partial credit:

Finally we have the picture of my OWL 35% that I turned in for 50 points. The purples look more like blue but ah well. The hat in the picture that is a WIP I'm going to try to finish soon because its for my nephew and it will be another WIP completed.

I started to many WIPs this month and never got them finished.. Before October I had two WIPs and now I have.. seven? Man. I've never had that many WIPs at once before!

An Update!

2009-10-25T07:04:00.003-04:00

I have now completed 35% of my OWL - that's almost 4 of the 10 hats needed!

I've decided to see how quickly I can knit up something for Divination and Arithmancy. For Divination, I'm going to be doing a dishcloth with the Cancer symbol on it. The pattern can be found here - the author of the pattern has one for all 12 signs! And for Arithmancy, I'll be making yet another pair of Fetching and a simple garter scarf for my cousin. When I get around to finishing what I originally wanted to do for Arithmany, I'll have a glove/scarf set for me and a hat/scarf set for my cousin. All in the same blue.

There's only a week left of October and I've still got a lot of knitting on my plate! I ended up with so much inspiration for projects this month and no time to knit it all because I had to focus on my OWL to get the 50 points for my 33%. If I don't get a chance to finish many of my WIPs before December, that's what I'll focus on.

2 Hats in 2 Days!

2009-10-13T19:32:00.004-04:00

I'm proud of myself! Today I finished another hat for my OWL. My OWL change was also approved so that puts me at 25% of being done. 33% will soon be in sight! I'd like to at least get 40% done. Thats four hats. All of which have been started. After these are done, I'm planning on making my niece a butterfly hat in purple since I don't have any pink and don't want to go out and buy more. I'm sticking to just Red Heart for my OWL to use up some of what I have, so I don't want to have to go get more. I only knit with pink for special people because I'm really not a fan of it. Red is so much better..

My OWL progress:

I'm not sure I'll make the 33% by thr 15th like I'd wanted, but I'm close enough that I feel like I can do it before the end of the month. I just need to work on one of my OWL hats a little bit everyday. Other than that, I can knit my classes, starting with Transfiguration.

Fall OWL Changes

2009-10-13T00:54:00.004-04:00

I finished the first hat of my OWL today! But it was when I went to start another that I found a problem. A couple of the patterns are on the lionbrand site. And I've had problems with their patterns before. For my OWL I went through and found lionbrand patterns because it was the fastest way I knew of to get hat patterns. Unfortunately, one of the ones I picked for my OWL was another of those messed up patterns. Also, I'd been thinking about changing a couple of the hat patterns to fit my holiday knitting a little bit better. So tonight, when I realized I would have to change my OWL patterns since I simply can't do the messed up lionbrand patterns, I decided to change the patterns to where I'm happy with them. Here are my new OWL patterns:

Ellen's Knit Hat x1
Slouched Tuva Hat x2
Rosalie x1
Hermione's Cable and Eyelet hat x1
Windy City Hat x2
Butterfly Hat x1
and a hat of my own pattern x2

A bunch of these will probably end up being for me, but at least two of them will be presents so it counts as holiday knitting! XD

Partial Fingers?

2009-10-08T21:53:00.004-04:00

I want to find a pair of fingerless gloves to knit for myself before NaNo so when I type and I'm cold, most of my fingers will still stay warm. After searching the Rav database I found.. one pair that looks like I could do it. It can be found here. I'm not so sure I'll get it done before NaNo but thats okay. I still have a few pairs of gloves (to which I just realized I've only used two patterns for fingerless gloves. XD) that I can wear.

Omg.. no way!!

2009-10-08T14:52:00.004-04:00

http://www.kniittiing.com/index.html

I wonder if this is really true.. If it is, omg! That'll be so cool! And make me get off my ass and get a Wii faster. Knitting on a Wii? How awesome will that be!

*spazzes*

Presents!

2009-10-08T13:54:00.003-04:00

For all my talk about getting presents done early, it hasn't happened. I've gotten a few started, but none of them actually finished. In September, I started five projects and only finished four. Out of the four, I made two pairs of house gloves (Ravenclaw and Slytherin), a lace headband, and a pair of fetching. The headband and Ravenclaw gloves were mine. But the Slytherin gloves and fetching gloves were supposed to go to a couple of friends. I now want to keep the fetchings for me and I'm pretty sure the Slytherin gloves are too small..

So that takes me back to square one with no presents done. And its already October. I'm going to end up doing so many hats this month and next month for my OWL.. The 10 for my OWL, one for mom, one for my brother, one for Transfiguration and another for my Arithmancy hat/scarf set. I also have two scarves that are supposed to be presents but neither of them have really fit into my class schedule. Ugh.

The farthest I've gotten is halfway done with the presents for Mom and Ash. I really need to get off my lazy ass and focus on presents. But I'm such a greedy knitter and like knitting for me way better..

But seriously? Most people are going to get to pick a hat out of a basket because I'm not going to want to make anything else/have time to.

Gold Star!

2009-10-04T14:56:00.003-04:00

I was awarded a gold star from my HoH (Head of House) for my Fetching III! She gives them out for special projects or things she thinks deserves a gold star. I'm so happy I got one!

My October Classes

2009-10-02T20:16:00.004-04:00

Arithmancy: Hat and Scarf set
Divination: Scorpio Scarf
Transfiguration: Jayne Hat

I also want to do a pair of socks. I'm not sure they'd fit as Libra socks even though the colors of Libra are blue and green which is the colorway I'll be using. I don't want to make myself do them so if I get them done, I'll put them in detention. (Detention = anything you knit that isn't for a class/quidditch/your OWL I think)

Most of this month and November will be spent focusing on my OWL. I'm not sure I'll complete it but I'd like to at least get the 50 points for 33% at the end of October.

October classes!

2009-10-01T12:57:00.004-04:00

The classes for October are up! I'm really excited about all of them, especially Divination. I LOVE Astrology. It's going to be hard to not knit something for each of the 12 signs.

Charms: Create two objects, one normal sized and one either engorgio’d or reducio’d, include an object for scale in both pictures.

Divination: Knit, spin, or crochet something inspired by at least one of the twelve astrological signs.

Arithmancy: a) Something that can be used as two things. For example, a wrist warmer can also serve as a mug cozy.
b) Two items that complement each other or make a set. For example, matching gloves and scarf. Or a scarf and a hat. (Note: a pair of gloves counts as just one item). Make them as a set. Please explain why you would wear them together. They don’t HAVE to be the same color but they have to match in some way.
c) A reversible item.
d) Construct a garment made of two pieces that have to be sewn up together. Please post pictures of items pre and post sewing if you choose this option.

Transfiguration: a) Taking a knitting pattern and converting it to crochet, or vice versa. Obviously, some changes and modifications are allowed, but it must remain fairly close to the original design. Retaining some elements of the original design, such as a crochet trim, are to be expected from beginning students with this advanced magic and will not result in points deduction. You must link to the original pattern in your post!
b) Taking an object or image from real life and Transfigure it with fiber. This can be done in any way you choose - e.g. spinning yarn to represent the colors of fall, making a knitted version of your cat, making a hat just like one seen on tv (Jayne Hat, anyone?). You are welcome to use a pattern, but you MUST post a picture of the object that inspired you, what you are Transfiguring, along with your completed assignment. (NB - Hogwarts rule: Spinners must work a swatch or small item to receive full credit)
c) Knit or crochet a model of your Animagus either as a 3-d toy or a colorwork design.

DADA: This month’s assignment, make something that is inspired by: 1) an historical figure that is now deceased 2) an undead creature (zombie, vampire, skeleton, ghost, etc.), or 3) both (now would be the time to make that Zombie Abe Lincoln) Bonus points, as always, for house colors or making me laugh.

Herbology: This month’s project revolves around the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Garden Pests (and helpers). A garden does not exist in a vacuum and a good herbologist has learned how to keep unwanted visitors away from their precious gurdyroot, puffapods, and screechsnap. KNOW YOUR ENEMY!!! Your task is to create something that identifies a garden pest, demonstrates a way to prevent pests, or aid you in getting rid of said pests. Your post should contain what pest/helper you’re after, why it’s a pest/helper, and how your project relates to it. And of course - PICS!

Defense Against the Dark Arts: On hiatus

2009-10-01T03:08:00.004-04:00

I didn't finish Defense Against the Dark Arts, or DADA, this month because I ran out of time. However, I will be finishing these mittens before Christmas since they are a Christmas present. When I get a chance in the next couple months, I'll work on then. Until then, they'll be sitting in project hiatus.