I want a knitted motorcycle jacket WITH FLAMES.

Long ago, in a faraway land (Blacksburg, VA), my BFF and I wandered into a Wilson Suede & Leather, and emerged with leather jackets. Specifically, we each got one of these:


We wore them for years. YEARS, I tell you. Mine doesn't quite fit any more (something about "weight gain" might be involved), but I still have it, and it's one of the Six Clothing Items I Won't Get Rid Of No Matter What. (The others being special t-shirts or other jackets; they live in a special box, and I take them out and pat them once a year so they know they aren't forgotten.) Anyway, I hit on the wonderful idea of KNITTING myself I replacement that actually fits. Not out of leather, of course (that would be silly), but out of Shepherd's Wool.

I started to look at what I'd actually want this Dream Jacket to be. I came up with the following list:

1. WITH FLAMES. If I'm making my own jacket, it's gotta have flames.
2. Orange flames. And top-down, rather than bottom-up. Let's have the bright color on top!
3. All the hardware. So I need to learn snaps, grommets, buckles and zippers. There are zippers on the front (two), and each sleeve. Grommets/studs are all over, notably on pockets and the collar. The grommets and buckles are (thankfully) limited to the belt, but it's GOT to have a belt.
4. It really needs facing or lining - so it would be easier to just double-knit the whole thing - which gets into the joys of figuring out how to seam double-knit things so the seams don't show on either side.
5. Then there's the pattern making: what pieces do I actually need?

It was that last question that made me realize: This is not a Muggle Studies OWL. This is a Muggle Studies/Potions/Divination NEWT, at the very least. STRONG dose of Divination, since I really, really want the jacket, and I can (more or less) see it in my head.

I think I'll do a nice Tree Skirt for Potions next term, something big, but relatively easy that I may actually finish on deadline. Because I'm tired of OWLfail.

I really want this jacket, though. It may well turn into my first NEWT (instead of my third), even ahead of my giant Slytherin/Griffindor Chess Set!