October Plan

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

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

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

End of the Month Update

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

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

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

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

Spinning!

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

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

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

September monthly plan

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

6 classes. 1 OWL. Quidditch.

This is exciting!

Preparing for a New Term

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

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

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

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

{swatch photo will be here}

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

Socks from Germany~

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

Shortening the List

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

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



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



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



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

Knitting Bag!

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



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



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

DS Cozy

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



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

Exploding Snap!

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

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

My plan is here.

Hat and Bootie Set

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



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

Birthday Presents for Nami

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



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



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

Stitch Markers: Gold/Silver set

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



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

I think I want to get into beading now.

More Quidditch

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

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



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

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

Quidditch and Bookmarks

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



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



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

Blue Fairy Lights

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

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

July Monthly Plan

I have a plan!

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

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

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

This shouldn't be so hard...

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

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

What NOT to do...

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

So I thought.

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

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

June Monthly Plan

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

And here’s what is planned for classes.

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

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