CraftyGryphon Knits

More Bunny Nuggets: This means war!

2012-01-27T11:04:00.000-05:00

So, my Snakes are a bit shocky: we came in DEAD LAST in Challenge Quidditch - something unfamiliar to us. (Hufflepuff has gotten FIERCE!) So, I've got to do my part and turn in as much regular quidditch as possible. To that end, a goodly handful of quidditch projects will take the form of Bunny Nuggets. Originally, I picked up the olive yarn because I had lots of it; now, as it turns out, it has spawned an IDEA. I grew up watching M*A*S*H, so the idea of Army Bunny Nuggets was born. Some will hearken to characters from the TV show; some will just be random Army Bunny Nuggets. Pictured here are the bodies of Sarge, Radar, and Padre. They'll look quite different once they have their proper wardrobes on:

I'm not sure how many Bunny Nuggets will wind up being in the Bunny Nugget Army - it will probably depend on how many not-Bunny Nugget projects wind up getting done instead!

Transfiguration: How about a dragon?

2012-01-26T11:12:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday during the playoff games (American football), I blocked my slightly-short due to not-enough-yarn Ashton Shawlette. I really love the yarn I did it in, even if I was short. (It was the only skein at the store; if there had been more, I would've bought it!)

Since I figured a way for it to dry hanging not-quite upside down, without actually contacting the plastic of my makeshift blocking board, it dried VERY fast (air circulating on both sides!), so by Monday evening, it was good to go. Here's my turn-in post, with pics of the Final Item:

The Rocky Mountain Ironside Dragon is a native of the mountain range that stretches much of the length of the North American continent. Like most dragons, it reclusive, aided by its natural camoflage, which blends in with the rocks and lichen at the highest altitudes. Its camoflage is chameleon-like in nature; while limited to a range of greys, greens and browns, a Rocky Mountain Ironside can blend into its surroundings to great effect, making it a dangerous - and highly effective - predator.

Dragonologist Humphrey "Hawkeye" Pertwee, last known photo.
Only known image of a Rocky Mountain Ironside hunting.
Note the delicate stippling on the ridge over its brow (appx. 0.5m behind Mr. Pertwee's head).

Hatchling Rocky Mountain Ironside. Approximately 0.3m.
Wings sprout at approximately six months;
flight possible at two years.
In its natural, unthreatened/unhunting state, it appears to be a mottled green and grey. I have crafted a shawl reminiscent of the hide of a Rocky Mountain Ironside, showing the colors and mottling as they might appear on the creature's wing:

I will also never again wander around in the Rockies without a good sword and one of those Dragon-Away(tm) whistles!

Again, this isn't a *complete* Ashton Shawlette; I didn't have enough yarn to finish the second half of the last chart, so a real Ashton is much pointier along the edges than this. (See the actual Pattern Page for better pics of what it really should look like!) The following snaps are just so you can see the pattern a bit better. And because I was having fun with my camera.

So, that's all six classes done for January, yay!

End of the World: Getting Ready

2012-01-25T06:15:00.000-05:00

So, 2012, the end of the world, or something.

End of the world, illustration
BunnyBao.com has a cute little End of the World Countdown Clock App - I know this, because I have it.

Random screenshot from Monday.
It's available through the iTunes store. As is R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World As We Know It". (Hint: if you get the version off the Document album, it's only $.69!)

And yes, once December 21 rolls around, I'll be playing that song on endless repeat in the office. (Just so that everyone I work with will WISH the world was actually going to end. Because they don't believe I'm actually going to do it. And they really should know better.)

Third Hat for January

2012-01-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've wanted to make this Exact Hat for my DH to match a scarf I made him in January of 2009, but managed to lose the third ball of yarn in the week it took me to make his scarf.

The scarf in 2009
Over the Christmas holiday just past, while attempting to organize the stash, I FOUND IT!!! Woohooo!!

Hat, started Friday
For this particular hat, to make it actually fit DH, I cast on 64 st, then did 8-stitch base triangles and first squares, then 6-stitch squares, then 5-stitch squares, then 3-stitch squares, then 1-stitch "squares" at the top.

He loves it, and actually wore it the second I had finished it. HAT WIN!!

CoMC

2012-01-23T11:15:00.002-05:00

Busy today, since I was late due to ice... so, here's my CoMC turn-in post. We were to study Quintapeds, and had the option of making the same pattern with another student, with inter-house "duels" encouraged. Sorry about the weird spacing; no time to fix it just now!

Hello, Professors! This is a joint Turn-in Post, documenting our Accidental Duel (of sorts). Please see the attached transcript of our Incident Interview - it explains everything.

Name: PeterRabbitFan
House: Gryffindor, First Year
Option: 3, Duel!!
Project Page: Broomstick Bookmark
Yardage: 27.5

Name: CraftyGryphon
House: Slytherin, Sixth Year
Option: 3, Duel!!
Project Page: Slytherin Broomstick
Yardage: 27

MP: All right, girls, explain one more time what happened. Please keep in mind that your words will be recorded. MP activates Exact-Quote Quill.

PRF: Well, I was out on the pitch. Just me, practice was over, but I wanted to work on elevation changes. Yawl and pitch are still giving me some issues. Flying is harder than sailing.

CG: I was up in the stands, minding my own business...

MP: Dropping eggs on your classmates. Yes, we know. We'll deal with that later, Miss.

CG: gulp Actually, um, I was doing my History of Magic homework, Ma'am? The eggs were part of my reseach?

MP: Later, Miss Gryphon. Back to what you witnessed, please.

CG: Well, um, I saw her (points at PRF) just sort of doing figure-eights over the field. Nothing really strange, typical newbie stuff.

MP: You didn't notice anything unusual? Or were you too busy targeting people exiting the stands?

CG: Um... I plead the fifth. Or eighth. Whichever. Anyway, suddenly she started gesturing wildly...

PRF: There was a wasp!

CG: ... and her broom just took off. I took off after her. (Shrugs.)

MP: It's unlikely there was a wasp in the middle of January.

PRF: It looked like a wasp. And I didn't have my wand out or anything! My broom just went!!

PeterRabbitFan's Broom

CG: And it kept on going. We were in the air for almost four hours, and it was really, REALLY cold by the time the broom decided to land!

MP: Luckily, you were both wearing your winter robes.

PRF: (Nods.) It helped with the landing, that's for sure.

MP: Now, now, your arm should heal quickly. It was a clean break, thankfully. STOP fiddling with your cast, dear.

PRF: Yes'm.

MP: So, you landed, albeit ungracefully.

CG: Tail-over-teakettle is more like it, Ma'am. Both of us. The brooms just stopped, and we kept going!

PRF: It did hurt. A lot.

MP: I'm certain it did. So, the brooms "just stopped"?

CG: Well, hers stopped, and I stopped next to her. I hadn't really realized how FAST we were going after so many hours, or I might've circled around or something. And then I was trying to figure out where the heck we were, since it was getting close to dark and I'd had trouble following landmarks and stuff. I'm American, so I'm not super-good at English geography yet. Although I'm pretty sure I saw Hadrian's Wall... that was pretty neat...

PRF: I had my eyes shut most of the time. I didn't want to fall off my broom!

MP: Of course not, dear. Now, what were you able to notice once you'd landed?

PRF: Welll, my arm really hurt, but saw everything was grey. I mean EVERYTHING. Grey, grey, and more grey.

CG: Every shade of grey. Lots and lots of grey.

MP: So, essentially, things were grey.

Both girls nod.

CG: She was actually the one the figured it out first. She really likes animals.

PRF: Well, I said "Gee, this is a pretty dreary place," and then it hit me, and then we saw them.

MP: Them?

PRF: The Quintapeds. There were four of them.

CG: They move really really fast.

PRF: And have A LOT of teeth.

MP: You actually saw Quintapeds?

PRF: Yeah! It was cool. There were two big ones - adults, I think - and two juveniles! They were hunting, in a pack! Like wolves, or dragons!

CG: Dragons don't hunt in packs.

PRF: Do too!

CG: Do not!

PRF: Do too!

MP: GIRLS! That will be enough of that. How were you able to escape??

CG: I accioed my broom - I think I was scared enough that I was moving darned fast myself. I just grabbed her (points to PRF) by the scruff of her neck, basically, and took off. Once we were up a ways, I accioed her broom. I put her arm in a sort-of sling with her tie, and tied her broom to my broom with mine. Since her broom had been acting weird, I kept my hand on the knot to release it if it took off again.

CraftyGryphon's Broom

MP: That was good thinking. What of the Quintapeds?

PRF: They weren't happy. They bark, did you know that? Kinda like dogs?

CG: Dinner escaped. They were totally going to eat us.

PRF: Ew. It would've been cool to watch them a bit longer...

CG: They totally would've eaten us.

MP: You're likely correct. Quintapeds are known to eat humans. Now, how were you able to find your way back to Hogwarts?

PRF: Eshaness Lighthouse. The sun was mostly set behind us, but there was SOMETHING that wasn't a star way over on thte horizon.

CG: She's farsighted, I totally couldn't see it. But she could, so I flew us towards it.

PRF: It turned out to be Eshaness Lighthouse. Once we actually knew where we were, it was easy to get to Lerwick. It's only about a fifteen minute flight, as the crow goes.

MP: Ah, yes, there is still a Portkey in Lerwick, isn't there? Yes, there must be. Goodness, I haven't been to the Shetlands since I was a girl...

CG: (Muttered under breath) Once she knew where she was, anyway...

MP: So, you were able to send an owl to your parents?

PRF: Yes, Ma'am. Well, first, we went to the police station, the one on Market Street. And we asked the officer at the desk if we could make a call.

CG: And then the nice witch came in.

PRF: Yeah, Miss Orgill. She said she'd seen us arrive, and that she'd help us find our parents.

CG: Except we totally knew that she didn't really mean that. Anyway, she asked us a lot of the same questions, and fixed her arm. And sent the owl for us.

PRF: She was really nice. She'd seen us fly over the first time - she's an orinthologist.

MP: Ah, a bird-watcher. That makes sense.

PRF: So, um, are we in trouble?

MP: (To PRF) You aren't, dear. Your broom is being examined, of course. Miss Gryphon, however, will have to see the headmistress.

CG: Stupid eggs.

MP: I heard that, Miss Gryphon. We'll turn the Quill off now.

Wisp!

2012-01-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

Regular Quidditch has three paths this term: I took Oneiromancy - basically, if it's been in my queue or favorites BEFORE October 1, 2011, I can turn it in for 15 points; if it's a WIP started before Aug. 31, 2011, I can turn it in for 10 points. While I am going to try to finish at least three WIPs, and I have a backup plan of a Bunny Nugget Army of whatever size I need in the end, I'm taking the opportunity to get a few things done that I've wanted to make for a while.

First up is Cheryl Niamath's WISP from knitty.com. Here it is after Day One:

... and here it is the morning of Day Three, when I realized I had a hole in it. Joy.

Yep, a hole in fishnet lace. Yay.
Luckily, 100% invisible repair isn't necessary, which made this a LOT easier. Sadly, the center-pull on my little ball of green mohair (Neighborhood Fiber Company "Loft") wouldn't pull, so I actually had to cut the yarn to get a piece for the repair. (Luckily, few fibers felt-splice quite as nicely as mohair.) I used a crochet hook to weave the stitches to where they should be, then used a 6" length of yarn to tie them in place (yep, TIE), and wove in the two ends of that, one horizontally, one vertically. If you look really hard, you can spot the knot and the extra wraps around the horizontal threads:

... but from any sort of distance, nobody will notice. (And I had enough trouble finding it to take the picture that it won't bother me, either.)

So, disaster averted, and by the end of next week, I should have a lovely green Wisp!

Time Capsule Cozy

2012-01-19T06:45:00.000-05:00

The first Quidditch Challenge, in short, was as follows:

"You must make a memento to leave behind for future civilizations that may visit Earth. Your memento may represent yourself, the wizarding world, or humanity at large."

Since I am BOMBARDED with election things (from both sides, on all sides!) and I can see Congress out the front window, I knew I had to do something related to the craziness that's just heating up. (No, really, it WILL get more prevalent as the year goes on.) I had this left over from my American Flag dishcloth binge:

... and I'm pretty good at glass cozies at this point... plus, I can't find my With Flames wool one. So, here's my turn-in post:

Name: CraftyGryphon
House: Slytherin, Sixth Year
Tags: slyqw12challenge1, sqwin12
Project Page: Time Capsule Cozy
Yardage: Approximately 58, because of multiple stranding

I crafted a cup cozy with an actual Symbol as a symbol of our times. The Muggle world in the lower half of the North American Continent is headed into a major election year (every leap year, those particular Muggles choose new leaders, or keep the old ones, depending on who gets the most votes in the "Electoral College", which, I assure you, is NOTHING like Hogwarts). One of the sides in the election four years back adopted a stylized blue-and-red "O" as its symbol, and no matter which side (I think there are three this time?) a Muggle is on, there's really no avoiding that symbol, as it is plastered on Muggle vehicles, clothing, what-have-you, with more and more frequency as the "Election Year" (which really started sometime in 2010) heats up. It isn't often that a symbol is, itself, a symbol of the times, but this one is!!

The image is actually on the cozy twice: the chart I used is on the 'net, for free, here at emileeknits.com.

Lobster Trap Scarf

2012-01-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

Here's the turn-in post for my Muggle Studies assignment.

Hello, Professors! During my study of the Muggle fishing industry, I happened upon a subset thereof, the Lobstering Industry. Lobstering started as an industry in the early 1600s in the Eastern United States and Canada. Unlike today, where lobster is a delicacy, it was considered something you might eat if you really couldn't find anything else. (There are even stories of indentured servants having it written into their contracts that they could not be served lobster more than twice a week.) The industry really picked up in the 1700s, where custom-made boats with open holding wells on deck, allowed live lobsters to be shipped (fresh lobster - still a Good Thing after 400+ years!). Flash forward 200 years, and the most common type of lobster trap is a wooden parlor trap. (Wooden parlor traps were the forerunners of today’s wire parlor traps.) There is a minimum size of lobster you can trap, you can't trap female egg-bearing lobsters (so there will be more later!). The largest lobster, according to Guiness Book of World Records, caught off Nova Scotia. It was listed as 44 lbs 6 oz with a length, from the tip of its tail to the tip of its crusher claw, at 3 ½ feet. The industry earns in the billions every year, even with strict conservation measures, and is worked mostly by individuals and small cooperatives.

I decided to try my hand at trapping my own lobster, by making a Lobster Trap Scarf. I put the trap out....

... and sure enough, it worked!!

There are also Lobstering Cruises, where you can go get your very own lobster. It sounds a bit dangerous, but it could be interesting. I think, though, that my little Lobster Trap works just fine!

Fabulous!

2012-01-17T08:48:00.002-05:00

For Potions, we had to whip up something Fabulous quickly. NOTHING says "Fabulous!" like a ruffly red boa!! Luckily, I had a lot of Starbella yarn on hand, and I've long since given up knitting mesh yarns, I just crochet them. (Faster, and if I drop my stitch, I don't lose half the scarf.)

We also got bonus points if we turned in a recipe - so I went to one of my faves (slightly modified to remove things I'm allergic to).

Recipie - Scallion Eggroll Pancakes

Ingredients
1 large egg
2 teaspoons sesame oil
8 egg roll wraps
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 cup finely chopped scallions (white *and* green parts)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
soy sauce (to taste)

Preparation
1. Beat the egg and sesame oil together.
2. Brush one side of one egg roll wrapper with the egg mixture.

3. Sprinkle with 1/4 green onions and 1 tsp. sesame seeds.
4. Brush one side of another egg roll wrapper and press wet side on top of the other one and press down to seal.
5. Repeat for other 3 pancakes.
6. Heat 1 tbsp oil on medium high heat in medium-sized frying pan (or whatever you've got, make it work!)
7. Fry each side of each pancake for about 2 minutes until golden brown. (Add more heat if necessary.)
8. Cut each into 6 pieces, and serve with soy sauce.

Wheee!

Geek Gold

2012-01-16T08:38:00.000-05:00

My cousin got to see Carrie Fisher live during her "Wishful Drinking" tour (Carrie Fisher's, not my cousin's). She got me this (my cousin, not Carrie Fisher - but Carrie Fisher signed it!)

(And it's Carrie Fisher of Postcards from the Edge/Star Wars, not Carrie Fisher who was Carrie Underwood. Just thought I should make that clear.)

Lobster Trap Scarf - in progress

2012-01-13T14:21:00.004-05:00

What I'm trying to finish today: a Lobster Trap Scarf.

I'm not certain it's going to happen, but at least lacets go VERY QUICKLY after my History of Magic OWL attempt!

New Brooms

2012-01-12T13:27:00.001-05:00

My lovely plan to make myself a pair of much-needed gloves (It's cold under the air vent at my desk at work. No, I can't actually move my desk) has fallen in favor of helping my mom get her January class finished. Instead of Charms, I'll be doing CoMC Option #3, a duel - two people making the same thing. We'll each be making this:

Broomstick Bookmark
by Kristina Gill
Mine will have green and silver highlights; hers will have red and gold. Just so they're clearly the same pattern - but different. I have a TON of acrylic in brown and yellow, and... yep, just remembered where the red and green were. So, hoping to knock one out tonight so I have a couple of weeks to help her with hers.

Scarf of Shadows

2012-01-11T06:15:00.001-05:00

From the Offical Movie Site:

If you're a knitter and you saw "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows", you saw the scarf. The scarf that actually managed to be part of the running story, which, for knitting in an action/adventure movie, is rare.

Image from hollywoodmoviecostumesandprops.blogspot.com
YarnYenta has whipped up a quick pattern so you can make your own Scarf of Shadows, and used KnitPicks City Tweed (from the look of it, Snowshoe (white), Larkspur (blue) and Tarantella (brown)). The Rav download of the pattern is here.

YarnYenta wins for one of the coolest props in a pattern pic!
The scarf is already showing up in non-knitting-related pop culture sketches. And it doesn't hurt that brown and turquoise is one of my favorite color combinations.

Image from totallynotabrony.tumblr.com;
artist ??

inappropriatelyadorable.tumblr.com,
artist Nicole (it's her site -
and she does commissions!)

Yeah. I'll be making one of these. I may even have yarn that would work in the stash - but if not, I know where to get it!

Arithmancy - done!

2012-01-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday morning, I started a hat:

Last Friday afternoon, I finished it:

It's supposed to be a Honeycomb Hat, but I modded the pattern a bit, so while it fits nice and snugly and actually covers my ears, I think it more resembles a beehive instead of honeycomb. But hey, that's Arithmancy done!

My first - and only - weaving!

2012-01-09T06:15:00.001-05:00

I made this in 1976, when I was just a little girl, for the US Bicentennial. Other than cotton-loop potholders (which I think everyone makes at some point), I believe it’s the only weaving I’ve ever done.

I made it up as I went; it’s somewhat scratchy acrylic yarn, but I was very, VERY proud of it. I seem, vaguely, to remember that I actually made my own cardboard-box loom to do it, too!

I’m going through my house, and getting rid of Things. Thanks to the internet, I can save photos of the Things in several places, thus ensuring I’ll remember them, without actually having to KEEP them.

Order Mission Request

2012-01-06T06:45:00.000-05:00

Speaking about those BROOMs - I'm definitely doing a Central Command mission this time. There's a bunch of people doing the Radience shawl, and I found The. Most. Perfect. Yarn!!! for it - some wildharefibers.com "Galaxy" in the New Penny colorway. It is beyond gorgeous, and it will be such fun to knit up!

I did have just a wee bit of trouble, though, winding it up. Turns out you actually need to pay attention to your ball winder, and not just wind with one hand while holding a book you're reading in the other.

Ooops!

Here's my Mission Proposal:

BROOM
Name: CraftyGryphon (aka Moira Hazard)
House: Slytherin, Sixth Year
Department: Central Command
Mission: #12 Grimmauld Place
To the attention of Chief IsisOnEarth:

I would like to apply for consideration for another Order Mission. As my proposed Order Mission last term was technically successful but personally went a bit... wrong (please see my file), it was decided at that time - how did my sister, Carrolon, put it? Oh yes - I'm not to be allowed "off my leash" again until I'm a bit older.

Therefore, I propose to knit a Radience Shawl, which starts in the center of the back (with a mere 5 stitches!), and then radiates outward (hm, that's why it's called "Radience", maybe?), increasing gradually into a lovely semicirle, with a lovlier ruffly edge! The pattern itself comes with a checklist version - which tells the knitter what to do for each row, and how far along (in %) the knitter is at any given point. I found the prettiest yarn - Wild Hare Fibers "Galaxy" in the "New Penny" colorway - which is just perfect for something called "Radience". Since it is a lace shawl and fairly simple, I should be able to finish it within the stated time frame as long as I'm good and stay in the Central Office and knit.(It's still a pretty big shawl, and there is a LOT of picot edging right at the end. I'm hoping I'm not biting off more than I can chew, but I think I'm up to it.)

I have to add that applying for this particular mission was mostly my sister's idea. She's a big fan of keeping me busy, which supposedly keeps me out of trouble, even though I was perfectly busy last term and the only trouble I got in was TOTALLY her fault, really. I think I'd be fine on another undercover mission. But since she and my new brother-in-law insist, I would like to request I be allowed to stay here at #12 Grimmauld Place this term.

Thank you for your consideration!

OWL: Defense Against The Dark Arts

2012-01-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

So, I turned in my OWL proposal. After totally failing to figure out a new-to-me Transfiguration skill that would work with my proposed project, and wanting to save Potions until later (since I don't really need it for either NEWT), I decided to go with Defense Against the Dark Arts, Option Two: Make an Invisibility Cloak. Since I was already planning to make a Tree Skirt/Cloak, it was probably the best fit for the project anyway. I still had a BUNCH of yarn:

... but opted for steel crochet hooks. I also bought an amazingly lovely Brittany size J my last trip to Nature's Yarns (just last Tuesday) - and I've already lost in in the house!

I had to re-do my swatch, to make it easier to see - and also because I figured if I started with 9 central stitches, went to sc-chx9 in the 2nd row, then I could start the dc clusters 2-2-2-3 on the sides, and the trapezoid would form nicely on its own. See?

I also did a swatch for the central portion - which I hadn't done before. Looking at the original tree skirt, in some cases, rounds were made bigger by the simple expedient of adding more stitches to a cluster - and it works!

See? 3dc cluster, 4dc cluster, 3dc cluster
does actually make the outer row not stretch funny!
I had pre-approval from the Assistant Examiner by Tuesday evening, and just had to wait for final approval to get started! Woohoo!!

Starting off strong

2012-01-04T06:45:00.000-05:00

Defense Against the Dark Arts is my theme this term. So, again on January 1, I managed to whip up a little bamboo Trick Hat. It's Crystal Palace's Wee Bamboozle Bag done with an extra long i-cord tie - which, if knotted in a bow, turns the whole thing into a cloche.

Here's the hat part:

Here's the bag part, and, as you can see, the cord is shoulder-bag length. It'll work as a tiny project bag. (Circular needles only, though. DPNs would go right through it, and it needs to be stretchy to be worn as a hat, so I can't really line it!

So, 25 points for Slytherin so far. And I've figured out Quidditch (good for at least another 225), turned in my OWL proposal (Woohoo!), and should have my BROOM proposal in by the end of the week. And, hopefully, a few more classes!!

Project Bomb!

2012-01-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

For Detention this month, for no good reason other than "it would be cool!", Slytherin decided to do a project bomb. This time, semi-literally: we were to crochet or knit grenades and drop them in detention, en masse, on January 1. I knew I was going to do a Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch - but couldn't find the gold and silver Vanna's Glamour.

So, here's the Holy Hand Grenade of Albequerque!

It was made from Vanna's Glamour, little silver hearts, some turquoise beads, and a rose gold-plated cross. I really like the way it turned out!

The Last December Rose

2012-01-02T10:07:00.000-05:00

December 31, we went to lunch at one of the local IHoPs. There was an amazing red rose, about the size of a softball, outside the door.

A pretty way to say goodbye to 2011!!

12 in 12

2012-01-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

So, according to Ravelry (which doesn't count cross stitch, quilting, canvas or hardanger, so no, I didn't get The List down super-far, don't worry), I have twelve WIPs. WIPs are things that I actually intend to finish at some point, as opposed to UFOs, which I have finally realized means I will NOT finish them. (The List has both right now; it will be pruned of UFOs for the new year.) Anyway, here are my Ravelry WIPs:

They're presented in order of "happiness" - which should probably also be updated, since by "happiness", my Evenstar should be dead last. (I am loathing knit-on beaded edging and only keeping going because the yarn is soooo fluffy and the beads are soooo pretty and I WANT THAT SHAWL.)

As pictured left to right, top to botttom, the items are as follows:

The 2011 Advent Calendar Scarf, Part 1. I started this on December 1 this year, so it hasn't been a WIP for long. Since I'm doing it with MadTosh Merino Light, 91 stitches and 12 days of pattern will actually get me a shawl. This is probably the closest item to being finished. It will be saved for the OWL frenzy that is March.
Slytherin Crest Bag. The knitting is done, the blocking is done. I have the hardware, the straps, and the canvas for the lining. I have zippers and more canvas for pockets. I just have to actually (*shudder*) SEW the thing together. February is a short month with a long weekend - I think I'll save this for then.
Ancient Runes OWL: Pretty as a Peacock Shawl. I actually have to frog back through the first set of peacock feathers, which is what killed this shawl getting finished in the first place. And (oh, joy!) I don't think there's a lifeline anywhere in the thing. (I have learned better since!) Whereabouts currently unknown; I'll keep this for August, in-between terms, since it's silk and not *super* warm.
Swiss Cheese Scarf. A pleasant little mindless something to carry around with everything else. Also to be saved for an end of term - preferably one where I'm traveling - like July.
Astronomy OWL: Evenstar Shawl. It's JUST the edging left. The beaded edging. Still, I think I've got a shot at finishing it in a week or two of knitting. Since it's very warm, it needs a winter midterm - either April this year, or hold until December.
Pullover WITH FLAMES. About half the flames are done. I just need to rework the neck (I hate the way it looks now) and worry about the sleeves. Except for the WITH FLAMES areas, it's simple stockinette, so it goes fast when I'm actually knitting.
The 2010 Advent Calendar Scarf. Whereabouts currently unknown, and I think I only have about seven days done. This one should be a midterm project, too... and I think I just ran out of midterms.
EZ 100th Anniversary Pi Hearts Shawl. This is a big shawl; I think I just kicked up to the 560-stitch rows. It's working well, though, and the Neighborhood Fiber Company silk is a pleasure. It's a pretty simple pattern, despite the size of what's left; I think I can do this during regular term.
Yarn on Thursdays: Stitch Edition Blanket. I'm going through (or was going through, I enrolled in the HPKCHC) the entire Knitting on the Net Stitch Directory. I got through 19 weeks of my project in 2010/2011, and 67 stitches on the list. For sanity, I think I'll call "finished" for the blanket at stitch 77, which should be two more panels on the blanket, which should make it queen-sized/futon sized. The rest of the stitches will be handled as sampler pillows for the colorwork/mosaic stuff and the rest in a nice little lap-sized throw. But finished for this is the last ten stitches in part II of the list. Should be able to knock this out during term.
Dragon Illusion Blanket. OY. I started this a long, long time ago, before I really had a grasp on what either "287 st/row" or "every row in illusion knitting is actually four rows" meant. I'm almost to the halfway point; I'm thinking if I can get five (really 20) rows a month, I might have it done by the end of the year sometime. And 20 rows of this thing is about all I can manage before it gets exiled again.
Peacock Feather Beaded Scarf. This isn't just "whereabouts unknown"; it's so small - just a tiny ball of merino and some beads - that I think it may actually have been accidentally thrown out. If I haven't found it by December 2012, it'll officially come off The List and my Rav page as "forever frogged".
History of Magic OWL: Peacock Fillet Crochet Tablecloth. I want this thing done. IT FREAKING TAKES FOREVER. It's a tiny hook. It's tiny thread. BUT IT IS SO PRETTY! I think this will be another "work about ten rows, put it down for a month" projects.

So, according to the above, I want to finish the twelve items in the following order, more or less. Any of the larger items (tablecloth, illusion blanket) will get worked on well before the month they're due - heck, all of them might be - so this is just a "hey, if I haven't started finishing this yet, I really should" list :

January - Pullover WITH FLAMES
February - Slytherin Crest Bag
March - 2011 Advent Calendar Scarf, Part 1
April - Evenstar Shawl (OWL)
May - Yarn on Thursdays: Stitch Edition Blanket
June - 2010 Advent Calendar Scarf
July - Swiss Cheese Scarf
August - Pretty as a Peacock Shawl (OWL)
September - EZ 100th Anniversary Pi Hearts Shawl
October - Peacock Fillet Crochet Tablecloth (OWL)
November - Dragon Illusion Blanket
December - Peacock Feather Beaded Scarf

Yeah, that should keep me busy this year. Not even counting the upcoming 54 classes, three BROOMs, three OWLs, Quidditch, Challenges, and other events!!

Out with the old year...

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

May your new year be safe, happy, and full of yarny goodness!

I really need to pass my OWL exam next term...

2011-12-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

Preparation for the ~~Potions~~ Transfiguration OWL (a snap decision if ever there was one) has begun. The idea: a Tree Skirt based on one that Anthropologie is selling. Granny squares, and lots and lots of color. Mine's gonna be a little bit bigger, though.

As in "might double as a cloak if I do it correctly". To be fair, they actually offer two: one in lots of colors and Granny Squares, and one in a nice off-white with lots and lots of stitches (a sampler skirt, really).

I've got my design (more or less):

I've got my first swatch attempt:

6" at the bottom

6" tall

7" at the top

There will have to be another swatch attempt, because this one doesn't quite give me the angles I need.

I've got a LOT of yarn. Mostly white and off-white, but with some Dazzleaire yellow, pink, blue, peach and green put in for Teh Pretty. Or possibly to put in for all of it - I'm not quite sure how all the colors will go in just yet. Pretty much decide-as-I-go, I think!! I also got a spiffy new Addi crochet hook. (Actually, I got two... but one already broke. WTF?)

As soon as the OWL thread goes up in January, I'll be putting my proposal in. And starting, immediately. Because I really, REALLY need to pass an owl one of these years!

Future Projects, Part 2

2011-12-28T06:30:00.000-05:00

... and a few more Future Projects.

Violently green Neighborhood Fiber Company Loft, one ball; kid/silk mohair blend by (dang, can't see the label in the picture), about 450 yards.

Destined to become a Wisp, in the case of the NFC Loft, and an Ice Queen in the case of the kid/silk mohair stuff... or possibly vice versa. I think maybe vice versa... we'll see. There are a lot of lovely photos of these projects out there, but I think my faves for Ice Queen are over on MangoFeet's blog; my fave for Wisp is Cecilia's, because I can really see what it's supposed to look like!

Royal purple Neighborhood Fiber Company Penthouse Silk.

I'm thinking the Elizabeth Shawl for this. But possibly as the first Secret of the Stole; I tried it twice before, and the yarn I chose in turn chose to NOT be that stole. A rich royal purple might be more appropriate...

orignal attempt - Claudia Handpaint Silk Lace in Pistachio

Some fluffly boucle, and lots of it.

I got this because I just loved it. It's soft, it's fluffy. Long, long ago, I made a diamond shawl out of some similar stuff in a nice coppery color. Couldn't tell you what happened to the shawl (it's probably in a box somewhere), or the pictures I had of it (can't find them on the old LJ craftblog, so they might not exist). What to do with this new stuff? NO IDEA as yet, but something fluffy, for certain!

I looked through Rav to see what sorts of things were made with Rainbow Boucle - and there are 1700+ projects in progress or done. The likely candidates are the Seraphina Shawl (free pattern over at Crochetville.Org); a take on Harlotry's Ripple Afghan (Rav link); a top-down quick dress (I'd make it a tunic, instead) like this one at ABC-knitting-patterns.com, or a star afghan (Bernat link, free, but requires login). Right now, I think the top-down dress/tunic is going to win, since it wandered into my queue.

Now, mind you, there are also about four dozen things I have to finish - I'm still trying to get The List down under 30. Next year, of course. It's not gonna happen in 2011!!!

Future Projects, Part 1

2011-12-27T06:25:00.000-05:00

So, there are some Future Projects lying about my house.

Some lovely green and silver Shepherd's Wool, left over from my Herbology OWL sweater and my Quidditch Vest & Hat.

This is going to turn into a Catkin. I first saw this pattern on The YarnHarlot's Blog here and here. I then rumbled around Ravelry, and looked atall the pretty finished ones (Rav link), and knew I wanted one. And knew I wanted it in silver and green. Which, fortunately, I just happen to have. (I also discovered a Catkin set at the flickrhivemind.net; there's a gorgeous blue and gold version by ChaucerCat that's worth looking at!)

Orange Dragonfly Fibers yarn. Very orange, very lovely, four skeins.

Destined to become a shortsleeved sweater/cardi of some sort - probably, combined with my Miss Babs Yowza! BROOM leftovers, probably this one:

That's a teeny image of a sweater featured in the first issue of Knit+Wear, which had a LOT of things I'll probably make in it, that sweater being the first. I don't even think I've lost the magazine in my house yet!

I want a knitted motorcycle jacket WITH FLAMES.

2011-12-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

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:

WITH FLAMES. If I'm making my own jacket, it's gotta have flames.
Orange flames. And top-down, rather than bottom-up. Let's have the bright color on top!
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.
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.
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!

Christmas Weekend

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Running off home today (eventually). Merry Christmas to all, and to all a nice long weekend of knitting and relaxing!

Solstice

2011-12-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Solstice, it's now Winter! The days just keep getting longer from here on in, we're past the short part. (At least in the Northern Hemisphere - sorry, Southern Hemisphere, your days will start getting shorter now.)

I know where my knitting is. Or, rather, where my knitting will be, soon: it's hiding in this lovely ball of Blue Ridge sock yarn. Why yes, it is a lovely green/gray combination. No, I haven't the faintest idea what I'll be doing with it - well, okay, I totally know what I'm doing with it: Dee O'Keefe's Ashton Shawlette (available for purchase soon for most of the world - available now to knittingparadise.com members). The shawlette calls for 420 yards of fingering; I'll play with gauge until I get something that will work. But it's sooooo pretty and sooooo Slytherin...

I actually know Dee O'Keefe, by the way, and have gotten to look at her patterns Up Close. She has *fantastic* instructions and legible charts - and the Ashton shawlette has an excellent walk-through for first-time lace knitters - or first time chart readers. If you don't like knitting charts, it's possible you just haven't come up against any *good* ones. Her amazingly lovely Elizabeth Shawl is currently available on Ravelry. (I'm just telling you just in case someone gives you laceweight/fingering yarn sometime soon and you're not quite sure what to do with it.)

Anyway, happy winter! Stay warm!

Limited Celebrity

2011-12-21T08:15:00.001-05:00

Heehee! Okay, this little ad only ran in my HPKCHC group on Ravelry, but *squee*! (Click on the ad to go through to the iTunes site.)

I noticed the Yarn Genie app (through a normal ad without my name on it) on Rav, and thought "hm, that might be useful!" so I got it. I've been playing with it for about a week now, and run through each part of the program. (The official Yarn Martian on Ravelry, Deborah, asked if she could put me on the above; my fellow Snakes have loved it, and more than a few have downloaded the app.)

1. Yarn Estimator - "Select the project you want to make, answer a few questions about the yarn and the size, and Yarn Genie will calculate the yardage you'll require." This would have been SO useful during the Not Enough Yarn episode during the Evenstar Shawl. I had 10 balls (2350 yds); the pattern calls for 1500 yds (with the original mystery calling for 1700 yards). With my gauge, though, the Yarn Genie says I actually need about 25% more yarn - another 600 yards or so, so I was three balls short! (Right now, Yarn Genie doesn't do circle/diameter calcualtions, but it gives *area* calculations, so if you have a circular shawl/blanket with area X, you can get a similar area calculation, and do small math from there. If circular isn't your strong suit for math (it sure isn't mine!) there's an area calculator here)) Luckily, I managed to (with a LOT MORE MATH THAN I WANTED) to figure out the "three balls short" on my own - but it would've been SO much faster with the app!

I'm totally using it to find out how much yarn my lovely Potions project thinks it needs: I'm making something that's either 50 square feet or 63 square feet; given my gauge (crochet, 3st/in (approximate!)) a 20 sq-ft (48"x60") needs 1260 to 2170 yards - multiply by 2.5 to get 3150 to 5425 OR muliply by 3 to get 3780 to 6510. I have learned to ALWAYS use the high end of the range... so I'm going to need 6500 yards of something for my upcoming OWL. (Wow, that's a lot of yarn. Maybe it should be Transfiguration after all - I'll be vanishing a LOT of yarn!)

2. Hooks/Needles Size Converter -- "Use the converter to determine U.S., Metric and English sizes for needles and crochet hooks." It's like having the Craft Yarn Council Guide in your pocket, without actually having to carry a copy in your pocket.

3. Stash Basher -- "Instantly determine what you can create from the yarns you already have in your stash. Enter the gauge and quantity of the yarn you own and Stash Basher will provide a list of items to consider." I put in my calculation for my blanket above (3st/in, 6500 yds) and I think everything possible came up, including "one big huge honkin' 6'x5' blanket". I entered my new skein of Blue Ridge sock yarn (400 yds) and my estimated gauge (7st/in) and got a much shorter list of items to consider : hats up to 23" in circumference, socks up to a 10" foot length, a 20"x20" blanket, gloves/mitts up to a 10" hand circumference. So "I'd like to make these socks for my husband's 15" long feet" won't fly with this yarn, which is good to know!

4. About Us - handly links to YarnMarket.com, Knitch mag, the Yarndex, and BargainYarns.com. Between this app and Ravelry, I am now dangerous. Or at least more likely to be able to get through some of my (considerable) stash in 2012. Then, in 2013 (assuming the world doesn't end next December), I can run amok and get MORE yarn!!

In summary: Totally worth the download time for a small, free, and darned useful app!

Glitz-y Wreath

2011-12-20T08:36:00.000-05:00

So, Friday evening at Nature's Yarns, I got some Rozetti Marina "Glitz". I was really, really hoping to find some in Emerald, and I did - because when I made my first no-fall scarf from Marina Flora, I thought "hm, this would make a lovely wreath". So, I decided to try it.

It started out as a long chain of sparkly green fluff. Actually, it started out as 11 stitches across of knitting, but even "folded" in half, it wasn't quite the level of fluff I was looking for, so when I managed to drop a stitch (giving me a free-fallen loop of about 3yds in length), I took that as a sign that this wreath should be crocheted. So, chain 6 (skipping a loop in between); then just do a modified dc across. The modified dc involved making sure between each dc there's three or four holes on the yarn, and the first pullthrough is done with the next hole, the second with the hole after that. (I know that doesn't really make sense, but just play with it, you'll get something you like.)

On the final row, just "graft"/dc it to the first row, and pull the little bit of fluff left through the last stitch nice & tight.

I used a wire coathanger for the frame, and added some ribbon. I'm not sure about the ribbon; I might change it to red or gold. And have my mom tie the bow; hers always look super-good, and mine... well, it's definitely bow-shaped, at least.

Way too late to ship...

2011-12-19T06:15:00.000-05:00

So, I'm a little behind on the Holiday Knitting, given that I'll probably mail the box to my nieces & nephews on or about December 23 - it's not getting there in time. Knitting still must be finished (and honestly - it may actually happen after Christmas).

I refuse to buy them knitted things, since much of the last year has been dedicated to knitting cool little braided ball hideyplaces, facecloths and washcloths, and strange little ornaments.

But you may not have my qualms (or strange mental investment in washcloths)... in which case, I present to you the first commercial referencing knitting in the US that didn't actually make my skin crawl (or make me fire off a nasty letter or six to the company/ies responsible):

Assuming I do actually get everything finished, I'm definitely posting pics before I send them out. Because nothing will guarantee online avoidance like the phrase "your aunt's knitting blog" - they'll never see 'em. Also, the cute yarncat in the commercial? WANT!

Get Your Ears On!

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

So, you're off for a lovely month-long vacation in the Bahamas.

Oh, you're not? That's okay, I'm not, either! I do have some time off from work coming up, though, and as the majority of my plan centers around "relax and knit, possibly with a cup of tea", I'm going to need something to listen to whilst knitting, tea-drinking, and otherwise goofing off. Since holiday music started up well before US Thanksgiving this year (mid-November!), I'm fine with finding something else. So... how about a new knitting podcast?

The lovely Hoxton Handmade, she of the Electric Sheep Podcast, recently did a Special Crossover Episode with APlayfulDay. This is a fact. I have listened to it (and giggled quietly, and been glad I'm the one that opens the office and I'm alone for an hour or so each morning, since while it is possible for *me* to work as I giggle, my coworkers want to know what I'm listening to that's so darned entertaining, and then we all gather 'round and nothing gets done.)

So: I have now downloaded the entire run of APlayfulDay off iTunes, but you can listen directly through the blog, too, right off the internet! (That Holiday Crossover excitement I mentioned? It's Right Here. The blog has not only information for each epidsode, but lots and lots of other fun reading - the very first post, in fact, deals with something I see all the time: commuters freaking out because THERE IS A GIRL KNITTING RIGHT THERE OMG (it happens all over the world, it seems), and there are all sorts of Social Networking Contacts to keep you in touch with All Things Playful (or you can joing the Ravelry Group.

And if you haven't listened to The Electric Sheep? Oh, PLEASE do, it's wonderful! There's the blog, of course, with show notes and knitting and wonderment (Oh, look, you can subscribe to the blog! DONE!!... or I will be once I get my confirmation e-mail... hurry up, confirmation e-mail!), again, if you don't have iTunes (and on iTunes? Make sure you get The Electric Sheep by HoxtonHandmade... not the other one!), you can listen online, too. There's a Ravelry Group that's a HOOT (see the "Feed the Sheep" thread).

Because I was looking at Knitting Podcasts on iTunes, I also stumbled across NeverNotKnitting - which also has a blog with lots of lovely photos and interesting things, a listen on-line option, and... a map of the world showing all the places you can get the lovely patterns! (I'm rather fond of world maps involving Knitting Things.) Oooo, look, it's got a Ravelry Group, too!

Well. That should certainly give me a week of things to listen to. Possibly two. Or three... hm. Maybe I could slip off to the Bahamas for a month?

More Cheese!

2011-12-15T07:58:00.001-05:00

Time for another obligatory Swiss Cheese Kauni Scarf photo:

This seems to be the "project most likely to be photographed at my desk". I'm really loving the color changes; somewhere in the stash, there's yarn for a Kauni Cardigan. It's gonna rock when it happens!!

Got Presents?

2011-12-14T09:22:00.003-05:00

Okay, it's only ten shipping days until Christmas, and you might be stuck for gift ideas and need something for the fiber fanatic in your life. Here are some nifty spots that have Cool Yarn-Related Things. (And if you run out of time, that's OK - that whole Twelve Days of Christmas thing? You've got until January 5. Which is good, because I haven't finished my holiday knitting yet.) You can click on any of the lovely banners below (none of the images for which I'm responsible for, which should be obvious but I just want to state it for perfect clarity, nor am I associated with any of the businesses/charities, I just like them) - clicking on a picture will take you directly to the storefront/information page in question.

1. The Accessory Lady. Cool bracelets with even cooler buttons, or other nifty things; either way, something fun and different!

2. Franklin Habit's fun ornaments (and by popular demand, they're all available), over on cafepress.com - here. And there's lots of other adorable things, too. Um, and take a look at the Doris collection. (Because she might, um, cause trouble if you don't. Don't get on Doris's bad side.)

3. Donate in a friend's name - or for yourself - to Knitters Without Borders, which fundraises for Doctors Without Borders. Knitters have raised over a million dollars!

4. Or, hey, there's always yarn, right? Soft'n'Shiny does some lovely stuff. I have two skeins of my own just waiting for next term to start, and she can always make more. Keep in mind, though, she's in Canada, so it may take a bit longer for things to arrive. Worth the wait, though!

And remember - even if you're not a knitter or stitcher or quilter, there are lovely ladies and gentlemen at all the local shops (look through your prospective recipient's stash - there will be bags with names printed on them to tell you the name of the store if you don't already know it) who can point you towards fun, interesting things... or gift certificates, if you're not 100% sure what to get!

More on the scarf that turned into a shawl...

2011-12-13T09:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I really thought I'd have the Advent Calendar Shawl #1 done by today... but not quite. I'm working on Day 10 right now, which is kinda short, so I should be on Day 11 soon (on the way home?) and hopefully Day 12 by tomorrow, which will be The End for the first shawl. Then I'm giving myself until New Year's to do the second one!

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9
It is going to be really pretty, and blocking should help a LOT. I'm just amazed that I've managed a shawl instead of a scarf; everyone else must knit tightly with thread and teeny-tiny needles! (And yes, I'm purposely not doing any more full-length shots until it's done. I gotta keep some of the mystery going!)

Ooops.

2011-12-12T06:46:00.000-05:00

Okay, I may have had a Kauni accident. But really, it just jumped on my needles. There was nothing I could do!!

(It's the Swiss Cheese Scarf, if you want to try one of your own. Once you've got the hang of the cast off/cast on for the holes, it's pretty easy. AND SO COOL LOOKING IN THE KAUNI!!!)

Almost Sorting-Time

2011-12-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

Sorting at HPKCHC doesn't begin for another week or so (I think), but I'm getting ready. I'm hoping, of course, to sort Slytherin again (I mean, really. Half my real-life wardrobe has skewed green and silver at this point), so I got a little icon ready to go:

And yes, I'm playing LEGO Harry Potter on my phone. I'm having all sorts of fun running back through Freeplay mode and getting all the things I missed, while I'm still going through Goblet of Fire. (I am REALLY not a fan of the actual Fire Task with the dragon, despite the fun I had at the HPKCHC Tri-Wizard Tournament last term.)

During Winter Break (aka December), there's a Yule Cat and Yule Dog being run (no points involved, just fun). Yule Cat is finish making a wearable item; Yule Dog is finish making a nonwearable. Any craft, whatever you want, just finish up something. For Yule Dog, I'm considering these:

The Wisteria Window that I've been working on since... 2006? Maybe? It's fairly close to finished, I think I'm down to just the purple and green leaves on the center bunch (and then, of course, the backstitching). This was meant to be an insert in a totebag long, long ago. I'm not sure where the cloth for said bag went - so I'm just gonna call this one "done" when the stitching is finished...
Then there's this happy little thing, a tiny Michael Powell kit I got back when Scarlet Thread still had a storefront. I'm going to change the text to "Love you!", and I lost the actual chart, so I'm winging it off a big blown-up copy of the cover photo. Hopefully I'll figure it out:

Of course, with the Advent Scarf and trying to get more of my OWL finished, it's going to be interesting. And I'm pretty sure I still have some Christmas Knitting to do....

The Kauni Got Me.

2011-12-08T15:44:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm doing Wollkistchen's Advent Calendar Scarf for 2011: LINK. So far, so good, still on schedule. Since I've got a Time Advantage (the pattern for a particular Day drops, for me, at 5pm the day before), I haven't fallen behind yet, although it's been close once or twice. Here's what I have so far, for the first week:

This was a little triangle-lace motif that gives the border of the scarf a pretty scalloped edge:

Day 1
Next, we had lace with cables (ooo!):

Day 2
Next up, some wavy green not-cables... kinda cool!

Day 3
Then, some snowflake lace. I stopped half a repeat short of what was called for, so it would balance top-to-bottom. (In my opinion; I'm quite certain it's fine as written, too, based on all the lovely photos in the Day 4 thread of the Rav group.)

Day 4
About now, I'm realizing that I love the MadTosh Merino Light I'm using, and that it's REALLY REALLY going to benefit from blocking. The stitch definition is good now, ditto the lace, but it'll be spectacular once everything is opened up and stretched out a bit. And I'm actually making a shawl, as it turns out - without much stretching, mine's over two feet wide; with blocking, it'll probably hit 30in/2.5ft! Also? It's a TOTAL BEAR to photograph it just now. It really, really needs to be blocked so you can see the pretty better. (Some people are actually pinning out their scarves each day for the daily photograph; I'm lucky to get it knitted, and couldn't find my pins to save my life. They're in a bag marked "OWL DO NOT LOSE" lost somewhere in my house.)

On to some leafy-looking stuff in the next band; I'm glad it randomly wound up on a "green" day:
Day 5
Then, this fun one. The chart was NOT making sense to me (and I'm one of those that usually prefers charts to written instructions), so I actually didn't start it until Day 6 (thus getting me horribly behind for the day, since I'm supposed to be ready to start Day 7 on the commute home the previous night).

Day 6
By the end of Day 6, I've determined that I'm not knitting an Advent Calendar Scarf. I'm actually knitting two twelve-day shawls, of which this is the first (which will be done by Monday, in time for Yule Cat!). I also had massive fail getting started on Day 7 - I had to cast on three times because of a persitent inability to count to eight several times in succession after 10pm at night. Did manage, finally, just before work started, and using paperclips as markers.

I'm only about halfway through Day 7 at this point - the first time I've actually been behind so far, and I should catch up easily during my coffeeshop time on Saturday afternoon. Why am I behind, you might wonder?

Because I started a Swiss Cheese scarf.

The Kauni got me.

Please Follow the Posted Instructions.

2011-12-07T09:44:00.001-05:00

There are signs on the ball-winder at Fibre Space. One is (paraphrasing here) "Don't let people under Age 13 operate this machine"; the other is a list of things to watch out for, including "don't wind too quickly, or you'll get wonky yarn balls". Normally, I think wonky means "kinda cone-shaped instead of square-ish"; it can also mean "yarnball barfing out both ends if you're not careful." I learned the second one the hard way: I've been knitting my Advent Calendar Scarf with this:

Yeah. It's not easy, it keeps catching on itself, and otherwise behaving like and untrained puppy (minus the piddling, thankfully). This ball of Moorlands (MadTosh Merino Light) is the worst, but there are tiny tails on the Byzantium and Brothers Grimm, as well. It's making for interesting commuting knitting, that's for certain!

The eye of the beholder.

2011-12-06T06:23:00.002-05:00

As something of an authority on Gryphons (really am, actually - go figure), this Item Card seemed promising:

Except that it was referring to these hideous things:

Rare, I'll belive - because whenever they were made, they were ugly, and people knew it. These survived because they lived in a box in someone's attic, and a descendant thereof decided to sell them rather than continue the family tradition of hiding them away. Calling them "lovely" does not make them so.

(Actually, I don't know if "hidden away in the attic" is the case. But if any of my ancestors owned these things, I'd be trying to sell them, griffins or no. They're UGLY.)

I won stuff!

2011-12-05T06:22:00.000-05:00

As part of the Help Decorate the Fibre Space Holiday Window, I made a Rocket Ship (which then got featured in a story, which then got featured as a photo on Ravelry!). For helping out I got a prize - two, really!! A gift certificate (thus ensuring I'll be back to Fibre Space... as if there was any doubt!), and a copy of "Pure Knits" by Yahaira Ferreira (Lark Books). It's full of lovely patterns (Rav link)! I think the first one I'll do is Ice Queen, I just have to decide on the yarn. Orange would be very "me", but would it work with the pattern?

Then, I also adore the cover look, "Chains of Love". That's getting done in two colors, at least - and the cables and chains are TOTALLY getting done in silver. Hello, soft, cuddly steampunk!

There are a *lot* of lovely patterns in the book. Aran sweaters. Light, lofty lace things. Even lighter, loftier lace things. Hats. Scarves. Cute things for tykes. I really think Ice Queen will be my first thing knit up, though!

And now, for some relaxing knitting!

2011-12-02T17:21:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night, since I made it all the way through work, I wandered (albeit slowly) to Fibre Space to peruse the Madeline Tosh MadTosh Merino Light. As it turns out, I love it, so I got three skeins, one each in Byzantine, Moorlands and Brothers Grimm. I've already cast on with it: I'm doing Wollkistchen's Advent Calendar Scarf for 2011: LINK. Instead of all one color, I'll be doing all the divider segments (25 total!) in Brothers Grimm (black), then alternating the Day Patterns in Moorlands (green) and Byzantine (brick), starting with Day One in Moorlands. (My original plan had been to do a beaded version using Neighborhood Fiber Company's Penthouse Lace in the bright purple, with lovely dark iridescent beads. That plan didn't survive the MadTosh Merino Light.) There's a knitalong group on Ravelry, Advent Calendar Scarf 2011, if you want to play along. (Here, also, is the link to last year's scarf, which is also lovely. I'm about halfway through that one, in some lovely Neighborhood Fibre Company "Loft" in a lovely forest green. There's also a Rav group for the 2010 scarf, if you have any questions about it, the answers are probably in there!)

Day One
Since midnight Thursday in the far side of Europe is 5pm Wednesday on the here side of the US, I was able to start my "spacer row" last night. Several people had already posted their finished Day One in the "Day 1" thread in the Ravelry group by the time I got to work on Thursday! I caught up to yesterday (Day 1) at lunch, and was able to get the spacer in preparation for Day 2 done on the train ride home. So, this morning, I got Day 2 done:

six rows shy of being done with Day Two
Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday, but it's not too late to join in! I started four days behind last year, and caught up quickly!

November Wrap-up!

2011-12-01T06:45:00.000-05:00

So, I didn't finish my OWL, but I did get nine other things finished up this month:

November wrap-up:

1. Yule Ball - the Final Dance! Yule Ball Neck Cozy, turned in post 4474, spotted by Seeker post 4476, November 7:
2. Charms, Bedsocks, turned in post 81, marked complete post 89, November 7;
3. Headmistress's Challenge, Squirrel Nutkin, turned in post 244November 7;
4. Astronomy, Stargazer Scarf, turned in post 206, marked complete post 214, November 21;
5. Muggle Studies, No Evidence!turned in post 127, marked complete post ??, November 21;
6. Herbology, Potion Protectors, turned in post 240, marked complete post 325, November 22;
7. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Secret Messages, turned in post 91, marked complete post 159, November 22;
8. Divination, Lines and Spaces, turned in post 157, marked complete post 164, November 22;
9. BROOM, Rogue Hoodie, turned in post 1695, November 29

I think I'll spend a week doing cross-stitch now.

OWLfail, BROOMwin

2011-11-30T09:39:00.005-05:00

Been sick for almost a week, so didn't get anywhere close to finished on the OWL (I'm at about 81%). Did manage to get my Rogue Hoodie done last night. Here's my turn-in post:

TO:       Mission Chief Seakame - Undercover Operations

FROM:      Moira Hazard (aka CraftyGryphon)

RE:        Some Confusion as to Records Maintenance Or Something

______________________________________________________________________________

I would like to thank the Order for allowing me to go in pursuit of my sister Carrollon. I believed that she was in peril, so rendered myself ordinary - regarless of my surroundings. To this end, I fashioned a hooded pullover much like my sister's:

Wearing this pullover, I was able to infiltrate the demense of Minos Rockwood undetected and locate, then rescue, my sister. And then things just got flat-out strange.

I would like to enter into the permanent records of the Order the following:

1. There really, REALLY needs to be some sort of way of letting one agent know if another is in the field. Well, I realize that's impractical. But if there's a deep-cover operative (like, say, the second son of a decesased Death Eater?) working with the Order to start up a "forbidden subversive organization" to more easily keep tabs on forbidden subversives, then it would be nice if the fiance of said deep-cover operative was able to tell her little sister she was okay.

2. There should also be some sort of rules against two deep-cover operatives getting married. I really wasn't planning on being related to any of the Rockwoods, let alone all of them. Also, my new brother-in-law is something of an arrogant twit. The only thing saving him is the fact that he evidently really loves my sister.

3. My sister Carrolon has declared that I'm not to be allowed "off my leash" again until I'm a bit older. (She's also being a bit of a twit, but I figure most new brides are like that.) She says, though, that I did well, and I should add that I managed to quietly subdue her and Minos, and spirit her away most successfully. And I made her PROVE that she wasn't under any malign influence, curse, or binding before I let her go back to Minos. And I made HIM prove he was okay, too. So I should be allowed another Mission in the future - just not one that's going to interfere with her and/or her husband. She recommends putting me in Gringotts or the Records Room until I'm a bit older.

Please forward all correspondence to me care of Mrs. Carrollon Rockwood at Rockwood Manor (until the WInter Term starts).

(Also, any Chocolate Frogs would be appreciated.)

And yes, I have random frayed cables hanging out of parts of my house for no reason other than to give me props for photos!

Oh, and I'm also trying to finish a 50,000-word book.

2011-11-25T06:07:00.000-05:00

For Detention this month, we're allowed to turn in Non-Rav crafts. When I got my iPhone last spring, my darling husband actually got me (from Far Overseas, in a language he doesn't know) some cross-stitchable iPhone covers. (Okay, the site is now in English!) I started doing a Teresa Wentzler border around the edge (from the free "Stretch" dragon pattern - which I've stitched a couple of times!) of one of them the second I got it.... and then got bored. Or distracted. Or something. Here's how it's looked for the last half-year or so:
Before

I got the stitching done for the edge, but not the backstitch - and as you can see, on the right side of the case, it's much easier to see the Celtic knotwork, since it's highlighted by backstitching. The left side, not so much.

Of course, finishing the border is one thing; figuring out what to put in the center is another. Originally, I'd wanted a sun/moon sort of celestial thing. The space I had left was 17w x 52h, which is really thin & tall. TW, however, has an amazing Renaissance Bookmark chart (free!) that I'd somehow missed. THE CENTER IS 17st wide! And if I just do a set of the rings - well, they're 51 st high. I'll just have an extra row up at the top near the camera. I am totally amazed that there was a TW that is so perfectly adapted to an iPhone cover. Then, it was just a case of finishing it.

Um. In case I hadn't mentioned it, it's a TERESA WENTZLER design. Even making modifications to discount half-stitches (not possible on the plastic grid of the case) and not using the exact colors she called for (tweeding: not going to work here!), there's still some intricate stuff going on here, and I don't care who you are, 884 stitches and a whole lot of backstitching isn't exactly a walk in the park!

Probably won't finish it, but at least there's a chance I will!

Thankful.

2011-11-24T06:06:00.000-05:00

Let's be thankful for what we have, and hope it gets better for everyone, soon!

Norman Rockwell, "Freedom from Want" from the Four Freedoms series.

In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants - everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear - which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor - anywhere in the world.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States

The Final Two

2011-11-23T06:05:00.000-05:00

My final two classes were either easy or really strange. Muggle Studies was all about "police", and crime, and how police solve them - except for Option 4, which was make "something that would help hide evidence of crime". Since I wanted to make a Swiffer cover for my Dad, that seemed like a good fit. My turn-in said something about "hiding evidence is bad; but someone's got to clean up afterwards." It's a very bright color. Very, very bright. This photo doesn't really get across how very brightly-colored this Swiffer-cover is:

Then there was Astronomy, which had the prompt "make something to keep someone warm (by yourself or with a partner)." I did a shout-out for a partner, but then lost internet, so I figured I'm on my own. Luckily, "on my own" was an option. What to make wound up being "what I didnt' make for Fire Task #3". I was going to do a little jacket or a shawl or something out of bulky yarn, but only had a couple of hundred yarns of any given thing - just not enough. So, what was "the scarf of the set" turned into "a warm scarf of 104 yards", and I had my final class done.

Now I just have to get my BROOM and OWL done and turned in, and, maybe if I'm lucky/don't sleep, the third Fire Task and/or Detention!

Lines, Spaces and Poison

2011-11-22T06:03:00.000-05:00

For Divination, we had the option to make "something with lines and spaces." I made some glass cozies, which just happened to make up beautiful long stripes of color. With some blathering about negative space, and what isnt' seen as important as what is seen (it's Divination, after all), I'm hoping the professors will buy it. I think they will. (And in case you hadn't realized it yet, this is one of my go-to patterns. Glass cozies are one of the most useful things out there that you don't need, but it's nice to have!)

Without the space,
there would be no place to put a drink,
rendering the item useless!

Then, for Herbology, we could make "something to protect you against poisons." Once again, glass cozies to the rescue! These, according to my turn-in post, protect against most toxins and several minor jinxes of the sort that some prankster always tries at holiday gatherings.

So, four down, two to go!

A Secret Message

2011-11-21T06:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, so, I finished some classes. The first up is Defense Against the Dark Arts, with the very open-ended assignment of "make something that represents a secret means of identification between you and a loved one". It was a little tricky to think of something that could be legitimately "secret", until I made a mistake making a washcloth for my niece. Her name is Emma, and I'd accidentally made one of the row increases look like a little "e". Cool!!So, I ripped back, and made the entire washcloth (and its matching face-poof - better shot on the left, better idea of the actual colors on the right) with that little "e" going around the edge. Since she's got two sisters, her being able to positively identify her washcloth may be really important!

The almost-nightmare of Not Enough Yarn!

2011-11-18T09:01:00.001-05:00

OMG, the internet is back! The internet is back!! We've been cut off since last Wednesday, and if I hadn't spent part of the prior Monday making up a bunch of posts for automatic drop (yeah, I do that sometimes), the blog would've been a lot quieter. As I learned yesterday, posting from my phone just isn't gonna cut it! So... let's see. What have I been up to? Finished five more classes (turning them in today while I still have a connection!), got my Rogue hoodie about halfway up the hood (hoping to finish the hood today, so I can bang out the sleeves early next week). Got the OWL up to 68%, and discovered that I didn't have NEARLY enough yarn.

PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! PANIC!
Thankfully, Yarnmarket.com exists, and they had exactly three balls (what I figured I'd need) left in the colorway I needed, so I ordered it with Super-Fast shipping (it's an OWL, and I was panicking!). And it got here!

I then proceeded to not touch my OWL for five days, in favor of my BROOM (the hoodie), doing the finishing on my classes, and trying to decide if I'm really going to have time to do Fire Task #3. I don't *have* to do it, since to get my Silver Serpent First Class, I just have to do Quidditch once, and I've done five of the six events. I may also let Detention go. It all depends on getting the BROOM done ASAP, and working like a demon to finish the OWL on schedule. Because that's a LOT of points for the House if I can get those done - but ALL THE POINTS would be really nice. We'll see.

Still here, but...

2011-11-17T08:24:00.002-05:00

Hey, everyone, I'm here, but haven't had any internet for a few days now. The responsible parties have been saying it would be back in three hours for DAYS now!

It's too tricky to post from my phone (it hates HTML), so worst case, this week is a write-off, and I'll be viciously borrowing my in-laws' connection on Sunday.

Hope all y'all are okay, and I hope to catch up soon!

And I can put my hair up with DPNs!

2011-11-14T06:09:00.000-05:00

For the third task for the Yule Ball, we needed to make a Wearable Item. I made a nice won't-muss-your-dress-or-hair neck cozy. (Please note I was actually able to put my hair up with DPNs - it's long enough again!)

It can be fastened by a decorative brooch or shawl pin - or, if you're a knitter, an emergency DPN.

It took all but four yards of a skein of Lion Brand Tweed Stripes (Lakeside colorway), and was very quick.

I made up the pattern as I went; I wanted something with a lot of texture, so went with alternating purl-filled diamonds. Yay for strange little cables that look cool!!

Of course, my little Phoenix, Chee-to, says it's really his entire outfit for the Yule Ball. He may be right; what do you think?

Thank You to Those Who Serve

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all who served, and who serve today, wherever you are.

Day is done.
Gone the sun
From the lake
From the hills
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest
God is nigh.

Fading light
Dims the sight
And a star
Gems the sky
Gleaming bright.
From afar
Drawing nigh
Falls the night.

No More Cold Feet!

2011-11-10T06:08:00.000-05:00

For Charms, we had several options, including "craft something from Bulky Yarn" and "craft something in honor of Dobby". Socks from bulky yarn seemed called for - and, hey, I desperately needed a new pair of bedsocks!

They turned out great, thankfully. And very warm. With warm feet, I can fall right asleep. I'm ALL about the warm fuzzy bedsocks!!

A miracle has occurred.

2011-11-09T07:07:00.000-05:00

And now, for an important announcement:

THE YARN IS ORGANIZED!!!

It's a miracle. There's even an index so we can find what's where. And it works- we found the yarn for Squirrel Nutkin's tail without any trouble! (I have to add that this is both my and my mother's yarn. Because it's clearly too much yarn for one person. Scary thing? Before I started HPKCHC, we had half again as much!)

Hedwig and the Angry Snitch

2011-11-08T08:06:00.001-05:00

Just have to share this delightful sketch by my buddy Ever Tesser - it's "Hedwig and the Angry Snitch"!

He's one of the most talented artists I know. And that's saying a LOT!

Also, I got a Snape Badge in Detention this month, woohooo!

I had a squirrel.

2011-11-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

Some knitting in between all the writing. (And don't forget there's the Third Task for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and the Yule Ball. Plus the Headmistress' Challenge. Plus finishing my BROOM and my OWL. No, I don't actually plan to sleep this month.) First up, the aforementioned Headmistress' Challenge:

It's Squirrel Nutkin! The challenge was turned over to the Head Librarian, so we're supposed to craft something inspired by a children's book. My choice was both immediate and obvious. One, I am the Goddes of Squirrels and Static Electricity, and I haven't ever actually knitted a squirrel. Two, it was one of my favorite books when I was little.

The body is based on Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer's Knitted Bunny, which is one of my go-to patterns for... well, any time I think I can make a bunny! Or, now, a Squirrel.

I think he came out just *adorable*. And, of course, my mom has already run off with him. (She's a school system librarian; it seemed like a good fit!).

Cleaning House (sorta)

2011-11-04T06:15:00.000-04:00

I had to clear a few things off my Rav info page (it was getting crowded), but need somewhere to store them... so here they are! Yay, blog!

Winter Term, 2011:

Achievement Awards, Fall Term 2010:

Finished a HPKCHC First Year Ultimate Quest during Spring Term, 2010:

Another Magazine!

2011-11-03T06:07:00.000-04:00

I got another magazine.

I like Knitting Traditions for the articles, but there's also frequently a pattern or two - IN EACH ISSUE I BUY! - that I'll actually wind up making. This time, I was immediately drawn to this Eskimo Sweater:

It is EXACTLY like one my mother knitted when we lived in Alaska (well, hers was green), and I'm totally making a green-and-grey one for myself. Or one in Black, Red, and Yellow as part of my With Flames Muggle Studies OWL next term... hmmm... yeah, I think that's a plan!

Then, I flipped through from the back, and saw a sock. It looked REALLY familiar - since I have a kit with said sock in it (it's the last of the Fairy Tale Sock Club kits I have to knit up). I was getting really worried - had someone ripped off my friend's design? Was EVIL happening in an otherwise wonderful magazine?

NOPE! It's Gryphon's pattern, with her name on it and everything!!

I squealed loudly and gleefully and pointed it out to my husband, who managed to not roll his eyes. It is just SO COOL seeing people I know appear unexpectedly in Real Live Magazines! (And yes, I know, if I paid more attention to the world around me, I probably would've known this was happening in advance. But I'm oblivious most of the time, so it as a wonderful surprise!)

Future Projects....

2011-11-02T05:06:00.000-04:00

Look what I found on the Interwebs! A Sew Retro online course to sew a Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress!

Of course, finding it wasn't really hard - since it's in the sidebar of Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing, which is one of my favorite reading blogs. I just finally *noticed* it was there. Between that, and finding sewing magazines, and re-locating my dress form (it never left the house. I would've sworn it was in storage), the Universe has been telling me to sew something. (It's also been telling me to start drawing again. I think the universe wants me to clean up my studio once and for all.)

Look what else I found on the Interwebs!!

It's a CROCHETED Hello Kitty! Scarf in the Made by K - Tutorials blog! Oooooo!!!

No, I don't need another Hello Kitty scarf, since I'm not sure where the double-sided illusion knit one I made is right now. (It had BETTER be somewhere safe.)... but it's really really cute!!

National Novel Writing Month is ON!

2011-11-01T06:05:00.000-04:00

Today is the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) starts. I know I'm not the only Snake out there playing along (yet again - this will be my TENTH year), so here's some rules to keep in mind while you're writing:

I'll be tracking my word counts over on my writing blog, with occasional complaining here, since this is going to SERIOUSLY cut into my knitting time, and I have precious little of that as it is!

October is DONE.

2011-10-31T09:24:00.001-04:00

October Wrap-Up:
1. Transfiguration - Acorn, Large, turned in post 24, marked complete post 66, October 4;
2. Care of Magical Creatures - Zombieproof Hat, turned in post 102, marked complete post 157, October 4;
3. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Neckwarmer!, turned in post 79, marked complete post 242, October 4;
4. Ancient Runes, Holastafur Hotpad, turned in post 42, marked complete post 46, October 5;
5. Muggle Studies, Glittery Faux-Lei, turned in post 127, marked complete post 129, October 10;
6. DETENTION - Nancy Shawl, started April 2011; turned in post 206, marked complete post 208, October 12;
7. Quidditch - Fire Task #2, Mantle of the Phoenix, turned in post 3283, marked complete post 3303, October 12;
8. Quidditch, Yule Ball event #2 - Dances - The Chudley Cannonball; The Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers Tango, post 3809, scored post ???, October 20;
9. Potions, Swiffer Cover!, turned in post 464, marked complete post 530, October 25;
10. 50% OWL (Evenstar Shawl), turned in post 373, marked complete post 377, October 27;
11. Arithmancy, Fractal Hot Pad, turned in post 345, marked complete post 376.

... and November promises to be even crazier. Whee!!

Arithmancy win?

2011-10-28T23:55:00.000-04:00

Arithmancy - FOUR ~~three~~ fails and a win!

Attempt One: Sierpenski Triangles, shawl. Crocheted in chocolate & teal chenille, very soft, in a continuous piece - so planning What Happens Next was a brain-hurter. Would need another two of these, minimum, to make anything - could not face it.

Attempt Two: Sierpenski Triangles, scarf. Crocheted two-colors, carrying the "off" color between the stitches. Actually works fairly well, and have figured out how to form the pieces better. Still probably getting frogged, though, since getting through 2.5 rows (8 needed) was mind-numbing *and* too-much-thinking all at once.

Attempt Three: Sierpenski Triangles, um, needle case? Decided to make just ONE set of opposite triangles (see chart), and see how that went. Worked out the best method for actually getting sharp triangle-shapes to work, got about halfway through. COMPLETELY LOST INTEREST. Will probably get finished up for Detention next month, since I could use a DPN-rollup case.

Attempt Four: Gave up on triangles, went to a simple nine-square "shoo-fly" grid, which can be expanded up on itself. Not truly fractal, since it wouldn't occur in nature, but the assignment was "Option 3: Craft anything you like, but be sure to explain clearly how it relates to fractals." And since it's a block made up of tiny similar blocks, I think it this pattern counts. It was going to be a sparkly pillow-top, with five 27x27 black-and-copper squares squares, made up of five 9x9 black and copper squares broken up by four 9x9 copper squares, broken up by four 27x27 copper squares. Just not enough time to finish the whole thing. (It's in Vanna's Glamour, and on size 3 needles. GAH.)

Attempt Five: Coasters, based on the 27x27 patch, double knit in yarn that was lying around. A dark/light nine-patch square made up of little dark/light nine-patch squares which is made up of little dark/light nine stitch squares. I totally think it counts as the spirit of fractal, if not actually fractal itself.. Of course, by the time I had my Baby Ull cast on (in lovely purple and green), I realized I was making another hot pad - that's the second this month, and about the size my attention span will permit me to double knit.

*phew* That's everything I need done for October! Yay!!!

50% Astronomy OWL!

2011-10-27T09:26:00.003-04:00

First, hello to Natasha at Unplanned Peacock -I'll definitely be bugging you about getting more Kitty yarn! I just love it!

Now, to the Serious Stuff, aka OWL progress, I'm at 50% (actually 50-and-a-scooch%), obtained yesterday at lunch. I thought I still had one more row to go, so this is 3/4 of the way through Row 34 of Chart 3 - and the 50% mark (according to the Spreadsheet of Evenstar) is tucked inside Row 33. So I made it! This is going to be a very large, very fluffy, very light shawl:

I ended up pulling the thing completely off the needles, and running a perle cotton lifeline through row 34, making sure it was long enough to actually allow me to see how big the shawl is, and what the stitch patterns look like now. (My last lifeline, at row 25, was way too short, so the whole shawl kinda bunched up uncomfortably in places, and I was worried it would start to felt before too much longer.)

There's another forty or so rows until the edging starts, and I'm hoping to get that done this week, since I'd really like November to be All-Edging, All The Time. I've already decided that Catkin is my Yule Ball #3 project, and I will make ALL my classes fit the things I need to make for Christmas (several washcloth/facepoof sets, four more glass cozies, swiffer covers, knitted ornaments). In November, my sit-in-my-chair project will be this OWL (which will be getting beaded at that point, and will no longer travel well), the carryaround will be my BROOM plus one other project for class, and hopefully by Thanksgiving weekend I'll be in good shape to turn everything in first thing on the 29th.

Because otherwise, there's not going to be a lot of sleeping at the end of the month.

Oh, did I mention I'm also doing NaNoWriMo again, too?

More things to do with cotton yarn....

2011-10-26T06:15:00.000-04:00

So, for Potions this month, we had an option to make an Item Used in Muggle Cleaning. So, I found a crochet pattern for a a "Swiffer Cover". Swiffer is one of those sinister products that uses the "Razor and Blades" scheme - the consumer is able to purchase the handle assembly at a low price, but has to to purchase replacement refills and pads over the life of the product (and that adds up to a multibillion-dollar industry in fifteen countries). I happen to have competitor's product, engineered along the same lines, and still (allegedly) reliant upon buying refill after refill of the "mop pads". Or, rather, it was, until I made this: It's SheepOfADifferentColor.com's pattern, but the website is down right now, so the only way to get to the pattern is to look at the Ravelry Page for it (sorry!).

Half a ball of washable cotton - nice, washable reusable cotton - can substitute easily for one of the mop pads. So, for a small outlay of time and yarn (in this case, fifty cents - one half of a ball fo Pisgah Peaches & Cream, scored at the Dollar Store!), one can stop shelling out money for one-use pads.

The only problem is that mine looks so nice and pretty I don't actually want to get dirt on it!!

On the other hand, I know one of the things I'll be getting my mom for Christmas is a bunch of these in pretty colors. She's hit the "impossible to buy for" stage, but still loves anything I make for her. Yes, even Cleaning-Related Items.

What to do with All That Yarn.

2011-10-25T06:04:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering what you can do with one ball of Peaches & Cream, here's some examples. Yep, all four things took 97 yards of a 98-yard ball, and all told, it was about four hours of knitting/crocheting-while-watching-TV. Well... maybe just three.

Who: CraftyGryphon
Where: Slytherin, Fifth Year
Why: Quidditch, Yule Ball event #2
What: Dances - The Chudley Cannonball; The Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers Tango
When: (aka Tag, because I wasn't sure which heading it should go under) ybslyqf11
How: 97 yards (for all four items)

Hello to my fellow dancers! I'm here with two dances to perform (somebody cue the orchestra please). First up, is the oh-so-fun Chudley Cannonball, half in knit steps, half in crochet!

And then, we move to the Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers Tango (a crowd favorite) Two-steps are always fun!

Whee!!

Goodness, that was exerting. Someone fetch me a hottie to fetch me some Ginger Ale, please!

Um. That's a lot of yarn.

2011-10-24T06:03:00.001-04:00

The Dollar Store had Pisgah Peaches & Cream 2 for $1. The cart-seat is my mom's haul; the cart is mine. I am set for cotton yarn forever, or at least until I crochet up a mess of American Flag dishcloths for the USO, a bunch of swiffer covers for me and my mom, glass cozies and washcloths for my family, and a bunch of Slytherin and pumpkin ornaments just for my own amusement!

(And no, I don't have anywhere to put it. I'm knitting/crocheting it up as fast as I can and still work on my OWL.)

Extreme Double Knitting!!

2011-10-21T06:40:00.000-04:00

I also got obligatory knitting magazines. (Seriously. I haven't gone on a magazine binge for months, you expected me to stop at two?)

Interweave Knits kinda suckered me; while I do read most of the articles, I was most interested in this, which I caught out of the corner of my eye during a cursory flip-through:

Turns out neither it - nor the techniques involved - are actually in the magazine. They're from Extreme Double Knitting: New Adventures in Reversible Colorwork by Alasdair Post-Quinn, which is now available for preorder from CooperativePress.com. I'm getting this book, since it's one of the techniques hinted at during Melissa Leapman's double knitting class at the TKGA conference in Greensboro (she had the COOLEST hat done this way). And you can get a digital edition, or a digital edition AND a book! So, the magazine is forgiven for having a lead on a really, really cool book.

I also swiped my copy of the Vogue Knitopedia, finally:

It's a great resource for All About Knitting - and it really does try to cover EVERYTHING. To wit:

I'm going to have a lot of fun curling up on a cold winter weekend morning and reading it front to back!

I want a beaded tiger.

2011-10-20T06:30:00.000-04:00

You didn't think I'd just bought ONE magazine, did you? Now, I don't get Jill Oxton's very often - once, maybe twice a year, if something really strikes my fancy. This is the Christmas Issue, and it had a couple of things I really liked.

I seem to have a liking for tiny stitched and beaded trees this year. I like the little ornament - it's simple, but lovely, and reminds me of... well, a lot of other ornaments I've done, so it would match. And I want the bracelet!!

The most interesting thing, though, was in the "coming next issue" section. I WANT THIS TIGER!!

... and yes, there's more printed matter discussion tomorrow!

Cloth Mag and WiseNeedle.com

2011-10-19T10:25:00.001-04:00

So, I might have wandered into a bookstore over the weekend. And I might have wandered into the magazine section. Wherein I might have found this:

.... inside of which was this...

Now, I'm not sure about fashionable burlap, but there were several bags in the issue I just loved, and lots of nice technique hints. When I went looking for a good copy of the magazine cover to post (mine was oddly grainy), I found the magazine's site (yay!), which linked to their VIMEO uploads. For the current issue, there were two "behind the scenes" short videos. They were really interesting - and fun to watch. (Haven't quite figured out how to embed from VIMEO yet.)

Cloth Mag - Autumn Jackets

Cloth Mag - Plain White Tees

All of that, combined with this (a photo of a robe taken by RandomKnits - I don't know if it's actually hers or not)...

... left me trying to actually *find* some fabric like that. (It's brightly colored, it's a crochet PRINT... yes, I'd make one for myself!)

No luck finding the fabric, but I did find a wonderful resource: String-or-Nothing.com, which is part of Wiseneedle.com, ANOTHER resource I hadn't known about. If you click through on the photo below (from the site - and another thing it would be cool to make!), you can read some really interesting stuff. And then click somewhere else on the page, and read more interesting stuff...

Yes, because I NEEDED another on-line time sink!!

Blatant Blog Filler

2011-10-18T06:45:00.000-04:00

So, at the halfway point of October, I'm doing pretty well:

1. Transfiguration - Acorn, Large, turned in post 24, marked complete post 66, October 4;
2. Care of Magical Creatures - Zombieproof Hat, turned in post 102, marked complete post 157, October 4;
3. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Neckwarmer!, turned in post 79, marked complete post 242, October 4;
4. Ancient Runes, Holastafur Hotpad, turned in post 42, marked complete post 46, October 5;
5. Muggle Studies, Glittery Faux-Lei, turned in post 127, marked complete post 129, October 10;
6. DETENTION - Nancy Shawl, started April 2011; turned in post 206, marked complete post 208, October 12;
7. Quidditch - Fire Task #2, Mantle of the Phoenix, turned in post 3283, marked complete post 3303, October 12;

The thing I *MUST* concentrate on now is my OWL. I have to have 50% turned in, or Gryffindor is going to totally WAIL on us in the points (they pulled as much as 900 points ahead last week!)

I have a lot of fun turning classes in, mostly in the weird little write-ups I come up with. (It's nice when one can entertain one's self.) This is my Second-Round Quidditch turn-in.

Name: CraftyGryphon
House: Slytherin, Fifth Year
Tags: sfire2qf11 sabfall2011
Project page: Mantle of the Phoenix
       So, there I am, minding my own business after the FIRST round of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and there's Cheeto, the little Phoenix from said last round of said Tournament, waiting for me in the Great Hall. And having some sort of fit.

       "Hey, little guy!" I say, trying to smooth his feathers and calm him down. But no, he's pretty agitated! He flutters down the hall towards the Snake Pit, then reverses, and heads towards the Gryffindor Common Room. He flies in (with me skidding to a halt at the door - I can't go in without a password, but I guess that doesn't apply to Phoenixes!), and grabs something white off the back of a chair, then flies out and dumps it on my head.
       It's my friend Ali123's Elise Shawl from CoMC last month.
       "What the heck are you DOING?" I ask Cheeto. He lands on my shoulder, sticks his beak under the shawl, and stares at me.
       "This isn't my shawl," I tell him.
       He rolls his eyes. (Very expressively, too.)
       "Okay, you're trying to tell me something." (He nods.)
       "Ali's in danger?" (He shakes his head.)
       "You want a shawl?" (He sort of half-shakes and stares.)
       "You want ME to have a shawl?" (He nods.)
       "You want me to have THIS shawl?" (He shakes his head, grabs the shawl, flies it back to its chair, then comes back to my shoulder.)
       "I need a shawl?" (He nods, and rolls his eyes.)
       "I need a shawl for the Tournament?" (He nods; at this point, we're both wishing I could actually speak to him. Parseltounge, yes; Viridiaspeak, no.)
       "What does it need to do? How will it help me?" (He stares at me, then sets my hair on fire.)
       "OW, you silly bird! Okay, I need protection from fire - or from YOU?" (I swear he laughed at me, but nodded to the first thing.)
       So, I spent quite a bit of time researching fire-protection, and how to create fabric that has fire-protection properties. I wound up with this, which I'm calling the Mantle of the Phoenix:

And, I can attest that Cheeto hasn't been able to set me on fire since I put it on.

So, I should be protected from Fire from here on in during the rest of the Tournament. Also, am NOT taking it off if that dratted little featherhead is in the area! He's got a vicious sense of "humor"!!

Another finish

2011-10-17T06:40:00.001-04:00

Also due to the commuting trauma last week (and not actually having cast on my actual Rogue hoodie until Tuesday evening - AFTER the commute), I was able to finish a lovely shawl I started back in April during the DC Yarn Crawl.

It's Color Changing Cotton, and I used all but three yards of it.

I also really like the lattice texture - it's just the "Nancy" part of the Nancy & Judy shawl on Ravelry; I'll be using it again in something-or-other!

Bad week for Metro; good week for Knitting

2011-10-14T08:37:00.002-04:00

Monday had a bit of a commute from hell, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday... so Monday, while waiting for the bus to get to the OTHER half of the train (track work = bus to train to bus to train to bus commute!), I whipped up my gauge swatch for my BROOM, which is the Rogue hoodie from Girl from Auntie. (And Monday wasn't nearly as bad as the commute home Tuesday - as I showed you Wednesday.)

While at work, since it was really slow (all our regulators and clients being closed), I was able to get the basics of my schematic set up:

What I've done so far should keep me entertained for about ten days, or to the armhole shaping/start of the hood. I have to check my class notes to get the math for the armhole shaping correct (I know how many inches I need to decrease to have the danged thing actually fit my shoulders properly, I just need to know that in "rows" and "stitches"), but it should be all good. I'm not even going to WORRY about starting the sleeves (or figuring them out!) until the 20th.

I allowed myself to actually start knitting my OWL Monday, since it's a holiday, and this is how far I got by Wendesday morning - actually knitting the hem in place, and 9 rows into Chart A:

Since there was a bit of commuting trauma Wednesday evening and Thursday maorning, I let myself have the rest of the work-week with the Fun New Sweater. As yesterday was XBRL (yuck!) training at work, which resulted in no time to post, and more stress, I had this by the end of the day:

That's the first 25 rows, plus the hem (already turned) and the front pocket knit up. With all the decreases involved in my hip/waist ratio, it's going pretty quickly now.... so, now, it's NOTHING BUT OWL until I hit the 50% mark. As a result, I'm finished with Quidditch (having knit three things for it already, with only one required) and classes (assuming my DADA gets accepted - if not, I'll turn it in for whatever the eighth class I was going to ignore is).

The Long, Dark Teatime of the Commute

2011-10-12T11:22:00.002-04:00

Last night, a man was struck by a train in Clarendon Metro station. Last I heard, he was hospitalized, but still alive, which is good. All things considered, Metro acted appropriately and as quickly as it was possible to do during the height of rush hour, when the accident occured. The Orange Line was shut down from Rosslyn to Ballston to allow the EMTs, CSIs and other necessary TLAs access to the incident site. Shuttlebus service was deployed - but during rush hour, it took a while to set up.

The escalators at Rosslyn shut down - AS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO - when confronted with overloaded/too much weight conditions. The alternative is maybe having the brakes slip and everyone plummet to the bottom. Since that's happened on a Metro escalator earlier this year, I'm glad the safety kicked in. It did, however, make for a fascinating sight while trying to get *in* to the station and onto the platform:

Metro did convert a third escalator to "Up", and restricted the number of people on it so it could keep running. Meanwhile, the platforms were 100% full of people - I've never seen it so bad, EVER. I and three East Indian girls managed to crowd-dance to the platform edge and catch a train going in the other direction. Coming back the other way (on the Blue Line, which was still up and running), there was NO stop at Rosslyn, because the number of people on the platforms made it too dangerous to try to put anyone off the train. (The last thing Metro wanted was *another* person pushed in front of a train!) Because trains stacked up, were run in reverse (to get some of the people off the platform and headed the other way to the shuttlebus), were single-tracked (one case only, just for safety reasons)... it took quite a while to get home. I left work at 5; I was home by 8:30. It doesn't sound like anyone else was injured, though, which in those crowds was nothing short of a miracle!!

Fire Task #2

2011-10-11T06:20:00.000-04:00

So, last Thursday, I started Task #2 for Quidditch. It's a Crovontuli shawl (free Ravelry download!), which is a crochet version of AnneM's very popular Revontuli (another free download!), which has been in my queue forever. The yarn is a ball of Sereknity (back when it was Sereknity!) Perfect Sock that I found up in Beverly Farms MA last weekend, in the Campfire colorway. I’m going to call the finished thing the Mantle of the Phoenix.

Here's how it looked Friday morning:

Yes, I need to change the page on my desk blotter

... and here it is now:

I used all but three yards of my yarn, which includes adding six-stitch iCord ties at the front. I'm trying to decide whether or not to block it; I kinda like the way it stands up on itself right now. And I still have to do the write-up explaining it... but it's not due until Friday, so I have some time to decide & write.

Non-Wool, Ukelele-related

2011-10-10T10:18:00.001-04:00

For Muggle Studies this month, we have the option of making (a) something from Knitty, (b) something without any wool, or (c) something to do with a ukelele. I'm doing a (b) and (c) combo - totally synthetic yarn to knit up a faux-lei. (Ukelele = Hawaii = Leis.) However, I learned that the Rozetti Marina tries really, REALLY hard to dive off your needles. And if it does manage to drop itself, it is a PAIN trying to find a place below what's unraveled to pick up the stitches again!

It's possible, but that glob of yarn in the center of the frame that isn't part of the scarf? We'll call that "Thursday morning's progress, completely gone". Now, mind you, this is *not* an entire skein of Marina Glitz - it's about 60%. My 33 yard skein had a KNOT in it - and a pretty easy-to-untie one at that, so that became where I ended - about 18 yards in. Which, as it turns out, is a good length for my "lei".

I made another of these with Rozetti Flora, which I think I like better - it's much, much floofier! I may have to find some green sparkly Flora (if it exists) to make a Christmas wreath. Because if you're gonna have a knitted wreath, that's a pretty cool one to have!

Awww.... Quidditch in Real Life!

2011-10-07T06:55:00.002-04:00

So, finished Ancient Runes, where we were studying some actual Icelandic Staves - magic sigils. Kinda scary, those ancient Icelanders... but I managed to find a fun way to interpret one of the staves, and get some double-knitting practice in at the same time.

I chose to craft a representation of the stave for Opening Hills. Now, anyone who travels Underhill is probably really really going to want a way BACK OUT at some point - so I opted to double-knit my stave so it’s two-sided. The dark side gets you IN; the light side lets you OUT. Just slap it on a wall, hit it with a stick (your wand will work), and viola - instant gateway! It can also be used as a hotpad, to protect tables and such, but be sure not to tap it with a wooden spoon or somesuch while a hot cup of tea is on it - someone on the Other Side will not appreciate being doused with soup or boiling water!

It's also useful for quick exits by those who tend to wander in caves and/or underground corridors and/or kitchens - although be careful. Being returned "to the light" without the proper amount of concentration can result in things like that regrettable incident with the food dye and the artichokes atop Ravenclaw Tower yesterday. (Sorry about that.)

In other news, I'm so proud of my alma matter!

BROOM progress, or lack thereof

2011-10-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't actually started my BROOM (the Rogue hoodie) just yet. But I did manage to get the four skeins of Miss Babs Yowza! (in the Russet colorway) wound into seven balls. (Yes, seven. It was supposed to be eight, but I got distracted, so there's one megaball.)

It's going to be very pretty, and I'm going to start it as soon as I finish a few more classes for October!

Nuts!

2011-10-05T06:45:00.000-04:00

For transfiguration, we're supposed to make something that has something to do with what one's animal form would be, if one were an animagus. As much as I'd like to think I'd pull something cool like a puma or lioness, I know I'll probably wind up being a squirrel. Therefore, I knit myself an acorn. Again, I totally winged the pattern; there is a double-thick cardboard circle holding the acorn cap in proper shape. Also, the cap is knitted with worsted; the nut-part is knit out of sock yarn.

Yay for i-cord, since that let me knit the whole thing in one piece!

So, that's three classes down so far!

Unplanned Peacock Yarn!

2011-10-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to be good, and use up yarn as I buy it now. Yes, there's going to be a *wee* spot of trouble doing that since I went a little overboard at the TKGA Yarn market, but I'm off to a good start. I got a skein of yarn from Unplanned Peacock - I think the colorway was Tortiseshell (since it's the colors of a cat of that coloring), but I'm not certain, and the ball band ran away at some point, never to be seen again. The yarn is very soft, and I was able to get two classes (and two items) from the single skein!

The first thing I made was a hat, pretty much winging it as I went. I WAS GOOD AND SWATCHED FIRST. Seriously - I don't think I've ever bothered to swatch for a hat before, and, well, I have some pretty wonky-fitting hats. This one, though, fits perfectly:

Then I also made a lovely little neckwarmer with what was left. The actual pattern calls for 10 4-row repeats; I ran out of yarn at 7, so the actual pattern is a bit more elegant. I love mine, though, and it hits just right under my chin. The buttons are from Di Irvine; they're fused glass, and the photo doesn't begin to do them justice.

I'm turning these in for Care of Magical Creatures (the hat) and Defense Against the Dark Arts (the neckwarmer). Yay!

September Wrap-Up

2011-10-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

September Wrap-Up: Astronomy O.W.L. (Evenstar Shawl), propsed post 84, approved post 162, September 1; Detention, Birch Leaf Dobby's Sunset Shawl, post 451, September 7; Charms, Feather and Fan Neck Cozy, post 171, marked complete post ?, September 7; Muggle Studies, iCozy, post 155, marked complete post 257, September 8; DADA, Pumpkin Beanie, post 191, marked complete post 200, September 8; Herbology, STOP SOCK Project Tote, post 122, marked complete post 140, September 8; BROOM Mission request, post 363, assigned post 654, September 14; Quidditch Task #1 - Baby Phoenix toy, post 1239, goal recorded post 1273, September 21; Astronomy, Cactus for Uranus, post 427, marked complete post 688, September 25; Potions, Kitty Head Double Knit Coaster/Hotpad, post 622, marked completed post 671, September 26; Yule Ball - Choose your Parner Tulip Preemie Caps, post 2261, September 26; Care of Magical Creatures, Rocket Ship, post 166 (complete with The Secret of Shimbly-Shambly Wood, marked complete post 1281, September 30.

Rocket Ship!!

2011-09-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

Care of Magical Creatures is finally done. Trust me, making a rocket ship totally makes sense for the class, even though it doesn't appear to. But it does. And, thankfully, it's done. I'll try to get it to Fibre Space early next week (it's not going to happen THIS week, that's for sure), and coordinate turn-in times with my classmates.

Anyway, here's my little Rocket Ship. It was able to take off okay...

... but then OH NOES!! It starts spinning out of control! IT MIGHT CRASH!!

Then, a sudden swerve to the left prevents CERTAIN DOOM...

... and it flies back on course. YAY!!!

It heads off to Parts Unknown and Great Adventure. Woohooo!!

(Why, yes, I'm a geek and have fun vrooming toy rockets around the living room. I refuse to grow up any more than I have to!)

Quidditch Rules!

2011-09-28T06:30:00.000-04:00

For Quidditch this term, there's a lot of stuff going on. One of the Things Going On is the Yule Ball, and that's its own separate thing. One has to get a dance partner (I found a first-year Hufflepuff) and craft the same object with them for the First Event. We've got a project picked out - and can start working on it today. We chose this cute little Tulip Preemie Cap, which can be easily sized up for larger noggins.

The official spiel is: Students will select a partner from a different house. Together the pair will pick an item and each make the same thing. Items should be more than 25 yards and no bigger than 200 yards, and be something both partners are able to complete within one week. Students may choose to spin or dye for this event, but both partners must do the same craft. Spinners must produce a minimum of 50 yards.

Then there's our Tasks - we pick an element (no surprise, mine is fire), and do stuff with that. That's due... tomorrow, I think. If you remember Chee-to from last week, you know I've completed Task #1 already. Waiting now for Task #2!! I made up a bunch of icons for it (slavishly copying Hufflepuff, just with a totally different look); people can use them if they wish for Quidditch.

There's also an AWESOME set in the Snake Pit, which is these 12 icons - with DOOM GOAT added to every single one!! (The DOOM GOAT Saga is a tale for another day.)

Another Snake added Doom Goat to all the icons; I snagged the fire ones back, and added "DOOM GOAT COMPELS YOU". These are the ones I'll be using:

Whee!

Bronze Yarn for the Ravenclaws

2011-09-27T06:30:00.000-04:00

I'm not certain I announced this - and it was a few weeks back that I discovered it, but Vanna's Glamour finally comes in BRONZE. Ravenclaws finally have their 2nd color represented - I expect to see some awesome 'Claw scarves this winter!

There's also some really violent hot-pink out there now... I'm not quite sure what to make with it. I'm sure, once I think of something, I'll buy them out. (The temptation is to do a Katherine Hepburn sweater (from Lace Style) out of it - it's been in my queue forever.)

I seem to really be into the Vanna's Glamour. I'll eventually be knitting/crocheting a full-circle hooded cloak out of it for my NEWT. (Which is why I *really need to finish my Astronomy OWL*...!)

Hipsters, Plaid, and Humidity

2011-09-26T08:34:00.001-04:00

Ugh. It is hot and humid. AT MY DESK. (So, no, not glad to be back at work. The work I don't mind; the humidity can LEAVE ALREADY.) Since I am just back after a few days off (and it appears that Giant Project of Doom is waiting for me, just a quick entry today.

First, Obligatory Yarn Content: http://www.squidoo.com/hipsterknitting. A page with all sorts of content for Hipster Knitting. But by pointing it out, it's not obscure enough any more.

It's been raining a lot this fall. I'm really glad I got my new rainboots - much less clunky than the usual Wellies. (Okay, plaid harness-cowgirl boots? Didn't know they existed until the day I got them.) They're comfortable, with great traction, too - and don't scream out "rainboots!!"

Yeah, not really yarn related, but I really like these boots!

Double knitting WIN!

2011-09-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

Today, I learned double knitting - and actually got it correct this time! I took Melissa Leapman's class (the second class I've taken from her), "Two Color Double Knitting". First, we just did one color on side A, one color on side B, then switched:

Then, we had to try it with a pattern. With the magic of "here's how the color change goes" and "keep that color close/on top"... it WORKED! I continued my class swatch and tried to upside-down the chart from that to see if I could ... and it WORKED! I can do double knitting!

Of course, Melissa had some truly stunning things to show us. The first was the totally reversible baby blanket; then there were double-knit hats that were two completely different patterns on each side. SO COOL! (If the Double Sided Double Knit Hat class is offered next year, I'm taking it!)

There's out there, somewhere, an amazing guy named Alistair who does multi-color double knitting with completely different pictures on each side. I'm going to try to find some images of his stuff, if possible; it sounds BEYOND cool!!

School Day!!

2011-09-22T20:54:00.001-04:00

I am learning New Things right now.

Like intarsia (and argyles) from Arenda Holladay:

...and the basics of well-fitting Thursday, September 22, 2011sweater design from Chris Bylsma:

Lots of knitting is happening, but mostly in Tiny Swatches that, with the exception of the argyle above, aren't terribly exciting.

But lots of knitting is, indeed, happening!!

The Chee-to is On Fire.

2011-09-21T16:17:00.001-04:00

No post yesterday, almost no post today. Let's just leave it at it was one of those 24-hour periods that invovled driving through downtown DC at 4am with a Birthday Cake strapped in the backseat and leave it there.

The Tri-Wizard Tournament started on Sunday, and I've completed my first task. Due to a lack of time and possibly too much sugar (blame the Birthday Cake!), here's my turn-in post.

Name: CraftyGryphon
House: Slytherin
Tag: SFire1QF11
Project Page: Chee-To!!!

Woohoo! This is CraftyGryphon, Fifth Year Slytherin and Tri-Wizard Tournament Contestant, checking in with the Scoring Judges! I have chosen the Path of Fire (henceforth the Path WITH FLAMES), and, to that end, I have found a way to protect myself from fire - most especially Fire Damage Caused By Direct Dragon Flames. I decided that since Phoenixes are both awesome...

... and tend to fight off Fire-Breathing Dragons, I'd see if I could find a baby one to protect me. (And possibly see if it would imprint on me. I could be a Mama Phoenix!)

This is Chee-to, my baby Phoenix. Phoenixes, as we know, are impervious to flames themselves (except that special end-of-life one that they don't talk about), and their tears have magical healing properties. Just a cute little bundle of flame protection, he is! And a bit of a show-off. (He made me post multiple pictures, really, he did.)

He took about 180 yards of yarn, which I was NOT really expecting, except that to get the Vanna's Glamor (the sparkly stuff) to be as voluminous as the Red Heart Super Saver (orange and yellow), I had to crochet double the number of rows and used about double what I thought I'd need! Yikes!!

Without his cute little wings and big fluffly tail and sparkly feet and beak, he didn't quite hit 100 yards. If he had somehow been over the 150 yard mark then, he would have spent the rest of his life as an Actual Chee-to, instead of just having an embarassing name.

I think he'll forgive me for giving him the powers of flight and extreme cutness!

More tomorrow.... or something. Unless there's another fierce Birthday Cake waiting in the wings!!!

I have a rocket ship?

2011-09-19T12:51:00.003-04:00

I'd forgotten Friday's post was titled "I want a Rocket Ship!" - so I'm giggling right now. Because that's kinda what I did this weekend...

I didn't actually get much crafting done this weekend. There were contractors crawling all over the house, a lot of boxes to shift around, and other assorted stresses. So, with the newly-clear middle room floor, I did what any sane child of the 80's would do: I decided to finally build the TIE Interceptor I'd gotten as a Christmas present about a decade ago.

TIE Interceptor
Breaking into a new LEGO kit is always a fun time, especially the bigger ones. This is the largest, space-wise, that I've done. (Number of pieces, though, no; there are only 703. And there were only 3 extra pieces in the kit - all little tiny things that tend to run away, too. At least one of the duplicates tried to run for it, but I caught it at the edge of the yoga mat.)

The first thing you make is the cockpit, of course - it being the center of the ship. I was giggling happily for a good fifteen minutes over the level of detail on some of the pieces. I HAZ TARGETING COMPUTER!! Woohooo!

Insane Levels of Detail!
There also may have been a few minutes spent opening and closing the front hatch. Possibly more than a few.

There was a moment of panic when I realized one of the pieces was, in fact, malformed - which would've been a disaster, except it was easily hidden in the wing assembly. And now I will be able to tell my TIE Interceptor apart from all others! Which, you know, when everyone's running for their ship could be important... really.

I've always kinda pooh-poohed the idea of sorting all the pieces before you start builing one of these kits. By the time I was starting the upper wings, though, I'd turned into one of Those People. And it did make it go faster. (Although sorting pieces before each step probably doesn't count, so I may still not be Quite That Bad.)

Wings do take a while, though.

There's even a stand you build at the end, with tiny writing that really should've photographed better... ah well. Trust me, it's cool.

Since I've finally finished that, I think my whimpering about getting the Imperial Shuttle this Christmas may bear fruit... because the TIE Interceptor is super-cool, but the shuttle is MY ship!!

I want a Rocket Ship!

2011-09-16T06:15:00.000-04:00

I've been working on the HSS Unity for a couple of weeks. It's going to be adorable, and it's totally going to be submitted for the Fibre Space Window Contest:

We are busy planning this year’s holiday window which will be entered in the Old Town Alexandria window decorating contest – but we need your help!
Knit or crochet a small or large rocket, and you will be entered for a prize drawing that will include yarn, books and gift certificates. 8 prizes total will be awarded – each one worth over $50. You are entered once for each small rocket (5") that you make and twice for each large rocket (10").

I figured out a way, thanks to the now-available Vanna's Glamour BRONZE colorway, to make it a real House Unity ship, with all four colors and all four metals represented. The extra additions, though, are REALLY slowing me down and making it less fun than it should be right now. It'll be fine once I get all the fiddly bits finished (trim on the fins, the third booster, the flames in the boosters). But here it is, and here it will probably stay until the race on Sunday. (NASCAR = work on the Thing That Needs Doing Now).

The yellow/red thing on the left = ship.
Progress towards Order First Class:

18 Classes (over the course of term - 3 months) - Status: Five classes done, four turned in (CoMC is a group project, Astronomy is being turned in en masse on the 25th)
Quidditch (Participate in at least one match) - Status: signed up for Yule Ball and Fire Task #1
Headmistress' Challenge - Status: N/A as yet
Detention (Complete one Detention assignment) - Status: DONE
OWL or NEWT - Status: OWL Proposal accepted, 18% OWL accomplished
BROOM - Status: Mission Request submitted.

(Doing an OWL and a BROOM also qualifies me for the Silver Serpent.)

O.W.L. Progress!

2011-09-15T08:45:00.000-04:00

So, I'm chugging along on the Evenstar Shawl. Here it is at the end of Chart 1, right before I dropped in the second lifeline.

I'm into the second ball of yarn now - I did the yarn-bracelet thing again to keep the very end of the ball from tangling - especially since it's mohair. The bracelet thing really does work well!

After a commute from hell with an extra four hours of knitting, followed by a weekend of almost no knittng, I'm just about at 16% done, which just plain isn't far enough along at this point. I have to have well over 50% done at the end of October to even have a chance at getting this thing finished on schedule! I'm hoping to get in a LOT of knitting on it this week. I got a row done on the way to work, and will hopefully get a couple more done at lunch. If I could be at 25% at the end of the week, I'd feel a lot better about things! Here's where I am now, and you can see how far back the lifeline from above is. (I'm going to be pulling that lifeline and replacing it in another 8 rows, before the really strange stuff starts happening on the chart.)

According to the Master Chart of Evenstar Shawldom, being done with Row 33 of Chart 2 puts me closer to 18% than 17% (by a row). (Turns out I miscalculated on the 16% previously; I was only at 13% after the Commute From Hell.) My goal is to be well into Chart 3 by the end of September, preferably past the "repeat these four rows six times" part. I think the Headmistress is there on hers NOW - but she got a month head start, so I know I'm never going to catch up to her. I get to see progress photos quite a bit on the Evenstar-along ("Stargazing with the Centaurs") thread, which is cool - and gives me hope. And lets me know what each stage looks like, too - that's super helpful!!

BROOM submitted!

2011-09-14T10:37:00.001-04:00

So, there's a fun new thing at Hogwarts this term for projects that aren't *quite* time-eating enough to qualify for an O.W.L., but are definitely too much for a month-long class. It's the Order of the Phoenix, which has four departments - Central Command, Security Operations, Recruitment, and Undercover Operations. Now, I've wanted an excuse to knit a Rogue hoodie FOREVER, but it's definitely not an OWL-level project for me. I *might* be able to pull it off in a month - but not if I had to knit anything else (like, say, Quidditch projects, six classes, an OWL, various Challenges...). So a BROOM (Basic Request for Official Order Mission) is a great vehicle for finally getting me the pullover I've wanted forever.

To the point that I've started it before, but in acrylic yarn - and I really want it out of wool. My Miss Babs Yowza! in Russet came in last month, so I'm taking it as A Sign. (I love Yowza! - I'd better, since I've made a king-sized Girasole out of it.) So, I'll be starting all over again once I'm approved, but I'm fine with that. I WANT THIS SWEATER!!!

Anyway, here's my BROOM. As you can probably tell, I had a LOT of fun putting it together. (Also - I don't own any of the images but my sweater schematic at the bottom.)

BROOM Proposal - Public Portion

I, "Morissa Hazard" ~~[ R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D ]~~ of the noble house of Slytherin (see file, left), greatly desires to go on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix. I must follow in my sister "Carrollon Hazard"s (see file) footsteps quite literally, and hope that I can find her, as she has been out of contact for much longer than she ought. I propose, therefore, to gain admission to her current circle of "friends", and continue her work - discovering if the Death-Eaters that are attempting to re-form as a coherent (and dangerous) group.

It is suspected by ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ of the ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ that the new circle is forming around Minos Rockwood (second son of Augustus Rockwood). Despite his father's known offenses, and his elder brother's disapperance, Minos has managed to hold on to the family fortune. To all outward appearances, he is an earnest, charismatic young man with considerable resources at his disposal. His usual mode of dress can politely be termed "flamboyant" (or "gaudy" or "eyereekingly loud"), so he is noticed wherever he goes. He is a favorite subject of the gossip columns of several periodicals.

Minos Rockwood, source: Daily Prophet
He does, however, disappear from time to time. Completely. This in itself is not unusual, people aren't always in the public eye after all, but coupled wtih credible rumors from ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ and actual eyewitness accounts from ~~[ R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D ]~~, he dons far less conspicuous garb than is is wont and heads to a known Portkey at the edge of his estate.

Minos Rockwood: source Carrollon Hazard
My sister, of age to be an "acceptable match" with Rockwood (yes, the ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ families still talk that way!), was approached by ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ some time ago to, in turn, approach Rockwood. After a few months, within which she gained his trust, she was able to ascertain that the Portkey on the Rockwood estate emerges just outside the ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~, in the ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~. While this is perhaps a surprising destination for a would-be Death-Eater, its very unlikliness - outright brazenness, if you prefer - make it a very secure meeting place. Carrollon was also able to positively identify at least one of the other members of the alleged group - ~~[ R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D ]~~.

Death Eater?: source Carrollon Hazard
So far, so good - except Carrollon herself has disappeared. I was able to find her last communication in the ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ files.

Note, ascribed to C.H., source: ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ file
It seems likely that Minos Rockwood's Suspected Activities have crossed into Actual Activities, and my sister herself may be in grave danger. Based on other information in the ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ files, I have pieced together that there is a ritual planned for the Full Cold Moon (in late November). The Harvest Moon has just passed, so I need to find Carrollon in a scant six weeks - before the Full Cold Moon rises.

Carrollon Hazard, source: Ministry File - Suspected Death Eaters
I realize that as a relative of someone that may be in peril, I have to be unnoticable - or so ordinary as to attract no attention whatsoever. To blend in, no matter where I am. I must be able to flow seamlessly - and unnoticed - in whatever surroundings I find myself - or at least look as though I belong where I am! To this end I propose to fashion a hooded pullover, with some (but not too much) decoration, in a deep brown. That seems to be the favored color of Rockwood's group. It should allow me to blend as much as possible - but it won’t seem an unusual thing for me to wear in my everyday life, so I shouldn’t draw attention to myself as doing anything odd, either. I hope to be able to reach the Portkey (luckily, my uncle ~~[ R E D A C T E D ]~~ owns a bit of property estate adjoining the Rockwood estate), and through it find the Death-Eaters - and, Fates willing, my sister. I will obtain what information I can, retrieve my sister, if possible, and hopefully they’ll never know I was there.

I fervently hope my Proposal is accepted.

Thank you,
"Morissa Hazard"

Just for my personal reference, I'm putting my schematic from the original Rogue here; the inches are correct, but my gauge might vary. And at this point, I have no idea where the actual paper copy has hidden itself, if it even still exists!!

Now, I just have to wait to see if I've been approved...

*...drums fingers on desk...*

Are we there yet...?

A Cactus for Uranus

2011-09-13T06:15:00.001-04:00

For Astronomy this month, we're studying Uranus. And if a little tiny part of you snickered quietly to yourself and said "she said Uranus!!" - then welcome to Slytherin House. Based on everyone's inner ten-year-old, a bunch of Snakes are doing Toilet Paper Roll Covers to turn in en masse this month. I can safely say I was always in the anti-TP Roll Cover camp, but I hadn't been exposed to the variety that's out there. Some of them are cute, some are amazingly clever. (Someone's even making a TARDIS.) One of my fellow snakes made this one, and whipped up the "pot" to go with it - it converts from One Roll to Two. So, here's a Cactus for Uranus... (more giggling here):

One Roll

Two Rolls
The pattern was pretty easy. For the pot, KimS just whipped one up from scratch and shared the pattern. I changed it by making my last row triple crochet around - to make it more flowerpot-like.

I also opted for just one flower. I'm actually starting to run low on scratchy yellow acrylic - it's going into a lot of projects lately. I stayed at one flower since I ran out of the pink yarn - it's French knots made from the leftovers of my K-Pop shawl.

The cactus itself is knit with two strands of Vanna's Choice in Olive (BTW, the pot is one strand of Vanna's Choice in Honey). I know it took 58 yards of the doubled yarn, because I actually had to measure off 30-yard chunks so I'd have two strands! The cactus spines are made from three strands of embroidery floss, knotted (bowlines turned out to work best) and cut off at the tips.

It's a nice little cactus.

It's a little strange, but I keep wanting to hug it. I guess I should just be glad I've never had that urge around a *real* cactus!!

... and, just for completeness, this is the cover I started *before* I found out about Cacti. I think I'm glad I changed projects; this was pretty, but just not as overall cool as my convertible cactus.

A hat I would otherwise never make.

2011-09-12T06:30:00.000-04:00

For Defense Against the Dark Arts, we had Option 2: Using Polyjuice Potion - To gain a better understanding of the strain the impersonator must be under, disguise yourself as someone else by crafting something that you never normally would.

My mother thought it would be cute to make "one of those little pumpkin hats" for my niece.

My niece IN MIAMI. This child does not, nor will she likely EVER, need a hat. (Her mom likes heat the way I like cold. The fact we were both ice skaters through high school probably explains why she went to law school in Florida and stayed there!)

There is no way, under any circumstances, that I would normally make a cute little HAT for this child. Toys, yes. One sweater, as light as I could make it. One blanket. Everything else will be toys... but then this class prompt came up.

So, I give you the hat for my niece, which definitely comes under the category of Something I Would Not Normally Craft Under Any Circumstances.

Mom will be sending it down to her, I will be disavowing all knowledge of same. I know better than to knit warm, toasty hats for family in Miami!!

A cozy big enough for an iPhone with a case!

2011-09-09T06:30:00.000-04:00

For Muggle Studies, we had an option to "Craft an item to match a company's logo." One of my pet peeves is that most iPhone cozies fit iPhones beautifully - but not if there's any sort of hardcore protective case on them. So, I decided to make a larger one that actually fit my phone *with case*. First, I needed to research the proper Apple logo:

I opted for the one on the back of my iPhone, which is the second row down, second symbol in. Because I expect this cozy to have a fairly hard life, I made it out of heavy-duty synthetic fibers - so it didn't block, well, at all. But my iPhone with case fits in it! The problem, of course, is getting photos of something in a case when you're using said something to take photos of itself... it just doesn't work. So I have photos, but they're of my husband's smaller backup case (without iPod in it). My case is bigger, and doesn't come off the phone/camera very well... but anyway, here they are!

Now a few notes on the pattern. I took the *idea* of the buttonless cozy from the pattern indicated on my project page, but I didn't follow the pattern AT ALL. I cast on what seemed like the correct number of stitches (16, I think), did garter stitch for five rows, then knit in stockinette until I had a piece long enough to go from top-middle front screen to where I'd want the bottom of the logo to be on the back. I then added the logo in colorwork, rather than duplicate stitch (colorwork is faster for me), then kept knitting stockinette until the whole thing could touch the garter stitch on the sides, then did five more rows of garter stitch.

I seamed the bottom sides first, then the top flap. It works the same as the original pattern, but required much less thinking on my part. And, hey, it works!!

Anyone going to be tweeting during #knitchat tonight?

2011-09-08T06:45:00.001-04:00

First - if you're on Twitter, Thursday nights from 6:30-9:30 PST (ie, starting at 9:30 on the East Coast), check out the hashtag #knitchat - there's, well, a Knit Chat happening! I haven't actually made it to one yet, but I'm hoping to tonight.

Second, for Charms, we could just make up a pattern as we went... which, let's be real, is what I tend to do most of the time. So, I had some pretty yarn that had barely survived the Innovations Knitting Machine Disaster of 2009, and grabbed one of the larger surviving balls. I did a modified Feather-and-Fan (over 13 stitches, with three in the middle) which looked like it had bamboo running up, since I purled every sixth opposite row. I like the way it came out:

I think you can see the pattern a bit better here, perhaps..... okay, maybe not, but it's the only other picture I have. This was the first thing I finished for the term, at any rate, even though I've posted my Herbology project (the Stop Sock bag) first.

So, that's Charms turned in. Woohoo!!

Detention gets me points.

2011-09-07T09:39:00.000-04:00

I finally got my lovely Dobby's Sunset shawl off the blocking board. I really like all the colors, especially since autumn is about to start, and the little leaves... it all just makes me happy!

Here's a better shot of the whole thing (it's really just a neck-shawl, but I used every bit of the yarn possible (and probably a bit more than I should have - see below).

I was asked about how I prep things for blocking - I do the total immersion thing. That's my stainless-steel dedicated shawl/knitwear bowl, and the dedicated glass to sit atop whatever's in the bowl to keep it from floating. (Stainless steel & glass: non-reactive. Non-reactive is good, in general, when dealing with knitted pretties.)

Bowl of Shawl
I also used a cute trick - the center-pull bracelet - for the first time on this project. It really does work!

Center pull balls can tangle near the end.
But not if you wear them.
Well, not as much, anyway.
It helps.
Really, it does!
And I really did use almost every drop of yarn:

All the yarn that is left from my PEby's "Dobby's Sunset" handspun.
I'm turning my shawl in for Detention today. Points for Slytherin, Woohoo!

Finished Project: STOP SOCK Project Bag

2011-09-06T09:59:00.002-04:00

So, here's what I did with the chart from yesterday... and then another chart. I think this little project will actually get written up (by the end of the month?) and put up on Rav. It's a small-to-medium project bag, made from wool and using standard color stranding, and *does* need to be lined if you're actually going to have needles in it. (It's also my turn-in project for Herbology this month, but it's still pretty nifty.)

Front

Back
I started from the bottom center, and made the bottom flat, since I'm fond of bags that will actually stay where you put them/stand up on their own.

Bottom
The drawstring space is made by switching needles for back & forth, and doing a turned hem. It worked out REALLY nicely - to the point that I scavenged the drawstring from the dice bag I'd sewn a few Decembers ago so I'd have a good solid cord. That just happens to be a sparkly red.

Anyway, it turned out great, the pattern's not that hard (begginer-intermediate), and someone else might want one, so I'll write it once I have a block of time (and "writing" involves "test knitting again" - hence the "end of the month/next month").

STOP Sign knitting chart

2011-09-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

For Herbology, we have the option of making something that will "repel someone and keep them from approaching you". Since I had red and white(ish) wool on me on Thursday, I came up with the idea of making something with a STOP sign on it. I whipped up a quick little chart (WinStitch - it's AWESOME, it does cross-stitch AND knitting charts), and I'm sharing it with y'all, should you ever need such a thing.

Term Begins, and I'm already hopelessly overcommitted!!

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Oh, the joy! Classes dropped! My Astronomy O.W.L. was proposed and accepted! And I changed my OAE goal from Third Class to First Class - which means I have a LOT of knitting coming up. So, I looked at the scheduled classes for the month. For Third Class, I have to knit one thing for each class offered - which means I need to hit Astronomy, Divination and Herbology this month, since they're only offered now and in November. (Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Transfiguration are ONLY offered in October - eek!). I figured out what I could make from the yarn I had on me...

... yes, I took six balls of yarn, two sets of needles and a crochet hook with me to work, just in case I could start any/all of my classes immediately. THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL.

Because I say so.

Anyway, chart:

Once I figured out the classes I wanted to take, then I figured out that I'd be doing original patterns for two, and needed actual patterns for the other two, got them printed out, and got the class requirements printed out. Assembled the classes in alphabetical order, with patterns (as applicable) behind them....

... yes, I put all my classes in a notebook at the beginning of each month. THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL.

Because I say so.

Anyway, paperwork:

Then, I realized that the six balls of yarn I'd brought with me would work for four of the classes. I've started Astronomy and Charms, so far... well, okay, I've started all of them, I just won't have all of them done just yet. But I can't believe I'll actually be able to use all the yarn I brought with me! And the Scrap Bag has enough black and silver for Muggle Studies, and enough orange for Defense Against the Dark Arts, too. Again, THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL. Everyone has scrap yarn. And I'm being good, and working from the stash!!

So, off to a good start this term. If my O.W.L. doesn't kill me this time (I had double-OWLfail last term), I should be all set. Right?

Right.

Because I say so!